Page 24 of The Dark Rising
Darius’s fingers dig into my barrier and I shiver as his raw power flows into it. His face looks pained and in thought, his nostrils flaring, and his eyes start to bleed black. They roam over my face, cataloging every detail.
“The crystal showed—“ he begins, but I cut him off.
“What it shows is a lie, it is impossible. How could a child do such a thing?” I shake my head angrily and grind my teeth at my emotions threatening to surface. “I losteverythingwhen I was a child. I told you my parents were stolen from me, unjustly, but my childhood was also stolen, my innocence of youth was stolen,“ I snarl, and my barrier begins to waver in and out, the ripples becoming larger and larger. Darius’s stare never leaves my face, his eyes conflicted. “I thought we were the same, you and I,” I whisper to him, swallowing thickly. “I thought…” I stop myself from saying anything more and I see those flecks begin to appear in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” I sigh, my shoulders slumping.
“Rhea—“
“No,” I whisper, my voice cracking and I fuckinghateit. Hate how he can bring all these emotions to the surface. He doesn’t deserve anything from me. I can still feel the whip on my back, feel it slicing through my skin, feel my blood flowing from my body.
He did that.
He. Did. That.
Even though I find it hard to move, find it hard to step away from the pull that is him, I turn and run to the others who I know will be waiting for me, needing to get away from his presence and be able to fucking breathe freely again. I keep my hold on the barrier as long as possible, keeping them at bay as more of his power crashes against it.
My pack waits on the hill, all in position to be ported out. Calling on Runa for help, she wastes no time giving it to me, and I sprint toward Taylor who’s holding the port stone. Finally reaching them, the barrier breaks and I clap a hand on his shoulder. We are whisked into nothingness, landing just outside Witches Rest.
“Shit,” Josh shouts, hands in his hair as he pulls at it, pacing back and forth.
“We can try again soon, there is no way we could have done anything with them there.” I pant, reaching a hand out to him, to try and soothe him in some way. “We will get her, Jos—“
“Don’t,” he snarls at me, and I recoil back when he slaps my hand away.
“Hey!” Taylor snaps at him, coming toward me and glaring at Josh.
Josh shakes his head, his eyes full of rage as his blond hair comes loose from his bun. He gives me one last look before he turns and walks through the fog that leads inside the protected home of the blood witches.
A hand lands on my shoulder and I flinch, whipping around and only relaxing when I see its Colten. He eyes me with concern, but I just shake my head and follow Josh’s lead, heading to Belldame’s home and to the room I’m staying in.
My mind spins with too many thoughts and feelings, and I don’t want eyes on me right now, don’t want any conversations. I just want to wallow in misery for another failure. To ignore how Darius looked at me, how everything in me right now is screaming to go back, to be near him.
The tether pulls harder now toward him, and I need to ignore it. I have to.
Shove it down.
I enter my room and slump face-down on the bed, not even bothering to take off my clothes as Runa whines inside of me. I just need rest, then maybe I will have the strength to get up the next day and pretend I have my shit together, when really, I’m coming apart at the seams, bit by bit.
It feels like there is nothing to hold me together anymore, nothing to help patch up the invisible wounds and it’s all flowing out of me.
Danny and Josie’s lifeless eyes flash through my mind, then Kade’s words, Josh’s behavior.
I feel so alone I feel like I’m drowning.
Suffocating.
I whimper into my pillow before I bite my lip.
Keep it down, Rhea.
Just keep it down.
Ten
Darius
She’sgone.
I felt it as soon as she left, the… emptiness around me even though my men are with me. She’s lost weight. Her face is gaunt, her cheekbones more defined, and she looks exhausted. Angry. So fucking angry and resigned that the hard thing in my chest gave an extra beat at the sight. I couldn’t take my eyes off her nonetheless. Her fucking blue eyes that look like ice, penetrating mine in a way only she can. Only she ever could.
