Darkness Breaks (Darkness Falls Series, Book 2) Read online

  The man eyes Monarch warily. “Fine, show me.”

  Monarch steps aside and motions the man to step forward. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  The man reverses, taken back. “You want her to try and kill me?”

  Monarch slips his coat off and drops it to the floor. “No, I want you to try and kill me.”

  The man hesitates, glancing at his colleagues for assistance.

  “What’s the matter, Gabrielle?” Monarch asks. “Afraid I might get the best of you.”

  Gabrielle shucks off his coat, balls it up, and throws it in the corner. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

  The men grin at each other and I step back robotically, giving them room to circle each other. They hunch over with their fists out—they are completely inexperienced fighters. Gabrielle takes the first jab and Monarch ducks.

  Gabrielle laughs. “Nice move.”

  Monarch grins and Gabrielle slams his fist straight into Monarch’s cheekbone. His head knocks back and blood splashes from his mouth. Monarch spits out a tooth and raises his fists.

  “You’re not done?” Gabrielle questions with a smile.

  “I told you to try and kill me,” Monarch says. “Not knock me around a little.”

  Gabrielle shrugs and then lunges, cupping his hands around Monarch’s neck. My foot inches forward, debating whether to help.

  Gabrielle’s knuckles whiten as he chokes the life from Monarch. Monarch clutches his arms, gasping, eyes bulging, his skin a pasty white. My other foot glides forward as I wonder if Monarch is hurt.

  Gabrielle tightens his grip. “Had enough yet?”

  “Never,” Monarch chokes, his heart murmuring. He reaches his last breath and that’s when I realize I can’t watch it. Dashing for him, I slam Gabrielle to the ground. He flips to his back, his green eyes glistened with panic.

  Fangs slip from my lips and I tip my head back, growling

  “Kayla,” he says. “I wasn’t going to hurt him. I swear.”

  “You’re lying,” I say and sink my fangs violently into his neck, drinking his blood until Monarch pulls me off.

  “That’s enough, Kayla.” His eyes are soft and he wipes a smudge of blood from my forehead.

  Gabrielle sits up, pressing his hand to the bleeding wound on his neck. “She bit me. Monarch, what did you do to me?”

  “You tell me?” Monarch asks. “Can you feel it?”

  He eyes over his skin as the creases erase. Then he touches his heart and his eyes lit up. “Monarch, you’re brilliant.”

  Monarch gives Gabrielle his hand and helps him to his feet. “Then it’s ready.”

  Monarch nods and the rest of the white-coats file out of the room. Gabrielle’s still shaking his head in disbelief. Monarch shuts the door and his expression twists in puzzlement as he touches his neck where Gabrielle’s handprints imprint his skin.

  I stand emotionless, blood dripping from my hands, trying not to think about everything I’ve done.

  “You can go back to your room, Kayla.” Monarch meets my eyes. “You did very well today.”

  I wait for the red door to open. A Watcher’s waiting for me on the other side, breathing heavily through his mask. He shuts the door and I follow him back to my cell, leaving a path of blood behind me. I step in and the door shuts. I stare straight ahead at the sobbing pale girl, only she’s no longer sobbing. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes rapidly. Her heart pumps hard until it stops pumping altogether. Her lips start to drool and she peels a chunk of her skin off. Her eyes bleed as she gazes at me. Then she rams into the glass over and over again, beating herself raw. She bangs her head, screams, rips out her hair until two Watchers appear with a Taser attached to a long metal pole. They crack the door open and shock the girl over and over again. She collapses to the floor and her eyes roll into the back of her head. They carry her out and I keep my gaze fixated on her all the way to the end, where they disappear behind the red door.

  I move to the corner of the cell, lie down, and cradle my knees to my chest. I stare at the wall as time drifts by, wishing I was the one being tasered and carried away.

  Chapter 13

  I’m lying in the exact same position as in the memory. My eyes are open, knees pulled close. I hear Ryder, Aiden, and Sylas talking, but I don’t budge. Perhaps if I stay motionless then I don’t have to accept reality.

