MALACHAI
I sat in my room, candlelight flickering on my desk, the paper before me taunting me with the weight of what I was about to do. Writing this letter to my former gang was necessary, a step toward finally ending Lucius and everyone tied to him. But my mind wasn't fully in it. No matter how much I tried to focus, all I could think about was Ezra. His swollen, bloodshot eyes. The way he had turned his back on me earlier, refusing to let me explain. The pain in his voice when he told me to leave.
I sighed, rubbing my temples, exhaustion settling deep into my bones. I had never felt so helpless before. Ezra had completely shut me out, and I couldn't blame him. I had screwed up. Badly. But I had to fix it.
I grabbed the tray of food I had set aside for him and handed it to Elvis. "Take this to Ezra. He won't want to see me right now. Just… make sure he eats."
Elvis gave me a long look before taking the tray. He didn't say anything, but I could see the judgment in his eyes. I ignored it. I didn't have the energy for another argument. As soon as he walked away, I turned back to my letter, forcing my hand to move, scrawling out the words that would set the next phase of my plan into motion.
But then…I heard voices.
I frowned, setting the pen down. It was coming from Ezra's room. I hadn't expected him to talk to Elvis, but I didn't think much of it until I caught Elvis's next words, and my blood ran cold.
"Stop pretending to be crippled, Ezra. Get up. You know Malachai's only keeping you around to use you as bait to get to Lucius. Why do you think he's writing to his old gang now?"
I didn't think. I moved.
Before I knew it, I had slammed the door open with enough force to rattle the hinges. Elvis barely had time to turn before my fist connected with his jaw, sending him stumbling backward. I didn't stop. I couldn't. Rage exploded inside me, burning hotter than anything I'd ever felt before.
"How dare you?" I snarled, driving my fist into his stomach, making him choke on his next words. "How fucking dare you?" Another punch, this time to his ribs. I didn't even recognize my own voice.
"Malachai! Stop!"
Ezra's voice barely registered. My knuckles cracked against Elvis's face again, sending him sprawling onto the floor.
"You think you can come into Ezra's room," I seethed, towering over him, "and fill his head with that kind of bullshit?" My vision blurred with rage. "You think I would ever use him like that?"
Elvis coughed, blood dripping from his split lip, but I barely noticed because suddenly, Ezra was crying.
No…
He was sobbing.
Shaking.
Cowering against the wall , his entire body trembling like he was trying to disappear into the bed. His wide, terrified eyes weren't looking at me. They weren't seeing me.
They were seeing Lucius.
And I had put that look on his face.
Fuck.
The fire inside me died instantly, replaced by a deep, gut-wrenching guilt that made me feel sick. My hands trembled as I took a step toward him. "Ezra…"
He flinched so violently I stopped dead in my tracks.
No. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
"Ezra, it's me," I said softly, my voice shaking. "It's Malachai. I'm not…"
"Get out," he whispered, his voice raw, broken.
My heart clenched. "Ezra, please…."
"Get out!" His voice cracked, but it was filled with so much pain, so much fear, that it physically hurt to hear it.
I reached for him without thinking. I just wanted to touch him, to reassure him, to make him see that it was me, not Lucius, not anyone who would hurt him. But the moment my fingers brushed his skin, he recoiled like I had burned him.
I stepped back, feeling like the worst person in the world. My chest ached, and for the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do.
I had lost him.
Not physically. He was right there. But emotionally? Mentally? I had just pushed him deeper into whatever nightmare he was trying to escape from.
I turned on my heels and walked out of the room, not trusting myself to say another word.
The door shut behind me, with a deafening sound.
I stood there for a moment, my breathing ragged, my hands shaking. I could still hear Ezra's quiet sobs through the door, and each one was like a knife to my chest.
I needed to fix this. I had to.
But how the fuck was I supposed to fix this when the person I wanted to protect the most was now afraid of me?.