Page 29 of The Dark Rising
Darius’s eyes turn concerned, and that’s enough. How dare he look at me that way. Like he cares!
My fury reaches a new height, and I want nothing more than to walk up to him and smack him in his stupid face. To hurt him the way he’s hurt me. So that’s exactly what I do, because apparently I didn’t realize I was even moving, and the next second, my fist is connecting with his jaw. Again and again. His head swings to the side with my hits but I just keep going, him unmoving from my blows. That makes me more angry, why isn’t he fighting back? I get another shot in and he finally grabs my wrist in a painful hold. My fury-filled stare stays on him as I call my power to my other hand, flattening it against his chest before releasing it. He gets pushed back, caught off guard, but he calls on his own power, stopping himself from going further.
His Elites stiffen as they watch, but strangely, they don’t interfere. I can hear my pack calling for me to come back to them, but I’m not done yet. Far from it.
My chest heaves, my markings raw on my body as Darius straightens himself, spitting blood from his mouth. “That was your only free shot, hit me again and you will regret it. You know how I like to play, little wolf.”
“Don’t call me that,” I say harshly. “You fucking deserve it, all of you deserve to rot in a hole and have the earth swallow you.” I point at Damian. “Where is your fucking honor that you spoke of being an Elite now? Huh? Dead in the fucking ground just like Eridian is. Did you enjoy it?”
“That’s enough,” Darius growls. It’s not enough, it’s never enough. This rage that’s boiling up inside of me is just waiting to be released. On them.
Strands of hair start to float around my face, the wind picking up and caressing me. “No,” I tell him. I can’t hold back my words, they pour out of me. “Do you feel better that you whipped an innocent woman while the monsters of the lands sat back and watched?” Darius grinds his jaw, his eyes hard.
“Enough,” he repeats quietly.
“Do you think justice has been dealt as I was cuffed and unable to heal after you slashed bits of flesh from my body?”
He growls.
“Are the Elites proud of capturing innocent men, women, and children from the only safe place they have ever known? For standing witness to killing two innocent beings for questions I had no answers to?!”
“I said enough” he roars, punching his power against me and I step back as black surrounds me, encasing me inside.
I lift my hands, my magic rushing through me as I push it out of my body and force my power against his, my anger enabling me to have the upper hand. My rage, pain, heartbreak, suffering, all of it, I put into his barrier. Blue collides against black, sparks fly and the fight for dominance suddenly ends, our power vanishing into mist.
My shoulders slump “It won’t be enough,” I pant, my breaths ragged. “It won’t be enough until every last one of you is fucking dead.” I growl, Runa surfacing, and I feel our eyes change, locking on Darius. On the one who hurt us, who whipped us, who betrayed our vow.
Darius pauses, his chest rising and falling with his rapid breaths as his eyes turn black, those fucking silver flecks that I’m always mesmerized by, floating through them, and I feel myself unwillingly calming, feel my lungs gently take in air, mirroring Darius, breath for breath, until we’re both just... done.
My markings fade, my hair drops and my hands fall to my sides as we just stare at each other. Like something else forced us to stop, to now allow this to continue. Our eyes speak for ourselves until I look away, feeling strangely… vulnerable.
“What is it you want, Rhea?” Belldame asks. I stare off into the distance, watching the moon, glistening the treetops as I squeeze my eyes shut and regain some composure.
I don’t want to do this now, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to see him.
“I want to take her back to Vokheim to answer some questions. Truthfully,” Darius replies, and I scoff.
I turn to look back at him. “I’m a liar and a manipulator, how would you ever believe a word I say? And better yet, why the fuck would I explain anything to you now?”
Leo steps forward and my eyes move to him, my body tensing. Darius releases a low rumbling sound, and Leo eyes him as he stays where he is. “Information isn’t adding up between what’s been said since our time at the hall and before. We need to figure out what really happened. We now know you didn’t cause the rogures, you were a child, but maybe if you told the truth, your truth, it may help us get rid of the rogures. I don’t know how but.” He shrugs. “It’s worth a shot.” For him to say this after not being my biggest fan before the events at Wolvorn Castle gives me pause.
What would they gain from this? What do they want to know exactly?
“And if you still don’t believe me?” I ask them.
“We take you to the Highers,” Zaide says, and I’m already shaking my head.
“It’s a lose-lose situation for me, you won’t believe anything I say either way.” I’m not going back there unless it’s to kill them all and get Kade.
“Will you help us get Sarah? If we tell you what we know?” Josh asks out of nowhere, as he walks to stand next to me as I gape at him.
“Josh, what the fuck?” I whisper-hiss. The guys behind me also questioning what he’s doing.
He ignores me. “Well?” he asks the Elites and I grind my teeth, my eyes going back and forth between them.
“Why do you want Sarah?” Jerrod asks, looking at him curiously.
“She’s in danger, whether you believe that or not, but answer my question. Will you help me get her?” he asks again, and I have no idea what he’s playing at.
