AARYN

When they made it out to the trail down the mountainside, Aaryn put a hand to the back of her neck and began to knead the small muscles there that were tense and tight as the bonds on a catapult.

He opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but footsteps crunched behind them, someone jogging to catch up, and they both turned.

Aaryn let a low growl roll in his throat when he saw Gar. But Gar didn't even look at him, just stared at Elreth.

"What are you going to do?"

She tilted her head. "I don't know yet."

"You can't punish them for wanting a life where they don't have to worry about—"

"I don't intend to punish them, Gar, I intend to punish whoever made the fucking stupid decision to allow humans into Anima without any kind of screening or approval from the throne. You did this when Dad was Dominant?"

Gar nodded. "But I was hoping you'd be open to it. I planned to talk to you—"

"When?"

"When we got a feel for the way the winds were blowing. When you proved that you were actually going to do something about what the disformed face."

Elreth's mouth fell open and Aaryn's upper lip curled.

Where did Gar get off? She'd done more to prove her empathy for the disformed than any normal Anima he knew!

Elreth stepped past him to stand right in front of Gar. She was lower than him on the downhill path, which made her even shorter. But she didn't care. She put a finger to his chest and whispered through her teeth.

"I don't know what happened to you, or what twisted your mind to stop you being able to see the truth about your family, but you can back the fuck off, Gar. I don't have anything to prove to you. And if you think I do, that's your fucking problem."

Aaryn nodded.

Gar's eyes swung up to him, but his expression didn't change, then they snapped back down to his sister. "I didn't say you don't care, Elreth. I said you needed to prove you'd actually do something about it. Remember Dad ten years ago? Remember all those nights around the dining table where you'd leap on him, talking about Aaryn and what needed to happen so he could have a better life? All those promises Dad made about what he was going to do. And yet… where are we?"

"He did make things better—he lived what he believed. I never saw him treat a disformed with any kind of contempt or—"

"And yet, he was in power for thirty years and we're still here. The disformed are still wanting to leave. The disformed are still being held on the outskirts of their tribes."

"They're also being more accepted than they were—and they're holding positions of power, which they NEVER did before."

Gar shook his head. "If you think he was doing such a great job, why'd you take Dominance?"

"I didn't say he did everything he should have, I said he proved that he meant what he said. And so have I—even before I took dominance. So I'm not buying this bullshit about having a point to prove before you'll decide to be honest with me! I'm your sister, AND the Queen. If you won't fill me in, who will you talk to, Gar?"

"I didn't come out here for family therapy," he growled and shot another look at Aaryn. "I came out here to make sure you aren't going to drag your feet like Dad did. That you aren't going to punish them for looking out for their own interests."

"Who should I punish, Gar? Since you're so full of wisdom and all the right choices. If the humans have learned about Anima, if we're invaded and our people are killed… who's to blame? Who should I hold accountable for that?"

"Me," Gar said without hesitation. "And Mom."

Elreth's mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious."

Gar leaned down until they were nose-to-nose. "Who do you think gave me the fucking idea?"

She swallowed. "I thought… Uncle Gahrye…"

Gar huffed. "And who gave him the idea?"

Elreth stared him down until he straightened again, but she still didn't move right away. "I'm not buying it," she said, finally.

Aaryn put a hand to her back so she'd know he was there. He could feel her trembling. "She wouldn't undermine Dad that way. And she wouldn't—"

"She's human, Elreth, you get that right? No matter how long she's been here, not matter what she's become since, she's human. And she's felt the spike of prejudice because of it. There isn't a person on Anima who understand the disformed better than her, because she got treated the same way for so long. So get off your fucking high horse and open your eyes."

"You open your eyes!" she hissed. "If we don't control this there will be no Anima to bring the humans to! There will be no disformed to find human mates and join with them. You are literally opening the door to the mass destruction of our people and you can't even see it!"

Gar looked around, his hands out. "Where's the destruction, El? Where's the dying? We aren't just throwing humans through the traverse. We aren't forgetting out vows."

Aaryn huffed at that, but they both ignored him.

"We don't just pick humans at random and bring them back. We've done it what six? Eight times? And only humans that had Anima true mates."

"But you haven't controlled it!" she snarled. "They could have told anyone! They could have brought anything—and if they've brought those weapons Dad talked about, someone here might be able to replicate them and then we've got a disgruntled people, armed with destruction. I hadn't even thought about that until now. You just have no idea, Gar, NONE, about the risk you've put us all under, and you don't even care! Who hurt you so bad that you don't even care!?"

Gar flinched back from her, his face closing down, his expression going dark. "This isn't about me."

"Oh, yes it fucking is!" El spluttered. "There's no way you would have done this if you were committed to this Kingdom—to Dad. No way! You even left Aaryn in the dark who you claim to respect."

"I do respect him!"

"You guys both know I'm here, right?" Aaryn muttered dryly. But they both remained, glowering at each other.

"Bullshit, Gar. You don't respect anyone—not even yourself!"

"Get off your—"

"No, I'm done with this conversation. I have so much shit to sift through now, to figure out whether you've got all of us killed, I'm done. You come to the cave tonight, and you bring Mom, and we'll have this out then," she snarled, then turned on her heel, pushed past Aaryn, and started down the trail.

Gar took a step, but Aaryn clapped a hand to his chest and growled the warning.

Gar met his gaze, and for a second his eyes flashed.

Aaryn tilted his head and let himself feel the Alpha power. He might submit to Elreth, but no fucking way was he giving ground to Gar.

Gar glared at him, then huffed again and shook his head, turned on his heel, and headed up back up the trail to the cave.

Once Aaryn was certain he wasn't coming back, he turned and followed Elreth, ignoring the twist in his chest that occurred when he wondered what would happen if Gar ever stepped fully into his own dominance.

Elreth was right. That wasn't their biggest problem right now.