Page 51 of Taming Darkness

My hand clenches, but I stay where I am. I trust my Phoenixes; they’re a part of me.

He moves closer to her, cocking his head as he stares. Blood coats the ground from all of her wounds. The Phoenixes try to swoop in to finish her off, but Spark screeches at them, and they wheel a safe distance away to perch, watching.

There isn’t much he can do anyway. She is nearly dead. Her magic is being absorbed by the earth as she bleeds out. Spark hops closer, and she smiles at him. It appears that she’s trying to say his name again, but she can only manage to mouth it.

Spark leans over and pecks at her face, and she finds her voice again as a long, blood-curdling scream rings out. Spark lifts his head—he has plucked out one eye, and it's hanging by the nerve from his beak. He pecks again, taking her other eye, throwing his head back, and swallowing both of her eyes. Her screams reach a crescendo, but Spark isn’t finished; he pecks straight through her skull, cracking it open, and her once-piercing screams finally die out as he feasts on her brains.

“Hmm, I guess Lycus was right—Phoenixes do eat eyes,” I chuckle to myself, a sense of relief washing over me like the cool breeze that caresses my skin.

With all of the build-up, I find her death rather underwhelming. I knew she was no match for me once I was united with my Phoenixes, but for all her talk, she was ultimately powerless. What power she wielded came from the numbers she stood behind, not from anything she actually possessed. Piece by piece, they had ripped her apart into nothing but torn flesh and bone, making sure it was at points that would be the most painful, so she suffered every second she had left. The final ultimate revenge was Spark finishing her off when she thought he was the one who would save her.

I stop looking at the mess I made, not wanting to waste any more time. I turn away, eager to be reunited with my mates, and put all of this behind us. It is time for peace and progress. I will hand the vials over to the council, help salvage what is left of us, and we will raise our baby in peace, never letting it know it's related to such a heinous woman. My mates are near; I can sense them fighting to get to me. I land next to the Phoenixes, who are eating what’s left of her, and stand tall, witnessing the last of the war. Power hunters continue to try to subdue the Harmony-Fae as they flee the house, but without their leader, they stand no chance against their former captives.

The sounds of battle slowly die down, replaced by the moans of the wounded and the victorious cries of the Harmony-Fae. The air is thick with the scent of blood and sweat, the taste of victory bittersweet on my tongue. I can feel the energy in the air, a mixture of relief, triumph, and exhaustion.

I catch a glimpse of my mates, their faces determined, their bodies battered but resilient as they fight their way to me. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the battlefield, committing the moment to memory as I watch the Harmony-Fae surrounding us fight for their freedom.

Chapter38

~Aleera~

Afew of the braver power hunters even try to attack me, but a few of my feathers stop them in their tracks. Once my mother doesn’t reappear, and her soldiers realize she’s dead, the power hunters are overcome with fear, and instead of trying to fight us, they attempt to escape.

However, the Harmony-Fae aren’t about to let that happen. They tear them to shreds with their own magic, the air crackling with energy and the cries of death.

My mates are getting closer. I can feel Darius' magic hovering in the air, the darkness of it calling me to bring back the shadows I had grown to love. I need them, to see them, touch them, just be with them. As I round the side of the house, my heart skips a beat. There they all are.

One of the hunters, desperate and wild-eyed, runs away from the Harmony-Fae and tries his luck by attacking Darius from behind. Lycus, swift and deadly, grabs him with one hand, and with his fingers turned to claws, he slashed the man down the middle, shredding organs and pulling him apart with a sickening sound.

Kalen is holding his own, a newfound sense of purpose hovering over him as he flanks Tobias. Their movements are fluid and powerful, each one a testament to their strength.

Most of the power hunters are dead, their bodies ripped to shreds or are reduced to smoking piles of ash until none are left. If anyone does get out, it won’t be for long. The council will track them down, and each will be punished for their crimes.

The moment Darius turns and sees me, I throw myself into his arms, almost knocking him over. Kalen and Tobias huddle close, and the cracking of bones lets me know that Lycus has shifted back as he joins us.

Kalen’s voice cracks, his deep emotions swirling almost out of control. “You never left,” he whispers.

I kiss him.

“I made you a promise, Kalen, and I promised you I’d never break it.”

The council shows up within minutes of the battle's end, surveying the aftermath after we’d taken care of most of the danger. Many of them stare in open-faced shock at the sheer number of Harmony-Fae that actually exist.

“Wait, I need to give them something,” I tell my mates before digging into my pocket and pulling out the vials that reveal how evil my mother truly is.

Darius' brows furrow as he studies them. It takes him a second, but recognition sparks, and his eyes widen before he stares at me. “You were always the cure! I didn’t destroy it,” he gasps.

I nod and hand over the vials. It’s finally over, and now I am finally going to be able to enjoy my mates and raise our children without fear of that unhinged woman ever crossing us again.

When we are finished, I look at the old house, the exact replica of my childhood home, a house that should no longer exist. I wait for them to finish retrieving what the council wants from the crime scene, and when the last elder emerges, he stops and walks over to us.

The man’s energy is familiar as he draws closer. His facial features are the ones I have witnessed before in my mates’ memories—Tobias', to be exact. The man stops in front of me before looking at his son.

In Tobias' memories, this man was proud, angry, and felt so much bigger than he does now. Instead of the fear I felt in Tobias' memories, I only feel pity for him.

“You found her,” he says, eyeing me curiously.

Tobias says nothing, just drapes his arm across my shoulders and tucks me closer. “Are you finished inside?” Tobias asks, not even acknowledging his father’s question.

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