The Warlock Who Hungered for a Demon (11 page)

guards, but not too many. Tyrell had always underestimated Noah,

and tonight, that would work for Noah’s advantage. The room also

had two doors, which could come in handy should he need to escape.

“I do understand your vision,” he said. “That’s why I must stop

you.”

He knew better than to prolong this further. Any moment now,

Tyrell would get tired of teasing him and attack. Tyrell was like a cat

playing with a mouse, but Noah would never be helpless prey. Even if

what he was about to do made him sick to his stomach, he could not

hesitate.

Noah narrowed his eyes at his father and focused on the spell

he’d prepared beforehand. Black magic, forbidden magic. It had

taken quite a while to find an incantation that wouldn’t require runes

and materials he couldn’t carry around without being discovered. It

was one of the most dangerous spells of this nature and could end up

hurting him as well, but there could be no turning back now.

As he started to murmur the words of the curse, there were gasps

of shock all around. Tyrell’s eyes widened, and he cast a spell of his

own, putting up a shield meant to block Noah’s power. But Noah was

ready for that. He knew his father’s skills well and, with the aid of the

black magic, he found a tiny crack in the defensive spell, shattering it

into a million pieces.

“You’re going to pay for that, brat!” Tyrell shouted at him.

Noah just smiled bitterly. “Maybe, but you’re not the one who’s

going to make me do so.”

Tyrell’s power slammed against Noah’s. Under normal

circumstances, Noah wouldn’t have been able to defeat his father, but

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the black magic was fueled by his hate, his anger, every emotion he’d

hidden within himself since growing up as a motherless child. He’d

chosen this path because he knew Tyrell tended to use forbidden

magic as well, and while he was well aware it might make him as bad

as the older warlock, he didn’t want anyone to have to suffer through

what he had. The children of the coven deserved normal, happy lives,

away from a despot that would use them for his own purposes.

As they dueled, the witches and warlocks that had been present in

the room gaped at them, obviously uncertain whether to intervene. In

the end, the guards jumped in, making an effort to break Noah’s

concentration. But Noah was, after all, Tyrell’s son, and he’d waited

for this for a long, long time. He unraveled their spells with ease,

allowing the righteous fury growing within him to expand the

intensity of the spell. “Leave now,” Noah told them as darkness

started to fall over the room. “If you don’t want to die with him, leave

now.”

The guards obeyed, scattering and taking Tabitha with them,

doors slamming behind them as they fled. Only Noah and Tyrell

remained in the room, still locked within their battle. For a few

moments, it seemed like they were evenly matched, but in the end,

Noah’s will and despair won out. The darkness of the black magic

crushed Tyrell’s spell, and screams of agony filled the room as the

power went out of control, tearing flesh, ripping off tendons, breaking

bones.

Finally, the screams stopped, and Noah fell to his knees, feeling

drained. The first thing he did was empty the contents of his stomach.

Fuck, what had he done? How was this in any way better from his

father’s way of doing things?

He only snapped out of his trance when the door to Noah’s right

opened, revealing Tabitha and a couple more witches. “What have

you done?” Tabitha screeched.

Noah was too exhausted to fight her. He decided that, for the

moment, he would make his escape and return once everyone got over

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the shock. As Noah shot to his feet, though, he caught sight of a child

hiding behind his parents. Noah knew his name was Daire. As

innocent eyes took in the destruction Noah had wrought, Noah also

realized that what he’d done today could not be justified through

anything. He’d tainted himself and this coven through patricide. He

had no hope left, except the wish that this, at least, would not be for

naught.

* * * *

Noah stood by the Sidhe king’s side, watching as his father’s

forces were subdued. Tyrell had decided on a plan aiming to possess

the body of the as-of-yet-unborn heir of the Sidhe, but he’d been

ambushed here by a contingent of forces. Both Sidhe and shifters had

come together to stop Tyrell. Naturally, Noah had joined them, since

he needed to finish what he had begun.

Aria Marrow, his father’s werewolf familiar, was surrounded, and

had abandoned Tyrell on the floor. It saddened Noah deeply to see the

broken figure of the boy he still remembered. This was his fault, his

fault for leaving the coven after he’d killed Tyrell. Because of his

mistakes, Daire’s body had been used as a vessel for Tyrell’s soul.

But today, he would make things right, no matter what.

Closing his eyes, Noah summoned the image of Daire in his mind.

He felt Sterling assisting him, guiding him, giving him the power he

needed to navigate through the labyrinths of life and death. Finally,

just when Noah feared that he might fail, he found what he’d been

searching for, Daire’s abandoned essence. He lay curled into a ball,

in a void where nothing else existed except the ghosts of other lost

souls.

“What do you want with me?”
Daire asked in a small, lost voice.

“Leave me alone.”

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71

“I want to make things right,”
Noah said.
“I know that what I did

caused you to suffer great pain, but you have a chance to go back. We

can give you your body back.”

Daire eyed him with great suspicion
. “But…But
he
has it. No, I

can’t.”

