Heart of Darkness

Angelica began to think that she was cursed. Just how many more things would she have to endure? How many more dangers and fears would she have to face? Why could the man she married just not be ordinary? Why were there some unknown creatures looking for her?

She had just gone through an emotional turmoil after seeing her home and bringing back her things and the things her mother left behind. She missed her more than ever.

Now, she even missed the old days she spent at home. Her life had been nothing extraordinary. It was calm and without confusion or danger. Her father was often absent but he did his role as a protector and provider. He might not have been the father she wished he was, spending more time with them, listening to their concerns and wishes, and being less greedy, but he never treated her harshly either. Until the last few days before he passed away.

Angelica stopped thinking for a moment when she realized something. Her father had become worse before he died. He spoke of the King being the devil. Did he know they were demons? It had to be. That was why he decided to kill the King. And she hadn’t believed him.

“Oh…” She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. If she had only listened when her father had been so scared and confused. Would things still have turned out this way then? She knew he was stubborn. She got her stubbornness from him, but why did he suddenly want to become the protector of the kingdom when he had only cared about money?

Maybe having a demon rule was too much or maybe there was something else she didn’t know yet.

Her head began to throb in pain. She wanted all of this, this new world she was thrown into, to end. She wanted to wake up to the ordinary life that she had been used to.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. No. She wasn’t ready to see him yet but it was Sarah.

“My Lady?”

Angelica closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

“My Lady?” Sarah’s voice was closer this time.

When she didn’t reply, Sarah left closing the door behind her.

Angelica opened her eyes. Sarah probably came to tell her dinner was ready but she wasn’t hungry. She just lay in bed, thinking about demons and shades and how they lived among them. She remembered the strange cut on her finger that disappeared, the traveling through space, the smoothness of Lord Rayven’s hands despite him being a warrior. But his face..?

She sighed and closed her eyes. This time her thoughts drifted away to her dreams. The ones about the king and the red-haired woman. This was the second time she had a dream about them. Angelica almost felt the red-haired woman’s emotions, as if she was her. The would explain the familiarity she felt with the King but nothing else.

At last, she decided that she had at least put a few pieces together. Demons and shades were enemies. One wanted to hurt her and the other… she wasn’t sure what he wanted, but he wanted something.

She did not want to think of what they used their fangs and claws for. Something in the back of her mind felt triggered at the thought of these sharp things. Her connection with King and the red-haired woman was still a mystery.

Now that she had sorted a few things in her mind, she could escape this confusing world and her headache through sleep.

Or could she?

Her sleep was haunted by yet another nightmare. It was Lord Rayven. His eyes were completely black and his face looked grim. He loomed over her where she lay sleeping in her bed. He reached for her face in the darkness, his fingers slowly removing her hair away. Then his hand slid to the back of her neck before he lifted her head up from the pillow. His gaze fell on her neck and his lips parted slowly. A pair of fangs appeared from behind his lips. The sharp tips glistened in the darkness. He leaned in bringing his mouth closer to her neck and then she felt a sharp stabbing pain that made her wake up with a loud shriek.

Angelica was panting and her heart was beating fast when she opened her eyes. She sat up quickly and her hand flew to her neck. No wound.

She sucked in a deep breath when the door flew open.

Lord Rayven stood at the entrance. “Angelica,” he was about to rush to her.

“Don’t!” She yelled and he froze in place.

Angelica crawled as far back into the bed as possible and he frowned.

“I am not going to hurt you.” He said.

“No? What about biting me? Don’t you want to bite me?”

He opened his mouth and his eyes darted before he looked at her almost pleadingly. “It is not like that.”

“Yes or no?”

He clenched his jaw. “Yes. But… I wouldn’t do it against your will.”

Against her will? Why would she be willing?

Suddenly pieces of suppressed memories came to mind. The first time he called her Angel and then told her to forget. That was why she thought she had heard his voice before. She had a feeling he had done it a few more times. What did he do? ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“What did you do to my mind? How did you make me forget?”

He took a deep breath. “I… I can manipulate minds.”

He manipulated her? What else did he do to her? What else did she not know?

Tears filled her eyes. She had let herself open up, opened her heart despite the pain, and here she was.

“What else did you do?”

“Angelica…” He took a step forward but she stopped him.

“Don’t come closer.”

His eyes narrowed and darkened and then suddenly he was gone before her eyes. Before she knew what had happened, he was on top of her and had pinned her to the bed beneath him.

Angelica panicked and tried to push him off but he held her down firmly and then stared into her eyes. “Yes. I manipulated you. The first time I didn’t care because I didn’t know you. The second time you came to my home uninvited and the third time…” He paused. “I wanted to save you from myself because I wanted to bite you so badly. I could do it easily. I could do it now and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, but I won’t. Not that I don’t want to anymore, but because you don’t.”

Angelica just lay still, only her heart making some crazy movement in her chest. Lord Rayven released her slowly and she crawled away before sitting up.

“Why would you want that?” she asked.

“Because… I want to make you mine.”

Angelica was confused.

“It is not biting you that I want to do. I want to mark you. Mate with you.”

Mark? Mate? What was he talking about?

“It is what demons do when they find the person they want to be with. Humans get married. Demon’s mate.” He explained.

“But… I am human.” She breathed, still shocked by the information. How was this supposed to work? Humans, demons could they even mix?

“Yes and I can still mate with you. It is not uncommon.”

So it has happened before? Now she was even more surprised.

“The mating is more than just marking. It might sound disgusting but we will share each other’s blood and therefore we will have a bond that connects us on a deeper level. Having my blood will also stop you from aging so you can live longer because it has healing abilities.”

Angelica nodded, letting that sink in first. “And… what if I don’t want to do it?”

“You don’t have to. If you really don’t want it, it won’t work anyway. You have to seek and want to be connected to me. Only when that desire is strong enough will the mating work,” he explained. “I know your feelings are not there yet and I am in no rush. I just wanted you to know what I am, now that I care about you. It didn’t feel right to keep it a secret. I also wanted you to know of the danger lurking around so you could let me protect you. I didn’t want you to find out by accident. Also because knowing you don’t want to mate will make it possible for me to control my urge and not mark you. So now you don’t have to worry.”

Angelica just nodded. She understood some things and other things she would need time to process. But the bite wasn’t what she thought and she was happy about that.

“Now, to be able to protect you, I need to know about your dream and what you saw about that man.”

Angelica shivered just thinking about it. First, she wondered whether to tell him only that part or to tell him about the part with the King as well. Would he misunderstand?

She sighed and decided to tell him all of it.

“You had a dream about Skender?” He frowned.

Oh, no.. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him.