Page 37 of Dark Souls

My gaze met Heathen’s across the road and I knew I had to deal with this. I opened the building door leading up to Neve’s flat and stood in the doorway, holding it open as an invitation. In my peripheral vision, I saw Harry Gould’s body stalking across the road casually, climbing the steps and then stopping right in front of me. I peered up into those terrifying eyes and narrowed my own.

“I was starting to think he’d never leave.” He smirked before walking past me and over the threshold. I sucked in a deep breath, looked to the heavens and prayed I was not about to make the biggest mistake of my life by inviting this demon in.

The moment I entered the flat, my steps faltered. Heathen had shed his disguise and was casually strolling around the small living space, eating up the room with his sheer size and commanding presence as he picked up objects with his sharp claws, staring at them with curiosity before placing them back down and moving on to the next. It wasn’t every day you saw a beautifully dangerous demon with curved horns, entirely black eyes, protruding vines and magical tattoos covering his shirtless body strolling around your living room. I don’t think I’d ever get used to the majestic sight of him.

‘Look at those veiny arms! Those claws! He could do some serious damage with those things! Damn, he is so fucking fineeeee!’Rue was practically salivating in my mind. This beast was all her wet dreams come true and I couldn’t blame her for ogling him. But why? Why couldn’t my stalker be some grotesque, green goblin instead of the finest specimen of monster that’s ever lived? Life just loved to throw me challenges.

“Enjoying the view?” he said with his back to me while he looked at a framed picture of Neve’s parents, Calli and Niko. “Don’t pretend you’re not checking out my ass.”

My eyes spontaneously dropped to his firm, muscular ass. A damn fine one. The amusement in his dark chuckle snapped me out of my trance and I slammed the front door closed with a bang.

“What the hell was that?”

“What the hell was what?” he answered, placing the frame back down on the shelf and finally turning to look at me. My heart flipped and my traitorous vagina fluttered as I took in the structure of his face again. Black vines snaked all around his head, masking his high cheekbones and straight nose as if he wore a mask. Like Batman. But a villainous Batman. With only his strong lower jaw and full lips truly exposed, it left even more mystery to the monster.

Forcing myself not to become distracted by those obsidian eyes that danced with laughter, I stepped into the room, giving him my ‘don’t fuck with me’ glare. It was hard to remember I was mad and had a point to make when one side of his lips curved up into an irresistibly cocky grin.

“The coffee shop. It’s one thing stalking me from the shadows but to do it out in the open like that was really fucking uncomfortable.”

His eyes sparkled. “You think I am stalking you? That’s adorable.”

I scoffed. “What would you call leaving a ripped-out heart in my bedroom, ominous notes, invading my personal space, watching my family and following me to coffee shops then?”

He tilted his head, staring into the distance, pretending to be in deep thought as he tapped one sharp nail against his chin. “Dating.”

“You’re deranged,” I snapped, grabbing the delicate crystal that belonged to Calli out of his hands before he accidentally broke it with his super strength or something.

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it, Snow. I see the way your face lights up and hear the way your pulse quickens when you realise I’m there. Let’s just call it what it is.”

“Temporary insanity?”

“Mutual obsession.” He grinned, stepping into me. My head was level with his chest and, once again, I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, awakening my senses. Every inch of me itched to take a step back so I could breathe easily, but I was too goddamn stubborn to break first. And by the way his black eyes had narrowed into slits of desire and the muscles in his jaw twitched, he was feeling it too. The overpowering pull of sensations.

“If only I could, I’d really show you what stalking is, Snow. Show you how deep and unapologetically crazy my obsession with you runs. I’d never leave your side. I’d watch your every move, watch you eat, watch you sleep, study every little thing about you until I knew you better than you knew yourself.”

“Did you not learn the importance of boundaries growing up?” I raised my eyebrow, ignoring Rue’s swooning over his toxic words and my racing heart.

He chuckled. “Boundaries? What are they? With you, Snow, I have no fucking boundaries. Unless you set them.”

“Unless I set them?”

He nodded, lowering his head and leaning in. His lips brushed the shell of my ear and I shuddered subtly as he said, “In case you haven’t noticed, you are my weakness, Angel. And it seems that I’ll do anything for you. Including not killing that body-building asshole that looks at you like he’s picturing you naked.” I held his dangerous gaze when he brought his face in line with mine and I held my breath at the darkness lurking in the depths of his eyes. “Has he seen you naked, Snow?”

Not able to take the tension anymore and needing to break away, I spun away from him and made my way over to the dining table to refocus. I needed to change the subject and I had questions I needed answers to. Not to mention, being that close to him and his possessiveness was too tempting.

“I know what you are.” I glanced over my shoulder to see him still standing where I left him, those deadly eyes dark and glistening with irritation because I hadn’t answered him. “Demonski Upir.”

He clicked his tongue as his eyes landed on the stack of books behind me to, eyeing them with suspicion. “Told you you’d figure it out.”

“Are you the only one? Or are there more of you out there?”

A flicker of pain warped his features and his eyes turned lethal. He turned his back to me for a second, needing a moment to gather himself, I presumed, before he made his way over to the sofa and flopped down, spreading his legs wide.

“You’ve read the books. I think you have your answer.”

I let his words hang in the air between us. My chest tightened at the unexpected sorrow and empathy I suddenly felt for him. He was completely alone. Had he had a family? Were they all slaughtered? What did his past look like? From the haunting look on his face, it was painful.

“You were there, weren’t you? You saw it all…” I whispered, my voice choking with emotion at the thought of having to witness something so horrendous. Damn, even the thought of any harm coming to a single member of my family would have me spiralling so I couldn’t even imagine.

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