Fury pushed his way angrily through the crowd around them. His face was a mask of disgust as he looked at Markus. "May I speak on their behalf?"
Markus answered his question with a vicious backhand. Fury staggered back from the blow, his lip and nose bleeding profusely. "Only if you want to join them in their punishment."
The raw rage inside Fury's eyes was scorching. He met Fang's gaze and the sorrow and grief there caught Fang off guard. Why in the world would he give a shit if something happened to them?
Wiping his hand across his mouth, Fury stepped back and looked away.
"Sir?" Liam stepped forward this time.
Markus gave him a quelling glare and like Fury, he retreated.
"Is there another one of you bastards who wants to die with them?" Markus cast his furious grimace to all of them.
Fang expected no one to stand up for them and he wasn't disappointed.
Even Petra tucked her chin to her chest and retreated. So much for wanting to mate with him. Cowardly bitch.
Markus laid Anya's body down while Stefan and George hauled them to their feet. "As Regis of this clan, I proclaim Vane and Fang traitors to our people. Vane helped a Dark-Hunter to protect a human," he spat the word as if it were the most disgusting thing imaginable.
There was a sharp intake of breath as those words were unleashed.
Fang turned to Petra who refused to meet his gaze. Her cheeks were bright red. And his own anger mounted that she'd betrayed him. Why had he ever told her that?
Damn it, I should have known better.
When would he learn that people and animals only betrayed? No one was ever as loyal to him as he was to them.
Markus pointed at them. "Both of them fought against the Daimons to aid Dark-Hunters and both of them have been seen conspiring with those who hunt and kill our cousins, the Daimons. In retaliation for their action, the Daimons have now attacked our people and threatened the existence of us all." He gestured down to his feet where Anya's body lay unmoving. "My daughter is now dead because of them."
The hypocrisy of that statement set fire to Fang's wrath. "Daughter? You've never before claimed her as such. We did nothing wrong! The Dark-Hunters tried to protect us while you ran."
"Silence!" Markus threw his hand out and a gag appeared over Fang's mouth. "As the leader and protector of our clan, I command all of you to a timoria."
Markus ripped the shirt from Fang's back while George ripped Vane's.
Fang met his brother's gaze. "I'm so sorry, Vane," he projected mentally to him.
Vane offered him a tentative grin. "We'll get through it. Don't worry."
Fang wanted to share that optimism, but he knew the truth.
They were both going to die tonight.
Fury turned aside as his brothers were tied to a tree and then beaten. Angry and bitter memories tore through him as he remembered their mother's people doing the same to him. Only in his case it'd been their mother who called for his timoria.
The reason for it had been the same as this one. Not that they were a threat to the clan. Not that they'd done anything wrong.
It was the fact that they'd been born to parents who hated them.
Guilt ate at him. He wanted to stop this. To protect them. But how could he?
The pack would turn on him too. And while he and Liam had tried to speak up for them, no one would speak up for him. It would be as before and he would be attacked and left for dead.
If he was lucky. . . .
So he stood back, his inaction making him as guilty in this as their actual crimes against his brothers.
At least it's not you this time.