Chapter 26
Aleera POV
Hushed voices woke me. They sounded angry as I opened my eyes. The last thing I remembered was choking on the shadows and Darius grabbing me; I felt myself dying and, in some ways, I even prayed for death. At least I wouldn’t feel like this. I felt hollow. I had tasted only briefly their magic before they took it from me. My bond screamed angrily, writhing within me for it back.
“Darius, just leave him be. I am right here with them.”
“Anything happens to him, and it is on you. It will be your fault,” Darius growled before I heard the door slam. I jumped a t the sound and my eyes opened to find Kalen beside me asleep. He looked so peaceful, and I gently brushed his cheek with my fingertips. His stubble was rough and scratchy when I felt the bed dip behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Lycus sit next to me.
“You are awake,” He states, and I turn back to face Kalen. I tried not to let his emotionless tone upset me. He didn’t seem too pleased that I was awake.
“Thank you,” Lycus murmured, and I chewed my lip and nodded at his words. It actually sounded like it physically hurt him to say it.
“Why did you give it back?” He asked. I wondered briefly the same thing. It was clear that even with me helping Kalen, nothing would change and I just tossed my only opportunity o fescape out the window. Yet the thought of Kalen being the way he was, I knew I would have done it again.
“Darius is angry,” I stated, ignoring his question.
“He always is,” Lycus stated before he leaned against the bedhead of my tiny bed.
“Kalen struggles to cope. He hasn’t had an episode like that for a while. It has made Darius more anxious,”
“He blames me for it?”
“We all do. He has been fine for almost a year, then you show u p, and he backtracks,” Lycus growls before he sighs.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,”
“How many times,” I asked Lycus, rolling onto my back to look at him.
“How many times he had tried to kill himself, or do you mean how many times he successfully did before were brought him back?” I swallowed.
“Brought back, 8 times, lost count of how many suicides attempts he has had,” Lycus answers and my heart sank. Kalen was far from alright.
my magic,” Lycus says, and my heart quickens at his words,
do you mean, I did nothing
feels different, stronger,” I let out
your keeper, of course, it
but I didn’t expect it to feel as strong as Darius’s and Tobias’s power, you may be a keeper, but you are supposed to pass and share our energy amongst us, so we are all the same strength, yet when you handed
D
is the bond,” I tell him, and he
I bet it is playing havoc with my magic out of your system and Darius’s. Although it makes me wonder what you would be capable of if you shared all our
touched Darius’s magic,” I tell
it all. Darius flooded you with his power, so I bet you feel pretty uncomfortable
on keeping me defenseless, so of
be this way,” Lycus told me. Lycus
asked him, but Tobias was too busy
Tobias shook himself before he looked over at
“Huh?”
where did
at him. Lycus growled before running his
copped it off,
checking on Kalen. I wasn’t here to
you can see, I won’t
to hurt him,” I snapped as anger rippled through me. They both stared at me, stunned and honestly, I was surprised I voiced those words because I didn’t mean
and Tobias
Lycus snapped
sending a glare at Lycus, who shrugged. Tobias’s fingers dug painfully into
me, and I felt my heart
sat up more, looking down at me. What kind of question is that? What answer
my place,
I wouldn’t risk
let me go,” The noise that left him made goosebumps
hurt him?”
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