Tasting Darkness

Chapter 10

Darius watches my face for a second, and I swallow as his eyes run down my body and to my lap, making me shift uncomfortably. He growls; the noise makes goosebumps cover me as he towers over me.

“Lycus, go get her some clothes. Kalen, go grab her a shirt until Lycus comes back so she can shower,” Darius says before pushing off the bed away from me. Lycus nods to him before walking out, and so does Kalen, leaving me with Darius and Tobias.

“You attend every class. Someone will pick you up from your room of a morning to take you down to the mess hall, which is where all meals are for those that live here.”

“Where am I?” I ask before I can stop myself. Darius didn’t like being talked over as he took a deep breath, and I watched his hand’s fist at his sides before looking down.

“Meals are in the mess hall. I will have some books sent in here; under no circumstances are you to tell anyone here you are our mate. If you do, you will wish you were in the cells, am I clear.”

“Crystal,” I tell him.

“Also,” Tobias says, stepping closer to the bed and moving to stand beside Darius.

“You steer clear of Kalen, stay out of our way and if you can behave and do as you’re told, you will have a bit more freedom.

“Why can’t I go near Kalen?” I asked, confused. He appeared t o be the only one that didn’t outright condemn me.

“Don’t question us. Just do as we ask. It isn’t up for discussion, “Tobias says just as Kalen walks back into the room. He has a folded shirt in his hands, and he places it on the end of the bed with a towel.

“Now go shower; you’re filthy. Tobias will bring you something to eat when you are out of the shower,” Darius says before turning on his heel and walking out. He stops at the door, looking expectantly at Kalen, who turns around when Tobias touches his shoulder, nodding toward the door. Kalen leaves. He looked like he wanted to say something but kept it t o himself. They both go, and Tobias remains looking down at me. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Count yourself lucky we haven’t killed you yet Aleera, be careful not to give us reason too. Kalen may not want you dead, but the rest of us do; just remember that,” He says before walking out and closing the door behind him. I hear the lock click in place, so I don’t even bother checking it as I get u p and walk into the bathroom.

A shower sounds excellent. I hadn’t had a hot shower in god knows how long, usually washing in lakes or streams. It wasn’t the same. You never really felt clean with only cold water, and I was lucky to find soap when I could. I suppose that’s what happens when you leave the Fae community and are forced to live in the wilderness, amongst monsters never catching a whole night’s sleep with jerking awake at every noise.

Walking into the bathroom, I stopped in front of the mirror above the basin, making my brows furrow when I noticed it had five sinks. A shower took up an entire wall behind me, and there was a colossal bath that could easily fit five people in it comfortably that sat in the middle of the room. A toilet was in the far corner, and I wondered if they specifically made this room for the five of us before I ran.

Guilt gnaws at me as I place the shirt and towel on the basin before looking at myself in the mirror. I looked different from what I remembered. My face had changed; it was slimmer. I didn’t look like the same eighteen-year-old girl when I left the boarding school. Now I look older, drained of life. I was

skinnier, my hair dull and lifeless. It was so much longer now. I t used to sit on my shoulders now; it is halfway down my back, having grown out.

The door opens leading to the other room, and Kalen wanders in.

“There is shampoo and soap in the niches, spare toothbrush,” He walks over before bending down and opening the cupboards under the sink basin and reaching into it.

He pulls a hairbrush out and a toothbrush before handing them to me.

“Thank you,” I tell him, observing the man. He nods, and I hear talking in the room he just walked in here from.

“You all share a room?” Kalen looks at the door before he nods while looking back over at me.

“Strange, huh?” I shrug, unsure what other mates did when they had multiple. I stared at his neck, finding the same markings on his neck as I saw on Darius’s. Kalen places his hand over it, pulling my attention back to him.

“I should go. They won’t be pleased if they catch me talking to

you,”

I chew my lip as I watch him slip out of the bathroom. Turning back to the mirror, I peel off my hoodie and shirt before dumping them in the basket.

The clothes were stained and holey, but I wasn’t sure where m y bag was, and I believed I had left it behind in the city, vaguely remembering it slipping off my shoulder when I called on them. I unbuttoned my jeans and stepped out of them before unclipping my bra. I placed it on the sink basin, knowing I only had one.

Turning around, I hurry to the shower and turn it on, my hand placed under the water as I wait for the temperature to heat before stepping in. It was like heaven, and I sighed, bracing m y hands on the tiled wall—the dirt, grimé, and blood washing down the drain as I press my face under the spray.

Opening my eyes, I reach for the soap in the niche before slathering it on my skin. I didn’t want to get out but knew I had no choice; the effort it took to remain standing was becoming intolerable. Hunger made me feel weak and shaky; I needed to eat soon. The steam made me dizzy, and my hands hadn’t stopped shaking since I woke. Shutting off the shower, I jump when I hear a knock on the door before the handle twists.

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