Page 36 of A Wicked Dance of Obsidian and Light (Echoes of Darkness #1)

“Motherfucker!” Kaiden booms with urgency as he strides to the door, opens it, and reveals a man larger than life.

“Hey there, sorry for interrupting,” Logan says sheepishly as he runs his hand over the back of his neck. This guy is taller than Kaiden and built like a tank, his muscles bulging the fabric of his forest green tee. I realize why the bartender looked so familiar. She and Logan are carbon copies of each other, complete with the rich amber skin, ash-brown curls, sharp cheekbones, and whiskey-colored eyes.

Heat spreads in my cheeks as I wave awkwardly at him, not knowing what to say. He surely heard me and Kaiden with his wolf shifter hearing.

“Stay here, Iris. I’ll be back to take you home. I won’t be long,” Kaiden instructs.

I scoff. “I have to get back to Samantha. I’m not leaving without her.”

“Text her and tell her you’re going home.”

I snicker because who the fuck does he think he is to order me around? “Yeah, not happening,” I mutter and amble to where they’re standing on either side of the door.

Kaiden suddenly steps out and closes the door in my face, locking it.

“Open the door, Kaiden!” I scream as I start banging my fists on the wooden surface.

“Stay here. I’ll take you home when I’m back,” he repeats.

The sound of disappearing footsteps travels through the door, and I’m just standing here looking at it with my mouth agape. He actually locked me in his office. I bring my hand to the handle and press on it several times. It won’t budge. Anger starts simmering in my veins.

That infuriating demon bastard!

Turning around, I take in my surroundings; I couldn’t exactly concentrate on them before. The office is luxurious, and as with everything that Kaiden owns, it screams money, decorated in a combination of black and gray with warm, harmonious accents. The large executive chair behind the ebony desk is made of the same plush, dark brown leather as the couch and the two chairs in front of it.

Behind the desk, a huge piece of art hangs on the black-painted wall. It’s a charcoal drawing, the same angel bowing on one knee that Kaiden has tattooed on his back. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching. I can’t exactly explain the feeling it elicits, but the image tugs at my heartstrings in a weird way.

Striding to where I dropped my purse on the hardwood floor earlier, I slide it over my head and take my phone out to see if Sam called me.

Sam: Saw you with Kaiden.

I hope you’re getting some because your exchange was hot a s fuck.

For a second there, I thought you were going to fuck in the middle of the dance floor.

Alex is taking a longer break to spend some more time w ith me.

Text me when you’r e done.

I’m surprised to see that just around forty minutes have passed since my best friend left me at the bar to meet with Alex. I’m suddenly parched, my throat feeling dry and scratchy. I need to drink some water, but I can’t see any in the dry bar in the corner of his office, only a decanter of whiskey with two crystal highball glasses.

Surely, Kaiden didn’t mean I have to wait in his office and die of thirst until he comes back. Who knows when he will be back, anyway. And why am I suddenly listening to something he said I should do? Fuck that . I pop into the bathroom real quick, take care of my business, and do my best to make my face presentable again. Getting out, I amble to the door and kick the handle hard with my foot. It shatters with a loud, satisfying sound.

I manage to trace my steps back until I reach the spot where that vampire was feeding earlier, but the room is now empty, and there isn’t anyone else in my vicinity. As I come face to face with what I assume is the entrance that leads back into the club because of the muted music, I press my hand on the handle and notice it’s locked only from the other side coming in. I expel the air in my lungs, relieved. It closes with a loud beeping sound behind me. As soon as I step out, the sudden deafening low bass assaults my eardrums and vibrates in the center of my chest as I find myself back in the bathroom hallway.

There’s a long line in front of the women’s bathroom, some of the girls barely keeping their balance, their words slurred and incomprehensible. The last girl in line is sobbing uncontrollably into her consoling friend’s shoulder. A snippet of their drunken conversation reaches my ears as I bypass the long line, “…he’s a fucking idiot, Cara. He’s also a Scorpio. Why did you call him? That’s it. Give me your phone!”

Pushing through the dancing crowd, I shoulder my way to the bar, resting my forearms on the marble slab while I wait for my turn to order.

The bartender’s eyebrows shoot up all the way to her hairline when she notices me, a wry grin tugging at her pouty lips. “You’re back. You survived Kaiden’s wrath.”

I blush furiously and nod. “Yeah…can I have a water, please?”

