Page 51 of Dark Souls

Trust Your Instincts

Leif whistled low as we all stared up at the back of the desolate English manor from our hidden positions in the tree line. It looked even more sinister in the middle of the night, with the moon casting an eerie glow over its forgotten presence like a spotlight. In the distance, the sea violently clashed against the rocks and the perilous drop into darkness behind the manor gave the impression it was about to crumble off the face of the Earth with one powerful gust of wind. I focused on the grimy windows and the lack of candlelight inside. Every muscle in my body was itching to see Luka or Heathen, whichever was currently in control of their form, but I knew I had to be cautious. The Devil could still be in there with him. I really hoped he was. I’d love nothing more than to tear this asshole a new one. But I always had Hana in the back of my mind. I couldn’t do anything to jeopardise her life either.

“Nice place. The hole in the roof really gives it cultivated charm,” Leif said, reeking of sarcasm, which warranted an unamused look from me. He was by no means my first choice to bring along to check on my soulmate’s well-being, especially with Luka’s justified disdain for Anderson magic and Leif’s obvious inability to make rational decisions right now (AKA snogging Lia’s face off), but I was outnumbered on the family vote. He was eager to meet my soulmate because, knowing pretty much everyone else in the family had, he felt left out.

Once the initial shock and disbelief had worn off, my family agreed to help come up with a plan to free Heathen, Luka and Hana from The Devil’s clutches and I reluctantly agreed that there would be a trial unless I was to kill him in an act of self-defence. They were not thrilled with all the secrets and lies I’d been keeping the last few months, but I think deep down, when I asked if they would’ve betrayed their soulmate’s trust if they were in my position, it forced them to realise that I had no other choice. And when I dropped my guard and revealed a rare moment of vulnerability in front of them all by allowing them to see the tears in my eyes and the smile on my face when I said, ‘I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you all by hiding this, but I’m not sorry for doing it. As much as I love you all to death, this family is a lot for anyone. And Luka and Heathen, they have been through so much already. They needed time. We needed time to learn to trust each other. I accept him for who he is, and I know it is a shock to you all, but I really need you to get onboard pretty darn fast because I love him. I love him in all his forms and with all his darkness. I’ll do anything to save him and his sister. So you’ll either wish me luck and get out of my way or help me figure this out. Because they are the only options,’ that was the moment they finally understood. My mum broke down in tears and hugged me. My dad squeezed my hand and my grandpapi told me I was wrong. There was only ever one choice. They would stand by me no matter what.

Leif sobered up miraculously fast after being caught up on everything. We shared a silent hug, which felt like an apology on both our sides. “No more secrets,” he’d whispered in my ear before releasing me, and I’d nodded in agreement.

We all sat for a few hours at the dinner table trying to come up with a plan that wouldn’t put Luka or Hana in any more danger than necessary but also trying to find a way to expose The Devil and his mate. It was bloody hard to do, especially knowing that we couldn’t give away the fact that we knew anything about the existence of two Demonski Upirs and had no clue who The Devil could be. We couldn’t get Luka to ask to meet The Devil and ambush him because that would put Hana’s life at risk. We needed to find her first. All we knew was that The Devil must have been a previous member of The Underground . So we needed to start there. We needed to get into The Underground membership archives, and we also needed to speak to Luka. Now he could talk about himself, I knew there would be details he’d be able to provide about The Devil that would be helpful in uncovering his identity.

My parents and grandparents were going to research and figuring out what kind of spell had been used by Cora and Celeste to possess a demon’s soul so Leif, mum, and Grandpapi could find a way to break it. Raiden and Sienna were going to dig up the previous cases at the SIA committed by Heathen to see if those people had any links to The Underground and any interactions with a specific person before their deaths. Which left my two super nosy brothers to come along with me to speak to Luka. Lorcan’s wolf senses would be invaluable in picking up scents of anyone who had been here recently and Leif, well, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Not only did he want to see the Knowlton coven’s premises for himself, but he was dying to meet my soulmate. Which only made me all the more anxious right now. Thank god Grandma Maddy was here too. If my brothers were coming, I asked her to join because I knew Luka at least felt comfortable around her, and she was good at keeping my brothers in check with a whack to the back of their heads when they were being idiots.

