Page 67 of The Dark Rising
“Watch your tone, puppy.” She points a finger at me. “You are only here because Lord Higher thinks you are in danger. I can still go to him and convince him that the bitch of Vrohkaria doesn’t give a shit about you. But you know that already, don’t you?” She sashays toward me, a malicious look on her face as she places her hands against my head. I go to grab her wrist once again but I’m frozen, unable to move. “I am a witch after all, do not test me. I can make your little head go pop if I want. You know I can.” My body shivers as she brings her other hand down and grips the top of the furs, pulling them back. She immediately reaches down for my soft dick, running her fingers over the cotton pants I wear and my blood turns cold at her touch. “I can also easily get what I want from you and all you would be able to do is watch. But then why should I grace you with what I have?” She moves her hand away and I breathe heavily through my nose. “Now, Aldus wanted me to check on your memories, he said he needed to make sure that whatever Rhea did to you isn’t coming back.”
The second she releases my head, anger surges to the surface and I lunge for her, toppling her to the floor as I dive off the bed. I snarl down into her face, and her shocked eyes meet mine. I grab her hands, pinning them down as Axis simmers just under the surface. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again. Do you hear me?”
“What is going on here?” Aldus booms behind me, and I squeeze my hands around Maize’s again, hard enough to hear her bones creak before I let go and get off her.
“Ask the whore,” I snap, my eyes going to his light ones before returning to the bed and moving over to the food that had been spilled.
“Watch your words,” he says, moving over to Maize and helping her off the floor with care. “I understand you are frustrated with what is happening at the moment, but you do not treat someone who is trying to help you this way.”
“Help herself to my dick more like,” I mutter, and he lets go of Maize and walks over to me where I’m sitting on the bed.
“Maize, leave us, you have done enough for one day, I will speak to you later.” Maize gives me one last scathing look before she huffs and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. “That is not how you treat a woman,” Aldus sighs. I ignore him, gritting my teeth as I stare at the wall. “Kaden, I can’t imagine what you are going through, there have been many changes far too quickly for a young mind to take. But please take care with how you are with others.” When I still say nothing, he turns toward me. “We don’t want to take you to the basement again for correction.” My body stills at the thought. “How’s the pain from the destroyed blood link.”
“Fine,” I mutter. It’s not, it’s excruciating, but he might keep me here longer if I tell him that. I need to leave.
“Any other issues? Confusion, disorientation?” I shake my head. “Okay, why don’t I go ahead and check if Rhea’s memory spell is still in effect. We told you it could come back and it may take time to eradicate it all together. If you keep showing good progress with your true memories, it won’t be long until you can go back home with your mother and father.” My hands clench. “But these outbursts are why you are still here, why you need correcting again.”
He brings a hand up to my temple and I close my eyes, awaiting the pain that comes with these checks. They are done every few days, but I’ve never really been given an explanation as to what exact spellsheput on me, just that it’s festering in my mind and they are trying to help me.
A niggling pain starts in my temple and I grip the edge of the bed tightly, preparing myself for the strange sensation of something exploring within me. Axis stands to attention, hating this every time it happens, his hackles raise. His ears perk up in alert and he growls deep and low, lowering slightly at the unwelcome visitor.
Excruciating pain as hot as a thousand knives stab through my skull and I feel myself sway back, my throat closing with its intensity. More severe than I have ever felt. I feel myself being moved back, then I’m laid down, that hand of his still on my temple. Memories flash like I’m watching it happen right in front of me. So many emotions come to the surface with seeing many bad things, nice things and sad things.
Light hair, eyes so blue, holding me, comforting me and I feel a rush of warmth, the feeling of love and safety holding me close. And just for a moment, everything feels right in the world. Then those eyes turn hard and angry, a snarl on her face and then I feel pain against my legs, my stomach starving, my back sore from staying in the same position. A weight around my wrists as the metal digs into them as I peer into the eyes that can be nice and mean from one breath to the next.
Then darkness. A howl. A scream. Blood. So much blood it covers my hands and face. Something warm. I’m holding it, screaming and then the warmth goes, and it’s cold. Lifeless and I’m crying, shaking and shouting. I look up and again,she’sthere. Looking at me while I lose everything. But she knew that didn’t she? She was the cause of it all. That’s why I’m holding the lifeless body that should have been my mate in my arms. She didn’t stop it, she didn’t save her.
Light, so bright it hurts to look at, emerges. Trees, a canopy above me, a stream trickling away. I watch as a silver butterfly hovers before a flower, its wings gleaming in the sunlight before it flies away, moving from side to side. I stumble after it, my hand reaching toward it, wanting to touch the brightness, to hold on to it so that I don’t have to go back to the darkness. I can feel it chasing me, stalking me. My feet crash into the river, but I can’t feel its coldness as I chase the butterfly. I need to get to it, I need to hold it. I climb up the bank on the other side of the river, my hands clawing at the dirt for purchase and then I’m running at full speed, the butterfly moving faster and faster as we fly through the woods. Around trees, over bushes, atop boulders. It doesn’t stop and neither do I. We reach atop a cliff, and I rush to a stop, my feet an inch from the edge. I watch the butterfly hovering just out of reach, seemingly looking toward me. I stretch out a hand, my fingers almost touching it when the silver butterfly moves toward me.
My skin connects with its wings and everything comes into focus, the butterfly changing into a form. My gaze dips down to light eyes, a mix of gold and browns, and then I’m falling forward, off the cliff into nothing.
I no longer see the brightness.
I no longer see the silver butterfly.
Only the dark, rising to greet me.
Twenty Six
Rhea
“Rhea!”Coltenslamsintome, squeezing me tightly as the others come over. A growl comes from my back, and I ignore Darius as I rub my cheeks to them. Anna looks me over, and I nod my head, letting her know I’m okay.
My eyes go to Josh, and he moves toward me slowly, a hesitant smile on his face. “Hey, it’s good to see you.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. It’s awkward as he moves his cheek next to mine. We have never been like this, so out of touch with each other. He clears his throat and steps back.
“You feeling okay?” Seb asks. He stands next to Taylor, who glares over my shoulder at Darius.
“Better.” A hand at my back nudges me forward, and tingles erupt over me at just the feel of him. Then my cheeks heat at the reminder of what we did.
Darius guides me over to the table where we all first sat when we arrived. I take a seat next to his at the head and shuffle forward, the silence stifling.
His men are all here as per usual and their stares grate on me.
“We need to go and get Sarah,” I tell them, finding my voice eventually.
I could feel Darius’s intense stare on the side of my face, but I ignored him. I stayed in bed for another day and eventually the pain in my head dissipated. With him finally letting me out of the room, it’s time for Darius to keep his word.
