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“I just wanted a drink,” Molly murmurs, as the orange cordial spilled on the floor, pouring liquid death all over the floor along with her life.
“Mommy?” she gasped as blood seeped from her tear ducts, ears, and nose. Her hands reach out for our mother as she takes a step toward us. Molly then collapsed and seized on the floor while my mother wailed, catching her limp, bloody body in her arms, clutching her tightly, and all I could do was stand there in horror until my mother screamed at me to get help.
But it was too late. No White Fae ever survived the plague. I had filled my bottle up from the tap upstairs before school. Tainted water. That error took her life and killed her. When she stopped seizing, I knew as I stopped at the door to the cells. A noise so agonized and tortured I knew I didn't just kill my sister; I killed my mother that day too.
I flick my fingers, shutting it off, unable to see anymore, unable to watch her shut down, unable to see the horrified look on my father's face when he came down and found my mother and sister.
How did Aleera survive and my sister didn't? Why didn't I die that day with her, with Mum? I sat in the ruins of what killed my family. Staring at the place haunted me more than anything. Time slipped by, and it wasn't until I felt the tug of the bond that I found myself in my room. How many hours had passed? I had no idea, but my mates were all asleep.
I find Aleera asleep on the edge of the bed beside Kalen. Her head lay on his arm, and I brush her hair back from behind her ear. Her bond tugs at mine, and I want to crawl in beside her, wanting to give into the bond. Thank god she looks like her mother. I don’t think I could bear staring into the eyes of her father every damn day.
My fingers move through her thick black hair, and she stirs, turning her face into my hand. I brush my thumb across her cheeks, which are flushed pink from our mate's overly warm body heat, she mumbles something, and I trace her plump sinful lips with my thumb, watching her. She is beautiful, angelic, almost yet sinfully desirable. One part of me constantly wants to hold her, covet her away, and protect her; the other side of me wants to fuck her and listen to her scream, knowing she doesn’t need my protection. She will outpower us all one day.
Even asleep, her bond tugs at mine, wanting my power, and mine wants to give it to her. Ryze shakes his feathers out where he is perched on the headboard. They are such wise birds, and I hate the way his beady little eyes scrutinize me. However, I am shocked when the bird opens its beak and starts speaking.
“Solace in harmony,” Ryze says in a loud, caw screech. I jump back, not expecting it.
“Alirra, solace in harmony,” he repeats, mispronouncing her name.
I glance down at her, and Ryze leans down, raking his tongue across her cheek, and his tongue glows red. But he is still a juvenile. Yet his message is clear. He wants me to give her power back, which is why I came here anyway.
I stroke his head feathers, and he moves, sitting back up. His tail swishes through the air and then starts slapping Lycus in the face. Lycus swats it in his sleep, which seems to egg Ryze on because he continues to do it.
Leaning down, I brush my lips against hers, my lips warm as I give it back, letting her bond take it when her eyes fly open. I stand back, and we stare at each other. She looked at me like she isn't sure if she is dreaming, her bond tugging at mine, wanting the connection back. When she sits up abruptly, she looks at our sleeping mates, and I quickly slip into the bathroom to escape back to her old room.
“Darius?” I hear her question herself and feel her confusion. But I don’t stop, needing to get away from her, get away before I break and give in to her.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Aleera
Three weeks later,
Darius stayed away from me for weeks. I hardly saw him, and he would swiftly walk off from me when we did happen to cross paths. Even when I had classes with him, he would swap with Lycus. Yet I knew it was bothering my mates. They were bonded to him, and him not being around I could tell, had them on edge.
One thing I am sure of, though, is that Darius was right. Without me marking all of them, their bonds were more attached to Darius, which made me worry, knowing he could order them away from me at any moment, and they would all oblige, except for Kalen. They were drawn to him, their bonds seeking him out like he is their beacon, their life support.
Sitting in one of Darius’ classes, Lycus stands at the front explaining something when Darius walks in. He looks like crap, with huge dark circles under his eyes, his skin is paler than normal. Lycus growls at him in annoyance as Darius walks toward me. I sit back in my chair before realizing there’s something different about him. It takes mere moments to recognize the change in him, I feel no magic coming from him. So his reserves must be nearly completely depleted.
He hadn't slept in the room in weeks, and I would know if any of them had slept with him so he could absorb their power. They had explained that is how they transferred magic before me. Yet, it took strong emotion and was mainly only obtainable for Darius to transfer during sex or extreme bouts of anger with them, whereas me, he only had to touch.
However, I am still angry with him after catching him the other night. I woke up to him standing over me, the sharp pinch in my thigh woke me to find him standing over me. He stabbed me in the hip with a needle. When I asked him what it was, he walked out of the room giving me no answer. Tobias and he had a huge fight, which ended with Tobias bleeding and his magic absorbed after Darius stole it from him.
Tobias explained Darius injected me with a devil's bane serum to stop me from shredding and marking them. My teeth weren't strong enough to mark them without shredding. I had tried, but their skin was too tough for me to pierce.
Darius stops in front of my desk, and I look at him. “Aleera, I need…” he begins to tell me, but I sit back in my chair, glaring at him. I refuse to be at his beck and call whenever he deems fit.
“Magic? Yeah, not happening,” I tell him. Until he either apologized or gave in to the bond, allowing me to mark them, he wasn't getting anything from me willingly. He growls and punches the desk, making everyone in the room jump and scatter. They run from the room in a stampede, and Lycus edges closer warily when Darius turns on him.
One thing I had come to notice is Darius; without power, he’s like a withdrawing drug addict.
“Out!” Darius booms, and his eyes flicker as he orders Lycus out. Lycus tries to refuse his order. Sweat beads on his skin, and he grits his teeth while his eyes go to me in panic, a look so petrifying on his face it makes me jump out of my seat. Lycus’ hands fist at his side, and Darius’ eyes glow like burning embers as he uses the last of his magic behind it. Lycus snarls but is forced from the room, and Darius flicks his wrist using the last dribs and drabs, slamming the door and flicking the lock before I can run out after Lycus.
I grip the door handle only to jerk my hand back when the handle suddenly burns me. I hiss. My palm burns fiercely and blisters. Darius growls, and I spin around. My hands glow as I feel for my magic, but my burned hand fizzles out, and I cry out as my magic burns my hand worse.
Lycus will tell the others that Darius is out of magic now. I just have to survive him until help arrives. But Darius is like a raging bull as he stalks toward me. I lift my hand, not wanting to hurt him, knowing it would hurt them, but he isn’t leaving me much choice.
“You could try saying please,” I spit at him as he stalks toward me. “Teine air a chuair teachad,” I blurt, and flames encase his body, but he just walks straight through them, absorbing the magic in them and making me gasp when I remember he is Demonic-Fae, and fire won't burn him. He reaches for me, grips the front of my shirt, and jerks me toward him, slamming me down on my back on the desk and knocking the air out of me.
