Dark Souls

Prologue pt.1

Heath

Swinging my legs over the edge of the New York skyscraper, I sighed impatiently as I gouged the blood out from under my claws with the sharp point of my wing. This was always the most tedious part of being a killer; waiting for my victim’s fear to peak after copious methods of torture, but it only makes the kill taste that much better. After being kept captive for hundreds of years in a concrete prison only being thrown rotting corpses to feast on, I’d take what I could if it meant never going back into that endless pit of boredom.

As Sylvester Graidern dangled by his ankles over the 340ft building, he thrashed violently, believing any minute now I would cut the rope causing him to plummet to his death. There was no doubt his brain matter would create a stunning masterpiece on the filthy sidewalk but it would be a waste. Although, this dreary neighbourhood could do with a bit of brightening up. I stared out over the city’s landscape, drinking in the sights. I’d never been to New York before. Rather beautiful in a tormented kind of way. Everything here felt suffocated under an invisible suppression. The air. The people. The crammed architecture. But it intrigued me. Perhaps, if I made this one quick, I’d have a bit of time to explore the streets below before I was summoned back.

“Al-alright! I’ll do anything you ask! Just get me the f*ck up!” The thug whimpered, his muscular body swaying side to side in the breeze as he struggled to grab onto anything. The screams and pathetic pleads for mercy was food for my depraved soul and my soul was starved. It had been a few months since Master had given me another order that allowed me to spread my wings freely, but I was under no illusion that this was freedom. This was anything but that.

“Acrophobic?” I chuckled darkly. “What better way to overcome a fear than to face it, no?”

“This is all a misunderstanding, I was always going to pay up! Come on, I’ll do anything!”

“Anything?” I asked in a bored tone, assessing my razor sharp claws with an outstretched hand. “Hmmm? What is your life worth?”

“What…What’s he paying you to kill me? I’ll double it! Triple it even! I’m good for it, I swear!” He screamed, the shrill panic in his voice reverberated deep in my bones. I rolled my eyes. Always the same. How unoriginal.

“If you were good for it, I don’t think you’d be in this predicament right now,” I sighed, tapping a rhythm on the cold metal ledge as I peered down from beneath my black hood at the sweat dripping off his fear-stricken face. I could hear the rush of blood pumping through his veins, struggling to keep up with his rapid heartbeats. Excitement flooded me, knowing the kill was imminent. My assh*le of a master never told me the full details as to why any of these lowlifes have to die, but I didn’t need to know. If they were associated with him, they must be the scum of the Earth. “Money means nothing to me.”

He hesitated. Mumbled over his words; offering me nothing that would change his fate. Women. Drugs. More fabrication of money he didn’t have. Even his daughter’s virginity was put on the table. I knew he was a sick f*ck. I stood up, meandering leisurely along the thin edge of the building’s roof, before pulling up the rope in one hand, untying it and holding his ankle with my other. I hoisted his flailing body up, so he was now dangling in front of me like a fish on a hook. His eyes widened with horror as I allowed the hood to slip back to reveal my demonic face and horned skull. I stretched out my black demon wings to full span just for dramatic effect.

“What the f*ck are you?” He stuttered, frozen in fear as his metal chain caught in his mouth while he continued to hang upside down. He’d seen the true monster now and there was no coming back from that.

“Your worst nightmare,” I smirked, showcasing a monstrous set of razor-sharp fangs as my red eyes blazed like rubies in the night. Before he could blink, my free hand was in his chest, wrapped around his pumping heart and yanked out with insane speed. The gaping hole in his chest and the flicker of realisation as life slowly drained from his eyes didn’t give me the satisfaction I craved. Disappointing. I lifted the bloody heart to my mouth, taking a delicious bite out of it as the blood poured down my chin and released my grip around his ankle. I watched as his burly body tumbled the length of the building like a sinking stone and landed with a thud in the dumpster below.

