Taming Darkness

~Aleera~

My heart stutters in the real world as I watch Darius' father through his childlike eyes. A tiny six-year-old boy clenches his jaw, steels his resolve, and lifts his chin, rushing through the portal back to his waiting father. The moment he does, his father grabs him. "What have you done?" Xandrious growls at his son, shutting the portal.

"He's useless to you now, Dad," Darius says, his gaze ice-cold, so much maturity written on his boyish face. Xandrious snarls, then backhands his son, making him hit the ground. Darius lands on the floor on his stomach. He wipes his bleeding lip and rolls over, sitting up, just as his door bursts open. Darius' stony gaze moves to the door to see his mother. Tears stain her eyes, and her bottom lip quivers. She looks up at her husband and shakes her head. "No." "Out Lilith, now!"

"No, I won't let you hurt him. He's a child Xandrious. Your child!" she says moving to shield her son. However, Xandrious growls, the sound sending a chill up Darius' spine. Darius' father grabs his mother by the collar of her polka dotted pajama shirt. "Your son has crossed the line," he whispers in her ear, " His mother's eyes widen in shock, her mouth opens, but no words come out. Xandrious presses his lips to her ear. "He's gone too far this time," he breathes, then throws her aside and his hand flies back before his hand connects with the side of Darius' face, knocking him to the ground.

"No!" she snaps at Xandrious as he starts undoing his belt. "Get out, Lilith!" he yells at his wife. She shakes her head. This was nothing new for Darius; his mother always fought for him, even though it just got her hurt.

Darius gets back to his feet only for his mother to attack his father just as he is whipped with the belt. Lilith hits Xandrious, trying to make him stop. The blows are repeatedly rained down when his mother uses her body as a shield. Lilith takes a good amount of them trying to protect him. His father was a monster. However, when one of the lashes gets Lilith across the face, a large gash opens and she screams clutching her cheek and eye. Blood streams down her face dripping onto Darius below her. That's when something inside Darius broke, like a switch had been flicked because he snaps. He had enough.

Darius roars, his fist hitting the ground, and bright light explodes from his hands. The blast makes the floorboards ripple in a wave, tearing them from the floor, some even bursting and splintering into small shards. The force of the blast is so strong that it shakes the ground, and cracks creep along the walls. Xandrious shakes peering around as the light fixtures pulls from the ceiling hanging from the roof.

The light from Darius' hands is so bright that it is almost blinding and the heat of it is angry, furious. Even Xandrious shields his eyes momentarily as he gets to his feet. The explosion is so loud and strong that it is enough to cause a shock wave that travels through the room, bouncing off the walls and tossing his father against the wall. Darius glares at his father stepping away from his mother who reaches for him, trying to shield him from his father's wrath..

The air is thick with tension as Xandrious and Darius face off. His father's eyes bleed black, and he gets to his feet with a thunderous growl. He swipes a hand through the air, and Lilith is thrown out of the room. The door slams shut behind her, leaving her in the entryway, screaming for Darius to be released. Xandrious then turns his attention back to Darius as he sneers darkly.

"So, you think you can stand up to me?" He says in a low voice that rumbles like thunder. "You think you have power? That it will save you from my wrath?" His eyes flash menacingly as he speaks. The room is sealed by his father, leaving him no escape. Darius backed away from the Demonic King. No longer was there any semblance of his father and only the man that the world feared. Splinters cut and carve at his skin as he tries to hide from his father. Darius' back suddenly hits the wall.

Darius stands frozen in fear, unable to move or speak. His father begins pacing around him, circling like a predator stalking its prey. He stops abruptly in front of Darius and grabs him by the throat with one hand and lifts him off the ground until only his toes are touching the floorboards beneath them. Xandrious leans close to Darius' face, his breath hot against his skin as he speaks again;"No one can save you now," he whispers cruelly before dropping him back down onto the ground. "You will pay for this disobedience." he sneers, he lets his son go and Darius coughs, clutching his throat while he gasps for breath.

His father smirks. "You have done it now, son," he tells him. Darius shakes his head. If bravery had a face, it was this six-year-old boy. No man would dare face the beast that stood over him. His father, at this moment, is an evil incarnate, yet Darius faced the devil head-on, and he did so as a small boy.

"No, father. You have." Xandrious laughs, the sound hollow just like his eyes. Darius gets to his feet and Xandrious stares at him as if he finds his sons words amusing. Fearless despite the pain he knows he's about to endure he continues to speak. "Just remember Dad. I won't be little forever; one day, I'll be bigger than you. You best remember that because I will remember this day," he dares his father. Poking the beast.

