Page 11 of Marked By the Dark Lord
“Come, then, let’s go.”
She rose to her feet and took my hand, following me out of the bar. Sighing as raindrops started to soak her nightie, I pulled her up and under my cloak. There was a brief cry of surprise at the unexpected movement, but then she snuggled in tight.
I shuddered at her touch, ignoring the burning sensation in my chest, and strode up the stairs to the back of the building. We were just crossing a well-lit alley when a figure burst out of it at full speed and slammed into my side, rebounding away.
My entire body lit on fire as we touched, energy coursing through my veins as every hair stood straight up and every nerve ending flared to life.
Twin orbs of blue were briefly visible, the only things I could see in the dark as they practically lit with their own energy.
I stared, stunned by my body's reaction to a simple touch. I wanted to reach out and grab her. Stop her.Shewould be the solution to the battle lust that was surging anew. Her body, under mine, her cries muffled by my lips or my hand. Moans smothered by my cock as she took it deep into her mouth, accompanied by my groans.
My fingers tightened as I pictured wrapping my hands around her waist, pulling her hard against me as I slammed deep, taking her holes, making them mine. Makinghermine.
“S-sorry!” she stammered in a voice that sank deep into my soul.
Then she was gone, darting off into the night.
Chapter Five
Mila
Iran on, through the barely lit parking lot and across the street, through the bus depot lot. I didn’t see any of it. My mind was still focused on the baleful red stare of whatever thing had been under that hooded cloak.
It wasn’t human. I knew that. It couldn’t be. No human had eyes that glowed red like that. And the way the hood bulged at the top in two places. Did it have horns? I wasn’t sure. Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About him.
The barest of glimpses, of skin darker than the night sky, of muscle and brawn, and two lips, thick and all but calling to me. Even now, the wind whispered to me, urging me to turn back. To give myself to him. His hands, so large against my tiny body, he would control me. Own me.Make me his.
I shook my head, trying to clear the insipid thoughts. Tonight was too much. The book, which I still held to my chest, unable to throw away, and now that? I had to be dreaming. Or unconscious. Perhaps that kick had knocked me out, and it was all just some sort of ultra-realistic dream. That would make sense.
“Yeah. Just a dream,” I told myself, splashing through puddles as the rain continued to drum down, soaking me as I darted across the next street and raced in front of a lone car.
The driver slammed on the brakes and thrust his fist at me, his mouth moving, shouting obscenities most likely, but I couldn’t hear through the window. I didn’t wait, running on, past the train station and gingerly dancing across the tracks. I made my way a few hundred feet before ducking through an opening in a chain link fence on the far side.
Wet, mushy grass and mud greeted me as I headed for the embankment and the wooded glen on the far side. The center of the ATV park was a common place for those of us who lived on the streets. I would find shelter there. Away from whatever had happened at the bakery. One of the regulars would take me in. They always did, even if I had to pay the price.
I slowed, both because of the treacherous footing and a feeling of safety. Logic started to weigh on me.
There’s no way all of that actually happened. It can’t be real. Books don’t give people power. Nor do huge people in cloaks have red eyes and horns. None of this is real,Mila. Get it together. You’re losing your mind.
I reached the edge of the forested area and started climbing. The encampment was in the center of a bowl-like depression concealed from the outside. None of the ATV paths went through it, making it perfect for setting up tents and other makeshift shelters. The owners of the ATV park knew about it, but as long as we stayed in the center and out of the way without harassing the ATVers, they let us stay. For now, the mutual arrangement was working out well.
Halfway up the slope, a wave of insidious energy flowed up and over the lip of the bowl, racing down and over me, freezing me in place. I sank into a crouch, limbs shuddering, despite mybest attempts to get them to stop. My hopes of a safe haven suddenly seemed futile.
In the dark at the top of the slope, a purple glow could be seen through the rain.Thatwasn’t normal for the area. Maybe flickers of reddish orange from an oil-barrel fire, but not that. That wasn’t right.
“Something’s very, very wrong in the world tonight,” I said to nobody.
A moment later, sounds reached my ears. Grunts so deep they were almost nonvocal, like a lion’s rumble, and then shouts.
And screams.
“Ahh!” I clamped my hands over my ears, the book still pinned to my chest by my knees as I rocked back and forth. I was hearing Victor’s shrieks all over again in my mind and seeing his perfectly baked body in the oven. The scent …
Motion up ahead caught my attention. Someone was running down the slope within feet of me. I grabbed the book with one arm and lunged for them as they passed, trying to stop them.
The person spun around with a yelp, and for a moment, the purple light let me see their features.
“Ricky?” I hissed, recognizing the bearded former biker. “What the fuck is going on?”