  Aiden steps around and sees that I’m awake. He crouches down in front of me and smoothes my sweaty hair back. “Are you okay?”

  He knows what I did. He’s been carrying the memories in his head. He knows I once had fangs, once used them to bite Gabrielle. Once killed a girl with my bare hands.

  “Kayla,” he speaks my name again. “Can you hear me?”

  Our hearts beat thunder. Thump, thump, thump.

  “Kayla.” The panic in his tone snaps me out of it.

  I sit up and lean away. “I’m fine. Quit worrying.”

  He doesn’t believe me. “Which one did you see?”

  “One that wasn’t important.” My eyes dry out as I refuse to blink.

  “Everything Monarch put in my head was important,” Aiden says. “And hard to watch.”

  “Is there another way to get behind the red door?” I ask, changing the subject. “Or is there another red door somewhere.”

  “It’s another entrance.” There’s a shift in his expression when he realizes the memory I witnessed. “Kayla, I—”

  Cutting him off, I hop to my feet and direct my attention to Sylas, who doesn’t know what I did. “You got in The Colony somehow, right? Did you… did you walk through a room with glass cages?”

  Sylas has the flashlight shined in Ryder’s eyes. Her pupils have returned to specks again and the glow from her neck has dissipated.

  He turns, spotting the light in my eyes. “I already told you I don’t remember how I got in.”

  “Well, think about it really hard.” I shield my eyes. “It’s important.”

  He lowers the flashlight and flips the pocket watch in his hand. “Kayla, if I knew, I’d tell you.”

  Aiden gives a clipped laugh. “Yeah, because you’re the most cooperative person there is.”

  “I never said I was.” Sylas puts the watch in his pocket. “But I do want to figure this out. Something you don’t want to do.”

  “I think this room with the glass cages might be where the virus was created. I think it might be able to get us some answers,” I say, talking over them. “I think we need to figure out how to get there.”

  “Kayla,” Aiden’s voice is sympathetic, “As much as I’d love to help, I haven’t been there before.”

  I glance at Ryder and she shakes her head. “I was always kept in the chains, or in the back room with Aiden.”

  My gaze lands on Sylas and he casually shakes his head. “Sorry, can’t help you,” he says, hiding something away inside him.

  I stare at him for almost an eternity. He stares back, unaffected by my attempt to weasel into his mind.

  “I think we should go back to the cave for a while,” Aiden announces. “I’m sure Greyson, Cedrix, and Maci are wondering where we are.”

  “I doubt they are,” Sylas says, flicking the flashlight on and off. “Since you were headed to the city and it takes a while to get there.”

  “We need to get to the glass room.” I steal the flashlight from Sylas and beam it at the exit. “I wonder if it’s morning yet.”

  Aiden steps into the light. “You don’t need to do anything. You’re free now and you can do whatever you want.”

  I’m not free. My memories and actions will imprison me for the rest of my existence, especially if what I’m thinking is correct. “It’s where the virus started—I can feel it. And in order to fix everything, I have to go back to the beginning.”

  Aiden shakes his head, disgusted. “You sound just like Monarch.”

  I shrug and head for the boulder. “You guys can do whatever you want. I’m going back to the city.”

 
; “I’m going back to the cave,” Ryder says. “And without me, you can’t get any more of your memories back.”

  Slowly, I turn, spotting her with the light. “What are you talking about?”

  She dusts the dirt and twigs out of her matted hair. “I didn’t give you all your memories back. Just one of them.” She crosses her arms and raises her chin defiantly. “You may think you control everything, but you don’t. I can choose which ones to give you and how many.”

  “I can think of a few ways to make you,” I say.

  “Do whatever you want, hurt me, threaten me, but it’s not any worse than when I have to be that way.” She stalks forward, getting in my face. “Do you have any idea what that’s like? To completely lose control over your mind and body.”

  “I think I can picture it,” I mutter. “How did you get like that?”

  She scratches absentmindedly at the marks on her arms. “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you should try to remember,” I entice. “Perhaps it would help.”