A laugh bubbles out of her. “Are you planning on throwing it in someone else’s face?”

“Nah, just thirsty.” I smile back and tuck my hair behind my ear.

“C’mon, I’ll get you something stronger on the house. You’re my hero; the least I can do. You don’t even know how many times I dreamed of throwing something at Kaiden’s face. Plus, your tab is taken care of for the night; you can order the most expensive thing on the menu. You know, just to fuck with him.” She winks at me.

“Maybe later, when my friend is back. I’ll just have water for now.”

“’Kay. Let me know,” she says as she pushes a water bottle and a glass toward me and moves to the other patrons waiting to be served.

Taking out my phone, I fire a quick text to Sam to let her know I’m waiting at the bar, ready to go home. Tiredness starts to seep into my bones, and my stomach grumbles with hunger. I could kill for some greasy pizza or some French fries.

A flash of pink catches my attention from the dance floor. The woman wearing the weird looking clothes from earlier is twirling her ample skirts, her form rippling like water when people touch her.

No, no, no, no, no.

Please, no.

When I asked Kaiden about Tony’s friend, he told me that the situation was taken care of. Since I haven’t seen Tony in a long time, I assumed he moved on to the light, and I hoped I wouldn’t ever have to see another ghost, but apparently, I’m not that lucky.

Shit.

Blowing out a weighted sigh, eyes still on the ghost, I pour the water into the glass and take a sip but choke on it when the woman pops out of thin air right in front of me.

“You can see me, can’t you?” she asks, tilting her head at an unnatural angle.

“Fuck,” I manage to get through the violent coughs. Jesus, I feel like I’m going to spit out a lung.

“Are you okay?” A girl standing next to me turns around and pats my back, concern pulling at her eyebrows.

I look over my shoulder, managing a weak smile as I nod and thank her. Placing the glass on top of the bar, I try to ignore the ghost.

“I know you can see me!” she shrieks like a banshee.

I can tell she’s about to go ballistic on my ass, and based on the clothes she’s wearing, she has been here for a long time. I don’t know what she’s capable of. “Fucking ghosts,” I mumble under my breath and try to appear as normal as one can be, talking to myself in a club while looking for the salt shaker reserved for the tequila shots. Luckily, no one around me pays me any attention.

Bent over the bar, I finally find the shaker, pour some salt into the palm of my hand, and throw it at the ghost. Like a bad-functioning old TV, her form flickers and disappears with a bright light, but not before making the bottle of alcohol at a nearby table explode. The guys dancing around it are so shit-faced they don’t even notice.

How is this my life right now? I honestly have no words. I feel like I’m going batshit crazy.

I don’t get a chance to recover before a strange feeling seizes my stomach as the hair at the nape of my neck stands up at attention. Strong fingers grab my arm from behind. The sickly smell of overpowering cologne burns my nose and settles in the back of my throat. I spin on my heel quickly, but I’m not prepared to be face-to-face with Erik. I didn’t expect to find another hellseeker here.

Shit!

He’s dressed casually in jeans and a denim button-down over a white tee, so he’s not working tonight. From an outside perspective, he’s conventionally attractive, as all hellseekers are, his platinum-blond hair sleeked back, styled to perfection. He’s about two inches taller than me with my high-heeled boots on, and he has a clean-cut, square jaw, the upper lip plumper than the bottom. He would look almost angelic if it weren’t for the iciness in his gunmetal gaze. His arctic eyes give him the air of a psychopath. His beauty draws you in like a deadly, alluring flower, only to realize too late that you’ve been poisoned.

“My, my, what do we have here?” Erik says acidly, standing far too close to my face, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. He throws a menacing smirk in my direction. “Too bad natural selection didn’t run its course to cleanse the bloodline and all.”

What is he talking about? Is he referring to the car accident or something else? My heart dips as realization dawns. Could he be talking about that night near Shadow Lake when I was sent directly into an ambush with two draconic ravengers? Or the umbra attack?

I thought Grayson wasn’t going to tell anyone since it’s such a sensitive matter, and it’s being investigated by the Kabal. But Erik is his family. Wait . I have no reason to make this big of a leap, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s the one who sent me in a trap that night. He could have easily gained access to Grayson’s phone. From what I know, Erik doesn’t live with him anymore, but I know he visits often. What if Grayson went home after leaving the compound, and Erik was there?

