Eternal Darkness: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Series (The Urban Fae Series Book 4)

by R. L. Wilson

  The words of my alleged father sweeps across my memory. Embrace the darkness. Swallowing hard, I pause and drop my hands to my sides. No point in continuously prying.

  Another loud rumble from above makes me stumble backwards. I shine the light from my palms toward the darkness. My gaze follows the darkness as it dances like inky clouds in the sky.

  I drag myself back to stand face-to-face with the darkness. “How do I do this?” I question. I’m asking the shadows. They can give me a hint. I blow at the darkness, and I get a backlash of smoke. I cough and wave it away from me.

  No one answered. They must have no clue. I’m running out of time. I dig deep within myself and then that voice whispers again, “embrace the darkness.” Extending my glowing hands, I hope my crazy idea works. I embrace the darkness and infuse all the darkness into myself. The tingle of my tattoo creeping along my abdomen lets me know I’m drinking from the well of darkness.

  The darkness has absorbed into my palms, and there stand at least three dozen shadows. Frazzled and weak, I slide to the side. I’m not sure if they will run me over or attack me.

  The shadows scatter, racing away to find an exit. The entire building shivers. I have to get upstairs and help them kill Prentiss before it’s too late

  I race up through the back stairs where some shadows stand. The petrified look of fear stagnates on their faces. I open the back door. You would have thought they were running from silver bullets. They dash out the door with a quickness.

  I continue through the back door, entering a well-lit kitchen. And just as I suspected, the tattoo has exploded, and it’s everywhere. Even on my legs. Only my left arm and feet are clear.

  The violent noise of pounding and an uproar of commotion makes me move faster. The battle ahead is raging out of control. I brace myself for this war I’m about to enter. Rapidly blinking my eyes, I’m surprised at the sight greeting me.

  Blood flows from the knuckles of Big Sam as he power-drives his fist into the face of a thick-built man with black hair. There are so many fights happening simultaneously, all obstructing my view of the battle in the middle. Darting my gaze around the room, I find Prentiss is nowhere in sight. Has he weaseled his way out?

  Weaving through the chaos, I get close to the middle. Bam! An elbow knocks me to the ground. I grab my head; a violent headache will come in the morning. My goal is to reach Prentiss and use all the energy left in me to blast him to hell where he belongs.

  Finally, I see the head of Prentiss being pushed against a wall by Kato. Way to go, Kato! He’s blazing Prentiss with his black magic. He throws a bolt of black magic that Prentiss grabs and squeezes, crushing it to a million pieces. Prentiss’s sinister glare lands on Kato’s face as he approaches him.

  I jump from the floor, and before I can get to Prentiss he has Kato lifted in the air. A scream rumbles in my throat but doesn’t escape my mouth. The shatter of glass knocks me back two feet as Prentiss throws Kato out the window.

  The vibration from the crash of Kato hitting the ground rumbles the building. My world shakes at that moment. It’s Prentiss or me. I bounce away from my fears, soaring across the room with Prentiss as my target. Letting out a high-pitched squeal, I unleashed fire from the palms of my hands.

  My intestines seem to shrink when Prentiss’s face turns red. It’s an angry red. And it appears as hot as the fire I just threw at him. He rearranges his gaze to me. Slowly he walks toward me, not saying a word.

  I know this will be bad, so I unleash all the magic I have in me. It slams hard against his torso. He doesn’t budge; he keeps coming.

  Within seconds some invisible force has me plastered on the ground with my face shoved up against the floor. The sting of pain and swelling of my bottom lip infuriates me. My stomach shifts. I try forcing my lips apart to scream but they slam shut.

  Then an electric-white beam slashes into my vision, leaving everything bright and making it hard for me to see.

  There’s a ringing in my head, and then my ears pop. I hear the screaming and fighting, but the world is hazy and tilting. Deep in my head, I hear a nagging voice tell me, “You can do this.” Followed by an even louder pop.

  I steady my gaze on a pair of shoes. The world stops. My surroundings go back to normal. I have been trying to fight Prentiss with anger. He only feeds off it.