Xandrious snaps his belt, the clap of it loud, yet Darius doesn't even flinch, just lifts his chin holding his father's gaze. The glint in his eyes was a challenge to his father. "Is that so, Son. You forget who your King is," Xandrious warns, his teeth turning to sharp points, his skin gray and horns split through the skin on his head.

Still Darius dare not flinch or beg his father for mercy. No, he glares at him.

"Karma father, one day you'll meet yours. Only I won't be a boy with magic that you hide behind but I'll be a man you'll run from," Darius growls the promise.

His father looks shocked by his son's words, yet he wasn't about to let his son challenge him, and he didn't. Xandrious let's one side of the belt go, the buckle hitting the ground with a thud and dragging across the floor as he stalks closer to his son. Only this time, Darius never peeped a cry. Not a sound leaves him as his father beats him with the buckle of his belt, leaving him black and blue, covered in blood and welts until he fell unconscious.

The memory warps and twists, disintegrating and moves away as I am tossed forward through his memories. It is suddenly abundantly clear why he believes his mates hate him.

At first, I don't understand who the woman is until I recognize the kitchen Darius steps into after he opens the portal and steps through it. This is Lycus' childhood home. And the woman is wearing the same floral dress I saw in Lycus' memories. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail as she did the dishes. Unaware Darius was even behind her.

He walks behind her, and she startles seeing his reflection in the mirror, dropping the cup she was washing into the sink and splashing herself. She turns quickly, clutching her chest. Karla lets out a breath and smiles at him.

"Darius...." she breathes, glancing around.

"Are you alone sweetie? Where is your mother?" she questions. Darius just stares at her for a second. "Father sent me," he says so emotionlessly. Karla nibbles her lip and her eyes glance around nervously once again, they even move to the window as if she is worried Xandrious will jump out at her any second. Turning back to look at Darius she purses her lips. "Are you hungry?" Darius shakes his head. She nods pointing to the fridge. "Do you want something to drink, I think I have some lemonade?" she tells him. "That's not why I am here. I don't want your food and I don't want anything to drink Karla," Darius tells her.

"Did something happen to Porter?" she asks, worriedly.

"Not yet." Darius answers, and he can hear her heart thumping in her chest. She fears him. And Darius can smell her fear leaking from her pores.

Darius motions to the dining table. "You should sit, Karla," Darius tells her, and her eyes nervously dart to the table. She swallows nervously. "Did I do something wrong?" she asks him. "If you tell me what I did, I might be able to fix it..." Darius shakes his head and points to the table. "Why? Are you going to..." Darius shakes his head. "Please sit down, Karla." she glances at the chair when he speaks again.

"I won't hurt you, but my father told me to look in your memories to see if you were involved in Porter's betrayal," Darius answers. "Betrayal?" she gasps.

"What did Porter do this time?" her brows knit together, and she exhales, looking exhausted. Darius smiles sadly and motions toward the dining chair. Karla hesitantly moves to take a seat. Yet when Darius lifts his hands, she flinches.

"It won't hurt, Karla. It will just feel uncomfortable," he tells her. She nods, and her eyes move to the clock hanging high on the wall above the glass sliding doors leading out to the backyard.

Darius glances over his shoulder at the clock. "I'll be done before your son gets home, it will only take a moment," Darius answers. Karla nods her head and closes her eyes.

"You'd like Lycus. He is a lot like you in some ways," she tells him. "What do you mean? Is he a Harmony-Fae too?" she shakes her head, reopening her eyes. "No, but I'm sure you'll see what he truly is. He's a good boy, quiet, and sticks to himself." Darius nods and touches his fingers to her temples, and we are suddenly plunged into her memories.

Darius flits through them, watching her entire life play out. And I was shocked to learn that Karla came from a very wealthy family. Her parents worked in the Fae courts. She knew Xandrious long before Porter did. What also shocked me was that as Darius stopped on certain memories, his curiosity got the better of him. He experienced her memories as if they were his own. He could feel what she felt, hear her thoughts. Which really showed how powerful he truly is.

However, Darius' curiosity gets the better of him when he recognizes a man. One I recognize from Lycus' memories. Lysander Lycarian. Karla was to marry him through an arranged marriage. As I watched the memories play out, I could tell Karla was miserable. At first, she was swept up in the idea of marrying the King, but she learned quickly that Lysander was not a faithful man. She would constantly catch him cheating.

