Nightmares of Darius still haunted me at night. In the weeks following, my dreams began to turn into something else-something more…alluring. Instead of waking up terrified I would wake up sweating and aroused.
In my dreams he taunted me with his eyes and his lips. When he looked at me, it was like his eyes were peering into my soul, taking my heart prisoner against my will. Everything about these dreams seemed so real. His touch, his lips…I vaguely recalled the way they felt the night my own body betrayed me. The way I responded to his touch wasn’t what I expected. Being cooped up in Draven manor was obviously starting to take a toll on me.
I need to get out of here. I need to get back to civilization…to my family. Whether or not I could strike a bargain with Darius, I planned to try.
Normally I’d wait for my attending before venturing out of my room, but this was a conversation I wanted to have with him alone. I carefully felt my way over to the wall I knew shared an adjoining door to Darius’ room and felt for the handle to the door. My fingertips brushed against it and I twisted the door handle, letting myself into his room.
The moment I stepped foot into his room I wish I hadn’t. The sounds of moaning from a voice I’m pretty sure belonged to April filled the room.
“Darius?” I called out.
He growled at me. He literally growled at me and said, “Can’t you see that I’m busy? No wait, I guess you can’t can you?”
“Don’t be a jerk,” I narrowed my eyes, “I need to talk to you?”
“Can it wait?”
“Seriously Giselle, can it wait?” April groaned.
“Not to interrupt your little session, which by the way April, explains why you were too busy to actually assist me in anything, but no, it can’t wait.”
April and Darius both groaned as they pulled themselves apart. “I think I liked you better when you couldn’t find your way out of your room,” April collided into me with her shoulder.
Darius chuckled.
“What is it Giselle? And didn’t your mother ever teach you to knock?”
“My mother is dead. She died giving birth to me.”
“Ah. I guess an orgasm isn’t the only thing you’ve killed in your lifetime.”
“If I knew where you were I’d strangle you with my bare hands,” I gritted my teeth.
A small gust of wind blew my hair out of my face and then Darius said, “I’m right here.”
I reeled back and fell backwards onto his bed. He wasted no time mounting me as I backed away, using his body weight to force me back onto my elbows. I couldn’t breathe. I could feel his breath on my face and from what I could gather, he was still naked.
“This is highly inappropriate,” I managed to say, my voice trembling.
“You interrupted my midday workout. I can only assume you mean to take her place?”
“What? No,” I gasped, “I wanted to appeal to your good nature and ask you to let me out of my contract as your offering,” I swallowed hard.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll let you out of your contract but I want something in return.”
“Name it,”
“Your virtue.”
My brows pursed together and I spit in his face. Or at least I think I did, “You are a monster.”
“So you keep saying. But if you think so little of me, why do you keep seeking out my company?”
“I want out of here Darius. I shouldn’t even be here.”
“I have a offer letter signed by your stepmother that says you absolutely belong here.”
“Don’t patronize me. We both know I don’t belong here, but I’m stuck here because my stepmother would rather throw me to the wolves than to have to care for her blind stepdaughter,” tears wet my eyes, “But I’m a good person. I. Don’t. Belong. Here.”
Darius took a deep breath and exhaled. He went quiet, but he was still laying on top of me, which meant he was staring at me.
Placing my fingertips on his chest, I worked my way up to his face to study his expression. It was blank. My left palm graze his right cheek and he slid his hand over mine, pressing his cheek into the palm of my hand. Then he turned his head, pressing his lips against my palm and kissed it.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I’d rather show you,” he whispered.
His lips slid from my palm to my wrist and then he bit into my skin. I whimpered, but I kept still. Any wrong move and I might bleed out onto the bed. Or he might kill me. His lips against my skin, suckling what blood he could manage…it tickled at first, but then it aroused me.
“Please let me go.”
“You cost me half a million dollars Giselle. I can’t just let you go,” he breathed into my skin.
“What if I agreed to pay you back?”
“You’re penniless,” his lips traced kisses from my wrist, up my arm and onto my shoulder. The closer he got to my neck, the more I began to panic.
“My father and stepmother may be penniless, but I’m not. My mother left me an inheritance when she died. Millions. Only, I can’t touch it until I turn eighteen.”
Darius reeled back, “I’m guessing your stepmother didn’t know about this inheritance, did she?”
“My father knew what she was when he married her, but he loved her. He kept the details of my inheritance a secret because he didn’t want me to be taken advantage of. Not in my condition.”
He climbed off of me, “I’ll need to verify what you say is correct.”
“Adrian Webb. He’s my father’s financial consultant. He’ll have the answers you seek.”
Silence. The room grew silent and moments later I heard water running in the shower. I felt my wrist for puncture wounds, but just like before, there were none.
