Chapter 5

Zyra's pov ~~

“Whatever you’re feeling right now, it’s not going to go away.”

“Mate.”

The word hangs there like someone just dropped a bomb on me in the middle of the hallway and decided to walk away.

I close my eyes and open them but they are still there.

“Yeah… no,” I say slowly, looking between both of them. “We’re not doing that.”

I expect both of them to say it's just a joke but they are still keeping a straight face. There's no awkward laugh, just their serious faces.

That’s what makes it worse.

“I think you guys hit your heads on the way here,” I continue, folding my arms. “Or maybe this is some weird inside joke I wasn’t invited to. Either way, count me out.”

The lighter one almost smiles like he expected this.

“You feel it,” he says. I roll my eyes. “What I feel is irritation. Strong irritation and it’s getting worse the longer you both stand in my way.”

The darker one steps closer.

“You can deny it,” he says quietly. “It doesn’t change anything.”

I stare at him, then at the other one, then back at him again.

“Watch me,” I mutter.

Annoying overly tall beings. I hate things I don’t understand.

The lighter one moves at the same time the darker one does, perfectly in sync like they’re connected or worse.

He steps in front of the other slightly, his jaw tightening. “Back off.” The darker one lets out a quiet laugh. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“I do when it comes to her.” There’s that word again. Her like I’m not standing right here.

“Okay,” I cut in, raising a hand. “Pause. You two need to either explain what’s going on or go argue somewhere that isn’t directly in my personal space.”

Neither of them looks at me because they are too busy staring at each other. I'm pretty sure everyone can feel the tension in the room. Speaking of everyone… The hallway has gone weirdly quiet.

I glance around and people are watching.

Not in a curious way though. They look tense and uneasy.

Great. Love that for me.

“Move,” I say, stepping forward. Big mistake because the second I move between them, both of them stiffen. Their attention snaps back to me instantly and that feeling inside me?

It hits me enough to make me inhale. The lighter one reaches for me. My body reacts before my brain catches up.

I grab his wrist tight. His eyes flash with recognition.. The darker one moves at the same time, grabbing my other arm.

That’s when something inside me snaps. It feels like a pressure that has been building finally cracks open.

A pulse shoots outward from me and everything stills instantly. The hallway goes quiet in a way like something forced it to stop. My grip loosens without me meaning to.

I step back and the boys freeze. Their expressions change at the same time to shock.

“What…” I start, but the word dies halfway.

“What did you just do?” the darker one asks, his voice lower now.

I shake my head. “I didn’t do anything.” That’s the truth. I didn’t. At least… I don’t think I did.

The lighter one exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair. “No. You did.” Behind them, someone drops something. The sound echoes too loudly in the silence.

Everyone is still watching. No one is speaking and moving except us.

“Okay, I’m officially done with this,” I say, my voice sharper now. “You both need to move.”

Neither of them does, of course. Why would anything be easy today? Before I can say anything else, something shifts behind me.

My brothers. They don’t walk up to me, they just.. appear. That’s the only way I can describe it. One second they’re not there.

The next second they are. Today is creepy as hell. Kaelen’s gaze locks onto me first then shifts to them.

Soren steps forward slightly, his posture already tense. Elric doesn’t say anything but his eyes darken.

“You,” Soren says, his voice low and dangerous, looking at the two boys. “Step away.”

The lighter one scoffs. “Not happening.”

The darker one doesn’t move either. “You’re late.” That was definitely a jab.

Soren’s jaw tightens. “I won’t repeat myself.”

Kaelen doesn’t speak immediately.

“You felt it,” he says. It doesn't sound like a question so I don’t answer because I don’t even know what he means.

The lighter one laughs softly. “Oh, she felt it.” That sets Soren off. He steps forward, his presence shifting in a way that makes the air feel tense again.

“You don’t get to speak for her.”

“And you don’t get to control her,” the darker one shoots back.

“Can we not do this?” I cut in, stepping forward again. “I’m still here, in case everyone forgot.” No one responds.

“This changes everything,” the lighter one mutters, almost to himself.

“No,” Kaelen says calmly. “It doesn’t." All eyes shift to him.

“It confirms it,” he adds. Confirms what?

Does anyone want to include me in this conversation?

No? Cool.

The tension spikes again but this time it's worse. They look like they are about to tear each other apart and unfortunately I'm right in the middle of it.

Perfect.

Goddess, if you are listening, don't let a punch land on my beautiful face. Thank you!

Kaelen moves first but he steps towards me.

“Zyra,” he says. My name sounds different coming from him right now. He reaches for my arm.

The second his hand gets close, I flinch violently. I jerk back like I’ve been burned.

My body tenses up. Everything in me screams the same thing.

No. Not again. His fingers barely brushed my skin but it’s enough for the memory to hit before I can stop it.

Hands grabbing. Holding, not letting go. Pain, cold and helpless. I stumble back, my chest rising too fast.

“Don’t,” I snap.

My voice comes out louder than I expect.

Everyone hears it. Kaelen freezes, Soren goes completely still and Elric’s expression changes.

The hallway is dead silent now. It's just me standing there, breathing too hard and reacting too much. I feel so exposed.

I hate this. I hate all of this. Kaelen lowers his hand slowly like I’m something fragile.

“I wasn’t going to hurt you,” he says quietly. I let out a short laugh.

“Yeah,” I say, stepping back again. “That’s usually how it starts.” The words slip out before I can stop them. The second they do, I wish I could take them back. Soren’s expression darkens. He looks like he is trying to put things together in his head.

Elric looks away for a second like he doesn’t want to see it. Great. Now I’ve ruined whatever weird control I had left. I straighten slightly, forcing my breathing to slow down and forcing my face back into something neutral.

“I’m fine,” I say. The biggest lie of the day and no one looks like they believe it. Kaelen nods once anyway.

“We’re leaving,” he says. The lighter one steps forward immediately. “Not with them.” The darker one doesn’t speak but he doesn’t move either.

Which says enough. I sigh because at this point, why not.

“You know what,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “You guys can all stay here and argue. I’m leaving.”

I turn, take one step and stop because I can feel it. That pull again.. it feels stronger like it is trying to drag me back. I don’t turn around. I don’t acknowledge it.

I just stand there for a second, my jaw tightening.

This is insane. All of this is insane. I don’t belong in any of this drama. Behind me, I hear one of them move. I turn back slowly and look at all of them.

For the first time since these shenanigans started, I say exactly what I mean.

“Don’t touch me.”