Darkest Temptation (The Dark Ones Saga 4)

Oh God, I’d hurt her.

I hurt everyone.

I scrambled backward, my head knocking against the wall as I tried to swipe the blood off me, but there was so much, and I still wanted it.

I wanted all of it.

Wasteful.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Serenity finally came out of her paralyzed state. When she looked at me, it wasn’t a look filled with fear.

It was a look filled with disgust.

I disgusted her.

I disgusted myself.

This was why I’d been taken from my parents.

Why I’d stopped being King.

An abomination.

A fool.

“I’m—” Damn it. I couldn’t even get the words out; my voice sounded all wrong — gruff, loud — like it wasn’t me speaking at all. “I don’t understand.”

Cassius let out a long heavy sigh that shook the room with its force before his wings pointed down and then disappeared behind his back. “Timber, take Serenity upstairs—”

“No!” I roared, as if I had a reason to keep her by my side, protecting her, harming her, nearly ending her life. “She’s…” Stunned, I tried to erase the word from my mind, from my very existence.

“Mate. Mate. Mate,” my blood chanted.

Hell, I could hear her heart begin to pound; mine raced right along with her. I’d just somehow sealed our fates. I should have known all along it would be my lack of control that would do it.

I should have known.

I closed my eyes. “Go.”

“Mason—” She opened her eyes.

“Just go.”

I felt her disappointment in the air like a crackle of sadness splitting us in two, separating our hearts when all they ever wanted were to be next to each other.

I was losing my damn mind.

Once Timber and Serenity were gone, Cassius took one look at me and scowled. “You need to be more careful next time.”

“Tell me I heard you wrong.” I snorted. “There will be no next time. It was a mistake. I just… I’ve been having weird—” I gulped. “—weird cravings.”

Cassius sniffed the air. “Half lie. More omission than anything. Alright, I’ll bite.” He grinned at his own joke.

I just covered my face with my hands and prayed he’d kill me and get it over with.

“How long have you been having these… cravings?”