Ignoring Leif, I peered over at Lorcan, who allowed his wolf to share control, making his eyes glow like torchlights through the dark as they swirled solid gold. “Lorc?”

He dragged in a deep breath, puffing his chest and then shook his head. “I can’t scent or feel anyone’s presence from here. I don’t think anyone’s home.”

I frowned, peering back up at the manor. Gods, I hoped Heathen was alright. I’d never seen him so close to losing it like that before. It honestly scared me. Yes, I’d seen him jealous, angry and watched him kill, but all those times, there had been a level of calm beneath it all. But in that dining room, when he thought my grandpapi had something to do with his past, he could barely hold it together. And I couldn’t blame him. He had to leave. There was no other choice.

“You know, I once slept in a haunted house like this one. There was a broken radio that played 70s music all night,” Leif interrupted, placing his hands on his hips. We all turned to stare at him in confusion, until he broke out into song, “At first I was afraid, I was petrified.”

“Are you still drunk?” I threw my arm out and smacked him across the chest, causing him to groan and bend over before his laughter started.

“Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Why are you like this? Please try to keep the immaturity and ridiculousness of your brain to a minimum when we are inside. Luka will already feel uncomfortable around you. Don’t make it worse.”

“All the more reason for a little banter! And anyway, hearing about your demon’s grand entrance, I think we will get along just fine.”

“That was Heathen. Luka is more guarded. And I know you will get along once you get to know each other. In fact, that worries me more. But for now, just try to, you know…”

“Tone down my brilliance?” Leif shook his head. “Sorry, no can do, sis. The multitude of demon puns and jokes I have up my sleeve would never allow it. And hey, you were the one who wanted me to ‘pull myself together’ .”

“Lorc? A little help here?” I looked at my more sensible and mature brother, who was suppressing his laughter. Lord, give me strength.

“Hey, I already had to suffer his brilliance for weeks. It’s your turn. Do you know one of the first things he said to Aurelia on meeting her? He told her to give me a blow job because that would be a sure way to wake me up from the poisoned unconscious state I was in. She was a virgin, I might add.”

“Was I wrong?” Leif said with a knowing smirk and raising his arms out at the side. Lorcan snorted, chuckling as he shook his head.

“Grandma!” I growled and in the next second both of their heads knocked forwards an inch and they both yelled, ‘Ow!’

“Focus, boys! Lorcan’s right. I can’t sense anyone here either. I think it’s safe,” Grandma added. We all trudged through the overgrown grass and weeds to the back entrance of the manor. Lorcan allowed his wolf to remain at the surface as he inspected the perimeter and nodded that it was clear.

I opened the kitchen door, which was never locked, but paused when I noticed Leif was holding up his hand against an invisible barrier and tutting.

“Leif!”

“Nasty one that,” he said while the palm of his hand glowed against the magic he was manipulating for us to see. I took a step back and watched as a silvery, rippling dome became visible around the entire house. “They really hate the poor sod. This is an inlaqueō spell. Pretty powerful but easy enough to break. Traps a soul inside for a certain period and then releases them, but if the soul is not back inside the boundary when the magic returns, that person is cursed to burn alive from the inside out. A painful death. I can sense whose soul it is for as well. A vampire.”

My fists clenched at my sides and I gritted my jaw. “Luka can’t leave the house when the sun rises until it sets.”

Leif nodded. “Want me to destroy it?”

God, yes. That wasn’t even a question. But I didn’t want to do anything without Luka agreeing to it. “Not yet. We have to keep things as they are to avoid any suspicion.”

“Gotcha. Just say the word and poof,” Leif twisted his hand and the silvery bubble disappeared. “Your man will be free to tan.”

