Page 10 of Dark Souls

Trouble

A ppearing in my room at the palace, I dashed for the wardrobe and threw random clothes off hangers and into my holdall. As far as I was aware, this was the only place Heathen knew where to find me, which meant I couldn’t stay there if I was going to keep playing his twisted game of hide-and-seek. He wanted me to run from him? To make it damn near impossible to find me in exchange for more information about who the hell he was? No problem. Being able to transport to any place I had already visited gave me a pretty vast geographical area to work with. Racing around my room and bathroom, I grabbed my journal, make-up and a few toiletries before shoving them into the bag and placing my hands on my hips to take a breather.

Heathen . What a perfect name for a monster with no morals. But was that entirely true? He hadn’t killed me when he had the perfect opportunity. Which had me wondering… what was his end game here? After our exchange, it was obvious he felt as if he had some kind of absurd claim over me. He killed that human out of jealousy and possessiveness as if he had a right. It also explained why he went after Eddie Hughes. So, if I was clever, I could play this to my advantage. I was pretty confident he wasn’t planning on hurting me, or he would have done it already. Playing along to gain knowledge about who the hell he was, why he killed Sylvester Gaidern and whoever else he had—because, let’s face it, he was no angel—could give me the time I needed to figure this all out. Perhaps the people he had murdered weren’t so innocent after all. Rubbing my forehead, I scoffed at myself.

Don’t be a fool, Ilaria! As if I should give a single fuck about the motives of the psycho stalking me.

So what if he excited me and I found his darkness alluring? That was just the thrill of the hunt. It was in my nature to become excited by the adrenaline and raw savageness a true beast of the night could provoke. His dangerous aura was impossible to ignore. And I was under no illusion I was playing with red-hot fire. But I also, probably stupidly, believed as long as I could hold his attention and keep him obsessing over me, then he’d keep his word. That he wouldn’t harm anyone I cared about. Strangely, I knew the death of that human wouldn’t fall back on me. That he’d stick to his promise. Which was an alien concept to me but something in my gut told me to trust his words, because trust isn’t something that comes easily. Maybe it was because he could block me from reading his mind. It should make me trust him less, but it made me more reliant on his actions. He could have killed me, but he didn’t. He promised to destroy evidence of my contract and return the man’s body to his family. The fact he gave me his name. They were all actions that, if he followed through with them, would give me a little more confidence to keep playing along with his game, buying me time to interrogate and capture him. He was trying to earn my trust in the only way his fucked-up brain knew how.

I saw a flash of movement in my peripheral vision and I froze. My situational awareness was already on high alert, but as I turned to face the most hideous creature I had ever seen in my life, my shrill scream pierced the air as I leapt onto my bed. There weren’t many things I truly feared in this life; in fact, I’d take a psychotic serial killer as a stalker any day over this. In the corner of my room, the largest spider I had ever seen in my twenty-one years on Earth was attempting to uselessly climb the wall but failing from its sheer size and weight. It looked like a tarantula on steroids! The size of a small cat with thick coarse black hair covering its body and so large, you could see its eight eyes. I hate spiders with a passion, and this was something out of my worst nightmares. Another scream ripped from me when it scampered across the floor, moving with creepy agility and speed that sent me into a blind panic.

The door flung open and my dad, wearing only his gym shorts, dishevelled sandy hair and menacing aura of protectiveness, bolted through the door with his wolf at the surface, ready to attack. His gold eyes scanned the room, falling onto me as I huddled against the black velvet headboard, whimpering and pleading with him to kill it.

“What? Kill what?” he roared, storming inside the room but unable to see the danger I was in. When he made it round the other side of my bed and noticed the monstrosity, his feet stalled. “What in the Goddess’ name is that?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care! Just get it out of here! Please!” I screeched, making a break for it and using my vampire speed to zoom out onto the safety of the landing. I listened carefully with my heart in my throat to the bashing and crashing around my room as he tried to capture that thing. My mum stormed down the hall with concern ingrained into her perfect features.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a spider in my—”

“You are kidding? Ilaria, when are you going to get over your irrational fear of creepy crawlies? You’re a vampire, for Goddess’ sake. Don’t you think you are the scarier species?”

“You can’t even compare me to that thing! It’s an abomination! I’m telling you, it’s not a normal spider. It’s from another planet or something—” I froze, my eyes widening and fury manifesting in my veins when I realised exactly how something that alien happened to find its way into my room. Through a magical portal from another realm. “I am going to kill him!”

“Who?” Mum questioned just as Dad appeared, looking a little out of breath and rosy-cheeked as he carried my cabin-sized suitcase in one hand. I could hear the eight-legged freak thrashing around inside, demanding to be set free, causing a full-body shiver to ripple down me from head to toe.

“She’s right. This is definitely not a spider from this realm. I’ve never seen anything like it. You can see its fangs and everything! This has Leif written all over it.”