“Bullseye!” I shouted, fist pumping the air with my free hand. I took another few bites from the heart to quench my blood-thirst, groaning at the warmth that flooded my mouth before flinging it over the side of the building, so it landed right next to its owner. Exactly where it belonged. In the f*cking trash. Don’t get me wrong. I know I’m no saint. But the difference was, I was a monster by genetics. My rare species was born and bred for violence. I am a predator above all else. Killing isn’t just a choice, it’s a matter of survival.

Cracking my neck to the side, I licked the last of the blood from my lips, savouring the metallic taste of fear that lingered and wiped the remnants from my chin with the sleeve of my black hoodie. Using my exceptional eyesight, I checked the coast was clear before stepping off the ledge and flying down to the dark alleyway below.

I took one more glance at Mr Graidern’s mangled body before pulling my hood back over my horns and retracting my wings. Briefly, I wondered who might find him first. An innocent throwing out rubbish from the back of the restaurant, cops or other supernaturals that would be enticed by the smell of a midnight snack? It didn’t matter to me. Lowering my chin to my chest, I eased out onto the main street.

It seemed New York was living up to its reputation as the city that never sleeps as light flooded the sidewalks from various late-night cafes, bars and shops. s**t. I didn’t think it would be so busy this late on a Tuesday night. I heard a group of drunken men heading my way, their deep voices shouting over each other like it was a pissing contest on who could speak the loudest. Chancing a quick glance up, I picked out a young floppy-haired blonde man from the crowd. I barged into his shoulder forcibly as we passed each other, causing him to stumble back slightly. Irritation gripped his drunken features as he shouted, “Watch it, i***t!”

I kept walking, lowering my head once more as I took on my human disguise. Once he and his friends were a good distance away, I lowered the hood, taking on his human scent and relaxing my shoulders. I couldn’t help the little smirk that appeared on my lips as I felt a sense of freedom wash over me.

As I approached what seemed to be a dive bar, the graffitied door opened and a group of giggling girls spilled out onto the street. The booming sound of provocative music and bad choices filtered through the air, along with the heady scent of sin. Just my vibe. I nodded to the bouncer on the door as he sized me up with a stoic expression but stepped away from the entrance to let me in, regardless of what he thought of my frat boy appearance or why I was riding solo.

After ordering a drink from the bar, I found myself in a discrete dark corner booth and settled back into the squeaky leather seat. This place was f*cking rancid. The smells of sweat, vomit and stale alcohol repulsed my senses, but it was still better than the mind-numbing black void I’d be summoned back to shortly, until they could find another use for me again. I suppose I could have chosen a more refined establishment to spend my limited free time. A church perhaps. Repent for my sins. Who was I kidding? This place was much more inviting. I may even get to have a little more fun, though I’d have to be much more discreet about getting rid of the corpse than the last one.

Eyeing the rowdy crowd of warm bodies that were frolicking on the grimy dancefloor, I contemplated my choices. Ideally, a good feed would consist of someone clean of drugs and diseases from their blood, which, let’s be honest, was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack in this place. Gulping back my neat whiskey, I scanned the couples and groups as they stumbled together in what I presumed they thought was dancing. They moved with uncoordinated and clumsy motions under the flickering neon lights that illuminated their faces as I searched for my next victim. One man in particular caught my attention. Of course, he was the biggest brute in the room and gave off an aura of menace. He radiated ‘up to no good’ with his muscled arms exposed in a black wife-beater tank and jeans as sweat slicked back his black hair. I’d come into contact with enough of the vilest of the human race over the years to pick them out of a line up with ease.

