Taming Darkness

-Darius-

As the words leave his lips, he lunges at me with one arm held up like a boxer, and the other jabs at my forehead. Instead of dodging, I step in and twist beside the attack before bringing my leg up and kicking Terry in the jaw. The impact is so strong that his head snaps back, and he staggers. His teeth clashed together, and I have no doubt he lost more than a few as a result.

I don't have to wonder for long, as the proof is right before my eyes the next moment. One of his green, splintered teeth drops to the ground, and he holds up a hand to his lips to stop the blood from dripping. "Lucky shot," he sneers, then spits blood on the ground. I barely hold back the urge to roll my eyes at his statement and his rage. Did he think this was going to be a cat fight, that I would pull his hair? Had he forgotten I am a Wraith? That name doesn't instill fear for no reason.

For all his bulk, Terry isn't very skilled at fighting. At best, he makes me feel as if I have been thrown into the ring with a child. Or a child who couldn't swim and was chucked into the deep end of a pool for the flailing he does.

Watching Terry, the man who insisted I know his name, I feel a little bad. I was expecting a decent fight after all that nonsense, but instead, I got this idiot who tripped over his feet while trying to block me.

Terry gets back to his senses and feet. Really, he must really like pain, might be a fetish because he strikes at me again, this time a body blow with his other fist still protecting his face.

I step in quickly, swaying to the side to avoid the blow, and strike twice at his chest. His grunts remind me more of the pained cries of an animal than anything remotely close to a human, like a pig sniffing for truffles. No wonder I can't feel pity for this shithead, despite the ridiculousness of this, even his comrades are looking at him like they expected more of him.

Besides, god-damn it, for all his talk, I half expected a challenge. At this point, I'm getting bored. Does this guy even realize that I can predict every move he makes? Every damn attempt to attack me?

So much for taking me apart. Someone is clearly awful at keeping promises.

Terry makes a strangled gurgle and stumbles backward, bringing his fists back up.

Using a technique Lycus taught me, I strike from above, driving my fist down on the bridge of Terry's nose. Blood spurts like a sprinkler, but I give it no time before I take my other hand and repeat the action until Terry squeals like a pig. It's almost too easy, he didn't even move at all, he even looked at my hand the second time when it came down, yet didn't think to dodge it?

Blood pours down his face. "Cheater!" Terry growls. His face becomes so red that he not only sounds like a pig but also looks like one.

He thrusts his fist at me, a shower of ice radiating from him, and it strikes me in the chest. My eyes travel down my body as the ice spreads across my body, traveling from my heart to my toes.

It lasts for mere seconds as I summon my flames. The flames from my hands melt Terry's thin ice shell.

Again, I have no idea where this guy found his insane level of confidence. He is shit at fistfights, even the ones he starts, which makes no sense when his abilities are below average in magic. Terry grins and sneers, "You think you can beat all of us? Think you can protect her. They'll stop at nothing until they get a hold of her. Aleera won't be yours much longer," Terry mocks. I shake my head. If this idiot can't beat me, he stands no chance against her.

"You do realize what she is?" I ask. His arrogance is starting to bug me.

"I know exactly what she is... We've been looking for her."

"And yet here you are. You need to see a shrink. You're suicidal." I laugh. Terry shakes his head and laughs.

"How do you think we've stayed in power?" Terry asks with a smile tugging at his lips while my eyes follow him. That is one question that has always eluded everyone, Vampiric, and Demonic-Fae had ways of staying in power, but glancing around the majority here are pure Dark-Fae. Nothing special. That is when it dawns on me, like someone chucked a bucket full of icy water over me. If Aleera exists, what are the chances there are more of her kind?

Terry laughs. "That's right, Darius. This isn't our first encounter with a Harmony-Fae. She'll be another addition to our collection. And I can't f*****g wait."

I sneer, and he groans, grasping his c**k through his pants. "I bet she's tight. Is her p***y as pretty as she is? I can already picture her on her knees, sucking on my c**k. Or maybe I might strap her down to the table, f**k her while they experiment on her. Yes, that's what I'll do."

My fists clench at my sides, my magic spilling out and vibrating my skin. "I can picture it, can't you? Your little mate. Tied down, legs in stirrups, while we all line up and take turns on her. I'm going to f**k her so hard, I'll make sure she feels every single inch of me while draining her of her magic. And if you're lucky, I'll let you live, so you can watch as she takes all our c***s."

