Darkness (New Species #12)(17)

He watched Kat rise from the chair and begin washing her dishes. Darkness kept his gaze on the screen but he was curious about Fury’s remark. “Like what?”
“I hated Ellie once. I believed she’d betrayed me.”
That actually amused Darkness. “That female is so in love with you that I don’t buy it. She’s also very easy to read. She’s about as dangerous as a kitten.”
“She worked at Mercile.”
“I’m aware. She was the one who provided the evidence that blew the lid off them and got us freed.”
“A technician had it out for me and came into my cell. He…” Fury cleared his throat. “He did bad things and was about to do worse.”
“They were assholes.”
“He sexually assaulted me,” Fury snarled.
Darkness closed his eyes and leaned back. Pain stabbed at his chest. That was one indignity he’d never been subjected to. A strong sense of compassion rose in him over what Fury had suffered. “I’m sorry.”
“Ellie came in and bludgeoned him to death with her testing kit.”
That astounded Darkness and he opened his eyes. “Ellie?”
“Ellie,” Fury confirmed. “She killed him and then set it up so it appeared that I’d done it before the paralytic drugs he’d given me took effect. She’d been kind to me up to that point but as I lay there helpless, realizing what she was doing, I felt betrayed.”
“I can’t believe she’d do that. I mean, you were mistaken, right? No female is more loving than she is toward you.”
“She’d acquired evidence that day that she needed to smuggle out to save all of us. She felt sure that I wouldn’t be killed for the crime and had to blame me. They would have killed her if they’d known she’d taken the male’s life. I didn’t understand that until much later. I attacked her on sight after Homeland opened. It was the first time I’d seen her since the incident. I couldn’t let it go even after I learned the truth. She’d seen what that male had done to me. It was a matter of pride and rage. I never got the chance to make that male pay. She became a target to me.”
“I understand.” He did.
“I became obsessed to the point that I stalked and kidnapped her. I took her to my home for payback.”
Darkness flinched. “You hurt her? I can’t see you doing that. You love that female.”
“I was fucked up,” Fury admitted. “I had her tied to my bed but I couldn’t follow through with all the horrible things I wanted to do. Luckily. I still wake up some nights in a sweat, imagining the horrible consequences if I’d allowed that rage to take control. She’s my life. I would have lost her forever.”
“I’m glad you regained control of your emotions.”
“Me too.” Fury took a few breaths. “Kathryn Decker must remind you of the female who betrayed you.”
“They look nothing alike.” He lifted the laptop off his thighs and quickly stood. “You are out of line with that comment.”“She’s here under false pretenses for an unknown reason. You’re attracted to her but you know she’ll betray us in some way. We all expect it. It has to make you relive the past. Tell me I’m wrong without lying.”
“Fine. I have been having issues with the past but I know she’s not Galina. I did have the ability to get my revenge on her.”
“You never told me that part.”
Darkness wanted to toss the phone into the wall and smash it into a hundred pieces. “She’s dead.” He left it at that.
“You killed her?”
He clenched his teeth and spun, pacing the confines of the room. “I don’t want to discuss this.”
“I’m not judging you. We’re brothers,” Fury rasped. “You did what you had to do.”
“We share the same human DNA. That doesn’t make us brothers.”
“Does that make it easier for you if you say that?” Fury growled. “We are brothers. Not all of yours are dead. I’m still here.”
“I’m fine. Good night. I have a job to do.” He hung up and resisted smashing the phone.
It rang just seconds later. He looked down and saw the name. He used his thumb to turn off the ringer. He didn’t want to speak to Fury again. Not while he was in a bad mood. It had been a trying few days. He needed to be calm. Fury had gotten under his skin. He glanced down at the phone a minute later and saw a message had been left. He turned it on and dialed Security.
“I’m sending you the feeds to the human’s cottage. I’m going for a jog. I’ll be back in about forty minutes.”