  Now I’ll use the darkness. I suck the darkness from the atmosphere and the dark beings around me like a vacuum cleaner.

  I sprint to my feet. Prentiss wanted this ass-kicking. Here it comes.

  The tattoo is pulsating and blinking a neon green. Prentiss’s gaze sweeps across my body and his eyes bulge. The smirk on his face is halted by the glow. He inches back, grabbing his shirt. Fidgeting, he gets closer to the door.

  I charge towards him as he squirms. Grabbing him by his left arm, I use all the black energy I have in me and jolt his arms. Continuous volts of darkness transfer from my palms to Prentiss.

  His body rattles as steam rises from his head. I grind my teeth as a band of sweat trickles down my face. His skin melts beneath my fingertips. Although the stench of burnt flesh swarms about the room, I increase my grip around his arm.

  His eyes roll in the back of his head, and his body starts transitioning from human form to a skeletal form. I held my own feet planted on the ground.

  The piercing pain rips through my flesh. Tears burst through my eyes. I continue holding on to this trash. I want blood for what he did to Momma, even if I die trying.

  The darkness is tugging at my soul. This may be the end for me. But I’ll take him to hell with me.

  The air fills with a piercing roar. Damn, was that me? My warm gaze stares into Prentiss’s face and then screams exit his mouth. His fangs elongate as drops of blood trickle down his chin.

  Pain rocks my body. I jerk right, holding on by my nails. As they slowly slide down Prentiss’s arm.

  The floor beneath me rattles. I can’t take the pain for much longer.

  Everything goes as dark as my magic.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Harmony.”

  I hear the deep voices of at least two men. But my eyes are shut so tight I can’t force them open. I shake on the inside, scared of who I will see. Maybe I’m dead. I have no plans on seeing what hell looks like.

  The sound of squeaking footsteps is unmistakable in the stark silence. Warm breath sweeps across my face. For sure someone is standing over me. What if Prints stands at my side?

  Goal number one for me has always been to kill Prentiss. What if I’m dead and he’s alive? Everything will have been for nothing.

  I lay here frozen, unaware of my surroundings. A violent banging sound close to my ear bruises my eardrum. I wish I could speak. I would scream at them to stop that damn banging.

  A familiar voice makes me force my eyes open. I blink, trying to get a steady grip on Kato’s face.

  It was his voice that brought me back. My vision is cloudy so I rub my eyes. Kato smiles with a bruised face. And I’m ecstatic he’s here.

  “What happened?”

  “You happened,” Kato replies.

  I try to sit upright. “Ahh!” I scream, then lower my torso to the floor. The sharp pain in my forearms is unbearable. Like fire streaming through my arms.

  “Lay here and rest a minute,” Kato says.

  I stare at the blood stuck in his hair and flowing down the right side of his face. It doesn’t matter—he’s alive and so am I. But where the hell is Prentiss? I want to ask, but I’m not ready for disappointment if he’s alive.

  I dart my gaze around all the onlookers, Prentiss’s foot soldiers, and the gang members all standing at my side. Without arguments. The darkness has escaped their beings. I know I sucked in as much darkness as my body would allow. It helped; everyone’s face is so bright. Even better, the energy amongst the group is vibrant.

  The spell that had them trapped has been lifted. Prentiss’s gang stares around the room in amazement as if they’re viewing it for the first ti
me.

  “Let’s try again on three,” Kato says.

  I hold my breath and Kato and Big Sam wrap their hands around my biceps and peels me from the floor. I stand to my feet, slightly woozy from the vertigo. The piercing pain of my arms is raging. I’m going to heal myself. Problem is, I have zero energy for a healing.

  My gaze sweeps across my arms and then drifts down to my legs.

  “Kato,” I scream.

  “What?”

  “It’s gone, it’s gone.” My soul is smiling.

  “What?” He stares at my neck. He gasps, “The tattoo.” A royal smile is sprinkled upon his face.

  The shackles fell from my arms. The imprisonment I’ve endured for years is over. Not so fast, I think. I won’t be liberated until I know Prentiss is gone. Then I can breathe. Get a good night’s sleep.

