The fact that Jasper had a secret tower made me chuckle. His private quarters were up there as well, far away from everyone else. Seemed he liked to keep a physical distance from people as well as an emotional one. At least I would know where to find him if I needed him, a thought which was oddly comforting. I hadn’t seen Jasper for a few hours now and I realised that I missed him. We still hadn’t had a conversation about what was really going on between us. I thought back to the moment in Levi’s lab when my mind had decided that Jasper was mine. What was that about? Was it a vampire thing? Was it because we had exchanged blood? Or was it a demon thing? That thought terrified me every time it popped into my mind.
I wasn’t human. I was a demon. And a powerful one at that.
Boy, did I need to get my shit together. My thoughts and emotions were all over the place. They were at the point where I was riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty. I had never felt like this before. I had no idea what was happening to me, no idea what or who I was any more and no idea what my purpose was. And as I lay there, staring at the ceiling in my new indefinite home, the only thing comforting me was the warm presence in my chest from a demon who had coerced me into some sort of bond. I didn’t want to find it comforting, I wanted to hate it. But knowing that someone was with me all the time, through all the good and the bad, gave me a sense of hope that I might be ok. I just didn’t know if I could trust it.
A soft knock on my bedroom door pulled me from my tumultuous thoughts. I knew it was Jasper. It was like my body could sense him on the other side of the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Jasper walked in and desire simmered through me at the sight of him. How could I forget how hot he was? As he stood there, it was like seeing him again for the first time. He was all sharp lines and lethal muscle. I wanted to run my hands over his taut abs, lick my tongue over his neck and sink my teeth into the curve of his shoulder. My entire body clenched with sudden need.
“Lori,” Jasper whispered painfully. His mouth set in a tight line as he clamped down on his own desire. I couldn’t take much more of this. I was going to explode. But I also knew that whatever was happening between us went deeper than mere lust. I wanted to make sure I knew all the facts before I walked myself into something else I couldn’t undo. So, I swallowed my desire and asked him what he wanted.
“Our presence has been requested by de Santis. We must go now.”
I groaned. I really didn’t like the self-proclaimed King of the Vampires, but I also knew he had some answers to whatever was going on here. It was a tough decision: should I wallow in my own self-pity or go listen to an egotistical narcissist? Decisions, decisions…
My curiosity won the toss. I was going to get some answers and besides, I might get an opportunity to knock him down a peg or two. Unlikely, but hey, a girl can dream.
“Come on then, big guy. Take me to your leader.” The warning look Jasper gave me had me laughing as I brushed past him and out the room. I never thought I’d ever be in a situation to ever use those words. I heard Jasper muttering behind me, something about being impossible and why he was the one who got stuck with me probably.
I had the shit-eating grin plastered to my face all the way to de Santis’ chambers.
***
A sour-faced looking woman greeted us and made us wait while she went to inform de Santis of our arrival. I sat down in one of the straight-backed wooden chairs and instantly regretted it. They were painfully uncomfortable.
“Christ, does he like to torture you with his furniture as well as his presence?”
Jasper let out a bark of laughter and I swung my head up to face him. My jaw hit the floor at the sound. It was deep and rich and I wanted to hear it again. Surprise swam in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe the sound had come from him but I wasn’t given the chance to reply. The sour faced woman was back and ushering us into de Santis’ office.
I crossed the threshold and stopped. The room really was like it was stuck in the past. It seemed better suited to a museum rather than a place for modern use. The walls were lined with rich wooden panelling and gilded furniture graced the floor. The wall at the far end was covered in leather tomes from floor to ceiling and a huge fireplace stood to my left. Dominating the room was a huge mahogany desk. My eyes were drawn to it immediately and behind it sat the vampire himself, Cesare de Santis, looking for all the world like a King upon his throne. I guessed that was the point to all this not-so-subtle opulence. He didn’t need an actual throne to assert his rule, he did that rather comfortably from behind that overly large desk. His cold calculating gaze raked over me from his languid position and I knew he was merely playing at being pliant. He was dangerous. But so was I, if I could ever figure out how.
“Thank you for joining me, Miss Monroe,” de Santis said as he gracefully stood behind his desk.
I bristled at his feigned hospitality. “It’s not like I had a choice.”
He smirked. “I suppose not. Please sit.” He indicated the chairs in front of his desk. I followed Jasper’s lead and sat down next to him. He shot me a warning glance before staring back at de Santis. I knew what he meant by that; he was silently willing me not to piss off the powerful vampire. I rolled my eyes at him. I wasn’t going to make any promises.
“It seems you are quite the find, Miss Monroe. A Sin Reaper no less.” De Santis sat back down in his large wing back chair crossing one elegant leg over the other.
“Apparently,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulder, figuring it was better to be a bit blasé about the whole thing than let him know how much the whole thing affected me. I didn’t want to give him anything he could use to his advantage.
“That is fascinating. I have never met one myself. The last I had heard of the existence of one must be at least three centuries ago. Even then, I am not sure if the stories were true. Fear of the unknown was certainly rife in those days.”
