A/N: I just finished reading the third book in the series and have fallen in love with the secret hour. Hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own, do not claim to own, yada, yada, yada, that kind of stuff.
Chapter I
"What have they done to you?" Madeleine murmered. She was probing the black sphere of Rex's darkling half, searching its smooth surface for purchase. As the fingers of her mind settled in and began to pry, Rex's hand flinched in Melissa's.
"It's for your own good," the old woman muttered. Her concentration deepened, her raspy breathing slowing in Melissa's ears.
After a long moment the darkness inside Rex began to swell, like something viscous and heavy coming slowly to a boil. The muscles in his fingers again in her hand, a try taste stirring among the patterns of his mind.*
His eyes flashed purple and a growling was emitted from his throat that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"You don't know what you're doing," he chuckled.
Melissa gulped. What if beneath all of Madeleine's cockiness, there was no real knowledge about these Halflings. What if she had just been bluffing all along. Melissa couldn't bear to lose Rex. Not her oldest friend.
Rex grasped Melissa's hand even tighter and her mind was overwhelmed with darkling thoughts. Kill them. Hunt them. She shook her head to clear the thoughts, but they still came at her as unstoppable as a tidal wave. She struggled to overcome the stream with her own happy thoughts. Human thoughts. She had to save Rex. She couldn't live without him. The light stream of her thoughts only provided a weak barrier for a moment before it was gone and the darkling side of Rex flooded her mind. Her hands shook uncontrollably, but she could not break the bond with Rex. She knew that she should let go of him, but her hands refused to move out of their own accord.
Madeleine let out a tortured scream. She too could feel the darkling presence of Rex's mind. Melissa wrenched her eyes open but all she could see was the demonic glare of Rex's purple eyes and the corners of his mouth as they curled to form something that resembled a smirk.
"You don't know what you're doing," Rex repeated. Madeleine's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell backwards, losing consciousness.
Black dots swam into Melissa's vision and she fought to stay awake. Rex, Melissa whispered into Rex's mind; her last feeble attempt to resurrect Rex's human side.
"Melissa," he sneered back with contempt. "Human." He released Melissa's hand from his grasp and their connection was once again severed.
Melissa fell backwards and could feel her mind slowly trying to eradicate itself of the darkling influence.
Rex turned to look at Melissa. Unlike before, nothing stirred inside of him when he caught sight of her. To him, she was nothing more than prey. He rose up from his place in Madeleine's attic and sprang at her neck. With one blow, the two of them landed on the floor with Melissa on the bottom. She writhed for a moment, still only half conscious. Her heart beat faster and faster and she smelled like the acrid scent of fear, inviting Rex's hunger to overwhelm him.
"Rex," Melissa pleaded. "Don't do this." She had long since stopped struggling and lay limp on the floor. "It's me. Melissa. Don't you remember?"
Rex growled at her. "To us, you are only prey." His voice resonated with the sound of thousands of ancient voices chanting in unison.
"You are not one of them, Rex." Tears had already begun to flow freely from Melissa's eyes.
Rex breathed the scent of Melissa's sweet skin mixed with her fear. It was too much for him to contain and he bit down hard on her throat.
Melissa's piercing scream cut through the air for only a few moments before it was drowned out and replaced with only a still silence.
*Excerpt from Blue Noon