Dark Souls

Politely Declined

Ilaria

I pushed around the overcooked meat on my plate with my fork absentmindedly as I stared into space while my family’s voices droned on and on in the background like white noise. The last thing I wanted to eat was this, when all I could think about was the bloody heart upstairs in my bedroom, causing my fangs to tingle with sensitivity under my gums.

‘You’re not seriously going to let it go to waste?’ Rue huffed.

‘We’re a vampire, we drink blood. We don’t eat organs!’

‘I bet it would taste delicious though. And it is a gift. It would be rude not to accept it.’

‘It’s a human heart, Cruella! What kind of psycho gifts someone a human heart?’

‘I think it’s sweet.’ Of course my demon was practically swooning.

I blocked her toxic thoughts out and tried to focus on what the hell I should do next. I knew what the sensible thing would be. Tell my parents and report it to the SIA. Let them take the heart and the note as evidence. But what would that really achieve other than their hysteria? They’d all overreact, no doubt. Ensure I was guarded at all times, tighten up security on the palace for sure and they’d fret over the smallest things. They’d be even more protective of me than they already were if they knew I was now the centre of some crazy killer’s attention. And any chance of finally persuading them to let me work for the SIA would be obliterated.

Maybe I really was more messed up than I thought because I knew a normal person would be feeling some level of fear, or at least anxiety over the situation. But all I felt was a thrilling buzz. This could be the opportunity I’ve been looking for. The SIA has clearly been on his trail for a while, so if I could capture this killer myself and bring him to the SIA, they would have to take me seriously. I’ve been trying to rack my brains around how the hell he got into the palace grounds, let alone into my bedroom without being seen. There are security cameras around the premises but not inside our home. Once I get a chance, I’d go through the archive and see if I could catch him in the act. I’m also presuming he’s a he. There is just something about the way he operates that gives off masculine vibes. And the note…it felt almost flirtatious rather than threatening.

“Ilaria?”

I blinked, clearing my mind as the concerned faces around the table came back into focus. “Yeah?”

My mum’s dark eyebrows pinched as she frowned deeply at me and my dad narrowed his green eyes. My grandparents from both sides of the family were now all staring too, which forced me to straighten in my seat, put down my fork and give them all the most reassuring smile I could muster.

“Your Grandpops asked you a question,” mum repeated. “What’s gotten into you today? You seem so distracted.”

I shook my head, peering over at the bulky frame of my Grandpops to give him my attention. “Sorry Pops, what did you say?”

“I was just asking if you’ve heard anything from Lorcan and Leif this week?”

“Oh. Um, not for a few days. Leif sent me a letter telling me all about the coven he is staying in, how much p***y he’s getting and d**k he’s sucking. Apparently, they love their orgys in Heroux so I doubt he’ll ever want to leave—”

“Ilaria!” My mum scolded me, her cheeks turning crimson as my dad choked on his beer and my grandparents all tried to keep a straight face.

“Yeah?”

“That is not an appropriate topic of conversation for the dinner table!”

“But Pops asked and that is—”

“Yes, but we have guests that I am sure would rather not hear about the s****l exploits of your

brother while they eat their food.” Mum gave Calli and Niko apologetic smiles which caused me to huff back into my seat. Really? Who are they all trying to fool? Not a single one of them would be accepted into a nunnery.

“I’m sure Calli and Niko are well aware of Leif’s antics. It’s not like it’s a secret. And besides, their daughter has two mates. Leif won’t be the only one having threesomes in Heroux.”

Grandpapi nearly spat his wine across the table and Calli, Neve’s mum, pinched her lips together to suppress her laughter at her mate’s whitening face. My mum kicked my leg under the table while my dad lowered his head into his hand and groaned. Neve would kill me for it, but everyone knew by now that I say it as it is. I don’t know why they all look so surprised.

“It’s fine, we are all adults here. I am sure Neve is having a great time,” Calli offered, smiling at me with mirth dancing in her eyes as she patted Niko’s hand to calm him.

“Changing the topic then,” my Grandma Maddy laughed. “What’s new with you, sweetie?”

This was the moment I should have come clean about the heart beautifully presented in satins and bows in my bedroom by a twisted maniac. My pink eyes darted between all their expectant faces as I chewed on my bottom lip a little.

