Page 1 of Dark Souls

S winging my legs over the 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 very bad things. 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.

I shifted my whole body to the side, leaning an elbow on the bar. I narrowed my lethal gaze over her head to glare at the man who would end his night in a body bag before he laid a finger on her. Fuck knows why I felt the need to protect this woman when I never had before, but I’d consider that insanity later. His dark gaze met mine but his attention flicked away just as quickly to pay for their drinks, clearly not seeing me as a threat. That was his second mistake of the evening. The first being his choice to target this beguiling little creature next to me.

“I wouldn’t drink it if I were you,” I said in a deep but even tone, causing the girl’s head to turn my way for the first time. Big blue eyes clashed with mine before her gaze swept over my face and down my body. A flash of something that looked a lot like intrigue appeared in those blue gems. They were vibrant but something seemed wrong about their colouring as she held my gaze with a determination and curiosity no one had ever dared in my presence before. Granted, I was in a human disguise but there was no hiding the darkness in my eyes. It’s true what they say. The eyes are a window to the soul. And mine are as dark as they come.

Up close, she was even more of a masterpiece. Not just because of her good looks, but because of the imposing presence of confidence and mystery she exuded. Her eyes, I would put money on being contacts, narrowed in defiance as if I had no right to even address her. I smiled wider.

“Thanks for the heads up,” she answered before grabbing the cup and throwing back the spiked contents. I raised my eyebrow in mild surprise and irritation that she’d be so reckless after my warning. “But I’m a big girl.” She leaned into me slightly, lowering her voice so the man beside her didn’t hear. “And I can handle myself and this rapist prick. So do yourself a favour. Stay the fuck out of it, pretty boy.”

Well, fuck me sideways and call me Sally. I think I just fell in love.

Rapist Prick, as she so accurately named him, threw his hefty arm over her narrow shoulders. The action should have floored the petite little thing but it didn’t seem to have any impact whatsoever. And that’s when it clicked. The strength on the dancefloor, the contact lenses, the alluring aura. She was a fucking vampire.

“This dude bothering you?” Rapist Prick asked, glaring at me as if it would be enough to make me cower away. I didn’t even bother glancing his way. My gaze was glued on my snow angel as she smiled with fake innocence and shook her head.

“No, not at all,” she replied, giving me a last look before focusing all her attention on him again. She stumbled in her heeled, lace-up boots, falling into his chest as she raised her hand to her forehead and fluttered her lashes. I held back my laughter. Being a vampire, that little pill would have had no effect whatsoever. “But I think I need some fresh air. I’m not feeling too good. This is so embarrassing.” She peered up at him from under thick, black eyelashes, even though something told me this woman didn’t have a shy bone in her body. “My friends always tease me because I am such a lightweight.”

And the winner for best actress goes to… Oh fuck. I didn’t even get a chance to catch her name before RP acted like the perfect gentleman and helped her stumble out of the bar and into the night. It was probably for the best. Most definitely for the best. I had no business leading myself down this dangerous path of obsession. However, obsession is a part of my demonic DNA, in every molecule and atom, that made up my predatory and possessive nature. I needed to have her. For what, I wasn’t sure yet.

Taking a moment to gather myself and try to comprehend the madness a mere glance from that woman had caused inside me, I finished off the remainder of my whiskey and tried to talk myself out of what I was itching to do. Go after her. It was just an infatuation. I’d been imprisoned for far too long without the temptation of a beautiful woman to devour. But it was in her gaze. In the way she had looked directly into my fucked-up soul and didn’t even flinch. The contrast of her soft voice and fiery words. She was fucking glorious. And I was hooked.

Cursing, I slammed the glass back on the sticky bar and headed for the door. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to witness how she planned on ‘handling’ this situation and then, when I was sure she would live through the night, I’d forget she ever existed. Solid fucking plan, Heath.

Outside, under the dimly lit streetlights, I lifted my hood and scanned my surroundings, searching for any sign of them. Nothing. Yet the scent of her lingered in the air. Following it, I came to the end of the pitch-black alleyway that led straight around the back of the building where there was now a cold corpse of the criminal I’d spent my evening torturing.

Slipping into the shadows, I made my way down until I came to the corner. I could hear them. Heavy panting and grunting. I glimpsed around the wall and my night vision focused on the huge frame of Rapist Prick caging her tiny body against the bricks. She looked almost lifeless, rolling her head to the side as he kissed her neck and groped her tits before reaching down for his zipper. Rage throttled me so viciously, my disguise slipped and the deadly beast emerged. Before I could rip his head from his body, everything changed. At insane speed a human eye would fail to keep up with, she had kneed him in the dick, grabbed his wrist in one hand and flipped his whole body in the air until he landed with a hard impact on the cement ground. He wheezed, struggling to inhale a breath as all the air was knocked from his lungs before she rolled him over like he was as light as a feather rather than a full-grown man, and pulled a pair of handcuffs from her back pocket.

“I should have warned you.” She laughed as the metal slapped against his wrists when she straddled his back. “I’m into some twisted shit too. Though you’ll never get to partake, asshole.”

