Page 42 of The Dark Rising
Soon, I think to myself. I will have their dicks and fingers removed from their bodies.
“She wasn’t the Rhea I knew as a child,” he goes on. “Carefree, bright, so curious about the world that she would drag me off to explore and discover new things. They took her light from her and tainted it with darkness, with pain and suffering.”
Is that what Rhea used to be like? Full of light and laughter? My mother and Isabell flash through my mind. They were like that, even Isabell, as young as she was. Her innocence was pure and warm before the rogures killed her, and I didn’t have a little sister to crawl all over me anymore, or climb on my back, wanting me to play.
I would have given anything to have that back, would Rhea give anything to have herself back?
“How did you get out?” I ask him, forcing the memories of my family from my mind.
“I set fire in one of our crop fields, big enough to have most of the pack needed to put it out, and to get the attention of Alpha Paul and his family to leave the house, and they did. I rushed inside, straight to the basement, took the key off the table, and got her the fuck out. It wasn’t until we made it back up the steps and through the basement door that Rhea noticed Kade there. I didn’t even fucking see him. She refused to leave him, and neither would I. We got his chains off and snuck out the house and toward the boundary of Aragnis territory. That’s when we ran into two Aragnis guards. I fought them as best I could, but they were a lot stronger than me. Rhea snuck up behind one of them and shoved her knife in their throat, the other ran off. That was her first kill, the first of many to survive.”
“How many has she killed?”
He narrows his eyes on me. “Do not judge her, any life she has taken was to keep her alive, or for Kade, Cassie, and I to live. We both did what we had to do. Including when we sent the bora to you in The Deadlands.” I know that now.
I’m not judging her, not after what they have both told me and I’d seen for myself what she has been through. I can’t blame her for surviving, and can’t deny the sense of pride that goes through me over my fierce, little wolf doing what she needed to do. To stay alive long enough to reach me.
That’s what the Gods intended, for us to meet, at least according to Solvier when he spoke to me in Eridian. He told me that I would protect her at all costs and to prepare for what I needed to do. I didn’t understand at the time, didn’t think anything of it.
Now I understand everything.
“Who is Cassie?” I hadn’t heard that name in Eridian.
“She was Kade’s mate.” The pup’s? “She died. Rogures.” I look away from him.
“Just,” Josh trails off, elbows on his knees as he looks at me. “Don’t hurt her, not anymore.” I tense, my eyes narrowing into slits. “You fucking whipped her at Wolvorn Castle, I don’t understand how you could fucking do that after you helped her through her heat. I’m not sure you understand the importance of her letting you near her body, never mind in it, but I do. If you care for her—“
“I don’t.” She is my obsession sent from the Gods. My responsibility. Ignore the lie rolling off my tongue.
“Sure, we will go with that,” he scoffs, before sighing and leaning back in his chair. “I saw you after you whipped her unconscious. Your body remained calmed, but your eyes betrayed your thoughts before you could hide them. You made sure she was breathing, made sure she was still alive when you had finished. I wanted to kill you at that moment, I still do. How could you do that to her because of lies from poisoned tongues? She is the best person I know. My family, sister, best friend, and all she has ever done is help others and done nothing for herself. I need to know I can trust you with her.”
I take another drink and lean forward. “Trust me to do what exactly?”
His jaw ticks. “Not to hurt her again, to believe her words, always, and help her. You’re an Heir, you both are, and I suspect you know more about that than she does, at least where your power is concerned.”
I watch him watch me, seeing the determination in his eyes that if I say no, he will unsheathe the knife from his back pocket that I know he has there, and try to take me out, even though he would know he can’t win. This is what Rhea does to people, makes them lay down their life to protect her, like she does to protect them. I have to admire the balls of the fucker, but fortunately, I’m grateful she has people around her that would protect her.
“I won’t do anything to hurt her like that,” I begrudgingly admit to him. I would never whip her again, never mar her flesh, never cut, never slice, never cause her pain like that.
“But other ways of hurting her?” He tilts his head curiously.
“She likes it,” I smirk, taking another drink.
“Gross, I do not need to know that.” He shakes his head. “Though it will be fun to watch you try and get in her pants. She would cut off your balls.”
“I have my ways.” And I do. She’s a puddle when I get my hands on her, unable to deny what we have, whether we both wanted it or not. We are tethered, so we may as well enjoy some things that come with that.
“Be careful with her, Darius,” he warns, and my nostrils flare at his tone. Who does he think he’s talking to like that? “She would kill me for saying this, but at this point, you may be the only one that could help her. She may be tough on the outside, but when she lets you in, when her walls are down, you will see what kind of person she truly is. She’s hurting really bad, more than she will ever let anyone know. I know her enough to know she’s one nudge away from either doing something really stupid, or shutting down. If she shuts down Darius, we’ve all lost her. I don’t think you want that, do you?”
I say nothing, but the little shit can see clearly that I don’t want that. He’s more observant than he lets on, just like Zaide.
“I’ve told you all of this in the hope that we can all work together, and get not just Sarah back, but our pack too. I don’t know what you plan to do regarding the Highers now you know what you do, but know that she is out for blood, we all are. Rhea hates me right now, so why not have her hate me more if the price is what I deserve, but also, a chance to save her from the Highers. They cannot have her, Darius.”
“They won’t.” I vow to myself, and we stare at each other, letting him see the truth for himself.
He nods, satisfied and gets up. “I hope you keep this vow this time, Darius, because if they have her, all is lost.” He leaves without another word, and I’m left alone with my own thoughts.
Everything has changed in a few months. The Elites are apparently made to hunt Heirs, as Zaide confirmed, the Highers are now enemies like the rogures, and they lied about the memory crystal that I still need to show Rhea.
