Tempting Darkness

Restless, I tossed and turned all night, not really getting proper sleep. The tugging sensation of knowing they were so close was pulling me to seek out my mates, knowing they could replenish my powers. It must have been the early morning hours when I heard the twist of the shared bathroom door. My mind instantly became alert as I looked in its direction. I let out a breath when I realized it was Kalen and not one of the others. He stopped when he noticed me sitting upright in the bed before hesitating.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered, and I shook my head. He looked over his shoulder toward his room before quietly shutting the door. For some reason, his presence didn't scare me. I found his aura comforting, and I wanted to keep him safe and close to me for some reason. Kalen walked over to the bed, sitting down on it. I moved over so he had more room, and he lay on his side facing me.

"Sorry, it is the bond," Kalen said.

"You might get me in trouble, though," I told him, thinking of Darius's threat.

"I can go?" he said, and he rolled about to get out of the bed. When I gripped his arm, he stopped. He didn't want to go, and honestly, I didn't want him to leave. It had been years since I met someone I wanted to be around.

Kalen was the first normal interaction I had had since leaving school. Being the strange girl who stuck to herself in school didn't win me any friends, and for years the only friend I had was a stranger I spoke to online. It was the only way to vent my frustrations, and I regretted leaving my tablet behind. I wondered if I could get access to a computer here. I knew it wouldn't be anytime soon if they did agree, and I doubted they would let me use it to speak to my friend over the internet, whoever they might be. Kalen lay back down, and I observed him the best I could in the darkness, yet curiosity was eating at me.

"You're not like them. You don't seem to hate me."

"Because I don't. I figured you ran for some reason."

"And if I just ran?" I asked him. He shrugged. "I can't say I blame you. Darius scared the crap out of us when he found us." He paused like he was locked in his memories, his aura turned depressive, and I held my tongue, thinking it might be best not to ask what upset him.

"So, I still couldn't hate you for running even if you had no reason," he said simply before wriggling closer to me.

His hand reached toward my face slowly, and he hesitated once again before I grabbed his hand, his magic coming to life beneath mine, yet I didn't take it. I couldn't bring myself to break his trust. If I was going to be stuck here, I needed a friend to survive my mates, so why not keep the only decent one close?

Kalen let out a breath when I placed his hand on my cheek. His thumb brushed beneath my eye softly, and I closed my eyes. Sleep finally took me.

When I woke up, I found the spot where Kalen had been empty, looking around the room. A prickle up my spine alerted me to someone in the room before his voice did.

"Looking for someone?" Darius asked, and I shook my head, scooting up the bed.

I yawned. Darius watched me or rather glared at me. "Get up. You have five minutes to get dressed. Put these on," he said, throwing some clothes at me.

He then stormed out, and I looked to the window to see the sun was barely up. I groaned, wondering where he wanted to take me. I slipped the jeans on, which fit perfectly, and a white blouse. How did Lycus know my size? I shook the thought away before realizing I had no shoes. I looked around the room for some when the door opened.

"Time is up," Darius called, pushing the door wider. I glanced down at my feet. I only had socks on, and I quickly glanced around again but found no shoes. Darius, however, didn't care as he suddenly walked off. Was I meant to follow him even if I had no shoes on? "Now, Aleera," Darius snapped, and I rushed out after him. His long strides had me jogging to keep up. My feet were cold even with the thick bed socks on. Darius walked down a flight of stairs, and I became lost with all the twists and turns. I could hear the murmuring of men behind doors, and I raced to keep up with Darius before we went down yet another set of stairs to a floor I recognized from when I'd tried to escape.

Darius walked to the mess hall, where I saw all the men gathered the other day. It had a few tables full when we walked in. All of them looked up, and I froze. More men filed in behind me, bumping into me, and Darius gripped my arm, his nails digging into my tender flesh. He dragged me over to a table and dumped me on a chair.

Glancing around, I noticed something quickly. They were all demons. These men weren't fae. The other thing I noticed was that there was no woman in this room. Looking up at Darius, he was smirking cruelly at me. "Welcome to hell, Aleera. Don't think my men are your friends or will be your friends. No one likes a traitor." Darius leaned down. His stubble brushed my cheek, and I held my breath at his closeness.

"And all of them think you are and don't go looking for any woman. You will find none. You are the only one," Darius said before standing upright. Darius turned to leave.

"Wait!" I reached out, grabbing his hand, and he growled at me. I jerked my hand away and took a step back at the frightening look he gave me.

"You can't... Are you leaving me here?" I asked, petrified. Demons fed on fear or any emotion, really, and I knew I would be a nice treat to these men. An emotional buffet.

"Why? Are you scared, Aleera?" I looked around, their demonic eyes watching me, and I gulped before looking up at Darius. He chuckled, the sound mocking.

"I wanted to kill you, but now seeing the look on your face, I know this was the better option," Darius said, and he looked around at all the men. He smiled. I didn't like the look he wore on his face. It was off, severely off. "Zac, come here," Darius called out and waved a man over.

"Keep Aleera company and take her to your first lesson."

"Be my pleasure, my King," the man taunted, his smile growing bigger as he stared down at me.

"Just don't kill her. I want to watch her suffer. I don't want you to incinerate her before she has," Darius told him before walking out of the mess hall. He left, and I remained frozen before turning to face this Zac person who grabbed my arm, hauling me over to a table with three other men.