Page 50 of Dark Souls

Deny, Deny, Deny

I landed outside the manor and stood on the edge of the jagged cliff top, staring down at the unrelenting waves as they raged against the rock’s surface, sending plumes of icy salt spray into the air. Above, dark clouds rolled in with the beginnings of a sinister threat. The wind howled endlessly, beating against my black feathered wings that were half spread behind me in a battle of strength. I stood my ground, planting my feet firmly in the dirt and focused on the foaming slate-grey water below.

The ocean had always fascinated me. Its calm lapping tides against the shoreline offered peace and hope, but just as quickly, it could change, showing its true nature of power and ferocity. Something to be feared as well as admired. In the light of day, the surface glistened. A unique display of beauty and untamed wilderness. That’s what people like to see, right? Sitting on the beach, soaking in the sound of gentle waves and the sparkle of the sun’s rays, gave people a feeling of warmth and serenity. Many people weren’t interested in what lurked beneath the beauty. The depths of the sea was a vast unknown chamber of mystery and danger that many preferred to keep their distance from. The tides could easily change. The waves could easily rage. If it so chose, the sea could drown your ass without remorse. I understood why so many feared it. But the sea couldn’t help what it was. No more than I could change who I was.

Sometimes, I felt like the sea.

I closed my black eyes and tried to allow the roar of the ocean’s anger to dull my own. Ilaria’s family’s reaction to me didn’t surprise me. The deepest feeling of rejection and judgment that I hadn’t expected to resurface almost knocked me to my knees. The sense that no matter what, I didn’t belong in this world. This world would never accept me. Everyone I loved suffered because of what I was. Luka. Hana. Ilaria. When would it end?

The cawing of a raven that circled above the cliff forced my attention back to the present and I felt The Devil’s presence behind me.

“Is it done?” My shoulders tensed when I heard his voice carried by the breeze. Was it done? Technically, yes. But had I made the second-biggest mistake of my life by showing myself to the Royals? Most probably.

I turned around and retrieved the fae’s membership card from the back pocket of my jeans. Tossing it towards his polished shoes, I clicked my neck to the side as he slowly bent down to pick it up.

“Good. And he never made it to the meeting?”

I met his blue eyes with a blank expression. I knew this man had connections, ways of finding out information and assessing the truth of my words. He may take mine and Luka’s words at face value, but he always did his research to check we weren’t playing him. We’d learned that the hard way in the past. But I had to buy Ilaria time to persuade her family to help us. I had to find a slither of faith from somewhere that this wouldn’t be how it ended. The Devil couldn’t find out that the Royals knew about me.

“He made it onto the premises but not to the meeting. No.”

“And you weren’t seen?”

“No.”

He rolled his tongue around in his closed mouth; the action making him look like he was chewing a giant gumball as he narrowed his eyes with distrust.

“And you wouldn’t be lying to me, would you? You know what is at stake here?”

My sister. My life. Of course, I always knew what was at stake. But this was the closest I had ever been to freedom and I needed to take a leap of faith. Because what life was this if I didn’t? I couldn’t carry on like this. Not anymore. Luka couldn’t carry on like this. Every day that passes, we put Ilaria in more danger. It was now or never. If the Royals refuse to help us, The Devil might as well kill me.

“You don’t need to remind me,” I gritted through my teeth and turned back to the cliff edge. His meticulous footsteps approached until he stood beside me, peering down at the sea. I dug my talons into the palms of my hands to stop me from giving into the deadly urge to push him over the edge. It would only cause more harm than good to me, seeing as that sigil was firmly in place around his neck.

He released a deep sigh that made the vines on my body shiver with trepidation. Anxiety wasn’t a feeling I was well acquainted with, but there was a looming sense of doom in the air around me that I couldn’t ignore.

“You know, Heathen, all you and Luka had to do was comply. The day I bought you at that auction, we made a deal. You promised you would do anything I asked of you as long as I bought your sister, too. Luka promised he would be loyal as long as I allowed him to kill The Knowltons. I gave you a huge manor to live in. Clothes, sources of food, money to live off. Yet you both still act like I am The Devil himself.” He smirked at his unoriginal word play. He named himself The Devil of The Underground because I once joked that he must be the Devil for wanting to own a demon’s soul.

Ignoring his attempt at poor humour, I stared at the abyss of darkness at the base of the cliff. “The sea doesn’t like to be controlled.”

He huffed. “And I do not like being deceived.”

I noticed him pulling something out of the back of his trousers and my entire body tensed when I caught sight of Ilaria’s journal. He held it in his hands, allowing the wind to flick through pages of scribblings and drawings until he found one he wanted. My heart felt like it was attacking my rib cage, attempting to break free as panic took over. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plan, with a single logical thought that would explain why he had Ilaria’s journal in his hands.

