Page 30 of Dark Souls

Using all my vampire strength, I shoved him away from me, my fangs snapping down with rage as I hissed, “What the fuck did you just do?”

“I made you feel how you were making me feel. How you always make me feel.”

“But how?” I shouted, unable to comprehend how I had been taken to a state of complete orgasmic heaven so quickly and without being physically touched. I was completely disoriented, with no sense of time or place. It was all in my head. In my mind. He’d mind fucked me! Literally. “You have demonic abilities, don’t you? Which means you must be from the original bloodlines. Blessed by Hades, God of the Underworld.”

“Well, look at you. You do know your shit. Except I call Hades, Veles.” He clicked his neck to the side and shook out his arms before meeting my gaze once more.

“But that’s impossible. Your species is extinct! You were all hunted and killed hundreds of years ago.”

Fury flashed across his face for the first time. And my god, he was truly horrifying. I saw the deadly monster I knew I was supposed to fear. Instinctively, I stumbled back, and a branch from the tree slapped me in the face. The wood scraped my cheek and I hissed at the burning sensation it caused. Yeah, forests were never a good idea for vampires.

Before I had time to react, he cocooned me, wrapping his feathered wings around us so I couldn’t escape. His expression was still angry, but he looked more concerned as his eyes cast down to the cut on my cheek. He lifted his clawed hand, and before I could protest, he swiped his finger along the cut, mopping up the blood that was seeping from the wound. His gaze lingered on the blood on his finger, hunger burning in his eyes. Then, his forked tongue shot out like a snake and lapped up the blood, leaving me speechless. His eyes squeezed shut and he almost winced as though he were in pain himself.

“I knew it. My own sweet elixir.”

My nostrils flared and I realised I was now in a very precarious position. I was bleeding in front of one of the deadliest species that had ever existed. I didn’t know how this was possible, how he was even alive, but if I wanted to remain breathing, I needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.

He must have sensed my panic as he opened his eyes and smiled. “You don’t need to fear me, Snow. You are possibly the only person on this hellish Earth that I will never harm.”

“Why?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him with distrust. It was the question I had been asking myself since the night I found Eddie’s heart so neatly gift wrapped in my bedroom. Why me?

“I don’t know. You’re different,” he answered, and I had to give him credit for his honesty.

“Do you make a habit of stalking women or is it just me?” I don’t know where the question came from but I had to know the answer. Maybe I was a whore for his attention because the thought of him stalking other women like this made me feel a little pissed off.

“Only you, Snow. It’s only ever you.”

I inhaled deeply, feeling that weird flip in my heart once more and trying my best to ignore it. This was so fucking confusing. All of it. I was supposed to hate this man. No, demon. But he was making it so fucking hard to do.

“What do you want from me?” I settled on the second question that had been driving me insane all week. “Why play these games with me? Why show me who you are?What do you want from me?”

He held my gaze, and my heart thundered. A few intense moments passed and he still hadn’t answered. He stepped away from me.

“To own your soul. You have to give it to me.”

I frowned. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.”

He winced once more, his features contorting with pain and his shoulders hunched before he relaxed again. His wings extended behind him and it was a stunning sight. Then hit me. He was leaving.

“Wait. You’re part ofThe Underground,right? Do you work for them? Or are you a member?”

Another cruel smile appeared on his face. “See. Smart girl.” He crouched down, his muscular thighs straining to break from his jeans as he sunk one claw into the dirt. “Oh, and by the way, if you’re doing laundry, you might want to wash your bed sheets in the attic. Or... you might not…”

With a mischievous wink, he launched himself off the ground and into the night’s sky. Soaring higher into the clouds until he was just a speck in the distance. I slammed my hand over my chest, willing my heart to calm down. He was a true demon with so much power. And I was right! He was connected toThe Underground.

Yet as I stood there, staring up at the night sky, feeling aroused, extremely irritated and a little in awe, all I could think about was what the fuck had he done to my sheets?

Bloodlines And Brutal Ends

Expertlybalancingthepileof ancient history books between my hand and my chin, I used my other hand to unlock the apartment door and let myself in. I kicked the door shut with the back of my boot, and my overstuffed bag fell from my shoulder to the floor. I barely got the books onto the dining room table before they toppled from their precarious stack. Damn, even with my vampire strength, I could appreciate how weighty these beasts were. Why are books so heavy when paper feels weightless? I guess, in this instance, they carry the weight of centuries of mysteries and truths, and I hope that at least one of them will give me more information on Heathen’s supposedly extinct breed.

I rolled my shoulders before shrugging off my leather jacket and draping it over a nearby chair. A small smile formed on my lips as I glanced around at the chaotic, brightly decorated bohemian flat that belonged to my best friend Neve. Well, technically it was owned by her mum, Calli, but when we turned fourteen, she gave us the keys and let us use it as our own space to just hang out together away from our crazy families. The place was filled with nostalgic memories of late nights singing at the top of our lungs while jumping on the furniture, movie marathons with ice cream and bickering over whether we’d watch a horror (my pick) or a rom-com (always Neve’s). We’d even made voodoo dolls when Neve first had her heart broken by Ivan Durham, her first crush and kiss, who then proceeded to kiss four other girls the same night, but of course, we never went through with using them. Though he may or may not have mysteriously found his favourite letterman jacket shredded in his locker the next day. He’d thrown a tantrum like a little bitch. My highlight of that year.

This place was the opposite of me in every way. Warm, inviting, colourful and with so much vibrance. It was Neve. And just being here without her felt completely wrong but also comforting. It had been a few weeks since she’d found out she was mated to Heroux warrior wolf twins (lucky bitch)and had left with them to return to their realm. I couldn’t blame her or even be mad at her for leaving me behind, because I knew how much finding her destined mates meant to her. She’d dreamed about it since she was a kid. Ever the romantic, she had high hopes and big dreams for the loves of her life and I prayed the Usoro twins had what it took to make them come true. Was I happy for her? Unbelievably. Was I a little jealous? Naturally. Not because I hadn’t found my soulmate yet. I was in no rush for that, but because I would no longer be Neve’s number one person. I knew she had a big heart and more than enough love to go around, but I couldn’t lie and say that it didn’t fucking suck for me. Inevitably, things would change. But I didn’t count on her living in a completely different realm when she found them. It was also the longest time we had gone with no contact. It wouldn’t be so bad for her because time moved differently where she was. A week in Heroux was the equivalent to three weeks in the human realm.

It was a modest two-bedroom flat in the middle of a small town in Oregon, so it was extremely handy to crash here after a night out or to get a little space from my crazy, nosy family, which was needed every so often. I strolled into Neve’s room, finding everything exactly how it was left when we were last here. Messy. Her clothes lay scattered across the floor, chair, bed, and even over the mirror. Makeup and hair accessories lay discarded all over her vanity table. I smiled when I picked up our embarrassing scrapbook filled with teenage ramblings and ridiculous wishes for our futures. Neve had always been a scrapbook kinda girl. Manifesting destiny, she called it. I, on the other hand, was a journal girl. Dark and deep thoughts scribbled across blank pages just to give my brain a break.

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