Page 20 of Summer's Seduction
“You… read my thoughts?” She breathed the question into life, spoken more to herself than to me.
“No,” I said. “I don’t know of any dark one who possesses that gift. I certainly don’t.” Cocking my head to the side, I studied every shift of emotion across her face, watching as her haunted gaze did the same to me. “The surge of emotion comes from feeding on another dark one. I’ve never lost control before, but your power of persuasion is infinite…”
My voice trailed off as her face paled and her body swayed. I caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her in my arms as a thin sheen of sweat dotted her brow.
“Don’t touch me,” she growled, shoving against my chest. It was weak, lacking the strength her punches held just moments prior. She needed to feed.
“You’d rather I let you fall?” I snapped, gripping her tighter as she wiggled.
“Yes.”
“Fine,” I said, letting her scramble out of my touch. She managed to stay on her feet, but just barely. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” she asked, eyes narrowed. “Like you assaulted me?”
I shook my head, jaw flexing as I ignored the barb. “If Poseidon hadn’t been seconds away from raping you, I’d never would have touched you without your permission.”
“And my memories? My emotions?” she countered, nostrils flaring. “Was that needed to sell the story of me being your bloodwhore or just a bonus you’d thought to take?”
“You know as well as I do that an exchange is unavoidable when feeding from our kind. I could have lied to you and said it was minimal, but I thought it important you know the truth in case of any exchanges in the future.”
“There is no future for us, bloodwhore or not,” she said, her voice low.
“Not for me,” I said, exacerbated. “For you, when you need to feed from me. Gods below, you’re acting as if—as if you’ve never fed from another dark one.”
Understanding blared through me, confirmed when Larkspur lifted her chin and said, “I told you I’d never been bitten before.”
“Never being bitten is very different from never feeding.”
“My apologies,” Larkspur taunted, offering me a mock curtsy as her dark cloak billowed around her. “There weren’t a lot of dark ones available while I was held prisoner in The Earth Coven by the psycho-bitch Demeter.”
Gods below, could this night get any worse?Bowing my head, I spoke softly, realizing just how far my betrayal had gone. She must’ve been taken young or raised in The Realm of The Living if her family hadn’t taught her the foundations of being a dark one. How much did she not know about our own kind?
“Feeding from mortals or even other creatures in The Dark Faction can sustain you, but it is like a human surviving off stale bread and water. You will fatigue quicker and need to feed more often. Over time, if you aren’t maintaining a steady influx of blood from other dark ones, your innate abilities as a Child of The Night can weaken. If you truly have never fed from another, it stands to reason your abilities may have been suppressed entirely.”
“You said it yourself. My affinity for persuasion is strong.”
I shook my head. “Persuasion isn’t common among dark ones.” My eyes dipped to the fresh scar over her neck where I’d bitten her. “Though I suppose you do have our talent for healing.”
“Thank the gods,” Larkspur muttered, drawing up her cloak. After a long moment, she spoke. “So, what now? Did Hades send you here to drag me back to The Dark Palace? It didn’t sound like Zeus was too happy about your father running free.”
“Zeus is paranoid and jealous,” I said, my lips pressing thin.
“And powerful,” she added.
“Yes,” I conceded. “A deadly combination. He’s issued Lord Hades a warning. If he or Persephone leave The Underworld, it will be seen as an act of war.”
“Interesting,” my little monster murmured, her mind already spinning a new web. “And Hypnos? If Hecate is right, which she always is, Hypnos has managed to affect those in The Realm of The Living. Despite Hypnos being from this realm, Zeus wants us to just… sit this one out?”
“Yes and no. He doesn’t want Hades to gain any more worshipers, which means that a power shift is already in swing and making him nervous. By containing Lord Hades in our realm, Zeus effectively forces him to fight a battle in the front while his enemy is fed supplies through the back. Zeus wouldhave this war long and bloody, weakening not only Lord Hades but The Underworld and The Realm of The Living.”
“Leaving The Above unscathed and humans desperate,” Larkspur said, shaking her head. “Let me guess; his Royal Darkness doesn’t think stalking through The Darklands is a good idea when this gruesome war looms on the horizon?”
“On the contrary,” I said, feeling the tug of a genuine smirk tilt the edges of my lips. “A trip to the north is just what we need.”
LARKSPUR
“Ican’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I grumbled, feeling like a child as Morpheus tucked me tighter into his chest. Chilly air whooshed past as the night sky lightened with the promise of sunrise. “I had things under control.”