“Nothing much.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Still not dating anyone?” Grandma pressed, her mischievous grey eyes sparkling as my Grandpapi noticeably tensed next to her.

“Still waiting on that miracle,” I muttered, pushing my plate away slightly.

“What about that Ronnie? He seemed nice.”

“He’s just a friend.” I answered with nonchalance but my eyes locked with Grandma Alina’s. More like a Feck Buddy; a friend I occasionally f*ck or feed from. She was the only one who knew about my little arrangement with Ronnie seeing as she was technically my therapist and agreed it would be a good idea to keep Rue under control by providing her with live feeds from a willing participant.

Grandma had trained to become a psychologist before she even found out she was a wolf and met my Grandpops. Now they were retired from their Alpha and Luna duties, she devoted her time to therapy sessions for supernaturals. You’d be surprised just how many of us needed it and I wasn’t ashamed that I had been having weekly sessions with her since I was a child, mainly to help support me with my mind-reading abilities. The world was a pretty f*cked up place without being able to see directly into people’s minds, so add that little nugget, and I was a walking poster potential for mental health issues. Before I could control how I read people’s minds, my parents worried about me a lot. They tasked my brothers with acting as my personal bodyguards because I tended to freak people the f*ck out when they realised I could hear every little thought. Mixing that with my lack of empathy in most situations and inability to stand for anyone’s bullsh*t, I often rub people up the wrong way. It was a heavy burden and one that I wanted to learn how to control for my own sanity. That’s when Grandma Alina suggested weekly sessions with her to help me cope or, to be honest, just provide a safe space to vent without judgement. I’ve always been a very private person, so it hasn't been easy to talk about my feelings and emotions. But she had worked hard to gain my trust over the years and I knew everything I said to her in our sessions stayed just between us.

“And let’s keep it that way. No dating until your soulmate.” My dad nodded at me before my mum shook her head at him. “I like Ron. But not for my little princess.”

I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.

“No one will be good enough in your eyes.” Mum chuckled, threading her fingers into the back of his hair. “But she will meet her soulmate one day and you will have to be nice. All of you will.” She moved her gaze to my grandfathers’ in warning.

“We’ll be nice,” Grandpapi said with a haunting smile. “We’re always nice.”

“Yeah…okay,” Grandma Maddy laughed. “Remember how you reacted when Ruby brought Ezra for breakfast?”

“That was me being nice,” Grandpapi smirked. “He’s still breathing, isn’t he?”

“Only because Ruby saved my ass from you,” Dad chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “And you’d known me since I was born, practically helped raise me and still tried to kill me when you found out I’d marked your daughter.”

“Yeah, you were lucky I liked you.” Grandpapi laughed.

“I honestly feel bad for whoever your soulmate is, Ilaria. Having to impress with this lot,” Calli directed the attention back to me.

“Which is why, if I ever do find him, I shall never bring him home to meet them and we shall run away together into the sunset. Or maybe, it would be just my luck that my soulmate got stuck in a condom,” I joked, smiling sweetly as I pushed my chair back from the table, which caused their faces to drop. “May I be excused?”

“You’ve barely eaten anything,” Mum said.

“I’m really not very hungry. I’m meeting up with a few friends from the Academy later so I need to get ready.”

I didn't miss the way all their expressions morphed into surprise at that announcement. Christ, it's like they all think I'm anti-social or something.

Rue scoffed, calling my bullsh*t. 'I'd call it pro-solitude.'

“Who are you meeting and where?” Dad asked as I started to make the rounds, kissing them all goodbye.

“I told you, just a few friends. Harrison, Rhys, the twins etcetera. In town.” It was true. Even though I would class them more as my brother's friends, I did have plans to meet a small crowd later this evening in a bar in town.

“Okay, well have fun and be good. Love you,” Mum commanded as I exited the dining room.

“Love you all to death,” I shouted over my shoulder in a sing-song voice before leaning back against the wall outside to catch the hushed conversation they were now having about me.

“Well that’s promising,” Mum whispered, clearly surprised that I had ‘friends’ that weren’t classed as a sibling or Neve.

“Hmm, I don’t know. She’s never mentioned hanging out with them on her own before.”

