Page 13 of Dark Desire
“Please, I call upon my sisters. I call upon the fallen witches of St Wythren’s, hear my plea and bind me to your powers. Seek my–ahhhh!” Another agonising pain shot through my entire body, and I reached for my knife in the dirt just as I felt the vibrations of footsteps slowly approaching behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut, realising it was no use. Either I continued my pointless fight against my own power and that man would kill me before I completed the summoning spell, or I give in and let my magic take me. At least then, I’d still have time to try again. And I had to try again. I had to put things right.
With a tortured cry, I reached for my bag, my knife still in my other hand, and rolled onto my back just as the gigantic figure of the man loomed over me. The last thing I saw before the world spun out of focus was the prettiest green eyes full of hatred glaring down at me from behind that terrifying mask.
Chapter Six
Everything was going according to plan. It was almost too easy.
Watching the panic on her face as she was questioned by the police through the window of the newspaper room and revelling in her stress and anxiety when she was forced out of her sacred church was the sweetest start to my day. Then tonight, seeing her so spooked, constantly checking over her shoulder and scanning the crowds with those large hazel eyes filled with terror, excited me more than it should have. I craved her fear. It was intoxicating. It fed my dark, depraved soul, and I needed more of it. Merely observing her and messing with her head from the shadows was no longer enough. It was time to make myself known.
The moment she saw me watching her from across the road, hidden beneath a demonic mask that felt rather poetic, she did exactly what I had hoped she would do. She ran.
My lips twisted into a sinister grin behind my mask every time she tripped and fell into the grass, scrambling like a little rabbit to get away. She knew she was my prey and a predator like methrived on the chase. My boots pounded the dirt as I casually climbed the hill after her, taking my time and savouring the sight of her running scared. Initially, I was planning on killing her tonight and being done with it but this was just too much fun. And she deserved to suffer. She deserved to be toyed with, driven to the brink of insanity and fear for her life before I took it away. After all, that is what those witches did to me and my family.
Excitement and adrenaline rushed through me when I saw her kneeling in a clearing among the trees. Her head whipped round, eyes wide and panicked, her skin so pale under the moonlight. Flicking her arm in my direction, a bolt of magical energy sliced through the air, and I used my vampire speed to dart out of its way. So, the witch was going to fight back, after all. The thought made my cock hard. I threw my head back and released a dark, sardonic, and cruel laugh into the night. Oh, this was going to be fun. For centuries, I’d fantasised about taking on this witch, and I hope she didn’t disappoint.
“Look. I know why you’re here!” she shouted, her sexy husk of a voice tinged with impatience. I paused, standing between two trees, and narrowed my eyes at her sassy tone and words. Rage instantly replaced my excitement. “But please, come back and kill me tomorrow. I really, really have important shit to–ahhh!”
She fell forward on the floor, crippled over in pain. I frowned, all the muscles in my jaw tensing and grinding as I glared at her. The realisation that she knew I was here to kill her, which meant she must know exactly who I was, and had the fucking audacity to tell me to reschedule her fucking death because she had important shit to do sent unbridled fury through every cell of my body.
Ignoring the threat of my presence entirely, which only angered me more, she started a spell, calling for the help of deceased witches from this village. I took measured steps towards her, staring at her hunched-over form in the dirt, andthe scent of her blood infiltrated my senses. I hissed, feeling the strongest longing I had ever experienced for someone’s blood stirring beneath my skin. My cock throbbed angrily, my fangs tingled, and my heart thundered uncontrollably. But before she could finish her spell, she cried out in agony once more, causing a strange stabbing pain to rip through my chest at the sound, before she collapsed completely, rolling onto her back.
Standing over her, my towering frame eclipsing the moonlight above, I glared down at her face. Fuck. She was stunning. Her black curls were mussed with twigs and leaves, framing her features, and those gorgeous hazel eyes were the colour of warm honey. This was the first time I'd been so close that I could see the beauty mark above her upper lip that gave her a touch of timeless elegance, and the septum piercing that gave her a quirky edge. Her eyes widened as they locked with mine, and for a moment, I forgot why I was there. Those eyes held power - a dangerous power that could consume me forever if I gave in to it. But despite their hypnotic appeal, all I saw was betrayal.
