Tempting Darkness

"He won't do anything, Aleera, sit. We want to help," Kalen told me.

"Speak for yourself. The only reason I even brought her up here is for you. Not because I want anything to do with her. Don't speak for me, Kalen," Lycus snapped, and Kalen rolled his eyes and sighed. I glanced briefly at Lycus but sat on the bathtub's edge again. Kalen started cleaning and bandaging my feet. My eyes burned with tears at the stinging sensation as he washed them with the alcohol wipes. "Can't you just heal her?" Kalen asked, glancing over his shoulder at Lycus.

"Not after last time," he said, glaring at me before looking down at Kalen. Kalen muttered under his breath and started wrapping my feet with the bandages.

"Kalen, just hurry up!" Lycus snapped at him; his hearing would be a lot better than mine being were-fae. I wondered what he heard Kalen mutter.

"No, it's f*****g bullshit. Darius shouldn't be the only one allowed to have a say about her," Kalen argued.

"Kalen, enough! Or he will do more than just take your magic," Lycus scolded him. I was a little shocked he would take Kalen's magic. Is that why they didn't want me near him?

"He only did it because he knew I would heal her when pulls shit like this," Kalen snapped back.

"You shouldn't have pissed him off. Now, hurry, so I can get you out of here before he realizes."

"Just go if you are worried about being caught."

"I'm not worried about me, idiot. I am worried about you, and I will not be leaving you alone with the likes of her."

I said nothing the entire time. Just observed. I peeked at the markings on Kalen's neck, and before I could stop myself, my hand reached out to touch them. Lycus's hand was wrapped around my wrist in a bone-crushing grip before I could, his reflexes crazy fast.

His grip hurt, and I pulled my hand away, feeling stupid for wanting to touch him; their marks called to me. I knew it was the bond making me act strange. Didn't they feel any pull toward me at all? I just wanted to touch him, reassure him that I would be fine and not to worry. It was odd that I would even think to do that when I didn't know him.

"Don't touch him," Lycus snarled at me, and I swallowed and tugged my hand away and placed it back in my lap. Lycus growled, and I averted my gaze back to what Kalen was doing.

"Ignore him. You can touch me," Kalen said before glaring up at Lycus. My fingers twitched to touch the markings, to give him magic. I couldn't explain it because I had none to give him. I clasped my hands together to refrain myself.

"Can I ask a question?" I asked, finally speaking for the first time.

Kalen's head whipped up instantly, and he smiled. "Always."

My breath hitched in my throat at his breathtaking smile. Lycus, however, growled but said nothing. Instead, he kept watching Kalen as he finished my other foot.

"Why did you mark each other? I thought mates only marked their keeper?" I asked.

"Well, you ruined that, didn't you?" Lycus snarled. Kalen pressed his lips in a line before running a hand through his hair.

"So, we didn't lose our magic, and yes, it is taboo for male mates to mark each other, frowned upon. But it was the only way if we wanted to keep our magic," Kalen explained. I nodded. Looking at Lycus, he stood with his arms folded over his broad chest. "I had already marked Lycus before I found out about you or them," Kalen told me, and Lycus growled at him.

"Enough!" Lycus snapped at him, but Kalen ignored him.

"Lycus and I were already together before we found out we were mates," Kalen told me.

"So, you were boyfriends?" Kalen nodded, and my eyes darted to Lycus.

"Yep, we grew up in the same orphanage."

"That's it. Time to go," Lycus snarled at him, gripping his arm before hauling Kalen up.

"Stop, Lye," Kalen said, trying to shake off his grip.

"No, she doesn't deserve to know anything about us. If she wanted to know about us, she shouldn't have run like a damn coward," Lycus told him, shoving him toward his bedroom door.

"I will see you later, Aleera," Kalen said, smiling sadly before looking at his mate. I nodded, watching Lycus all but drag Kalen from the room.

"I ran because Darius killed my parents. Did you expect me to come running into your arms and pretend he didn't? I saw him burn my house with them in it to the damn ground," I snapped angrily, and Lycus stopped.

"If that is why you left, then you are a bigger idiot than I thought. Darius didn't kill your parents, Aleera," Lycus growled at me before taking a step forward. He stopped, and his eyes flickered with anger.

"You would know that if you bothered to f*****g ask, instead of nearly killing us all," Lycus spat at me.

"I saw him. I know what I saw."

"Then what you saw was wrong. Darius and Tobias didn't murder your parents, Aleera."

"What are you talking about? Tobias wasn't even there," I argued.

"Who do you think dragged you out? So, if that is why you ran, then you deserve everything they do to you."

"Lycus!" Kalen murmured behind him, and Lycus growled before turning on his heel and shoving Kalen out of the bathroom. He then slammed the door so hard it made me jump.