“I can imagine,” I responded. He seemed like the kind of guy that liked the sound of his voice and I wanted to keep him talking. Finding out at least some of his plans seemed like a good use of this conversation. I should probably start with something subtle.
“What do you want with me?”
Or not.
De Santis chuckled. “Straight to the point. I like it. Miss Monroe, I think you are the key to either saving or damning us all.”
“No pressure then.”
The smile de Santis gave me in response sent an unpleasant trickle of fear through me. “Why, none at all. Has anyone told you anything about the prophecy?”
“Not really, other than a witch prophesied that someone is supposed to rise with Lucifer and destroy the world. I was also asked if I was a Morta. My understanding of that is they are considered a bad omen, a bringer of dark days as it were.”
“Yes, the prophecy harks back to the early 16th century to a woman named Millicent Blackwood. She became a dark prophet when the Devil cursed her as punishment for her misdeeds. She wanted to break free of his influence and he cursed her to suffer it for the rest of her days.”
I settled back into the chair. At least it was comfier than the ones outside his office. “Seems a harsh punishment. I understand it drove her mad.”
“Oh yes, she was quite insane when she died. But she did leave behind a collection of prophecies. Some have come to pass; some we have unravelled from the chaos of her words and some we are yet to understand.” De Santis stood as he spoke and walked to the bookshelf behind him. He removed from the shelf a slim volume bound in dark red leather. This had to be a printed copy of the ravings of the witch. I was instantly curious to see the contents, to take a look inside the mind of a woman driven mad by the Devil. De Santis slid the small tome across the top of his desk to me and I noticed the cover was completely blank apart from a small upturned star in the middle. For something that contained so many dark and hideous things it was surprisingly plain and unassuming.
I flicked through the pages. It was an amalgamation of tex
t, sketches, symbols and diagrams that made no sense to me. The printed pages meant it wasn’t the original, but I was intrigued by it all the same. I turned to the first page and found the title of the book written in striking black print.
The Prophetic Revelations of Damnation
By Mistress Millicent Blackwood
“This is a facsimile of the original.” De Santis’ voice pulled me from my examination of the book and I found him staring at me with a mixture of intrigue and what I would have to describe as dark obsession. In that moment, I knew he was more dangerous than I originally thought. Obsession was a dangerous thing, driving a person to think only of that one thing at the expense of everything and everyone around them. It drove you to ignore logic and reasoning and I suddenly wondered whether this prophecy might actually get me killed.
I turned to the page marked with the ribbon and found myself staring at the prophecy that was supposedly about me.
When the darkness grows and eclipses the sun,
When Man has failed and Sin has won,
Born of fire, a trio will rise
And burn the world whilst Heaven cries.
The Mother will bleed, the Father despair
And the King will claim a maiden fair,
To create a world wrapped in Sin
With beings to obey His every whim.
The Fallen One will fall no more,
But rise and rise to win a war
Where darkness grows to eclipse the sun
And Man will fall while the King hath won.
Unease settled over me like a cloying blanket, smothering me in its sickliness. The world suddenly felt smaller as I read the words the old witch had written. This was apparently my future. I wasn’t going to own my own nightclub or travel the world. Nope. I was going to destroy it. Or so the old crone said.
I snapped the book shut and put it back on the desk. I didn’t want it anywhere near me. I felt sullied by just touching it. My hands turned clammy as they trembled in my lap and my foot started to tap a frantic rhythm against the plush carpet. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.
“You really think this is me?” I asked de Santis softly.
“I think it is certainly within the realms of possibility, but until we know for sure we should keep you safe. If you’re as powerful as that prophecy says you are, you would be lethal in the wrong hands.”
“How do I know yours are the right ones?” I snarked.
“You don’t,” he replied matter-of-factly, “but I don’t want to hurt you. I want to save the world, not see it burn. I think Lucifer wants to use you to help him obtain power and I would rather keep you where I can see you.”
I nodded. I would have to take his words on good faith, but something about him made me feel like he was going to use me for his own ends. Maybe it was because he was the King around here. Perhaps he thought he could use me as a political tool of some kind. Whatever his reasons were, I would have to be wary of him. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him and, wait… strike that. I didn’t trust him at all.
Unsurprisingly, de Santis hadn’t quite finished his monologue. “Besides, if you’re as powerful as this prophecy states you are, I think you would be able to stop Lucifer just as much as you would be able to aid him.”
Annoyance rose sharply in my chest. So now I was supposed to battle with the Devil? “Well which one is it?”
“Only you know the answer to that. We can only hope you make the right decision.”
His words chilled my bones. Fuck, this was intense. How was I supposed to make the right decision if I had no clue what that was? The panic button was officially pushed, and a fresh wave of adrenaline flooded my system. I was crazy. How had I let myself walk into this?
I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath.
Think, Lori. Think.
There was no way out of this. I was essentially a prisoner here. A cage with pretty walls was still a fucking cage…but it could also be useful. If I were ever going to get home again I would need to learn everything I could. My eyes drifted back to the book. Maybe it would be worth learning more about the prophecies and things in there. I might even learn more about me and how I fit into the Devil’s master plan.
