Page 1 of Dark Souls

Prologue

Swingingmylegsoverthe edge of the New York skyscraper, I sighed impatiently as I gouged the blood out from under my claws with the sharp point of my wing. This was always the most tedious part of being a killer, waiting for my victim’s fear to peak after copious methods of torture, but it only makes the kill taste that much better. After being kept captive for hundreds of years in a concrete prison, only being thrown rotting corpses to feast on, I’d take what I could if it meant never going back into that endless pit of boredom.

As Sylvester Graidern dangled by his ankles over the 340ft building, he thrashed violently, believing any minute now I would cut the rope causing him to plummet to his death. There was no doubt his brain matter would create a stunning masterpiece on the filthy sidewalk but it would be a waste. Although this dreary neighbourhood could do with a bit of brightening up. I stared out over the city’s landscape, drinking in the sights. I’d never been to New York before. It was rather beautiful in a tormented kind of way. Everything here felt suffocated under an invisible suppression. The air. The people. The cramped architecture. But it intrigued me. Perhaps if I made this one quick, I’d have some time to explore the streets below before I was summoned back.

“Al-alright! Shit, I’ll do anything you ask! Just get me the fuck up!” the thug whimpered, his muscular body swaying side to side in the breeze as he struggled to grab onto anything. The screams and pathetic pleas for mercy were food for my depraved soul, and my soul was fucking starved. It had been a few months since Master had given me another order which allowed me to spread my wings freely, but I was under no illusion this was freedom. This was anything but that.

“Acrophobic?” I chuckled darkly. “What better way to overcome a fear than to face it, no?”

“Fuck. This is all a misunderstanding. I was always going to pay up! Come on, I’ll do anything!”

“Anything?” I asked in a bored tone, assessing my razor-sharp claws with an outstretched hand. “Hmmm? What is your life worth?”

“What… What’s he paying you to kill me? I’ll double it! Triple it even! I’m good for it, I swear!” he screamed. The shrill panic in his voice reverberated deep in my bones. I rolled my eyes. How unoriginal.

“If you were good for it, I don’t think you’d be in this predicament right now.” I sighed, tapping a rhythm on the cold metal ledge as I peered down from beneath my black hood at the sweat dripping off his fear-stricken face. I heard the rush of blood pumping through his veins, struggling to keep up with his rapid heartbeats. Excitement flooded me, knowing the kill was imminent. My asshole of a master never told me the full details as to why any of these lowlifes must die, but I didn’t need to know. If they were associated with him, they must be the scum of the Earth. “Money means nothing to me.”

He hesitated and mumbled over his words, offering me nothing that would change his fate. Women. Drugs. More fabrication of money he didn’t have. Even his daughter’s virginity was put on the table. I knew he was a sick fuck. I stood up, meandering along the thin edge of the building’s roof, before pulling up the rope in one hand, untying it and holding his ankle with my other. I hoisted his flailing body up so he was now dangling in front of me like a fish on a hook. His eyes widened with horror as I allowed the hood to slip back to reveal my demonic face and horned skull. And just for dramatic effect, I stretched out my black demon wings to full span.

“What the fuck are you?” he stuttered, frozen in fear as his metal chain caught in his mouth while he continued to hang upside down. He’d seen the true monster now, and there was no coming back from it. Not that he ever stood a chance anyway.

“Your worst nightmare,” I smirked, showcasing a monstrous set of vicious fangs as my red eyes blazed like rubies in the night. Before he could blink, my free hand was through his chest, wrapped around his pumping heart and yanked out with insane speed. The gaping hole in his chest and the flicker of realisation as the life slowly drained from his eyes didn’t give me the satisfaction I craved.Disappointing. I lifted the bloody heart to my mouth, taking a delicious bite out of it as the blood poured down my chin and released my grip around his ankle. I watched as his burly body tumbled the length of the building like a sinking stone and landed with a thud in the dumpster below.

“Bullseye!” I shouted, fist-pumping the air with my free hand. I took another few bites from the heart to quench my bloodthirst, groaning at the warmth flooding my mouth before flinging it over the side of the building so it landed right next to its owner. Exactly where it belonged. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m no saint. But the difference was that I was a monster by genetics. My rare species was born and bred for violence. I’m a predator above all else. Killing isn’t just a choice; it’s a matter of survival.

Cracking my neck to the side, I licked the last of the blood from my lips, savouring the metallic taste of fear lingering and wiped the remnants from my chin with the sleeve of my black hoodie. Using my exceptional eyesight, I checked the coast was clear before stepping off the ledge and flying down to the dark alleyway below.

I took one more glance at Mr Graidern’s mangled body before pulling my hood back over my horns and retracting my wings. Briefly, I wondered who might find him first. An innocent person throwing out rubbish from the back of the restaurant, cops or other supernaturals enticed by the smell of a midnight snack? It didn’t matter to me. I eased out onto the main street, lowering my chin to my chest.

It seemed New York was living up to its reputation as the city that never sleeps as light flooded the streets from various late-night cafes, bars and shops.Shit.I didn’t think it would be so busy this late on a Tuesday night. I heard a group of drunken men heading my way, their deep voices shouting over each other like it was a pissing contest on who could speak the loudest. Chancing a quick glance up, I picked out a young, floppy-haired blond man from the crowd. As we passed each other, I barged into his shoulder forcibly, causing him to stumble back slightly. Irritation gripped his drunken features as he shouted, “Watch it, idiot!”

I kept walking, lowering my head once more as I took on his identity and scent. Once he and his friends were a good distance away, I lowered the hood. I couldn’t help the little smirk on my lips as I felt a sense of freedom wash over me.

