Page 12 of Dark Souls

Crouching down, I took my blade out from the side of my boot and cut through half of the heart. I tilted my head back and squeezed the organ until the remaining blood dripped from it into my open mouth. Then I placed the heart on the ledge of the balcony and stabbed my knife through it before stepping back. My gaze swept out across the trees in the distance as I licked the rest of the blood from my lips. It was a defiant act but one I thought he’d appreciate.

“Thanks. But no thanks!” I politely declined before turning back into my room, leaving the stabbed heart outside for the lunatic to see. If it was still there in the morning, I’d have to get rid of it but I had a feeling he was watching. Hopefully, that would be enough of a clear message. I wasn’t scared of him, but I also wasn’t anything like him either.

Secret Admirer

Igroaned,palmingmythrobbingcock over my jeans as I watched droplets of blood from Rapist Prick’s heart drip into her open mouth, painting her lips an even darker shade than her lipstick. She was even more tempting than my memory served. Wearing a corseted top with a pleated leather skirt which flirted with her mid-thighs, fishnet black tights and chunky laced boots, she was a contrast of dark and light as her flawless ivory skin glowed in the moonlight. I stood against the tree trunk under the canopy of the forest, unable to tear my gaze away from her. The scent of wolves was potent in the air surrounding me, so I lifted the sleeve of my hoodie to cover my nose, inhaling her intoxicating perfume I’d sprayed on me instead. I was in pack territory, which wasn’t the wisest place to be, but seeing as I’d currently taken on the identity of one wolf who had just come off patrol, no one would think anything of me being here.

A sadistic smile curved my lips when she stabbed her little blade into the heart and stared out at the woodland.

“Thanks. But no thanks!” she bellowed before turning on her heels and storming back into her room. I knew my snow angel was feisty, but damn me to hell. She was perfect. I was half expecting her to freak the hell out about finding a bloody heart as a gift. A typical reaction would be to scream, fear for her life, throw up perhaps. Or at least tell her family. But it seemed my instincts were right. She was worth the trouble I went through to kill the man who dared to touch her. Did I feel remorse for feeding him his dick while I ripped out his heart? Abso-fucking-lutely not. In fact, it was the most fun I’d had in years. It seemed killing for Snow was far more satisfying than killing for Master. And it hadn’t even been hard to figure out where she lived. Luckily, there aren’t many vampires with the name Ilaria in the world. In fact, there is just one, and she was somewhat of a celebrity in the supernatural circles. I wasn’t expecting her to be royalty, though. That was a surprise. Though, the even bigger surprise was that she’s willing to play along even if her defiance to bite the heart told me she was setting her own rules. She’s still keeping this our little secret for now.

“Hey Joseph, all good?”

I peered to my right to see a muscular man who was clearly part of the Blood Moon pack heading my way. I nodded, giving him a little salute from the side of the shaved buzz-cut hairJosephsported and smiled warmly. Thankfully, it was enough to convince him of my innocence as he kept on walking into the forest, heading for the pack village without me having to utter a word. I could easily take on someone’s appearance, but my voice would always remain my own.

The light in Ilaria’s bedroom switched off and I narrowed my eyes. She obviously knew I was watching her. I folded my biceps over my chest and one leg over my ankle as I leaned my side against the tree.What’s your next move, Snow?Within minutes, I had my answer. Her icy white hair came into view as she stomped out of the front door and down the grand steps at the front of the palace. She paused for a second to zip up the front of her worn leather jacket before glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes, which were no longer pink but a dark shade of blue, scoured the forest. My lips twisted with a smile, knowing she was searching for me. And then she was off. Walking briskly, her boots scrunched over the gravel as she headed to the garage at the side of the building. She disappeared for a moment. Every bone in my body ached to follow her, but I remained standing still. I couldn’t risk being seen. A ferocious roar of an engine rippled through the air and my smile widened when her tiny body reappeared on the back of an enormous matte black rebel cruiser motorbike. Fuck, that’s sexy.The fact her petite frame could handle such powerful machinery between her thighs was good to know.Yes. I’m a fucking pervert. Sue me.Her black helmet with a white skull on the back turned in my direction once more. I couldn’t see her face through the blacked-out visor, which irritated me beyond belief. Within seconds, she was speeding down the driveway towards the iron gates slowly opening for her.

I turned abruptly and stalked deeper into the woods. Checking the coast was clear before freeing my wings, launching myself off the ground and into the darkness of the night sky with a powerful leap. Keeping a good distance far above, I tracked the motorbike towards the human town a few miles away at the bottom of the mountains. Landing behind a building, I masked my scent and morphed my appearance to the same blond man I had used the night I first laid eyes on my snow angel. I was intrigued to see if she’d remember me;I meanhim,and start connecting the dots. Easing out of the side street and onto the main road that ran through the town, I caught sight of her halfway down. She parked up on the side of a street, pulled off the helmet and tossed her head to tame her long hair. Damn, her effortless sex appeal should be a sin. She looked good enough to eat, yet for the first time in my life, I knew I would never want a taste. Of her organs, anyway. Her skin, her lips, her pussy; I’d devour those. She looked up and down the street with scrutiny before entering a small bar. She could sense I had followed her, yet there wasn’t an ounce of fear in her eyes. I licked my lips, excitement brewing as I realised she was agreeing to play my game. She was luring me out of the shadows and into her light.