I tracked him as he moved through the dancefloor, his dark gaze fixated on some drunken girl who could barely stand on her two feet as she swayed to the music. His tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip as his large tattooed hands found her hips, pulling her against him. She seemed too drunk to even realise, or perhaps she just didn’t care, as she continued to grind her ass into his groin. Her half-empty plastic cup sloshed as she turned in his arms, stumbling into his chest as her eyes rolled. Now, if he was a decent human being, he’d see that she was way too wasted to be hit on but clearly that was exactly his agenda. My eyes narrowed as he subtly popped a pill out of his back pocket and dropped it in her cup when she wasn’t looking. Though I doubted she even knew her own name at this point. With one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, he lifted the cup to her lips, encouraging her to drink it. She was like a lamb to the slaughter. And I’d found my target. No, not the woman. Even though she’d be an easy kill, unconsciousness wasn’t my style. I liked a challenge. Someone who would fight me, squirm and thrash as their life hung in the balance. It only deepened the hunger. The assh*le who thought he was about to get lucky tonight by date raping her was far more appealing.

Before the woman was able to gulp back the drink, the man’s body lurched forwards after being knocked by a force from behind, causing the cup to slip from both their hands onto the floor. The man released the woman and spun around, his face contorted with fury at having his sadistic plans compromised and ready to fight whichever drunken fool was to blame. I c****d my head with intrigue as a pretty woman with auburn hair and eyes to match swept in while he was distracted and tugged the drunken girl off the dancefloor and away from her impending doom. I guess she did have friends looking out for her after all.

I lifted my glass to my lips with a slight smirk, ready to enjoy the violent show that was about to ensue between my victim and his. I couldn’t see past his broad, towering frame at who had shoved him so powerfully. To my surprise, the way the tension left his shoulders had my smile fading. Damn, I’d have bet anything that he’d be the type to throw the first punch. When he leaned down to whisper in the ear of whoever had now captured his attention, I caught sight of a flash of long ice-white hair. My spine straightened. My eyes focused.

The man stepped aside and lowered his hand to the small of the woman’s back in a possessive action as he ushered them off the dancefloor and towards the bar. His leering gaze never left her face as a smug smile curved his lips. And I could see why. The new girl next to him was the most hypnotising and alluring creature I had ever seen. Beauty wasn’t a concept I was familiar with. I was used to darkness; living in solitude and confinement. Never experiencing that warm, dizzying feeling that only something so truly beautiful and pure could muster. But that must have been what this odd sensation spreading through my veins right now was. She couldn’t be real. She was almost too perfect with her sharp but delicate features and skin as pale and pure as falling snow. When was the last time I had seen snow? My childhood. My fingers ached as I memorised running them over the softness of the powdery stuff as a boy, wondering if that was exactly what it would feel like to touch her skin. I’d give just about anything to find out.

Her full lips, painted with a dark crimson shade of lipstick, smiled up at him as if he was suddenly the only thing she could see and I felt my hands roll into fists. I ground my jaw as they turned their backs to me, leaning against the bar to order drinks and he lowered his head to her ear once more, speaking in hushed tones. My eyes raked up and down her petite figure, blood rushing to my d**k as I took in her curved ass in her black jeans and tiny waist. She was half his size and barely reached his shoulders in height so that begged the question, was it even her who had accidentally barged into him on the dancefloor? Or had he become so enraptured with her beauty that he’d forgotten all about it. Now his sights and wicked intentions were solely directed towards her and it caused a foreign feeling to bubble in my chest. I didn’t f*cking like it. Why did I care? Caring about innocent lives was not in my jurisdiction. So why was I bothered when I watched him slip one of his illegal pills into her drink before passing it to her. Red specks of rage appeared in my vision; expanding, vibrating, f*cking intensifying until all I could see was his blood on my hands. I noticed my nails had extended, piercing the palms of human flesh as I attempted to reign in my monstrous form. Before I could dwell on these strange feelings she was sparking in me, I was out of my booth and standing on the other side of her at the bar.

My breath caught in my throat as the scent of sweet rose and spicy pepper wafted under my nose; an odd combination but somehow it worked to create the most addictive and delicious temptation. I dragged more air into my lungs and closed my eyes as my body reacted. Obsession was stirring in my ancient blood which only multiplied when I heard her silky voice.

“Well, tonight must be your lucky night,” she flirted with the man. Her voice dipped to a sultry tone as she continued. “Because I am on a mission to do very bad things. And you seem to fit that criteria perfectly.”

