Corruption of the Heart (The Corruption Series Book 1)

by Jessica Manson

  “Can you hear me Lilith?” he asked with his mind. I nodded. “No freaking way? You can speak with your mind and you can hear my thoughts?” I nodded again.

  “Why do you keep nodding your head?” Cal asked looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

  “Nodding my head to a song stuck in here,” I said, as I pointed to my head. Finally, Odin walked back over to us with the waitress who took us to a bigger table. Once we were seated and the waitress took our orders I asked, “What happens when we get to Italy tomorrow?”

  Odin draped his arm around my chair before saying, “My father has a landing pad at his house so we will land there and I will get you a proper introduction,” he said teasingly. “Then we all will go over to our new house. There are no plans for tomorrow besides trying to get settled in. So, what was this meeting about and why was Tristan here with you?”

  “I asked Tristan to come because you were still asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. And the meeting was with my parent’s lawyer. They left me their house and I had to sign some papers.”

  “Are there any plans for the rest of the afternoon?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Not unless there is something you want to do before we leave tomorrow,” Odin said.

  “Actually there is something I want to do,” I said.

  “What would that be?”

  “I want to go to my secret place. This will be the last time I will get to go there.” Odin smiled at me and I knew he was thinking of me in my bra and panty set I wore the last time we were there.

  “You have a secret place?” Brant asked.

  “Yes would y’all like to see it?” I asked. They all said yes in unison.

  Once lunch was over we all piled into Latham’s jeep and headed to my favorite place in the world. When we arrived I led everyone through the woods and when we reached the spot everyone was in awe from the beauty of this little hidden paradise. We spent the afternoon swimming and playing around like little kids. It was fun to act like normal teenagers for once.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Moving day is finally here and I am more than nervous. I am terrified to meet Odin’s father, yet I am really excited to see our new house. I’m still a little disappointed that everyone will be living with us. Odin and I are newly married, and we need alone time together.

  The jet was crowded with nine people on it and the tight space was getting to everyone. The guys had begun arguing with each other about leg space and who had the right to the arm rest. “Lilith?” I heard someone say. I looked around the jet to see who was calling my name. “Lilith hi.”

  “Tristan?” I asked with my mind.

  “Who else knows you can do this?” he asked.

  “No one. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. I just still can’t believe you can do this. I wish I had this power.”

  “Trust me you don’t. Sometimes I hear things I wish I hadn’t.”

  “Are you excited about moving?”

  “No. Yes.”

  He laughed in his head, but a smile crossed his lips. “It will be fun. I think you will like Italy.”

  “Maybe. Hey, you haven’t told anyone about yesterday have you?”

  “Of course not. And I won’t until you say it’s okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Your welcome.”

  “I’m going to try and take a nap,” I said needed my mind to myself again. I leaned onto Odin’s shoulder, “I’m going to try to nap baby. Wake me when we get there.”

  He kissed the top of my head, “Night Lamia Mea.”

  When we landed I was not expecting Odin’s father's house to be a castle. It was located on a cliff and was surrounded by the ocean on three sides of it. The property also has an abundance of trees. The outside of the castle was made of dark stone. It had an eerie yet elegant feeling to it. There were a few people standing on a landing waving to us. I recognized them from the wedding. When we reached them, Odin walked up to the older man and hugged him. “Lilith this is my father, Draven.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” I said, sticking my hand out for him to shake.

  He pulled me in for a hug, “You are my daughter-in-law. We do not shake hands, we hug,” he said with a laugh. After an awkward hug he pulled away and said, “You remember Daveh and Razi?”

  “Of course. Nice to see you again,” I said to them both.

  “They are here for whatever you need Lilith,” Draven said.

  “Thank you.” I turned to Odin, “When do we get to see our house?”

  “This is our house,” Odin said smiling.

  “But you said…”

  Cutting me off he said, “I know. I wanted to surprise you.”

  “So this is…”

  “Ours,” he said cutting me off again.

  “Can we look inside?” I asked excited.

  “Of course.” Odin motioned for me to lead the way.

  We walked through the double wooden doors that were a deep red color. Our first steps inside the castle echoed. The marble floors shined with the sunlight shining in overhead through a sunlight. There were double staircases, one on the left, one on the right of the room. The railing of the staircase was exquisitely engraved with daisies and vines. To the left of us there is a large wooden door that leads to a very large library and to the right was the living room. We followed a hallway that led beneath the stairs landing above. There were six large pillars along the hallway holding up the floor above us. The walls of the hallway were covered in large pictures of waterfalls. Some of them resembled the waterfalls we saw in Croatia.

  There was another large door at the end of the hall that led into a gorgeous kitchen. The floor was a dark hardwood with cabinets to match. The counter tops were tan granite and there was a massive island in the center of the room. The kitchen was amazing, and I realized that I would have to learn how to cook something other than bacon and eggs.

