As Darkness Falls by Riley Storm

Chapter Three

Lars stood at the entrance of the domed chamber, cautious of what he saw going on inside. Teeth clenched, I watched as his eyes surveyed the chamber, glancing over my naked body, frowning slightly when they encountered Vir, and continuing on to the lump in the corner that was his half-burned son.

That last one was my fault. I remembered the feeling, the surge of anger and power as it flowed through me when I blasted Johnathan with the purple energy that still swirled around the chamber, with me at its core. Well, Vir and me. He was still at my side.

Thinking it over, it was obvious to any logical being that Johnathan didn’t bear all of the responsibility for what had happened. After all, he was just obeying orders. Orders from his father. The man standing in front of me.

To my mind, it seemed only fair that the punishment should fit the crime. I reached out with my mind and invited the power in, the purple energy once more filling my body near the breaking point, the very fibers of my skin straining to keep it contained.

It felt good to have such power in my grasp. To know that I no longer needed to run, or hide, from those who might be stronger than me.

“Leave us, Lars,” I growled.

In hindsight, my naked, blood-covered form lying on the cold, hard stone probably wasn’t that intimidating to an Alpha of his power. At the time, I felt the energy inside me, and I didn’t care. Lars looked at me once, snorted with disdain, and turned his dull blue eyes back to the chamber, taking in the swirling energy and glowing runes.

“Don’t speak to your betters,” the Alpha said icily as I opened my mouth to speak again.

“We’ll see who’s the better of who,” I snapped, lifting my hand, thrusting a palm at the bald asshole. “Eat purple flower power, jackass!”

As brilliant, violet energy surged down my forearm and toward the arrogant alpha, a hand came up, knocking my arm to the side so my attack discharged harmlessly into the swirl of power around us.

I turned on Vir, glaring at him. “What the hell is your problem? Do you know who that is?”

“Yes,” Vir said tightly. “I do.”

“So then you know he full well deserves that.”

“We don’t disagree,” Vir said, but he didn’t back down from his position either.

I almost tried to lash out at Vir again, but his effortless defeat of my first attack was still burning at my cheeks. I was playing with powers I didn’t understand, and he was a god. The power gap between us was so beyond comprehension that it didn’t bear consideration. So, I just glared at him instead. Let him know I really wasn’t happy with him.

“What do you want, Lars?” I asked, speaking loud enough to be heard over the swirl of power. “Do you want Johnathan? You can take him.”

If Vir wasn’t going to let me attack Lars, I had to assume he wouldn’t let Lars do the same. So, I was safe. Sort of. A temple abandoned for a thousand years, suddenly come back to life, swirling with energy that shouldn’t exist, while occupied by a god and a nobody shifter who could use that power? There’s only so much “safe” in that sentence. But I didn’t think I was at risk of imminent death.

“Failure,” Lars spat, shaking his head as he looked at his half-crisped son. His only son. The heir to the Seguin pack. “He can find his own way back to Seguin. Maybe then he can show he’s worthy of being the heir. But I doubt he’ll survive whatever you’ve done to him.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I intoned. “Father of the year, right here. Gosh, Lars, that’s so caring of you. I bet it makes you really popular with people, using them only as tools, discarding them when they’re of no use to you.”

“I am the Alpha,” Lars said, the arm gripping the dagger flexing its muscles.

He wanted to strike. To attack. I could see it in his stance, in his grip, but he was too unsure of the whirling energy to actually step into the room.

“Go home, Lars,” I said, suddenly tired of the games. “You aren’t welcome here.”

Lars’s shoulders tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to attack anyway, but in the end, he stepped back, glancing down at the dagger in his hand. I swore I saw a glint in his eyes before he turned and retreated down the chamber.

The second he was out of sight, I turned on Vir.

“What is wrong with you?” I snapped. “Why would you stop me from attacking him? Lars is a terror. He needs to be removed. He sent a freaking death squad after me, for fucks sake. And you just let him waltz on out of here like it’s no big deal?”

“Yes,” Vir said, an odd lilt to his voice.

“I could have killed him. Here and now. Removed a threat, removed a bully, and ended the suffering of many in the pack back home, I’m sure.”

“No, you couldn’t have,” Vir told me with all the assurance of a god.

“This should be interesting,” I said darkly. “Please, elaborate. I fried his son half to death without even trying, but I couldn’t have killed Lars? Why not? Give me one good reason.”

“Because of the power you are holding,” Vir said.

“What? What about it?”

I looked at Vir, trying to surmise if he was joking or not, but his too-perfect face could have been carved from granite. He wasn’t joking.

“Yes.” Vir looked down the hallway where Lars had departed, and I got the distinct impression I wasn’t being told everything.

“You sound afraid,” I accused. “I thought you were a god, Vir?”

“I am,” he said, still crouched down next to me amidst the swirl of energy.

Figuring out how to shut that down should probably have been a higher priority, but right then, I was pissed at Vir for intervening, and it simply didn’t matter to me.

“Okay, so can you explain, for us mortal simpletons, why that matters? I had Lars, right there.”

Remembering that brought up a mental image of naked Lars, vulnerable. I could have done without the image.

“No,” Vir replied.

I wanted to punch him in his perfect face. Really hard. But because I’m an adult, I didn’t. I can control my impulses better than that. Sometimes. I had to assume that, as a god, he had a good reason for it.

“What would have happened if I’d hit him with the energy?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Right, but you blocked my attack easily,” I pointed out. “So, you could have just done the same to him, right? If he somehow absorbed the power, if that’s what you’re afraid of. You still should have let me hit him. If you can protect us, then we should have taken the risk that nothing would have happened!”

“This power in the wrong hands, used by someone who truly wants to do harm, would be another matter entirely.”

I contemplated that. I was fairly certain I’d wanted to hurt Lars. But I understood the point.

Then it hit me. “Wait. So you’re saying by you stopping me from frying Lars, you saved my life?”

Vir nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.

“Oh,” I squeaked, feeling the truth of his words resonate through the Soulbond. “Um. Thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

I barely heard him. That warm, golden sensation had reminded me of something. Something I’d been desperately trying to avoid thinking about because it scared the shit out of me.

When Vir had spoken, I’d felt him. I’d felt his desire to protect me. It had pulsed through our Soulbond.

I was Soulbound. To a god.

Gulp.

“Vir?” I said, coming to a decision.

“Yes?” he replied, tilting his head slightly.

I wondered if he knew what was coming.

“Sever it,” I ordered.