  Suddenly, she’s inches away from my face, pulsating with anger. “I do remember, Kayla. I remember too well what my life was like back then. Every single day I was locked in chains, all by myself, with no one to talk to. I spent years like that. Unlike you three, who were his prize experiments—the ones he saw as useful. All I am is a tool to assist you.” She breathes violently and lifts her arm, showing me her experiment number. “See this little thing right here—see how short it is. That’s because I wasn’t considered special and got the crap end of the deal.”

  “I’m not sure what kind of deal you think the rest of us got.” Sylas leans over her shoulder. “But I can assure you it was just as crappy.”

  She elbows him in the gut. “Whatever. I’m going back to the cave.” She fumes for the entrance.

  Aiden blocks her, catching her in his arms. “It’s going to be okay,” he tells her. “We’ll go back to the cave. Let’s just make sure it’s morning first.” He looks at me for help. “Kayla, can you check?”

  I look at Ryder, her designed arms, her matted hair, the circle on her neck. She has what I want, and not just because I need to save the world. I need my memories so I know what else I’ve done.

  “Not until she gives me all my memories,” I threaten. “Then I’ll check.”

  He releases Ryder. “Kayla, just come back with us. Maci really misses you and it’s safer for you there.”

  “But it might not be safe for you guys,” I say.

  Aiden shakes his head and takes a cautious step for me. “That wasn’t you, Kayla. Monarch made you do it.”

  A hideous feeling scratches in my stomach. I contemplate my options. As hard as it is to see my memories, I need to remember everything, so I can put my life together and figure out my purpose. “Okay, I’ll go with you, but just for a while until I can plan my next move.”

  “Great.” He grins, excited to leave.

  That’s when I feel the bundle of lies roll off him. He’s hiding something back at the cave, something he doesn’t want me to discover. Yet he still wants me to go with him, he needs me with him, afraid he’s losing me to his brother.

  “Let’s get going.” He waves his hand, shooing us out the cave. “Sylas, it’s been great seeing you, but it’s time for you to head back to your pack.”

  “Like I’m going to let you take her,” he says, amused at the idea. “Do you understand how valuable she is? How much good she could do if she changes? She’s immune, she can walk with the vampires—they fear her. She needs to go through with it and become a Day Taker. If she’s with you, that’s never going to happen.”

  “I’m going to go back to the cave.” I start for the boulder, taking in Sylas’ point. “You guys can do whatever you want.” Pushing until my skin dampens with sweat, I manage to crack the boulder from the wall. Greyness capes the sky and the land lights up beneath it. “We’re good.” I roll the rock over and step out.

  I’m on a mission now, with or without anyone’s help. I will get my memories back. I will find the room with glass cages where I’m fairly sure the virus was created. If that’s where the virus started, then there’s got to be a cure. I will save the world. Then maybe I can erase some of the death stained on my hands.

  Ryder follows me out and sighs at the sight of morning. She tips her head back and breathes in the fresh air. Aiden joins us, stretching his hands over his head. Sylas remains in the cave and I don’t look back at him. I head down the hill, hoping he’ll follow us. I won’t ask him to come, but I want him to. I might need his help, and for some reason that I don’t understand, the idea of him leaving rattles me.

  “I’m glad we’re back together again,” Aiden says thoughtfully observing the sky. “It hasn’t been the same since you left.”

  “I was only with you a few days before I left,” I point out. “So it should be like what it’s always been.”

  “Which is good,” Ryder mumbles, pissed I’m going with them. “Disaster is your middle name, isn’t it? It’s your fault everyone at the hillside had to die.”

  We all grow silent. Ryder picks up her pace, anxious to distance herself from me.

  Aiden sighs. “She’ll get over it. I promise one day you two will be friends.”

  Aiden lives in a delusional world.

  “No, we won’t,” I say. “She blames me for the things done to her.”

  Aiden gapes at me. “No she doesn’t. She just doesn’t understand you and the things you can do.”

  “Neither do you,” I say, kicking up dirt with my boots. “And I’m beginning to think no one understands me, except Monarch.”