Mum chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. I know they say parents don’t have favourites but… Leif could do no wrong. He got away with everything in this family, which only encouraged him more. Atrocious parenting, if you ask me. When she saw my annoyance at my brother’s prank, she tried to hold back her laughter. Leif and I have always been the mischievous ones, but normally we work together to wind up other family members or our more serious triplet brother, Lorcan, and Leif knows there is one line he should never cross with me. And that is fucking spiders! Oh, payback will be a bitch, dear brother!

Huffing, I stormed back into my room, grabbing the holdall and realising that this had actually given me a perfect excuse to get away from the palace without causing suspicion.

“Well, it’s decided.” I threw my hands to my sides. “I am moving out. There is no chance I am spending one more minute in this room. To think I could have been asleep when that thing…” I shuddered.

“Darling, that is ridiculous. You know what your brother is like. It was just a joke, no harm done and it’s been dealt with,” Mum started, but I had already slung my holdall over my shoulder. I gave her a hard stare.

“I know it’s dealt with, but I’m pissed. He knows spiders are Satan to me. Just let me be dramatic about it, alright?”

“Okay, fine. Stay at Grandpapi’s tonight, and I’ll have the room thoroughly searched and sterilised for you tomorrow.”

“You’ll be better off grenading the shit out of this place. Just blow it up, honestly. I won’t be coming back until I have at least given Leif a piece of my mind and who knows how long that will be? He’s only done this because he knows he’s safe from me in another realm. For now…”

Mum shook her head but smirked. She blew me a kiss before turning to head back to her room. I hesitated, suddenly worried about whether I was doing the right thing in still not telling my family about Heathen yet.

“Mum?” She glanced back over her shoulder expectantly. “If… uh… any other strange objects appear in my room, call me, yeah?”

She chuckled, “You mean if Leif sends you any more of his gifts? You sure you want to know about them after tonight?”

“Oh, yes. I need to keep count of how much suffering I will need to subject him to when he’s back.” I smiled. Really, it wasn’t just gifts my warlock brother may send me that worried me, but a certain mysterious supernatural who had a fetish for removing hearts.

I transported myself to my grandpapi’s castle in England and breathed out a sigh of relief at the dark, melancholic aesthetic of my attic room that was always set up for me to crash whenever I wanted. The castle itself was a majestic sight with its foreboding pointed arches, gothic architecture and the gargoyles looming ominously over the landscape of neatly kept gardens. Many centuries ago, this place had been the heart of the British vampire clans, its imposing presence warning away those who dared to approach it. Although vampires from the Romano clan still lived there, my Grandma, who loved regal opulence and finesse, had redecorated and modernised the interior, making it much more inviting. She ruined it, if you ask me. Which was why I chose the attic as my sanctuary. It was the only part of the castle she hadn’t touched and still had its faded grandeur and baroque charm.

I dropped the holdall onto my towering four-poster bed draped in black and deep purple silks. Even though I’d refused to let my grandparents renovate the attic space, they still ensured it had the most gorgeous bed, black oak furniture and ornate decorations. A room fit for a dark princess, as my grandpapi says. Another reason I love it so much up here is because this once used to be his room as a young boy. I knew he didn’t have the luxury they provided me with, but he told me he’d spent a lot of time in his childhood years up here, staring out of the round window at the moon each night.

I set about lighting the ridiculous amount of pillar candles I had clustered on the uneven floorboards and on every surface of furniture. When I was finally done, I walked over to my bookshelf and selected the classic ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ before flopping back onto my mattress to relax in the hope I might drift off to sleep.

After a short time, it became clear that the task was pointless. My mind was too restless to focus on the words on the page and instead, I went over everything that happened tonight and wondered how long it would be until Heath found me. He said he’d only give me information if I impressed him. But I was impatient. I wanted to know things now. And how long in hiding would be long enough?

The exposed rafters above groaned and shifted with the wind. Normally, the sound would soothe me, but tonight, it only kept me alert. Any unfamiliar noise and my heart rate would spike with adrenaline. The feeling was addicting as well as infuriating. Giving up on sleep, I grabbed a black oversized hoodie and shut the heavy oak door behind me, making my way down the labyrinth of winding stairs and long corridors until I ended up in the library.

Settling down into my snug area on the sofa, I pulled a fur blanket over me and stared up at the arched window as the rain pounded against the glass. I drifted off to sleep, lulled by the calming sound, but minutes later, girly giggling and husked voices woke me. Frowning, I sat up and peered over the sofa, noticing two shadowy figures at the far end of the dark library. They were pressed up against the bookshelves down an aisle, and from how close they were and the way they were acting, I could tell what was about to happen.

“Before you go any further, you should know you are about to traumatise your granddaughter!”

The taller figure of my grandpapi stepped back from my grandma and took her hand. I heard a groan, whispers and then a flirtatious giggle from Grandma made me roll my eyes before they made their way over to me. I slammed my hand over my eyes just in case they were naked, which with them two, you could never be too sure.