  Everything aches, even my gums. I shift all my weight to my left. My right shin has a large gash with a slow leak of blood. I’m sure I look like I just ran through hell. That’s because I did. With gasoline underwear.

  The blank stares around the room have me on edge. I don’t see Prentiss. Anger flares hot and potent within the pit of me. He’s known for evaporating into thin air. Where is the snake?

  I focus on Kato. “Where is Prentiss?” I question.

  The silence makes a rage-filled haze enter my mind. This motherfucker has done it again! He’s escaped my wrath.

  Big Sam steps into my view. His fiery gaze trails along the floor then stops at the wall near the front exit. “There,” he points.

  My eyes snap right and fall to the floor as I witness the body of Prentiss. I’m not sure if he’s still breathing but I will surely check.

  I stride forward slightly and my knees buckle. My feet are not strong enough to hold me up, so Kato grabs me by my arm. I’m grateful for Kato. I limp closer, watching the body that lies slain across the floor for movement.

  I don’t observe any movement, but I’m still not convinced he’s dead. Nothing in me feels relief. I have a vision playing in my mind. Once I get close to the body, he will jump up with his eyes beaming through me. He’ll yell, “I’m still here, nothing can kill me.”

  My energy is exhausted. I have none left to give for a fight. If he’s not finished, I guess we’re all dead. My heart beats so fast, like it will explode. I know my eyes are heavy. I swear his right foot moved. I snap my gaze to Kato. “Did you see that?" I question.

  “What?”

  “He moved; his foot moved.” I replied

  “No, you killed him.” He shakes his head. “Keep going, look for yourself.”

  I continue inching closer, moving as fast as my legs will allow. Finally, I’m standing over Prentiss’s body. The evil spirit that killed my mother, forced me into labor, and terrorized this city for years.

  His face has lost all color. His body stiff, there is a small amount of blood flowing from his head. That’s surprising, because I didn’t believe he had a heart. I bend over, lowering my hand to his arm. I have to touch his arm and check his pulse.

  “What are you doing?” Sam asks.

  “Making sure he’s dead,” I respond.

  Checking his wrist for a radial pulse makes me cringe. I never wanted to touch his black soul ever again. But it was worth it to ease my nerves. There was no pulse and his body had a slight chill. The vampire is gone.

  I let out the longest exhale imaginable. My soul can finally rest. I have accomplished the impossible. The tears flowing from my eyes are tears of joy.

  I bury my face in Kato’s chest. He whispers, “You did it, it’s over.”

  I glance up at him with a well-deserved smile and plant my mouth on Kato’s thick lips. It is an explosion of fireworks. He continues to kiss me and the crowd cheers us on. At that moment I feel somewhat complete. I know Kato cares for me.

  And the most important thing is I don’t have to live looking over my shoulder.

  The End

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  Sneak Peek of: To claim a bear

  Kaitlyn

  I have executed my escape well, sneaking away in the middle of the night. This was my second escape. The last time he found me within a week. Not this time. I moved two states away and purchased a gun. Moving back to this town was cringe-worthy. But I had to do what’s best for me.

  My apartment became cramped with boxes scattered throughout. Tape stuck to my fingers while I pried the cardboard box open. It was a box of paintings and old photos I had collected over the years.

  I sit on the hardwood floors of my living room amongst documents and clothes. The best thing is it’s my own apartment. I don’t have money for furniture. But I don’t care. Freelance photography doesn’t pay well, but it’s my passion.

  Ginger pops out of nowhere and bites at my ankle. This cat is crazy. I swat at her and move my foot. “Stop, Ginger.” She runs to the kitchen with her tail wagging. She is the only family I have. Although she was gifted to me by Lucifer.

  At last, I unroll the enormous canvas covered in bubble wrap. It was a picture taken years ago of a family I once lived with. I only stayed there for three months. But Matilda, my foster mother, left a lasting impression on me. I have significant memories and this photograph to remind me of her. At times, I close my eyes and can envision her face, her scent, her warm embrace.

