Page 39 of Tasting Darkness

“You say that now. Your father was a monster for what he did to me. But even still, it doesn’t compare to what I have done.”

“And you let your recruits think my father started the plague?”

Darius looks away guiltily.

“Do they know you helped?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“And if I told them?”

“They would try to kill me for it. Probably try to kill our mates,” he answers, watching me. Yet I know Darius won’t allow anyone to hurt them. But it makes me wonder if I did tell, if he would kill me for risking them, not that I would because I don’t believe he unleashed the plague seeing as he was a boy when the first wave hit.

“Then it's a good thing I know how to keep a secret,” I tell him, motioning toward the bed. He looks at it, and confusion crosses his features.

“You would still have me, knowing that?” I chuckle at his words.

“You four are all I have. Nothing you're hiding will change that. I will keep your secret, Darius.”

He seems confused as to why I would after everything.

“What do you want?” he asks cautiously.

“I want you to get in bed,” I tell him. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

“That’s it?” he asks.

“That’s it for now, Darius,” I tell him, and he chews his lip nervously while looking at Kalen before he gives in and nods, walking past me and climbing in behind Kalen. I sigh. I will find out what he is hiding, but as much as I want to hate him, I can’t. Not after what I saw in the lab. Not after seeing the darkness that resides in him. The torment is so similar to the darkness that swirls in Kalen.

I climb in beside him, and he tenses, glancing over his shoulder at me. “What are you doing?” he asks while I tug the blankets up.

“Sleeping next to my mate,” I tell him, draping my arm across his waist, and Kalen’s melting into his back, and he exhales.

“I don’t hate you, Darius. I just don’t understand you,” I tell him. He says nothing, yet my bond relaxes, feeling all our mates close and feeling Kalen’s bond relax. The darkness inside him starts easing off.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Darius Wraith

The warmth against my back is driving my bond insane. Tingles flare up my spine, yet it is the best night's sleep I have had in ages. Though Kalen's squirming wakes me early, so I climb out of bed, moving toward the couch. Kalen moves instantly and rolls toward Aleera, seeking her out. He’s looking for power, but he would find none with her because she refuses to take her magic back which worries me. My bond may have awoken her but I’m not sure how long she remains awake until she has power back in her system, in this state she is left vulnerable to all of us.

I watch as their bonds seek each other out in their sleep, watching them drawn together like magnets. Tobias groans, and I can see his boxer shorts have pitched a tent. I try not to laugh. Yet even Aleera feels the space beside her. Her outstretched hand touches the empty space where I was as Kalen rolls away, not picking up on her energy because she has none. I bite my lip as Lycus grabs Tobias’ cock in his sleep, making me wonder if Aleera would soon shred. They aren’t usually stirring like this.

Ryze, who is perched on the windowsill, tilts his head, watching them as they get closer to one another. He turns his head in my direction, his long tongue slivers and waggles at me. I raise an eyebrow at the bird. I can’t tell whether I love or hate him. .

I roll my eyes, almost sensing what it is he wants. Moving toward the bed, I hover over Aleera before gripping her chin. However, the moment I dip my face lower, I smell her intoxicating scent, awakening my bond to another level.

She will shred soon so that just makes my mind up further as I press my lips to hers. I can’t keep resisting the bond, I’m only hurting them. If they leave me so be it, maybe they’re better off without me. She jolts, her eyes flying open, and she gasps. I use that as my opportunity to slip my tongue past her plump lips, kissing her harder, forcibly. She would be forced to take my magic or suffocate. Either way, she is taking it. Yet I can feel her resisting it. Fear courses through the bond. She is scared of what I am without it.

They all are, so it is no surprise, yet it will be more painful if she shreds without magic. Letting her chin go, my hand trails down her arm moving beneath the blanket and down to her hip. Her bond latches onto mine hungrily as it takes over.

So, I move my hand to her thigh before trailing my fingertips along the inside of her leg. Her legs part on instinct, her bond taking control, and I use mine to draw hers out more as I cup her pussy through her cotton shorts. She moans, her legs closing around my hand, and she kisses me back hungrily, making me chuckle as she siphons me without realizing it.

My laughter seems to pull her back to her senses because she jerks away from me, and I smile down at her. Her face is flushed as her bond calls to mine, but I don't withdraw mine and force it back. Instead, let her feel it. Though after pressing my lips back to hers, I move away. And in the nick of time before, Kalen pounces on her, his hands pawing at her.

He steals her breath when he kisses her and I move back to the couch, watching him trying to dominate her, but he still isn’t really sure what he is doing with her. Us he had worked out, but Aleera, she is female and completely different. Yet Aleera is just as inexperienced. So she doesn’t seem to notice the tremble in his hands as he tugs at her clothes.

Kalen yelps when Tobias sits up, smirking at me. Lycus is still asleep, squeezing his cock, when Tobias looks at Kalen. He has undressed the bottom half of Aleera but struggles with her crop top, making her giggle as her arms and hair get tangled in it. Leaning over, Tobias sinks his teeth into Kalen's bare ass, making him jump and hiss.

"Stop hogging her," Tobias growls, seemingly in a good mood. Or maybe they were picking up on her energy. Kalen growls at him, shooting him a glare while Tobias licks his bloodstained lips. Lycus wakes up between the pair of them, sits up, taking in the surrounding scene, and his eyes flicker to his wolf.

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