As if sensing my train of thought, de Santis spoke again. “If you want to borrow them, I can have copies of the volumes delivered to the base. I would be interested in knowing your thoughts.”
“There’s more than one?” I asked, suddenly more curious than wary over these books of prophecies.
De Santis chuckled. “Considerably more. I will take that as a yes then. I will have Levi send them to you tomorrow. Now, onto other matters. I take it that you have settled well into the base with Farrow and his team?”
Jasper stiffened beside me as de Santis turned his penetrating gaze on him. He had been so quiet through the entire exchange with de Santis that I had forgotten he was sitting there.
“Yes. Jasper has been attentive, and his team has been accommodating.”
“Good. Because I want you to start training with them.”
“What?” I barked sharply at the same time Jasper leapt out of his chair. Seemed he wasn’t keen on this idea either.
“Sir, I really must protest,” Jasper objected.
“Noted. Now sit down.” There was no hiding the threat that laced de Santis’ words. Jasper obeyed immediately. “I understand your reticence, Farrow, but all I ask is that you both hear me out and I am sure you will agree with me.”
Jasper jerked his head in an affirmation and de Santis turned to me for my answer. I didn’t like it but what other options did I have?
“Fine. I’m listening.”
“We know next to nothing about you or what you are capable of. I think by having Farrow and his team train you we could uncover more about your abilities and thereby establish whether you are a danger to us or not. Of course, you could take your chances out in the real world…” He didn’t need to finish that sentence. I knew I would either cause some catastrophic event because I didn’t know what I was capable of or I could be captured or possibly killed by someone much worse than the man sitting in front of me.
“This sucks ass,” I griped. “But I’ll do it. If Jasper will have me.”
“He doesn’t have a choice,” de Santis remarked. Seemed to be a lot of that going round. I didn’t have a choice either. Well at least I would have some purpose here and maybe I could learn to kick Jasper’s butt. There had to be a silver lining somewhere.
“Ok. But I need a few things first.” Might as well try and get something out of this, I didn’t have a penny to my name and only the clothes on my back.
De Santis leaned over his desk and rested his steepled hands against his lips. “Ask away.”
I suddenly felt like I was asking the Devil for a reprieve. Time to see what I could get away with. “Since I am now staying here, I will need clothes, preferably not all black and leather. As much as I like the leather pants, they aren’t going to be suitable for everyday wear.” I sensed Jasper shift in his seat. I guess the leather pants hadn’t gone unnoticed by him but now was not the time to think about that.
“I can agree to that,” de Santis replied, “I will have some things sent to you. Pick what you want and return the rest.”
I didn’t like the idea of him picking my clothes but hey, if it was free, I wasn’t going to complain. “I also want some sort of monetary compensation. If you’re keeping me here indefinitely I want to be able to pay my way.”
“Done. Anything else?” he asked, a predatory smile playing about his sinister mouth.
“I want to be able to walk around without feeling like I’m about to be attacked. I don’t want to have to keep glancing over my shoulder wondering if somebody is going to take a run at me.”
“She’s referring to the incident with Flint, Sir,” Jasper clarified.
Recognition crossed de Santis’ features. “Of course. As long as you remain here in the Conclave you will ha
ve the protection of my name. I will make sure everyone knows it.”
“Thank you.”
“But you will do me the favour of not roaming around on your own. Either Farrow, or one of his team, will escort you at all times.”
“Is that really necessary?” I grumbled.
“Yes. Until I either know you are safe or that you can handle yourself.” De Santis’ tone was authoritative. He was giving me an order and it rankled with me.
“Until you decide how much I am worth to you, you mean,” I snapped. Anger curled de Santis’ mouth and I instantly regretted my hasty words. I really needed to work on the brain to mouth filter, I swear it was going to get me killed one day. I sensed, rather than saw, Jasper roll his eyes at me. He was such a sourpuss, but I reined in the temper for him all the same. I didn’t want him getting into trouble because of me.
“If that’s how you want to play the game, then yes. Until I decide you are not worth my time or my effort you will be safe. After that,” he shrugged, “who knows.”
The threat was clear. I was only worth something to him if I was useful. If I outlived my usefulness, or I wasn’t part of this prophecy thing then I was on my own.
“Understood Cesare.” His jaw twitched at my use of his first name and a little flutter of joy pulled my lips into a smirk. I was getting under his skin. Good. I liked to know I could make him squirm a little too. It certainly made him seem less infallible. “Do you need us for anything else? Or can we go?”
“No. You’re dismissed.” The glare he gave me was murderous. “Agatha,” he shouted, and the sour-faced woman came trundling into the room. “Please see my guests out.”
In those few words he had shown who was in charge here. He had dismissed us and reminded me that we were there because he allowed us to be. I could see why he was at the top of the food chain around here. I almost respected him for that. Shame he was such an ass, or I might actually like him. Nope. ‘Like’ was too strong a word. Tolerate seemed a better fit.
To Crave Darkly: Trials Of A Morta: Book One Page 15
