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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: RUNES THAT DON'T WORK

❛you don't deserve that pain.❜

⋆ ✧ ⋆

"Zoya!"

The raven-haired girl almost chuckled at the way her parabatai breathed out her name, as if it were the force that kept her alive. Her hand seized Zoya's extended one as she allowed herself to be pulled up by her parabatai. Emma's arms were wrapped around Zoya's torso almost instantaneously, nearly making the Caldwell girl lose grip on Lazarus and stumble to the side.

"I am glad to see you, too, Em," Zoya replied swiftly, "but we have more Mantid demons to send back home."

"How did you-"

Before Emma Carstairs got a chance to finish her question, a red car burst from the rocky road and onto the clearing they were in. Toyota's bright lights illuminated the battle field, nearly blinding the Mantid demons.

On the car's roof, with a crossbow firmly held in his hand, kneeled Julian. He aimed his weapon toward the demons that surrounded Mark, shooting repeatedly and wiping out the demonic population with his runed arrows.

"Can't have Jules stealing all our fun, can we?" Zoya's head snapped in Emma's direction, a contagious smile plastered on her lips.

The blonde's eyes mirrored her parabatai's determination, Cortana and Lazarus ready to feed on the Mantid demons' flesh. In sync, Emma and Zoya ran toward the clearing, pushing their limbs until they felt the burning spreading through them.

Cristina Rosales was driving the car, drifting across the field and making the demons scatter around. Such a strategy gave Mark Blackthorn enough time to jump from a rock he was cornered to and drive his blade into the demon's head.

Even from a great distance, Zoya noticed the dark red stains that were speckled across the boy's clothes. However, as Mark's opponent morphed into a pool of sticky ichor, the boy's knees buckled beneath him, sending him to the wet grass. Instantaneously, his weapon flew across the ground.

"Jules!" Zoya screamed from the top of her lungs, heart hammering as she spotted another Mantid which rushed for a weaponless Mark. Cristina was already opening the window of the car, gaze frightened as she noticed the demon's intentions.

"Zo, throw," Emma instructed from the girl's side. The blonde had known there was no way for them to reach Mark in time, but the brilliant idea came out of nowhere. As adrenaline kicked in and the newfound closeness of her parabatai, a wave of new energy and motivation burst inside Emma; they were going to win.

The raven-haired girl glanced toward her hand, noticing the way Lazarus glimmered in the moonlight, almost as if it were welcoming the danger. Silently, the weapon was giving her permission to test the new way of killing and Zoya wasted no time to fight against it.

Her hand gripped around Lazarus' handle, body preparing to aim the pole weapon toward the Mantid. A ruthless wave of her parabatai's trust crashed against Zoya's insides, filling her with confidence; she was not going to miss. Not when all of them counted on her. Not when someone's life depended on her skills.

So, Zoya threw her weapon. She channeled her energy into a single, swift movement, allowing Lazarus to sink into the Mantid's flesh and make it burst like a firework of blackness.

"Yes!" Emma cheered from Zoya's side, but neither of the girls had time to celebrate the remarkable attack.

Before their minds could comprehend what was going on, they were towering over Julian and Mark. The brunette boy had his stele ready in his hand as he gazed at his brother. "Mark," Julian spoke slowly. "Mark, please-"

"No," Mark swallowed a bitter lump in his throat, inching away from Julian. "No runes."

"Zo," Emma's hand curled around Zoya's bicep, pulling the girl to face her. Lazarus was in her right hand, offered to the raven-haired girl.

"Thanks, Em," Zoya accepted her weapon, allowing the pole-arm weapon to minimize underneath her touch. Finally, as she tucked the weapon in her belt, her blue gaze met Emma's warmer one. "Are you all right? Do you need an iratze?"

"I'm fine," Emma smiled, putting Cortana away. She noticed the way the moon washed over her parabatai, accentuating the strands of her obsidian hair. Zoya's midnight gaze melted into the night, almost as if the moon had wished to greet his goddess. "You arrived just in time."

"You bet we did," Julian's voice made both girls spin around. The boy's locks were a mess, ruffled by the gushes of wind that welcomed him as he surfed through the air. His crossbow was tightly clutched in his right hand. "But don't lie to your parabatai, Emma. You're bleeding."

His gaze was glued to Emma's cheeks, making the blonde jerk in surprise. She lifted her arm up, noticing the bleeding cuts. "I didn't realize."

