Page 39 of Taming Darkness

Thank the Fates that Lycus wasn’t his. Lycus got his looks from his mother, thankfully; this man is hideous inside and out, so he kind of dodged that misfortune of being Porter’s biological son. It hadn’t bothered me before with Clint and even her crazed guards, but the lack of covering my gown provides, suddenly makes me feel dirty as this man visibly checks me out.

“I’ll admit, you’ve got a pretty face. I’m sure with those full, pouty lips of yours, there’s a use or two for you, not that the bastard deserves to have anyone as a mate, let alone a fuck toy.” He shakes his head as if to emphasize the sick statement, he’s just made. He chuckles, his eyes flaming. “Much less to have you as their keeper.”

Sick fuck. Still, I can’t hold back. The bubbling laughter bursts out of me, and the shocked, almost scandalized look he throws at me is almost comical. If only he knew the truth, he’d never smirk like that again.

“The man you’re calling a bastard will tear you limb from limb if you come near me. Lycus is more of a man than you could ever wish to be, more than you could become in your wildest dreams,” I hiss with every bit of hatred and disgust I can muster.

Chapter27

~Aleera~

He recovers from his shock during my tirade, steps closer, and puffs his chest out. Does he actually think I’m afraid of him? Does he truly believe he can instill fear in me? I see him for what he is, and that he’s nothing more than a coward.

I continue on, unwilling to let him think he’s won. “It’s a shame how you lost everything you had and blindly pursued the wrong person. You’ve made every possible wrong decision. And for what? For a lie, someone told you? A lie you were stupid enough to believe as the truth? You murdered your wife and mate for choices that she made protecting you! Choices she was forced to make to keep your miserable ass alive!” I sneer at him.

His smug look fades, replaced by anger. He slams his fists against the door and screams at me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Karla betrayed me! That woman was a whore who led me to believe that the mongrel I raised was my son! She tricked me and had me raise a bastard! A result of her infidelity, a constant reminder that the one woman I loved more than my life betrayed me!” He roars each word as if screaming them would somehow make me understand that he isn’t the villain in this situation, that he’s just some innocent victim.

He looks so broken and helpless; a normal person who hadn't seen what I did would find it hard not to pity him for his bad choices. But then I remember the woman he murdered; his so-called beloved Karla, and all of my rage returns.

Fat chance of that. His words do nothing but ignite a blazing inferno of rage inside me. How dare he! His wife did not deserve the death she received at his hands. Lycus was just a boy, and the things Porter had done to him for protecting his mother would forever haunt my memories as if they were my own.

The anger raging through me is indescribable. He had nothing but lies and excuses for the acts he committed. Thoughts of Karla, her lifeless body on the floor, and Lycus' terror-filled eyes race through my mind.

“She was never a whore by choice! She had to make a decision to save your worthless life or let Lysander and Xandrious kill you! Don’t believe me? Look for yourself!” I snarl. “What you were shown was wrong! She loved you. Karla loved you so much that she sacrificed everything for you and for Lycus.”

Porter scoffs and shakes his head, but pauses, tilting his head to the side. Yet I notice the curiosity flickering in his eyes, and his certainty wavers. Is he wondering if he killed the woman he loved without justification? She was guilty of what he said, but her reasoning should have mattered; it didn’t warrant her death.

And still, I would hardly call it her choice. Not when the choices were to feed her son and keep her mate alive. Or lose your son to a psychopath and watch your mate die. Karla was never given a choice. The choice she was given was to choose who to sacrifice… Herself… or her family. So Karla sacrificed herself for a man she loved, who’d never sacrificed for her.

“How?” he asks, his voice almost a whisper, stripped of its earlier triumph. “How are you going to prove to me she was innocent?”

“Open the door,” I challenge, sitting up on my elbows since that is all I can manage. “I’ll show you. Or are you too scared of the truth, Porter?”

He licks his lips, his eyes darting down each direction of the long, dimly lit hallway before pulling a swipe card from his pocket. He wastes no time forcing his way into my cell, no longer hiding behind the protective barrier the glass had provided.

Porter stumbles to the foot of the cold metal gurney, and I nod to the straps that still bind me. They had gotten twisted when I flipped over and are now digging into my skin.

“Loosen these so I can show you,” I order. This will be the hardest part. Will his desire to know the truth be enough to take this risk?

His eyes dart to the door again, and his back straightens. He moves towards the top of the metal table and completely undoes my restraints. “You’re staying in this cell, but you'll show me.”

He must see the pieces of his story for himself to accept what happened truly. I place the cast on him, my eyes locked onto him. His face contorts as a dozen different emotions play across it. I do my best to ignore the memories I’m showing him, trying to look through the cast and focus on my surroundings. Watching once was bad enough, especially knowing that my mother and father also had a hand in her torment. Porter’s hands tremble, and he jerks his head side to side, trying to see the different angles of the cast in which he’s trapped.

I’ll admit I’m tempted to lock him in it, letting the truth play before his eyes over and over until it’s seared into his mind. But then again, I can’t risk him screaming and alerting the rest of them to my magic; I can’t afford that risk this early.

Porter gasps, stumbling back from me and I drop the cast. His lips part, and he shakes his head, his eyes wild.

“No!” he growls. “You promised to show me the truth!”

“You’re lying,” he accuses through gritted teeth. “You’re trying to manipulate me into believing she did all that for me,”

Porter scoffs and shakes his head, but I notice the curiosity flickering in his eyes. His certainty wavers for a brief moment before he regains his composure. He stands still, as if pondering if he was wrong about Karla, if somehow she wasn't a liar and betrayer. If her actions were warranted in trying to save his life and protect Lycus.

The anger boils inside me, but I force myself to remain calm as I continue my story.

“She never wanted to lie to you, but she saw no choice," I say softly. "She just wanted to keep you both safe from Xandrious and Lysander’s wrath because of what they would do to Lycus."

Porter's silence speaks volumes in comparison with the rage he had expressed earlier when defending himself. He appears unfazed by my words at first, but then I see something else dawning on him; understanding of the truth that was so brutally hidden from him before it all ended in tragedy.

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