Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
Caelen leaned against a tree, his legs threatening to give out.
Curse it all.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this weak. This... human. How disgusting. Stabilizing the barrier at the theater had taken more power out of him than he had anticipated.
At least he'd managed to hide his weakness before Knox, and before Daniel as well.
The thought of Daniel brought the sting of rejection back to his mind.
How could the human not understand what they had?
Look at yourself, spoke a voice in his mind, one that sounded much fainter now than it usually did. No one could love what you've become. But we don't require love. Love is a weakness.
Caelen knew this to be true.
But still, his chest ached, and for once, the pain felt purely his own. Strange, how being drained of power left him feeling more like himself. More like the person he'd been before.
No. Best not to think of before.
He had made his choices long ago. He would not regret them now.
He'd feel better once he'd replenished his energy. There'd be no more room for these doubts, for these silly emotions to creep in.
Do it quickly, the faint voice in his mind whispered.
He looked ahead of himself and found the edge of a forest. When he'd teleported away from Daniel, he'd let himself be pulled to an area with magic seeping through the cracks in reality. A zone of overlap. He could use it to charge up enough to feel like himself again. To feel like the Shadow King again.
Movement caught his eye. A young woman walked along the edge of the zone, completely oblivious to the danger. The air around her shimmered, ready to swallow her whole.
By all the Gods, why did humans have to be so stupid?
Could she not see the danger right in front of her?
Caelen pushed off the tree. "Stop!" His voice came out sharp, and the woman turned to him. She took something out of her ears.
"Is there a problem, mister?"
"You don't want to head into those woods."
She shot him an incredulous look and kept right on walking.
Caelen really should have abandoned her to her fate. Stupidity like that deserved to be punished, but when she stepped too close to the danger zone, Caelen grabbed her and pulled her back. "No," he said as if he were talking to a misbehaving animal, and truly, this human wasn't much more than that. "Stay."
Her eyes widened in outrage.
Caelen pointed at the tree just in front of them. Its bark had started to distort and flicker. In some spots, it had become see-through.
"What the fuck?" The woman stared at the distorting tree, her face pale.
Caelen's lips curled. Now the human saw how stupid she was. She didn't thank Caelen for saving her, but that was well enough.
She shouldn't.
For all their dangers, the woods might have been kinder to her than the predator who held her now. Already, Caelen felt power flow into him. The darkness in him called it through the cracks, and the more power flowed into him…
"You should leave," he told the woman, though he made no move to release her arm.
Her pulse fluttered beneath his fingers like a trapped bird. Such vitality. Such life force, ready to be claimed.
He closed his eyes as magic restored him to his true self. No longer the weak, helpless half-fae he'd once been. He opened himself to all the energy this zone could offer him. The rush was immediate, intoxicating. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
Take what you need , whispered the voice in his mind, stronger now. Take everything .
The woman must have seen something change in his face because she tried to pull away. "Let go of me!"
Caelen's grip tightened. The part of him that had lowered himself to protect her mere moments ago grew quiet, buried beneath an ancient, familiar hunger.
He couldn't have held back if he'd wanted to.
Power sang through his veins as he drained the woman's energy, her life force feeding both him and the dark god that owned his soul.
When he finally released her, she crumpled to the ground, barely breathing but alive.
He hadn't killed her.
Why, he couldn't say.
You're growing soft , the voice chided. Kissing the human has made you weak .
Daniel. The thought of him sparked something possessive and dark.
Daniel wanted to reject him?
Ridiculous.
Daniel was his mate. His. The bond between them wasn't something Daniel could simply deny, no matter how much he tried to fight it.
He will yield , the voice agreed. We will make him understand .
Caelen smiled, shadows curling around him like obedient servants. Yes, Daniel would understand. One way or another.