“You need to ease up on her, darling. Give her some freedom,” Grandma Alina was speaking to my dad.

“I know,” he sighed. “I just worry about her even more now her brothers have left this realm. She’s never been without them and—”

“And it’s good for her,” Grandma Maddy interrupted. “It’s about time she was able to spread her wings a little. As much as you men don’t like to acknowledge it, she’s not a little girl anymore. She’s a grown woman and she’s a bad*ss too. Out of the triplets, I’d always put money on her being able to handle herself the best in a dangerous situation, so I honestly don’t know why you all get so worked up about her safety.”

Grandmas- I bloody loved them.

“You know why,” Grandpapi lowered his voice an octave. “She is more impulsive and reactive than anyone else in this family. She is the first pure-blood vampire since my father and has his power running through her veins. I do too, but thankfully my warlock side balances out the darkness.”

I closed my eyes, tilting my head up to the ceiling. He was talking about my grandfather, Lucius Romano.

“But she is nothing like Lucius. She puts in the work every day to make sure of it,” Grandma Alina argued.

“I never said she was. Just that I can feel how strong his blood is in her. My father wasn’t always as sick and twisted as he was at the end. But once he gave into his darkness, there was no way back for him.”

“I just hate that Ilaria has to fight so hard against her own nature all the time,” my mum said.

“But the point is,” Grandma Alina said. “She does. So, perhaps a little faith and allowing her to live her life is in order. Trying to keep an eye on her because you’re all scared of what she might become if you eased up on the reins a little, will only cause her to rebel.”

Is that what this was all about? Fear? They were all terrified I would end up like Lucius Romano if they left me to my own devices?

I pushed off the wall and headed upstairs with my mind made up. I would prove to them all that I was more than capable of looking after myself and I could do it without turning into some demented villain they all feared I had the potential to become.

Entering my bedroom, I paced along the side of my bed, staring at the pink box as if it was about to give me all the answers I was searching for. Grabbing my journal out of my rucksack, I folded my legs under me as I sat down in my armchair in the corner of the room and started making a list of new information I now had because of this little delivery.

1. The killer saw me and Eddie that night in the alleyway.

2. He must have overheard me saying that Eddie was thinking about shoving his d**k down my throat - hence the symbolism of his kill. (He has a dark sense of humour - I kinda like it.)

3. Took the heart like so many of his other kills but offered it to me - why? Some kind of message? A warning? A threat? A…loving gesture?

4. He was able to get into the palace without being seen. So either he can teleport, create portals or shapeshift.

5. Name begins with H.

I placed my journal down and strolled back over to the box. Rereading the note filled me with certainty. This wasn’t threatening. It was an invitation. He wanted me to engage with him. To meet his sick fantasy and show him that I was just like him. I lifted the heart delicately from the box, squinting my eyes to study it as I held it in front of my face. The blood had pretty much dried up now so the urge to bite it was just a dull ache through my veins. What were my options here? Engage by meeting the killer’s request and bite the heart or potentially anger him by refusing to play his game the way he dictated it. Or maybe, a bit of both?

Licking my lips, I peered out of my balcony door windows. Was he watching me right now? A pleasurable shiver ran down my spine at the thought. Why did that make me feel so alive? Why was it so exciting? Ah sh*t, stalker kink activated. Opening my balcony doors, I stepped out onto the terrace. The cooling autumn air swept my hair back as I looked out across the edge of the Blood Moon’s lush, dark green forest mixed with orange, crisp leaves of maple trees on the outskirts.

Crouching down, I took my blade out from the side of my boot and cut through half of the heart. I tilted my head back and squeezed the organ until the remaining blood dripped from it into my open mouth. Then I placed the heart on the ledge of the balcony and stabbed my knife through it before stepping back. My gaze swept out across the trees in the distance as I licked the remainder of blood from my lips. It was a defiant act but one I thought he’d appreciate.

“Thanks. But no thanks!” I politely declined into the night before turning back into my room, leaving the stabbed heart outside for the lunatic to see. If it was still there in the morning, I’d have to get rid of it but I had a feeling he was watching. Hopefully, that would be enough of a clear message. I wasn’t scared of him, but I also wasn’t anything like him either.