Page 54 of The Dark Rising
How is he able to do that?
“Let me go,” I snarl, looking up into vibrant, green eyes that flare with heat.
“Never.” He shakes his head, and the finality in his words cause my hackles to rise. “You were mine since The Deadlands, nothing has changed since then.”
My eyes harden and I rid myself of my Heir markings when I see his reacting to mine. “Everythinghas changed.“ I squirm, but he has me completely immobilized.
His eyes darken for a moment before he looks down at me, at my heaving chest, the way my breasts rise and fall. His eyes trail up to my neck, tracing my jaw, nose, until he reaches my eyes. His eyes bounce between mine before he dips his head, and I still. He inhales deeply at my throat, a rumble coming from him that goes straight to my core. Damn him. His mouth comes to my neck then, right below my ear and a breathy sigh comes from me as he trails his lips up and down.
“You’re right,” he mumbles against my skin, and I tilt my head, unable to help it with the feel of him at my neck. “Everything has changed.” A nip, then a lick to soothe. I shiver. “It also hasn’t.” An open mouth kiss then, and I can’t stop the quiet moan escaping me as I stand on my tiptoes, feeling restless. He moves even closer, the hard lines of his body against my softness. I feel his hardness against my stomach, and desire builds in me, causing me to subtly rub against it. He growls low, pushing his hips forward, kissing up to my ear more aggressively and nipping the top of it. “But don’t hide from me,” he says, lifting his head to peer down at me.
I clench my hands in his grip, his power still encasing them. “Iwashiding, remember? Now I’m not.”
“No.” He moves his head back and forth slowly, eyes roaming over my face. “You’re hiding your pain.” My heart drops then, and I turn my head, the desire I was feeling gone instantly, showering me in ice. “You’re hiding your suffering, your heartbreak.” I swallow roughly, my eyes stinging. It’s unfair that he can see me so easily, the only one who really can. “If you keep it in, you’re going to do some serious damage. What that damage will look like, we won’t know until it happens.” Another nip against my neck. “Until you let it all out, you’re hidingyou.“ A damn tear sneaks out as his words aim true, and my wrists are let go of and his hand is on my jaw, turning my face back to him. I glare, even as another tear leaks out, even if I feel stripped bare right now. His jaw clenches as he watches it fall, dropping down to my jaw where he holds me. “I told you the only tears I want to see in your eyes are the ones I put there, little wolf.”
A wet laugh comes from me then, and his brows lower in concern. “You helped put them there.” His green eyes shutter and he takes a step back. He takes a deep breath, hands on his hips as he glares at the floor.
“What is it going to take to move past this?” I slump against the door, a chuckle leaving my lips.
“You would have to turn back time for that.”
He growls and stomps away from me, going into his closet. I hear rustling and a bang, and then he’s walking toward me again, a bag in his hand.
“I cannot turn back time,” he tells me, his knuckles whitening with his grip. “So we need to move forward, it’s all we can do.”
“Because it’s that simple,” I snark.
“Fuck, Rhea.” He paces, huffing angrily as the bag swings in his grip. I eye it warily, wondering what’s in there. Darius comes to a stop, and then takes two steps toward me. I straighten, wondering what his next move is when the bag in his hand is shoved into my chest.
I grab it automatically as he takes a step back and just stands there. When I don’t move, he sighs and points toward it. “Open it.”
“What’s in here?”
“Just open the damn bag. Rhea.”
I frown at his frustrated tone, but I slowly open the bag. Peeking inside, I see numerous things wrapped in what looks like leather. Darius takes a step away from me, and I reach inside to pull one out. Eying Darius, I put the bag down and open it. Wood comes into view, and I hastily remove all the leather, my heart beating wildly within my chest.
I swallow roughly, looking up at Darius, then to the carving within my grasp. Crouching down, I pull the items out of the bag one by one, all of them wrapped carefully in leather. I run my trembling fingers over the first carving, feeling the familiar grooves of wood and nicks I had once carved. My hand shakes as I move on to the next piece and unwrap it, my eyes stinging as I look at the familiar face of Kade, his smile wide and pure. I bring it to my chest, squeezing my eyes closed as my whole body vibrates.
“I searched everywhere for you, everywhere that I could think of,” Darius suddenly says, and my head snaps up to him. “When I couldn’t find you, I went back to Eridian.” My lips tremble, and Darius watches the warring of my emotions. His eyes fill with anger briefly before clearing. “I don’t know why I felt the need to go there, but I did. I went straight for your cave and stayed there. I’m not really sure for how long for, I lost track of time when I was there. After a while, I left, but I took some carvings with me. I...” He trails off, jaw clenching as he looks away from me, clearly uncomfortable. “I wanted to give them to you,” he finally says, and I squeeze the carving of Kade tighter.
My enemy went back to Eridian and got my carvings for me.
The knowledge thaws my heart a little, peeling down the thorns wrapped around it. He knew how much I liked to carve, it was evident with the amount in my cave.
He was… thinking of me. But why?
I don’t ask this question, too confused to even move my mouth as I pick up another carving of a wolf. I run my fingers down its back toward its tail, wondering if any of my others are still there.
Darius walks over to me and crouches. He picks up an item, and he gently starts to unravel it. “I see peace when you carve, I feel your loyalty when you pick up that knife.” He turns the item over as he continues to reveal it. There is more leather on this one, like he wanted it to be extra secure. “I know how deep your loyalty runs. I saw it more at the castle, and I heard it more when I heard your story, your life. It reminds me of my own to my Elites.” He shakes his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “I’m glad I kept this as it is your reminder of your loyalty, your courage.”
He finally reveals the item, and holds it out to me. I grasp it quickly, running my finger over the hilt of the knife my father gave, tracing the words. My body loosens for what feels like the first time in forever at having it back in my possession. Even when he believed I was a traitor, he kept something I thought I had lost forever.
My brows furrow as I look down at the carvings, unsure what to say to him. This doesn’t change anything, this doesn’t make it better, but he also didn’t have to do this.
My eyes raise to his, and he looks at the items one last time before he reaches for me. I raise my hand with the knife, but he quickly disarms me. I’m flung over his shoulder, then he turns, walking us away from the door. I quickly grasp his t-shirt, clinging to his back and he grunts, his steps faltering for a moment. Then I’m airborne and landing on the bed. Before I can catch my bearings, the furs are on top of me, and I’m moved on my side, his large body against my back. Darius’s arms come around me, holding me close to him as I blink. Because, what the fuck.
“I’m not sleeping in a bed with you,” I growl, trying to pry his arms off of me to get away from him.