“After you left, I took a little tour around the manor. I quite like what Luka’s done to the place. Much more homey. Especially the bedroom. What was fascinating, though… was the few items of women’s clothes that were in a drawer. Oh, and this. I found this in the library among two shot glasses, a mess of Knowlton’s history books and pictures of your sister.”

I twisted my head to look down at the journal, pretending I had never seen it before in my life. “I have no idea what you are talking about. If Luka decides to turn into an interior designer, explore his kink of cross-dressing and start keeping a diary, that’s his business. Not mine.”

The Devil clicked his tongue over his teeth and ripped a page out of the journal. He held it up in front of my face as I stared at the sketch of a Demonski Upir. A sketch of me.

“Funny,” The Devil said without any hint of amusement. “Yet this is the property of I.R.B.”

“I.R.B?” I quizzed, playing the fool because I had no idea what else to do at that point. Shit. Shit. Shit. This was so fucking bad.

“There is only one very well-known person who goes by these initials, Heathen. And I think you know exactly who it is.” When I said nothing, he slammed the journal closed and chucked it off the cliff edge. I watched as it plummeted down into the icy depths with the last of my hope. “Ilaria Romano Black.”

“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.”

The Devil sighed. “You know I hate hurting her, Lukas. She’s such a sweet little thing. You’d never know she’s a demon from her timid and gentle nature. And she really isn’t made to withstand torture. Not like you. All you have to do is tell me the truth and nothing more has to happen to her.”

I growled and slumped down the wall to the floor, my legs unable to hold up my weight any longer. He walked towards me and squatted down, so his face was level with mine. All amusement was now gone and seriousness projected through his blue eyes. He wasn’t fucking around anymore.

“What is going on between you and the royal princess?”

I closed my eyes briefly, knowing the one thing I could never admit. He could never know she was my soulmate. “I’m fucking her.”

He scoffed before staring at my deadpan expression and realising I was serious. “And how did you happen to start fucking a royal princess?”

I exhaled a deep breath. “I met her at the club in London the same night the auctions were on. She’d been in the main club with some friends. The event was over, and I tidied up Heathen’s mess he left of that wolf before leaving. She was outside when I saw her. I approached her with the intention of a one-night stand. I had no idea who she was. We flirted. I brought her back to the manor and we fucked all night. After that, she started turning up here randomly. That’s when I realised she was part of the Romano Clan, because she could magically transport herself anywhere she’d already been to because of her grandfather’s magic. When I realised who she was, I tried to scare her away. To make her fear me. Hate me even. But she just kept coming back for more. Turns out I may be a dick, but I am still the best dick she’s ever had.”

He stood up, glaring down at me with distrust. “I found her diary, Lukas. She knows things. She knows about Heathen’s existence. About the Knowltons. You told her?”

“How could I possibly tell her? Your mate put an identity restriction spell on me, remember?” I glared back. But it was a reminder to myself that I had to watch what I said so he didn’t figure out that the spell was broken. He cracked his knuckles but knew I was right so I continued, hoping he was buying this crap. “Ilaria wanted to know who I was. She was curious because I refused to tell her anything. All she knew was my name. Luka. I was a mystery she decided she wanted to solve. She did her own research, coming up with her own wild theories when she found the name Lukas Nezera. She learned everything she could about Demonski Upirs and decided she believed I was one. I told her she was crazy to believe I could possibly be the same person. The book stated Lukas Nezera was dead, so how could I be? Heathen appeared here one night when she was waiting for me. But he had no idea who she was and flew away, unaware she’d even seen him. She drew a picture of him to confront me and accused me of lying to her. We got in a fight because I still refused to tell her a damn thing, told her she was crazy and no one would believe her and she left. She hasn’t been back since.”

“You expect me to believe this?” He moved back towards his phone and I held my breath. “You would swear it on your sister’s life?”

My gaze flickered down to the image of my sister’s body trembling on the table and bile rose in my throat.

“I would.”

He fixed me with a thoughtful expression, searching for any doubt. He knew I loved my sister more than life itself. I had to hope he believed I’d never lie for that reason. Thanks to having no humanity, I knew I was giving nothing away. He walked away from the phone and I released a subtle breath.

“And Heathen?”

“Knows nothing,” I said, shaking my head.

The Devil took out my scorched stake made from hellfire from his pocket and rotated it in his hand, studying it carefully.

