Heart of Darkness

Angelica was worried sick to her stomach. She didn’t know where Lord Rayven was and she couldn’t find him anywhere in the castle. She had tried to call him to see if he would show up but he didn’t. She had tried to wait but now the sky was now turning dark and fear twisted in her gut.

All she could think of was if he hurt himself. If something triggered him and she wasn’t there to save him. What was she supposed to do? She was so close to leaving the castle but even then where would she look to find him? She wrapped her arms around her stomach that had endured the stress and fear all this time and now had to endure even more.

Since her father died her body had been in a fight mode. When would people hurt them? When would they destroy their home? And then the fear of getting married to some unknown man, the fear of having to live as a prostitute, the fear of being thrown out by Lord Rayven, the fear of marrying him, and now the fear of losing him. Fear had become her frenemy and confusion her companion.

As more time passed her fear increased and she was close to throwing up. She couldn’t take on more death, let alone fight to survive after. Her strength had reached its limit.

“My Lady, do you need…”

“No, leave!” Angelica yelled startling Sarah.

Sarah’s eyes widened and then she hurried away.

“Sarah…”

Angelica groaned regretting her words. She clenched her cold hands into fists. She would have to calm down even if being on her period was making everything worse.

After a while of feeling like something was eating at the insides of her stomach, Lord Rayven stood at the door to her room.

“Angelica.”

She turned to him where she sat in her bed. The anger inside slowly rose higher and higher.

“Where were you?” she asked.

He came closer, “I must have worried you.”

Angelica clenched her jaw hard, it almost hurt.

He came and sat beside her while keeping a good distance as if he could sense her anger, “I should have told you before I left. I didn’t think it would take this long.”

She nodded. And she was supposed to understand each time.

She turned her head and looked into his eyes. Could she trust him? The only person she had truly trusted was her brother and no one else. She couldn’t live in fear anymore. She would have to find a way to survive and protect herself no matter what. Whether she liked it or not, she would have to keep being strong.

No. Her current strength wasn’t enough. She would have to get stronger.

“I understand,” she said calming down. “Where have you been?”

He looked at her with a frown, “Angelica. If you want to yell then yell. Be angry if you want, cry if you want but don’t do this. I know what it is like to bury your feelings. They will suffocate you at the end.” He reached for her and stroked her hair. “You don’t always have to be so… mature.”

She shook her head forcing back the tears that burned her eyes. “Don’t do this.” She sobbed. “Don’t do this if you are not going to stay to keep doing this. Don’t make me get used to this,” she begged, crying into her hands.

Rayven stood up and crouched in front of her. He removed her hands from her face and held them in his. “I am not going anywhere,” he said.

*********

William woke up from another nightmare. Every time he got used to them they became worse as if they didn’t want him to have a comfortable sleep.

He was getting more used to it with time, but they were still frightening.

It was almost as if they tried to get worse every time he came to terms with them. This time he had seen the monsters in his dream a little more clear. It wasn’t only in shadows and silhouettes. He had clearly seen the long and sharp fangs sinking into his neck. He shot his eyes open, his heart pounding hard in the quietness of the night. All the boys sharing the tent with him were asleep. He sat up and put his hand on his chest while taking a few deep breaths.

Fangs. Who did they belong to? He had seen the silhouette of claws and sometimes fangs but he never thought of biting. He never wondered what they used their fangs for?

Biting the neck couldn’t end up well, but a shade wouldn’t want to kill him. Suddenly he felt like someone was behind him and before he could turn around a hand came around his mouth and another one around his arms.

William panicked but before he could fight he felt a strong rush of air, elevating him and pulling him away with force. He shut his eyes and when he opened them again he found himself on top of a hill.

The arms around him released him and he turned around in an instant. He met a pair of bright blue eyes. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

William let out a deep breath of relief. “Your Majesty, you frightened me.”

“My apologies,” he smiled.

He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, then he crouched to his level and wiped the sweat from his face and forehead. “The nightmares are not allowing you any sleep,” he said.

William just watched him, feeling touched by his gestures. It reminded him of the time he wrapped his hands for him. He was the man he had chosen and suggested for his sister first for many different reasons besides the one that he made his sister blush.

That was until he saw the nightmares about his father’s death and began to be suspicious of him. He suspected that the King was perhaps the other kind of monster. The one hurting the women. The one looking for him and the strangest thing of all was that despite his suspicions, his instinct about him being good never changed. Even now standing here in front of the man who killed his father, he was still comfortable.

“Do you have fangs?” he asked.

The king seemed taken aback by the question. “I do.”

“What do you need them for?”

“Well…” he sat down on the grass and then patted for him to sit down as well. William sat down in front of him. “This will sound distasteful but our ancestors used to hunt like animals. They used to survive on blood and raw flesh. This was a very long time ago and things have changed now. Now we only use our fangs for one thing. It’s…” he paused and became thoughtful. “It is used to bond with the person you love. Demons don’t get married. They bond. It is still distasteful for you humans because that would require biting each other and drinking each other’s blood.”

William frowned. That he would not only call distasteful. “Why? I mean the biting and drinking blood.”

“Our blood is different. It has healing abilities but also creates a link with the person whose blood you drink. So by drinking each other’s blood you feel closer.”

“Can that happen if one is human?” He was thinking about Angelica but also about his dream that suddenly got another meaning.

“Yes. If they both want it.”

William wondered if Rayven had told his sister what he was or if he was still planning to die. He wished he could be there for her when she found out or when she finds out to support her as she supported him when he had his nightmares.

“Did you have a nightmare about fangs?” the King asked.

William nodded. “Do you ever use your fangs to kill?”

The King shook his head. “It is not the most effective way and not a way we choose to kill someone.”

William was getting nervous each time. “Do you… do you do the bonding thing by biting the neck?”

The king leaned back looking slightly worried. “Yes. Did you… dream about that?”

William nodded.

“What did you see exactly?”

“Someone biting my neck,” William said.

“Did you see the person?”

William shook his head.

“Then I guess you don’t know if it is a shade or a demon,” he said thoughtfully. “And I can’t think of any other reason of why someone would bite your neck.”

“Your Majesty…” William was horrified. He was only eleven years old. What kind of bonding would he do? Or was this far in the future? He would have to see what else he would see in his nightmares to know more.

The King chuckled. “Would you prefer to die?”

When William just stared at him the king waved with his hand. “I am joking. Maybe there is another reason we don’t know of yet. ” He said looking disturbed.

William looked at him concerned. The king smiled when he took notice of his expression.. “Or maybe it is the only reason,” he teased again.