I sat up on the bed and waited for Darius to come out of the bathroom. “Once you find out it’s true, then what?” I asked as several drawers in the room opened and closed.
“When do you turn eighteen?”
“February fourteenth.”
“So in four days then?”
“I suppose,” I shrugged, “Being surrounded by darkness all the time, I haven’t been granted the liberty of being able to tell time.”
Darius took my by the hand and escorted me back to my room where he had Cara change me into something nice. I had no idea where we were going, but when we stepped out the front door of Draven manor I smiled.
There was a car waiting for us. The moment I heard the gate to Draven manor creak, I felt free again. I was no longer trapped inside my room or a building that seemed more like a maze than an actual home.
The muted rays of the sun beat down on my face through the window. I thought about what it would be like to see Eliza and Lucas again. Darius’ phone chimed to life and he quickly answered it. Whoever was on the other end of the line spoke so fast that I could barely make out what he was shouting about.
“I’m running an errand, but as soon as I’m done I’ll be right there. Don’t let anyone go near him until I speak with him first.”
Darius slammed his phone shut and I jumped. He instructed the driver to speed up and within minutes the car came to a stop. Darius got out of the car first and then he helped me out.
I stayed close to him. Part of the reason I never went anywhere is because the world is so big. It wasn’t filled with nice people either. If I got lost somehow, I wouldn’t know how to find him again.
“Ms. Mason. My condolences to you on your fathers untimely passing,” a familiar voice spoke to me. Adrian. Oh thank God!
“Thank you.”
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Adrian asked.
“Elizabeth Mason sold Giselle to me as an offering to wipe out debts she’s incurred. But it was brought to my attention that Giselle is set to inherit a fortune on her eighteenth birthday.”
That wasn’t a question. It was more like a statement. Adrian confirmed the validity of my claim.
“Exactly how much of a fortune?” Darius asked. Adrian must have looked to me because Darius snapped at him, “Do not look at her! You look at me when I’m talking to you!”
“Yes sir Mr. Lord Darius sir,” Adrian spoke nervously, “My apologies. She’s due to inherent approximately half a billion dollars. Sir.”
Darius laughed incredulously, “Half a billion dollars?”
“As her…owner…would you like to make any amendments or shall I leave her inheritance as it is?” Adrian asked.
I swallowed hard. If he wanted to, he could steal my inheritance for himself. I held my breath waiting for Darius to answer.
“Leave it be. I have my own fortunes.”
“As you wish sir.”
Darius tapped my knee and I rose from my seat. He slid his hand into mine and we made our way back to his car.
“Half a billion dollars,” Darius laughed again.
“You could have taken my money and left me in squalor. Why didn’t you?” I asked, curious. His actions weren’t the actions of a night-dweller. They’re ruthless, savage creatures…or so I’ve been told.
“We ruthless, savage creatures have better things to do than to steal fortunes from helpless invalid girls,” he scoffed, “Besides, if you ask me…you humans are the real true savages.”
The rest of our ride was quiet. I’d offended him with a comment and I didn’t mean to. I was just curious. When our car finally came to a stop, Darius grabbed me by the hand and led me through the house. Back to being in prison. Or so I thought.
Darius rounded a corner I hadn’t explored before and when he opened a door, a cool breeze blew across my face. We were going outside.
The smell of grass, the bristling of trees and the feeling of the air against my skin invaded my senses. It was cold. Crickets chirped nearby, which meant it was night out. I’d been inside for so long that I’d forgotten what it felt like to be outside. I hadn’t kept track of the days and nights like I used to either.
Tilting my head up towards the sky, I closed my eyes and asked, “What does it look like?”
“What?”
“The sky, the moon and the stars.”
“The moon is full and bright. The stars are all sparkling against the midnight blue hue of the sky, and the skies are clear.”
“Thank you for describing it for me. I can picture it somewhat in my mind.”
“I see.”
“I would really like to see my family. Can you arrange that for me?” I asked.
“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, let me give you your sight back so you can see the sky for yourself.”
“You’re just like everyone else,” I sighed, disappointed, “Everyone wants to change me or fix me. No one has ever bothered to ask what I want.”
“You mistake my meaning. I don’t want to fix you Giselle. I want to give you a gift. Its temporary so if you want to go back to living in the darkness you can.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, “Darkness is all I’ve ever known. My trying to get used to seeing would be like you trying to get used to being blind, or walking in daylight,” I explained.
“Night-dwellers can walk in daylight if they choose to do so, but the sun can be painful for us. Our skin burns and if left under the constant rays of the sun we would either turn to ash or if you’re as old as I am you become…stone-like.”
“How old are you exactly?”
Darius chuckled, “Old enough.”
“I must say…you’re not at all what I expected a night-dweller to be like.”
