Page 37 of Shattered Jewel

Then Cav screams again, an inhuman roar that sends ice down my spine. “Carve out the poisoned flesh, seal the curse! The Sovereigns are in my head! Kill me, let me die before they?—”

I’m out of my seat before I realize it, teacup tipping over and splashing across the counter, porcelain shattering. I run for the door.

Kaspian lunges to block me, but I dodge him in his less-than-invincible state. I race down the hall, my heart a wild drum in my chest, and wrench open Cav’s door, stumble to a stop, then freeze.

Cav writhes on the bed, his body arching grotesquely as he roars, clawing at his chest. The bandages are soaked through, more red than white, his skin stretched taut over straining bulges of muscle. His eyes roll wildly, unseeing. Lost in a purgatory I’ve only just begun to imagine.

“Oh god, Cav,” I choke out.

I start forward, reaching for him, desperate to soothe, to help, to do something. But then his head snaps toward me, and he snarls, baring bloodstained teeth. I recoil with a scream caught in my throat.

“You think you can save me? You have no idea what I’ve done or what I’m capable of. The curse won’t let me go, and it’s hungry. For you. For your Anderton blood.” His mouth splits into a twisted mockery of a smile. “Can I tear off your wings, little butterfly?”

That’s not Cav. It can’t be. Whatever the Sovereigns did to his mind ... it’s not my Cav in that bed anymore.

It’s a demon wearing his skin.

The instinct to give in and run, flee from this nightmarish scene, is all too real, but my feet remain rooted to the spot. Behind me, I hear the thundering footsteps of Axe, Wilder, and Kaspian.

Cav arches off the bed with a howl, blood spraying from his lips. His nails gouge into his chest, tearing at the bandages, ripping into his own flesh. “Carve it out!”

Wilder swears and dives forward, grabbing Cav’s wrists and pinning them to the mattress. Kaspian takes the other side of the bed until they’re both focusing restraining him. Cav bucks and contorts beneath them, inhuman strength fueled by madness.

“Help us hold him!” Wilder shouts at Axe over his shoulder.

Axe surges forward, taking Cav’s flailing legs. They wrestle Cav down, sweat pouring down their faces as they strain against his manic thrashing.

“Cav!” Kaspian snarls, pulling out of his sling and using both arms to hold down one of Cav’s, heedless of any pain it might cause his shoulder, the stitches it will tear. “Remember what we’ve said. What we say to each other when it gets too much. The Court isn’t our destiny. It is not our death. There is no curse. You’re hurt, the Sovereigns fucked you up, but you are fine. There is no dark magic. Nothing holding your mind. Just us. Your brothers, and Elara.”

I hover, hands pressed to my mouth, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Cav’s face whips toward me, his eyes seeking mine. For a moment, just a split second, I swear I see a flicker of recognition. A glimmer of the man who so furiously claimed me in this very room, succumbing to that rare emotion of his, the one that binds, the one that parts the black clouds of his life and finds the sky.

And I know what to do.

With trembling fingers, I untie my cloak. The boys are too occupied restraining Cav to notice me undressing behind them. I unbutton my pants and peel off my shirt, my bra and underwear with a light whoosh of sound.

Wilder glances up sharply as if scenting my nakedness. His pupils dilate at the sight of me, with my hair flowing past my shoulders and curling under my breasts.

I start forward. He doesn’t stop me.

Movement in his periphery draws Axe’s attention, too. He looks at me with a mixture of awe and protectiveness, his arms bunching with corded muscle as he grips Cav’s thrashing legs. Yet he only watches me as I move toward them.

Kaspian’s focus is on Cav, trying to get him to calm down. But it’s like as soon as I get too close, his head snaps up, and his snake-green eyes center on me.

There’s no hesitation in my step at their targeted, heated attention, and I crawl onto the bed next to Cav, feeling the cold, sweat, and blood-soaked sheets against my bare knees, and then slide on top of Cav to straddle him.

“Careful, beastie,” Kaspian warns.

I run my shaking fingers over Cav’s bloody cheekbones. He’s now watching me carefully, his teeth poised to snap. Leashing my own terror, I try to reclaim his attention.

Slowly, so slowly, I lean down and press my lips to his bloodstained mouth, tasting the saltiness of his sweat and the metallic tang of his ichor. Cav stiffens, and then something shifts ... his arms relax against Wilder and Kaspian just a fraction. His body goes slack for one sweet moment before he bucks again, but there’s less violence in it this time. Less anger.

And it’s mainly in his hips, directly below my parted folds.

Kaspian meets my gaze over Cav’s twitching form and nods once—sharp enough that I understand that he’s curious enough to allow me to tread carefully. I reach down and grasp Cav’s hand in mine while Wilder holds his wrist, pressing our palms together. My heart hammers out a rhythm only heard by him now.

“Breathe with me,” I say against his ear as I match his shallow breaths with mine.