“Oh baby, you have no idea,” the bastard replied. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Does it really matter? You won’t remember it in the morning,” she teased, tilting her head and giving him a seductive smirk.

I shifted my whole body to the side, leaning an elbow on the bar. I narrowed my lethal gaze over her head to glare at the man who would end his night in a body bag before he laid a finger on her. F*ck knows why I felt the need to protect this woman when I never had before, but I’d consider that insanity later. His dark gaze met mine but his attention flicked away just as quick to pay for their drinks, clearly not seeing me as a threat. That was his second mistake of the evening. The first being his choice to mess with this beguiling little creature next to me.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I was you,” I said in a deep but even tone, causing the girl’s head to turn my way for the first time. Big blue eyes crashed with mine before her gaze swept over my face and down my body. A flash of something that looked a lot like intrigue appeared in those blue gems. They were vibrant but something seemed wrong about their colouring as she held my gaze with a determination and curiosity that no one had ever dared in my presence before. Granted, I was in a human disguise but there was no hiding the darkness in my eyes. It’s true what they say, the eyes are a window to the soul. And mine are as dark as they come.

Up close, she was even more of a masterpiece. Not just because of her good-looks, but because of the imposing presence of confidence and mystery she expelled. Her eyes, that I would put money on being contacts, narrowed in defiance, as if I had no right to even address her. I smiled wider.

“Thanks for the heads up,” she answered before grabbing the cup and throwing back the spiked contents in one go. I raised my eyebrow in mild surprise but also irritation that she’d be so reckless after my warning. “But I’m a big girl.” She leaned into me slightly, lowering her voice so the man beside her didn’t hear. “And I can handle myself and this rapist prick. So do yourself a favour, and stay the f*ck out of it, pretty boy.”

Well, f*ck me sideways and call me Sally. I think I just fell in love.

Rapist Prick, as she so accurately named him, threw his hefty arm over her tiny shoulder, an action that should have floored the petite little thing but didn’t seem to have any impact whatsoever. And that’s when it clicked. The strength on the dancefloor, the contact lenses, the alluring aura. She was a f*cking vampire.

“This dude bothering you?” Rapist Prick asked, glaring at me as if it would be enough to make me cower away. I didn’t even bother glancing his way. My eyes were glued on my snow angel as she smiled with fake innocence and shook her head.

“No, not at all,” she replied, giving me a last look before focusing all her attention on him once more. She stumbled in her heeled, lace-up boots, falling into his chest as she raised her hand to her forehead and fluttered her lashes. I held back my laughter. Being a vampire, that little pill would have had no effect whatsoever. “But I think I need some fresh air. I’m not feeling too good. This is so embarrassing.” She peered up at him from under thick, black eyelashes shyly, even though something told me this woman didn’t have a shy bone in her body. “My friends always tease me because I am such a lightweight.”

And the winner for best actress goes to… Oh f*ck. I didn’t even get a chance to catch her name before RP acted like the perfect gentlemen and helped her stumble out of the bar and into the night. It was probably for the best. Most definitely for the best. I had no business leading myself down this dangerous path of obsession. Although, it is in my DNA, in every molecule and atom that made up my predatory nature. I needed to have her. For what, I wasn’t sure yet.

Taking a moment to gather myself and try to comprehend the madness a mere glance from that woman had caused inside me, I finished off the remainder of my whiskey and tried to talk myself out of what I was itching to do. Go after her. It was just an infatuation. I’d been locked away for far too long without the temptation of a beautiful woman to devour. That was all this was. But it was in her gaze. In the way she had looked directly into my f*cked up soul and didn’t even flinch. Her scent of femininity yet rebellion. The contrast of her soft voice and fiery words. She was f*cking glorious. And I was hooked.

Cursing under my breath, I slammed the glass back down on the sticky bar and headed for the door. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to witness how she planned on ‘handling’ this situation and then, when I was sure she would live through the night, I’d forget she ever existed.

Great f*cking plan, Heath.