I rolled my eyes and yanked open the kitchen door. The others followed me in, but I was already rushing down the hall, searching every room. Nothing.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and peered up. “Luka?” Silence. “Heathen?” More silence. Where the hell was he? It was nighttime, so obviously, he could be anywhere. I opened the front door and stood on the veranda, taking in the stark and harsh cliff edge and never-ending sea. There was no sign of him out there either. My stomach tied itself into knots as the wind whipped my hair around my face. Something felt wrong. Rue felt restless, too. It wasn’t unusual for Luka or Heathen to disappear during the late hours of the night but this just felt… different.

“Any sign of him?” Lorcan asked, stepping up next to me on the creaking decking. I shook my head. “I can only scent one male that’s been here. And from the clothes in the bedroom, it’s Luka. Whoever The Devil is, they are clever enough to disguise their scent when they come here.”

“I don’t like this, Lorc. Something just feels off. He should be here.”

“I know I should probably try to comfort you, tell you that I am sure he is fine, and you’re worrying about nothing, but I have learned to trust those instincts, especially when it comes to soulmates,” he replied, and I turned to look at him. “Is there any other place he would go?”

I shook my head. “Unless... there might be an Underground event tonight.”

I dashed into the library, finding Leif and my grandma already there. Leif was overly animated as he flicked through the mountains of Knowltons’ spell books like a kid on Christmas morning. “Jesus fucking H. This is like eight hundred years old! And it’s just been sitting here for years collecting dust!” He started piling them under his arms. “You’re mine now. Mine. Mine. Oh, baby, you are definitely mine. Book of Malicious Codex... come to daddy.”

Ignoring him, I grabbed Luka’s laptop and turned it on. Grandma came and sat next to me as my knee bounced impatiently for the login to appear. Typing in his password again, I opened the calendar and groaned when I saw that today’s date was empty. There was nothing happening. There was an event tomorrow night called Fright Night, but that didn’t help me know where my mate was right now.

“Grandma, can I borrow your phone again?” I asked, slamming the laptop shut. I’d already tried to ring my old phone, which Luka now used as his, many times tonight but got his voicemail every time. I growled with frustration when it happened again.

“So, what do we do now?” Lorcan asked, flopping down into an armchair that sent a flurry of dust in the air around him. He coughed and waved his hand in front of his face as I fell back onto the cushions of the sofa, too.

“Wait here, I guess. I have no idea where he is, but I know that when the sun comes up in…” I grabbed my grandma’s arm to look at her watch. “... five hours. He will have to be back.”

“Fine by me,” Leif mumbled. His head was already deep in a spell book as he kicked his boots up onto the old desk and he leaned back in the office chair. “That gives me plenty of time to read.”

I stood up and grabbed the pile of books that I knew from Calli’s translations had specific information about Demonski Upirs in them. “Start with these, please. There has to be a way to break the spell Heathen is under somewhere in these.”

Leif saluted me, throwing down the book he was reading and picking up the one on top of my pile. I smiled at him as he leaned back and made an apple appear in his hand. He took a huge bite as his multi-coloured eyes swirled with that spark of joy he always got when he immersed himself in magic. A spark that had been so dull for the last few weeks was suddenly vibrant, and it sent a warmth to my chest to see it returning.

“What? You’re staring,” he mumbled, never taking his eyes off the page he was reading.

“Nothing. I’m just glad you are back.”

“I’ve been back from Heroux for over a week, weirdo.”

“I know,” I smiled wider before turning my back to leave him in peace. “I’m just going to check upstairs.”

“Want me to come?” Lorcan asked from the armchair.

“No. I’m good, thanks.”

“Go and get some sleep. I’ll shout if he calls,” Grandma said.

I made my way up to the bedroom and stopped in the doorway. Nothing was out of place. Everything was how we left it. Yet, I couldn’t shake that feeling that something was different. I stepped inside and looked around carefully, opening the drawers and running my hands over the few items of clothes he had hanging up on the open rail. I grabbed his worn leather jacket off the hanger and pulled it on over my shoulders. It swamped me completely but the smell of him engulfed me like a much-needed embrace. I fell onto the bed and curled up, pulling the jacket around my body and staring out the window at the night’s sky.

