Page 150 of Taming the Kraken

“What choice do we have?” Reiya looked at them and shook her head. “We don’t have a choice here. Besides, we will be raising Beryl. This will be her chance. Abaas changed. Maybe Beryl will too …”

“You could argue that Abaas was never evil to begin with. He was led down that path of darkness.” Brody snorted, shaking his head. He didn’t agree with this at all.

“Perhaps this is Beryl’s case too. What choice did she have as a child? She didn’t know another life.” Reiya lifted her head up to look at Meryl. “Elysia can give Beryl a fresh start. Then it is up to her to choose her path. At least this time, she will be given the best chance to start out right.” She turned and looked at Brody, Chelsie and Xander. She smiled at them and nodded her head. “This is a trade I am willing to make … one we have to make.”

Reiya stepped forward and breathed in slowly while looking at Meryl. “The fairies will raise Beryl. She will be ours, and we will raise her as our own.” She watched as Meryl’s lips curled upward, and Reiya wondered what thoughts and plans she was hiding behind her smile. It really didn’t matter. They didn’t have a choice, and Meryl knew it. They couldn’t live without the nullifying scales. They couldn’t constantly worry about someone being controlled.

“That’s all I want. You’ve got yourself a deal.” Meryl turned and looked at Olga. “Get the preparations ready.”

Alexa walked behind Erebus outside on a gravel walkway. The salty wind swirled around them as the waves rolled across the ocean. The last few days, Erebus had been quiet. She could see he was battling against himself. The storm seemed to hit him in surges. She was trying to be patient, but she wasn’t going to just stay here quietly while he tried to take control of her again. Her fairy magic had fractured the cuffs, and she could feel the chill of her magic being restored. It was time for her to start getting the answers she needed. She took a deep breath, finding her resolve, and watched as Erebus stared out at the ocean.

“Why are you working with the demons? I can’t figure it out. You don’t seem like the type who really wants to cooperate with them.” Alexa watched as his body tensed. He turned his head and looked at her as if he was shocked to see her there. In that moment, she could see the wild animal in his eyes, and she regretted saying anything.

“How could YOU possibly understand?” Erebus’ voice dripped with venom as he turned his gaze toward her. “You are the darling in your world. The fairy princess that everyone loves and desires. You even have a damn deity wrapped around your dainty little finger.” He sneered. “I’ll give it to you. You are beautiful. You have a kind nature that even soothes the most tainted of souls. I can see why he’s so attracted to you even without the mate pull.” He stepped toward her, staring into her eyes.

She wanted to step back, but she stood her ground. His eyes were filled with fury and rage. He had never looked at her like that before, and she didn’t like it. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. She could see his chest heaving with each breath he took. “So, you’re working with the demons because you want to be accepted?”

Erebus scoffed loudly as his fingers tilted her chin up to him. “You don’t know loneliness. You don’t know what it’s like to want someone so badly … someone you can never have. And not just a fleeting moment. Eternity. I will never have the one person I want for all eternity.” He then rubbed his thumb over her cheek as he stared at the mark on her neck.

“I’ll ask you this and don’t lie. You will not be punished for speaking the truth, but I will punish you for lying to me.” He leaned in close to her face, and she could feel his breath on her neck. “Did he have you?” She froze. She couldn’t move, couldn’t look away from his burning gaze. “Did he take you?” Alexa felt her cheeks flush. She couldn’t bring herself to answer. “Did he have sex with you?” He was so close she could feel his lips brush against her ear. “Did he lay you down and thrust into you until you couldn't breathe? How many times did he take you? Did you satisfy him as well?”

Alexa lips parted as she tried to step away from him. “Answer me, Alexa!”

“Why do you care? Of course we’ve been together. He’s my mate … he’s my soulmate.” Alexa watched as his eyes widened with a menacing glint.

“He’s kind to you, huh? Is he a considerate lover?” Erebus clicked his tongue as he gripped her chin harder. His eyes then caught the shine of something on her neck. He quickly reached out and ripped the necklace off Alexa’s neck.

“That’s mine!” Alexa reached out frantically to retrieve the necklace. It was her lifeline to Ken.