Emma's hazel gaze seemed apologetic, unsure as it met Zoya's. "Can you...?"

Silently, Emma was asking her parabatai whether or not she could handle the sight of blood. She didn't want to drop the overwhelming sensation of blood upon Zoya's shoulders, but the girl didn't hesitate for a second. Her stele was firmly gripped in her hand, joining the lines and creating an iratze across Emma's neck.

"How did you find us?" The stinging abandoned Emma's skin, a wave of pleasant warmth hitting her body. Parabatai runes were stronger than the regular ones; they were a salvation. "How did you know where to go?"

Before either Zoya or Julian could respond, Cristina interrupted the pair by parking the Toyota before them. She leaned across the window, features sharp and serious. "Let's go," she gestured for everyone to get in the car. "It's dangerous here."

Mark, who was standing slightly behind everyone, nodded curtly. "The demons have not gone. They have only retreated."

Everyone shared a meaningful glance, before moving around the car and making themselves at least slightly comfortable. Emma took the seat beside Cristina, leaving Zoya to offer her company to the Blackthorn boys.

The Rosales girl didn't hesitate in pressing the gas pedal, taking them away from the scene.

"You need an iratze," Julian turned to Mark. He was sitting behind Emma and next to his brother. "Mark-"

"Stay away from me with that thing," Mark's voice, although low, was as sharp as a blade's tip. His bicolored orbs flickered with deep-rooted hate. "Or I will leap from the window of this moving vehicle."

"Unless you plan on kicking me through the door," Zoya commented for Mark's other side. "You won't."

"And I couldn't agree more," Cristina tilted her head to the side, voice gentle to cover her intentions. Her left hand reached out, her pointing finger pressing the button that locked all the doors. "Nobody is leaping from the windows. Or doors, for that matter."

Zoya almost chuckled at Cristina's authority. It was surely a sight.

"You're bleeding," Julian's blue-green gaze grew more stern as he stole a secret glance at Zoya. "All over the car."

The Caldwell girl fidgeted in her seat, inspecting the blonde boy next to her. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Emma gazing in their way, hazel eyes focusing on her parabatai.

Julian was right. Mark was bleeding, splotches of crimson growing in size by the second. Such closeness to the one thing she had hated her whole life made Zoya's insides churn in unpleasantness. Bile rose up her throat, sending sparks of warning across her body and making her turn her head to the side.

She wanted to get as far away from the blood as possible, but was aware that such an action was almost impossible in her current situation. Her only solution was clear as daylight; she had to bite her lips and face her worst fears.

So, she did just that. She bit the flesh of her cheeks hard, almost letting out a yelp of pain. Julian and Emma must have heard the stealthy sound, because both of them glanced in her way almost instantaneously.

"Mark," Julian glanced at his brother again, almost pleadingly. "Can you at least clean the blood off of your skin?" He couldn't hide his growing concern for the Caldwell girl. "Please."

"It's just a little blood. I am still protected by the magic of the Wild Hunt. My wounds will heal quickly," Mark responded, but when he noticed the vivid intensity in Julian's gaze which kept on skipping past him, the blonde boy turned toward Zoya. His bicolored orbs noticed the way her body seemed to be cornered into the door and away from him. "You are scared of blood?"

Zoya could hear the surprise in Mark's question. "I am not scared. I simply do not enjoy seeing it," she replied quickly.

"In other words," Mark responded. "You fear it."

"Oh, forgive me for not dwelling at the mere sight of it!" Zoya rolled her eyes. "It tends to bring back unpleasant memories. I am sure you would understand."

Mark said nothing, almost as if he had seen through Zoya's bitter facade and into her soul. "I shall clean myself then," Mark stated, taking the edge of his shirt and wiping it across his wounds, picking up the droplets of red.

"Thank you," Zoya's shoulders relaxed as she leaned further into her seat, head tilted back.

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did," Emma spoke, as if she had sensed that Zoya didn't enjoy being the center of everyone's attention. "I don't know how you figured out what was going on, but-"

"We didn't," Julian's gaze met Emma's. "After you hung up on Zoya, we checked your phone's GPS and realized you were out here. It seemed weird enough to follow up."

"But you didn't know we were in trouble," Emma's eyes widened in surprise. "Just that we were at the convergence."

"Maybe," Zoya uttered, meeting her parabatai's gaze. "But I am no fool when it comes to you, Em. I know that trouble follows you wherever you go. We brought the weapons just in case."

