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Tobias clucks his tongue while Darius glares at Lycus and points at the door. Ryze hisses and squawks, alarmed at the towering dark werewolf that is snarling savagely at Darius. Lycus' anger grew, and his werewolf instincts take over, making him savage. No longer in control, he lunges at Ryze, but Darius snatches him off the back of the armchair before his powerful jaws wrap around the bird.
Tobias points to the door, and Lycus growls. “Don’t make me put you out!” Tobias warns him. Lycus’ claws scratch the floor up and Tobias’ eyes flash at the challenge. Lycus pivots and runs out the door when Tobias moves with inhuman speed and opens it.
"What's wrong with him?" I ask. He doesn’t usually lose control like that.
"He is picking up on her anger as well," Darius says, and I look at Aleera and put my head in my hands. She thinks I am weak; I knew she would. I’m not like them. I’m not powerful. I’m not strong.
Darius steps closer, holding Ryze in his hands like he is holding an oversized chicken. Instinctively, I cringe away, and Ryze flaps his wings. Darius lets him go, and Ryze flies over to perch on the headboard. His tail flicks over her arm as he pets her like she is his pet, not the other way around. “Crazy bird,” Darius mutters, climbing on the bed beside her. Ryze hisses at him, but he waves his hand at him.
“Hate me all you want. Just do it quietly,” Darius snaps. I shake my head, but Ryze seems to listen to him, huddling in his feathers like an owl watching with wide eyes, but he remains quiet.
Darius leans his face closer, sniffing her neck before sighing and laying back. He pats his chest with his hand while looking at me expectantly, but I don't move.
“One!” Darius says, and I ignore him, not in the mood to cuddle. I feel antsy and irritable.
“Two!” I pick at the blanket, watching her squirm as fear floods me through the bond.
“Don't make him get to three, Kalen,” Tobias hisses behind me and nudges me toward him.
I roll my eyes and look at Darius, who raises an eyebrow like he’s daring me to disobey him before pursing his lips. He lifts a finger, motioning for me to come to him, and I growl before crawling closer. Obviously, I don’t move fast enough because Darius rips me on top of him.
“Stop your pouting and sleep,” Darius growls before pressing his lips to my forehead. His hand is warm as it trails up my arm gently.
“You're not weak,” he whispers, while I trace the scars on his chest with my fingertips.
I look up at him, observing his aura, but I can see he’s worried about something. His aura is black but flickering red oddly.
Everyone has color in their aura, depending on the emotion. Mostly everyone is a shade of black or gray, sometimes an off blue color. Looking at Aleera is like looking at a bubble when the sun hits it, a mirage of every color you could think of. Observing Darius again, I can tell he’s nervous about something, so I know he’s hiding something. Usually, I don’t pay much attention to his aura, unless he has no magic. Mostly his remains black as coal. His emotions are steady unless his incubus takes him over, so it makes me wary seeing his worry change his aura.
“What are you worried about?” I ask him.
“Nothing that concerns you, now sleep,” he says with a finality in his voice.
“Only if you tell me,” I tell him, and he growls, squeezing my arm, then he sighs.
“She will know all my secrets, just like she knows yours.”
“You worried she will find out about your father?”
“No, something else.”
“She can’t blame you for that; I don’t hate you for it. I know you can’t control it. That isn’t you. She’ll understand that.” Darius' eyes flicker, and Tobias sits up on one elbow, watching us curiously and I realize I spoke more than intended.
“What isn’t your fault?”
“Nothing.” Both Darius and I speak at the same time.
“You’re both lying to me.” Tobias snarls angrily, and I drop my gaze.
“It doesn’t matter, and that is not what I’m worried about,” Darius says, peering down at me.
I can tell he won’t answer any more than that and sigh before looking at Tobias, whose eyes are fixed on Darius, studying him carefully.
Darius grabs my hand, placing it over his heart and holding it there. “Try to sleep. I will wake you when she is up,” he says before I feel his magic wash over me. I melt against him, letting his scent and dark magic soothe my anxiety.
A few hours later, I am woken by screams. I lurch upright, and so do Darius and Tobias. Lycus, having returned, growls, stepping over me, his eyes on the door. Blinking, I see it is still dark, but definitely early morning. The light outside is coming through the window, and I can just make out the trees in the distance.
“For crying out loud. What now?” Tobias groans, tossing the blanket back and climbing out of bed. Something is going on downstairs. Darius taps my arm, and I roll off him. He leans down, kissing my lips softly, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth as he kisses me. All too soon, he pulls away before ruffling Lycus' fur as he moves to the edge of the bed.