Yet his biggest betrayal was he stole her virginity. She grew up wanting to save it for her mate, but then when the marriage was arranged, she was forced to move in with Lysander a month before the wedding. Up until their wedding night he was sweet, and good to her. She was smitten with him. Once the vows were exchanged he changed into someone else. Darius watches the wedding play out and Karla sits alone at the table, she watches everyone dance when it is announced that the bride and groom would share their first dance.

She glances around eagerly looking for Lysander but he is nowhere to be seen. She puts on a brave face walking to the center of the dance floor. All eyes are on her, she turns scanning the crowd of people. More than half of them she did not know. Yet as the song plays he still has not come to show himself. All dressed in her wedding gown she truly looked like a princess, she smiles awkwardly.

Karla hated attention on her and currently all eyes were. Turning to the DJ she wanders over to him and he leans down. "We should wait, I will try to find him," she tells the man who nods and changes the music. She sees her parents who peer around for their son in law. "Go find him," her mother snaps at her and she rushes off, searching the other parts of the hotel. Thinking maybe he is sick she wanders back to the suite they have for the night.

Only when she pushes the door open, she finds one of her bridemaids on her knees, her lips wrapped around his c**k while he f***s her face. A gasp escapes her and she backs up bumping into the coffee table. The china on top rattles drawing his attention as tears well in her eyes.

"Karla!" Lysander calls when he suddenly grunts. She tries to leave the room but his voice calls her back. "Hang on, I will come out with you," he tells her like this is merely a simple exchange between him and a coworker. Karla ignores him, storming out the door about to demand to leave with her parents. How could he? How could he and on their wedding night. Lysander catches up to her, grabs her arm and rips her back.

"You dare ignore me when I am talking to you?" he snarls as the girl leaves the room, she heads for the elevator. Karla had no idea who she was, Lysander picked her bridesmaids, since she had no friends. None that actually meant anything to her. Once the girl is gone, her hand connects with his face. "On our wedding night!" she screams at him. Lysander rubs his cheek, a threatening growl escaping him. "The wedding is off!" she spits at him storming off toward the elevator. She doesn't get very far before his hand fists her hair. Her curls tangled around his fingers. She cries out when suddenly her forehead slams against the wall.

Bile rises up my throat at what I am witnessing. "You will not embarrass me here," he snarls at her. "Now we are going back down there and you'll behave. Remember Karla, the choice is yours, our marriage can be civil or I can make it f*****g miserable for you," he warns her.

He lets her go and she touches her head, a trickle of blood paints her fingertips and she stares in shock. Lysander holds his arm out to her but she glares at him. His eyes flash dangerously, his canines slipping from between his parted lips. He yanks her to his side, forcing her hand on his arm and leading her back down to the ballroom.

Karla spends the rest of the night sitting at the table watching everyone. When the night ends she doesn't even notice until her parents come up to say goodbye. "You look beautiful sweetie," her mother gushes. Her mother wraps her arms around her daughter when she whispers. "Momma, take me home with you," she pleads, her voice cracking. Her father talks to Lysander. "None of that, it's your wedding night," her mother tells her, drawing Lysander and her father's attention.

She holds her daughter at arms length. "He'll be good for you," her mother says in a strict tone while reaching for a napkin. She dabs it in a bit of water, before cleaning a spot on Karla's temple. "You should know better, marital affairs remain private. We can't have the press leaking articles." her mother states.

Karla can only blink at her in shock. Her eyes go to her father, pleading with him to do something. Yet he averts his gaze and congratulates Lysander on their marriage and their future business dealings.

"Make sure you have those papers signed by Monday, I will be going back to the office early, we've decided to call the honeymoon off," Lysander tells her father. He nods once, turning to his daughter and hugging her. "He'll take care of you. Don't f**k this up!" he hisses in her ear before kissing her cheek. Finally the wedding is over and Lysander all but drags her back to the room.

However, once back to their room, Lysander orders her. "Remove your clothes," he tells her. She looks at him with disgust. How could expect such a thing after what he did? He removes his tie, tossing it aside and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Karla moves toward the bathroom, deciding to shower instead. She wants nothing to do with this man. But Lysander isn't one to take no for an answer. He needed an heir, and she was to provide it whether she wanted to or not.

Before she even reaches the bathroom he has grabbed her. She fights him, but he is stronger, tearing her clothes to shreds, her grandmother's wedding gown ruined. Claw marks cover every inch of her skin, blood soaks the sheets, still she fights him until his fist connects with her face. "I warned you!" he screams at her. Dazed, she stands no chance against him.

