Dark Descent: The Arondight Codex - Book One R Nicole (general ebook reader .txt) 📖

my shoulders slumping forward. “That’s just speculation. Even if I did come into contact with Arondight, I don’t see why that makes me any different from other Naturals. Apart from colouring my Light and giving my hair some killer highlights that don’t need touch ups, I don’t seem any different from the other Naturals.”

“That remains to be seen.”

I screwed up my nose. The longer I was in this place, the crazier it became. Everyone seemed to have their own motives—the Codex, Arondight, power, Light, influence, secret liaisons… Where did it start, and more importantly, where did it end? Evil geniuses always had an end game. What was Wilder’s?

“If I knew where it was, what would you do?” I asked, watching him closely.

He didn’t reply, which annoyed the hell out of me. He was weighing up his options before he gave me the answer I wanted to hear.

“Would you give it to Greer?” I prodded, going for an easy button.

He shrugged.

“Then what would you do?”

“I’d use it to end the demon incursion,” he snapped. “I’d end this war once and for all.”

I let out a humph and crossed my arms over my chest. “Good.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Oh, so now you’re turning my questions back on me?”

“Well?”

“If Greer had Arondight, what do you think she’d do with it?”

“You’re avoiding the question, Purples.”

“If she had it, do you think she’d use it to end the war?” I ignored him because there wasn’t anything I wasn’t telling him. Not really. If I told him I thought he was handsome and that I was developing a stupid crush on him, then he’d use it to taunt me for eternity.

“Why are you asking me?” He gave me his trademark blank ‘I know nothing’ expression.

I snorted and glanced away. “Maybe because I’m trying to understand what kind of person she is.”

“Scarlett… do you know where Arondight is?”

I laughed and threw my hands into the air in exasperation. “No, I don’t. Bloody hell.” I felt the same anger that’d driven me to escape the Sanctum raise its ugly head again. “Why are you always so… so surly with me? Am I really that horrible?”

Wilder lowered his head and sighed. “No, you’re not,” he replied after a moment. “I’m hard on you for a reason, Scarlett. This life isn’t easy for people like us.”

I made a face that said ‘WTF’. “Naturals? Or…”

“Both.” He flexed his fingers and curled them into tight fists.

“Wilder…”

“Spit it out, Purples.”

“Will you explain it to me now? Why your eyes shine silver like those demons?”

He sighed, letting his head fall back. Then he turned to face me, his eyes soft. It was kind of unsettling, how gentle he looked. Wilder had always been this strong, abrasive arsehole until now. And I simply didn’t know how to handle it.

“I possess certain qualities that are inherent to demons, so people assume I was possessed as a child,” he said. “But I was born this way, and no, my parents weren’t demons. They were Naturals. I don’t know why I’m like this. No one does. All I know is that I can do things other Naturals can’t, all while being completely… Natural.” He lowered his head. “People tend to fear things they don’t understand. The closer to home they are, the worse it gets.”

“What can you do?” I whispered.

“I can see in the dark without the aid of Light,” he replied. “I can anticipate movement before it happens, and my stamina…”

My thighs clenched at the word stamina and I swallowed hard. “That’s why you’re so good at knocking me on my ass,” I declared.

“No, it’s because you’re raw as hell, Mary Sue.”

I snorted. “Do you want to know? I mean, why you’re different.”

He shrugged. “I stopped thinking about it a long time ago.”

“Jackson was altered by his possession,” I argued. “Perhaps—”

“It isn’t the same,” he interrupted. “My DNA isn’t altered.”

“What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that maybe something Ramona has found out might be able to explain why you can do the things you do. It mightn’t be the same, but it might be similar. Don’t be so precious.”

Wilder snorted and raked his hand through his hair. “Bloody hell.”

I sighed heavily. What a day.

“No one’s ever talked to me like that,” he stated.

“Like what?”

“Like I’m not contagious.”

“Not even Greer?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Wilder narrowed his eyes and studied me for a moment, the intensity of his gaze made me tremble. The last thing I wanted to think about was romance—especially not with Wilder—but my gaze dropped to his mouth anyway. Traitor, I internally hissed at my lady parts.

“Not even with her,” he finally said.

“Were you—”

“Briefly.”

I turned away before he could see the colour of my cheeks turn.

“A long time ago,” he added, “before she was the protector of the Codex.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me,” I said sharply. “Just a yes would’ve been fine.”

He grunted, and then rose to his feet, stepping away from the edge of the roof.

“C’mon,” he said, “it’s late. I’ll see you back to your room.”

“I don’t need an escort.”

“Humor me, Purples.”

I stood and dusted off my arse. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Wilder nodded. “You’ll be reprimanded.”

“Great.”

He led me off the roof and back into the Sanctum, closing out the chill of winter behind us. I stewed over the night’s events all the way downstairs, mystified more about the way Wilder had opened up to me, more than the consequences of having my eyeball licked by a demon. Yeah, I was that weird.

We turned into the hallway where my room was located. It was past midnight, and it was dark and empty. Sometimes the Sanctum gave me the creeps when it was like this—all dark corners where ghosts lingered.

Wilder’s arm brushed against mine and I tensed, quickening my steps.

“Scarlett.”

I turned, gasping when I realised he was right behind me. When had he gotten so close?

I attempted to speak, but the words were stuck in