by Rachel Jonas
Blythe’s lips parted when she drew in a sharp breath, unable to hide how the tone startled her, too. So much that she finally began to back away.
Only, it was too late.
The being within me fed on our fear—Blythe’s, mine—gaining strength with each passing second. My hands wanted to reach toward her, but I fought it, clenching both fists as tightly as I could to stop it. This thing inside me, it wanted to cause her pain. It wanted to end her … for trying to help me.
“Blythe, get out of here!” I managed to force out. The Darkness didn’t like that I’d been able to break through. And to punish me, to show me it wouldn’t stand for being suppressed, it took control with a vengeance.
Before I could stop it, my hand shot outward, locking firm around Blythe’s throat. As much as I hated being in tune with this thing, its emotions bled into mine.
When it enjoyed the feel of Blythe’s windpipe being squeezed in my palm, a part of me enjoyed it, too.
Lifting her higher, only the tips of her shoes touched the floor, and I hated how it delighted me seeing her struggle.
“You … can’t … help … her.” The voice that hissed from my mouth was again dark and terrifying.
My bicep tightened, bringing Blythe’s weight closer. Then, before I could guess what was coming, she was tossed to the wall. She sank to the floor like a stone in water, drawing dark laughter from my mouth, in that voice—deep, ancient, raspy.
I’d heard it before, when I crossed over into its realm somehow at the lagoon.
My feet carried me toward Blythe again—slow, intentional steps that made my stomach sink with each one. Because I knew what it had planned once I reached her. Although we were not one being, I sensed its intentions.
It wanted her dead.
Centering my thoughts, I focused on keeping my feet still, keeping them in place instead of moving toward Blythe. The first few seconds, it felt like a lost cause. Only, the next, it didn’t. Somehow, I’d been strong enough to hold my stance, forcing the entity to know what it was like being a prisoner in this body.
A dark, guttural growl rumbled in my chest first, before spilling from my lips in protest. It didn’t like being forced into the background, but Blythe was right. I had to fight.
She was coming to in the corner, and I felt relieved seeing her move.
“Noelle, fight,” Blythe repeated faintly, still groggy.
The Darkness pushed again, and I was forced to take a step when my own strength waned. The sound of a hollow glass cylinder rolling across the aged cement floor drew my eyes toward it—the jar.
It was somehow still intact, unbroken despite the state of things in that small room as The Darkness showed its power. The entity forced me to take another step, then another, and I allowed it. Because the jar was nearly within reach.
If this was what it was like just having a portion of this being working inside me, I didn’t want to think about what would happen if it took over completely.
Groaning, I stooped to take the jar, feeling the tug of war within me. It took a few seconds, but I managed to remove the lid.
My stomach burned from the inside, bringing with it a wave of nausea as I pushed myself to limits I didn’t even know I could reach. Still, it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t overpowering this thing, despite giving all I had.
From a mere ten feet away, Blythe began to recite the incantation again, barely being heard over the strong gusts that moved between us. She wasn’t giving up on me, wasn’t running despite this being her only opportunity to do so.
“Use the jar!” she paused to yell, going right back to uttering the spell.
I gripped the wide, glass container, and held it to my mouth. Another labored cough left my throat, and the feeling of being choked from the inside returned. Only, this time I didn’t fight it. The first puff of what looked like black smoke leaving my mouth and nose alarmed me, but it was Blythe’s scream of victory that made me brave.
Gagging, the dark vapors continued to pour from my body, settling in the jar.
“Yes! Keep going!” Blythe shouted.
Pain spread through my limbs, but I kept my attention on expelling as much as of the sinister energy as I could. One final choked cough left me and the sound in the room shifted, as if the noise had been reversed, sucked right out of the space as the swirling debris fell to the ground. Blythe’s hair wisped into the air one final time, and then slowly settled into a tangled mess.
A low growl from the jar I held prompted me to clamp the lid on tight.
The only sound that remained was that of us panting in disbelief. My skin dimmed as the sigils faded from beneath it, and I shot a look toward Blythe.
“Are you okay?” I asked in a rush, recalling how she’d been hurled across the room.
She gave a wide-eyed nod. “Yeah. At least, I think so,” she panted. “You?”
I glanced down at the jar as the small portion of The Darkness we captured swam within it. “Think so.”
Blythe slowly lowered back to the floor, pushing a hand through her black, tousled strands. “Dude, just … whoa.”
That was one way of putting it.
I glanced around at the mess I—or it—had caused. I’d known before that I was getting out of control, but what I experienced there in the basement stirred my soul.
Blythe must have seen me trying, and failing, to process everything. Because the next second, she patted the floor beside her.
I eyed the spot, and then her. “I should … I should probably keep my distance,” I warned.
She had no idea how close I’d just come to hurting her. I mean really hurting her. If she did—
“I’m not afraid of you, Noelle,” she said, cutting into my thoughts.
“But maybe you should be,” I countered.
She didn’t even bat an eye when she pointed toward the ground again. “Sit,” she insisted.
Taking slow, cautious steps, I did as she asked, sliding down the wall to rest beside her. Now hip to hip, we both peered at the jar I held, evidence of just how effed up this all was.
