Tasting Drakness

Chapter 25

Lycus POV

I truly believed Darius would have had to knock her out before she handed my magic back to me. Aleera gripped the front of m y shirt as I leaned over Kalen, trying to make him come back to the room with us. Tobias could usually compel him to follow before we would douse him in our magic to cleanse the darkness away, and he would finally release it to us. The medication helped him, but something had set him off. I hadn’t seen him like this since his last suicide attempt.

Darius caught her movement and gripped her throat. We all thought she would attack. Why wouldn’t she? This was her chance to escape us again. The furious look on Darius’s face as his hand wrapped around her throat told me if she did anything, he wouldn’t hesitate to snap her neck.

That would kill Kalen, but I knew Darius wouldn’t allow harm t o come to us, especially when we weren’t sure exactly what she was capable of. Aleera froze, and my eyes were locked onto her sapphire ones. Her hand trembled as she reached for my face; her fingers barely touched me but it was enough. She was our keeper, keeper of our souls and magic, so that small touch was enough to send my magic hurtling back into me with an alarming speed that stole the breath from my lungs and sent m e backward.

Although when she returned it to me, I felt it was different.

f

Something about it felt different, but that was soon forgotten when she smacked her lips against Kalen’s. A growl tore out of me when I saw her steal his magic. How could she take advantage of him while he was in this state? –

Within seconds, Darius tossed her and I moved forward, smacking into Kalen, who gasped. His eyes flew open, stunned before they flashed brighter, recognition returning, and the buzz of energy rippled across his skin and zapped me. She didn’t take it. She didn’t take his magic. Tobias also, realizing that gripped my shoulder as he stood up. Darius stalked towards Aleera, who was choking, choking on the darkness she had just taken from him.

Horror washed through the bond because she had no power to cleanse it from herself. It usually took all three of us to contain the shadows that tainted Kalen, yet even we struggled because it always came back no matter what..

She crawled to her hands and knees, clutching her throat with one hand as she wheezed. An agonized scream tore out her, and her eyes burned brightly before the color left and they turned white.

“Wait, he still has his magic. She didn’t take it, Darius,” I screamed as Darius grabbed her hair. Her eyes fluttered, and her face fell slack just as Darius looked over at us. I didn’t see

him to let her go. Darius

her face. Kalen wailed as he scrambled across the floor to her. He snatched her away from

entire body rippled as his aura tried to smother Tobias’s, but he was no match for the vampiric-fae king. Tobias ignored him. His fingers pried her eyelids open, and all I saw was white as I walked over and kneeled beside her. Darius groaned as he got to his feet and shook off the blast of Tobias’s magic.

take his magic to cleanse the shadows that writhed beneath her skin. The black veins wiggled under her pale skin a s the life drained from her when

he wasn’t marking her, let out a breath, and Aleera’s body jerked as he clutched her, feeding off her and trying to pull the darkness out of her

unable to absorb any more,

I looked at Darius, who stared

I snapped when he didn’t move to help her. I knew h e struggled the most with her. Just as much as Tobias did, I truly believed he would never forgive

her for what she did, I didn’t feel it was worthy of death. Darius killed his father for her and for us. Doing that turned him cold. He wasn’t always so bloodthirsty and emotionless. Darius would never admit it but I knew he loved

down before growling. Darius was a demon, the shadows affected him, but h e could contain

Kalen. He knelt beside her, gently taking her from Kalen.

Tobias and Darius, it cost them the most since

down his cheek, this man never cried, or if he did,

returns to her, and her eyes turn blue again. Darius stumbles back on his hands, gasping before he wipes his hand across his mouth and glares at her, but I saw the flicker of relief cross his

his arms, and she would probably remain like that for a few hours. We were usually comatose whenever we cleansed

taking the darkness. He rose to

him. Are you right to get them back?” Tobias asked me, sounding as breathless as he looked, and I nodded. Kalen was peppering her face

should get her back to her room,” I told him, touching

have died, but she

she is alright

Kalen cared for her, but she did just help Kalen and gave my power back. My brows furrowed, wondering why she would still help after everything we had done. Or maybe it was just a ploy