“Will you let him win, Daire?”
Noah asked. “
You have a life

ahead of yourself. You’re brave and smart and with so much

potential. I will help you with your powers, but you must believe and

come back to us.”

He almost thought Daire would refuse him, but surprisingly,

Daire nodded and extended his hand. The moment their fingers

touched, Noah was propelled back into reality. When his vision

cleared, he realized Daire’s ghostly figure had appeared next to him.

By now, his father had realized what they planned. “You can’t do

this,” he screamed. “You can’t.”

“Oh, but I can,” Sterling shot back. Leaning toward Daire, he

murmured, “Go, child. Don’t be afraid of him. He is powerful, but we

are with you. We won’t let him hurt you again.”

A tight fist clenched around Noah’s heart when Daire dared to

smile uncertainly. The little ghost released Noah’s hand and stepped

forward. And then, Sterling cast the spell that would facilitate the soul

transfer. Noah joined with his own magic, offering Daire his full

support, banishing his father’s essence from Daire’s body. Another

scream sounded, ripping at Noah with near-physical strength.

But it was all over before he knew it. Daire was back, and Tyrell

had vanished. Somewhere in front of Noah, Aria Marrow’s son, Paris,

knelt by his mother’s now-still body, and Noah realized that

unfortunately, Tyrell’s death had killed her as well.

One more casualty in the war he himself had started. If only he’d

been able to find another way. If only he’d had enough courage to try

to rescue his father. But he hadn’t, and now, those screams, Daire’s

pain, and Paris’s loss would haunt him for all time. How would he

even be able to face Rhys after this? Fuck, just the thought made him

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sick to his stomach. He had torn apart so many things. The last thing

he wanted was to do the same to the incubus.

Alas, this time around, Noah’s hands were tied, and he had no

choice but to follow the path he’d already picked for himself. His

punishment already awaited him. He only hoped he would not drag

anyone else down with him.

* * * *

As Noah opened his eyes, he looked at Rhys, waiting to see the

incubus’s reaction. Much to his dismay, tears were flowing freely

down Rhys’s cheeks, his gaze filled with heartbreak, love, and

compassion.

“Why? Why did you keep this from me?”

“I just wanted to protect you, baby,” Noah replied. He didn’t want

Rhys to hate him, but receiving Rhys’s pity was almost as bad. How

could Noah hope to be a good mate for Rhys when he couldn’t even

protect his lover from his own dark nature? “You deserve better.”

“I already have what I wanted most in the world.” Rhys wiped his

eyes and smiled slightly. “But you know, the two of us are quite a

pair. I wanted to shelter you from seeing my demon side. I thought

you would be disgusted by it, by my hunger.”

“Never!” Noah replied impassionedly. “I would never hold

something like that against you. It’s just a part of you, and a beautiful

one at that.”

“If you think that, why don’t you realize I feel the same way about

you?” Rhys’s fingers dug into Noah’s arms, as if the incubus was

trying to make him see the truth by forcing it into his mind. Noah was

distantly aware that in this place, he shouldn’t be experiencing

physical pain, but this was as real as his bond with Rhys, as genuine

as the emotions Noah had allowed himself to relive.

“Do you believe I’m incapable of giving you the same courtesy

you’ve given me?” Rhys insisted.

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73

“Being a demon is not shameful, Rhys,” Noah told his mate.

“Being a killer is.”

“You’re so stubborn.” Rhys hugged Noah tightly. “Look into my

heart, Noah, and see yourself through my eyes. Then you will know

who you are.”

Without giving Noah the chance to protest, Rhys pressed his lips

to Noah’s. Noah felt a different presence there, Kieve urging him on,

helping him grasp what he needed to in order to save himself.

Noah instinctively resisted, but Rhys’s presence shattered his

resolve. Following Rhys’s urge, Noah forced himself to open his

mind. It was hard since everything inside him screamed that he should

keep Rhys from the ugliness inside him. But Rhys would not be

denied. Surrounded in the cocoon of Kieve’s magic, Noah felt Rhys’s

incubus abilities crack the shell that had protected his heart.

At the same time, Rhys revealed his emotions, showing

everything he was and he felt to Noah. Noah had caught glimpses of it

before, when they made love, when their bodies and minds became

one. But this was different. It was like he’d been shown a treasure

he’d deliberately blinded himself from. At a deep, subconscious level,

he had refused to acknowledge the extent of Rhys’s love for him, but

now…Now, everything was different.

As Rhys’s love washed over him, Noah saw himself once more in

the same memories that had haunted him. He understood them

through a new perspective, through Rhys’s mind. He could not fully

abandon his regret, but in Rhys’s affection, he found forgiveness. All

of a sudden, a burst of bright light exploded within Noah, making a

whirlpool of emotions swell within him, past, present, and future

coming together to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

When he came to, he realized they were back in the pixie grove.

The clouds had vanished, but Noah didn’t doubt that what he’d

experienced was real. He felt cleansed, at last understanding his true

mistakes. Yes, he hurt because he’d been forced to kill his father, but

he couldn’t turn back time to change that, in the same way that he

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