Taming Darkness
Chapter 14

-Darius-

Lycus darts in without hesitation, but there is something different about these power hunters, which becomes abundantly clear when he starts tearing them limb from limb. Because one by one, they start rebuilding themselves, putting their bodies back together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I watch in disbelief as power hunters reassemble their broken limbs, body parts merging as if guided by an unseen force. It's as if nothing ever happened, and they are ready to continue their rampage.

"What the f**k?" I curse in disbelief. Lycus stops and shakes his head like he can't believe what he witnesses. The hunters form a circle around him, closing him in. The power that flows out of them cages him until his body is pressed close to the ground. Otherwise, he'll be burned by a dome of fire that encircles him. He snarls, but there's nothing he can do.

Kalen grunts as another volt is driven through his body. "I'm tired of this," Lydia yells out as she grabs him by his chain and flings his body off the roof. He free-falls, and the chain jerks taut as he reaches the end of it. The bitch is trying to hang him.

Power flies through the air, crackling around me as I fight my way through the hunters to get to him. Kalen's limp form dangles above me, but I don't reach for him. Instead, I open a portal to Lydia. The queen bitch looks startled and drops the chain's end, letting Kalen's body crash on the concrete ground below.

I wasted no time stalking her.

"Take one more step, and I'll blow your mate's head off," she sneers at me, holding up a small device with a red button. "That chain is special in more ways than one."

I pause. The power flowing through his body I had no doubt he could take, but having his head removed? That's a bit more extreme. That would require more than a little stitching and help from the shadows to return him to us. Necromancy I have no issue dabbling in, but even that has its limits.

She laughs and struts forward, a long jagged knife in her hands. Its wicked edge glistens in the light. "On your knees, Darius," she commands.

Tobias grunts, forcing my attention on him. One of the hunters has a knife on his face and is carving into him, cut after cut. Lycus is burning alive, the fire is too much for him in such a tight area, and Kalen is still a battered heap at the bottom of the wall. F**k! My mind frantically searches for a way out of this, but my mates' lives are at stake. I came here willing to die, but I am not willing to sacrifice them.

So, I drop to my knees, and she brings the knife to my neck, running the tip from one side to the other with the slightest pressure, creating a thin ribbon of blood. I close my eyes, readying myself for death, while praying my life will be all she takes. One breath, two, three, I breathe, waiting for it. However, a high-pitched screech steals our attention. My eyes flutter open, and we both look up as a Phoenix desperately throws its body into the shield above us, only to bounce off.

The bitch laughs, and the sound of it is enough to set my blood boiling. I wish I could throw her off this building, but I can't risk the lives of my mates. She returns the knife to the place she put it before and smiles against the side of my face. "Goodbye, Darius. Go to hell where you belong."

She's right. I believe in hell. I deserve to be embraced by its flames and devoured. So, I close my eyes and let my body relax as I wait for death.

Every time I breathe, I can hear the Phoenix hitting the shield again, followed by another. "That's impossible," she murmurs, her dark eyes darting toward the sky before staggering back. My eyes snap open to see the sky outside the dome burning orange. The shield cracks, fracturing like glass with each jolt. Each hairline crack grows larger and larger as the Phoenixes torpedo into the shield, like a meteor shower, when I hear her scream.

I feel her burning anger, making me look to the center of the circling Phoenixes. They drop one by one, attacking the shield that is imprisoning us. In the center, I see Aleera hovering in the air, her skin glowing and her eyes alight with rage. Her dark hair hovers and oscillates in the air as if suspended in water. She looks curiously at the shield encasing us when, suddenly, she opens her mouth and screams.

Her Phoenixes caw with her, echoing her power. Suddenly, flames erupt from their beaks, blasting the shield and engulfing it in flames. I lose sight of her, but not for long because her fury turns white-hot, and she suddenly burns brighter than the stars and moon. With one all-consuming force, she dives straight into the flames.

Her wings close in around her, and I gasp as she free-falls through the flames and crashes straight through the shield. The blast of power that emits from her when she does is like a shock wave. It is burning air blasting us and knocking me on my back, the ground rumbling and cracking, and some buildings fall under the weight of it.

I sit up just in time to witness the Fae below scattering like ants. Most people get out of her way just in time when she hits the ground.

The force with which she hits the ground creates a crater. One so deep she disappears. I crawl to the edge, peering down at it, when lava bubbles and spews out of it, and I choke on my fear. Too much power; that is too much power for anyone to withstand. "No!" Tobias screams, seeing lava engulf her as she disappears.

"Aleera!" Kalen screams, only to be shocked by the device. Tense seconds pass, my heart thudding so hard it drowns out all other noise. Tears prick my eyes as her Phoenixes circle above. They chirp in song when I see violent lava erupting and spewing out, eating away at the crater's edges. Then it stops, rippling, and silence falls over everyone.

It's as if time has stopped, and the lava calms, turning placid like the stillest lake.

I hold my breath when I see it ripple. The ripple in the lava grows bigger when I see her head emerge from it. I gasp, watching in horror and awe as she casually walks out. Lava and flames do not burn her. Like an avenging angel from the pits of hell. She takes center stage with her eyes locked on her mother. And she is furious.