Soul of Darkness Read Free

turned black,” Aaron mumbled, suddenly understanding. Not too long ago, the notion that Darkness actually existed as an entity would have seemed ludicrous to him. Not so anymore. Not after all that had happened since.
    “But what exactly  does this mean?” Aaron asked Malcolm, the tone of his voice indicating the feeling of foreboding which had suddenly crept over him.
    “It means that Persephone is now touched by Darkness…and it has changed her.”
    “Changed her how?” Aaron wondered.
    “She will no longer be the Persephone you have known. I am not sure how much of her old self could have survived, but it could well be that she is no more than an empty shell…and that her heart has gone stone cold. I am so sorry…son,” Malcolm said, obviously feeling for Aaron, whose acute sense of loss at Malcolm’s words appeared to be written all over his face.
    “No, that can’t be. You’ve got it wrong,” Aaron said, grasping at straws, “I know she’s in there…she has to be…has to…”
    Malcolm just hung his head in regret, saying nothing.
    “Why did you show her how to find her power without warning her about what could happen?” Aaron accused his father, lashing out at the only miscreant he could find in all this.
    “You knew about the risk and didn’t utter a word. You showed her the way and let her run into her doom, knowing that her eyes were closed. How could you?” Aaron cried out furiously.
    “You’ve got it all wrong, my boy,” Malcolm said softly, “Persephone knew about the risk involved. She had gotten lost in the darkness inside of her before, and Aidan had pulled her back out. She had known full well what it would mean to let Darkness enter her heart.”
    “But then, how could she have done it…how could she have chanced losing herself?” Aaron asked, trying to understand why she would have risked herself for Aidan, whom she couldn’t even stand.
    “She mustn’t have known exactly what would happen. Maybe she’d thought she could come back from using dark magic, that it wouldn’t change her.”
    “Aaron,” Malcolm said softly, “Persephone knew precisely what she was doing and what it would mean.”
    “That’s bullshit…,” Aaron said heatedly, “…how could you possibly know that?”
    “Because that’s what it means to sell your soul to Darkness. You know you will not come back from it. It’s a bargain…an act of sacrifice…which you need to agree to completely willingly. Darkness cannot take you over without your consent. It might have planted a seed inside of you, but it cannot become a part of you unless you let it.”
    “Does that mean…she…sacrificed herself…for him?” Aaron asked, shaken. He could not believe it! “Why would she do…why?” Aaron whispered, looking at Malcolm for answers.
    “You must brace yourself for the possibility that…she was…in love with him,” Malcolm said cautiously, as though holding a potentially dangerous bomb which could go off at any second.
    “How could she have been in love with him?” Aaron asked, his tone agitated, “She only just met him…she and I…we are…we were…it can’t be,” he uttered in a strangled voice as realization hit him, the truth behind Malcolm’s words starting to sink in.
    Oh God, his father was right. She’d been in love with his brother. Why else would she have made such a sacrifice? There could be no other reason!
    Aaron felt shaken.
    As for the second chance he’d been given to finally get to know his brother…he no longer desired it. He could not get past the fact that Aidan had taken her away from him. Not only had he gotten her to fall in love with him… his   life had cost Persephone her soul.
    Persephone , Aaron’s thoughts wandered to the girl he had known…the one that was no more. How could you?
    They’d…meant something to each other…he’d opened up to her…for the very first time in his life he’d become vulnerable…for her.
    And now she’d thrown