Page 50 of Taming Darkness

“I will never join you, Lydia. You had me not because you wanted me, a child to love, but because you wanted a weapon to exact your revenge and lust for power. I was just a means to an end for you.”

A shadow flits across her face, making her appear even more sinister. “You would pick them over me?” she spits the words out at me. “His kind are the reason the Seraphim are no more! He is the reason the plague killed all the White-Fae! You would still choose him knowing all that?”

“No,” the word booms out of me, and for a second, her cocky confidence wavers. What’s left is fear. Actual fear. “Darius never started the plague. You and my father used him, just like you used me. All of this—the plague and its consequences—was to settle an age-old score and so you could sit in the ultimate seat of power. All this time, you knew I was the cure, and you wanted to use that and dangle me about like some toy. I will always choose my mates above you, especially Darius.”

My words strike her somewhere deep in her soul. Pure hatred flashes in her eyes, and she screams like a possessed banshee before charging straight at me. I stop her mid-lunge, holding her in place with my magic. Her cold eyes widen, clearly not expecting this.

As she struggles, I stand resolute, ready to face the woman who has tormented me and so many others. The final confrontation is here, and I will not waver. I have the power, the knowledge, and the resolve to put an end to her reign of terror. The fate of the Harmony-Fae and the world rests on my shoulders, and I will not let them down.

Chapter37

~Aleera~

The briefcase slips from her hands, scattering paperwork everywhere when I am hit from the side, my magic dropping as one of her men attacks me. I hit the ground hard, the cold, damp earth pressing against my cheek. From my peripheral, I see my mother trying to scavenge the papers, her fingers grasping at the documents like a desperate animal.

My wings snap open as soon as the henchman unleashes his fire magic. Instinctively, they wrap around me in a defensive barrier, desperately trying to protect me from the searing heat. I scream in pain as the intense power courses through my body, the sensation akin to a thousand burning needles. I channel my own energy into my wings, turning them into steel.

The wings glow a rusty red color from being exposed to the scorching temperature, and I catch sight of my mother running out of the doorway. Fury builds up inside of me like a boiling cauldron as one of her foot soldiers pins me down with his fire. Every detail burns into my memory, and I clench my teeth as I feel the flames licking at my skin, the smell of singed hair filling my nostrils.

Yet, the moment he is close enough, I spread my wings, instantly slicing his body into three pieces. He looks shocked, the horror frozen on his face before his body slides apart and splatters on the floor like gruesome puzzle pieces.

Without a second glance at the man and his grisly fate, I chase my mother out of the house; I nearly stop in my tracks at the chaos outside. The air is thick with the scent of sweat, blood, and fear. My mates are fighting alongside the recruits, their movements fluid and precise, destroying everyone in their path to get to me. I scan my surroundings, my eyes darting over the battlefield, looking for her. I finally spot her trying to sneak away in the midst of the chaos, only the shimmer of her shield giving away her fleeing figure.

“Lydia!” I scream out to her, and she stops once more. Her eyes flash, and my mates look in her direction.

“You had your chance,” she spits at me, her voice dripping with venom. I snarl at her and shake my head, stepping into the chaos when I notice Kalen behind her. In the next moment, so does she. She smirks, and her fingers come alive with magic.

“It started with you, Lydia, and it will end with you,” I warn her.

“If I go, I am taking them with me,” she growls and spins around to face Kalen.

Darius screams, and my heart stutters as she lifts her hand, glowing with her powers, a cruel smirk on her lips. I don’t think about my next move, instead, I feel, allowing instinct to drive me.

“Kalen!” Lycus screams, and Kalen lifts his head. Seeing my mother’s outstretched hand, his eyes widen when her magic shoots from her fingertips, only for me to smash into her, making her drop it. I growl, furious that she would try to hurt him again. My mother struggles under my hold, and I refuse to let go, instead flying high into the sky, soaring until I’m with my Phoenixes.

“When I’m out of this, you’re going to regret every second of your life. I’ll get your mates, and I’ll tear them apart, one by one, in front of you.”

She really can be stupid. Who else would threaten my loved ones when I have them in a vice grip? My anger roars to life inside me like a fierce storm as my hold on her tightens.

No matter how much she fights against my hold, it merely grows tighter. My rage takes over, a wild, untamed beast clawing at my insides. The power hunters are far away now and occupied by the Harmony-Fae or running for their lives. They wanted vengeance, wanted to spill blood just as theirs had been spilled. That same desire occupies my mind, the same taste for blood as I look at my mother. Perhaps if I were a less selfish person, I’d let those that have lived under her rule be the ones to end her life.

But I’m not letting this go; she destroyed our family, destroyed my mates, and all for nothing; for some war we were never a part of.

I squeeze her tighter, traveling higher, and her eyes bulge in her head as she struggles against the supernatural power.

I have light in me, but right now, the darkness has full control and fills me with power, surging through every molecule in my body. My decision to end her only satisfies that dark part of me more, and I scream until my throat hurts. The sound is so feral that it surprises even me, but not as much as what I do after.

My Phoenixes circle above, hearing my call. Hovering in the air, my mother tries to fight, her magic blasting me only for me to absorb it.

“Goodbye, Mother,” I tell her, then let go.

She pinwheels through the sky, desperately trying to catch onto something. The Phoenixes swoop in, darting in and out and making her scream as tiny ribbons of her blood fill the surrounding air. She shields her face by holding her hands over them. My babies continue to rip her apart like a school of piranhas in a feeding frenzy.

What’s left of her when she hits the ground isn’t much; her torso, her head, bits, and pieces of her limbs that they hadn’t plucked completely from her. There is no emotion left in me as I stare down at her. She blinks up at me in total shock, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief.

I hover in the air, noting the horrified faces of her power hunters; the Harmony-Fae quickly kill off those remaining. It’s what happens when you are distracted in a battle like this.

Spark swoops out of the sky to land beside her, and she coughs, almost gurgles. “Spark,” she manages to whisper, though it takes most of her strength.

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