“Good deal,” the male announced. “We’re ready on this end.”
He bent and typed in the commands. Kat sat on the couch, watching the news. She was oblivious of the hell he felt. He switched the feeds over and slammed the laptop closed. He needed to run and expend his energy.
Chapter Six

Darkness approached his current residence and stopped running. His nose flared and he growled as he faced the male who stepped out from behind a tree near the patio doors. He shouldn’t have been surprised to find Fury waiting for him.
“I told you that I don’t want to talk.”
Fury shrugged. “I told you that I’m worried about you.”
“Stop.”
Fury took a step forward. “Family can be a pain in the ass.”
“We aren’t family.”
Anger flashed on the male’s features. “I’m tired of waiting around for you to heal enough to deal with what the tests revealed. We are family. Maybe it doesn’t bother you to refuse to acknowledge me but I’d like you to be part of my life. We’re the only blood ties we each have. No one else matched my DNA test.” 
“Only the human part.”
“I’m canine and you’re feline. Big deal.” Fury came a little closer. “I see a resemblance. We both ended up with dark hair and brown eyes. We have the same chin too. We got those traits from our humans. Do you ever wonder who they were? I do.”
“No. I never consider it. The records were destroyed so we’ll never know.”
“Have you ever thought about putting your DNA out there to see if we can find a human match and possibly find other relatives? They have adoption registries that might help us find close relations.”
The concept horrified Darkness. “No!”
“I have. These are things family should talk about. We could have fully human siblings.”
“Don’t do it.” Darkness advanced until they were a foot apart. “They are nothing like us. The connection died the moment the humans were paid by Mercile.”
Fury frowned. “I’m talking about the children those humans could have created. Not the parents who made that choice.”
“I want no part of it.”
“That’s the problem. You want no part of anything.”
Darkness leashed his temper. “Stop taking it personally.”
“How can I not? I know I can’t replace the full-blooded siblings you lost. I’m not trying to. I just want to be closer to you.”
“No.” He unfurled his fists.
“Did they look like us? They were my brothers too. Tell me something personal about them.”
Pain stabbed at Darkness’ chest. “Stop.”
“Did they have our hair color? Our eye color?”
“STOP!” He hadn’t meant to shove the male but Fury stumbled back, assuring him that’s exactly what he’d done.
Fury rubbed his chest and snarled.
Darkness lifted his hands, not willing to fight. “Sorry. I don’t want to discuss this.”
“Too damn bad.” Fury took a menacing step forward. “Do I have to beat it out of you?”
“You don’t want to do this.”
“Are you going to kill me?” Fury kicked off his shoes. “You hold everything inside. Stop blaming yourself for something out of your control. I know you somehow blame yourself for their deaths but it’s just survivor’s guilt.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then make me. Tell me everything that happened when they took you away from Mercile. Why do you blame yourself for the deaths of our brothers? Why are you such an asshole by refusing to accept our bond? Talk to me because I’m tired of waiting. I deserve answers.”
“It’s better if you don’t know all the details,” he admitted.
“I never took you for a coward.”
That infuriated him. “I’m not.”
“Then tell me more about them,” Fury snarled. “Talk to me, damn it.”
“I’m going inside.” He tried to walk around the male but Fury grabbed his arm.
“This isn’t over. I’m not leaving until I have answers.”
He glanced down at the fisted hand gripping his forearm. He held the male’s furious gaze. “I won’t fight you.”
Fury released him. Darkness relaxed. He understood the male’s frustration and wasn’t even surprised by it. Fury had tried repeatedly to get him to talk. He just didn’t want to share the details. It would hurt the male, the last thing he wanted.
“Some things are better left unknown.” It was the best advice he could give.“That’s bullshit. You’re going to tell me everything that happened when you were taken from Mercile and exactly how our brothers died. All I know are the barest basics. They died there and you were the only one to survive. There was a human female there who helped train you but she betrayed you. I want the information you won’t share.”