“Go!” Sofia cried in panic and I felt the heat of Darius’s breath at my back just as we made it over the boundary, the magic tingling against my skin a heartbeat before I threw the stardust, making sure I tossed enough backwards to reach my brother.
We were torn away into the ether, my head spinning as we seemed to spiral out of control for a moment before we were spat out in a sky full of snowflakes with silence reigning in every direction.
Darius roared his relief, picking up speed to fly beside us, his golden eye turning on me as he checked I was alright, and a laugh of complete relief fell from my lungs.
“Holy shit, Xavier.” Sofia turned her head to look back at me, her short, blonde hair flying out around her in the wind and her eyes full of awe.
I leaned forward, wanting to kiss her, the urge burning in me brighter than the sun, but as I lowered my head, Tyler flapped his wings hard, bumping me up on his back and making my mouth collide with her eye instead, ruining the moment entirely.
Fucking Tyler.
Tyler whinnied a laugh and I scowled at him as Sofia turned to look back at the view, her cheeks a little pink as we followed Darius down to land on the snowy ground where he’d laid the motorcycle and bag beside him, the rest of my herd looking on in shock as we arrived, clearly unable to locate The Burrows and wondering why the fuck I’d brought them to this desolate place in the middle of nowhere.
I jumped off of Tyler’s back after Sofia, relief rushing over me as I looked at the Pegasus herd, taking a head count and feeling almost certain that they were all there.
Darius shifted back into his Fae form the same moment Tyler did, and my hand slid smoothly around Sofia’s, not wanting to let her go after how close we’d just come to death.
“What is this place?” Sofia breathed, shivering in the cold before using her fire Element to heat herself through, and I worked hard not to glance down at her tits which were on full display.
“It’s a haven for the rebels,” I explained. “You’ll have to stay here now.”
Tyler smiled widely, excitement flashing in his eyes. “Hell yes, we’re on the run, baby.” He grabbed hold of Sofia, pulling her from my hold, but as Darius caught my eye I found another reason to be angry.
I wheeled on him, pointing at the motorcycle he’d risked his neck for. “What the fuck were you playing at? You could have been killed for that thing.”
Darius was breathless from how hard he’d pushed himself in the fight against my father and my gaze fell on a bloody wound at his side, his hand pressed to it, a grimace crossing his lips as he opened his mouth to answer then collapsed to the ground in the snow instead.
“Darius!” I yelled in fright, running forward and falling to my knees beside him. I didn’t know how to heal yet, but I placed my hands against the wound all the same, my fingers slipping in the blood as panic took root in me and I willed my magic to do something to help.
“I got you, bro.” Tyler dropped down beside me and rolled Darius onto his side, placing his hands against the wound. My shoulders trembled as Tyler worked to heal him, his brow furrowing as he struggled and the claw marks gouged into Darius’s side began to knit over achingly slowly.
“Why isn’t it working?” I demanded and Tyler shook his head helplessly.
“It’s taking more magic than it should. I don’t understand-”
“Shadow wound,” Darius grunted, a noise of relief leaving me as he began to stir, his eyes cracking open as he looked up at me. “It will take a lot more power to heal it.”
I nodded my understanding, slapping my hand to Tyler’s shoulder and pressing my power towards him, urging it to meld with his.
Tyler’s eyes widened in surprise as he realised what I was offering but it didn’t take him long to drop his barriers, our magic rushing together in a vibrant burst of power which stole my breath and made him groan with pleasure.
“Fuck, you’re so powerful,” he gasped, staring at me in surprise as he felt the full weight of my magic.
“Not as powerful as me,” Darius muttered, unable to help himself even while he was bleeding out on the ground.
“True,” I admitted because of course that was the first thing our father had checked when my magic had been Awakened and he was right. I wasn’t as powerful as my older brother as far as power levels went. “But I have three Elements,” I taunted and Darius chuckled, though it turned into a curse of pain.
Tyler quickly tugged on my magic, using it to boost his own as he continued to heal Darius and the wound slowly stitched over more.