He pulls on my arm and crashes the front of my body to his. Queasiness fists my stomach as his erection digs into my belly, his alcohol-infused breath washing over me, mixing with the powdery, sickly smell of his cologne.

Gritting my teeth, I push at him forcefully to break our connection. “What the fuck do you want, Erik?” I seethe.

He looks me up and down and licks at his lower lip. His eyes stop a second too long on my cleavage. It makes me shudder with revulsion, like I need to take ten showers for the dirty feeling of his leering gaze to disappear. He’s also engaged to Britney, so him being here, acting like this, looking at me like a piece of meat, is even more disgusting in my eyes.

“Kiss me,” he demands, closing the space between us and gripping my wrist with more force than necessary.

I’m taken aback by his words. “I would rather let a ghoul claw my heart out and eat it in front of me than kiss you,” I fire back and shake my wrist free, taking advantage of the hellseeker speed as I bend and pull out the dagger I have sheathed in my left boot. I point its sharp tip at Erik’s crotch. “Why don’t you act like your hairline and take a few steps back,” I bite back with a smirk.

“You think you’re too good for me? You?” he practically spits the words at me as a menacing glint shines in his arctic eyes. “Quite the spectacle you put on tonight. You know…my dear grandfather asked me to follow you because he suspected you were a lying little bitch. Wait ‘till he finds out his special little Iris is spending all of her time with an Elite demon. I’m going to blow his mind.” He takes out his phone. “Oh lookie, what do we have here?” A slow, deranged smile spreads over his face while his finger slides on the screen to show me a multitude of photos.

My stomach takes a nosedive at the photos depicting Kaiden and me roaming the streets of Ashville together on my shifts, me getting on his bike on the narrow alley near the compound, and him kissing me in the middle of the succubus party.

What the hell, he followed us there? How did he manage to get inside and with his phone at that?

The last photos are of Kaiden throwing me over his shoulder earlier tonight. Bile surges in my throat, and my last meal is threatening to make an appearance.

“The whole world will know what a demon-loving whore you are,” he cackles and turns on his heel, but not before bending over me and whispering in my ear. “When I finish with you, everyone in the Order will thank me for it.” He walks away.

Panic sloshes in my veins like ice as my stomach fists into a ball.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

I put the dagger back in my boot and grab the glass of water I left on the bar, downing it in one gulp. Maybe I left the water in the glass too long, because it leaves a dusty aftertaste heavy on my tongue. I shake the weird feeling off and desperately try to think what to do next. The headache from earlier today comes back with a vengeance at the thought that I’m going to be thrown out of the Order. He’s Grayson’s family, probably in line to become the head of the Order since his parents died in a hellseeker mission a few years back. He can do no wrong, whereas me, the half-blood freak…Who will believe me if I say he’s lying? Besides, he has proof, and Grayson told him to follow me.

Suddenly, claustrophobia grips me with sharp claws. The walls are closing in on me while the pulsing lights coming from the ceiling swarm in my vision, making me dizzy and feverish. I feel like my skin is pulled too tight over my bones, and I need to escape from my own body.

I need fresh air.

A bead of sweat rolls down my spine and another tetters on my eyelashes before falling into my eye as I take a few staggering steps toward the club’s exit. Time seems to slow down, the people undulating on the dance floor in slow motion and throwing me weird glances as I sluggishly try to put one foot in front of the other.

The music becomes muffled, and the vibrations of the bass seem to pound in my head like a hammer. Something is wrong with me. I think about taking my phone out and calling Sam, but I feel bone weary. The prospect of taking my phone out of my purse overwhelms me. I can barely keep my body straight.

I trip on my own feet as the crowd of sweaty bodies pushes at me from all directions. In an attempt to balance myself, I grab a random guy’s forearm so I won’t face plant right in the middle of the dance floor. He throws me an annoyed look, but concern pulls at his eyebrows the longer he looks at me. The contour of his body is fuzzy at the edges. Trying to clear my vision, I blink a few times.

Does he have an identical twin or am I seeing double?

My knees buckle, sending me forward again.

Shit.

The guy catches me, breaking my fall, and asks me something as he circles his hand around my middle. He takes most of my weight on his side to keep me upright. But the words fly right over my head as his mouth moves soundlessly.

What is happening to me?

“Where, you, where, taking…me?” I ask sluggishly. The words come out of my mouth slurred and in the wrong order, not at all how I intended to say them.

