Tasting Darkness
Tempting Darkness Chapter 12: Aleera POV

Three weeks later. Darius stayed away from me for weeks. I hardly saw him, and he would swiftly walk off from me when I did. Even when I had classes with him, he would swap with Lycus. Yet I knew it was bothering my mates. They were bonded to him, and him not being around I could tell, had them on edge.

One thing I was sure of, though, was that Darius was right. Without me marking all of them, their bonds were more attached to Darius, which made me worry, knowing he could order them away from me, and they would all oblige, except for Kalen.

They were drawn to him, their bonds seeking him out like he was their beacon. Sitting in one of Darius’s classes, Lycus stood at the front explaining something when Darius walked in. He looked like crap, huge dark circles under his eyes, his skin paler than normal.

Lycus growled at him in annoyance as Darius walked toward me and I sat back in my chair before realizing he had no magic. He hadn’t slept in the room in weeks, and I would know if any of them had slept with him so he could absorb their power. They had explained that is how they transferred magic before me, yet it took strong emotion and was mainly only obtainable for Darius to transfer during s*x or fury with them, whereas me he only had to touch.

Yet I was still angry with him after catching him the other night. He was standing over me after he stabbed me in the h*p with a needle. When I asked him what it was, he walked out of the room. Tobias and he had a huge fight, which ended with Tobias bleeding and absorbed of his magic after Darius stole it from him.

Tobias explained Darius injected me with a devil’s bane serum to stop me from shredding and marking them. My teeth weren’t strong enough to mark them without shredding. I had tried, but their skin was too tough for me to pierce, Darius stops in front of my desk, and I look at him.

”Aleera, I need,“ ”Magic? Yeah, not happening,” I tell him. Until he either apologized or gave in to the bond allowing me to mark them, he wasn’t getting anything from me willingly. He growls and punches the desk, making everyone jump and scatter. They run from the room, and Lycus moves closer warily when Darius turns on him.

One thing I had come to notice was Darius; without power was like a withdrawing drug addict. ”Out!” Darius booms and his eyes flicker as he orders Lycus out. Lycus tries to refuse his order. Sweat beaded on his skin, he gritted his teeth.

Lycus’ hands fist at his side and Darius’s eyes glowed like burning embers as he used the last of his magic behind it. Lycus snarls but is forced from the room and Darius flicks his wrist using the last dribs and drabs, slamming the door and flicking the lock before I could run out after Lycus.

I grip the door handle and jerk my hand back as it burns me. I hiss. My palm burns fiercely and blisters. Darius growls, and I spin around. My hands glow as I feel for my magic, but my burned hand fizzles out, and I cry out as my magic burns my hand worse. Lycus would tell the others.

He was out of magic now, but he was like a raging bull as he stalked toward me. I lift my hand, not wanting to hurt him, knowing it would hurt them, but he wasn’t leaving me much choice. ”You could try saying please,” I spit at him as he stalks toward me.”

Teine air a chuairteachadh,“ I blurt, and flames encase his body, but he just walks straight through them absorbing the magic in them and making me gasp before I remember he is demonic – Fae and fire won’t burn him. He reaches for me and grips the front of my shirt and jerks me toward him, and slams me down on my back on the desk knocking the air out of me. I raise my hand.

”A lùbadh solas,” I scream as I palm in his face. Light bursts from my hand and blinds him temporarily, and he snarls, clutching his eyes. I kick him when a portal opens up, and Tobias rushes into the room. He tackles Darius and slams him against the wall.

Tobias punches him, only for Darius to lose it and headbutt him, knocking Tobias out, and he tosses him off before repeatedly punching him. I scream and get to my feet. I grab Darius’s arm as he goes to hit him again.

Darius turned on me instantly, and his face was twisted and demonic–looking, his eyes entirely black and his teeth were sharp points, his skin had turned a greyish color, and I blinked in shock as he turned on me. My heart raced in my chest as I stared at him. Tobias g****s on the ground, and b***d pools around him as Darius gets to his feet. Fear paralyzed me momentarily.

