BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha's Little Demon by Cassandra M

056 – Hell Breaks Loose

LUCY.

Althea opened her bedroom and let me in. I placed the tray of food on the round table at the far end before I faced her.

“Did you rest?” My eyes scanned her room, and her bed was cluttered with big, old- looking books.

She shook her head and pointed to the books

on her bed. “I want to make sure I’ll be

doing the right thing.”

“But I thought you needed to rest.”

“This is rest for me – one with my books and channeling the spirits.” She giggled softly while I bit my bottom lip as I nodded my head.

“Are you sure about the additional request? And the Alpha still doesn’t know?” She

asked.

“I’m sure. And yes, he doesn’t know anything.”

“He might kill me.”

“He won’t. I will protect you from him.”

“Are you sure you will defy him if he asks you not to shield me?”

“That won’t be the first time I will defy him. But I know you can protect yourself. But I want you to be honest with me, Althea. Am I putting you in danger with my request?”

“If you had no plan to unbind yourself, then no. I won’t be in danger.”

“However, you mentioned that this ritual is against nature.”

“All supernaturals were born against nature.

We are the result of centuries of wars and

disagreements between the gods. This magic

would not exist if it could not be used. Some

people were just abusing it.”

“Do you think I’m abusing it?”

“You’re protecting your Alpha. In the same way, I’m asking you to kill Patrea in order to free her spirits. Killing her is going against

nature. We are not the ones to decide when a

person should die or remain alive. So we’re just in the same boat.”

“Are we going to get punished?”

“The underworld would never punish you.”

“And you?”

“I’m doing it for a good purpose. I’m not binding you together, so I can kill one and, in effect, kill the other as well. If you get my

point.”

“I do. It makes me feel a bit better.”

“But you have to be ready. Because once I

bind

you, you will feel a connection within

you and the Alpha, and he might sense it.”

I hissed and smoothed my hands over my

hair.

“That’s the reason I had to do the shield

first, so whatever happens, if he stops me in the middle and throws me out, the shield is already in place.”

“Thank you… I will make sure he won’t interrupt you.”

“And there must be just two souls, not including mine, in the area where I will do the ritual. Otherwise, your life could be tied to anyone around you.”

I nodded my head. “You should eat. You need energy for tonight.”

She ignored my words and instead asked something else. “Where is Blade?”

A smile curled on my lips. “You miss him…”

“I think I overdid it this morning. He’s

probably super mad at me for being childish.

11

“Don’t worry, he will get over it.”

“He was ignoring me the whole morning, and I thought I’d joke around just to get a reaction from him. And oh boy, I did get one! “Althea pouted as she crossed her arms against her chest. She looked like an eighteen -year-old having a boy problem, not the

fierce witch I met.

“If him, ignoring you, bothers you, why don’t you give him a chance?”

“He’s twelve years older than me.”

“And Alpha Stone is eight years older than me. And it’s working fine. After all, look at you. Look at the power and maturity you hold, do you think an 18-year-old guy can match up to you?”

don’t really like young guys. In fact, I don’t like anyone.

“Aside from Blade.”

didn’t

“You’re blushing.”

in close proximity so it might be the only reason I’m… you know…”

“Attracted to him?”

know. He irritates me.”

Don’t fight it. I think he likes

wants to claim me because he has been alone for a

but she blinked it back and puffed her chest before walking

her food.

about the age gap? It’s about being the second

guess so. I don’t

him about how you feel?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

he’ll think I’m a whiny

are a teenager.

one day. We have more important things to

about it. Just tell

I will make

for now. I just want to know

He was just downstairs. The

actually asked if he wanted

stated that

smile curl on her lips before she pushed food into her mouth. “Would you like to eat?”

speaking of

giggled as she motioned with her hand. “I’ll see you later at seven

you dinner.”

eat before any rituals. I’ll

TT

“Oh, okay.”

I need

“Got it!”

“Thanks, Lucy!”

turned around and was

to head for the door when

for me again.

can fix your necklace after

already summoned

easier to just chant

have their

exhausting yourself by

on my side. But we will see. If I don’t

smiled at her before twisting the door handle, only for her to call me

last favor…”

“Sure…”

eats? He didn’t eat the

“Sure…”

don’t tell him that I was checking

him…”

course, I won’t!” I winked at her before I

stepped out

room.

♡♡♡

ADAN STONE.

not right.

witch already extracted blood from me and dripped it

appear and

song or poem flew out of her mouth. And I felt air rush out of my lungs. She said that was

not familiar with spells and enchantments, but I was

was

ordered everyone away, even Blade, and Blade didn’t like it, but the moment she was

that Blade was

break.

territory, why

the shield she was

blood from me and Lucy and

each other’s blood before she mixed them into a

other things I had never

before.

invicem ligandi. Vna vita in duobus, duo corpora in uno,” Althea was chanting in Latin repeatedly.

around us kept flickering, but they didn’t wither. Soon her chants became louder, and the air

stood still.

who was standing beside me. Her face looked pale as she

squeezed it tightly.

spiritus. Da

ad invicem ligandi. Vna vita in

corpora in

My heart hammered inside my chest, as sweat formed everywhere in my body. Something was

demon.

her before I threw a furious glare at the witch, who was standing in the middle of her runes with her eyes closed and arms wide open, her

us. She was continuously

louder than it was

fuck are you doing?!” I bellowed

the fucking witch just chanted

to

vos, fortes spiritus.

ad invicem ligandi. Vna vita

corpora in

dried leaves, twigs, and dust arise from the middle of her

toward me and

eyes widened. This is

anymore.

body, and her eyes snapped open,

were in a

I will

was surging in my body, but I just couldn’t leave her to snap