Page 17 of The Darkness

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Gina frowned. Her sister hadn’t told her that Darius had come looking for her all those years ago, but then, why would she? Or that she had handed Raven over in person.

Regan was crouched beside the hound, her hand stroking its huge head, and he struggled to his feet, sides heaving. The hounds were the only creatures she had ever known Regan to show affection to. Now she turned to stare at Gina, accusation clear in her face.

“He’s hurt.”

“Well, it’s your fault,” Gina muttered. “You shouldn’t have sent them.”

“You gave the vampire a knife.”

She glared at her sister. “What did you expect me to do, stand by and watch while they ripped him to pieces?”

“Yes,” Regan hissed. She stood up and whirled toward Darius. She raised her hand, and Gina knew she was going to release magic that would destroy him forever. Gina stepped between them.

“Stop it,” she said.

Regan looked at her, but her hand remained poised to strike. “We should have finished this years ago.”

A soft growl came from behind her, and Gina knew it was Darius. She glanced at him. With his whole body radiating tension, he stood poised to leap. Maybe he would make it. Maybe he could get to Regan before she released the magic.

Then what?

There was no good way for this to end. Gina didn’t want either of them to die, and she had accepted her own fate long ago.

She put up both hands, palms out, one facing Darius, one Regan.

“Stand down. Both of you.”

Regan stared at her through narrowed eyes but lowered her arm. Gina turned to Darius. He nodded once and stepped back. The tension drained from his body, and acceptance dulled his dark eyes. She reached out and touched him gently.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for—the hounds, her sister, for coming into his life and ruining it forever.

He looked at her, his eyes bleak. “So am I,” he replied. He walked away from her and sank down on the edge of the bed, the blood-soaked shirt clenched in his fist.

Gina stared at him, trying to imprint his face on her mind. Then she turned back to her sister and drew herself up tall. She knew Regan loved her. She had cared for Gina her whole life, brought her up when their own mother had abandoned her as a baby, but it was time her older sister learned that Gina could be pushed only so far.

“I’m coming back with you because I know my duty, not because you are forcing me.” Her voice rang cold in her ears. “I’m willing to pay the price for what I did but know this. If you lay so much as one finger on him, I will disappear.”

Regan watched her carefully. Her eyes flicked from Gina to Darius, as if weighing the risk. “It wasn’t hard to find you this time,” she said.

Gina shrugged. “You can send the hounds after me, they can drag me back, and you can do what you must. But remember, a payment given freely is worth far more than one taken.”

“You would force me to do that?”

“Yes.” Gina knew, in that moment, that she spoke the truth. After all, she was the daughter of the Morrigan, goddess of war and pestilence, and a part of her knew that if Darius died, she would let the whole world burn and not care about the consequences.

She allowed the truth to show in her eyes.

∞∞∞

Darius looked at her, and despair flooded him. A moment ago he’d stood poised, knowing he could take her sister before she could speak the spell. Then there would have been nothing and nobody to stand in their way.

Gina’s words had stopped him. He realized now that he had always thought of her as vulnerable. He’d clung to the idea that she needed protection. His protection. In the deep recesses of his mind he’d believed she was going back only because her evil sister was forcing her. She’d spoken of duty, but he hadn’t believed it.

Now he saw her clearly. She was strong, powerful. She was going back because it was the right thing to do. She would take on the world to protect him, but she wouldn’t be his.

His gaze flicked to her sister. Their gazes met, and he saw the same knowledge reflected in her face, and knew he was safe from her attack. The thought brought him no pleasure.

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