Her lips parted as her breathing grew more frantic, blowing warm puffs into my face against the chill of the night, and I could hear the pounding of her heart. My eyes darted to the knife tightly gripped in her hand and the blood trickling down her wrist from a deep cut in her palm. Her other hand clutched her handbag to her chest as if she were about to disappear. And that’s when it struck me.
She was.
I reached out for her throat to keep her at my mercy as panic surged at the thought of her getting away. I hadn’t spent centuries searching for her just to lose her now. Just as my fingers gripped the soft flesh of her neck, sending a ripple of need and desire straight to my cock, she smiled.
“Not tonight, fucker,” she husked before vanishing into thin air. My hand slammed into the dirt where she had just been lying, and I unleashed a furious roar that shook the trees.
It took me a few moments to calm down enough to realise that I was standing in the centre of an ancient spell circle. Stones and candles had been carefully arranged, and inside was a worn spell book open on a page of Latin. A summoning spell to the Underworld. I blinked rapidly, taking in the familiar runes and demonic symbols that represented a sacrifice to Veles, the God of the Underworld. The only God I worshipped.
Crouching down, I read the spell carefully, trying to understand what this insane woman was attempting. This kind of spell required a whole coven to stand any chance of succeeding. She’d never be able to summon enough power to call on a God alone, and then I remembered her plea to the witches of Wythren. I shook my head as I picked up a fallen leaf coated in her blood. Was she trying to summon dead witches to help her do what exactly? Call to Veles or another demon? What the fuck was this witch up to?
I crushed the leaf in my fist as rage burned through my veins. The thought of her summoning another demon sparked a confusing feeling of possessiveness within me. My mind was spinning, trying to piece together everything I had learned about this woman so far. She knew I was coming for her from her reaction to me tonight and the wards she cast on the church. She was in St. Wythren’s because of the history of witches who once lived here. She needed their power to summon a demon for what? Protection from me?
I clicked my tongue. Clever scheming little witch. She had to know she stood no chance against me alone. The only individual who could ever rival me in power, viciousness, and danger was another Demonski Upir or a true demon from the underworld. But all deals with the devil came at a price. She would haveknown that. And the only thing a demon would want in return? Her soul.
I slowly stood up, my entire body tense as my fists clenched at my sides. She’d give her soul to the Underworld for her life? She’d bind her fate to another demon just to end me? Her fucking soulmate?
Closing my eyes, I rolled my shoulders, and the sound of my bones cracking filled the air. I would never let that happen. She was meant to be mine. Her soul belonged to me. And if I couldn’t have it, no one could.
After snatching the spell book, I headed back to the village. I passed the church to check she wasn’t there. All the lights were off, and a police car was still stationed outside the front. They wouldn’t have let her back in. I kept walking down the hill, each step closer to the village flooded me with the resolve to be rid of this witch once and for all. I messed up tonight. I should have killed her when I had the chance. But messing with her was addictive.
Keeping the demon mask fully in place, I strolled the crowded streets, searching the faces beneath the masks for her eyes or that mountain of black curls. The sweet and spicy scent, with undertones of incense and a hint of mint, was nowhere to be found. She had truly vanished.
I spotted Evie, the woman she was staying with tonight, speaking to a few of the other locals with a concerned expression. I shoved my way towards the group to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“I can’t find her anywhere. I’ve just been back to the house and she wasn’t there. The poor girl looked so scared and she just ran off.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. Have you checked the church? Do you think she would have gone back there?”
“No. The police were very strict about her staying away for the night. I’m really worried about her, Badger. She didn’t look well.”
“Okay, let’s split up and look for her. You go to the pub and I’ll check the beach.”
They walked off separately, and I smirked, forming a backup plan in my mind. I’d have to teach this witch a lesson for thinking she could disappear on me. The festival seemed to be over, and most of the residents were starting to make their way home. I followed the crowd, taking a quick detour to Beryl’s house to get what I needed.