He might have answered with “Outside,” but I can’t be sure.

The red pulsing lights and the bodies dancing in the cages above give me vertigo. In an attempt to still the heavy thumping in my head, I bring my fingers to my temple. It doesn’t work, so I close my eyes for a second.

Somehow, when I open them, I’m outside in a back alley. The light from a broken lamppost flickers and heightens my drowsiness. I’ve completely lost the notion of time. I don’t know how I got here. The smell of spoiled food crawls up my nose, making me realize I’m resting on a wall across two massive dumpsters, muffled music coming from the door at my right. I welcome the coolness of the concrete wall at my back. Its rough texture digs into the palms of my hands as I press them into the wall, trying to stay upright.

The guy I used to balance myself earlier is standing in front of me. A glint of worry shines in his emerald eyes as he says something. But again, his mouth moves soundlessly. I squint my eyes and try my best to concentrate on his words while he waves his hand in front of my face in an effort to get my attention. It takes a few tries before I manage to make sense of what he’s saying.

“Do you have a phone?” he asks. “Maybe there’s someone that can come get you.”

I nod slowly in a weird, jerky motion but can’t find the energy to open my mouth and voice the words.

“Shit, you’re really wasted. Wait right here; I think I should get someone to help you.”

I lift my hand sluggishly to somehow let him know that I don’t want to be left alone in this creepy alley, when the door to my right opens. Platinum-blond hair shines in the flickering light.

“Baby, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Erik says as he comes to my side and squeezes one of my hands in his, a look of worry pulling his mouth tight. Only I know he’s faking it. The emotion looks wrong on his face, too exaggerated. His dead eyes give him away.

“Do you know her?” the guy asks Erik. My eyes slam shut since I’m not able to keep them open anymore, and I rest the back of my head on the concrete wall, trying to stay in the present.

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend. I went to the bathroom, and she disappeared. I guess she had a little too much to drink.”

“Is this your boyfriend?” the guy asks me.

I open my eyes and blink, but I can’t muster the energy to say no or at least move my head. Erik crushes my fingers with his, pulling a gasp out of my lips as my head swims. I’m seeing double again.

“Of course I am. Why would I lie? We’ve been together for five years. You’re such a lightweight, baby. We had too many shots of tequila.” Erik gives the guy a sincere smile, that he punctuates with a pat on his shoulder. “I got it from here. Thanks for taking care of her, man! Not many would do that. You should go. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

The green-eyed man throws me a concerned look but seems to believe Erik because he shrugs and says, “I hope you’ll feel better,” toward me.

“N-no, no, don’t go. P-please!” I finally manage to mumble on a broken whisper, but he’s already gone, the door closing at his back.

“Still don’t wanna kiss me?” Erik’s alcohol-infused breath rolls over my face. Bile rises in my throat as he pushes his body into mine, crowding me into the wall.

“Let—let…me go!” I demand, trying to shove him away. But my voice is weak, and my limbs feel disjointed.

His laughter is followed by a deranged smirk that tugs at his lips and his cold, dead eyes. “Or what? What are you going to do?”

I suck in a choppy breath as realization kicks in. “You—you drugged me.”

“Me? I could never,” Erik says smugly as he pulls a fistful of my hair, his fingers digging painfully into my scalp. He flips open a switchblade and drags its sharp tip over the skin on my chest slowly. Blood drips down from the cut. “Everyone will know after tonight what a demon whore you are,” he sneers into my face.

Those words again. Awareness slithers down my spine. Where did I hear them? I sluggishly sift through my foggy memories but come up empty.

“Little did my grandfather know when he asked me to keep an eye on you that I was already lurking in the shadows, waiting. I knew a half-blood cunt like you would eventually betray the Order, and I was right. I always am. You sold us out to fuck an Elite demon. I’m going to mark you, just like I did with the other demon whores, for all the world to see who you really are,” he spews, his face too close to mine.

I don’t understand. What other whores? What is he talking about? Demon-loving whore…demon whore. His word choice is so specific, and I’ve heard it before. I know I have. But where? My knees buckle as realization dawns. The women found dead with the same word carved into their skin.

Oh, God.

It was him.

He raped and killed those women.

He crushes his lips to mine, shoving his tongue in my mouth forcefully. I feel like I’m being thrown right into the past, into that high-school hallway, when I let him assault me. But I’m not going to play victim anymore. I somehow find the strength inside to bite his tongue. The taste of copper invades my mouth as he pulls back with a sneer, dropping the hand he had embedded in my scalp, taking a step back.