Erebus sneered as he held it up. Inside the clear, sparkling gem were the words “You’ve always had it.” The gem radiated with a familiar aura that he recognized immediately. “A gift … he gave you a gift.” He shook his head angrily and snapped his gaze back to Alexa. “What a sweet gesture of his love for you. You know … he gave me a gift once too. I thought it was a token of his affection. But you know what it was? It was a trick! A cruel trick that I am reminded of EVERY TIME I see my hair color. It isn’t the color of my hair that’s the problem. It’s the reminder that I was never good enough! It’s the constant reminder that I was only a joke to him!”

Wait a minute. Alexa’s eyes widened as her mouth parted in shock. She wasn’t hearing this right, was she? Because it sounded to her like Erebus wanted Ken. His eyes flickered wildly as he shook the necklace at her.

“Is it that shocking for you too? Is the idea that absurd?!” Erebus growled angrily.

“Does he know? Did you ever tell him?” Alexa whispered, her breath ragged.

“Why? So he could laugh at me? So he could make fun of me for eternity? I—my feelings used to be …” He shook his head slowly. “I only ever wanted him to look my way. Do you know how happy I was when he gave me a present? I thought he’d finally noticed me. I was a fool. I was deceived.” He ran his fingers through his white hair. “His cruel joke put a poisonous thorn in my heart. And your sweet, kind mate … he laughed! I tried to forget. I tried to move on with Ivory … but she betrayed me too by going to Ken. Ken. Ken. Ken. Ken! He was always causing me pain. Mocking me and my feelings.” He glared at Alexa. “I want him to know despair. I want him to feel this type of pain. Which brings me to my impasse. Do I take you for myself? Or do I kill you? Such a tough decision, and I just don’t know what to do.” A maniacal smile crept over lips as he stared at Alexa.

Alexa looked into his menacing eyes. Was that it? Was that why he’d been so quiet? He was deciding if he should kill her to hurt Ken or put nembrant glass in her eye. She curled her fingers into fists and glared back at Erebus. Did he think she would tremble with this knowledge? And to think all of this was simply because of an unrequited love.

“Wow. You are ridiculous. For one, you were too afraid to ever voice your real feelings. At least be man enough to confess. Then your feelings would have been out there instead of the guessing game you played. If you get rejected, you get rejected. Then you at least have the closure you need to move on. Instead you dwelled on a relationship you never had the courage to reach for.” Alexa watched his eyes grow dark. She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “What? Did you think I would pity you? After what you’ve done to everyone? What you did to my cousin? You caused your own pain. You brought your loneliness upon yourself. My uncle was rejected by his mate. He didn’t crumble. He moved on and found a second-chance mate. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. You never even found a mate. You never even confessed your feelings. You had your chance, but you were too much of a coward to take it. You failed yourself. You failed to be honest with yourself. And because of that, you never found happiness. You made the decision to stay in pain.”

Erebus grew pale as his lips thinned. His nostrils flared and his eyes flashed at Alexa, and with a vicious snarl, he lunged beside her. Alexa was prepared for this reaction, and she swung a black, icy sword she’d instantly manifested in her hand. The sword sliced across Erebus’ chest, pulsating with energy that sent him flying through the air.

The wind roared, tossing Alexa’s hair wildly as Erebus stumbled back to his feet. “I’m not in a dream world here. If you’re going to fight me, be prepared to lose your life!” She watched as he curled his lips at her. Drops of blood trickled from the wound she’d inflicted on him. A dark aura emanated from him as his feet shifted beneath him. She wasn’t sure if she could win this fight, but she was going to give him hell. And hopefully send him there.

In a blur, he sprinted toward her. She raised her sword and lunged back at him. The world lit up around them as two powerful lights collided in a thunderous crash.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE

Brian and Ryker walked back into the hidden hideout of the Thunders. Fisher was the only member of the Thunders that was acting with the demons. There were hybrid dragons, half-demons who had taken root in the West Dragon Kingdom. After interrogating one of the traitors, Brian and Ryker were able to get a list of everyone involved.

One by one, they dealt with those who were working with the demons. Levi had found two others with nembrant glass in their eyes. One of them was Reese. They made sure they checked everyone they were interrogating to determine their innocence in the matter.

Now there was just one dragon left … Fisher. He was a dragon from a royal bloodline, and they would need Brian’s strength to bring him down. Wendy met them at the entrance and bowed her head respectfully to Brian.

“Fisher is in the main room. Are you sure no one else is involved?” Wendy asked nervously.