Heart of Darkness

Rayven couldn’t believe that he was actually worried about Acheron. The man wasn’t doing well at all and his friend Lazarus seemed indifferent to his situation. That was rare. They definitely had a fight.

And what was going on with Skender?

As soon as the meeting ended Acheron rushed out of the room as if he couldn’t stand being there another second. Rayven guessed that it must be his hunger controlling him.

“Shouldn’t you go after him before he kills someone?” Blayze asked Lazarus once they were alone.

“I am tired. Why don’t you try to help him?”

“He and I are a bad combination,” Blayze said.

He was probably right. Both had problems with control and could end up killing someone.

“Your Majesty? Do you mind coming back to the real world?” Lazarus turned to Skender.

Skender’s eyes returned and he looked at Rayven. “I need to speak to you,” he said standing up.

Rayven followed him to his room. “What is happening to the twins?” He asked on their way.

“Ash is getting worse and doesn’t want Zarus to keep cleaning after him, so he is distancing himself. I offered my help but he thinks he is beyond saving,” Skender explained.

“And what is wrong with you?”

They entered his room and he shut the door. He went to the table, poured himself a drink and gulped it down. Skender wasn’t the type to numb himself with alcohol. He did enjoy wine from time to time and sometimes something stronger but he never just gulped down a drink.

Rayven sat down on the edge of his bed and watched him take a deep breath and then exhale. Then he let himself fall back in the chair beside the table.

“You smell strong?” He pointed.

Rayven knew what he meant. He smelled of Angelica and desire. Demons could usually tell.

“Did you mark her?” He asked.

“No. She saw more images of fangs. I think Ramona.”

Skender’s eyes changed. He really didn’t want to know this but Rayven felt like he had to tell him.

“I showed her my fangs and she remembered. It is not just images, it is a memory. You know what it means.”

Skender nodded. “Yes. It is different from visions. Memories mean that she has somehow lived the moment, even if she wasn’t there physically.” He was thoughtful.

Which explained why she was more frightened of fangs than her brother or anyone else that might see them for the first time. The images she saw were related to a feeling she had at that moment. The feeling of being helpless. Rayven felt rage again and tried to calm down.

“I know it is hard but I need to know. What happened to Ramona? Did you find her at the end? Did you know what happened to her?”

Rayven wanted to be prepared in case Angelica got more memories back.

Skender’s eyes got red and he clenched his jaw. He stopped breathing altogether. Rayven cursed inwardly. This man wasn’t punishing himself for no reason. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know what happened to Ramona and see Angelica relive those moments.

Skender nodded slowly and sucked in a deep breath before he spoke. “I found her. She was dead. She… she wore almost nothing and her body was…it was…”

Rayven’s hands clenched into fists.

“She was covered in bruises. Claws, fangs… I don’t know what else.” He shook his head and his mouth twitched between a smile and a cry as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I am sorry,” Rayven said.

He couldn’t imagine the pain of seeing the woman he loved looking like that. He would die if he found Angelica in that state.

“Me too.” He said. “Angelica shouldn’t have to see all of that and even feel like it happened to her. You just… you can’t imagine what I saw.” There was terror in his eyes.

No. He knew it was bad last night but now after talking to Skender he realized just how bad it was and how strong Angelica had been to let him stay while his fangs were out. She was alright as long as she didn’t see them even if she knew they were there. That was already more than enough to him.

“I know you want to mate with her but you should give her time,” Skender said.

Mate? He didn’t even want to do it anymore. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“Will marking her help me protect her from Constantine?” He doubted it but he still asked.

“The mark will help you protect her from other shades, but I doubt a mark would stop Constantine. He is not stupid. He will take her directly to his place where you can’t enter.”

Rayven nodded. With the mark, he would be able to sense when she was in danger but that wouldn’t be enough with Constantine. The problem wasn’t finding him it was defeating him. Just because he marked Angelica didn’t mean he could let her out and Constantine would leave her alone. Even with the mark, he would have to keep her locked at home. That solution wouldn’t last.

“Well, Angelica thinks Constantine wants her blood,” Rayven said.

Skender nodded. “That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I tried William’s blood.”

“You bit the boy?” Rayven frowned. “I’ll do you a favor and not tell his sister. She hates fangs in case you didn’t know and that is her brother!”

Skender pressed his lips into a thin line. “I did not bite him. I cut him. Probably not any better but he would be more hurt if I didn’t, and I found answers.”

Rayven strained his ears and urged him to go on.

“The blood makes you stronger. When I woke up the next day, I felt different. It was as if my demon was awake and I could still control myself. Either it does the same thing for shades or they just don’t want the demons to ever find out.”

This surprised Rayven. He never expected this.

“How much stronger did you feel?”

“I felt a significant difference but I only took a little of his blood. Maybe the more you have the stronger you feel. Also, the effect fades. I feel normal again today which means they need the prophetess alive to keep feeding.”

“Then why did he kill Ramona?”

“I don’t think he did. Something else must have happened.”

Rayven sighed. “Did you feel strong enough to defeat him after you had the blood?”

“That I can’t be sure of. But this is William’s blood. The question is, does Angelica’s blood have the same effect? If it does, then she is a prophetess.”

He could only know if he tried.

“I’ll try to find out but I need your help. I need to take care of Constantine.”

“No,” Skender said. “I need your help. I will take care of Constantine.”

Rayven nodded. As long as they took care of him it didn’t matter who.

“We will need as much help as we can get,” Rayven said. “You are the leader.”

Skender nodded. “I will see what I can do. I don’t think Acheron or Mazzonn are in the right state of mind to help. Blayze will be useful. He just needs to get angry and turn.”

They both smiled. The man turned into a beast when he let his anger take over. It was not good when he turned. He ended up hurting many and destroying everything.

“I am sure Vitale and Lazarus will help.”

Rayven nodded. He thought that he should probably visit Acheron. The man had helped him many times, it kept bothering him.

The day felt longer than it was as he discussed Royal affairs with humans and took care of his duties. He just longed to go home and see Angelica again while a part of him also thought it wouldn’t be such a good idea to spend too much time with her right not. He was burning with need.

Constantine and how they would take care of him also kept wandering in the back of his mind. While Skender found help he would have to find out about Angelica’s blood.

When the workday ended, Rayven thought of visiting Acheron but he would have to get home first and let Angelica know so she wouldn’t worry.

Rayven felt strange when he arrived home. He usually let his senses lead him to where Angelica was but now he couldn’t hear her breathing or heartbeat.

His heart skipped a beat. What happened? He began to look for her with panic.

“Where is Angelica?” He asked Sarah.

“She was in her room, My Lord.”

He cursed loudly causing the girl to be frightened as he left her behind.

He tried to calm down because he couldn’t hear or sense anything clearly when he was panicking. The sound of his heartbeat was blocking everything else.

As he calmed down, he heard the faint sound of a slowly beating heart somewhere in the castle.

What was she doing there and what happened?