“Why, because I don’t have red eyes or look like a monster? I do have fangs that descend when I am ready to eat.”
“Yes but you feel mostly human. If it weren’t for your strength or your predatory nature, I’d likely assume you were just a man.”
“Our human-like features are part of our allure to your kind. Some would say they’re what makes us the most deadly of all predators. Our ability to be more human-like invites your kind to trust us more than you should.”
“I’m confused. Should we not trust you then?”
I waited for Darius to answer but he didn’t. Curious, I lifted my hands to his face and tried to feel for his facial expression. It was serious.
“You have a heavy heart Darius Draven.”
“Yes, I know,” he replied, “To answer your earlier question about my age, lets just say I was there when they crucified your savior.”
“Savior?” I frowned.
“Yes. Or the Messiah as some like to call him.”
“Wow,” I breathed, “But your skin is so soft and youthful. I’ve found no wrinkles or signs of aging.”
“That because I’m not human. Humans are weak and flawed. Many feel that the humans of the world should be more like us. But there is a dark side to being a night-dweller and the thirst for blood itself can turn any one of us into murderers by necessity.”
“But not you right?” I asked, “You have a good heart.”
“I have no heart. Nor do I have a heartbeat. I have no soul and no life.”
“Every living thing has a soul,” I argued.
“You think that we are the same because we look the same, but the difference between us, is although we have the same functions my heart beats still. I have no pulse…I am by all human accounts a corpse,” Darius replied. He grabbed my hand and placed it against his heart. He’s right. I can feel no heartbeat, just as he said.
“If you’re not alive or dead, what are you? Are you all demons?”
“I don’t know. The story I’ve been told by my father is that Vladimir’s grandfather Ambrogio was cursed by the God Apollo and his sister Artemis. Apollo was the sun God who’s Maiden Selene took up with Vladimir’s grandfather and fell in love with him. Apollo cursed Vladimir’s grandfather so that once the sun touched his skin he would burn.”
This was the most interesting thing I’d ever heard about a night-dweller. I gave him my undivided attention, anxious to hear more, “To escape the sun Vladimir’s grandfather turned to Hades who offered him protection from the sun if he would steal a silver bow from Artemis. He would have to leave his soul in the underworld while he did so, for collateral, and he agreed,” Darius continued.
As I listened to him tell his story, I longed to see his full face. I was sure it would reflect the tone in his voice. He sounded so sincere while recalling the tale his father told him, “To get the silver bow Vladimir’s grandfather played on Artemis’ emotions and got her to let him borrow her bow. He fled to Hades with it and when Artemis found out she cursed him so that silver would burn his skin. Upset by this curse he begged her to lift it and explained the deal he had to make with Hades. Artemis took pity on him again and decided to give him one last chance. She offered to make him a great hunter…almost as great as she was with the speed and strength of a god. She offered him fangs with which to drain the blood of the beasts that he used to write his poems to Selene. She also made him immortal. Hence, the first night-dweller was born.”
“That’s some story.”
“Would you like to dance?” Darius changed the subject. His offer took me by surprise.
“Now?” I frowned.
“Yes.” He took me by the hands.
“I don’t know how to dance. I’ve never seen or tried dancing before.”
“Then consider this your first lesson.”
Darius instructed me to place my feet on top of his and violinists began to play a slow melody. I tried memorizing the steps as he moved me around, counting them in my head.
“You sure you don’t want me to give you your sight?” Darius asked, whispering into my ear, “You would enjoy this so much more.”
“No thanks. I’m fine.”
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Jackson called out to us. Instantly the mood changed from a playful one to one of fear for me, “May I cut in?”
I started to say no, but Darius bowed out and Jackson placed his hand in mine before I could protest. Jackson moved really well. I was so impressed with his dancing that I’d forgotten all about my fear of him. The music switched to a more upbeat tempo and our dancing picked up pace right along with it. I could feel my dress twirling as we danced and the wind whipped through my hair. I felt like a bird that’d taken flight. A smile spread across my face.
I closed my eyes and lifted my head up to the sky. This was fun. It was fun all the way up until the point where he pressed his lips against mine. I quickly pulled away from him and stumbled backwards into something hard. Darius. It was Darius. He helped me steady myself and then placed me behind him.
“What was that?” Darius asked.
“Nothing. The stupid girl tripped.”
“I tripped because you kissed me without my permission.”
“Permission? Psh. I take what I want,” Jackson snapped at me.
“That may include a lot of things, but it doesn’t include me.”
Once again Darius had to play referee between Jackson and I. If he expected me to just bend to his will because he threw a tantrum, he had another thing coming.
I couldn’t see Jackson’s face but something told me he was glaring at me. He pushed past me, purposely colliding into me and knocking me backwards into Darius’ waiting arms. What was his problem?
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