  I searched for love, any kind of love and landed in the arms of danger. Now, I don’t want love. Stupid Cupid can go on his merry way. Ginger gives me more love than I have ever known from a human.

  My footsteps echo as I stride down the hardwood floors to the kitchen to grab my wine. The half-open can of gray paint I passed in the hall makes the house smell of magic markers. The front room is an awful pink, sparking my painting project.

  The draft flowing through the windows cuts through my thin pajama pants. A chill sweeps through my body.

  My phone buzzes. I glare at the screen—it’s Lisa, one of my customers who is now my only friend. She’s called for the past two days about the photographs of the mountains she wants to purchase. Since I’ve moved back to Denver, I could get some great shots.

  “Hello, Lisa.” I grab a wine glass from the cabinet and pour my favorite wine, Chardonnay. Looking at the awful wallpaper that highlights the kitchen makes me nauseated. The next room to paint will be this kitchen, maybe a nice medium-gray tone.

  “Well, are you settled in yet?”

  I giggle. I have only been here three weeks, and already Lisa wants me to go to the mountains and take her photographs.

  “Not completely, but I will go up to the mountains this weekend and get some amazing photos just for you.” I take a huge gulp of wine then sit the glass on the counter.

  “Find you a mountain man.”

  I can feel that glare from three hundred miles away.

  “What, are you kidding? I’m not completely divorced yet.”

  “Kaitlyn, your marriage has been over for ages, and it will be official in, what, two weeks? Go out and live your life. You’re too young to be in the house working.”

  “I love to work. Talk to you later.”

  Lisa is a talker and if you let her, she will go on and on about everybody’s business but her own. Besides, I have a career that can keep me busy and some fine wine that keeps me company at night. At twenty-four, I just want to be left alone.

  I snuggle under my thick, plush comforter. It’s a frosty winter night. Tomorrow is a big day for me. I will sneak up the mountains and be home before the snowstorm.

  Scrape. Scrape, the noise of the tree branches skitter across the window.

  Shifting in my bed, I reposition my feet, which are nice and toasty, and glance over at the nightstand. My favorite lamp is blinking. I’m too comfortable to cut the light off. It will have to blink all night.

  Scrape, scrape.

  The howling
wind causes the blind over the window to flutter. What the hell is going on? I can’t get any sleep with all these weird-ass noises.

  A thunderous bang rings out.

  My eyes snap open. That’s not a tree branch. Ginger hops up and goes sniffing at the bedroom door.

  Nothing’s here, nothing’s here, I chant to myself.

  A dark shadow slithers up the wall, avoiding the light. I grab my glasses from the nightstand to get a better view.

  Geesh, can I have one quiet night with no creepy activity going on? The last tenant left some guests behind. But they’re not running me out of here.

  This is my first time living alone in the two years since I separated from my soon-to-be ex-husband.

  The sound of shattering glass comes from the back. Ginger whimpers by the bedroom door.

  I grab the baseball bat that sits next to my bed. That’s not paranormal activity, it’s human. I don’t fear the paranormals; I’ve seen them most of my life and they never hurt me, they’re just there.

  Someone is determined to get in here. They must have jumped the nine-foot fence I had installed.

  My feet land on the ice-cold wood floors. I grab my phone from the nightstand and creep to the bedroom door.

  Someone just came through the window. My heart races and my mouth goes dry. With my finger, I press the number nine on my phone while footsteps move around in the back of the apartment. With my trembling grasp I dial the rest of the numbers for the police.

  “Someone has broken into my home at 421 Cannon Drive,” I whisper as my voice cracks and my bottom lip quivers. I throw the phone onto the bed as the footsteps get closer and closer.

  “Get the hell out of my house before I hex your ass,” I scream, hoping they will get scared and run off. Matilda taught me how to put a hex on someone, but I never tried.

  Sweat trickled down my forehead as I grip the bat tighter. If all else fails, I can swing this bat like Sammy Sosa.

  The footsteps keep coming. I back away from the door, nearly tripping over the laundry basket behind me. The footsteps stop in front of my door. My breathing now rapid, my face warm from the terror. Everything goes silent, the movement stops.