"Friends don't leave each other to rot." Noah snarled as he slammed Arlo back into the wall again, gritting his teeth. "Friends don't let monsters tear one another apart."
His grip on Arlo's collar was iron, his breath hot with barely contained rage.
"I really tried," Arlo gasped, his blindfold shifting slightly with the motion. His voice wasn't defensive. It carried a tremor of genuine desperation.
"Noah, you have to believe me. I tried to go after you. I begged my grandfather to let me move. But he locked me down. You don't know how he is. You know I wouldn't just leave you there. I almost escaped, but—"
"Almost," Noah snarled, cutting him off, his coral colored eyes burning like coals. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw trembled.
"Almost doesn't mean anything, Arlo. Almost doesn't change the fact that you didn't come. Almost doesn't change that I rotted in their dungeon while you got stronger."
