Evelyn
We spend the rest of the day watching movies. Thaddeus, though, I can tell is slightly off, and Orion and Ryland keep sending him nervous glances, which I can’t understand.
You can feel the negative energy in the air. When we finish dinner, his entire body is shaking, and his eyes flicker between black and green frighteningly. Orion abruptly stands up, giving me a nervous glance as he grips Thaddeus and tugs him outside.
Grabbing everyone’s dishes, I walk into the kitchen and start stacking the dishwasher. Ryland follows behind me and helps me.
“What’s wrong with Thaddeus?” I ask while rinsing a plate.
“He will be fine. Sometimes, the darkness becomes too much,” he answers, not adding anything else. We walk out once we’re finished, and I notice Orion and Thaddeus haven’t returned.
“Where did they go?” I ask, confused.
“To blow off steam. Thaddeus isn’t safe to be around when he is like that. It’s not worth the risk to you,” Ryland answers. As I walk upstairs, Ryland sits on the couch. “Where are you going?” he asks, looking up at me.
“To go shower. You can join me if you want,” I tell him, and he jumps up and rushes up the stairs.
Ryland grabs me before I make it through the bedroom door, spinning me around and slamming me into the wall. My legs wrap tightly around his waist as he knocks the air out of me, making me cough as I smile at him.
He’s breathing hard as he presses closer, his nose goes into the crook of my neck as he inhales my scent. Ryland sucks on my mark, and I moan loudly without realizing I do. Ryland chuckles softly and pulls back to kiss me gently. I can feel his erection pressing against me, yet the old, frightened feelings no longer affect me. For the first time, my mind is completely mine. I can feel his shock as I kiss him back, but he quickly deepens the kiss and growls.
“We should shower before I piss off our mates by taking you first.” He chuckles and kisses me again, as he lets me stand.
Going to the bathroom, I strip my clothes off and turn the shower on. Ryland’s intense gaze makes my skin heat. My eyes roam over his muscled arms as he moves closer and cages me against the wall with his arms on either side of my head. His black eyes look down at me. Lifting my hand, I trace it down his chest to his abs. His body tenses under my touch.
Standing on my toes, I kiss him softly, feeling his tongue run over my bottom lip as he sucks it into his mouth. Then, Thaddeus’ voice echoes through me.
“Hands off, Ryland!” Thaddeus growls, and I pull back, looking toward the door, only no one is there.
“I’m not using my hands,” Ryland growls back. I furrow my eyebrows, confused.
“I heard that,” Thaddeus says, making my eyes snap back to the door. I could have sworn he said that aloud in the bathroom, his voice is echoing around us.
“Thaddeus has marked you now. He can get in your head no matter how far away you are,” Ryland tells me.
“So, he isn’t here?” I ask.
Ryland shakes his head. “No, and I am not sure when he will be back.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, worried.
“It doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s shower, get dressed, and see what’s on TV before we piss him off more,” Ryland says, turning back around and grabbing the soap.
We wash quickly, jump out, and I grab one of their shirts, pulling it over my head. We walk downstairs and flick the TV on. I scroll through the channels, past a news report, then go back to it when I hear the news anchor talking about breaking news and a recent development on the Dark Ones. My heart skips a beat. My blood runs cold when a street view comes on, and I can see Thaddeus’ blurred figure move onto the screen, another figure chasing him and tackling him, and I know it has to be Orion.
Suddenly, the entire street is plunged into darkness as everything explodes, and one can only see the flicker of lights and the explosion. Then, the screen goes blank, and the news lady’s voice comes across the air. “Main street has been destroyed. Anyone in the vicinity is urged to take shelter and remain indoors.”
Suddenly, the remote is snatched out of my hand, and the TV is turned off. I turn to face Ryland. “You weren’t meant to see that,” he says, sighing in frustration.
“Is that where he is? Is that where he went?” I yell at him. Ryland looks away.
“You know who he is, what he is, Evelyn,” Ryland says.
I shake my head; I won’t be a part of them destroying the world. “No, I won’t accept this. You expect me to be okay with that?” I scream angrily.
Ryland shrugs. He sits down and places his head in his hands. “He can’t help it. The darkness takes over, and there is no controlling him. Believe me; we have tried.”
“That’s no excuse! You don’t just go around killing people! He has been fine for days, and now this?”
“Yes, before he took it away, Evelyn. Everything has a price. The more he uses his magic, the worse it becomes. He absorbed your memories and turned them into his own. He did it for you so you wouldn’t have to deal with it. Now he is paying the price for it, and the only way to do so is to release it.”
I stumble back at his words, horrified. “So, this was my fault? I did this?”
“Shit, I didn’t mean it to come out like that,” Ryland says.
“No, don’t touch me! What, he couldn’t destroy an empty field or something? Why an entire city?” I scream as tears start rolling down my face.
“He would have gone running, trying to get rid of it, but sometimes it doesn’t work, and he explodes, okay? He doesn’t mean to destroy things; it just happens. Besides, he rarely kills anyone, just destroys the buildings. Sometimes people get caught in the crossfire. And sometimes…” he hesitates, not wanting to answer.
“Sometimes what, Ryland?”
“Hunger takes over.”
“No. Fucking, no. I won’t deal with this shit! Make him come back!” I yell at him.
Ryland’s eyes go completely black, and I feel his anger rising.
“Fine! If this is how it will be, I am done!” I tell him as I walk up the stairs. Grabbing some pants, I slip them on and grab my wallet, walking out of the room. Ryland growls at me, blocking me on the stairs.
“You’re not leaving.”
“Yes, I am,” I say, shoving him, but he doesn’t budge. “Fucking move, Ryland. I will not stay here knowing you are all killing innocent people,” I tell him, trying to walk past him. Every step I make, he blocks me again. “I reject you then,” I tell him, and his eyes go dark as a smirk graces his face.
“That’s not how you reject someone. Nice try, though.”
“Whatever,” I tell him, ducking under his arm on the banister and bolting down the stairs only for his arms to wrap around me as I reach the bottom step. He growls loudly, tossing me over his shoulder and marching back up the stairs.
“Fucking put me down!” I scream, smacking his head with my palm.