The blonde girl moved in her seat, unzipping her cardigan and dropping it to her feet. A leather wallet was tucked in the back pocket of her jeans as she let out a loud hiss. A long gash of red decorated her forearm, making Zoya's eyes widen. She had to fight off the urge not to lean across Mark's lap and over Emma's seat.

"How's that possible?" The raven-haired girl questioned Emma as the girl quickly tried to cover her injury. "I gave you an iratze, Emma."

"I-I-" Emma stuttered, shaking her head in astonishment. "I don't know."

Zoya's heart jumped in her chest, making her grip Cristina's seat and lean forward. "Cris, pull over."

"What?" The brunette questioned. "You want me to pull over?"

"Yes," Zoya's voice was urgent. Emma's injury wasn't the one to be taken lightly. It resembled a burn and reached all the way from her wrist to her elbow, black across the edges. What was even worse about it was that Zoya's first iratze didn't help. "Now, Cristina."

It wasn't like Zoya to lose her temper, much less to snap at someone, but she couldn't restrain herself. Worry had danced across her skin, a terrible aching filling her limbs.

"Fine," Cristina shook her head, passing a sign that read POSEIDON'S TRIDENT. She parked the Toyota into an empty parking lot, allowing the five of them to exit. There was a restaurant nearby, along with a small area meant for dining.

"I'll go order the food and drinks," Cristina passed everyone a significant glance, implying that Emma and Mark needed to regain their strength and fill their stomachs. The pair was ready to protest, but Cristina only passed them a glare, not in the mood to be ordered around.

Julian sighed, tossing his jacket across one of the tables that was placed near their car. "There's an outdoor shower around the back," Julian informed. "And some privacy. Come on."

Mark and Julian went around the large building first, Emma and Zoya lingering behind, mostly because the raven-haired girl had grabbed a hold of Emma's uninjured hand and signalled her to walk slower.

"Zo, what is going on?" Emma questioned, almost stunned.

"You are injured, Emma," Zoya responded, dark eyebrows arched up. She had noticed the change in her tone, scolding herself for surrendering herself to anger and worry.

"It's not your fault, Zo," the blonde said, walking across the dirt path and into an area that had a massive double sink and a few shower spots. "I didn't even notice it until now. Must have been due to the adrenaline rush. My limbs were numb."

"But I gave you an iratze," Zoya shook her head. "It should have been fine-"

"Or maybe not," Emma leaned closer into her parabatai. The pair's noses were almost touching. "It wouldn't have been the first time that more than one iratze was needed for certain wounds to heal." Her gaze softened, making Zoya's heart melt. "I swear to you I didn't even feel the injury taking place. Otherwise, I would have told you. I swear."

Zoya took a deep breath, closing her eyes and regaining her composure. "I believe you," she whispered. "I do. I was just..."

"Scared?" The corners of Emma's lips turned up.

"Yes," Zoya mirrored the smile. "Scared."

"I know," the blonde uttered. "It was foolish of me to go alone to the convergence sight, but let me clean up and I'll let you draw as many iratzes on my skin as you wish." Emma squeezed Zoya's hand. "Deal, partner?"

"Deal," Zoya chuckled, slowly loosening her hold on Emma and allowing her to go and clean herself up.

The Caldwell girl was left alone, noticing that Julian had waited for Mark nearby. He was, too, alone.

"Jules," Zoya approached him in a few short strides, meeting his blue-green gaze. "You alright?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" The brunette boy chuckled lightly, fingers going through his disheveled locks and pushing them behind.

"Maybe," Zoya said. "But I asked you first."

"Well, apart from just witnessing Mark turning the spigot while he was still dressed and soaking himself completely," a shy smile danced on the boy's lips. "I am fine."

"By the Angel," the raven-haired girl's hand massaged her temple. "He did not just do that."

"Well," Julian shrugged his shoulders. "Better water than blood and dirt, don't you think? But let's talk less of that and more of you. Are you and Emma good?"

"I am," Zoya said slowly. "So is Emma, but that wound absolutely terrified me." She lifted her gaze up, meeting Jules'. "You were there when I drew the rune on her skin. It should have healed the cut. Emma said that maybe it was deeper, so she needed a second iratze, but we are talking about parabatai runes. They're amplified by magic. It just doesn't make any sense."