“Are you decent?” I asked as Grandpapi chuckled deeply.

“Of course. You think we walk around the castle naked when everyone goes to bed?”

“No. But I know you weren’t in here for some late-night reading, so you can’t blame me for being cautious.”

“It’s not a public library. It’s our library in our home.” Grandma laughed when I removed my hand and peered up at them both. “And we weren’t doing anything naughty.”

“Yet,” Grandpapi muttered under his breath but smirked because he knew I heard him. I groaned.

“Do you know how depressing it is to know that my grandparents have a more adventurous sex life than me?”

“And let’s keep it that way.” Grandpapi winked while my grandma slapped his chest with disapproval. “Are you staying the night?”

“Yeah, if that’s alright. I might stay for a few nights, actually. Leif sent me a very unwelcome present from Heroux that I did not appreciate.”

“Hide out here as long as you like, hunny. You know you are always welcome.” Grandma leaned down and kissed the top of my head before squeezing my hand because she was the most affectionate person I knew.

“Thanks.” I smiled, relaxing back into the soft cushions as they turned to leave. My body jolted when I remembered I wanted to speak to my grandpapi about The Underground and now might be the perfect time. “Grandpapi? Can I ask you about something quickly?”

He nodded, pecked Grandma’s lips and gave her a lingering look. “I’ll meet you upstairs, Little Wolf. Be ready for me.”

“Always am!” She winked, striding off with sashaying hips. Christ. Sake . Not a visual I needed.

Grandpapi sat on the winged-back armchair opposite me and rested his elbows on the sides, threading his fingers together. “What’s up, princess?”

“Do you know anything about The Underground? ” I was never one to beat around the bush. Speak your mind and cut the bullshit has always been my philosophy. I didn’t miss the way his whole body tensed and his black eyebrows tightened on hearing the name of the club.

“Where did you hear that?” he asked, his posture seeming more and more uncomfortable by how stiff he had become.

“Tonight. At a vamp club. I was there with Lacey and Lia and there was this high-security, private area sectioned off. Lia said it was only for members of The Underground . She said it was some exclusive club for the immoral and deranged supernaturals. I’m guessing a lot of illegal and frowned upon things happen at the events or something. Apparently, no one talks about it and no one knows much about it unless you are a member. But Lia talks a lot of shit so I thought I’d ask you. Do you know about it?” It was obvious he knew something.

He sighed, lifting his hand to rub his stubbled jaw. “That’s what the rumours say. An exclusive club that holds events maybe once or twice a month for its members. And you are right. No one knows about the details unless you are a member. It’s been around for centuries but it’s got tighter on security. Now, it’s near impossible to know who is a member, or figure out where or when an event is about to happen. It’s kept extremely hush-hush.”

“So, is it something we should be worried about? Something mum and dad should be trying to bring down?” I asked, my voice raising slightly with each question.

He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “No. It’s not something you need to worry about. We know it exists but without knowing who is at the head of it all, it is very hard to do anything about it. And for what it’s worth, it’s contained.”

“So, you’re all just turning a blind eye? Even though awful shit could be happening at these events?” I was a little surprised. My family was never one for backing down when it came to fighting to protect our species.

“The problem is, Ilaria, we don’t know what goes on at these events. We’ve never been informed about what happens at these events, and no supernatural beings have ever complained to your parents about the club. Whether that is out of fear or because they just don’t want to, we’ll never know. But once you are a member, your loyalty is to the club, I guess.”

“Or you are killed before you even speak a word about it outside of its walls,” I offered and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Or that. We have our suspicions, of course. We knew they weren’t having sorority meetings or sharing baking recipes. The SIA and your parents are aware of missing people, stolen artefacts, black market operations and the supporting of drug lording for humans but there is no proof that links any of it to The Underground . And to be honest…” He glanced out of the window, leaving his sentence hanging between us as if he thought better than to finish it.

“And?” I urged, leaning forward with a determined glare.

He exhaled loudly. “Things have been relatively peaceful for this family. Well, apart from all the recent craziness at the Academy and the SIA, but that’s over now and we can start to get back to normal.”

“Normal?” The word honestly repulsed me. “You always say what’s the fun in normality?”

He scoffed, twisting his wedding band on his finger. “When you have lived the kind of life I have, a bit of normality isn’t so bad. There is one thing people have wrong about me, princess. I don’t go looking for trouble. I never have. That isn’t to say that I back down from it when it appears on my doorstep. But right now, with your brothers in another realm fighting a dangerous war, that is the only thing on all our minds. Not The Underground . Don’t go looking for trouble, Ilaria. It’s not worth it.”

I leaned back, moving my gaze back to the window with a heavy sigh. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Heath was at the same club where an Underground event was taking place. He had to be a member. I think it was a little too late for Grandpapi’s warning because trouble had already found me. And I wasn’t someone who backed down either.