I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him beat her when she refused him, she wasn't even concious by the time he was done, only to r**e her afterward. For three weeks, she never left the hotel room. He'd ordered her to stay in there so no one would see the state she was in. He didn't want it leaked to the media. Finally her face and body healed enough that she was able to cover it with makeup and he finally took her home. Only to find herself locked in a new prison, one she couldn't escape. When she finally did leave the castle, she also left the castle they lived in. That was how she met her true mate, Porter.

Lysander, however, eventually caught her sneaking out. Porter had no idea who she truly was, and through her memories, I saw that she convinced Porter to run away with her. Only it cost not only her dearly but Porter. His entire family was killed by Lysander's guards, along with hers. So she came clean and said she was married to the Lycan King, but Porter didn't care, he just wanted his mate, and when they found she was expecting, Porter was over the moon so they ran away together.

Darius flicks through her memories, stopping on another one, the first scan she had. How she argued with the technician that it had to be wrong. Porter was working the docks, and they were barely making ends meet. So with a baby on the way, tensions were high. Porter was working every day and so was she, but after a fall at work they laid her off.

It didn't take long before Lysander located her. Karla had been saying for weeks that they needed to leave and that it wasn't safe for them there. They'd been there too long. At her second scan, she showed up for her scan only when she entered; she found the place empty except for the receptionist. She finds it odd but doesn't question the girl as she is led through the halls to the room where they did the scans.

"Just through that door," the girl said, pointing to the last room. Karla looks at her as she hurries off and nearly turns back to ask if she is okay, but the girl is quick to leave. Shaking her head, she pushes the door open and apologizes for being late. Yet when she closes the door and turns around, Lysander was there waiting just inside the technician's room-the technician was nowhere in sight. Karla tries to run back out, only for his guards to block the door.

"You think you can just run from me? Make a fool out of me?" he snarled at her. With her hands shaking and stomach sinking at the thought of being dragged back with this monster, she tries to plead with him. Yet Lysander slaps her.

"Are you trying to humiliate me?" he yells at her.

"No, no. He's my mate. You know how important mates are!" Karla pleads with him.

"I need my mate. That doesn't mean you get to keep yours! We had an arrangement! You're going to get rid of that piece of shit's baby and return home. You dare run from me. You made me the laughingstock of the kingdom!" he screams at her. Lysander then starts dragging her from the room.

"The baby is yours!" she screams. Lysander stops and peers down at her on the floor. Her knees all grazed from the carpet burn from being dragged.

"You're lying." he tells her. Tears stream down her face, and she shakes her head.

"I wish I was. I don't want to carry your bastard!" she yells at him. Lysander rips her to her feet, fingers locking around her neck.

"What did you say?" he growls as she claws at his hands, needing air. She chokes, and she feels lightheaded. "Prove it," he sneers, letting her go. She falls to the ground when the receptionist comes back out.

"You, check her file and give me her latest scan!" the girl stares horrified at Karla on the ground, clutching her just visible bump. She nods, rushing off, and Lysander crouches in front of her.

"If you're lying," he warns, placing his hand on her stomach, his nails digging into her bump. He doesn't finish, but she knows he will sink his claws into her son. Moments pass, and the girl returns with the file he asked for. He takes it, flicking through her scan reports and realizing the dates match when he raped her.

Karla had a sinking suspicion when she first found out because she was further along. The weeks were off. It's also why she always booked her scans for when Porter was rostered on. So he could never attend.

Lysander laughs, clearly happy about the news, before shoving the files at the receptionist. He grabs Karla's arm and pulls her to her feet.

"Now you're definitely coming home with me!" he snaps.

"No, I have a mate. I can't leave my mate," Karla pleads.

"He's a nobody!" Lysander snaps at her, and if it weren't for the receptionist's guilt and quick thinking, Lysander would have dragged her back with him.

"She's right. You'd be putting the baby at risk by taking her from her mate. Mates can't remain apart." the girl blurts.

Lysander stops, and the girl continues. "She's Dark-Fae. She needs her mate to retain magic," the receptionist pleads on her behalf.

"We'll find another way." Lysander tells her, but the girl shakes her head.

"Is it worth the risk, my King? You take her from her mate. You could harm your son," the girl warns him. Lysander stops for a second considering her words. He finally lets her go but paces back and forth.

