Page 99 of Dark Souls

“Sweet dreams, my child. Sleep now. We have a big day ahead of us.”

“Why must we leave again? I like it here. I made friends in the village.”

She closed her eyes, trying to hide her sorrow, but failing. When those green eyes settled on me once more, they were glistening with unshed tears. “Because they are too close. It is not safe for us, so we must keep going. I suppose you are old enough to hear the truth now, my son. The truth about who you are and why you must never tell a soul.”

I frowned, pulling the handmade woven blanket up to my chin as I blinked up at her, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“I don’t understand, mama. Who am I?”

I bolted upright in the bed, completely lost in my surroundings, as I scanned the strange bedroom I was in. What a weird fucking dream. But if it was a dream, why did it feel so real? More like a memory.

I rubbed my eyes, smudging my left on make-up from the event even more than it probably already was and sighed. The relief when I realised my heat had finally passed had me wanting to jump up and down on the bed in celebration, but the soreness between my legs told me I definitely would regret any sudden movements right now.

I peered across the room at the large bay window with shattered glass and tattered curtains. The curtain rail was wonky and barely hanging on one side. It was still nighttime. The glow from the full moon through the broken glass was the only light source. How long have I been here? Two nights? More? And where the hell washere,exactly? Tapping into my vampire ability to see in the dark, my eyes adjusted as I took in the faded wallpaper peeling away at the edges and the dark mahogany furniture around the room. There was a chest of drawers on one side, with a thick layer of dust on the surface, as well as a desk and chair near the window. One I had seen before. Wait. This was the same room Luka had been in on the footage from my necklace. I turned to look at the other side of the enormous bed to find it empty.

“Luka?” I called out into the darkness, my voice echoing off the bare walls. Where the fuck was he? If he’d done another disappearing act on me again, I’d cut his balls off.

I noticed my phone sitting on the bedside table and dived for it, wincing when I forgot to be gentle with my overstimulated body. Sweeping it into my hands, I saw I had a message waiting there from him.

IF YOU WAKE UP BEFORE I GET BACK, DON’T KILL ME. YOUR HEAT HAD PASSED AND YOU NEEDED REST. AND I NEEDED TO GO BACK AND DEAL WITH THE SHITSHOW WE LEFT BEHIND. I’LL BE BACK AS SOON AS I CAN. DON’T LEAVE.

A second later, he’d sent another text.

PLEASE.

I had more texts from my Grandma and Sienna.

Hi sweetie, Luka told me what was going on. Don’t worry about anything. Sienna is covering for you as Raiden is away on SIA business, so no one will know you didn’t go back to her place after the event. Call me when it’s over. Love you. Grandma M. x

Hey. Maddy just called and told me you’re with Luka… and why. Don’t worry, Ezra and Arius think you are at my place. But you best get your rocks off and ass back home before Raiden gets back today because I ain’t lying to my man. Sienna.

I huffed, dropping the phone back on the bed as I fell back against the pillow, throwing my hands over my face. Now that the fog of intense sexual urges had lifted, mortification was creeping in. What brilliant timing to go into my first ever needing at an Underground sex event. And what did Luka mean? What shitshow did we leave behind? My memory was hazy but I didn’t think anyone else knew what was happening to me except Luka, and he got me out of there as quickly as he could, didn’t he?

Dropping my hands down to my sides, I stared up at the ceiling and screamed. Layers upon layers of thick cobwebs clung to the wooden beams. Which meant… I was sleeping in a room full of my worst nightmares. Ripping the sheets off me, I jumped out of the bed and cursed as my pussy throbbed at the rapid movement. But fuck if I was staying put and waiting for any of those eight-legged freaks to join me.

I raced into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door, pressing my back against it. I tried to flick the light switch but nothing happened. There was a large free-standing bathtub and toilet on one side of the room that looked fairly sanitised compared to everything else I’d seen so far and a sink with a sizeable chunk of porcelain missing from the side of it. The remnants were all over the floor. Did Luka seriously live here like this? Was my mate a complete slob who had never heard of dusting or cleaning? Frowning, I walked over to the sheet that was hanging above the sink and yanked it down to reveal a rusting mirror. I balked at my reflection. Bloody hell.

My lips were swollen and bruised from the amount of passionate kissing they’d received. Dried blood stained my neck, and my hair looked like a tangled bird’s nest. My naked body was marred with faint bruises and love bites. But despite all the mess, I was practically radiating. My pink eyes were brighter than normal and my skin had a healthy, flushed glow to it. And it wasn’t just my appearance. I felt… different. Stronger. Satisfied. My mind felt sharper. I felt no blood thirst at all. And I knew it must have been because of Luka’s blood pumping through my veins. The memories of how I came to look like this raced through my mind and caused a flutter in my stomach and a warmth in my chest.