“Where are you, Red?” I whispered, breathing in his scent to calm the anxiety that just wouldn’t ease up. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed like that for, but eventually, the sound of the waves roaring against the rocks and the cawing of ravens that flocked around the cliff’s edge forced my eyelids to close, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Wake up, Ilaria.

I woke abruptly to Rue’s voice in my head, sweat coating my skin as the blaring sun shone down on me through the window. With Luka’s leather jacket still wrapped around me, I felt like I was in a cocoon of heat as I peeled it away and sat up. Wait. The sun. He had to be back.

Racing down the stairs, I sprinted into the library using my vampire speed, only to find my grandma and Lorcan asleep on the sofas and Leif in pretty much the same position, still buried deep in a book.

“Morning, sis. Sleep well?” he asked from behind the leather cover.

“Where’s Luka? Heathen? Did he come back?”

“Not yet,” Leif muttered. “Dirty stop out was gone all night. I hope he doesn’t make a habit of this, or I’ll be having words.” He mimicked our dad’s voice, which was his favourite party trick, and grinned. His smile fell when he saw my face. Kicking his legs off the table, he dropped the book and walked over to me. “Hey, what’s up?”

“He’s not here, Leif. Something is seriously wrong. The sun is up. The spell! You said so yourself, if he wasn’t here when the sun rose he’d…”

“Burn from the inside out?” he repeated the words I couldn’t bring myself to say. “Shit. But he can’t die, right? Not in his vampire form?”

“No, but what if he was still in Heathen’s form?” I panicked.

Leif shook his head. “No. The spell is for one soul only. A vampire. It only restricts Luka. Maybe that is why he isn’t back? He is still in Heathen’s form?”

“Maybe,” I chewed on my lip as I wrapped my arms around myself. “I still don’t like this. He’d never go this long without contacting me.”

“But you broke your phone, right? Maybe he thinks he can’t contact you.”

“Stop being so logical! I am telling you, something is wrong. I can sense it.” I raced from the room and headed to the corridor, tearing up the rug to lift the latch to the cellars. I can’t believe I didn’t think of checking down here last night. What the hell was I thinking? Luka always said he slept down there when I wasn’t around.

“Ilaria? Where are you going?” Leif shouted, following me down the narrow steps into darkness. “Well, this isn’t creepy at all.”

“This is where the Knowltons used to keep him prisoner. They tortured him down here and sometimes he still comes down here to torture himself.”

“Torture himself? Physically?”

“More mentally. Emotionally. Sometimes, physically. He’s a tortured soul, Leif. In more ways than one, and none of it is his fault, even though he blames himself for everything.”

“Jesus,” was all Leif mumbled behind me as he flicked his wrist and magically lit all the candles on the walls. My heart sank when I saw the abandoned sheets and cushions on the floor. He wasn’t here. I walked around the damp cellar, sinking to my knees to remove the stone that he hid his belongings behind. It was empty.

“What is it?”

“They’re gone. His things are gone. Personal belongings. Things that mean everything to him. They aren’t here. And they weren’t in the library.” I spun around and fell back against the wall with a gasp when I stared at the empty bed of dried flowers and leaves. Panic, harsh and visceral, scraped inside my throat.

“What is it now? You’re freaking me out.” Leif grabbed my shoulder, following my gaze to the bare shrine with a frown.

“His mother’s bones. Her remains are gone. They used to be there.”

“I’m sorry, what? Did you just say his mother’s bones?”

“It’s a long story but…” My hands ripped into my hair as my heart started pounding uncontrollably. “I don’t know what this means. I don’t–” I didn’t want to admit what my brain was telling me because my heart was refusing to accept it. He wouldn’t. He would never leave like this. Just disappear.

“Ilaria!” Grandma’s urgent voice echoed from the top of the stairs and my gaze snapped at her as she and Lorcan appeared in the cellars. “He’s texted.” She held her phone out to me and I dived for it, snatching it out of her grip with desperation.

TELL ILARIA TO MEET ME AT HER APARTMENT ASAP.

