Darkbeam Part I

Chapter 18

The day of Arianna’s claim drew near. She hadn’t told Lucian yet what she’d done. What we’d done.

I left her a note, reminding her what I was. She ignored it, so I took matters into my own hands. Lucian needed to know.

“You are a dragon,” she said.

I smiled and pretended not to hear a word that she was saying and just wanted to kiss her. She wasn’t just a fashion doll. She was a snake. Lucian needed to know about her snaky ways.

“Blake, stop.” She chuckled. “I’m the Princess of Areeth. I have to marry…” I didn’t let her finish and planted my lips on hers.

We were by the staircase that led to the gym. It was a dark corner.

“You drive me insane.” She started to unbuckle my pants.

I had to admit, this was actually fun. I lifted her skirt and dispensed of her lace panties as I pushed myself inside her again and again.

“What the f**k?” I heard Tabitha’s voice.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. Mission complete. I raised my voice in defense. “This isn’t what you think.”

“Arianna?” Tabitha asked.

“Tabitha, wait!” I feigned panic. I buttoned my pants and buckled my belt as Tabitha stormed off.

“This is not happening.” Tears filled Arianna’s eyes.

“You going to cry?”

“No offense, but I am dating the Prince of Tith,” she snapped.

“Well he didn’t mean that much to you a few seconds ago, now, did he?”

She spun around with her finger in my face. “I swear to you, Blake Leaf, if you planned this, I will skin off all your scales.”

I laughed. “You and what army, sweetheart?” I strode past her up the stairs.

“Tabitha!” I yelled. She needed to throw a scene and Lucian needed to find out the truth.

I found her in the cafeteria. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. I pulled her back by her arm and she hit me in the face.

“I f*****g hate you. When is this going to stop, Blake? Why her? She is shallow and only cares about the fashion tip of the week.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Is it because she is royalty?” she yelled.

Okay, that I didn’t expect. This scene was a bit too much.

“What?” Lucian’s voice.

I turned my head to where his voice came from and only saw his fist. It connected hard with my face.

“Not again,” George grunted as Lucian lunged.

“You did what?” he yelled.

“I did you a f*****g favor.” I blocked his kick.

“Lucian, don’t.” Arianna’s voice came from the door. “It was a mistake. He’s nothing to me.”

“Don’t touch me. I gave you everything.” His voice broke and tears glistened in his eyes. “I thought you were different.”

“I am different,” she cried.

“No, you’re not!” He curled his lip at me, shaking his fist, then whirled and stomped out.

“Lucian, please!” She went after him, her hair and blouse still askew.

“You’ve got to be f*****g kidding me.” Tabitha wiped her tears away. “That’s why you did it?”

“Enough.” I got up. “I told you before. If you cannot handle my needs, leave.”

I rushed out the door, and as soon as I was outside, my wings tore through my flesh and the beast took over.

I’d just broken my best friend. I hoped Irene really did see someone in his life, someone worthy of him.

The day of the claiming finally arrived.

Lucian had crashed in Dean’s room the past few days. He hadn’t spoken to me since that day.

I hadn’t tried either, but Arianna wasn’t right for him.

Tabitha came with me to the waiting area. I didn’t want to calm the beast this time, to reign in the potential destruction. Arianna was going to learn the hard way that she should stick to fashion tips instead of claiming me. If she died... well. Maybe I didn’t care.

“It’s time,” Tabitha said and she gave me a tender kiss that I didn’t really want to return. “I said I was sorry.”

I wasn’t doing this right. What was wrong with this chick? I shook my head and remembered what she was. Cover. I kissed her back.

I walked out into the Colosseum. It was a royal claiming, so it was choked with cameras and flashing bulbs.

King Caleb was sitting next to Queen Gabriella. I hated them.

King Helmut and Queen Magerite were also there, with Lucian seated next to his mother. His eyes found mine. He was still pissed.

I was not sorry. She didn’t deserve him. She would never deserve him. Even though it hurt, he would get over it and thank me later.

The crowd cheered as I lifted my hands.

Then she came out.

She was wearing a vest and a short gladiator skirt with long boots that reached her knees. Even I could see she was built to last. Her hair was tied back into a bun, sharpening her long, oval face. She was beautiful, but still a snake, and no snake was worthy of me.

“You and me, let’s get this over with.” A song started to play. Everything about this girl was corny. The song, who she was, all of it was a big joke.

I transformed. She backed away, eyes widening.

I doubted she’d really thought this through. According to the size of the last Rubicon, I wasn’t even close to what I would be eventually. But I could see the fear that it instilled in Arianna.

“There is no you and me,” I spoke in Latin. “But you are right about the let’s get it over part.”

She screamed and charged.

I closed my eyes and gave her, her worst fear. The image in my head was easy. One second Arianna was in the ring, the next she was in City Hall. She was in handcuffs. Standing beside her were her mother and father, their hands cuffed too.

“What is this?” she asked her father.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I spoke for King Caleb. “I f****d up.”

Her eye twitched. Maybe he didn’t talk like that, but I maintained the strength of the illusion.

“Daddy, where are we?”

“They have sentenced me to death.”

“No, no!” she yelled. “Please, whatever it is you think my father did, Your Honor, he is innocent.”

