Page 25 of Dark Desire (Dark Souls Spin-off Short Story)

“I’m being framed!” I blurted, desperation flooding through my veins. “I’ve never even seen that book before. I don’t know how it ended up in the church. Honestly, you have to believe me!” I pleaded with Reid, hoping she’d be easier to persuade.

“Who would be trying to frame you for these things?”

“I-er,” My breathing was rapid and my mind was frantic.

I just needed to place doubt. I needed them to doubt my involvement.

“Beryl Dorestone!” PC Mawdly scoffed. “It’s true!

She hates my guts. Since arriving in this town, she’s been trying to drive me out.

She spreads all sorts of rumours about me, trying to convince everyone I’m killing cows and I’m a crazy witch or something.

This is so obviously something she would do.

I bet she is the one who phoned in the grave. Am I right?”

The officers glanced at each other and then back at me. “You expect us to believe that little, frail old woman dug up a grave?”

I hesitated. “N-no. I think she got someone to do it for her.”

“These are serious allegations you are making about a long-standing member of our community, Miss Knightsbridge.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. Now that I knew my masked assassin was the same man living in Beryl’s home, I was convinced she played some part in all of this, but whether willingly or not was another thing entirely. Was I really trying to get a little old woman arrested?

“I know I sound insane,” I sighed, dropping my head in my hands. “Maybe it’s not her. But it wasn’t me either. I’m innocent.”

PC Mawdly slammed the folder shut. “We will be back shortly. Sit tight while we look into these allegations.”

They both stood up and left the room. I threw my head back and groaned.

Fuck my actual life. I had to get out of there.

I couldn’t be arrested. It was highly inconvenient.

I had to find the raven. I had to change him back.

I had to summon a demon to help me. And I had to do it before that asshole killed me. Two days. I had two flipping days.

Hours passed as I paced the small room back and forth.

Officers came in and gave me water and food, but no one would tell me what was happening.

My magic was itching to be used to get myself out of this situation, but I’d spotted the cameras in the corner of the room and knew I couldn’t.

Even if I said to hell with it, so what if I expose myself in front of humans because I’m going to die soon anyway?

It was the aftermath of destruction that could possibly cause harm to my kind that stopped me.

Witches had spent centuries trying to cover up the exposure of our past against humans, knowing how much fear it would evoke if they believed we were real.

I pressed my hands against my eyes for the millionth time, trying to force away the stinging sensation. Not only was I sleep deprived, but I had never been so stressed. And I have been in many, many stressful situations. I just didn’t know how to get out of this one.

Finally, the doors opened and both officers returned with apologetic expressions. I paused, my eyebrows furrowing as I stared at them.

“Miss Knightsbridge. You are free to go. We are sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Um, what now?

I didn’t move, worried this was some kind of test. “I beg your pardon?”

“You are free to leave.”

I frowned. “So, you are not arresting me?”

“No.” PC Mawdly shuffled in his polished shoes. “We don’t often get things wrong, but when we do, we are quick to apologise.”

“Hang on, so it was Beryl? She admitted it?” I gasped.

They both looked confused. “No. It was a rather large wolf. We found it deceased on the moors. We believe it was also responsible for the cows that have been recently slaughtered. We expect the wolf was digging for the corpse but was startled by something and ran off before it got to it. Again, we are so sorry for the misunderstanding.”

A wolf? My brain wasn’t registering. What the hell were they talking about?

“And the book?” I questioned.

They glanced at each other with quizzical expressions. “What book, Miss Knightsbridge?”

I froze. Okay, what the hell was happening? The part of my scrambled brain that was in survival mode screamed at me to stop questioning things and get the hell out of here.

“Nothing,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’m confused. I’ll go then.”

They both escorted me to the entrance of the station, handed me back my handbag and then smiled at me as I walked out the doors.

I slumped against the station wall, feeling completely insane.

What the hell was that? It took me a few minutes to snap out of my bewilderment and peer around to notice that the sky had darkened in the early evening hours. I had been in there all day.

