Page 48 of Taming Darkness

Tobias screams, darting after Kalen as Spark tackles him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Beside me, Lycus shifts into his wolf form, preparing to defend Kalen against the massive Phoenix. Spark screeches, scratching at Kalen’s face with his razor-sharp claws. Kalen manages to roll away just as Spark tries to impale him with his beak.

Kalen grabs the bird by the beak, and the Phoenix jolts as the shadows touch him. He tries to blast Kalen back with his own power, but Kalen just grips the feathers on either side of his head. Spark stiffens and suddenly stops his attack entirely.

“Aleera!” Kalen screams in the bird’s face. Spark rustles his feathers, his eyes glowing, and he backs up.

Tobias is at Kalen’s side instantly, dragging him up, while Lycus growls, stalking the Phoenix in his wolf form as the creature backs up before suddenly taking flight.

“Well, great, that worked. And I lost another set of pants!” Lycus huffs when he shifts back. “Fucking damn near shit my fucking pants too,” he growls. I shake my head, trying to think of another plan.

Tobias dusts Kalen off with his hand, scolding him for being reckless. Suddenly, the sky darkens as a storm appears out of nowhere, and the Phoenixes fly into the wind.

Spark’s mighty roar fills the sky, and in unison, the Phoenixes sing to his chorus. Power zaps, and sparks arc between them when they all suddenly dive and swoop toward us.

“Hold your ground,” Kalen snaps at me, his eyes turning an eerie white. Whatever he did to Spark, the bird is allowing him to manipulate them. His eyes return to normal when I am blasted with a surge of electricity and magic by Spark and Ryze. The force makes me stumble back, only to be blasted with another jolt. The birds take turns hitting us and powering us up.

Magic surges through my veins by the time they finish. Tobias instantly opens a portal to Astrid, and Lycus shifts and runs through it to alert our men.

“Turns out I can manipulate a Phoenix,” Kalen chuckles as my fingers tingle with the newfound power. I feel an echo of Aleera sharing her strength through the bond. I flex my muscles, testing the potency of the magic coursing through me as it melds with my essence, and my gaze lifts to the veil with renewed vigor. Our men file out, taking their stances and moving around the shield, ready to fight for their queen.

Rubbing my hands together, tendrils of darkness slip from my fingertips just as Spark roars above me. Once again, the Phoenixes blast the shield in unison with my attack. When the veil flickers, turning solid briefly, our men don't hesitate to touch it and unleash their own power.

I release more of the magic and start absorbing the shield. I take on its energy, recycling it by sending it straight back into the veil. It finally cracks under the pressure when it becomes too much, shattering like glass as it erupts. We are hit with its shockwave, yet my feet remain planted on the ground as the veil between realms disintegrates. The sky pixelates as it bursts, revealing something I never thought I would see again: Aleera’s old house and hundreds of startled power hunters.

We broke the veils between the realms! I smirk at their horrified faces, cracking my neck. Lycus shifts, the Phoenixes dive, and Tobias wanders back over to me.

“Now let’s fuck shit up!” he laughs, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

Together, we charge forward into the fray, the taste of victory already on our lips. The bond with Aleera, the power we have gained, and the Phoenixes on our side make us feel invincible. As we battle through the power hunters, the air crackles with magic and the scent of victory. We are an unstoppable force, ready to reclaim our rightful place in this world.

The battle rages on, our forces cutting through the ranks of power hunters like a hot knife through butter. The air is charged with a palpable energy as magic clashes and collides, casting brilliant displays of color and destruction throughout the battlefield. Our men fight with a ferocity born of desperation, loyalty, and love for their queen.

Ryze and Spark weave through the chaos, their flames scorching enemies and leaving nothing but ash in their wake. The Phoenixes’ fierce loyalty to Aleera fuels their relentless assault, ensuring that no enemy dares to come too close.

Lycus, Tobias, Kalen, and I form a tight unit, our backs to one another as we face the onslaught. Our combined power is a force to be reckoned with, leaving devastation in our path. The ground shakes under our feet and the air hums with the intensity of our magic. We are a whirlwind of destruction, and our enemies fear us.

Chapter35

~Aleera~

My mind becomes utterly lost in the dream walk with my mates. The experience is so vivid and tangible that I feel as though I could simply reach out and touch them, to share the euphoria that vibrates through their beings. Emotions swell and consume me until I sense the ground trembling beneath my feet, the walls cracking around me. Fissures shoot up them and create openings to the adjacent cells. Although they aren't big enough for me to pass through, I can see my terrified neighbor through them. As I look up at the ceiling, dust sprinkles over me, and my eyes dart to the other Fae locked in their cells.

The power of my mates flares through the bond, my infinity mark glowing brilliantly, burning against my skin—they are coming for me. The tremors grow violent, murmurs and panicked cries echo as the Harmony-Fae fear that the roof will cave in. Now or never, so now it is. The time for my mother to maintain the upper hand—or even to delude herself into thinking she still has it—is officially over. I refuse to let her use me for her schemes or risk my unborn child’s life during the process. This twisted game of hers is over; I’m ending it.

Due to Porter's grief, he didn't bother tying me up again, so escaping wasn't difficult. In fact, it's almost too easy. Disabling the cell’s locks is as simple as sending surges of electric current through them. My neighbor jerks to attention, watching me with wide, astonished eyes. I’m determined to free all the Harmony-Fae from this hellish prison. The time for waiting has passed.

With more power channeled into the cell door, the surge travels not just to my cell but up and down the entire row. The moment each lock clicks open, the digital panels controlling the collars that once disabled their magic explode and clatter to the ground. Alarms blare as every single door slides open. One by one, the Harmony-Fae tentatively step out of their cells, uncertainty etched on their pale faces as if they can’t believe that their nightmare is finally drawing to a close. They glance towards me, or so I think until a stampede of footsteps rushes our way.

The stench that precedes them tells me what we’re dealing with long before their hideous, zombie-like faces appear. My mother’s power-hungry soldiers, the ones she used before, are preparing to mob us. If only she knew that her little trick won’t work on me or the rest of the Harmony-Fae, who are bracing themselves for the battle that looms.

The first wave of power hunters stumbles towards me, and I can’t help but smirk as fire dances on my fingertips before I hurl it at their chests. The flames burn so hot that they’re blinding, the scorching inferno spreading from one monster to the next, setting an entire squad ablaze.

I am certain that my mother is lurking somewhere behind these brutes, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Knowing her twisted mind, she probably assumes that they can subdue me, and she can swoop in to pick up the pieces before they finish me off. My wings ripple along my back, and though there isn’t enough room to spread them, I urge them to manifest. Feathers appear with a mere thought, and reaching back, I pluck them off. I hurl them like daggers, determined to cut down their numbers and draw my mother out of her hiding place. The entire place will be reduced to ashes, as will her network of power hunters.

The battle I’m waging seems to have inspired the Harmony-Fae around me. Wisps of power flood the hall as fireballs slam into more of the zombie power hunters, setting them alight. Lightning cracks through the air, bolts piercing the heads of the brainless soldiers. The wind whistles around me as a group of hunters gather together, only to be consumed by another fireball.

The Harmony-Fae appear to be fighting back with newfound hope. Even after years of torture, they remain a formidable force—no longer confined to their cells, their power no longer stifled by the shackles around their necks.

They rally together, throwing their attacks with increasing enthusiasm as they witness the zombies falling one after another. I need to reach my so-called mother before the cunning woman slips away in the midst of the chaos.

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