Both men froze in shock as Simone leapt between them. Kyler's sword was a hair's breadth from her throat, and had drawn a trickle of blood, yet she didn't flinch.
"Simone, no!" Shayn yelled, but she ignored him. She was sprawled out across Shayn's chest, her head turned to face Kyler as his weapon hovered against her. Shayn was eyeing the sword, but forced himself to look away and monitor Kyler's reaction.
He groped about in his mind for any kind of roll or shift that would save the woman from his brother's blade, but there was nothing
"You can't kill your brother," She said quietly. "It will eat you alive when you come back to your senses. If you must have a body to show Beast, bring him mine. Tell him that Shayn wasn't with me."
"No," Shayn gaped. "Absolutely not, you crazy woman!"
"You don't get a say in this, it's Kyler's decision," She spoke without moving. The razor sharp edge of Kyler's sword was gently pressing against her neck, and a new little trail of blood joined the first.
"Why are you offering your life for his?" Kyler demanded.
"Not just for him," She corrected, "for both of you. If I lay my life down willingly, then some day you may forgive yourself for taking it. You and Shayn are closer than any brothers I've ever known. Taking his life would mean the loss of your soul."
Shayn swallowed. He wasn't entirely certain the Beast hadn't already taken Kyler's soul, but he couldn't deny he'd harbored similar thoughts about what would happen to Kyler if Shayn died at his hand.
"My soul," Kyler mused. "What an interesting thought. Now that I have my body back, you're suddenly worried about the loss of my soul? Am I always to be some poor, wounded thing in your eyes?"
The second question he directed to Shayn, who frowned.
"I love you, no matter how broken or healed you are." He said simply.
Kyler didn't like that. His eyes drifted back to where the blood oozed down Simone's neck with a little grin.
"And if I break her? Will you still love me then?" He mocked.
Shayn flinched. "Please, don't. You don't have to kill anyone. We'll leave, and not encroach on Beast's territory again. We will leave you to the life you want."
The words cost him dearly, but with Simone's life dangling by a thread in front of him, he was ready to try all possibilities.
"Do you know what I want?" Kyler tilted his head and spoke to the woman, still focused on Simone's wound.
"I know you don't want to kill Shayn, not really." She whispered.
"Don't I?"
"No." Her voice was soft, but confident. "You've beaten him, shown him your new might, your healed body. You want him to respect you, and I think you've more than proven you deserve the fear you wanted to inspire. Do you not want others to know the same? Who would tell your mother, your other brothers, of how strong you are if you kill him now?"
Kyler's eyes narrowed. Shayn watched the interplay without breathing as his brother considered the words.
"Your manipulation won't work on me." Kyler said mildly.
"It's not manipulation, it's pointing out the truth. You love him, even though you don't remember it right now. If there is a shred of pity, or pride, left in you, you'll let him go. You know he's in no danger of killing you. He wouldn't have the stomach for such a deed. You can leave here in triumph, having done your master proud in proving how great and mighty his power is." Her voice shook slightly when the man pressed the blade against her neck a little harder.
"Please, Ky." Shayn swallowed. "Please, don't."
"You sniveling, begging thing." Kyler rolled his eyes. "This is pathetic. I should have killed you standing to prevent you from humiliating yourself like this."
"You know that for next time," Simone urged.
"Next time…" Kyler pulled in a deep breath and lowered his blade a fraction. "Next time, be a worthy foe. You don't have long to become one, we'll all be coming soon."
"I was never your foe," Shayn whispered. Kyler looked at him with a bitter expression and turned, sheathing his sword and walking away. Both Simone and Shayn stared in silence until he was out of sight.
"He just… left." The man said oddly. "Like nothing happened. Like he wasn't about to…"
"Let's not think about that now," Simone shook her head, moving to stand up. "Judah, are you ok?"
The large cat had given up struggling to stand some time before, but now tested one of his forelegs. It worked enough for him to try another, and soon he was on his feet, if a bit unsteadily.
"We should give him a while before trying to leave," Simone turned to Shayn where he lay on the ground, staring up at her.
"Why did you do that?" He asked in a daze. She blinked back at him, not seeming to immediately comprehend the question.
"Do what?" Simone absently raised a hand to her neck. It came away bloody, and she began searching her pockets.
He rose, and pulled a kerchief out, laying it on the wound and holding it there, trying to regulate his emotions.
"Why," He clarified, "Did you completely disregard my instructions to run, stay in a battle zone, and throw yourself in front of the blade of a homicidal maniac?"
It was a challenge to keep his voice anything remotely close to calm, but focusing on stopping the bleeding at Simone's neck helped him steady his nerves. Thankfully, the cut was shallow and should heal without too much trouble.
"I did what I thought was right to do," Simone replied.
"You thought it was right to spill your blood all over me and let me face a lifetime of guilt over your death being traded for mine?" He dabbed at the blood, which had already slowed a bit. His fist clenched the handkerchief tightly even as he gently treated the wound.
"I thought it was right to not allow one brother to kill another, if I could help it," She frowned. "Besides, you've saved my life often enough for me to owe you one in exchange, I think."
"You did that because you thought you owed me some sort of debt?" His tone changed, anger and frustration bleeding into the words. "And you didn't try to discharge that debt by obeying my explicit instructions to run?"
"Do you want me to apologize?" Simone's confusion was apparent, and creeping into irritation.
"I want you to never do something that stupid again!" He burst. "I want you to run when I say run, and not throw yourself onto a sword!"
"You've called me crazy and stupid." She pushed his hand away from tending her neck any longer. "And yet, here we are, all three standing here, still alive and almost unscathed! That doesn't seem stupid to me!"
"Lucky results don't change the fact that the action that led to them was insane," Shayn retorted, his temper flaring. Did she not realize how close she'd just come to losing her life?
Was she completely out of her mind?
"I think the results speak for themselves and I have nothing more to say on the subject," Simone narrowed her eyes stubbornly.
"We're not done talking about this," He snapped. "You're never doing anything like that again. You're going back to Klain and I'll lock you back in the library where you belong."
Simone rolled her eyes. "I would be cowed by your threat if you had any authority over me whatsoever. And what do you mean, I am going back to Klain?"
"As soon as Judah can carry you, he's taking you there. I'm going to catch Kyler before he gets too far and drag him home." Shayn explained.
"And how, exactly, are you going to manage that?" Simone pointed in the direction the elder brother had walked. "He's stronger, faster, a better fighter, and has at least some kind of magic. You stand no chance. This plan is foolish. We were hoping to catch Kyler before he got to Beast. That didn't work. Now we have to go back and form a new plan using the minds and resources of Klain."
Shayn hated how logically she put the matter to him, and how demeaning it sounded.
"He's not better than me, he was just willing to kill and I wasn't." He explained through gritted teeth.
"Either way, he has the advantage." Simone threw up her hands. "And you are not going after him."
There was no real hope for Shayn's plans, but he refused to just give up on his brother.
"You're not in charge here, and you can't dictate to me what is and is not going to happen." He snapped. Simone took a deep breath before she assaulted him with a verbal barrage unlike any he'd endured from her before.