Page 157 of Dark Souls

His body language was all kinds of wrong. Not only was every muscle tense, but he was dispelling so much rage and hate that it was suffocating. I could physically feel my throat closing and my breathing becoming harsher because of it. Because of the look in his blood-red eyes. It was a look I hadn’t seen in a really long time. Not since the very beginning, when we first met. It was the appearance of a man who had nothing left to live for. A man who gave zero fucks.

“Luka?” His name passed my lips in an unsure breath as I stared into his eyes, trying to understand what was happening. And then I noticed the dried blood covering his chin. I swallowed against the tightness of my throat as I felt Lorcan approaching cautiously behind me. “Whose blood is that?”

“Don’t let them in. This is between you and me.” The coldness in his voice made me physically recoil as I blinked at him. “Don’t fucking let them in, Ilaria. I mean it.”

“Ilaria, is everything alright?” Lorcan’s deep voice was laced with his own concern from his position behind me in the living room and I nodded slowly, never breaking eye contact with Luka.

“Yeah. Just give us a minute. We need to talk,” I managed to say, but my voice shook with uncertainty. I had no idea what was happening, and I knew my brothers would listen but be extremely on edge, waiting for any sign of danger. But there was no danger. There couldn’t be. This was Luka. My soulmate. The man I loved. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

“Luka, what’s wrong? What’s happened? I was at the manor and your mother’s bones, they’re–”

“I’m leaving. This is the last time you’ll ever see me.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. “W-what?”

“This thing between us, I let it go too far. It was only ever meant to be about sex. But I let you and this soulmate bullshit get inside my head. I lost focus of who I was; who I will always be. Once again, I fucking fell for a woman’s lies. Believed she could love me. But who can love a monster, right?”

Every word tore a crack through my seizing heart. I stared, completely paralysed by confusion and panic. “Luka, what are you talking about? I don’t understand–”

He moved to the side, unblocking my view of the slumped body on the floor that I hadn’t even noticed was behind him. My gaze travelled the length of the muscular male form and settled on the unconscious face of Ronnie. His skin was sickly pale and lips an unnatural shade of grey. On his neck, there were multiple bite marks beneath all the blood. My hand slammed over my mouth as I raced towards him to check he was alive. I found the faintest pulse barely present in his neck, but Luka grabbed my wrist, yanking me away from him before I could do anything to help.

“What did you do?” I meant to scream it, but it only came out as a choked cry. I slammed my fists into his chest, grabbing his T-shirt as he stood unmoving in front of me. Completely unaffected by the situation.

“What I warned you I’d do. Want to explain why the man who you said you weren’t involved with anymore was in your fucking flat when I arrived? Waiting to fuck you?” he spoke so quietly but with deep disdain, his tone vibrating with viciousness.

I tried to shove Luka out of the way to get back to Ronnie, but his hands gripped my upper arms, and he yanked me into his hard chest. I glared up at him, a sharp stinging sensation pinched at the back of my eyes as I tried to fight back the angry tears.

“Why would you do this? You know I only want you. You know I would never be with another man. I told you he was a friend. That he’s only a friend now! You are my soulmate, Luka. You wouldn’t hurt anyone I care about because you know it would hurt me. I know you wouldn’t. This isn’t you!”

“Isn’t it?” he hissed through his fangs and shoved me back. I staggered to my feet as I shook my head at him. “Isn’t this exactly who I am? Who I was born to be? A killer. A monster. Everyone thinks so, Ilaria. Everyone but you! It’s time to wake up, love.”

I continued to shake my head, allowing the silent, painful tears to run down my cheeks as I stared into his cold, soulless eyes. He was completely closed off. Even more so than I had ever seen before. No humanity whatsoever. Every angle of his handsome face had sharpened. He was almost unrecognisable to the man I had fallen in love with.

“No,” I said with conviction through the tears. “That isn’t who you are. I know you, Luka. I know your soul. I know the good that lives inside. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. I love you!”

There wasn’t even a flicker of emotion as I said those three words with so much meaning.

“Then you’re even a bigger fool than me.”

Another tear through my heart.

Faster than I could even blink, his body had blurred across the room and lifted Ronnie to his feet. Luka had Ronnie’s back pressed against his chest and his hand wrapped around his throat, holding his weight up effortlessly. I screamed no, extending my hand towards them. Leif, Lorcan and Grandma raced into the room beside me, about to attack, but I slammed my arms out, holding them back as I pleaded with Luka.

“Please. Don’t do this. It’s a misunderstanding, Luka. We can talk about this and everything will be fine. Ronnie is still alive. But he’s lost a lot of blood. Please. You can’t do this. He’s Sienna’s best friend. My family cares about him.”

“Come on now, man,” Leif said in a soothing voice next to me. “Listen to Ilaria. She would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

“No? Leave that up to you Andersons witches, right?” Luka snarled at Leif. Every word was like spitting poison.

Leif placed his hands behind his back to show him he wasn’t a threat.

“Yeah, those fucking Anderson sisters were cuntpuddles. I’m with you on that. But I’m nothing like them. I’m still a cuntpuddle but a completely different kind. Come on, you don’t want to do this, buddy. Release the human and come give your soulmate a kiss and make up.”

I had no idea what my brother was saying. I could barely even hear him through the thundering of every heartbeat.

“Luka, look at me.” I took a tentative step forwards, which earned a growl from him, so I stopped. His burning gaze met mine. “I know deep down you trust me. I know you don’t really believe I would cheat on you with Ronnie. He hasn’t done anything wrong. You are letting your jealousy and anger get to you because your humanity is turned off. That doesn’t make you a monster, but I need you to let him go now.”

“Why shouldn’t I kill him? I’ve killed others for a lot less.”

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