“More color in it?” he said before his brows pinched together.
“Well, that is new. Since when do I have color in my aura?” I asked him, knowing mine was usually a smokey gray color.
“Since you took the shadows from Aleera,” he shrugged.
“Well, she is our keeper. I suppose her aura would be vastly different.”
“I swear I saw something in hers, though. Hers was different, something about it—”
“You were manic, Kalen. You know you see weird things when you are like that.”
He nodded when I tried to feel for his aura. His was surprisingly stable. I couldn’t see it but felt it was the most transparent it had ever been. Like he was before he tried to kill himself the first time… before the shadows clung to him.
“You took your meds?” I asked him, and he looked down at his hands. I placed my knee on the bed beside him, forcing him back as I crawled on top of him.
“Is that a no?” I asked, nipping at his lips. His hands went to my sides and under my shirt. Sparks rushed across my skin when he tugged me closer, so I was pressed between his legs. His breathing became heavier, and I inhaled his scent deeply before kissing him. He tasted sweet, not as sweet as Aleera’s blood, but I swear I could taste her on him.
Like she had tainted him in some way. Kalen responded to my kiss instantly. His tongue played with mine when I pulled away and kissed down his jaw and neck. I could feel his pulse under my tongue as I licked his mark, and I pressed my lips together when I felt my fangs slip out.
“Tobias?” Kalen murmured, and I heard his heart rate pick up, sensing the cologne of his fear seep from his pores. I shook my head and pulled away. He stared at me worriedly, and I pushed myself off him.
“I will go get Aleera for you,” I told him before hopping off the bed and walking out. What was wrong with me? My fangs refused to retract as I moved toward her door. I could hear her cursing under her breath through the door, and I sucked in a breath, trying to will my hunger down, trying to control the bloodlust as it tried to consume me.
Thinking it was under control, I pushed her door open and closed it behind me, but the moment her scent hit me, a growl escaped me. Aleera looked at me startled and stood up, yet all I could hear was her blood pumping through her veins. She gasped as I pinned her against the dresser and buried my face in her neck. A hungered growl escaped me when she dropped her chin, trying to stop me from getting to her neck. Her words were not registering as she spoke in what I could tell was a panicked tone. My fangs grazed over her skin, and my mouth watered at the delicious scent permeating her.
“Tobias!”
Chapter 33
Aleera
“Tobias!” I shrieked, droppingmy neck when I felt his teeth slice over my flesh. He growled, and his grip on my arms was so strong I thought he would break my bones.
I lifted my knee between his legs when I felt his teeth prick into my skin. He groaned and clutched his manhood. The feral snarling growl that left him made my eyes widen, and I shoved him away from me, glancing around and looking for something to use to defend myself. I grabbed the poker for the fireplace and brandished it as a weapon.
“Kalen!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Tobias lunged at me, and I jumped on top of my bed before jumping to the other side.
“Aleera?” Kalen yelled and banged on the door. It was locked when I felt the shudder of a portal opening up. Gosh, how I wish I could do that; it would be handy in a situation like this. Kalen appeared behind him, stepping into the room. His eyes were wide as he took in the scene. Tobias turned and growled at him before his eyes flicked back to me.
“Tobias, you need to focus on me,” Kalen murmured with his hands out like he was trying to cage a wounded animal. Yet Tobias’s eyes didn’t waver from mine. Almost like he was locked on my scent and in a trance. I had heard of it at school but had never seen someone blood-crazed before. He was tracking my every movement.
Kalen tackled him, but Tobias moved too quickly, and Kalen hit the ground before I was tossed through the air. I didn’t even see him grab me, only felt his nails slice into my soft flesh as he yanked on my arm. I smacked into the bathroom door when I felt his teeth slice into my upper arm like a savage as he pounced on me.
My scream echoed off the walls, and I noticed Kalen get up off the floor and shake himself. His head turned in my direction, and I reckoned the horror on his face mirrored mine. Kalen rushed over when another portal opened up in my tiny room, and Darius stepped in. He quickly assessed what was going on just as Lycus walked in behind him seconds later. I grunted when Tobias jerked me forward, his teeth sinking into my shoulder. Lycus growled and shoved Kalen through the portal while Darius gripped Tobias’s shoulder and threw him backward. His teeth were torn painfully from my skin, ripping off a chunk of my flesh.
Tobias snarled and tried to attack him. Lycus intercepted just as Darius grabbed me, shoving me through the open portal. I gasped at the sudden movement. The air wheezed from my lungs as I fell through it into a new room. I landed on top of Kalen, knocking the wind out of him.
The room tilted a little, and I rolled off him and looked at the ceiling, trying to catch my breath as I sucked in deep breaths. He attacked me, and the only thing I could think of was, what if Darius and Lycus hadn’t arrived? Or what if Kalen had no magic to portal in? Banging and growls could be heard from the room next door, and I sat up and looked around at my surroundings.
The room was dim; the only light provided came from the lamps that sat on either side of the enormous bed, which had to be the size of two kings.
“Are you alright?” Kalen asked me, and my head whipped in the direction of his voice. Kalen looked me over, and I glanced down to see blood gushing down my arm and spilling onto the black stained floorboards. I nodded, not knowing what to say. I felt cold, freezing, and Kalen moved toward me and gripped my arms. My head felt foggy, and my stomach woozy.
“You’re shaking,” Kalen murmured.
You would be, too, if someone tried to eat you and drain you of your blood. The banging in the other room slowly stopped when Lycus walked in through the bathroom door.
His hands gripped my arms, and the shock must have worn off because I threw up. Lycus looked down at his knees and shirt covered in bile since I had nothing in my stomach. Kalen gripped my hair as I retched when Lycus moved, picking me up. At first, I thought he was about to lose it because I threw up all over him, but instead, he scooped me up in one swift movement and walked me into the bathroom. My head was spinning, and I was still bleeding profusely. I could feel the blood draining out of me as I fought to remain conscious.