I walked past the bar, glancing through the windows as I watched her sit at a high table with a few others. My jaw clenched when I saw at least three of them were males. All supernaturals. She better not have a fucking boyfriend. I hadn’t planned on killing anyone tonight and didn’t exactly have time for it. I had places to be after this. Master’s orders to fulfil.

A couple walked through the front door and her head immediately snapped to them, narrowing with suspicion before her attention returned to the group. The tension eased from my body, knowing I was still firmly on her mind, even when she was around other men. My clever little vamp was expecting me to follow her here and watching the door like a hawk. She was waiting for me to make my next move.

Ready or not, the demon’s coming for you, Angel.

Stalking around the back of the bar, I jumped the railing leading up to the back entrance and yanked the steel door open, breaking the lock mechanism on the inside. Walking through the storage room full of crates of beers and racks of wine, I grabbed a bottle of red and a wine glass before strolling out into the back of the bar and settled down on an isolated table. I had the perfect view of her from here. Without taking my eyes off her, I unscrewed the wine bottle and poured myself a glass, blending in with the laid-back atmosphere of couples and friends chatting and drinking. Every time the little bell above the door alerted the room to a new customer, her deceiving eyes widened before she’d turned her head to glance over. She was so on edge. I could practically feel the restlessness rolling off her in waves. But it was more than that. She was enjoying this. Relishing the thrill I was providing her.

Leaning back in the chair, I watched her with interest as she interacted with her group. She seemed so out of place in this crowd. While they were loud, animated and predictable, she remained quiet, mysterious and distant, but not due to shyness. No, she just looked bored as fuck. As if nothing they said truly interested her. She clearly had nothing in common with them. The only time a glimmer of interest would light up her beauty was when she heard the bell above the door. Her body would tighten before her shoulders slouched with disappointment when she decided the stranger wasn’t me. Which begs the question: how did she know what she was looking for?

Blocking the rest of the background noise out, I tuned into the tail end of the group’s conversation about some crime show they were all into before one girl, who had an identical twin sitting on the other side of her, turned to Ilaria.

“We’re so glad you decided to come out tonight. You know you are more than welcome to join us any time. Just text.”

“Thanks, but for future reference, don’t feel obligated to invite me because your mum told you to. I don’t need a pity invite,” Ilaria said. She didn’t say it maliciously. She didn’t even seem bothered. The girl’s shocked expression quickly turned to anxiety as she shook her head.

“I didn’t—” She sighed, and then her shoulders sagged. “You read my mind. I’m sorry. Your mum had mentioned to mine that you might be feeling lonely and when I said I was going out, she asked if you were going too and if not, I should invite you. But I would have anyway.”

“Sure.” Ilaria smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. It wasn’t genuine, and I realised at that moment I really fucking wanted to see what one of those looked like. “Thanks, Izzy.”

The girl leaned into Ilaria and lowered her voice a little, but my advanced hearing still caught her words. “Some words of advice though, hun. Try not to read people’s minds tonight. It makes them uncomfortable and you know, we are just trying to have a good time.”

A spark of fury flickered in Ilaria’s features as she sat up straighter and my dick jolted. It was only a fleeting moment where her cool mask slipped and revealed the fiery vixen of her vampire beneath but I caught it just in time before she composed herself.

“Trust me. The last thing I want is to be inside anyone else’s mind. Mine is consuming enough right now.” She plastered on another one of those fake smiles for her friend’s benefit but it disappeared the moment she looked away.

Well, well, well.My little vamp can read minds. It explained her fixation on staring at every newcomer who walked through the door. In any normal situation, that would definitely level out the playing field between us but luckily for me, now I knew her gift, I could block her. Time to put her out of her misery and make her night a little more interesting.

I caught the attention of a waitress and asked for a pen. She pulled one out from the nest of hair on top of her head with a sultry smile and I didn’t miss the subtle hand lingering on mine as she passed it to me. It turns out the preppy blond guy was a hit with the ladies. Or perhaps it was the beast lurking beneath this human disguise that drew her in. Either way, I didn’t give two shits. Even the pulsing veins in the side of her neck weren’t as enticing as the woman sitting a few metres away from me.

“You see that girl?” I asked, pointing the end of the pen towards Ilaria.

“The freak who keeps staring at everyone?” She frowned. My fist balled beneath the table at her insult.

“I’d like to buy her a drink. A glass of red wine. The best you have. And tell her it’s from her secret admirer and I think she is the most beautiful woman in this bar. Think you can manage that?” I glared up at the girl’s blushing cheeks as she gulped and her heart raced at my darkening tone.

“Okay.” She hesitantly took the cash from my hand and made her way towards the bar to make the order. I scribbled down a message on the plain napkin and glanced up just in time to watch the waitress place the glass in front of Ilaria. Her beautiful features scrunched adorably as she peered down at it.

“Wait. I didn’t order this?”

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