Page 106 of The Dark Rising
I whimper, and Darius lifts my head again. I feel his eyes on me and I scrunch mine closed, hating that he’s seeing me like this, but I feel relief that I let some of my hurt out. He puts me back to his neck and I feel the coolness of his power wrap around me, soothing me. I feel his breath on the top of my head, and then he inhales a deep breath, a rumbling sound coming from him. He holds me as I cry more, as I claw at him to get closer, even though that’s impossible. His scent makes me feel like I can hide here for a little while.
I just want to hide for a little while.
Darius shifts me in his arms, and my arms go around his next, a frightened sound leaving me. Not yet, just let me stay a little longer. He holds me tighter, keeping me close.
“Under the moonlight,” he says to me, and I whimper at his words, their meaning. He stands with me still in his arms, and I hold on tight. The rocking motion of him walking makes my eyes droop. They feel itchy after all the crying I’ve done. A door closes, and he mumbles something to me but I can’t make it out.
All I know is that I feel warm, protected. Drained.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but it has to be better than today.
It has to be.
Thirty Eight
Rhea
Itakeinthemost delicious scent into my lungs. I move closer to the source, wanting it to live inside of me whilst I try and clear the fog of sleep from my mind. Warmth curls around my body, and that’s when I pause as realization hits me. My eyes spring open and I see a tanned, tattooed neck with dark markings. I follow the swirls with harsh, delicate lines up to a sharp jaw, and I know I’m currently laying on top of Darius, I slept on top of Darius. My legs are on either side of him, and my hands are on his sides. My brows furrow as I remember how I ended up here.
Darius reading the book. Darius admitting that he whipped me, that he was sorry. Then I remember that I wanted to kill him, but I couldn’t.
I whimper at that, remembering everything within me rebelling at the thought of it. Large hands touch me, sliding up my spine with firm pressure and squeezing me closer. Warm breath hits my temple, and then a tender kiss before I hear the hum in his throat as he tries to soothe me. The vibrations hitting my lips at his skin.
I rise slowly on Darius, my ass still perched on his stomach as his hands fall away. I move without rousing him, his steady breaths telling me he’s still sleeping. His power moves over me though, the dark mist gently flowing around me before going back into Darius as I take a peek at his face.
He looks peaceful in sleep, his dark hair tousled and messy, his brows relaxed and lips slightly parted. He looks…mortal. He doesn’t look like the Alpha of the Elites or the Heir to Cazier. He just looks like Darius, and in this moment it reminds me of the night we were greeted by wisps, meeting the wild wolves and kissing me under the moonlight.
He showed me softness last night too, in the weeping willow fields. Shielding me as he told me he was sorry for what he did to me. Finally admitting to whipping me.
I saw nothing but truth in his eyes, and isn’t this what I have always wanted from him?
To acknowledge and apologize for what he did?
But he knew that I was an Heir, and he said that he didn’t know if it would have changed anything in that moment if he’d known more about us. That hurt.
But after his explanation about how his men would be hurt, and in that moment that everything happened, I was seen as a traitor, I understood.
I have gotten my apology, and I believe him that he’s regretful. He showed it by shielding me, letting me hit him and take him to the floor. With letting me hurt him and stabbing his shoulder. I think he would have let me end him if I could have. His eyes showed me as much.
I move my gaze to the balcony door, watching as the sun rises on another day of who the fuck knows what. There are more important matters going on in Vrohkaria than me not moving on from what he did to me. Especially when a part of me feels I deserve each lashing he gave me for hiding away while others suffered.
But I fucking suffered too.
The urge to lean back down against his neck is strong, to hide away a little longer, but I resist. I lift my leg gently to move off his stomach when hands shoot out, grabbing my waist. I squeal as I’m flipped over on my back and Darius comes down on top of me.
His face burrows in my own neck, breathing me in as he murmurs in a gravelly voice. “Good morning, little wolf.”
“Morning…” I reply, unsure of well, anything.
He chuckles, sending goosebumps peppering my skin at the light sound, and he rolls off the side of the bed, taking me with him as we stand and he puts me on my feet. “Go and get cleaned up and let’s have breakfast,” he tells me, pushing me toward his bathroom and slapping my ass.
I scowl over my shoulder at him, wondering why he’s being so… normal as I head for his bathroom to shower. I peel off my clothes from the night before, the dirt on them making me wonder how dirty the bed is, before I hop in. The water makes me moan as its heat cascades down my face and body, feeling everything loosen. Wanting to wash away the shit show of yesterday, I grab some soap off the side and rub it all over my body, moaning again as I massage my muscles.
“If you keep moaning like that, I’ll join you.” I jump at the sound of Darius’s voice and peel my eyes open.
I blink through the water and see he’s standing over near the sink, a dark t-shirt in his hands. His eyes track the water moving over my body, his stare dark and heated. I feel everywhere his stare lands, between my thighs, my breasts, my neck. My breathing picks up as my hands clench. When his eyes finally reach mine after examining me closely, he licks his lips and I have to damn-near lock my knees to stay up right because fuck, he cannot look at me like that.
His lips tip up at the side like he knows, as he places the t-shirt next to the sink, heated eyes still locked on me. I swallow. We are here again, same stare and dance with our eyes, but then I vaguely hear a tap, tap, tap sound in the bedroom, and without a word, Darius leaves, keeping the door open behind him.