I read the text out loud and stared at the words, feeling a whole torrent of emotions. Relief that he was okay and contacting me; wanting to see me. But also confusion and apprehension about what was happening. Why had he taken the only things that meant anything to him out of this place? Why did he want to meet me at my apartment and in the light of day? Even though I had heard from him, something still didn’t sit right with me. The anxiety hadn’t dispersed but only heightened.

If he was out during the day that could only be for two reasons. Either he was in Heathen’s form, but from the capitalised text and wording that seemed unlikely, or The Devil had let him out for a specific reason. And that reason would never be for any good.

“Well, then. Shall we go?” Leif asked, pulling me out of my spiralling thoughts.

“I think I should go alone,” I said slowly, feeling completely out of sorts. I had no idea how to feel about any of this but the desperation to see him pushed all my doubts aside.

“No way,” Lorcan’s deep voice demanded my attention as I glanced up and met his green eyes. “You’ve been saying that something doesn’t feel right. There is no way we are leaving you alone. We go together. You transport me and Leif can transport Grandma.”

“Okay.” I nodded, agreeing without a fight, which was very unlike me, but deep down, I knew it was because Lorcan was right. I wasn’t sure I trusted this. Whatever this was, it didn’t feel like Luka.

We wasted no time in grabbing our stuff and transporting ourselves to Neve’s old apartment in Oregon. As soon as Lorcan and I appeared in the cluttered, brightly coloured living room with Leif and Grandma not far behind, I moved frantically through the flat.

“Luka?”

My hands slammed out to grab the frame of my bedroom door. There he was. In all his ruggedly handsome glory, wearing his ripped jeans and a grungy T-shirt that highlighted his toned physique and tattooed arms that were firmly folded across his chest as he stood in the middle of my bedroom. My immediate instinct was to race towards him, throw my body at his and bury my face in his neck, telling myself how stupid I was to think something was off, but the look on his terrifying face pinned me in place.

His body language was all kinds of wrong. Not only was every muscle tense, but he was dispelling so much rage and hate that it was suffocating. I could physically feel my throat closing and my breathing becoming harsher because of it. Because of the look in his blood-red eyes. It was a look I hadn’t seen in a really long time. Not since the very beginning, when we first met. It was the appearance of a man who had nothing left to live for. A man who gave zero fucks.

“Luka?” His name passed my lips in an unsure breath as I stared into his eyes, trying to understand what was happening. And then I noticed the dried blood covering his chin. I swallowed against the tightness of my throat as I felt Lorcan approaching cautiously behind me. “Whose blood is that?”

“Don’t let them in. This is between you and me.” The coldness in his voice made me physically recoil as I blinked at him. “Don’t fucking let them in, Ilaria. I mean it.”

“Ilaria, is everything alright?” Lorcan’s deep voice was laced with his own concern from his position behind me in the living room and I nodded slowly, never breaking eye contact with Luka.

“Yeah. Just give us a minute. We need to talk,” I managed to say, but my voice shook with uncertainty. I had no idea what was happening, and I knew my brothers would listen but be extremely on edge, waiting for any sign of danger. But there was no danger. There couldn’t be. This was Luka. My soulmate. The man I loved. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

“Luka, what’s wrong? What’s happened? I was at the manor and your mother’s bones, they’re–”

“I’m leaving. This is the last time you’ll ever see me.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. “W-what?”

“This thing between us, I let it go too far. It was only ever meant to be about sex. But I let you and this soulmate bullshit get inside my head. I lost focus of who I was; who I will always be. Once again, I fucking fell for a woman’s lies. Believed she could love me. But who can love a monster, right?”

Every word tore a crack through my seizing heart. I stared, completely paralysed by confusion and panic. “Luka, what are you talking about? I don’t understand–”

He moved to the side, unblocking my view of the slumped body on the floor that I hadn’t even noticed was behind him. My gaze travelled the length of the muscular male form and settled on the unconscious face of Ronnie. His skin was sickly pale and lips an unnatural shade of grey. On his neck, there were multiple bite marks beneath all the blood. My hand slammed over my mouth as I raced towards him to check he was alive. I found the faintest pulse barely present in his neck, but Luka grabbed my wrist, yanking me away from him before I could do anything to help.