Julian observed the way Zoya's features changed. Her orbs softened as she spoke of her parabatai, nose scrunching as she highlighted certain words. There was no doubt in his mind that Zoya was disturbed, although Julian wasn't really sure if she should have been in the first place. Perhaps Emma was right; perhaps she had just needed an additional rune.

"Maybe Emma's right," the brunette boy said. He looked even leaner in black, making Zoya realize that she hadn't seen him dressed in gear since before the summer. "Demon wounds can be hard to heal, especially if demon poison was left behind."

Zoya bit her lower lip, ripping her gaze away from Julian's and averting it to the nearby highway. Cars speeded up, shades of yellow, white and blue mixing together and creating an enchanting lightshow.

She knew that she was going to fall into a bottomless pit of dark thoughts, but she couldn't help but reminiscence on all the events that took place lately. The ringing in her ears increased. There was a dead body - several dead bodies. She could feel others' emotions. Now, she wasn't able to heal Emma's injury.

What was happening to her?

"Zo," a hand reached for her own; familiar and slightly calloused. "Don't do it."

Julian's voice was hoarse, but it was just what Zoya had needed. The melodic tone that managed to touch her even when the worst of storms threatened to pound on her doors.

"You don't have to bear the burden alone," he whispered, slowly pulling the girl into his arms.

Almost instantly, Zoya's body relaxed. Her chin found a way to Julian's shoulder, head burying into his neck as she allowed her own hands to embrace the boy. A wave of warmth greeted her insides, making her melt in Julian's arms.

"Whatever happens," Julian whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "At the end of the day, Emma, you and me - we are family. We face everything together-"

"Are we interrupting something?" Mark Blackthorn's voice was loud and clear as he gazed at his brother and Zoya, embraced in each other's arms. Emma stood by his side, trying to contain her laughter, but failing miserably. "We can return if-"

"No, no," Julian cleared his throat awkwardly, separating himself from the raven-haired girl. His hand reached behind his neck, scratching it nervously. "We should head back. Cristina's probably waiting for us anyway."

"Very well, brother," Mark stated, following Julian in suit and leaving the girls behind once again.

Emma Carstairs was grinning, even though it pained her to do so. She playfully skipped to Zoya's side, slouching an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a side hug. "So-"

"Don't even start, Carstairs," Zoya wriggled her way out of Emma's embrace, acquiring the stele that rested in her weapon belt. Narrowing her gaze to her parabatai's arm, she advised Emma to present her injury.

"But Julian and you were hugging," she declared, pouting as she watched Zoya draw precise lines of an iratze. Her movements were painfully slow, almost as if she was purposely prolonging the process, making sure that the rune was textbook-worthy. Her teeth bit the inside of her cheek lightly, diverting all of her energy into the rune. It had to work.

"Exactly," Zoya sighed. "Friends do it all the time. Just look at the two of us - we are hugging all the time. Would you have implied that the two of us are a couple?"

Emma snorted, dirty locks of blonde cascading against her shoulder blades. "Are you insinuating that the two of us can't be a couple?" The Carstairs girl had her eyebrows arched up in a teasing manner. "Because I would like to prove you otherwise. I bet all my money that I could be a ten times better girlfriend that Julian."

Zoya laughed loudly, head shaking as she examined the way Emma's skin began to heal. "You're ludicrous, Em," she said, returning her stele to the belt and turning around. "Julian can't be my girlfriend. Besides, love between parabatai is forbidden-"

Emma's eyes widened. "You didn't deny it," she half-shouted. "By the Angel, you didn't deny it. You're falling for Julian-"

Zoya's hand flew over Emma's mouth, a sharp glare directed in her friend's way. "Would you shut it?" Emma nodded firmly, making Zoya retract her hand.

"Did he kiss you?" She asked, bluntly.

"No-"

"Did you kiss him?"

"No-"

"The two of you are hopeless," Emma sighed in defeat. "I don't think that either one of you would have noticed just how much you cared for each other even if you had giant, sparkly arrows pointed toward each other." The girl shrugged her shoulders, pulling her parabatai into another embrace. "But I keep my hopes high. The two of my best friends like each other! That's a dream come true. Can I be your bridesmaid?"

"Emma-"

"No," the blonde exclaimed. "I'll take you down the altar. Parabatai do it all the time for each other. Then I'll watch you put runes on each other's hearts. Zoya and Julian Blackthorn. I quite like the sound of your names together-"

"Emma!" Zoya hissed. By then, her heart had been hammering heavily in her chest. Her lungs were struggling for air, a silent, but observable blush making an appearance on the raven-haired girl's cheeks. "You need to stop it. Julian and I are merely friends. That's it. There's no wedding happening in the future."

