Tempting Darkness
Chapter 7

Darius

Tobias's fist connected with her jaw. It happened so quickly that I barely caught the movement until she started to fall. Tobias hesitated to catch her, like he would let her hit the marble floors, but he moved at the last second, catching her limp body.

Lycus stormed out of the dungeons, looking extremely pissed off, and his shirt was coated in blood. Kalen was at his side in an instant, fussing over him. Lycus's shirt was saturated with blood, his nose bleeding, and Tobias turned, noticing my gaze was directed over his shoulder. Lycus smacked Kalen's fussing hands away as he stormed over to us.

"F*****g bitch stole some of my power and hit me with it," he growled, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

Kalen's eyes looked to Aleera in Tobias's arms, his expression conflicted, before reaching his arms out for her.

"No, we have talked about this. You are to stay away from her," Tobias told him. Kalen looked at me, and I could see the pleading in his eyes. He wanted to hold her, feel her close.

"She is unconscious. She can't hurt him," I told Tobias, giving in to Kalen.

Tobias growled but shoved her toward him and let Kalen take her limp body in his arms. Lycus growled, not wanting Aleera near him. None of us did, and I worried this might start up the obsession again. I was pretty sure letting him take her would be just the beginning and a mistake on my part.

Kalen was already attached to her, and he hadn't even spoken to her yet. She looked small in his arms, hugged close to his chest. How could he still want her after it nearly cost him his life? He almost threw it away for her, and yet he was so tender with her. I hated it, and Tobias's deadly glare said he did, too.

"Put her back in the cells," I told him when he turned around with her in his arms. He froze, turning back to face me.

"Darius, please." His voice was a soft murmur before he looked down at her in his arms. Lycus walked over to him, stopping in front of him. "Put her back in the cells, Kalen." Lycus's voice was a menacing growl. He was pissed off, but I wanted to know why he went into her cell. "No! She isn't going back down there!" Kalen snapped, and Lycus's eyes went to his, his lips turning to a frown.

"She attacked me. She just tried to run. Put her back in the cells, or I will!" Lycus threatened him. Lycus was never like this with Kalen. He had never challenged our mate, but Kalen was the weakest of us, and the fact he would go against us showed his obsession was already returning. We all knew he loved Aleera. He spent years talking to her. Without her knowing who he was to her, her running affected him the most. Now she was here. I was worried about his mental state. Stepping closer, I was about to back Lycus up when Tobias spoke beside me. "Put her in her own room in our quarters. Kalen, if she runs again, I will kill her," Tobias warned him, and Lycus pressed his lips together, and his jaw clenched.

"She won't," Kalen answered, rushing off with her before Tobias changed his mind. We all struggled with saying no to Kalen. We were terrified of losing him again.

"What are you doing? We all agreed he was to be away from her. I don't want her near him," Lycus growled, his eyes flickering to silver, burning brightly as the beast that resided in him tried to take over. The savage side liked to terrorize its prey. Right now, I knew Aleera was his prey. Good. She deserves no mercy.

Lycus was usually calm. Aleera attacking him seemed to set him straight. He hated violence unless it was to protect one of us. He spent most of his childhood and teenage years fighting for Kalen in the orphanage they grew up in together. Aleera was a threat to Kalen, one he wanted to eliminate.

"You said she used your magic against you?" I asked him, and he looked away guiltily before making sure Kalen was out of earshot.

"Did you have to break her f*****g leg and hand? I couldn't leave her like that."

"Well, you should have. So, don't blame us because Kalen is with her," Tobias scolded, but his eyes darted to me. We weren't usually violent toward women, but I had a particular spot reserved for Aleera. I had no qualms hurting her like she did all of us.

"You healed her," I scoffed before shaking my head.

"She was in pain. You said we make her suffer. You never said about literally breaking her bones."

"She was suffering. I see no difference," I answered.

"Don't let Kalen see you hurt her like that," he said, turning and folding his arms across his broad chest to glare at Tobias about to rant at him.

"He would have sat down there with her, don't look at me like that. You know I hate him with her just as much as you do, but I won't have our mate withering away in a cell with her or sneaking down to see her. It is better this way. We can monitor both of them," Tobias said before Lycus could shout at him about letting Kalen take her to our quarters. Lycus snarled, clearly not happy, but said nothing else on the matter.

"This may be a better idea, anyway."

"Why is that?" Tobias asked.

"Because tomorrow she can start classes. Let's see how she fares when she goes up against an entire castle of pure demons." Tobias chuckled at my words, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

"But she has no magic," Lycus said, and Tobias chuckled, dropping his hand on his shoulder.

"Exactly, we don't have to make her suffer. They will do it for us," Tobias said before stalking off toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Lycus asked him.

"To get Kalen away from her before he does something stupid, like confessing his undying love for her," Tobias tossed over his shoulder.

"So, what will you tell the men about her?"

"No, we will tell them nothing, only that she is our prisoner. Let them think what they want about her. I will just tell them she is an enemy we want to be kept close," I told Lycus.

"Good. I don't want them following her orders just because of what she is to us," Lycus replied while watching Tobias walk up the stairs to our mates.

"No, I have a better idea. Whoever breaks Aleera first wins the ballad for a ranking officer," I told him, and he smirked.

"Well, that will be enough motivation for them, but she is not to be in any of Kalen's classes," Lycus said, and I nodded my head in agreement.

"I know you're worried about him-" He raised his hand, silencing me.

"Don't. You didn't replace him. You didn't have to cut his body down from the rafters. Worried is not the word I would use to describe how I feel about Aleera being near him," Lycus growled before turning on his heel and walking away from me.

My jaw clenched at his words. I wasn't there, but luckily we got back in time. Luckily, Tobias could revive him and heal his broken neck. A few seconds later, he would no longer be with us. We would have never let him die, but resurrection could be tricky. It tainted the soul, and not in a good way. She wouldn't destroy us this time. No, she would break and when she did, she would understand the torment she had caused us.