His words hit a nerve and fury rages through me, and I roar, sending a blast of magic at him. He barely has enough time to throw up a shield, which only serves to anger me as I unleash a wave of flames that engulfed him. He screams in agony as he tossed backward, crashing into the wall and sliding to the ground. I don't give him a chance to recover, instead making the flames burn hotter. Blinded with rage, I don't see her, yet I feel her as electricity jolts through my chest, blasting me into the courthouse wall. "Enough!" A loud voice booms across the battlefield, stopping us all in our tracks.

Terry freezes and gets up at the same time I do. His clothes are charred, and his skin is black in places. Burns cover his face and hands and wherever his skin is exposed. He stumbles back as my eyes lock on him, as if creating distance might help his case. "Enough Wraith!" My head snaps to the side and I spot her. She is standing on a nearby roof.

First, obviously, I notice her, but when my eyes travel lower, I notice that she has someone in front of her, forced to their knees.

Instead of fear, rage burns through me, fueling insane anger and the need to get my hands on her. How dare that woman think she can get away with something so brazen? All this so she can strip her own daughter of her magic, use, and abuse her. Terry laughs, the sound wicked as my eyes fall on my mate at her feet.

"Maybe we'll take turns on him too, why not, most have from what we know of his records," Terry taunts and I grit my teeth.

Kalen is at her feet with a heavy chain around his neck as if he is a pet. Holding the end of the chain was Queen Bitch herself, Aleera's mother.

"If you're smart, you will give up now to save your mates. Give us Aleera, Darius. You don't need her," she yells before a smug smile plasters across her face.

"You would let your hunters abuse her. Your own daughter!" I scream at her.

Lydia laughs and shakes her head. "Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't abuse her. Besides, it's not like she can't take them, she'll heal fast. Never know, she might even like it. Imagine the power she would consume, we have a few that willingly lay on their backs and spread their legs for us. She'll be well looked after and rewarded for helping her people."

"You're disgusting." "No, I am a leader. Sacrifices need to be made for the greater good, Darius. She is just one of those sacrifices that need to be made." Lydia drones on.

"You make us out to be monsters, yet you're the real monster, aren't you, Darius? The one who is responsible for all of this," she adds. When I don't answer, she yanks on the leash and Kalen jerks with her.

Was that all she could think of? Her grand, impressive plan? To capture one of my mates to stop me and save herself from death?

I would be damned if I ever let her get away that easily. Unharmed, at that. No, she is getting everything coming her way, so I shake my head and stared straight into her eyes when I spoke. "Only a fool would take on the Demonic King and think they'll live to see a new day," I remind her.

"Maybe you don't see this mate of yours I've captured?" she taunts me as she grabs a fistful of Kalen's hair and pulls his head back. "Wouldn't you hate to bring this young man pain? Go ahead, tell him how little this man means to you."

As soon as we get out of this mess, I will kick Kalen's a*s for getting caught so easily. I'm concerned about him, but right now, I can't show weakness. I have to stay strong and let rage fuel me to victory-no time for other emotions. Acting as if I don't care is difficult, but I still wave my hand at her and smile. "Go ahead. I'll slice through your little hunter army and come straight for you. Then, I will pull that twisted heart out of your chest and crush it." She clicks her tongue at me, and golden light sparkles in her hand. "Remember, this is on you, Darius," she spits my name.

I grunt, and the light glows brighter. It dances up and down the chain. Kalen hisses as the first wave of pain flows through him from the chain, but to his credit, he doesn't scream.

"Stop!" A voice rips through the air, and I turn to the side to see Tobias carving his way through a group of hunters. He's covered in blood and has a ferocious look that twists his handsome face into something grotesque. There must be twenty or so men surrounding him, but they are no match for him. He grabs one by the throat and bites them before tossing them out of the way like rubbish.

I had forgotten how powerful Tobias truly is. He deals with the danger with ease. Even now that we have an entire army standing against us, he cuts through them like the hunters are paper he could shred with a single swipe.

I don't need them all here. I'm relieved to see them, of course, but this is my war to fight. Why can't they listen to me and let me fight my own battles? Some things can't be fixed just because they are at my side. I can handle this on my own. They should have stayed with Aleera. Lydia releases another burst of energy into Kalen. We watch how our mate's body contorts and jerks back and forth, but no sounds emerge from him.

The fact that he refuses to struggle angers Aleera's mother. She wants his screams, cries, and agony. This bitch understands, perhaps, that Kalen is the weakest. She wants him to put on a show for us. It's her final attempt to prove she is better than us, and that she will always find ways to hurt us.

And because of her selfish, sick needs, more power flows down the chains. However, our mate somehow keeps his cries internal, despite the pain he no doubt feels. I can feel his agony, his need to scream, yet he holds it. Kalen refuses to give her the satisfaction of hearing his pain.