I laughed. So easy. I lay down. This was going to be so much fun.

The real King Caleb clamped the bridge of his nose as if he didn’t want to watch the scene unfold.

The queen’s expression was priceless. Gabriella was beautiful but she wasn’t the brightest. Arianna was so much like her mother. She was confused by what was going on with Arianna.

Arianna was still begging. Everyone tittered. King Helmut and Queen Magerite started looking mutinous.

“Stop this now,” King Helmut commanded. The professors came in.

“Enough, Blake,” Mia said as I spoke the verdict.

“Just when I was having fun.” I let go of the vision in my mind.

Arianna found herself on her knees begging. She stopped as she looked around.

I changed back. “A tip,” I said. “Stay with fashion. Don’t ever try to claim me again, and never reveal your worst fears to anyone.”

She shot me a look of hurt and disgust. Her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t say anything as I sauntered out of the Colosseum, victorious.

I actually expected a little more from her. Part of me was actually disappointed.

Arianna simply wasn’t a match. And I hurt my best friend in the process.

Lucian finally came back. It took him a week to look at me again.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” I said.

“Are you? You have no idea what you have done, Blake.”

“C’mon, she’s not worthy of you.”

He chuckled. “Worthy of me?” He shook his head as if defeated. “I have no f*****g choice, Blake. I have to marry her. You just annihilated what little affection for her I had. I could’ve made this work, but you just had to destroy everything.”

I got what he was saying. It wasn’t about whether Arianna was worthy of him. He had to marry her whether he wanted to or not. And he really wanted to love her.

My actions weighed more all of a sudden. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“No you never do. But it’s done. I’ll find a way to move on.”

I wanted to tell him what Irene told me, but what good would that do? He had to marry Arianna. It wouldn’t be welcome news, so I kept my mouth shut.

For the next few weeks, I had to make peace with the fact that Lucian didn’t want to speak to me.

But I also knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He was planning another claim.

I didn’t know if it was because he was pissed at me. I hated it either way. He refused to hear that he wasn’t the royal Irene had foreseen.

He was blind and believed in his heart that he didn’t need to be my true rider to claim me. His friendship and promise was enough. But he would never be enough.

He trained hard again. Every day a new trainer came. They closed off the Parthenon just for him and he trained for eight hours a day.

Part of me wanted him to succeed. I didn’t want to end up as Goran’s dragon. But I knew that no matter how hard I hoped, the beast would be ready too. Something was going to happen, another ability, maybe. Or perhaps I would just kill him this time.

That last part didn’t bother me as much as it used to. It scared me. It was as if the human part, the sane part, was slowly giving up this.

I couldn’t. Who I was now, I must keep going. I had to fight. I needed to hold on.

I ended up in Irene’s tower again. It was late at night and a storm was acting up. It felt amazing to have her in my arms as lightning lit up the sky. Irene got riled up from each bolt. Moon-Bolts were suckers for lightning storms. She was such a great distraction.

“Blake.” She lay on my shoulder.

“Yeah?” My chest shifted her weight fractionally with the word.

“I know about the Fire-Cain. Lucian…” I closed my eyes and ground my teeth.

“Stop doing that. He’s just worried. I’m worried. How long have you been using?”

“I can handle it.” I got up and pulled on my pants.

“Said every junkie in this world.”

“Irene, don’t.”

“I’m concerned.”

“It’s the only way I can hold on.”

“Where do you get it?”

I pursed my lips. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me!” Her voice broke and she grabbed my hand. “Don’t go, please.”

“I can’t stay.” I pulled on my shirt.

“Please, I’m not here to judge you.” She got up and touched my cheek. I pulled her hand away. “I just need you to look after yourself. Fire-Cain isn’t…”

“I know, Irene,” I said. I knew why Lucian had told her. Payback.

I couldn’t meet her eyes. I let go of her hand and walked to the door. I didn’t even say goodbye or look back. I just left. I couldn’t stay. That look in her eyes. I didn’t want anything to change. She was the last person who ground my balls about anything.

But the fact was that I felt the darkness within the storm. I felt every lightning strike vibrating through my scales. It made me scared. Too close.

I need more Fire-Cain.

Otherwise I was going to kill Lucian.

My knuckles were raw and I felt Dimi’s hold finally disappearing.

My pocket was filled with Fire-Cain. I didn’t even care about cash anymore. I needed the Fire-Cain. I was still in control and I didn’t care if Lucian understood that or not.

I wasn’t a junkie, not yet. This was mainly for me to hold on.

Right?

I reached the Academy around three in the morning and took a long shower.

The echoes of screams and vivid images of what I’d done to that Moon-Bolt played in my mind.

Guilt. I was their alpha, I was the one who was supposed to protect them. And I was the one tearing off their limbs, ripping them apart.

My body shook as I sobbed. Where was this going to end? When? When I was dead, when I lost, when the darkness won?

It wasn’t going to end. It would never end.

When I got out, I lined up three thin rows of Fire-Cain nicely next to each other and rolled a piece of paper into a tube and snorted them one after another.

The burn came as the last line disappeared. I screamed and clutched my head.

It only lasted for five seconds and then it was gone. My head spun before my entire body relaxed.

The last thing I remembered was laughter. My own. I sounded so evil.