  There was a door to the left of the kitchen that led to a dining room. The table inside was big enough to seat twenty people. There was another door to the right of the kitchen that led to four small bedrooms. “Whose rooms are these?” I asked.

  “One for Daveh, one for Razi and one for the cook, Cinzia, and the last one is for the maid, Genevra.”

  “Wow, a cook and a maid?” I said more of a question to myself. Everyone else seemed just as excited as I was about us living in a castle with a full staff to take care of the cooking and cleaning.

  “A house this big needs a staff, Lilith. You simply cannot run a house of this magnitude by yourself,” Draven said.

  “There are two more levels, five rooms on each floor each with its own private bathroom. You and Odin are on the second level in the master suite. The rest can pick their own rooms.”

  I looked at Tristan and spoke to him with my mind, “Tristan, make sure you get a room next to us.” He nodded in response. I don’t know why I needed him next to us. Maybe because we were becoming close, maybe because I trusted him? I’m not sure but I know I needed him there. He is the only one that is ever there to protect me when Odin can’t be.

  We made our way back to the front of the castle where Draven said his goodbyes. Once he was gone I relaxed a little. Odin took my hand and pulled me to the side away from the group. “Do you like it?”

  “I wasn’t expecting this but, I love it.”

  “Good. I was afraid it would have been too much for you.”

  “If this would have been for just the two of us, yes it would be too much. But since so many people will be living here it is perfect.” He pulled me in for a hug. “Hey, I have an idea. When we get settled, can we have a dinner party? I want to invite Parker and Bristol. I haven’t seen them since the wedding and I am really starting to miss them. Besides I think Parker might know something about my powers.”

  “I think that can be arranged,” he said with a smile.

  “I want to thank you for being okay with mine an
d Parkers friendship.”

  “Of course, I’m okay with it. I got the girl,” he said winking at me.

  While everyone went upstairs to pick their rooms I went into the library. It was filled floor to ceiling with books. There were extra-large bean bags sitting in the center of the room. My heart warmed as I thought about Odin and I sharing our first kiss in the library at school. He remembered that I loved to read sitting on the bean bags in that library. There was also a large desk with a computer in the far corner of the room. This would end up being my favorite place in the castle.

  Odin knocked on the door and poked his head inside. “What are you up to baby?”

  “Just checking out the library.”

  “Do you want to go see our room?”

  “Sure.” He walked over and took my hand leading the way to our room.

  Our room was dark and cozy. The floor is black marble with hints of red in it. The walls were a deep red and the furniture in the room was black. We had a sitting area with a couch and a large chair. The bed was a king size. Thankfully the movers got here with Odin’s mattress. I absolutely loved his bed. It was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on. It wore a black comforter covered with red throw pillows. There was a massive fireplace that was at the foot of the bed across the room. The curtains were black as well and blocked out any light for outside. The only bright thing in the room is the crystal chandler that hung over the bed.

  After taking everything in, I walked into the bathroom. It was lighter than the bedroom. The walls were light gray, and the floor was a darker gray marble. The counter tops were white granite. It had a separate shower and tub, both were a pristine white that popped against the gray. The shower was huge. It had the same type of shower heads that was in the shower in the villa in Croatia. The tube was deep and looked like it could fit four people.

  I loved everything about this castle. I loved our room, our bathroom and the library. I loved that we had a cook and a maid. I loved that we sat right on the water yet we still had access to the trees. I loved that there was enough space for all of us to live here but we would never be in each other’s way.

  When I was done looking around our room I went to every other room in the castle finding out who picked what room. But mostly I was just curious as to what the other rooms looked like. They weren’t as big as ours but they were still beautiful. Each room had a different color and theme. Their bathrooms were basic. Each one had a separate shower and tub but they were way smaller than the ones on our bathroom. I almost felt bad that ours were bigger.

  Once I was done looking at everyone else’s rooms I went to find Odin. He was standing in the foyer talking to two women. I walked over to him. “Lilith this is Cinzia, the cook, and Genevra, the maid.

  “Nice to meet you both,” I said, shaking their hands. “Odin I don’t mean to be rude but I’m not feeling too well. I think I am going to lay down and try to nap.”

  “Is everything okay?” he asked excusing the women.

  “Yeah. I think so. I think I am just exhausted from all of the excitement from today. Do we have any groceries yet?”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked sounding confused.

  “No, if I eat I may throw up. I was wondering if we had a Sprite. Something to settle my stomach?”

  “If you go on up to the room I will see what I can find.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. It is my husbandly duty to take care of my wife,” he said with a smile. I headed for our room while he headed for the kitchen.

  When I got to our room I looked through a couple of boxes until I found something comfortable to put on. I found a pair of Odin’s night pants and one of my tank tops. I changed clothes quickly and went into the bathroom and got myself a cold, wet washcloth. I crawled into bed and snuggled into the blanket. The sheets were silky and cold, feeling good against my arms. The coldness helped my upset stomach.