"The blush on your cheeks is betraying you, Zo," Emma chuckled, pulling the girl along with her and toward Cristina, Mark and Julian who were all seated around the table Julian had picked out for them. "Keep it in order."

Emma winked, taking a seat beside Cristina. Zoya was left to battle everyone's gazes alone, before Cristina rolled her eyes and motioned for Emma to squeeze and make room for her parabatai.

The light that came from the nearby restaurant illuminated their faces, creating a wicked game of lights and shadows.

"Where were the two of you?" Julian was the first to question, dark eyebrows curving slightly. "It's been a while."

"I had to make sure the iratze worked," Zoya mumbled a quick excuse, accepting a box of french fries from Cristina, along with a lemonade.

"Well, did it?"

Zoya nodded, applying ketchup to the side of her dish. "What did we miss?"

"Mark was telling us about the fight at the convergence point," Cristina said, tilting her head in Mark's way. Zoya noticed that his blonde locks were already dried.

Emma quickly decided to take charge of the situation, sharing all about the events her and Mark had witnessed. She spoke of the mysterious cave they explored, as well as the wallet they discovered and demons they encountered. "They crushed Mark's motorcycle so we couldn't get away."

Mark's face appeared blank.

"Thy steed is no more, methinks," Emma glanced in the boy's way. "Will they get you another one?"

"Unlikely," Mark spoke. "The Fair Folk are not generous."

"Methinks?" Julian narrowed his gaze at his friend, trying to contain the bubbling laughter in his throat.

"I can't help it," Emma brushed it off. "It's catching."

"Let me see what you found," Cristina joined the conversation. "Since you sacrificed so much to get it."

The blonde girl pulled the leather wallet out of her back pocket, passing it to the brunette. Her phone was next; Emma put it in the middle of the table, scrolling through the photos of unknown words she had managed to capture.

"We can translate the Greek and Latin," Emma said. "But we'll need to hit the library for the other languages."

"Stanley Wells," Julian read the name that belonged to the victim. "Name sounds familiar."

"When we get back, Ty and Livvy can find out who he is," Emma suggested.

"That's true," Zoya nodded. "If they find the address, we could pay a visit to his house."

"See if there's a reason he might have been targeted for sacrifice," Emma added.

"They could be randomly chosen," Julian offered a thought.

"They are not," Mark added, bicolored orbs staring in the distance.

Zoya almost dropped the fry she held between her fingers, blinking in Mark's way.

"What?" Emma was the first one to voice out her surprise.

"Not everyone makes a fit subject to be sacrificed for a summoning spell," Mark gazed in their way. "It cannot be completely random."

"They teach you much about dark magic in the Wild Hunt?" Julian inquired.

The boy reached for Emma's phone. "The Wild Hunt is dark magic. I recognized the circle in the cave," Mark pointed out. "This is a sacrificial circle. This is necromancy. The power of death harnessed to some purpose."

A hurricane of coldness splashed against Zoya's chest, almost knocking her backwards. Necromancy? "Someone's that desperate to raise the dead?"

Mark nodded.

"So, the Mantids were guards," Emma concluded. "Whoever the necromancer is doesn't want anyone finding the secret ceremonial chamber."

"Because he needs it," Julian added.

"It could be a she," Emma observed. "It isn't just men who get to be psycho magic serial killers."

"Granted," Julian said. "Either way, there's nowhere else near the city with a ley line convergence like this. Necromancy that was done at a ley line extension would probably show up on Magnus' map - but what if it was done at a convergence?"

"It would remain hidden from us," Zoya concluded, earning a firm nod from Mark.

"The killer could be doing the ceremonial killings at the convergence point-"

"And then dumping the bodies at the ley line extensions?" Cristina jumped in. "But why? Why not leave them in the cave?"

"He could be showing off," Zoya suggested.

"Perhaps, it's almost as if they want the bodies to be found," Mark added. "After all, the marks on them are writing. It could be a message. A message they want to communicate."

"Then they should have written the message in a language we know," Emma mumbled into her chin.

"Maybe the message isn't for us," Mark proceeded.

"The convergence will have to be watched," Cristina agreed. "Someone will have to monitor it. There is no other convergence point; the murderer will have to come back at some point."