“Lukas, you’ve greatly disappointed me. You’ve lied to me. You’ve thought with your dick instead of your head. You’ve risked everything. And now a member of the Royal family is suspicious. Ilaria Romano Black is a stubborn creature. She won’t give up on this. It’s interesting that she hasn’t told any of her family about you, which is the only reason you are still breathing right now.” He sighed heavily as he if the next words really hurt him to admit. He was a terrific actor. “I always told Heathen and you to be careful. That if someone figured out what you were, you had to kill them before they could open their goddamn mouths. Or I would have to kill you, and I really hate being the bad guy here, Lukas. Maybe she’ll let it go, but maybe she won’t. I can’t take that chance. Something will have to be done about her.”

My heart raced as I frantically tried to devise a plan to keep her safe.

“She won’t be back. And she won’t talk. I’ll make sure of it.”

“And how do you intend to do that? If she lives, you have to die.” He smiled at me with a sickness that made my insides crumble. He meant it. He was going to kill me. “You’ve really given me no other choice. You’ve exposed yourself to a royal. She knows what you look like and where you live. She’s seen Heathen and believes you are him. It’s only a matter of time before she tells her family. You need to disappear before they realise your link to The Underground . Your link to me. And so does she.”

“No,” I blurted, feeling more control over my limbs as I hauled myself back to my feet. “I can easily deal with this. Nothing needs to happen to her. She has to fear ever crossing me. You can’t kill a member of the royal family and get away with it. They will never stop until they find you.”

“You’re right. I can’t. I could ask Heathen to do it, but unfortunately, I no longer trust either of you. But I know someone who can be trusted to follow through. Your sister.”

No. No. No.

“You don’t want the mess,” I said with fake conviction, shaking my head. I had to play to his weakness. Exposure. His key fear was being exposed. Losing The Underground and the world he’d created that had made him rich beyond belief. For the world to know what he had been up to all these years. “Hana hasn’t got the skills to pull off such a high-stakes kill. She’d expose herself by accident. Then you’d lose us both.”

He tapped his chin as he walked in circles, thinking it over. “Hmm, I could just hand The Underground over to Wesley and keep you in Heathen’s form forever. Obviously, he couldn’t stay here anymore. But I could easily lure Ilaria back here alone and have Hana kill her,” he muttered to himself.

“You don’t have to kill Ilaria. Killing her will cause unnecessary drama within the entire realm. The royals will never stop hunting those responsible. Do what you want with me.” I was past caring what he did as long as Ilaria and Hana were safe. If he killed me, Ilaria would rally her family, and they wouldn’t stop until they found The Devil, and he wouldn’t even see them coming. Hopefully, they’ll be able to save Hana in time. The biggest problem I faced in making sure that happened was the fact that I knew nothing would ever stop Ilaria from fighting for me. She’d never accept that I didn’t want her. And she’d never walk away unless… I closed my eyes as a plan formed in my mind. “I’ll make sure she hates me. I’ll make sure she never tries to see me again. Then you can kill me, and she’ll be glad when she hears of it.”

The Devil turned to face me with a frown. “How?”

His phone rang, interrupting the live footage of Hana, and he groaned, storming towards it and answering when the name ‘Darling’ flashed across the screen.

A distorted female voice came through, and I could just about hear her asking if I’d confessed yet.

“He has. But there may be a way the girl doesn’t have to die. Yeah, if we can keep this as low-key as possible, the better. I’ll be home soon, and I’ll fill you in. Yeah. Okay. Fine. Love you.”

He hung up and linked back up to the live footage of Hana again. Walking closer to me, he held it up to my face, giving me a perfect view of my sister. She looked the same as she did a hundred years ago, seeing as we don’t age once we reach twenty-five. Beautiful. I stared at her, unable to believe this was the first time in years that I had seen her alive. The photos could have been faked but this couldn’t. She was still breathing, and I’d do everything in my power to keep it that way. I couldn’t just tell Ilaria to pretend to hate me and never want to see me again because I had no idea how far The Devil’s reach was. He could be someone Ilaria or her family trusted for all I knew. I had to do something believable. Something that would get back to The Devil and make him believe that she really would never want to see me again. Something despicable.

“That’s enough for now. As long as Lukas complies, you can release her. No more torture,” The Devil said to the live feed. I watched as there was a movement in the background and noticed a broad shadow cast along the wall of the room she was in. A male figure. Just before the feed cut out, a blurred hand swept across the camera to turn it off. It was quick and unclear, but I still caught it. The flash of a silver dagger ring. One that I would recognise anywhere.

My hateful eyes flicked back up to The Devil as he pocketed his phone.

“So, Dealer, let’s hear this plan of yours?”