Page 44 of Dark Desire
“How?” I gasped. “Isn’t that super rare?”
“It’s a long story.”
I raised my eyebrows and fell back into the chair. “You should be careful with a gift like that. You’ll be enlisted.”
He frowned deeply, glancing at me. “What do you mean by that? Enlisted by who?”
I rolled my tongue over my teeth and tried to decide if I should say anything. I wasn’t supposed to, but fuck it. I'd already broken my oath.
“The Fates.”
“The Fates?” Leif repeated, clearly confused. “As in the legendary entities that control mortal and immortal destinies?”
“They don’t control them. That’s where people have the stories wrong. The Fates have the final say in life and death, but actually, we have more power over our fates than they do. Things are supposed to go a certain way. It’s the balance the universeneeds to have harmony. But sometimes we make choices that send our fates off course. It’s The Fates’ job to make sure order and balance are restored.”
“And they enlist people?” he asked, while smothering more of Zoran’s wounds with the healing concoction before bandaging them.
“Supernaturals with rare gifts that can help them maintain the balance.”
“Like you?”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself. I hadn’t ever spoken to anyone about this other than other seekers, and even then, we were never friends, more like colleagues. Being a seeker under oath, bound never to reveal our gifts and to give our lives to The Fates was a lonely existence and one I was so over. The perks no longer outweighed the negatives.
Ambroz groaned, his body tensing with pain when Leif finished the final bandage. “He’s going to need blood to heal faster. Your blood will be best as his…um…I mean, if you’re not comfortable with it, I can give him mine.”
I shook my head, immediately moving to the side of the sofa because, at last, I felt useful. “I’ll do it.” I ran a knife along the already open cuts on my hands with a hiss and pressed my palm to his mouth. The moment my blood fell onto his tongue, I felt him lick against my skin, and then he sucked. I melted with relief, laying my head against his chest as he started to take more urgent gulps.
“Are you hurt?” Leif asked, noticing the blood on my neck.
“No. I’m fine. Thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t come.”
“You’d have figured it out.” He smiled. “I can tell you’re the resourceful type.” Leif stood up and brushed his hands together, looking down at Ambroz. “I know he’s probably been a complete asshole to you, and I’m not justifying his behaviour, but…”
“He thought I’d betrayed him,” I whispered, holding Leif’s gaze. Leif pressed his lips together and nodded.
“The ultimate betrayal. And he’s lived with that in his head for centuries.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the pain of those words. I knew he’d been stuck in a raven form for centuries, but for me, it had only been a few months. “I didn’t mean to do it. I just wanted to save him.”
“I know,” Leif nodded. “But he doesn’t. Just tell him everything. No matter how hard it is to hear, he just wants the truth. I don’t know what will happen between you two after, but I hope you’ll sort it all out. He deserves some light in his life.”
I nodded as fresh tears appeared in my eyes. I kept my mouth shut because life was so unfair. I couldn’t give him any light even if I wanted to. I’d be dead soon.
“Thank you. You may be his only friend but you’re a bloody good one.”
“Tell him that!” Leif pointed at the man beneath me. I smiled. “He’ll be fine now, so I’ll leave you to it. You guys have a lot to talk about. It was nice to meet you, Darcie.”
“You too, Leif.” I gave him a little wave, knowing I most likely would never see that kind man again. He opened a portal and stepped through, leaving me alone with my soulmate.
Chapter Fifteen
The black flames from hell trapped me against the only home I’d ever loved. My home was burning to the ground around me. Roars of anguish darkened the night. My roars. My anguish. Father’s headless body lay metres away, but I couldn’t get to him. The suffocating magic kept me at their mercy. The flames raged higher and higher, the scent of burning flesh filling my nostrils. There was no escape. Death was calling, and it had teeth. It latched onto me, dragging me down and ripping me apart piece by piece until there would be nothing left but ash. I begged for it to be over, for it to end quickly, but instead, I found myself floating. Soaring. Free from death but concealed from life.
I should’ve died. It was my time. I should’ve fed the earth beneath me, disintegrated into nothing and welcomed my soul to darkness, where only broken things belonged.
Butshewas there.
I could smell her. I could taste her. She waseverywhere.