I rubbed my face with my hands and pushed off the wall. There was only one possible explanation for all of this and I knew exactly who was to blame.

“Ah, you’re back. I wondered whether we’d see you in here again,” Nige, the barman, greeted me as I leaned against the wooden bar top.

“Decided to stick around.”

“Ever find that woman you were looking for?” Badger asked from his stool next to me.

“Sure did.” My lips twitched as I fought a smile. “Beryl Dorestone. She’s my great-aunt. I’m staying with her for a few days. Name’s Zachary.” I held my hand out in greeting to the old man as I had seen so many people do around here. He shook it and smiled.

“Didn’t know Beryl had a nephew. Well, welcome. Hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

“I’m starting to.” I nodded at the men and took my pint to my table.

Lifting my glass to my lips, I studied the locals. For the second time, I sat at the small table in the dark corner, nursing my Cornish beer and listening to all the village gossip. Tonight, the gossip was much more interesting than before.

“So, they arrested her?”

“Yeah! And I heard they had to kick her door in because she refused to open it. That shows a sign of guilt if ever I saw one.”

“Well, I heard that she killed Betty, but I didn’t believe it. Now I don’t know what to believe.”

“She’s always been a strange character. I’ve never been sure of her.”

I smirked behind my glass. They should have released her by now after I hypnotised the two officers who came by Beryl’s to question her.

I made them believe that they had found a wolf up on the moors that was responsible for it all and I took the spell book from them, demanding they forget it ever existed.

I had no plans to actually have the witch locked up.

I just enjoyed messing with her too much.

Suddenly, the pub door swung open with an angry screech that echoed through the bar.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to see who had just stormed in, causing quite a scene.

The silence was deafening as all eyes were fixed on a tangle of untamed black curls.

She marched up to the bar. I pressed my lips together to hold back a laugh at how insane she looked.

Her honey eyes, wide and fierce, scanned the faces of the locals, searching with furious intent until they landed on me.

She visibly stilled. Her eyes narrowed. Rage screwed up her dainty, perfect features and made her look even more alluring. I slowly lowered my glass back to the table as she stomped over to me, ignoring the curious glances from everyone else.

“You!” she shouted, pointing her finger directly at me.

I turned to look over my shoulder with exaggerated slowness before turning back to her and placing my hand on my chest. “Me?”

“Yes, you! You did this! Do you just get off on being this much of a wanker?”

I could feel the beady eyes of every human in the pub, enthralled by the dramatic scene. I tilted my head to the side, feigning confusion. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Zachary. Or whoever the fuck you are. I know you set me up and if you think I will let you get away with it, you have no idea who you are messing with. I’m giving you one last chance to leave this village right now.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the table as I picked up my pint with my other hand. I stared up at her with a sly grin as her nostrils flared. “I still have a full pint. So I think I’ll stay. This place is growing on me.”

Her hands balled into fists around the strap of her bag and she inhaled deeply, barely able to contain the fury within.

She rippled with it. And I fucking loved it.

This was who I had been waiting to meet.

The real her. The dangerous, vicious witch that she had hidden under that perfectly sweet and charming exterior.

She had them all fooled. But not me. I knew what was in there.

She slammed her hand down on the table between us and leaned in close to my face. She was clearly trying to banish me with her glare alone. It was quite endearing in a ‘she’s completely insane’ sort of way.

“I don’t know what you are trying to achieve here, messing with these people’s lives, but I won’t stand for it. Either leave this village and everyone in it alone, asshole, or meet me at the church in one hour. If you fucking dare,” she hissed lowly.

She spun around and stormed out of the pub just as abruptly as she had entered. Everyone turned to stare at me, and I set my pint glass down while cracking my knuckles with a smirk.

“So, does anyone know if she’s single?” I joked. The pub goers burst out laughing and returned to their drinks.

I subtly pushed at my groin to eliminate the raging hard-on that woman’s feisty attitude had given me.

I wasn’t sure what turned me on more: her fear or her fury.

Or maybe it was just her full stop. The fucking mate bond that wanted to remind me every time I was within one hundred feet of the woman that she was meant to be mine.