Page 71 of Dark Souls

“What the fuck, Heathen! What am I supposed to do with that? How am I just supposed to turn a blind eye to the terrible things you do when you show zero remorse? You and him are exactly the same.” She shook her head as I frowned deeply.

“Me and who? Snow. Talk to me. What happened at the event? I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. Trust me, it wasn’t by choice.”

“Can I?” she argued. “Trust you? Because I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to think about any of this. What am I even doing?” she muttered, more to herself, as she rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. She was spiralling. Something had seriously spooked her. I stepped towards her, grabbing her hand and placing it on my chest. She opened her eyes and stared up at me with confusion. But at least she had calmed down.

“You feel that? As long as it beats, you can trust me, Snow. I will never lie to you. It may not always be what you want to hear, but it will be the truth. The ugly truth. My world is dark, and you know I am not in… you know I am limited to what I can say, but I will give you as much as I can. You can trust me.”

She tilted her head to the side and I could see the depth of her sadness deep in those stunning eyes. Eyes that were too pretty to be sad. It didn’t look right on her. I wanted to take it away and make them shine again. Make them sparkle with passion. Sadness didn’t belong.

“What happened at the event?” I asked again firmly. She sighed, pulling her hand from my chest and I immediately wanted to force it back there. I liked her touching me. I yearned for it.

“Why don’t you ask your friend? The Dealer,” she said with irritation and something else lacing her tone.

“Ah. Well, I would, except we aren’t exactly on speaking terms right now.” I rubbed my claw down my face. “So, you met him? I warned you he was an asshole, Snow. What happened? Did he upset you?”

“It doesn’t even matter. You were right about that, he’s an asshole. But you were wrong about everything else. He won’t help me figure your situation out, and he told me not to trust him. In fact, he told me to stay as far away from him as physically possible if I valued my life and never show my face in the club again. So that’s what I’m doing.”

My whole body rippled with violent energy. Why the fuck would he say that? Surely, he wanted out of the devil’s clutches just as much as me? Why couldn’t he see that Ilaria could help us both? She was someone we could trust to figure out the truth. This didn’t make any sense. He clearly protected her identity from The Devil. He lied and said it was Tamara at the event and he’d killed her. His actions didn’t match his words.

She huffed, her shoulders tense as she turned around and lifted her rucksack onto her shoulder. And that’s when I noticed the large, centuries-old book that had been lying underneath it. My eyes fell on the gold-foiled lettering on the front.The Book of Dark Magic.It was the original book created by the Anderson sisters (Ilaria’s ancestors) centuries ago. The greatest dark witches that have ever lived. A book I had seen once before. And a book that was one of the catalysts in ruining my life. My shoulders started to shake uncontrollably as I forced my eyes away from it and trained my concentration on Ilaria instead. But her words only caused me more anxiety.

“Look. I know I said I’ll help you, and I’m not saying I’m giving up. Whatever messed-up situation you’re in, I’ll figure it out and do what I can to help you get out of it but right now, I just need some… space. Some time to think.”

“Where are you going?” I said with a deep frown, approaching her slowly. I didn’t like this.

“To help my brothers.”

“But they are in another realm.”

“Your stalking knows no bounds,” she replied sarcastically.

My heart raced. “How long will you be gone?”

“I don’t know. As long as it takes. They’re about to go to war against a magical force and mutated zombie wolves, and I’m not going to miss out on all the fun. They are my brothers. They need me. And right now, I need the distraction.”

A fierce, protective growl escaped me. That sounded dangerous. Too dangerous for her to be going alone, and I didn’t like the idea of her being in a completely different realm, unreachable, untraceable. In fact, I fucking hated it. I wanted to be with her. But that was impossible. I was trapped. Trapped in a cycle of never-ending torture. I didn’t give a fuck about money or power. All I wanted was freedom. All I wanted was her. And she was leaving. Feral, primal rage took over as I grabbed the antique full-length mirror and launched it across the room. The mirror smashed as I heaved aggressively and Ilaria jumped back, startled by my outburst.

“And they say I have anger issues,” she muttered, staring down at the mess before her eyes studied me with curiosity. I was pacing. My wings were flapping behind me. My claws ripped against my chest, drawing blood as I tried to escape the confines of my own skin. Red coated my vision. I was losing it.

“Hey!” I heard her voice, but it felt miles away. Too far. Like she was already leaving me. “Heathen. Calm down. Calm the fuck down before my grandpapi comes up here. Heathen!”

I felt a tug on my wrists, pulling them down to my sides and away from the harm I was causing my chest.

“Stop! Look at me. Breathe.”

I tried to focus. I tried to clear the bloody haze. Pink sparkled behind it. I latched onto the colour like it was my only lifeline. My only way out of the darkness.

“That’s it. Breathe.” Her soft voice soothed the anger to a dull agitation. I slumped, sitting on the edge of her bed as she stood between my thighs. As I regained control of my body, I realised her hands were on my shoulders. The simple act grounded me like nothing ever had before. Just her touch, her voice, pulled me back from the edge of total destruction.

Closing my eyes, my head fell forwards against her chest, listening to the peaceful rhythm of her heartbeat. My fangs ached when I heard the rushing of her blood pumping through her veins. I’d never desired another’s blood as much as hers, yet I would never take it without her consent.

“You good?” she asked tenderly, and I lifted my head to stare at her face. The face of an angel. My snow angel.

“No. Sorry about the mirror,” I grumbled, lifting my hands to my face and pushing my fists into my eyes. “I haven’t fed in a while and just the thought of you leaving, of not being able to see you when I can, sent me into a blind rage. I shouldn’t have sent you to the club. It was foolish and selfish, especially when I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t be there to make sure nothing bad happened.”

She licked her bottom lip, her eyes flicking over my face and down to my chest as she contemplated something. Something that was causing hesitation to flow from her in waves.

“What is it?” I asked as she chewed her bottom lip.

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