Page 48 of Craving Darkness

I shook my head, then pushed myself up on my elbow so I could peer down into his eyes. “No, Valen, not me. But I will agree that together, we are stronger.” I swallowed then, and forced myself to continue past the last bit of my fear of rejection. “I’m glad you’re my mate. And I need you to know that I love you, too. I guess my human half is telling me it’s too soon, but the other half of me knows that it’s fated and it’s real.”

Before I could say another word, Valen pushed up, rolling me onto my back again, and kissed me breathless. No more words needed to be said between us. We let our bodies and hearts do all the speaking that needed to be said. We moved together, our only sounds were the ones of passion.

When the knock on the door came, telling us it was time to head back to the airplane, we were dressed and holding onto each other, just relishing being in each other’s arms.

Epilogue

Valen

Iheld onto Kallista’s hand as we were ushered into a large home that seemed to be built in the middle of nowhere. There was a large wall surrounding the place with guards watching over everything like sentries.

Crispin had been very vague from the moment we’d stepped on the plane in the middle of the night. The only thing he would say was that he was sure I would want to meet whoever owned the giant fortress.

We were led into a large room by an older woman who I was certain was another demon, though I couldn’t place what kind. She had smiled warmly at Kallista but froze for a moment when she first saw me, swiftly moving her gaze to Crispin, who had merely nodded once at her. She shook her head after glancing back at me. I wanted to demand what was going on, but Crispin gestured for me to follow the woman as she walked further inside the home while muttering to herself too low for me to understand.

It wasn’t until we stepped into the room filled with comfortable furniture and baby toys that I began to understand. It was Kallista’s gasp of surprise that made me finally react to what was in front of me.

The man stood from his seat as I froze, my body going rigid. A low rumble spilled from my chest as I pulled my mate behind me protectively. When a young woman with long white-blonde hair holding a young infant let out a similar gasp to my mate’s and reached out to grasp the man’s hand, he reacted the same as I had. He had tugged her back gently before stepping in front of her and the child as if to shield her from me.

At Crispin’s chuckle, we both turned in his direction to glare at him. “Varek, I’d like you to meet Valen. Valen, this is Varek.” He gestured with his hand toward each of us in turn. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet since I’m fairly certain you are brothers.”

At his words, everyone who wasn’t already standing shot to their feet. It was the first time I noticed there were other people in the room. I sensed they were also demons, and my instinct to protect my mate became my only need at that moment. I wrapped my arms around her and turned, ready to rush out of the house, feeling my heart begin to race with an emotion I wasn’t willing to name.

Crispin stopped my retreat, stepping in front of me. I growled at him, baring my teeth in warning. It was only Kallista’s comforting touch on my chest as she turned to face me that stopped me from doing something I’d regret to my oldest friend.

“Valen,” she whispered as she craned her neck back to stare at me with wide eyes. “Please wait. I think he’s right.”

I blinked down at her, the fog of anger clearing from my mind as I took in her beauty. I looked back at Crispin as he waited with a patient expression. Then I looked over my shoulder to see the small woman holding the baby, comforting the other man in much the same way. I met the man’s eyes as he looked up from her to stare back at me.

We just took each other in for a long moment before I looked back down at my mate and gave her a nod. She smiled up at me, the warmth in her smile causing some of the tension in my body to melt. Together, we turned back to the couple and waited.

“I used to know Valen from back when I was a human,” Crispin began as he walked forward, moving further into the room and taking a seat on one of the chairs. “It took me a minute after seeing him again, but the more I looked at him, the more it became obvious.” He looked between us again, then sighed. “If you aren’t brothers, I’d be astonished.”

One of the demons who had jumped to his feet in shock snorted in amusement and sat back down, relaxing and spreading his arms over the back of the couch. I continued to stare at the other man as he watched me back, both of our expressions carefully blank.

“If that isn’t the understatement of the century.” The other one sat down as well, looking intrigued.

The blonde woman cleared her throat and prompted, “Varek?”

He glanced back down at her before sighing and squeezing her hand gently. He looked back at me then took a few steps forward until we were only a couple of paces apart. My mind tried to fight it, but there was no denying the resemblance between us. We had the same build, the same eyes, the same color hair.

I felt Kallista release my hand and take a step away. I wanted to pull her back into my side, realizing I needed the comfort and reassurance of her presence, but instead, I swallowed and then stepped forward. I lifted my hand and watched as he did the same. As we touched, a feeling of vertigo swept through me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and we grasped each other tightly.

Memories assailed my mind, rushing in like a flood, some clear, but many were seen as though through a dense fog. As scenes from the distant past continued to fill my mind, I could sense someone entering the room.

“Varek, I need to talk to you—” The words cut off abruptly and I opened my eyes, a slight sensation of dizziness causing me to sway. Varek and I stared, the expressions between us no longer guarded.

“Brother,” I rasped out.

“Brother,” he replied in the same strangled tone.

Gasps and murmurs could be heard around the room, though I couldn’t have placed by whom. All I could focus on at the moment was the brother I had been forced to forget.

“I see you already know.” Together, we turned toward the man who had entered the room. He was tall and had the same white-blond hair as my brother’s mate. He crossed his arms as he studied the two of us standing side by side. “My memories started coming back a few days ago,” he said grimly. “I could barely grasp them before they started to fade again. But they suddenly came rushing back, clearer than before. But I see you already know.”

He looked at me from head to toe, taking in my boots and leather jacket. As I looked at him, there was a vague recognition, but it was as if I were looking through distorted glass, my memories still unclear. “Pestilence,” he said. I nodded, my existence finally making sense. “You need to find your brothers,” he said, glancing between us. Varek and I both nodded.

“Famine,” I said, a hint of anger in my tone.