"I can't let her bring him back with us. What will people say?" Lysander snaps. The girl shrugs.

"Well, you know where she is now. You can come back after the baby is born."

"But that won't stop her from running again. I've spent months hunting her down!"

"I won't run. On one condition," Karla says, looking up at him. Lysander looks down at her.

"Let me keep him until he turns 16. Then I'll hand him over," Lysander scoffs.

"You expect me to give up my son?"

"Not forever, just until he's old enough. Let him have a childhood away from the media. Let him be a kid. You yourself told me you hated growing up in your father's image, yet you want that for your son?" Karla questions. Eventually, she manages to convince him to let her keep her son, and he agrees not to tell Porter. After that, he left, and the girl immediately rushed to her aid. Karla didn't even have it in her to be angry at the girl. She knew how much everyone feared Lysander Lycaerian.

However, as Darius watches the next memories play out, I can only feel nothing but sadness for Karla. She ran off to be with her mate, who was a bad alcoholic. She went from controlling parents to a rapist husband to an abusive mate. Watching her life play out I realize she only ever knew pain and nothing more.

Karla had just got home from the scan, where she ran into Lysander. Walking through the door of their shitty apartment, she spots Porter sitting on the couch, beer in hand.

"You're home early!" she says, excited to see him. Porter takes a sip of his beer, glaring at the TV.

"I got fired," he grumbles. Karla nods her head, Porter can never hold a job for long, but she really thought he was getting himself together. Karla says nothing, deciding to go have a bath. She just wanted the day to end. She didn't want to argue with her mate either. However, when she sets her bag on the coffee table, she notices the half-drunk case of beer beside the armchair and the keno tickets. She chews her lip nervously, glancing at the kitchen. She hadn't eaten in two days, because he gambled and drank all the money away.

"Did you get a final paycheck?" she asks. He huffs, turning his head to glare at her. Karla rubs her belly, she was starving yet each day he drank whatever money he had away. Leaving her to go from charity to charity begging for anything to tide them over. Yet it has become so constant that they're now turning her away. Saying she is taking advantage of their kindness. So for two days she has not eaten and it was starting to take a toll on her. Especially since she developed gestational diabetes. She couldn't even afford her insulin and Porter promised he'd bring it home with him today along with some groceries.

"Did you buy any food?" she asks. He says nothing and instead sips his beer. She chews her lip glancing at the kitchen. "Did you get my insulin?" she asks hopefully.

"Did you not hear? I said I got fired!" he snaps at her. She points at the case of beer and the tickets.

"But you could buy beer? I haven't eaten in two days. I need to eat, Porter." she tells him. Seeing his wallet she picks it up and opens it, finding it empty.

"You wasted all our money again?" she murmurs, tears welling in her eyes as she drops the wallet on the coffee table.

"You mean my money! You don't do anything to earn it!" he yells at her, and she flinches. But he is lying. Karla worked up until yesterday when she passed out and fell over at work. She even still does ironing down at the laundromat, but she had to have her scan done today, and Porter promised he would cover food when he got paid if she could just hold out for another day. "What do you pay for?" he snarls at her.

"I paid for my scan, Porter. You know I can't miss them. You promised you would buy food," she tells him. Picking up her bag. She rummages around in it. She's sure she has a few silver coins at the bottom to buy some bread.

"Well, maybe if you weren't f*****g eating all the time, we'd have food!" he screams at her. She looks at him, shocked at his words. He's never mentioned her weight before.

"I'm pregnant." she states, becoming angry.

"That's no excuse to eat like a f*****g pig!" Porter yells, tossing his can aside and getting to his feet.

He snatches her handbag and turns it up, emptying it on the coffee table. The coins spill out, and she goes to grab them. Happy that she was right, maybe she could go to the bakery, and they'll give her the older loafs a little cheaper. Until she could get more work at the laundromat. She had thought as she bent down to pick up the $3 in silver. However, when she goes to grab it, Porter grips her hand. He picks up the coins and pockets them.

"Porter! Give them back. I will see Tilly at the bakery. I should be able to buy two loaves of yesterday's bread before they destroy them," she says, reaching into his pants pocket. Porter backhands her, sending her sprawling on the floor.

"You want money; then f*****g earn it like the rest of us!" he spits at her while she rubs her face in shock. He had hit her. Never had he hit her before. Sure, he yelled, and broke things occasionally, but she was his mate, and never once did she ever think he would put his hands on her. Porter then took his seat and grabbed another beer, while Karla picked herself up off the floor.

