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“I’m real, Kalen,” I told him, but he mumbled to himself incoherently. His behavior scared me. He almost seemed insane.
“Why are you up here? It is freezing,” I told him.
“I don’t think it’s cold. Is it cold?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or me. His eyes stared at me, but it was like he was looking through me.
“I don’t want to go with them,” he mumbled.
“Go with whom?” I asked him, and he wiggled closer.
“They want me back. I shouldn’t be here. They want me back with them.”
“Who wants you back? Darius?”
“No, they won’t let me near you. They took you from me.”
His words made no sense because I was right in front of him.
“Now, I can’t see you…”
“Why can’t you see me? I am right here, Kalen,” I told him.
“But I won’t be able to see you. They will make me take the pills. I don’t want to take the pills. I don’t want Darius to take it away. He always takes you from me. I need you. I need you…” he muttered. I moved closer, pressing my forehead against his.
“I love you, Aleera. I have always loved you,” he muttered, wiggling closer to me, so his body was against mine. My heart twisted painfully in my chest. Was he like this because of me? Did my leaving drive him insane? Surely a keeper couldn’t have this much power and influence over their mate.
“Kalen, we should head back to Darius,” I told him. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing, I wasn’t sure if he was violent in this state, but I knew I didn’t want to find out. Kalen shook his head.
“We can stay a little longer. I don’t want you to disappear again. Just a while longer…”
I chewed my lip, knowing I needed to call them somehow, but I had no magic. My eyes darted to Kalen. I could feel his dark magic oozing off him. It had utterly enveloped him, and it was so thick and strong, almost glowing off him. I was surprised I hadn’t noticed when I came in.
Darius would kill me, but I didn’t know what else to do. We couldn’t stay up here, but siphoning even just enough magic to alert them to my whereabouts meant they would know I touched his power. I swallowed, deciding I would take the wrath of Darius. I was their keeper. This was what I was supposed to be doing, transferring power from one to the other, and it was almost too easy as I touched my fingers to his hand that still clutched mine tightly. My fingers were purple as the circulation was cut off.
I barely touched him, but I gasped as his dark magic flowed through me, making me giggle as it tickled my senses when I felt it trying to change to light. I couldn’t allow that, so I quickly touched my mark, sending the power through my infinity symbol. It glowed silver, but it didn’t burn like it did the first time.
I felt a weird sensation, almost like an intuition, run up my arm from my mark, letting me know they’d felt it, and I was glad I didn’t try to revel in the feel of Kalen’s magic. They would have noticed my power change, and they might have figured out what I was. Despite sending the magic into my mark, it lingered in my veins writhing through me, and I felt it give my magic a little kick, urging it to life. My senses tingled with ecstasy before it died out, knowing Darius wouldn’t let me keep it.
Chapter 24
My mind flicked toKalen in this vulnerable state. I could take his power and escape, but I couldn’t do it. It would be so easy, but I felt like I would condemn him if I did. The floor creaked as I heard three sets of feet step into the room. I could smell the buzz of electricity as a portal opened up. I glanced over my shoulder to see Darius, Tobias, and Lycus step into the room.
“You were supposed to stay in your room,” Darius told me, and I nodded.
“How did you find him?” he demanded like I was the one that brought him here.
“I don’t know. I just found myself here. I don’t even know where I am, only that I was in some abandoned part of the castle.”
“What, you just stumbled across him?” Darius snapped, and Lycus walked around Kalen and kneeled on the other side of him. He gripped his shoulder.
“Kalen, can you hear me?” Lycus whispered.
“I won’t let you take her from me again. Why is it bad? I just want to see her,” Kalen mumbled, and Lycus’s eyes went to me. I could feel them all looking at me.
“I am right here, Kalen,” I told him.
“But not for long. They always take you away, always take you away…”
