Page 152 of Dark Souls

“As in the Royal Princess?” I asked, still playing dumb. “Why the fuck would her diary be at the manor?”

The Devil lifted his chin to study my face as I held his gaze to prove my innocence. I didn’t have a game plan here other than to deny, deny, deny. I needed time to think. To come up with something genius.

“The even bigger question is, why does she have a sketch of you in it and facts about you and Luka? She knows who you are, all about The Knowltons and The Underground.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number. I frowned in confusion, trying to calm my pounding heart and hear through the blood rushing in my ears. “Do you have her?” he asked into the phone.

My eyes widened. Ilaria! My nostrils flared as he nodded to whatever the person on the phone was saying. He then pressed the hands free.

“No, no. Please. Please, don’t. Please.”

The sound of Hana’s terrified voice pierced through the roaring waves below and sent my blood boiling. I roared, diving at The Devil with my talons ready to wrap around his throat. The moment my skin touched his, the protective force field on the sigil launched me through the air. I jumped back to my feet, heaving and hissing through my fangs as I glared at him. Hana’s begging continued to fill the space between us.

“Truth time, Demon. You’ll tell me why Ilaria’s belongings are in the manor, or you can listen to your sister being horrifically tortured and beaten to death just to come back to life and suffer it all over again.”

I snarled and then roared up at the night sky, knowing I was backed into an impossible situation. The truth was, I didn’t one hundred per cent know why Ilaria’s stuff was in the manor. I hadn’t been around enough to know what the hell had been happening between Luka and her or how far their relationship had progressed.

“I am telling the truth! I don’t know why her stuff is there!” I shouted, storming towards him again. Even with the sigil firmly in place, there was fear in his aqua eyes at my proximity. “Maybe you should ask Luka. I am barely around! You know how often and how long I am present because you fucking control my life! You summon me, I complete your order, and then you send me back! I have no idea what goes on when I am not around!”

He paused. Just enough to consider my words. My shoulders shook with rage as Hana’s cries turned to whimpers on the phone. Every noise broke me into pieces inside.

“Leave my sister alone,” I said more calmly than I felt. “Speak to Luka. He has the answers.” I knew it was a shitty thing to do. To put this all on Luka. But he was smarter than me. He would have a plan. And if he didn’t, at least he couldn’t be killed in his form. Every moment I stood in front of The Devil, I was vulnerable. He could kill me before anything could be done to protect Ilaria or Hana. I trusted Luka would handle this. He’d somehow outsmart this coward. He always did.

The Devil sighed and reached for his sigil. I braced myself for one of two things; either he would destroy it, killing me in the process, or he’d summon me back to the void.

“You may have just bought your sister some more time, demon. But if I find out you are lying to me, you will regret it. I promise you.”

The throbbing in my skull intensified as he muttered the Latin that ripped me from reality and kept me suspended in darkness, leaving me with only my own terrified thoughts of what I might discover in the aftermath of my absence.

I winced as the pain subsided from the back of my head and tried to take in my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Damp musk and decay. It was a smell I was far too familiar with. I was in the cellars, sitting on the floor, propped up against the stone wall, as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit place that used to be my prison.

“You are much heavier than you look.” The Devil’s voice came from the shadows. He stepped into the candlelight, cleaning the dirt off his hands with a handkerchief. He was wearing his signature smart suit trousers and a white shirt. His blazer was neatly folded over the railing that led up the stairs to the manor.

“Why are we down here?” I asked, attempting to stand on my feet but feeling sluggish. My muscles were too relaxed. Unnaturally so. I narrowed my gaze at him. “What the fuck have you given me?”

“Just an extremely high dose of muscle relaxants to stop you from being able to move freely if we should so happen to have a guest.”

“A guest?” I frowned, my head lolling back against the stones.

He raised his eyebrow with a kick to the side of his lips. I didn’t like that look. It made me uncomfortable, knowing he knew something I didn’t.

“Yes. A guest. Never had you down as a socialite, but you’ve been entertaining guests here at the manor, haven’t you?” I froze. He turned and folded his arms over his chest. “Or one guest in particular. A little princess?”

Fuck.If I could have punched myself in the face for being so fucking reckless, I would have. Of course, because I hadn’t had time to hide her shit, he’d found Ilaria’s things.

“What?” I frowned, keeping my face stoic.

He sighed deeply, shaking his head. “Heathen has already tried the whole denial thing. And maybe he really wasn’t aware that Ilaria Romano Black knew of his existence or that she had been cosying up to you in this house, but you, Dealer, most certainly are.”

I stared at him. My chest fell and rose rapidly as I tried to contain the fury and panic.

“Where is she?” I asked quickly, unable to mask the anger in my voice. “If you’ve touched her. If you’ve so much as touched a hair on—”

“What are you going to do?” He smirked at me, enjoying my panic. “Hmm?”

I snarled through my fangs, knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to him or his loved ones. And it only enraged me more.

“Calm down, Dealer. I guess the princess is safe and sound with her family. For now,” he added as he walked towards my mother’s bones. I attempted to get to my feet again but failed, slouching back against the wall. “And she will remain safe and unharmed as long as you answer my questions with honesty. And just to really drive the message home…” He turned his phone around and balanced it upright against my mother’s skull. A live video was visible and as I used my vampire sight to see it clearly from a distance, I saw my sister tied down to a table with two wooden stakes driven through her shoulders, pinning her in place. Tears were streaming down her face.

“YOU SICK ASSHOLE!” I roared, finally managing to stand on my feet but falling back against the wall to hold myself up. “She has nothing to do with this! Leave her alone.”