How effed up I was.
“What the heck am I supposed to do with this?” A humorless laugh slipped out.
“You break it,” was not the answer I expected.
“But won’t that just release it again?”
“Nope. Opposite,” she revealed. “Dark energy—no matter how powerful—is only as strong as its host. So, now that this dumb bastard managed to get itself trapped in our special little jar,” she added, patting the top, “once you break it, that’s the equivalent to killing it.”
My brow narrowed, admittedly nervous it wouldn’t be quite that simple. I suppose because nothing else had been simple.
“And you’re sure this will work?” I asked one last time, blowing a strand of hair from my lip.
Blythe nodded. “Yup. Trust me.”
My gaze shifted to hers when she said those two little words. Trust me. I hadn’t fully trusted her in a very long time. However, I’d just seen her stay in this small room with me while I wigged the heck out on her. She could have left me to figure this all out on my own, but she didn’t do that.
Trust her … that’s what she said I should do.
I turned to the jar, seeing how The Darkness moved inside it.
“Screw it,” I sighed. Lifting my hand into the air, I chucked the thing right at the wall, watching it shatter into a million tiny pieces. And contrary to how I envisioned it, the darkness evaporated with a ghastly hiss, trailed by a dual-toned scream that filled the entire room.
Just like Blythe said, it was gone.
“Sweet, right?” she asked with a grin.
I laughed a little. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
She grunted, using my shoulder to stand. “Now, we just need to do that a few … hundred more times, and you should be all cured.” The smile she flashed right after made me laugh.
“Oh, simple,” I teased, knowing how far that was from the truth.
Getting to my feet, I brushed dust from my shirt. Blythe moved around the room, picking up the fallen candles, straightening the pile of blankets.
“Listen, I … I don’t know if we should meet anymore,” I admitted. “We have no idea how many more times we’ll have to do this, nor do we know how much it’ll piss this thing off, so … I think we should end it.”
Yes, I knew this meant I wouldn’t have her help anymore, but I couldn’t let her sacrifice herself to save me.
“Noelle, I already told you. I’m not scared of you,” she reiterated, stooping to hunt for scattered matches.
“Maybe not, but I’m scared for you,” I countered. “We’ve both seen how unstable I am, and I can’t let you do this anymore.”
Her head whipped my way. “Let me?” She stood straight. “Last time I checked, I was the one who came to you about this.”
“I know, but—”
“I’m not letting you down again, Noelle.”
The abrupt statement was hard to comprehend at first, but then I caught the look in her eyes.
Remorse.
Guilt.
I settled down a bit. “Is that what this is about? You think you owe me?”
She didn’t answer, which was all the answer I needed.
My gaze lowered to our matching shoes, unable to fight the onslaught of memories of us that flooded my thoughts—good and bad.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Blythe.” I met her gaze again. “This isn’t some small thing, like repaying me a dollar you borrowed, or helping me with homework. It’s life or death,” I reminded her.
Her vague expression made me wonder if she understood.
“I knew what I was getting myself into,” she rebutted, squaring her shoulders as she stared blankly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. Once again, she wasn’t taking the out I offered. All I could do was lower my head, thinking I’d just have to distance myself to help get my point across.
“People give up far too easily for me.” Her words made me peer up again. “My dad when he left, our instructors because they aren’t sure how to help you, just … people in general. So, I’m making the conscious decision to be different.”
Her declaration made my brow quirk, but I said nothing.
“I’m in this with you, until you beat it.” The steadfast way she spoke made it clear she meant every word and wouldn’t be easy to talk out of it.
She was determined to stick with me, and I wasn’t sure what I could do about that.
I shook my head at her. “Well, just so you know, this makes you incredibly, incredibly stupid,” I informed her, laughing.
“Guess that’s why we get along,” she said with a smile and shrug. “Birds of a feather and whatnot.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Noelle
“Go. I’m fine!” I said with a laugh, waving my friends toward the lagoon. “And have fun!”
Four weary smiles came my way—my friends, minus Tristan, plus Blythe. They’d been hovering over me since arriving at the start of the barbeque roughly thirty minutes before. Manny and Marcela eventually stalked off, stripping down to the clothing they’d swim in along the way. Toni and Blythe, however, lingered beside me longer. They, themselves, weren’t exactly friends, but they had a common interest.
Me.
I smiled up at them both and raised a brow.
“That includes the two of you,” I clarified. “You’re here to hang out and have fun, so go do some of that.” They didn’t buy it when I laughed right after, probably sensing I wasn’t quite myself today.
When Ori first mentioned a gathering at the bungalow, and told me that the Firekeepers, their queens, and my friends were all invited, I imagined it going much differently than this.
For starters, I didn’t envision I’d still be avoiding the Omegas so blatantly. Just thinking about it, I did a quick scan to make sure none were close. I spotted them offshore, engaged in an intense game of football with the other hives, divided into two even teams—minus Ori and Ty, who both manned the grill.
My gaze flickered back to Toni and Blythe. “Seriously, I’m okay,” I insisted.
“Maybe we’d believe you if you hadn’t been glued to this spot while everyone else is having fun. I mean, isn’t today about celebrating you?”