“Come on, Ilaria. You’ve got this. Spiders can’t hurt you. You are the scarier monster.” I gave myself a pep talk before I splashed my face with water and scrubbed off my makeup as best as I could. At least this place had running water.

I opened the door tentatively, peering up at the ceiling before stepping back into the bedroom.

“Did you enjoy the show, you little creeps?” I whispered to the beady eyes that were following my every move from above. Noticing a metal clothes rail, I dashed over to it and grabbed a baggy black t-shirt off a hanger and pulled it on over my head. Grabbing my phone off the bed, I turned on the torch feature and made my way out into the corridor.

The floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet as I took in the dated and clearly abandoned décor of this vast house. Shabby wooden bedroom doors lined the corridor with faded paint, giving the impression that this place was once a beloved home to many. The air was potent with damp and musk. Making my way down to the ground floor, I found more evidence that revealed glimpses of the manor’s former elegance as large, crystal chandeliers hung precariously from the ceiling, covered in dust and cobwebs, as well as missing a few dangling gems. Time had yellowed the white sheets covering most of the furniture. I pulled one back to reveal a beautiful antique chair with gold embroidery of star constellations through the navy velvet fabric. The more I discovered; a cabinet of sentimental objects and expensive china, an antique rocking horse with a frazzled mane and shelves of ancient books, the more I felt like an unwanted visitor encroaching on forgotten memories of a family long gone.

Was this Luka’s home? Or just some abandoned manor in the middle of nowhere that he’d stumbled upon in our hour (or many hours, I should say) of need? No. His clothes were upstairs. He had been here in the necklace footage. He was living here but why?

I paused in a hallway on my way to the kitchen when I noticed an entire wall adorned with various-sized framed portraits. The subject’s piercing eyes followed me, making me feel like an intruder in their home, sending shivers down my spine. Fuck, I loved this shit. This place was so fucking spooky, I was already convinced it was haunted. I stepped forwards, shining the bright torchlight to get a better look at the people in them and swept my hand over the largest portrait, removing the thick layer of dust that showed it had been untouched for years. The faces of over a dozen men and women stared back at me with expressions frozen in time as they stood for a group photo in front of a beautiful manor with ivy and bright flowers climbing the majestic stone architecture. I could tell the picture was taken well over a century ago from the clothes they were wearing. Some letters were slightly visible that had been engraved into the gold, intrinsic frame and I wiped them clean.

I gasped, stepping back in shock when I saw the words,The Knowlton Coven. These were the previous leaders ofThe Underground? The founders. Which meant Luka killed them all. I swallowed thickly as I stared at all their faces, wondering what they had done to my mate to warrant so much of his hatred. Had they deserved their fate? Or were the rumours true, and my mate was just a ruthless, heartless monster who wanted their empire for himself for greed and power? Somehow, I knew that wasn’t it. Luka didn’t strike me as someone who indulged in the finer things in life. There was far more to this.

I moved along the wall, taking in all the single portraits of the coven members and reading their names. I stopped at the last three, or perhaps they were the first three, depending on which way you were walking. Just from the way they held themselves so regally, I could tell they were the leaders. They looked like they had giant sticks up their asses by the way they were sitting so straight. A dark-haired, rather striking man called Alatar Knowlton. A brunette woman with large eyes that seemed to look straight through me called Sable Knowlton and a younger, very stunning woman with black hair and a strong resemblance to them both, called Belladonna Knowlton. My gut twisted with something dark and vicious as I narrowed my eyes on her pretty face. I instantly disliked her. No, I hated her. Which was just ridiculous, seeing as I knew nothing about her, and I was pretty sure she was long gone from this world. But the more I stared, the more the darkness at the core of me multiplied, and I felt a deep loathing and anger spreading through my veins. I shuffled back, turning away and made my way into the kitchen, taking deep breaths and going through my steps from therapy to regain my composure.

Once I felt more in control, I opened the fridge just to be nosy. The light didn’t even turn on. And it was completely bare. Did the man not eat? My phone started ringing in my hand. The moment I saw the caller ID, I threw my head back and groaned. How much trouble would I get in if I ignored his call? How long until he’d send the entire Blood Moon pack out searching for me when he realised I wasn’t at Sienna’s place?

I accepted the call, keeping my eyes closed as I answered.

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