I nodded. “Everything was going fine. Gar shot an antella, and he went to retrieve it and told me to wait with Crius.”
Drak’s body jolted, and he sucked in a breath as his gaze whipped to me. The mist of his aura kicked up, swirling into an angry tunnel.
“What?” I asked, placing my hand on his.
He blinked rapidly, and then shook his head, but his aura remained stormy.
“Go on,” Daz said.
“Uh.” I shot Drak another look, distracted by his reaction. “Uh, so when Gar was gone, Crius said that he’d noticed a welf burrow and he’d show it to me. I said I thought we should wait for Gar, and he said it would fine and that we’d only be gone a moment. So, he led me away. After a while, he nudged me in front of him, and told me to keep walking. I did, but I didn’t see any welf burrow. I turned around to ask him where it was, and he wasn’t there. Just… gone.”
Gar slammed his fists down on the table so hard, the legs creaked. I jerked at the sound. “The fleck you say!” he roared.
I stared, stunned at his reaction. “I’m sorry…” I glanced around the table, but no one would look at me. “Wait, what’s wrong?”
Gar paced the length of the room, fists clenched at his sides.
“Get him,” Daz said, flicking his fingers at Sax.
Sax stood swiftly and left the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Daz looked me square in the eye. “You’re telling the truth, Miranda?”
“Of course, I am. Why would I lie? When I realized I was alone, I panicked and heard someone walking toward me. I thought it was Crius returning, or Gar, but instead it was three Kulks.” I leaned forward, using my closing argument voice. “They grabbed me, hit me, and began carrying me off somewhere. Until Drak showed up. He killed them all, our loks appeared, and then he cared for my broken ankle for weeks until I could walk again.”
The door opened, and Crius strode inside, Sax at his back. “What’s this ab—?” He froze when he caught sight of me. Then his gaze swung to Drak.
Drak’s swirling aura spun faster and faster as he slowly rose to his full height. His eyes were black as pitch as he locked onto Crius like I’d seen him do to prey while hunting. The tornado of his aura exploded into a burst of smoke just as a blinding white light shone through like a savage spotlight.
A sound emerged from Drak’s throat that I would never forget as long as I lived. It was pained and ravaged, a growl that seemed to unleash from his very core. It ripped up his damaged throat and thundered around the room like hurricane.
That’s when he lunged. I’d never seen him move that fast. One second he was beside me and in the next he was on top of Crius, pummeling him with lightning-fast fists. Over and over he slammed his knuckles into Crius’s bloodied face until Ward hauled him off of the battered male.
But that didn’t matter. Drak broke from Ward and went at Crius again, the godawful sound still leaving his throat, like a rabid animal. Crius weakly defended himself from the punishing blows. I screamed for Drak to stop, and it took the strength of Ward, Gar, and Sax to pull Drak off Crius and hold him onto the ground. Still he fought. Still he made that sound that sent a sharp shard of ice down my spine.
Daz knelt by Crius and lifted his upper body. The beaten warrior moaned, his head limp against Daz’s chest.
“Fleck,” Daz muttered. “I wasn’t thinking about how Drak would feel seeing Crius.”
“What does that mean?” I demanded, standing up so fast, my chair crashed to the floor behind me. Drak thrashed on the floor at the sound.
Daz’s jaw clenched. “Crius was the one who saw Drak making a deal with the Uldani. He’s the reason he was cast out.”
Suddenly lightheaded, I stumbled. Xavy reached for me but I shoved him away. Drak making a deal with the Uldani?
“That can’t… that can’t be,” I said. “He killed at least nine Kulks for me. Why would he do that if he was working with them?”
Daz sighed. “I can’t answer that.”
A theory occurred to me. “But wait, was it only Crius who saw this deal?”
Daz sighed. “I know where you’re going with this. Miranda, Drak didn’t deny it.”
Drak lay panting on the floor, his eyes closed. I blinked at Daz. “He didn’t… What do you mean he didn’t deny it?”
“He and Crius fought, and he was injured. When we asked him what happened, he never spoke once in his defense.”
This didn’t make sense. None of it.
Crius moaned. He raised a hand to his face and opened his battered eyes. His gaze clashed with mine, and immediately his body went tense. For a moment, he didn’t speak, and then he said, “Miranda, we thought you were gone forever.”
Something was off. His words were careful and measured even as he spoke through a rapidly swelling jaw.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why did you want him to come here?” I asked Daz.
He pulled Crius into a chair, and Crius groaned. “You’ll live,” Daz grumbled. “Answer our questions and then we’ll take you to get some medis.” He folded his hands on the table. “Tell us again what happened when Miranda went missing.”
Crius blinked, and cast his gaze around the table. Fear flickered in his eyes, and I went still. I knew a man about to lie when I saw one.
“She wanted to see a welf burrow. So, I led her there and while we were looking for it, something caught my attention. I looked away from her for a moment when I looked back, she was gone. I saw signs of a struggle—”
“Bullshit,” I spat.
Crius’s shoulders hunched, but he didn’t look at me. The coward refused to meet my gaze.
“You led me away from Gar when I told you I didn’t think it was a good idea. It was you who shoved me in front of you and told me to keep walking straight. And it was you who disappeared on me. I didn’t wander off. The struggle lasted a long time. There was no snatch and grab. They hit me in the face and stomach. I broke my ankle trying to defend myself. And it was Drak who killed them to save me.” I lifted my chin in the air and leveled Daz with a glare. I jabbed a finger in Crius’s direction. “He is lying.”
Daz held my gaze, and if I was someone else, I would have been wholly intimidated. His dark purple stare pierced me like a laser, dissecting my words and actions.
I held my breath, terrified he’d believe his warrior over me, when I knew something was wrong about Crius. If he lied about me, then he also could have lied about…
I looked at Drak. His eyes were no longer closed. He watched Crius closely. Gar stood now, and only Ward and Sax held Drak down. His big body was coiled, ready to strike. And I didn’t give anyone an ounce of warning about it.
“Crius,” Daz said in a firm, even tone. “I don’t believe you.”
Crius erupted into a sputtering mess. Gar crossed the room in one giant stride and slammed his fist down on the table in front of Crius. He snarled in the beaten male’s face. “She could have died or worse! I trusted you, and you betrayed me, this clavas, and our creed!”
“I’m not lying!” Crius shouted back, but his voice shook, and his eyes were wild, panicked. “She’s not remembering right. You’d actually believe a human female over me?”