Page 41 of Taming Darkness

I stare past her, attempting to let her words sink in. I was certain she’d deny it instantly; that she would tell me that daughter of hers was lying. But that’s not what she’s saying. She almost seems proud of it. Proud of using my wife like everyone else did.

“She should have left you to your fate, Porter. She was more useful to me than you’ve ever been. Alas, she tried to save your life, and how did you repay her?” She shakes her head and tsked. “Killed by the very man she was trying so desperately to save. Such a pity.”

My fingers twitch. I hit my limit. I can’t listen to another word she says. All I can think about is every moment I’d spent with my mate before I’d turned on her. Every smile, every caress, every kiss. When Darius showed me, showed me her infidelity, not once did I question her reason behind it. I feel foolish…

A growl tears out of my throat, and I lunge at Lydia. As I try to wrap my hands around her throat, she blasts me with her magic, knocking me back onto the table. Some of her precious vials shatter beneath my weight, while others crash to the floor.

I grunt, get to my feet, and stagger to get back to her. With a grunt, I rush at her again, shoving her into the shelves when something stabs me in the side of my chest. I glance down to see a syringe sticking out, the plunger already pressed. My vision tunnels as I fall heavily to the floor, the contents are taking instant effect.

Lydia laughs. “Did you really think I wasn’t ready for this? You really are pathetic. You deserve to suffer and die,” she sneers. Breathing becomes difficult, and my vision fades in and out. I can barely make out Lydia walking away, leaving me on the ground amid her broken beakers and science equipment.

I claw the ground, dragging myself to the foot of the counter, and struggle to lift myself off the ground. More vials teeter from their place above me. I stare up at one that’s behind thick glass and freeze. I close my eyes tight and reopen them in case it will change what I’m looking at.

The writing on the vial is simple, but it makes my blood turn to ice in my veins. Inside the case are four rows of vials.

Patient Zero virus.

Plague one.

Plague two.

Plague three.

All this time, I had truly believed Xandrious had started the plague—that he’d started everything. I sag against the counter. I was a fool. No, worse than that, I was a murderer. I’d killed my wife and placed my son in a situation to lose his life and his mate. And for what? Because of a lie.

One that I’d used to justify killing her and destroying Lycus. All of this was my fault. I deserve death for everything I've done and for so much more. Yet, I need to hold on long enough to pass on this proof. My life has been wasted, but I’m not about to let that twisted bitch get away with what she has done. Though, as I peer up at the case, I can hardly move.

Breathing feels like an almost impossible task. But I know if the plague is in here, so is the cure. That is how she keeps her soldiers alive, why they’re loyal to her. She is the only thing that keeps them from death. She is the only one who knows how to create the cure. It’s how she controls them.

Time flies by as I try to focus on breathing. My limbs twitch and cramp when I move, but I force myself to grip the counter and haul myself up. Catching my breath, I turn my gaze to study the rest of the shelves. From the corner of my eye, I spot it. Hope blooms in my chest. Not for me, but for the future of the Fae. It’s up above me, but I can just make it out. Aleera’s name is stamped across it as well as numbers, and more importantly, it has the word antidote.

I muster all my strength into standing as high as I can, reaching for it, grasping the precious bottle, and clutching it to my chest, then falling back down in the process. She is mistaken if she thinks I will die quietly for her in a corner. I will hold on a little longer; I owe Karla that much, at the very least.

Chapter29

~Kalen~

As a child in the orphanage, I always yearned for a place to call home. There is an inexplicable feeling deep within me, urging me to find my true place in the world. It wasn’t until I discovered my mates that I understood the distinction between a mere house and a home. A home couldn’t exist without the people who made it complete.

My childhood dreams were filled with fantasies of a loving family, and that was precisely what I found with my mates. They were more incredible than I could have ever imagined, but a lingering void persisted within me, preventing me from feeling completely at ease.

Aleera’s arrival brought the sense of completion and family I’d craved for so long. She tamed the shadows that had haunted me throughout my life. We no longer chase her ghost across the country, but rather, we summon her spirit and allow her to become our everything. She invokes the good within us. The light.

It was a foreign concept to me, one I only vaguely understood. Aleera illuminates this notion, revealing its personal impact on my life. The darkness that once threatened to consume me is now diminished in her presence. I feel compelled to fight back, to protect her from the shadows. She has tasted our darkness and forgiven us, taming our unruly hearts.

Her absence leaves me spiraling, falling back into the darkest recesses of my memory. My heart battles with the fear that all of this may be a cruel dream, and I have to remind myself that there is a way out of this blackness that I didn’t have before.

I’ve experienced countless nightmares in my life, but never did I think that life with my mates could become the living hell we now face. A cycle of malevolence, manipulation, and past mistakes haunt us, forming a never-ending river of torment.

My mates are extraordinary, each one perfectly complementing the others, creating a harmonious puzzle. They inspire me to be a better person, but our collective fighting spirit has been drained.

Aleera is weary, both physically and mentally; we can sense it through our bond. She has been burdened with too much knowledge about her past and ours without any time to process it. She bears the weight of the world on her shoulders, struggling to keep afloat.

What can I do to ease her suffering? What words can I offer to save her from this crushing burden? I need to show her that my mates and I will stand by her side, regardless of what challenges lie ahead.

As I contemplate these thoughts, I bite into the quick of my finger, not even realizing that I’ve been chewing on my nails. I inhale deeply, attempting to clear my mind. A sudden shift in my surroundings leaves me feeling lightheaded and disoriented.

I struggle to maintain my balance, and gravity seems to have been turned off. Is this due to extreme stress or perhaps a lack of sustenance? I take a shaky step forward, only to have my knees buckle under me as gravity returns, forcing my body to the ground. I am unable even to attempt to rise.

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