The Lightest Dark (The Dark series Book 1) (5 page)

It was sometime later that I was pulled out of a strange dream about two ethereal beings telling me they were glad to have me home. One had hair that seemed as though it had been spun from gold. The other had hair that seemed as if it had been dipped in the night sky.

I lay there, contemplating why that might be for a moment. It wasn't until I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes that I realized what it was that had pulled me from the dream. I could hear footsteps and the sound of voices as they moved closer to where I was. It took a few minutes, but they were soon close enough for me to hear.

"Explain it to me again. I still don't understand how you could have lost her. She was sleeping on the couch one minute and the next she's on the edge of the forest? I don't buy it. She doesn't have speed. You should have been able to catch her the second she was off the couch. You had to have been distracted by something, or someone."

"Like I said before. My back was to her and she made no sound. Before you ask again, I have no idea how she made no sound. Nor do I know how she made it to the edge of the fae lands in a matter of seconds. I just know that she did. Now enough talking and more looking."

Dark and another man. From the sound of things, I think Dark might be in trouble, but I wasn't about to leave the safety of my hiding spot to find out if that was the case. Not after seeing what happened when he was irritated.

Who knows how he'd react in actual anger. No, I was definitely going to stay in this forest, in my tree and eat berries and nuts for as long as I could get away with it. I knew I'd eventually have to make my way back to the compound to get Ryan, but for now he was safer than me. At least I assumed so.

"Huh. That's strange. “A shot of terror ran down my spine at his voice so close. I shut my eyes, pulled my knees to my chest and tried to breathe as quietly as possible as I waited for them to pass.

"What's strange?"

"Does the stream look bigger to you?"

I heard a rustling and then the crunching of footfall headed in my direction. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, it looks about a foot wider. What's that to do with your girl?"

"Nothing, I just thought it was a bit strange is all. Maybe something opened up and it’s got a better water supply now." He paused and I could see him in my mind’s eye standing next to the stream with a guarded look on his face, his eyes scanning the area for anything out of place.

"Let's go check the caves, man. She has to be somewhere and that’s the only place left that I can think of."

Dark was silent for a moment. In my mind’s eye he had a contemplative look. I had to wonder if maybe I was really seeing him somehow, but shook it off. That was strange even for me. I didn’t even want to think about the ramifications of seeing people in my minds’ eye.

While it would probably be a useful skill, it felt too much like invading someone’s privacy. If you don’t see it that way, think about this. Would you really want to spy on someone, only to find them in the bathroom?

“Yeah, okay. Sounds like as good a place as any for her to stop and we’re running out of places she can hide."

"True. Although to be honest, I'm surprised your girl has lasted this long in here on her own. The fae don't usually take kindly to outsiders. They barely tolerate the rest of us half breeds. You seem to be the only exception. At least that I know of."

My ears perked as I listened to their voices fading. Fae? I heard Dark refer to this place as fae lands earlier, but I'd thought it was just a name. A fitting name, but a name all the same.

Did the Fae really live here, or was it just a name like I’d first thought? From the sound of it and how I’d felt since I stepped foot in here, I was incline to believe that they did. But if that was the case, where exactly did they live? I hadn’t seen a soul since I’d ran in here.

I knew nothing of the fae and from what I
had
read about them, neither did anyone else. I'd read everything from them being nymphs and forest spirits, to them descending from the Fallen and everything in between. I guess the only ones who might know the answers were the fae themselves.

If this is a fae dwelling, it could explain the random voices telling me the secrets of the forest. But if that's the case then why would they be favoring me?

As far as I knew, the statement about them being cruel to outsiders -humans especially- was about as close to the truth as you could get with the fae. I sat contemplating that in my tree for about another hour, or at least what felt like it. I half listened to the sounds outside as I did.

Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I decided it was finally safe to leave its shelter. I was starting to go a little stir-crazy with all of the thoughts in my head. A fresh drink of water and a bit splashed in my face might help with that.

One moment I'm opening the latch on the door I'd made, the next I'm flat on my back with Dark pinning me down to the makeshift bed. A healthy dose of fear and something I didn't want to name shot down my spine at how angry he appeared.

His amethyst eyes seemed to glow with his anger. I shut my own, a small whimper escaping my lips of its own accord. "Tell me something,
Candy
." His voice was whisper soft with a sprinkling of malice. "How is it you were able to run faster than me from the house making no sound?"

What?

I opened my eyes. His face held no hint of humor, while I was sure mine had confusion written all over it. I’d heard him say it to that guy earlier, but I thought he was saying it just to cover up the fact he’d been distracted by that other girl. I didn’t realize he’d been serious.

"What are you talking about? I don't have speed. Ryan does. As for the sound thing, I’m pretty sure me tripping over that blanket made some sound." At least I was pretty sure. It sounded loud to me, but things like that tend to be louder in your own ears. Especially when you’re trying to be quiet.

“I will concede that I might not have been paying attention to the sounds in the room given my agitation at that time, but I am not a fool and I know what I saw. You went much faster than your brother in that field. So how about we try this again. This time don't lie to me!"

I wanted to sink into the floor to get away from how much anger he was projecting. Honestly I hadn’t that much focus to do it at the moment, or I really would have. "I'm not. I- did I really run that fast?" I felt the same fear that had sent me into fight-or-flight mode earlier, but now I was also feeling a bit of shock to numb the impulse.

He searched my face. I guess he found whatever he was looking for because the anger started to subside. He took a deep breath, "Okay.” His eyes narrowed, “Let's try a different one.
Why
did you run?"