Toni’s words saddened me for whatever reason.
“It is, but … I’m just a little out of it, I guess.”
She knew exactly what was going on with me—the info I unearthed at the Firelight Celebration—but I didn’t want to get into talking about that in front of Blythe. Granted, we were working through our differences, but … baby steps.
“We’ll go, but only if you promise to join us once you’re up to it,” Toni bargained.
I narrowed my eyes at her, pretending to be deep in thought before a smile broke through. “Deal. Now go.”
My promise had been enough to convince them, and then it was just me, sitting on the porch steps, watching everyone having a blast on the Omega’s little slice of Sanluuk.
I glanced down for half a second to smooth my dress over my knees, and when I peered up, Rayen was suddenly coming my way. If I didn’t move quickly, all the work I’d done to avoid him, and the others, would have been for nothing. He’d mentioned twice already that we needed to talk, and I knew he’d try again if I let him, but I just wasn’t in the mood to pretend.
Pretend I didn’t know what secret they kept.
Pretend I didn’t know what they allowed to take place on this island.
Pretend I hadn’t wondered why nothing had been done to stop the practice of humans being sacrificed to appease The Darkness.
Thinking quickly, I stood from the porch to walk toward the side of the dock where Nayeli, Lehua, and Kalea sat with their feet dangling in the lagoon. On my way to them, of course I had to pass Rayen, and it didn’t surprise me when he caught and lightly gripped my arm.
Our gazes locked and I hated being like this, hated that I couldn’t just come out with what was on my heart, without fear of what would happen next.
An argument.
Excuses.
Lies.
That last concern was, admittedly, a baseless one, seeing as how the guys had never been dishonest with me that I knew of, but I wondered if this would be the time. If this would be the thing that was big enough for them to decide the truth was too difficult to tell.
“Mind if we talk a sec?”
Hearing Rayen’s request, I nearly faltered.
Nearly.
“Um … I was actually headed to chat with the queens while my friends swim. Don’t want them to think I’m avoiding them,” I added with a forced smile.
“They’re the ones you’re concerned might feel slighted?” he countered, referring to himself and the Omegas.
My stomach sank and I wished I had more of a poker face. Then I’d be able to look him and the others in the eyes without fear of them seeing straight through me. Only, that wasn’t me. I tended to wear my heart on my sleeve, revealing everything with my eyes.
“It’s not like that.”
“Then tell me what it is like, so I can understand,” he shot back, leveling a hardened stare my way.
“School just has me kind of frazzled,” I explained, knowing that was only a very small part of the equation. “Finals are in a couple weeks, and I’m feeling every ounce of the pressure our instructors are putting on us.”
Again, I sprinkled a heap of truth on my excuse, finding it made me feel just a tad less guilty for what I held back. A silent moment passed between us, and in those short seconds, the pull toward him strengthened, just from standing in his presence.
A slow, intentional gaze slipped over me, eyeing me in the strapless white dress Toni helped me pick just for this occasion.
“So … it’s stress?” he asked evenly, as if he only sought clarity.
I answered with a quick nod as I took a breath. “Yes.”
He
was hard to read for a moment, but then I sensed his thoughts so clearly.
“Tell you what,” he spoke up, his tone suddenly deepening as it moved over me like warm silk. “Come inside with me. Just for a little while,” he beckoned. A few steps brought him closer. “I think I can help loosen you up a bit.”
It was shameful how fast my pulse thrummed at the base of my throat. He’d gotten to me just that quickly, and my body’s response to him was all the proof I needed. His hand slipped lower, dropping from where it held my arm, to intertwine with my fingers. Next, his gaze turned heavy, suddenly dripping with need.
His proposition made it clear the rest of the hive knew Ori and I had ‘established protocol’. It meant we were all free to do as we wished, without jeopardizing our rapport with Spirit.
It had been weeks since any of us had gotten laid, and yeah, I felt the pent up frustration just as powerfully as he did. Only, too much went on inside my head, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to let go and be free with him.
“Everyone will think we’re rude if we disappear out the blue,” was the only excuse I had for turning down such a tempting, tempting offer.
Rayen’s disappointment was apparent when he released a breath. “Fine,” he conceded, “but we still need to talk once this is all over. It’s important,” he added.
My brow quirked when he said that last part, but I had to take the out I’d just been given.
“Okay. Sure,” I answered, wearing a tight smile as I side-stepped him to head toward the queens, like I originally planned.
Nayeli spotted me first, then the others followed her gaze to meet mine. Huge smiles came next, which I fully expected. These three were among some of my favorite new people. I’d never forget the pep talk they gave during our last gathering. Their encouragement had been the sole reason I tried breaking the ice with Ori, had been the reason I was open to the idea of being mated to the Omegas.
Basically, they had a way of gently placing my feet on the right path and setting me straight.
“Well, if it isn’t the reluctant queen herself,” Lehua teased. “How’s school going, co-ed?”
I laughed a bit. “Ask me again in two weeks, when this term finally ends.” I lowered to the dock, taking the seat beside Kalea. She peered up, wearing a huge grin. “What?” I asked.