“What did you do?” I meant to scream it, but it only came out as a choked cry. I slammed my fists into his chest, grabbing his T-shirt as he stood unmoving in front of me. Completely unaffected by the situation.

“What I warned you I’d do. Want to explain why the man who you said you weren’t involved with anymore was in your fucking flat when I arrived? Waiting to fuck you?” he spoke so quietly but with deep disdain, his tone vibrating with viciousness.

I tried to shove Luka out of the way to get back to Ronnie, but his hands gripped my upper arms, and he yanked me into his hard chest. I glared up at him, a sharp stinging sensation pinched at the back of my eyes as I tried to fight back the angry tears.

“Why would you do this? You know I only want you. You know I would never be with another man. I told you he was a friend. That he’s only a friend now! You are my soulmate, Luka. You wouldn’t hurt anyone I care about because you know it would hurt me. I know you wouldn’t. This isn’t you!”

“Isn’t it?” he hissed through his fangs and shoved me back. I staggered to my feet as I shook my head at him. “Isn’t this exactly who I am? Who I was born to be? A killer. A monster. Everyone thinks so, Ilaria. Everyone but you! It’s time to wake up, love.”

I continued to shake my head, allowing the silent, painful tears to run down my cheeks as I stared into his cold, soulless eyes. He was completely closed off. Even more so than I had ever seen before. No humanity whatsoever. Every angle of his handsome face had sharpened. He was almost unrecognisable to the man I had fallen in love with.

“No,” I said with conviction through the tears. “That isn’t who you are. I know you, Luka. I know your soul. I know the good that lives inside. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. I love you!”

There wasn’t even a flicker of emotion as I said those three words with so much meaning.

“Then you’re even a bigger fool than me.”

Another tear through my heart.

Faster than I could even blink, his body had blurred across the room and lifted Ronnie to his feet. Luka had Ronnie’s back pressed against his chest and his hand wrapped around his throat, holding his weight up effortlessly. I screamed no, extending my hand towards them. Leif, Lorcan and Grandma raced into the room beside me, about to attack, but I slammed my arms out, holding them back as I pleaded with Luka.

“Please. Don’t do this. It’s a misunderstanding, Luka. We can talk about this and everything will be fine. Ronnie is still alive. But he’s lost a lot of blood. Please. You can’t do this. He’s Sienna’s best friend. My family cares about him.”

“Come on now, man,” Leif said in a soothing voice next to me. “Listen to Ilaria. She would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

“No? Leave that up to you Andersons witches, right?” Luka snarled at Leif. Every word was like spitting poison.

Leif placed his hands behind his back to show him he wasn’t a threat.

“Yeah, those fucking Anderson sisters were cuntpuddles. I’m with you on that. But I’m nothing like them. I’m still a cuntpuddle but a completely different kind. Come on, you don’t want to do this, buddy. Release the human and come give your soulmate a kiss and make up.”

I had no idea what my brother was saying. I could barely even hear him through the thundering of every heartbeat.

“Luka, look at me.” I took a tentative step forwards, which earned a growl from him, so I stopped. His burning gaze met mine. “I know deep down you trust me. I know you don’t really believe I would cheat on you with Ronnie. He hasn’t done anything wrong. You are letting your jealousy and anger get to you because your humanity is turned off. That doesn’t make you a monster, but I need you to let him go now.”

“Why shouldn’t I kill him? I’ve killed others for a lot less.”

“Because you love me. And you’d never do anything to hurt me,” I whispered. My eyes begged him. I felt desperate. I’d do just about anything to see even a hint of the Luka I knew come to the surface. It felt like there was a slicing blade embedded in my chest, slowly tearing through my heart, but I still had hope that I wouldn’t bleed out. That the knife wouldn’t be ripped out, shattering my heart to pieces.