That moment cost me as he grabbed me, furiously, he started draining my magic, and I thrashed and panicked, setting myself on fire, but he didn’t let me go, only growled, pressing me against the door, and I was forced to put the flames out or set the place ablaze.

My clothes were singed and my body tingled. ”Give it to me. Stop fighting me, Darius snarled.” F*ck you! ”I snap back at him, and his grip turned bone-crushing, making me cry out, I scream as he turns my magic against me, making me freeze as he turned my b***d ice cold. ”Ryze!” I screamed, my breath making smoke clouds in the air, I screamed for Ryze again, hoping he could hear me.

Darius snarls before fighting dirty. His l!ps crash down on mine when he yanks on my bond, forcing it forward. ”Is this what you want?” he snarls, biting my l!ps and forcing his tongue into my mouth.

Darius rips at my clothes, and I thrash, punching him and clawing at him before he sinks his teeth into my mark. The bond awakens like a live wire, and I m**n involuntarily as his hands rip at my tights, trying to yank them down before fiddling with his belt buckle.

My mind was screaming for him to stop, yet the bond was haywire as he pulled at it, wanting him closer when he was suddenly ripped off me. The fuzzy cloudiness of the bond being ripped away, and I staggered toward him, wanting to go to him before shaking myself as my mind clears of the haze.

My vision blurred, correcting itself, and I saw Kalen. ”Get out!” Kalen yelled at me, flicking his wrist and opening a portal. I had never really seen Kalen use magic, only a few times, knowing it made him unstable each time he did use it. Darius got up, and his growl was like a clap of thunder, and I screamed, running toward Kalen. He looks at me over his shoulder before twisting his wrist, and I run straight at him and burst into our room.

I fall on my hands, and my heart races when I realize Kalen moved the portal in front of me before I could reach My breathing was harsh as fear coursed through me. I got to my feet and raced for the door, only for an arm to wrap around my waist as I reached for the handle. I thrashed and screamed. ”It’s me, stop. You’re fine,” Lycus breathes next to my ear. ”You’re okay,” Lycus whispers, but I shake my head. ”Kalen!” I whimper.

”Shh, you’re fine. Kalen will be fine; Darius won’t hurt him,” Lycus tells me. ”He hurt Tobias,” I tell him, and Lycus nods, k!ssing the side of my neck. ”Tobias will be fine, but Kalen can handle Darius when he is like that. He can manipulate his aura and bring him back,” Lycus whispers, tugging me back toward the bed. When l**t suddenly burns through the bond. Lycus g****s behind me and pulls me on his lap. ”I promise Kalen will be fine,” ”No, you didn’t see his face,“ I stammered, remembering the look on his face I knew it would give me nightmares.

”I know, just calm down. I wouldn’t be here if I thought Kalen couldn’t handle him. Kalen is stronger than you think,” Lycus tells me. I shake my head worriedly. ”But Darius he,” ”He became the Demonic – King,” Lycus says, and I turn my face to look at him. ”What?” ”Without magic, Darius is only a demon similar rest of the men here, but Darius isn’t a normal Demonic – Fae. He is the last of his kind.

Darius is similar, but he also isn’t like the other demons here. He has enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and other abilities, like possession, mental influence, lower elemental use, and body manipulation. It is why he is so dangerous. Even without power, he is lethal.

Don’t tempt him when he is like that. You give him what he wants. ”But Kalen is in there with him,” I exclaim. ”Kalen knows how to play Darius like a damn fiddle. Darius can’t manipulate him as he can us.”

I don’t understand, ”Kalen can manipulate his aura, make him feel, remember who he is, who we are to him, control emotions and twist them, like persuasive coercion, ” Lycus tells me, and I m**n. Covering my mouth with my hands when arousal courses through me from the bond with Kalen. Lycus chuckles.

”Told you,” Lycus purrs, running his nose across my neck and shoulder.