Tasting Darkness

Read Taming Darkness By Jessica Hall Book 3 Chapter 24 – I glared back at him. He chuckled and shook his head, and walked way from me and after my
mother.
A defeated sigh left my lips as I kept hoping my darnedest that my mates would feel the mark, and that my plan would work, right
when a movement to my left caught my attention. As my mother’s soldiers moved further down the hall and disappear through
another door. Now to wait and see what she has in store for me.
Time passes quickly while I’m locked inside the damn cell. I paced back and forth, waiting for some sign, for anything really to tell
me that things were going to turn in my direction. However, no amount of time stuck in there could have prepared me for the
three scientists in pristine white lab coats that bust into the room.
My mother followed behind them, her hands clasped behind her back and a wide smile on her lips.
Two of her more burly minions shoved the scientists aside as they opened the cell and grabbed me by my arms, and dragged
me closer. My senses were on high alert as I thrashed against them. I still needed to play the helpless victim for my mother
dearest’s benefit. I couldn’t let her know that any of my power had returned.
One of the scientists pulled a long syringe out of his pocket before proceeding to screw on the longest needle I’d ever witnessed.
One of the burly asses twisted my arm, preparing me for that monster. My damsel in distress act might have to be cut short if
things got any more dangerous. I prepared myself just in case.
“I want to test it against the sample I have from when she was a child, see how much her magic has morphed since she
manifested,” my mother explains to the man, clicking her fingers at him.” Charles, go and get a bed for her. I don’t want just her
blood, I think some spinal fluid would be appropriate for our first comparisons.”
Fuck. I hated needles. Or maybe it was more, seeing what Darius had endured at the hands of his own mad scientists that
scared me most. Whichever the case may be, I didn’t want them coming anywhere near me with that thing, or taking anything
from me.
Charles grunted and stomped off, I was left with just one of the sinister men. Unfortunately, Charles wasn’t gone long. He came
back wheeling a thin metal gurney and shoved it at his companion. The other man caught it with one hand and together, the two
of them forced me onto the table. Their crushing grip pinned me down and panic clawed at my throat.
My mother didn’t get closer until they had me secure. Even if I summoned every bit of power I did have, it would be hard to get
myself out of this situation. She grabbed my bra and reached for a pair of scissors one of the scientists handed her. “You won’t

need this anymore, Aleera,” she chided as she cut my clothes off my body. The only thing keeping me from flashing all the men
in here was my body pressed to the cold metal. “You don’t have to worry about being gentle with her, just get me the sample.”
One of the scientists stepped forward, the syringe held in his hand. I shuddered. I couldn’t even jerk away. His hand reached out,
stroking my spine, fingers searching for the spot he wanted to jam that fucking needle. He jabbed it into me, but there was no
pain. In fact, it was almost like a little clink. I couldn’t see what was going on, but the maniacal grin on my mother’s face was
gone.
“Her body’s defense mechanism must be kicking in,” she growled.”
The anat..
Try another, a bigger gauge this time.” Another massive syringe was produced, this time the needle was thicker than the last
one. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the pain that was to follow. Instead, another clink and this time a curse as one of the
men holding me down staggered back, warm blood splattered across my back and I cracked an eye open to see what was going
on.
Sticking out of his cheek, like a long metal straw, the needle was buried, and the man was cursing as he yanked it out, only for
blood to gush from the wound. “Fucking bitch,” he snarled at me.
Maybe my skin had become titanium. Now that would be a nice development.
“How is this possible?” One of the scientists asked, one of them that didn’t have a big ass needle. This one was writing my
reactions down. He chewed on the end of his pen, his big bushy brows furrowed. “She has no magic and the cuffs are on,
correct?”
Wrong, moron. You might think those things are true, but I’m just not letting you see that I’ve got magic back. I still needed to
bide my time, thank God for the whole body defense thing. The last thing I needed was for her to get away with taking my spinal
fluid. I had to resist the urge to demonstrate just how incorrect he truly was, now wasn’t the time for my breakout.
My mother sighs, her earlier excitement wiped away. “Demonic and Seraphim remember, Clint? She is part Seraphim, her mate
is Demonic-Fae. When she is scared, even powerless, her body still has certain safely mechanisms. Why do I have to explain
this to you? You’re supposed to be one of the top men in your field.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Greyson used to have to shock
Darius regularly, even when he was powerless to drop his body’s shield.”

I wished she would keep going because I would also like to know more about these apparent safety mechanisms my body had
that I’d never heard of. That last line though was more than a bit worrisome.
“Charge her, you know the drill, it will weaken her bodies’ reaction. Once that’s finished, I want that sample, and make sure you
fill the syringe completely.” My mother orders, walking off and out of the cell.