Dark Descent: The Arondight Codex - Book One by R Nicole (best books to read all time TXT) 📗

“It was for your safety as well as ours. You have to understand, Purples, we don’t condone disclosure.”

“You thought I was going to tell on you?” My head swam with more than a blinding headache. “You humiliated me, and now you’re accusing me of double dealing?”

Wilder rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic. Maybe that’s why your application was rejected.”

“Just keep sinking the boot in. It’s all you people have done since you showed up in my life.”

“Have a cry, Purples. Life is hard. And guess what, it never stops being hard. You of all people should know that.”

“Yeah, and I’m sick of it,” I exclaimed, practically spitting at him. Five seconds after waking up and I was already eyeball deep in an argument with my least favourite demon hunter. “I’m not good enough to be a Natural. I’m just a freak who can’t have her memory wiped. My Light finally showed up when I needed it and it almost killed me. What am I good for? Oh, that’s right. I’m good for bait.”

“Don’t be so precious,” Wilder stated. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“Was anything you told me true?”

“Everything you’ve heard was true, apart from the bit where a demon impregnated my mother against her will.”

My mouth fell open and my cheeks turned red. I hadn’t been the one to say it, but knowing Wilder knew what the other Naturals said about him? I stung on his behalf.

“Don’t look so shocked, Purples. I’ve heard it all before.”

“I’d be less shocked knowing why you were following me but didn’t seem to want to help when that Infernal attacked me and Jackson,” I declared, my hackles well and truly in the upright position. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Not use your Light, that’s for sure.” He rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe you,” I seethed. “You just dropped me into a snake pit without anything to defend myself with.”

“You say it like it’s my fault. I’m just a solider, Purples.”

“That’s a cop out and you know it, Wilder.”

Wilder scowled, his psychopathic underwear model vibe coming back to the surface. “Here’s the thing, Scarlett.” He paused and met my glare. “You aren’t special. I’m not special. Those people out there aren’t special. We’re cogs in a wheel that’s been rolling longer than you or I have been alive. I’m talking thousands of years, and it’ll go on rolling for another thousand or more after we’re dust. Maybe it’ll roll on forever, who knows? What I do know, is that none of this is about you and your sob story and it’s definitely not about mine, so grow the hell up and do something about it. Nobody likes to go to a pity party, Purples. That’s a surefire way to lose all your friends and then some. This isn’t a personal attack, it’s war.”

“Then train me as a Natural, give me an arondight blade, and I’ll break the wheel,” I snarled.

“No.”

“Stop telling me what to do.”

“Someone has to slap you back into reality.”

“I understand reality more than you’ll ever know.”

“Oh, you can’t say something like that and not elaborate, Purples,” he drawled. “Words are hollow around here. Face value is not a commodity we trade in.”

“I wouldn’t want to bore you with my broken past.”

He shrugged and leaned his head back. “I’m due for a nap anyway.”

“What’s stopping me from going solo?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “I can go underground and learn myself. I don’t need the Naturals.”

“Your Light would consume you for one—eat you up from the inside out. Without proper training, you’d do more harm than good. Not all demons are the straight forward stab and kill variety. Do you want me to start listing all the ways you can die a horrific death?”

I closed my eyes and turned my face away. “Why do you have to be so nasty all the time? It’s like you want people to hate you.”

Wilder’s silence was deafening.

Glancing back at him, I was surprised to find him staring at the skylight, that strange silver glint in his eyes again.

“Where’s Jackson?” I asked, knowing it was in my best interests to change the subject. Wilder was an enigma I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to solve. “I want to see him.”

“He’s unavailable right now.”

My mouth fell open. “What do you mean by that? You’ve locked him up, haven’t you?”

“He’s in the vault,” Wilder replied with a nod. “It’s for his own safety.”

“Why? What did he do, other than try to save my life?”

“He shouldn’t have remembered this place. Two of you in one package isn’t very likely… unless you’re contagious.”

Ignoring him, I rubbed my eyes. “Why are they following me? You said you were watching. So…?”

“I have to let Greer know you’re awake,” he said, rising to his feet.

“Wait. That’s it?”

Wilder raised an eyebrow. “That’s it.”

“Why won’t you let him go?”

He snorted and turned. “And you say he’s not your boyfriend,” he muttered as he walked away.

“Why? Are you jealous?” I shouted.

The door slammed, the sound reverberating through the room. Slapping my hands over my ears, I wondered why they were so sensitive, and why Wilder had such a chip on his shoulder. He was right about a lot of things. I’d never admit it to his face, but he had a point. Heading out on my own would be stupid to the max. Fuelling myself with stubbornness would get me killed in five seconds flat.

Pouting, I slid out of bed. My head swam and my knees trembled, forcing me to hold onto the edge of the nightstand to steady myself. I was wearing an oversized T-shirt, which meant I’d been undressed while comatose for the second time. It was slightly embarrassing, really. I wanted to be a strong, independent woman who didn’t need any help, but here I was.

Shoving away my embarrassment—with an added side of fury—I took a deep breath to steady myself. Wherever they were holding Jackson, I needed to get there and get him out. I wondered