***

As I continue to watch, her memories play out via Darius. I truly feel for Karla. She had a life of nightmares, and it didn't get better. When Lycus was a toddler. Porter once again lost his job, only this time, he was now working for my father and Xandrious. Desperate, Karla decided to plead with Xandrious to give his job back. What she wasn't expecting was to run back into Lysander when she got to Xandrious' place of work. They were in a meeting together when she stepped inside his office with Lycus on her hip. She stops dead in her tracks, her eyes going from Lysander to Xandrious and then my father. "I see you're busy. I can come back another time."

"Not at all, Karla. Take a seat," Xandrious tells her. Karla feels sick as she sits in the chair across from the Demonic King and next to Lysander, who instantly takes his son. Karla reaches for him, but he growls at her.

"You promised," she tells him.

"Maybe I should reconsider! He's underweight." Karla cringes at his words, since people are present. She knows if Porter finds out Lycus isn't his, that he'll do something to them.

"Oh, stop it. They already know, and your secret is safe."

Xandrious presses the intercom button, and Lilith walks in. She says hello to Karla and smiles softly at her when Xandrious sends her to get some sandwiches. When she's gone, she awkwardly sits there watching Lysander play with his son, while talking to my father and Xandrious about some prostitute he was with the night before. Yet all that chatter dies out the moment Lilith returns.

She sets down a tray of sandwiches before leaving. Lycus instantly reaches for one, grabbing two, one in each tiny hand. Lysander growls at how hungry he is, while Karla shrinks in her chair.

"What do you spend all your money on if it's not f*****g food to feed our kid?" he demands.

"Hush, Lysander. Porter is a terrible gambler, and I am assuming that is why Karla has come. I fired him today. Caught him at the races instead of working." Karla shrinks in her chair as Lysander presses his lips in a line at Xandrious words.

Xandrious pushes the tray of sandwiches closer. "Eat, Karla. I hear you're expecting again. Porter told us last week." She didn't want to take a sandwich; she'd rather take some extras home to feed Lycus later.

"You're pregnant?" Lysander looks at her with disgust. She nods, taking a sandwich and nibbling on it while hoping Lilith returns.

Lycus chews away on his while playing with the gold chain around his father's neck. Yet after eating one sandwich, Karla turns down the other, instead wrapping it in its napkin for Lycus for later and placing it in her handbag.

"So what do we do about Porter? He stole from me again, Karla. You can't expect me to keep him on?"

"He just needs another chance; I'll speak with him."

"But what of the debt he owes me?"

"You could take it from his wages," she offers, and Xandrious shakes his head. "It's too much. He'd have to work for a year for free to pay it back." Xandrious tells her, and she chokes at his words. When he's working, Porter earns good money here. So for him to work for a year for free, they'd starve to death.

"However, Lysander here offered to cover it, and I will give him one more chance." Xandrious explains, and she looks at Lysander.

"It's her money. It's part of her inheritance from her parents," Lysander explains. Xandrious nods.

"Well, you two can discuss it. When you are done, come pick up Lycus. I'm sure he'd love playing with my boy down in the play center," Xandrious says, taking Lycus from Lysander. My father and Xandrious leave, and Karla plays with her nails when she glances at Lysander.

"Thank you." she whispers. She knew Lysander stole her inheritance, her parents were well off, and she had tried to get the money, knowing it would keep her and Lycus fed for a long while.

"I've arranged with Xandrious to get Porter barred from the local clubs. He pulls a key card from his pocket. "Take it, once a week on a Thursday, the same day Porter is paid. I will have an allowance put into this account. The pin is your date of birth. I see my son that is underweight again; I will take him from you. Am I clear?" Karla nods her head. Her spirits uplifted, she would finally be able to pay the bills and keep the power on. Yet, she was more excited about the fact that Lycus won't go hungry.

"Thank you, thank you. I can't thank you enough," she tells him, shocked he would give her parent's money back to her.

"There is $1000 on it. Next Thursday, I will transfer another thousand onto it. And will continue to do so until he turns sixteen, and you hand him back to me." Karla, excited to be able to feed their son, gets up. Keen to go grocery shopping and pay the power bill, she longs for a hot shower. She'll figure out a way to explain the extra money to Porter.

Lysander gets up, and she takes that as her cue to leave also. Stuffing the card in her bag, she rises, only for Lysander to block her. She peers up at the intimidating man she is technically married to.

"You can thank me now," Lysander says, her brows knit together, and she goes to ask him what he means when he shoves her to her knees.