  “Only because he created you. And he doesn’t know the real you, the one not doped up on medicine and drugs and being controlled. I used to know you better than anyone.”

  “When we were little and hiding out behind trees making plans to run away?”

  He perks up. “You remember that?”

  “Yeah,” I nod. “I also remember a fire and you burning in it.”

  He shakes his head. “I didn’t burn in it, Kayla.” He takes a slow inhale through his nose, fighting his racing heart. “You saw it wrong. They were weeding some of us out of Cell 7.”

  “Why would they burn you out?” I hold his gaze, aware of his lie.

  He swallows hard, observing the ground. “I’m going to go check on Ryder.”

  “You better be up to something good.” Sylas breath is hot against my ear.

  My shoulder jolts upward and bumps him in the chin. “I’m not up to anything… And I thought you were heading back to the city.”

  “You think I’m going to let you just walk away,” he says, his dark gaze piercing beneath the shadow of his hood. “I spent days trying to chase you down and then you end up walking right into my hands.”

  “Why am I so important to you? Or better yet, why is following Monarch’s orders so important to you?” I ask over my shoulder. “From what I’ve seen, Monarch was horrible to you.”

  “Why are you so determined to follow them?” He cocks an eyebrow. “He was the worst to you.”

  I scratch the numbers across my wrist. “Maybe, but he’s all I know.”

  “He’s all we all know, but only because he made it that way.” He pauses, tucking his hands higher in his sleeves. “Besides, I’m not following his orders, I just want to know if there’s a way to reverse the vampire disease. And if we stray from what Monarch told us, I could really care less.”

  I rub dirt out of my eye. “Sylas, where did the Highers come from? Were they part of the virus? Or something entirely different?"

  He stares at the ground. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  “It was me,” I say softly. “I made them who they are.”

  He turns my head to meet his eyes. “No, Monarch created the Higher strand. You were used as a tool to test it on.”

  “So it’s in me,” I breathe, staring wide-eyed at the hills. “I’m one of them.”

  ‘I’m n
ot sure,” he says truthfully and pauses. “I can take it away for a while, if you want.”

  “Take what away?” I ask, distracted.

  “The pain you’re feeling.”

  “I’m not in pain,” I lie.

  He shrugs, crosses his arms, and watches Ryder and Aiden chat in hushed voices. “Care to share what you picked up on him?”

  “Why? So you can find another excuse to start a fight with him,” I say. “For the moment, I need him to think I believe him, otherwise I can’t trick the truth out of him.”

  “You’re evil.” He winks at me and drags his fingers across his lip, like he’s zipping them shut. “I promise I won’t say a word.”

  I let out a breath and fall back into stride with him. “He’s hiding something at the cave that he really doesn’t want me to find, which only makes me want to find it. And besides, Maci is there and I don’t want to just leave her behind.”

  “The little girl who can see the future,” Sylas clarifies, tucking his chin down as the light becomes too hot.

  “You know her?” I ask. “How?”

  “You saw for yourself that I’ve been to The Colony.” He glances behind him, longing for the shade. “A warning, though. You might want to find out what you’re walking into. Just because Aiden seems good on the outside, doesn’t mean he won’t do what he has to do to get what he wants.”

  “But what does he want?” I wonder, watching Aiden put his arm around Ryder. “He seems so content with his life, even after everyone he cares about died. It seems like he’d want to end this all. It makes absolutely no sense to me.”

  “That’s because you’re you,” he points out. “And he’s different from you, whether he wants to accept it or not.”

  “But I wasn’t always like this.” My eyebrows knit together. “I had to be different or else he wouldn’t have ever loved me.”

  “We were all different at one time or another, Kayla.” He wraps his arms around himself, the afternoon simmering at his skin. “Aiden’s just lucky because he didn’t lose himself completely, like you and me, who have blood stained all over our hands.”

  Before I can respond, he speeds up, leaving me in a track of dust. A knot builds in my stomach. I squirm, unsettled by the nervous feeling that I may not be the only murderer wandering around.