Tempting Darkness(Darkness Series)

Book 2 Chapter 2

“Bloody bird, she is fine,” I tell him, and he flies over to perch on the bedhead. He leans down, looking at her and licking her cheek, caressing it with his beak while Lycus remains frozen in fear. Lycus peers at the bird with wide eyes, only for Ryze to lick his temple. I snicker when he pales and shudders.

“Having a taste test for when he plucks those eyes of yours out?” Tobias chuckles, then whistles to Ryze. Ryze lifts his head and then flies over. But instead of going to Tobias, he perches on the arm of my chair. I raise an eyebrow at him while he looks down at my bleeding wound. “Don’t bite me; I am not in the mood,” I tell him. He looks at Aleera and then turns his head back to me.

“She is fine. You bite me, I will smack your damn ass,” I tell him while he eyes me with his creepy beady eyes. He then takes off out through the window, and we all relax. That is only momentarily because he comes back, but with the big fucker that we thought would kill Aleera. My fingertips sizzle as it squeezes through the window, and everyone freezes to see what it will do.

It hops down off the ledge, walking across the carpet like an oversized f*****g chicken, its long tail still outside the window when it stops beside me. Its eyes roam over me, and Ryze caws at it, nudging the other phoenix, who tilts its head to the side. They are such intelligent birds, but they scare the crap out of me.

Its beak opens, and its long tongue slivers out, split at the end. Going in two different directions, I lean back, wondering what it wants, and my eyes dart to Tobias. When its tongue suddenly zaps my hand, the buzz of its magic shoots up my arm, making me jump. Its power rushes through me, warm, so much warmer than my cold dark magic. The giant Phoenix then drops its head, nudging my wound and puffs out its feather then speaks.

“Welcome,” it says, and I gasp, feeling my side heat up.

The phoenix then turns and jumps back out the window. Ryze jumps up to perch on the armchair, nudging my side with his beak. Looking down, I find my wound closed and my mouth falls open.

“Lira…” Ryze tries to speak before sneezing. He is still too immature to pronounce words. I know they can talk but have never actually witnessed one speak. Then again, I generally try to avoid the bloody things even when I was a child. They still hated me despite being elemental because I was still a variant of Dark-Fae. My father used to lock me in the bird-avery, trying to see if I could train one or bond it to me. It only ended with me being torn to pieces.

“That big bastard spoke, right?” Lycus points to Ryze, and I nod.

“Now we know why we suddenly have an infestation of phoenixes. They sense white fae. They sense their own magic,” I tell him, looking at Aleera, who is still passed out.

Ryze flies over to her, sitting beside her and resting his head and neck on her hip like he is some kind of lap cat wanting cuddles from its mother.

“I need to shower,” I groan, getting up and walking to the bathroom. I shower quickly when the sounds of arguing reach my ears.

“Of all the days they want to argue, it has to be now,” I mutter, wrapping a towel around my waist and shoving the door open.

“No, you’re doing it wrong. It has to go the other way,” Lycus says, and I notice Ryze is gone, and they are huddled together, arguing over something.

“How does it stick, though? It says it will stick. And where are these wing things?” Tobias says, showing Lycus something on his phone while Kalen holds a pair of Aleera’s panties, and Lycus is holding up some of the pads.

“What the f**k are you doing?” I ask, walking over to them.

“She is bleeding through her pants. We tried to wake her,” Kalen says, and I glance at her. f**k. Probably from using so much of my magic before she shredded. I peer at what they are watching on the phone—some YouTube tutorials.

“Ah, we have to peel the back thing off,” Lycus says, turning the pad between his fingers.

“Now what?” he says, and Kalen leans over to peer at the screen. I shake my head, snatching her panties and the pad from Lycus’ hand.

“Bloody morons,” I growl, placing it in the underwear and folding the wings over the sides.

“Have you used them before?” Kalen asks, and I raise an eyebrow at him. I blink at him. Thank god he’s good-looking because, damn, sometimes I question his intellect.

“Common sense, fool,” I growl.

“Now, how do we put it on her while she is passed out?” Tobias questions, and we all look at the bed.

“We could always lay a tarp under her,” Lycus says, and Tobias snickers, and I glance at him.

“What? We could. Then we won’t have to worry about her freaking out if she wakes up while we’re undressing her.” I shake my head, walking over to her to remove her jeans. “Get me a cloth,” I order, quickly cleaning her and placing the panties on her. I tuck the surrounding blanket over her, and Tobias climbs under the blanket, tucking her close. Standing up, Kalen and Lycus are staring at me.

“What?” I ask. Tobias rolls his eyes.

“Darius cared for his mother for years. Stop staring at him like that,” Tobias snaps at them.

“Thankfully, I never had to deal with her shredding, though. But it was pretty much the same thing, so stop staring at me,” I growl. Kalen shakes his head, climbing into bed beside Tobias.

“We know that. It’s just odd seeing you care for her. Almost feels like you had a brain transplant,” Lycus snickers.

“Shut up,” I tell him on my way to the closet so I can get changed.

“You think it was the council that time,” Tobias calls out.

“Who else would it be?” I tell him. Yet it makes me wonder if she figured out she is here.

“Her parents,” he says.

“We masked her,” I tell him. My mind instantly goes to Lydia, Aleera’s mother.

“Yes, until she used Lycus’ magic earlier, it would have been like a beacon for those with power-tracing gifts.”

I mulled over his words. We had been hunting her parents since they tried to kill her; now we know why they did it, and I know Lydia would stop at nothing to get her hands back on her daughter. Walking out, I stop at the end of the bed.

“We have an entire army. I won’t let them touch her,” I assure him.

“But if she knows they’re alive, what if she goes looking for them?” Tobias questions, brushing his hand down her cheek. Well, one is alive. My mates aren’t aware that Aleera’s father, Grayson, already met his demise.

“She won’t. We are her mates,” Kalen whispers.

“But after everything?” Lycus murmurs worriedly. I bite the inside of my lip.

“She wasn’t the only one who lost everything, Lycus,” I tell him. Although, I now feel even worse after she saved me. She saved me despite everything I have forced her to endure. Despite my cruelty.