As I approached what seemed to be a dive bar, the graffitied door opened and a group of giggling girls spilled out onto the street. The booming sound of provocative music, bad choices, and the heady scent of sin filtered through the air.Just my vibe.I nodded to the bouncer on the door as he sized me up with a stoic expression but stepped away from the entrance to let me in, regardless of what he thought of my frat boy appearance or why I was riding solo.

After ordering a drink from the bar, I placed myself in a discreet dark corner booth and settled back into the leather seat. This place was fucking rancid. The smells of sweat, vomit and stale alcohol repulsed my senses but it was still better than the mind-numbing black void I’d be summoned back to shortly, until they could find another use for me again. I suppose I could have chosen a more refined establishment to spend my limited free time. A church, perhaps. Repent for my sins. Who was I kidding? This place was much more inviting. I may even get to have a little more fun, though I’d have to be much more discreet about getting rid of the corpse than the last one.

Eyeing the rowdy crowd of warm bodies frolicking on the grimy dancefloor, I contemplated my choices. Ideally, a good feed would consist of someone clean of drugs and diseases from their blood, which, let’s be honest, was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack in this place. Gulping back my neat whiskey, I scanned the couples and groups as they stumbled together in what I presumed they thought was dancing. They moved with uncoordinated and clumsy motions under the flickering neon lights illuminating their faces as I searched for my next victim. One man caught my attention. Of course, he was the biggest brute in the room and gave off an aura of menace. He radiated ‘up to no good’ with his muscled arms exposed in a black wife-beater tank and jeans as sweat slicked back his black hair. I’d encountered enough of the vilest of humanity over the years to pick them out of a lineup with ease.

I tracked him as he moved through the dancefloor, his dark gaze fixated on some drunken girl who could barely stand on her two feet as she swayed to the music. His tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip as his large, tattooed hands found her hips, pulling her against him. She seemed too drunk to even realise, or perhaps she just didn’t care, as she continued to grind her ass into his groin. Her half-empty plastic cup sloshed as she turned in his arms, stumbling into his chest as her eyes rolled. If he were a decent human being, he’d realise she was way too wasted to be hit on, but clearly, that was exactly his agenda. My eyes narrowed as he subtly popped a pill out of his back pocket and dropped it in her cup when she wasn’t looking. Though I doubted she even knew her own name at this point. With one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, he lifted the cup to her lips, encouraging her to drink it. She was like a lamb to the slaughter. And I’d found my target. No, not the woman. Even though she’d be an easy kill, unconsciousness wasn’t my style. I liked a challenge. Someone who would fight me, squirm and thrash as their life hung in the balance. It only deepened the hunger. The asshole who thought he was about to get lucky tonight by date-raping her was far more appealing.

Before the woman could gulp back the drink, the man’s body lurched forwards after being knocked by a force from behind, causing the cup to slip from both their hands onto the floor. The man released the woman and spun around. His face contorted with fury at having his sadistic plans compromised and ready to fight whichever drunken fool was to blame. I cocked my head with intrigue as a pretty woman with auburn hair and eyes to match swept in while he was distracted and tugged the drunken girl off the dancefloor and away from her impending doom.

I lifted my glass to my lips with a slight smirk, ready to enjoy the violent show that was about to ensue between my victim and his. I couldn’t see past his broad, towering frame at who had shoved him so powerfully. To my surprise, the way the tension left his shoulders had my smile fading. Damn, I’d have bet anything he’d be the type to throw the first punch. When he leaned down to whisper in the ear of whoever had now captured his attention, I caught sight of a flash of long, ice-white hair.

My spine straightened. My eyes focused.

The man stepped aside and lowered his hand to the small of the woman’s back in a possessive action as he ushered them off the dancefloor and towards the bar. His leering gaze never left her face as a smug smile curved his lips. And I could see why. The new girl beside him was the most hypnotising and alluring creature I had ever seen. She was almost too perfect with her sharp but delicate features and skin as pale and pure as falling snow. When was the last time I had seen snow? My childhood. My fingers ached as I memorised running them over the softness of the powdery stuff as a boy, wondering if that was exactly what it would feel like to touch her skin. I’d give just about anything to find out.

Her full lips, painted with a dark crimson shade of lipstick, smiled up at him as if he was suddenly the only thing she could see and I felt my hands roll into fists. I ground my jaw as they turned their backs to me, leaning against the bar to order drinks. He lowered his head to her ear once more, speaking in hushed tones. My eyes raked up and down her petite figure. Blood rushed to my dick as I took in her curved ass in her black jeans. She was half his size and barely reached his shoulders in height, so that begged the question: was it even her who had accidentally barged into him on the dancefloor? Or had he become so enraptured with her beauty that he’d forgotten all about it? His sights and wicked intentions were solely directed towards her and it caused a foreign feeling to bubble in my chest. I didn’t fucking like it. But why did I care? Caring about innocent lives was not in my jurisdiction. So why was I bothered when I watched him slip one of his illegal pills into her drink before passing it to her? Red specks of rage appeared in my vision until all I could taste was his phantom blood on my tongue. I noticed my nails had extended, piercing the palms of human flesh as I attempted to rein in my monstrous form. Before I could dwell on these strange feelings she was sparking in me, I was out of my booth and standing on the other side of her at the bar.

My breath caught in my throat as the scent of sweet rose and spicy pepper wafted under my nose. It was an odd combination, but somehow, it worked to create the most addictive and delicious temptation. I dragged more air into my lungs to bask in it. Obsession was stirring in my ancient blood, and it only multiplied when I heard her silky voice.

“Well, tonight must be your lucky night.” Her voice dipped to a sultry tone as she continued, “Because I am on a mission to do verybadthings. And you seem to fit the criteria perfectly.”

“Oh baby, you have no idea,” the bastard replied. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Does it matter? You won’t remember it in the morning,” she teased, tilting her head and giving him a seductive smirk.

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