Aria's POV
My chest tightened. "We need to escape from here, Joshua. You are not yourself. My brother would never agree to sacrifice himself for an evil cause."
His eyes flashed gold. "I am not your brother," he snarled.
I took another step toward him, unafraid. Joshua immediately became defensive.
"Don't come any closer."
I stopped and forced myself to breathe. "Joshua, you are my brother. Dad misses you."
His expression softened for the briefest moment, then the emptiness returned. "I don't have a dad. I belong to Silas."
The words cut deeper than they should have.
I clenched my jaw. "You don't belong to anyone."
"He gave me a purpose in life."
I shook my head. "He took your life and caged you."
Joshua's expression hardened. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you. I