I give him a bloody smile. Then I spit in his face, laughing, but the sound comes out warped.

“You worthless, half-blood cunt!” He wipes at his face furiously and fists his fingers. His knuckles collide with my cheek. My head flies to the side, and white-hot pain explodes in my nerve endings before I black out.

When I come back to reality, I’m lying on the ground with Erik, crushing me under his weight. The asphalt chills me to the bone and digs into the back of my legs and arms painfully. I can only open my right eye halfway as red dots swarm my vision. The side of my face where he punched me feels swollen, and my temple throbs in pain.

A gust of wind ruffles my hair. It also travels between my thighs as though…I’m naked.

Nonononononononono.

Thrashing under the weight of his body is futile. I can’t move him even by one inch. But I don’t care. I keep on trying.

“Stay still! I need to cleanse that demon from your body,” he snaps and backhands me. The sharp sting makes me groan. Then he resumes what he was doing earlier, unbuckling his belt. I look to the side to find something on the ground to help me escape.

Anything.

Please.

Anything.

But there’s nothing I can use, only the scrap of fabric from my ruined underwear discarded near the dumpsters in tatters. Tears blur my vision and leak from the corner of my eyes at my helplessness. I feel so weak, so betrayed by my own body.

An iron fist grips my already shallow lungs at the sound of a zipper opening. My mind is a jumbled mess, desperation coating every sluggish thought. A sliver of hope unfurls in my chest as I remember the dagger in my boot.

As he pushes my dress over my hips and settles in between my legs, I somehow manage to pull the dagger out with trembling fingers and impale it in his thigh. He lets out a bellowing scream, throwing a string of curses my way. The blood coursing from the wound soaks my dress.

Adrenaline gives me a few more inches of clarity, along with the strength to push him off. I crawl as far as I can from his body. The moment of victory is short-lived as he manages to grab my ankle and pull me back. My knees and palms scrape against the cold asphalt with a bone-searing burn.

“You think you can escape? You stupid, half-blood cunt!” he spews furiously as he stands up, limping, and then takes out the dagger with a hiss. He sends his foot flying into my ribcage over and over again until I choke on my own blood.

I probably black out again because when I open my eyes, he has my wrists pinned above my head, and I’m crushed under the weight of his body. Every breath I take feels like I’m inhaling fire. As he settles between my thighs and the rush of adrenaline leaves my body completely, it finally dawns on me…there is nothing else I can do. An earth-shattering sob escapes my throat as I feel him at my entrance.

He’s going to take something from me I can never get back.

Something breaks inside me in this moment. The turmoil turning my insides to ashes is slightly interrupted by the angelic voice ringing in my ears.

“Let go, Iris. Let the darkness inside you take over. Don’t let him hurt you.”

Suddenly, I’m thrown in the backseat of my mind, a mere passenger as power I have never felt before takes over every cell of my body. My eyes fill with a darkness so thick it seems to spill from the hollows of my orbits into the atmosphere as wisps of shadows start to emanate from my skin.

Erik shrieks in pain as I float from the ground in an upright position. I grab him by the throat and take him with me in a punishing grip, crushing his windpipe and grinding his bones. His eyes bulge as he sputters blood, coughing it in my face. Black vines spread all over his body at an alarming rate as if he’s being rotted from the inside out.

The light in his eyes dims completely before I feel his vile soul leave his body. But I don’t let go. No. I keep my grip strong and firm until there’s almost nothing left of him but a pile of bones, cartilage, and loose-hanging scraps of leathery skin.

The power leaves as fast as it enters my veins. Like an elastic pulled too tight, snapping under the pressure, I’m thrown from the passenger seat back into my own mind and body. Still, the darkness doesn’t vanish completely; it echoes in the chambers of my heart and in the recesses of my soul.

Dormant.

Waiting.

Erik’s rotten corpse falls with a thud to the ground as I crumble on my knees on the cold asphalt. My teeth grind painfully at the impact. Then, my body starts shaking uncontrollably as my vision seems to go back to normal.

Someone screams my name, alarmed, but I’m not able to move. The cold ground digs into my cheek as my head falls to the pavement. Firey copper hair and mossy green eyes swimming with tears are the last things I see before I close my eyes and give into the void.