Page 32 of To Crave Darkly
I stared up at the craggy face of the mountain in front of me as I mulled over what I had learned in the Med Bay. I didn’t understand it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me. I felt like I had been royally mind-fucked, but the Doc said I was merely showing signs of exhaustion. I just didn’t get it; how was that even possible?
I thought back to all the pain Lori had dragged to the surface as she somehow managed to connect her mind to mine. All those memories I thought I had buried, all that anger, hate and pain I thought I had forgotten, now burned at the forefront of my mind with a vengeance. I could feel their oppressive weight bearing down on me like a burden I’d been cursed to carry for my sins against the world. My soul felt like it had been stripped bare by whatever Lori had done, and she’d feasted on whatever pain she could get her hands on. I had never, in all my hundreds of years on this earth, come across any supernatural creature that had the ability to do something like that. I felt like she had viewed my soul, judged me, found me wanting and then punished me for it. I could only hope this feeling didn’t linger.
I was stood outside the Pit. After she collapsed in the square I ordered Cassian to put her in here for her own safety and the safety of others. It worried me that I had no idea what she was. I’d spoken to Levi, the Doctor here at the Conclave, and he said he had a few theories before disappearing in the direction of his lab. I could only hope that we could manage to deal with whatever this was. But the more we learned about Lori, the more we seemed to be confirming she was part of this prophecy.
The Pit was where we stored prisoners when we had them. It was a holding facility and we usually only held prisoners for twenty-four hours before having them shipped off to Mortegate Prison so the ten cells were never fully occupied. I bet Lori had the place to herself down there.
It was a sinister looking place, built into the foot of the mountain that overlooked the Conclave. It went deep underground and stretched out for miles. If you didn’t know your way around, you’d most likely lose your way and be claimed by one of the numerous dead ends, never to be found again.
I loved this place. All the dark tunnels and dim alcoves were perfect for a predator like me. The darkness called to me and awakened the sinister, bestial parts of me. I thrived in the dark. It was my natural habitat and I basked in the way the shadows sank deep into my skin and claimed me as their own. I was stronger and faster, my senses were sharper. As soon as I stepped into the shadows I felt relaxed. I felt at home.
De Santis stood at the entrance to the holding cells, his unsmiling gaze giving me a once over.
“You look like shit, Farrow.”
“I feel like it, Sir.”
He grunted. “Alec said you witnessed an aurora burst?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And now she’s done…whatever that was.”
I nodded. I was glad that he was as confused as I was. I had no idea what she’d done to me and it was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one suffering with a serious gaping hole in my knowledge as to whatever the fuck she was. I had never come across any power like the one she’d displayed. The aurora blast I could explain to a mage heritage but that mind invasion and emotion feeding thing, that was completely new to me. Perhaps the demon had changed more than her eyes? It did certainly seem like a demon trait. It was a dark and evil thing to feed off emotions that were buried in secrets.
“Let’s go see if she’s awake,” de Santis commanded, before marching deeper into the Pit. I followed him through the tunnels until we came upon the holding cells. Bright white light glowed from behind the thick glass, spilling out into the shadows surrounding de Santis and me. It was a tactic, putting the perp in the light whilst we interrogated from the shadows and it was effective. It kept them on edge. But Lori wasn’t a perp. She didn’t deserve to be locked up.
“I wish this wasn’t necessary.”
“I know, Farrow, but she is an unknown entity and she attacked you. That makes her hostile.”
When put like that, he had a point, but as I looked at her through the glass the image of her begging for my help, the fear burning deep in her eyes as she lost control, I couldn’t help but feel that she was just scared.
I turned to de Santis. “I don’t think she had control over what she was doing.”
He looked back at me, his expression sour. “Explain.”
“It was the way she looked at me. She looked frightened.”
De Santis harrumphed but didn’t say anything.
“Sir, let me go in there and talk to her. I don’t think she’s dangerous.”
He fixed me with a cold stare. “Farrow, you just said she didn’t have control over whatever is happening to her and you want to go in there to what? Play nice?”
“Just trust me. I’ve managed to attack her twice and I am still standing here. I don’t think she really has any intention of killing anyone.”
“You mean she doesn’t have any intention of killing you.” He levelled his gaze at me. I could almost see the cogs turning in his brain as he analysed the situation. She was part of something big, and he was trying to decide the best way to keep her safe while keeping her close enough to watch. I knew what he was going to say before he even said it.
“You want me to keep protecting her, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied. “From what you say she clearly has some sort of connection to you. I’m keeping you on this case, Farrow. Watch her, bring your team in on it and keep her alive. I will have to postpone your request for the True Death. I need you and so does she.”
He pointed to Lori behind the glass where she lay preternaturally still. Rage clawed at my chest as I let his words sink in. Once again, life was going to fuck me over because I was too useful. I wanted to shout at the world, and I was just about to rip de Santis a new one, but Lori chose that moment to wake up screaming. The sound made my heart jump in my chest and, before I knew what I was doing, I’d opened the door to her cell and had wrapped her in my arms. As she trembled in fear I looked out at the King of the Vampires standing in the shadows beyond the glass. He just stood there watching her as she clung to me, and in that moment, I knew that I was now part of this whether I wanted to be or not. For whatever reason, Lori had chosen me and now I was going to suffer for it.
“Jasper?” Lori’s voice quivered over my name and I looked down into her face that was now all blotchy from the tears.
“I’m here.”