Once he was restrained, she stood up, rolling him onto his back and stood with her boot firmly on his windpipe, causing him to panic and choke for air. She wasn’t even out of breath as she dropped her head back, her white hair cascading behind her shoulders and stared at the black starless sky. Her sharp fangs caught the reflection of the moonlight as she hissed with frustration. I’d never seen a sight so exquisite. And my dick had never been so fucking hard.

“You are lucky I know how to show some restraint, unlike you,” she said, retracting her fangs after a few moments and glancing down at the man at her mercy. It was only then that I realised she hadn’t even bitten him, let alone drank from him. What the fuck was that about? My question was answered when I heard the hurried footsteps of someone else approaching and smelt the scent of sweet peaches. It was followed by heavier and more urgent footsteps and I slipped further into the shadows as they came into sight.

The same auburn-haired female who had removed the other girl from the dancefloor appeared, placing her hands on her hips as she inspected the scene. Two muscular human men, dressed entirely in black and carrying handguns, appeared next.

Snow lifted her face and gave them all a triumphant look that made me grin with her. She was so fucking cute.

“So, did I pass with flying fucking colours or what?”

“Not bad.” The other female, who gave off a supernatural aura, possibly a fae and witch hybrid, nodded as she approached them. “And he looks unharmed. Didn’t think you could hold back, but you’ve proved you have control.”

“Not that he deserves it,” Snow replied, stepping off his throat so the two men could haul him to his feet. She glared at his reddening face. “I was tempted to go along with his sick little game a while longer so I could bite his dick off when he thought he would shove it in my mouth.”

The man looked like he was about to vomit as he spat, “You fucking psycho bitch.”

“Aw, sweetie. You hurt my feelings,” she teased sarcastically as the men started to drag him away. Once they were gone, she dipped her head back and stuck her fingers in her eyes, removing the contact lenses. “These things sting like a motherfucker,” she groaned, casting them away on the floor and blinking rapidly. I fucking knew it. They weren’t her real eyes. When her face turned in my direction, my cock throbbed against my jeans as I bit into my bottom lip with my fangs, holding back my groan. Fluorescent pink eyes. Pink fucking eyes!

She froze. Her head tilted upwards as she sniffed the air and stilled.

“What is it?” The other woman asked curiously.

“Can’t you smell that?”

“Uh.” Before the woman could answer, Snow had zoomed with her vampire speed up to the dumpster and grave of Mr Graidern. My smile widened as she leaped up onto the side of it in a crouched position and peered down at his mangled body. I was glad she got to see my work of art.

“Shit. Sienna, come and see this. Someone’s done quite a number on this one.” Why thank you, baby. She reached down, searching his pockets for an ID. “Sylvester Graidern.”

“Urgh.” The woman named Sienna grumbled, rubbing her forehead as if this was the last thing she wanted to deal with. “I’ll call in the clean-up team. It’s definitely a supernatural kill. Best we handle this rather than the authorities. Stay put, yeah? I’ll be back in a sec.”

Sienna turned the corner, pulling out her phone and speaking with someone on the other end about getting a squad down here to take care of the body and crime scene. But I was too fascinated with my little vampire to pay much attention. She was cocking her head to the side, inspecting the body with interest without a flicker of fear or disgust. Maybe she was even impressed. I hoped she was. For some reason, the thought of making her proud with my own perverse methods had me feeling more excited than the notion of killing.

Finally, that feeling of satisfaction I craved in his death was beginning to appear. My dick hardened to a painful state when she noticed the heart, picked it up in her fingers and studied the bite marks with her excitement. When she dipped her finger into one of the torn valves and then brought the bloody finger to her mouth, wrapping her lips around it and sucking it clean, I nearly came in my fucking pants. It was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen and now I couldn’t stop fantasising about her smooth, ivory skin smothered in blood as I licked it off.

A choked, desperate noise came from the shadows, which caused her to drop the heart and stand up on the dumpster. Her stunning pink eyes were hyper-focused and staring straight in my direction. I knew she couldn’t see me but she could sense me. Or at least sense she was being watched. I heard her pulse quicken but not with fear; with something else. Something I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Who’s there?” she shouted, jumping off the dumpster. I smirked, willing her to come deeper into the shadows.

‘Heath.’

My skull tingled with the unpleasant sensation as Master’s voice echoed in my mind. Ignoring it, I focused on her footsteps as she approached, her eyes narrowing. Sienna raced back around the corner, distracting her.

“Spoke to Ron. They’re on their way.” Sienna turned to follow Snow’s glare into the darkness. “Ilaria, what is it?”

Ilaria. Ilaria. Perfect. Stunning. I wanted to try speaking it aloud but I didn’t dare make a sound. I liked watching her from the dark. I needed to know everything about her. I needed to understand her. To get under her skin and figure out what made her heart race. I needed to make her mine. Make her as addicted to me as I was to her.

‘Heathen!’

“Nothing. I just thought I heard something but it must have been a cat,” Ilaria replied, walking back towards the body with her friend.

‘Demon!’

The tingling intensified until it was unbearable and I had no choice but to answer Master’s summoning. Taking one last look at my new obsession, I licked my lips and released my wings before taking off into the night with a newfound purpose.

Ilaria. You’re going to be mine.