I had to be careful with how I answered this. I didn't want him to know I'd been awake the whole time. A piece of advice my mother gave me a long time ago popped into my head. I hadn't understood at the time, but it seemed relevant now.

If you need to lie, it's always best to stick as close to the truth as possible. That way if they say something later, you'll know what the heck they're talking about instead of getting caught red-handed.

"If you'd heard a sudden crash and saw a man with silver vines pulsing as if they were veins on the outside of his body, along with a pair of intimidating wings standing over a pair of slender legs sticking out from a smashed table, how would you react? You would run in fear that that same man might turn that anger on you."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't contradict me. Instead he took a moment to look around him. Shock lit up his face, momentarily distracting him. Had I not been so scared of this man a moment before, I might have laughed. "Where did those hooks and this bedding come from?"

I said nothing, although I wasn't sure if he was actually expecting a response. It sounded rhetorical. He looked me over, a heat in his eyes that had been absent before. Or maybe I’d just been ignoring it. Denial is a powerful thing after all.

I was kind of grateful for the shirt I was wearing, not to mention the one he was wearing now. The question of how he got it on was enough to distract me, even if I knew what was under it.

“I’m guessing there's quite a bit more to you than you let be seen. More than you showed me when we were together, that’s for sure. I find myself with an urge to go exploring. What other interesting things have you been hiding from me?”

I narrowed my eyes at him as he started to twirl a strand of my hair around his forefinger. He started to stroke it in a soft motion bringing it to his nose and inhaling. He'd only been bold enough to do this one other time and even then he hadn't looked at me in such an animalistic way.

At this point, it was finally starting to sink in that he was definitely not the good-looking, thoughtful, romantic eighteen-year-old boy I’d known. Instead he’d become a stranger with a familiar face. The fact that I'd known him made the shift in personality that much more pronounced.

He was no longer predictable.

I had to come to terms with that and stop thinking he would never hurt me. At this point as far as I knew, he very well might. The way he'd reacted earlier just reinforced the point. While that girl may have pissed him off, he could have handle it better than throwing her into a table.

That was his first instinct and he went with it. I wasn’t sure what that said about him as a person now, but it had to mean something. So while I thought about ignoring that statement to keep the peace, I also realized I couldn’t resist a jab.

I knew I was essentially poking a sleeping bear, but sometimes the benefit is greater than the consequences. At least from a before standpoint. “From what I remember, our relationship was mostly created out of lust. You don't share your deepest darkest secrets with someone you’re in lust with."

Instead of getting angry like I thought he would, he laughed at me. "Yes, we were always good in that department. Still, I know I felt quite a bit more than lust. That at least warrants a few not so important details on occasion. Don't you think?"

I could feel myself getting angry. I knew I was going to have to make a concerted effort to keep it in check lest I say something
too
out of line. I'd really rather not have to piece myself back together after I pissed off Dark. Still, I had to say something, or he was going to think I was okay with him disrespecting me.

"I have news for you Dark. Had you stuck around you might have learned all my secrets. Instead you chose to keep some of your own and run from reality. You ended up turning into the very same creatures you used to despise. So how does it feel to be a hypocritical jackass?”

Again, instead of getting angry like I thought he would, he laughed. "I was beginning to think you'd lost all your fire since I'd been gone. Good to know you still have a bit of bite. It's going to make taming you that much sweeter."

I gave him a defiant look. "And what if I don't want to be tamed?"

"That will just make it all the more fun. Now, as much as I'd like to show you how much in this mysterious bed, we need to get back to the house. This forest is unsafe for you." Before I could so much as blink he had me up, out of the tree and in his arms. Once again my hands were bound in rope.

He started walking, when suddenly there was a man in our way. He stood eye to eye with Dark's 6"2 height. From his body language it felt almost like he was daring Dark to move and see what he'd do to him.

He was wearing strange clothing, had golden skin that seemed to be glowing, a muscular body that spoke of hard work, sky blue eyes, and black hair like Dark, although slightly different.

Where Dark's hair seemed like it had been dipped in ink, this man's hair seemed as though it had been dipped in the night sky.

It reminded me of the strange dream I'd woken from not that long ago. He turned his eyes to me, softening them quite a bit. "It was not an ordinary dream, sweet Princess. You have in fact come home."

I sucked in a breath, my eyes going wide, "You can hear my thoughts?"

He smiled. "Not direct thoughts, no. It's more I can feel the impression of them. If the thought is centered on certain feelings like anger, happiness, disbelief. I get a general feel for what you might be thinking. Years of practice have made me better at interpreting."

"Oh. I don't know if that's any better, but okay." My voice sounded small and unsure. I leaned back into Dark away from this new man. After all, they says it’s better the devil you know than the one you don’t.

He shifted back to Dark pinning him with a glare that would have had my fight or flight instinct kicking in we're it directed at me. As it stood it had me squirming in Dark's arms. "Delano- I'm sorry,
Dark
Kerrigan. I believe you are taking someone who belongs to us, and we'd like her back."

He said Dark's name as if he were mocking him.

By the look on his face, I'm pretty sure Dark wanted to tear him part. I'm also sure, had I not been in his arms, he might have attempted it. At least I knew I was important enough to keep unharmed. I just hoped that would last long enough for me to get away from him… again.

"She is not yours. You lie. It must be a trick for her being in the forest. You and yours always lie." He pulled me tighter to him as if this man might rip me out of his arms at any second.