Lysander undoes his belt and zip, and she stares at him, horrified. "No! I have a mate!" she says, jumping to her feet.

"Thank you for giving me back my inheritance, but I won't-" Lysander grabs her hair.

"You'll do as I say, Karla. Or I'll take Lycus, and you'll never see him again." he threatens before spinning her around. He slams her over the desk, lifting her skirt and tearing her underwear. Karla fights, thrashing beneath him when he slams her head hard against the desk, nearly knocking her out. He clamps what looks like some ID bracelet on her wrist.

"Can't have your mate find out, of course. Grayson made it for you, don't worry. You can thank him after me. Porter will never suspect a thing, it will completely block your bond."

"Congratulations, my whore of a wife. You've just earned yourself a new job, the office bike. I'll take my thanks now. And if you want to keep our son, you'll pay thanks to everyone here when they deem fit. I had to come up with a new job title to explain the extra cash you would have and to ensure your stupid mate's job." He forces himself inside her.

"Lucky for you, Xandrious agreed to allow you the secretary position. Only instead of filing papers?" He pulls out only to bury his c**k in her again, thrusting inside her hard, making her grip the desk, and cry out.

He slams into her brutally, using her body for his own pleasure. "As I was saying, instead of filing papers, you'll be filing c***s! And you start today." he groans, spilling himself inside her.

I feel sick watching the way men kept entering the office. It was also the same day Karla miscarried. She ended up leaving the office that day completely dead and numb inside. That was the day she stopped living, and I realize Porter never killed her. She was dead already.

Once the memories played out, Darius ripped himself out of her head. Karla grabs his arms. Young Darius blinks at her. "Why would my father send me here to watch that?" he asks her with tears in his eyes.

"No one should have to watch that," Karla says to him, wiping his tears.

"Nor should they endure it," Darius says, sickened by what he saw in her head. Karla nods. "Unfortunately, life is sometimes cruel." Karla whispers. "But you already know that," she smiles sadly.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone; I have to keep my son safe."

"My father sent me here. He'll ask." Darius explains. Karla nods and exhales.

"I guess I can't ask you to keep that promise, not when I know what your father is capable of; that wouldn't be fair to you," Karla murmurs.

"I may not be able to keep that promise, but I will promise you one thing," Darius tells her. Karla tilts her head, watching him.

"One day, I will kill Lysander Lycarian. He deserves death for what he did to you, and he'll meet it."

"Sweetie, you're just a boy. He's a King."

"And one day I will be King too," Darius tells her.

"Xandrious will never step down, son. That man loves power too much. Besides, I hope he suffers a long, long time before he dies alone without his son to take over, I hope he loses his precious kingdom, his power so no one has to suffer the fate of his bloodline again. But life is cruel, unfortunately it's cruel to the wrong people, and he's a King."

"You're right. You're also right about my father; I know he won't step down. Nor will he have a chance to when I kill him. And once I do, Lysander Elliot Lycarian is next on my list." Darius tells her before opening up a portal. Before she can say anything else, he steps through it.

I learn why he feels guilty of everything his mates endured, why he didn't want it known to them what he had done, especially when the next memory flickers to life. I find myself looking at a much younger version of Porter, Lycus' father.

***

Xandrious checks his watch and leans back in his chair with the folder he had opened on the desk. He takes a piece of paper out and starts reading it, when suddenly the office door opens. Porter is dragged in and dumped on the floor. Porter worked for Xandrious, and Darius was the same age Lycus was when his mother was killed in this new memory. "About time you joined us; I was beginning to think you would be stupid enough to run!" Xandrious sneers as Porter glares at the two men that dragged him into the office. Porter rises to his feet.

Darius stood in his father's office. He was still young, not much older than he was before. But this Darius seemed different, cold, indifferent, numb from outside influence, dead inside despite his young age. He stares at the wall as Porter takes his seat across from Darius' father.

"I'm sorry, Xandrious, I... I didn't-" Lycus' father stutters before Xandrious raises his hand to silence him, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork. He finishes reading the document before setting it aside.

"Years we have worked together, you should know the price of going against me," Xandrious says with a note of finality in his voice.

"I swear I didn't know she was your wife. I... She tricked me... Had I known, I wouldn't have..."

Darius turns to observe the man talking to his father, pleading his case. Xandrious hardly reacts, but tilts his head to the side.

