Read Online Darkness Betrayed (Torn) by Christine Hughes - Free Book Online

cool breeze toy with the skirt of my white dress. I was aware of how beautiful and calm I felt in spite of the violence and death that surrounded me.
    I stopped short when I came face to face with Damien. He was smiling, eyes glittering. His white shirt fell casually against his chest and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his khaki pants. His feet were bare.
    “Hello Samantha.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “You invited me.”
    “I did?” Puzzled, I couldn’t remember. I watched, distracted, as an Exiled stripped a Faithful of his wings and forced a sword into his chest.
    “This is your dream. It’s because you want me here that I am.”
    Confused, I looked around and took in the fighting. Two Faithful teamed up against a screaming Exiled, swords flying until he was silenced. I turned back to him.
    “Did I do this?”
    “You did. Well, sort of.”
    I didn’t understand. “Why would I do this?”
    “You tell me.”
    I searched my head for an answer, finding myself empty. My hair flew as I saw Ethan race past me, ignoring me.
    “He can’t see you, Samantha.”
    “Why not?” I frowned, still staring at Ethan as he fought alongside the other Faithful.
    “You don’t want him to. This dream isn’t about him. It’s about you and the questions you have, the answers you want. He doesn’t have the answers.”
    “And you do?”
    “Some. Not all. I thought I did.”
    I felt something crawl up my leg. A snake began to coil itself around me, slowly inching up. I bent down, removed it from my ankle and brought it to my face for closer inspection.
    I closed my eyes and when I opened them, a large, red apple sat in the palm of my hand. I took a bite, wiping away the juice that dripped down my chin. A small rumble of thunder sounded off in the distance.
    “Why did Malena tell me to put down my sword earlier?”
    “Your sword is your tether to hope, to light. You wouldn’t have been able to channel the darkness had you been touching it.”
    “But aren’t I supposed to use it to defeat Sebastian? To keep despair at bay?”
    “Yes. But , I think the question is - are you supposed to keep the darkness at bay or the light?”
    “That’s why Malena wanted me to pick it back up, why Ethan threw it at me.”
    “Yes. As soon as you touched it, the light and dark within you would come together. It keeps you grounded. Soon, you won’t have to separate from yourself to tap into either. At least that’s the plan. But my plans lately aren’t going the way I’d thought they would.” A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as if he was contemplating something to which I wasn’t privy.
    C hewing the apple, I mulled this over in my head.
    “I almost killed her.” My indifference didn’t bother me.
    “True. But you didn’t. Ethan stopped you.”
    The head of a wingless Faithful flew in the air just behi nd him. I was mesmerized by the grace of its flight. I saw it wasn’t Ethan’s head, turned my attention back to Damien and took another bite.
    With each bite, I could taste him. I could feel him filling me up, erasing my hunger, fulfilling my needs.
    “Samantha, we don’t have to be here. We can walk a bit. We can get away from all this.” He waved his hand casually. “Distraction.”
    “Okay.” I took his hand and allowed him to lead me away from the fighting. Looking over my shoulder, I watched as two Exiled g rabbed the arms of a Faithful; a third and fourth stripped her of her wings and pierced her heart with a long, thin sword. The sound of their garbled laughter rang in my ears.
    “Are they really dead?”
    “No, Samantha. It’s just a dream.”
    I dropped the apple core at my feet and left the fray with him.
    “Why am I not frightened?”
    “Because this is inside you. Yo u aren’t afraid of what’s inside you, not really. You’re more afraid of how others will see you, of who you think you’ll disappoint. Once you make the choice it will all be easier. Once you realize what you