Page 100 of The Dark Rising
I bite my lip. I have no doubt he will do it, I can’t say I won’t do the same if someone else touches him. Just the thought has my hackles rising. He may be possessive of me, but I think I am of him too.
This is all twisted up, a mess of emotions and want, and a desire for each other when so much has happened between us. We can’t let what has happened affect what we are trying to do now. We can’t let it stop us from spilling the Highers’ blood, getting my pack and finding those that had been taken.
I sigh, resigned but give him a nod. “The same applies to you then,” I tell him. Needing him to know that he cannot make demands of me without having demands of my own.
“I don’t want anyone else, the only one I want wrapped around my cock is you. You have my word,” he tells me instantly, his eyes bouncing between mine.
“I’ve come to realize your word means shit, Darius.”
He applies a little more pressure on my throat before he rubs his thumb across the bottom of my jaw. He seems to think for a moment before he speaks again.
“I didn’t know you were innocent,” he says, the first that he has been close to admitting what he did out loud to me. “Your words were always half truths and lies, Rhea, we both don’t trust each other. We are both aiming for the same thing now. Stop the Highers and get rid of the rogures. On this, we can work together and have added benefits.” His gaze goes over to the bite mark on my shoulder that he gave me, his eyes heating before they come back to mine. “Let’s make a blood oath.”
I jolt, my eyes wide. “We can’t do that.”
“We can and we will. It’s the only way we can trust each other for the time being.” I think on his words, and I know he’s right. We would never trust the other fully, unless there was a safety net in place.
“Okay,” I whisper, and he releases my throat and sits in front of me. I get comfortable, grabbing my shorts and putting them back on, feeling his eyes on my every move. Then I sit in front of him, our knees touching. “How do you know about blood oaths anyway?” I wonder. “They are of the Gods that no one blesses anymore.”
“We are wolves. Even though we don’t worship them since Cazier earned the title of the Mad Wolf, they still gave us our wolves. Gave us life,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot about the old Gods, reading tomes and going back in history when they roamed the lands. With me being the Heir of Cazier, I needed to know more than what I was taught.”
“And what did you learn?”
“I learned that we never should have abandoned the Gods, we never should have listened to the lies that were taught and drip-fed to us since we were pups. Even if Cazier was mad, he wasn’t born that way. It was a cruel twist of fate that his mate walked a different path.”
“You don’t care for mates, so I’m surprised you feel that way.”
“I don’t.” He eyes me. “And neither do you.” Truth. But much has changed. “But what if he was stuck with Zahariss? How can we punish the Gods for something out of their control?”
“The Gods left us though,” I grumble, hating the thought. But where else could they be if they didn’t abandon us? “My mom taught me everything she could about the Gods, information you can’t find in books.” I look down and rub my legs. “It wasn’t fair for them to have people turn their backs on them when they made us. We owe them a lot, at least our gratefulness.”
“Kyt,” he says, and my head snaps up. He smirks, his eyes light in amusement. “I told you I know some of the language.” He shakes his head on a chuckle at my surprise while my heart threatens to beat outside my chest. “I took some scrolls and books from the Highers library. I was looking for them when we were dropping off updated Elites rosters. They were hidden away by a concealment spell so they obviously didn’t want it to be found. Unlucky for them, they didn’t expect an Heir to go hunting for it.”
“Kyt?”Yes.
He smiles. “Kyt”.
I raise a brow. “Zie lebahn brier”You learn fast.
He chuckles. “Kyt, dah lebahn brier.”Yes, I learn fast.
I let out a small laugh. I can’t help the giddy feeling rising within me at someone else knowing the language of the Gods. It’s as much a part of me as it is breathing, and I’ve missed being able to speak it with someone. It’s a shock to hear him speak the language so dear to me, to my family. “Do you know all of it?”
His eyes move, once again looking at my shoulder where he bit me. “Most, Vihnarn.” I freeze at his words, that giddy feeling turning to dread as his eyes slowly come back to mine.
“You lied,” I utter, looking away. “You said you didn’t know what that meant.” I’m not sure how I feel about him knowing what that means, or that I lied about it. He doesn’t look angry though.
A strong, gentle hand cups my jaw and turns me back to face him. Darius shakes his head slowly, his eyes so clear. “There is nothing that could be done, you know that. We both didn’t want this, but we have to live with it.”
“We don’t have to,” I whisper. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, something revolts inside of me. Darius’s eyes flash black. Another warning.
“We do. I won’t have it any other way. I don’t want it any other way. I’ll look after you, Rhea.” I blow out a shaky breath, a light filling me within, wanting to believe him. “Under the moonlight, little wolf.”
My body warms as we stare at each other, once again narrowing everything down to just the two of us. This pull, this connection we have, it could destroy me. More than anyone else ever did. I feel his possession though, his protectiveness of me, and I can’t say I don’t enjoy it, welcome it even. No one has looked out for me like this. Well, maybe Josh, but not this way where it goes beyond sibling connections.
I bring up my hand and bring his palm to my cheek, leaning into his touch, his warmth. Just once letting my walls drop a little and accepting it fully. He strokes my cheekbone and leans forward, touching his nose with mine. We breathe one another in, letting our scents wrap around each other before his lips gently claim mine. It’s a devastating kiss. One that evoked feeling and want. Not just need.
Darius’s mouth moves against mine gently, small little nips to my lips before he slows down. I break the kiss, overwhelmed by him, overwhelmed by the conflicted feelings within me. I breath out a shaky breath and he moves his hand off my throat, running along my shoulder until he gets to the bite he left there. I shiver as he runs a finger over it before he finally pulls away.