"Don't bullshit me. You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew exactly who she was, and you thought you could one-up me. What you didn't know was my wife was in on it.... My mate was playing a part that I asked her to. I was testing you, and you failed," Xandrious bellows, rising to his feet as his anger flares up. At this sudden gesture, Porter falls back in his chair. He scuttles back on his hands and feet as Xandrious moves around his desk toward him.

"Wait, we can move past this. You can have my mate, make up for what I almost did. She will do it... She needs me-"

Xandrious laughs. "I don't want your mate, and I don't want some whore that has been passed around the council more times than I can count."

Porter scoffs and shakes his head. "My wife can s**k and f**k like a pro. And she has only been with me. Before me, she was pure." Xandrious laughs, like what Porter just said was the most hilarious thing he's ever heard. He waves Darius forward.

"Do you know why I gave you your job back, Porter?" Xandrious questions with a sly smile on his face.

"You were looking for a bounty hunter," says Porter with a shrug, and I can tell he finds this line of questioning abrupt and strange.

Xandrious laughs harder. Tears spring in his eyes from his laughter, and he wipes them. This man is truly psychotic.

"No, you twit." He motions for Darius to step forward, and Darius obeys, not wanting to show him what he pulled from Lycus' mother's head a few years before when he went to her house to snoop in her head.

"She f****d your way to the top of bounty," Xandrious laughs. "Show him." Darius grits his teeth, placing his fingertips on the sides of Porter's head, showing him his wife's infidelity, showing him how he got the job. What Porter didn't know was that his mate had done all those things, to save him from going to prison, saving him from death for stealing from the Demonic King, and what she did, she did for her son because she had no choice.

Doing it made all his charges disappear and kept him in a job for years. Then, when he got fired again for wrecking a company car and was deemed unemployable, she sucked off Xandrious, getting him the job he has now. However, Darius wasn't allowed to show the reasoning as to why she did it, just the acts themselves, which made him sick that the woman was taken advantage of. Porter blinks, horrified, before he snarls.

"Now, with that out of the way," Xandrious says, waving Darius off, and he takes his spot by the door again. "You have three weeks to find out where Grayson took the antidote. Grayson has it. I know he took it when he burned the facility down." Porter nods his head, looking like he's still in shock.

"I ordered him to destroy it when we realized what we created, yet the vials were gone, and the place burned down. I know he took it, I know the bastard is planning something, and we need that cure if we are to save what's left," Xandrious tells Porter. Darius stares ahead, listening. He clenches his jaw from the overwhelming feeling of memory flitting through his head. Through Darius' memories, I learned my father didn't burn down the facility. Darius did. He was also the one that stole the antidote for my father, under the impression his father unleashed the plague. But that wasn't the case, though. My father lied, telling Darius it was his father's plan, and that he could help correct it by burning down the facility and getting him the cure.

"Find it, and you will be allowed to live."

"But isn't that the council's job? Search his house," Porter says with a shrug, and Xandrious shakes his head. "I can't, and I can't draw too much attention to it, not with my involvement. I am already being watched. The bastard lied to me. I thought we were creating a cure for the disease of the White-Fae. Now one plague has swept through, and we need that cure before the second wave hits."

"Second wave hits?"

"Yes, idiot, Grayson made two originally! All week he has been spouting his nonsense at the council. I can't have my men investigating him; it will draw attention to me, and my involvement to the blood that created the plague used being my son's."

"Not without implicating himself; he won't risk his reputation," Xandrious tells him.

"Grayson could just tell them," Porter offers.

Porter sucks in a shaking breath.

"Three weeks, find it," Xandrious says, dismissing him.

Porter leaves through a portal. Meanwhile, I feel everything Darius does. Guilt nags at him, yet I don't understand why he feels guilty about the antidote. Why he felt he was to be blamed for the plague.

The memory skips ahead to a few weeks later before it comes across the news about Porter's wife being found dead, brutally beaten to death. Moreover, Porter's son, Lycus, was missing. Both had been last seen the day he showed Porter of her infidelity. And now I know another of Darius' deepest secrets; he was not just tied to Kalen's parent's deaths, but Lycus' mother, and his hellhounds killed Thomas, Tobias' brother. The list stops at his blood which is what created the plague, but still I knew I was missing something. Something that pieces everything together, but one thing is undeniable. Everything and everyone links back to Darius. He said his past haunts him, that he has blood on his hands, and now I know what he means, because the blood that stains him is ours, the ghosts of his past that haunt him are ours. And those skeletons in the closet he has tried to bury for so long are also ours.