Tasting Darkness

Read Tasting Darkness [Tempting Darkness] By Jessica Hall Book 2 Chapter 28 - Aleera POV The sound of squeaking woke me, and Lycus tapped my chest or thumped it like it was a damn drum. “Your turn,” Lycus growls, rolling over before kicking backward.

“Tobias, go before they screech!” Lycus snaps, and | blink up at the ceiling, wondering why he thinks | am Tobias and also what the heck he is talking about. Shaking my head at his terrible wake-up call, I climb over him and place my feet on the floor before rushing to the bathroom and having one of those, Ah.... moments from holding your bladder while torturously listening to a slow drip and not having a toilet in sight.

After washing my hands, | hear the squeaking noises again and move back toward the room. Glancing at the bed, | notice Lycus, Kalen, and Tobias in bed. Darius is nowhere to be seen. Peering around the darkened room, | barely noticed him sitting on the couch by the fire that was slowly dying out. Sighing, | walk over to the fireplace when | see the crates holding the tiny Phoenixes sitting in front of it.

| chuck another log into the fireplace before flicking my wrist out of habit, and the log catches alight instantly, makingrealize | still had spower. | smile, watching the flames lick up the sides of the wood, parts of it glowing bright orange as the wood cackled and cracked as it burned.

Turning around, | find Darius sitting up, his head resting back on the couch when I notice his hoodie is around the wrong way.

Tugging on the hood, I find three baby chicks snuggled underneath his chin and three more tucked in the crook of his arm that was draped over his waist.

| smile and stifle a laugh seeing the big bad Demonic-Fae playing daddy with a hoodie and armful full of featherless chicks. Yeah, he looks real intimidating.

Looking around, | grab my tablet and quickly snap a photo of him laughing at how sweet he looked. Setting the tablet down, | try to catch one slipping out of his arm, only for his eyes to flutter, and he sucks in a breath, lifting his head and peering around, still half asleep.

“Don’t wake them. | just got them to sleep.” He yawns, rubbing his eyes with one hand before checking if the ones in his hood are still asleep. | watch as he makes his kissy lips at them, as they wiggle inside before freezing and staring up at me. He blinks, realizing it is me, before glancing at the bed.

“When did you wake?” he asks, yawning again.

“A few minutes ago,” | tell him, taking two of the chicks from his arm while he drops the third into his hood with the others. | stare at him, watching as he does a head count.

“What?” he asks when he looks up and noticeswatching him. | smile and shake my head.

“Nothing,” I tell him, taking a seat beside him. We sat comfortably in silence, and he passeda throw-over blanket that was beside him.

After watching the flames in the fireplace devour the wood, | turned my head to look at Darius. Through the bond, | could feel he was troubled, yet he remained quiet. He was staring off at the flames as if whatever plagued his mind could be burned away just by staring at them.

“What's wrong?” | ask him, tucking my feet underand leaning against the armrest so | could face him.

“You're going to shred soon,” he says, and | figured that because my power was dwindling and frequently charging, which remindedof last time. Darius turns his gaze to me.

“I can’t let you mark me,” he whispers, turning his attention back to the flames. My bond tugged in my chest at his words, and | wondered what scared him so much. What would | learn that he feared | would know? “Whatever you're hiding, whatever | see, can remain between us, Darius,” | tell him, and he looks back at me.

“What if it involves you?” | shrug. What was worse than killing my parents?... Unless he truly didn’t? My brows furrowed in confusion.

“The night of the fire when you killed my parents.” | begin to say. He swallows and rests his head on the back of the couch.” Aleera, you do not want to have this conversation,” he murmurs, but he’s wrong because | did. | wanted to, and | wanted to know what | saw when | did the casting when | saw his greatest fear was my father.

“Did you kill my parents?” | ask him. He tilts his head to the side and stares atbefore he shakes his head.

“I won't change my mind, Aleera. You can make your own assumptions.” | sigh.

“Our own assumptions nearly tore apart our bonds,” | told him.

“And if | said | did kill them?” he asks.” Then what? Will you run again? Sometimes we think we want the answers, but then we get them, and they aren’t what we were hoping for, and they cause more destruction.” “I wouldn't run, not now. Not after what I saw,” | tell him, and he scoffs.

“You don’t know what you saw,” he says dismissively.

“I know my father hurt you. If my father did, | don’t blyou for killing him. | understand why you would want to.” He says nothing in reply to my words. Just stares ahead.

“My father did hurt you, didn’t he? That is why you killed them?” he shakes his head.

“That isn’t why I killed your father,” he says, and | swallow. Hearing him admit it still shocked me, despite knowing the answer already. | nod my head.

“That's it? That's all you'll give me?” | ask him.

“l answered, didn’t I?” “You half answered,” | tell him, and the chicks in his hood squirm. He tugs the hood and peers in before sighing.

Leaning forward, | peek into his hood as they try to burrow underneath each other to stay warm.

“I already know about my parent’s death. What else would you be so worried aboutknowing?” | ask him, stroking, the one perched on top of the other's little bald head.

“Everything... Maybe | am not worried about what you will see, Aleera. You'll understand the meaning behind the things | have done.” he whispers, and I sit back. Darius peers over his shoulder at our mates.

“But they may not. | don’t want to risk losing them.” “As | said, Darius. What | see doesn’t mean | will tell them,” | tell him and he exhales, peering over at me.

“I don’t want you looking atdifferently, either. Sthings aren’t forgivable,” he says.

“I forgave you for killing my parents. If | can forgive that, | can forgive whatever you're hiding.” “And if you think that is the worst thing | have done and believe nothing would horrify or shock you more than losing them, then you aren't ready to know or forgive what | have truly done, Aleera.” “I know there is blood on your hands, Darius. | am not oblivious to what the media puts out. The moment | cof age, | recognized all of your names. | know what you are all capable of.” | told him.

“You think because my hands are tainted with blood and what the media has put out about us is what | am worried about?” He laughs and leans forward, scooping the phoenixes out of his hood and setting them in the crate with the others.

“Then tell me, Darius. Tellfucking something! | am sick of guessing, and ...” Darius moves quickly, his hand clamping down over my mouth, and he peers over his shoulder at our sleeping mates.

He growls but removes his hand and clenches his teeth. Cursing under his breath, he reaches over and grabs his jacket from the back of the couch.

“Whatever you did, Darius. It can’t be that bad. You are not the monster you think you are,” | tell him. He laughs and shakes his head before turning his hoodie around the right way.

“Kalen, what | did to him? Was that a monster, Aleera? Or the times before that? Would you considera monster, knowing that wasn’t the first t| had hurt him?” he asks.

“That wasn’t you,” | tell him, knowing wholeheartedly that was a part of him he had no control over but not Darius. | had no control over but not Darius. | knew that, and Kalen knew that.

“When are you going to realize the monster the world portraysas is accurate? | killed your parents, raped my own mate, hurt you, and still, you would defend me.” “Because you had your reasons, Darius. | know that now.” | tell him.

“Really? You know that with absolute certainty?” he asks, tugging his jacket on over his hoodie. He shakes his head.

“Then what excuse would give for making the White Fae extinct? What excuse removes the taint of ending the world and wiping out over half the Fae population?” he asks.

“I don’t believe you,” “Believe what you want. And you wanna know the fucked up part? Wiping out the Fae population is one of the lesser evils | am responsible for. And you want to see the shit | have done? You don’t want that because | don’t even like living with the things | have done. So | know there is no way you could live the rest of your life withby your side knowing exactly what sort of monster you lay beside at night,” he snarls before flicking his wrist.

A portal opens up, and he steps through it, closing it behind him. | exhale and shake my head.

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