"Agreed," Julian nodded. "We'll need to set up something at the convergence. Something that'll warn us."

"Tomorrow, during the day," Emma said. "The Mantid demons ought to be inactive-"

"Although I admire your dedication to the problem, you might want to take a rain check, Em," Zoya tilted her head to the side.

Julian glanced in between the parabatai. "You know what we have tomorrow?" He questioned. "Testing."

Everyone huffed in protest, making Julian hold his hands in a defensive manner. It wasn't his fault that Diana was required to test them twice a year. "I'll text Diana about it," Julian suggested. "But if we don't do it, the Clave will get suspicious."

Mark mumbled something unintelligible - as a suggestion of what the Clave could do - making Cristina chuckle. "I don't think I know that word."

"I'm not sure I do either," Emma glanced at the brunette. "And I know a lot of bad words."

A gentle, honest smile danced across the blonde Blackthorn boy's features, making him yelp. His hands grasped the front of his shirt, jaw clenching at the pain which travelled through his chest.

"Let me see," Julian said firmly.

"There is nothing you can do," Mark shook his head. "It will heal."

"It's a demon injury," Julian stated. This time - his voice was authoritative. It was bone-shivering, like it belonged to someone one was supposed to fear from. "Let me see it."

Mark slowly lifted his shirt, revealing a long cut. It didn't bleed, but it was pale.

"Let me-"

But Mark didn't wait for Julian to finish. Instead, he lifted himself up and stepped away from the table. "I am fine," he stated. "I do not need your healing magic. I do not need your runes of safety." His pale hand lingered over his protection rune. "I have had this since I was ten. I had this when they took me, and this when they broke me and made me one of them. Never has it helped me. The runes of the Angel are lies cast into the teeth of Heaven." He paused briefly. "Didn't you witness it once more tonight? Didn't Zoya try to heal Emma? Had the rune not failed them?"

An arrow of sharp pain pierced through Zoya's chest. Emma, as if she'd sensed it, grabbed a hold of Zoya's hand underneath the table.

"They're not perfect," Julian's eyes glimmered with hurt. "Nothing is perfect. But they do help. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Mark," Cristina whispered, but Mark merely reacted. He pulled the shirt over his head and let it drop to the ground, before he gathered enough strength to turn around.

Zoya couldn't suppress the sound of her sharp intake of breath.

From the bottom of his neck, all the way to where his waist ended, engraved were the runes. At the same time, they were and weren't those that belonged to Nephilim. Striking black blended into a faint white, but every one of the marks stood out on his skin - thick and raised.

It was then that Zoya had realized why Mark loathed the sole sight of steles.

"What...?" Julian found no adequate words.

"When I first came to Faerie, they mocked me for my Nephilim blood," Mark spoke. "The Folk of the Unseelie Court took my stele and broke it, they said it was nothing but a dirty stick. And when I fought back for it, they used knives to cut the Angel's runes into my skin. After that I stopped fighting with them about Shadowhunters. And I swore no other rune would touch my skin."

Slowly, Mark picked up his shirt. His knuckles paled as he squeezed at the soft material. He was completely naked before them; not physically, but emotionally.

"Maybe they could still be healed," Emma began. "The Silent Brothers-"

But Zoya stopped her, merely shaking her head at her parabatai. "Em."

"I don't need them to be healed," Mark stated. "They serve as a reminder."

Julian rose up, carefully. "A reminder of what?"

"Not to trust."

The three girls could only keep their mouths shut. Their chests cried out in pain.

"I am sorry your protection rune failed you," Julian whispered tenderly. His voice was gentle, on the verge of shattering and Zoya couldn't help but suffocate the terrible urge she had to embrace him. "But there are other kinds of protection. Your family protects you. We will always protect you, Mark. We won't let them make you go back."

"I know," Mark's lips barely tugged up. "My gentle little brother. I know."

⋆ ✧ ⋆

NOTE:

Hello, lovely souls!

A lot of Zemma moments? Can we make that a thing? Zoya and Emma?

Anyways, I truly hope that you like their relationship. I feel like the two are quite different from Emma and Julian - as parabatai. Although they are protective of each other, I feel like they are also more free? I don't know if that makes sense. But for some reason, Zoya's runes are not working? It's important and we'll find out why in the future. Any guesses? 

Also, Mark? By heart is crying.

Feel free to leave a few comments. I'd like to see what you think will happen in the future. They motivate me to write, too!