  Odin walked into the room with a Sprite and some crackers. “Hope this helps. Crackers was all I could find.”

  “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  “Would you like me to find you something to watch while you rest?”

  “No. I’m fine.” I hadn’t noticed the TV the first time I was in the room. It sat over the fireplace attached to the wall.

  “Do you want me to stay with you?”

  “You can if you want but you don’t have to. I’m sure I will fall asleep soon.”

  “How about I stay until you fall asleep?”

  “Okay.” Odin crawled in behind me in the bed and draped his arm across my side. He slipped his hand under my shirt and started lightly tracing his fingers across my stomach. The tickling made my stomach feel a little better and it relaxed me. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It has been a few weeks since we arrived in Italy and it has been harder than I expected settling into the castle. I have been staying really sick. I can’t keep any food down and I am so exhausted all I do is sleep. It has been so bad that I haven’t left the castle since we arrived. I have been living in Italy for three weeks and haven’t even been sightseeing yet. Odin isn’t home much to help unpack so today I asked Daveh if she can help finish up the last of the boxes.

  I was lying in bed when I smelled her coming. I knew Daveh was on her way to me before she even reached the stairs. I could smell her blood. She smelled so sweet. I started to panic. I knew if she came into my room I would attack her. I couldn’t attack a friend even if we weren’t close. Odin isn’t home as usual. Working for his father has been keeping him really busy.

  Since I couldn’t call on Odin, I called for Tristan with my mind, “Tristian, I need you. Please hurry!”

  In a matter of seconds, he was in my room, “Lilith, what’s wrong.”

  “Don’t let her come in here Tristan.”

  “Who Lilith?”

  “Daveh.” She was so close. My fangs popped out ready for her to enter my room. “If she comes in I will feed from her.”

  Tristan ran back to the door just as Daveh was opening it. He slammed it shut in her face. “Sorry Daveh, Lilith isn’t well you will have to come back later.” My vision turned red at the sweet smell of her blood. I needed to taste it. My mouth began to water, and I rose from the bed. “Daveh leave please.”

  “But I’m supposed…” she tried to argue.

  He cut her off, “Go! Now!” I jumped off the bed and rushed for the door. Tristan was trying to hold me back while still holding the door shut.

  “Move,” I ordered.

  “No Lilith. Remember you asked me to help you.”

  “I don’t care. I want to taste her.”

  “No Lilith. If you need to feed I will help you, but you cannot attack Daveh. You know you will hate yourself if you do.” I was still trying to fight him. “Lilith you can fight this side of you. Just remember why I am here. Remember Lilith.”

  “Tristan,” I said as I began to cry.

  He wrapped his arms around me, “It’s okay Lilith.”

  “I almost attacked Daveh.”

  “But you didn’t. I’m here to help you Lilith, I will always be here.”

  “I need to feed. It hurts, the hunger hurts.”

  “Are you okay to go somewhere with me?” he asked.

  “I think so.”

  Tristan took my hand and led me to his car. He drove us to a small village near our castle and parked in front of a small apartment building. We got out of the car, went inside and walked up three flights of stairs. I could smell everyone in the building. My sense of smell was on overload. “Lilith before we go in I have to ask that you not tell anyone about this. Humans are not supposed to know about us but my friend knows about me. And I pay her to let me feed from her. If Odin or his father finds out they will have me killed.”

  “Odin would kill a fly,” I said. “But I promise I won’t tell. You have kept my secret for me the least
I can do is keep yours.”

  Tristan looked at me funny for a few minutes before asking, “You still haven’t told him about the money?”

  “No, I hardly ever see him and when I do the money is the last thing on my mind.”

  He giggled before stopping in front of a door that had worn green paint. Chunks of it were missing exposing the cheap wood underneath. He knocked on the door, “Her name is Gilda.”

  “Ah, Tristan,” she said, as she kissed both of his cheeks. “Who do we have here?” she asked when she saw me. Gilda was a short young girl about nineteen or twenty. She was cute with her small frame and short blue pixie style haircut. I could see why Tristan liked using her to feed from.

  “Gilda this is Lilith. She needs your help.”

  “I see. Why did you wait so long to bring her to me? Can’t you see she is starved?”

  “I know. She only found out about you just now. You know they will kill me if anyone ever finds out.”

  “I know. But you trust her to keep your secret? Because you know they won’t just kill you, they will kill me too,” she asked him still looking at me.

  “Of course. Lilith is a very good friend. She won’t tell anyone.”

  “Alright. Come in.” She moved out of the way and let us walk in. Her apartment was small. The room we stepped into was her living room, dining room, bedroom and bathroom all in one. There was a small wall that separated the kitchen from everything else. I sat on a small lime green couch, Gilda sat next to me.

  As soon as she sat my fangs popped out. I could smell her blood. She smelt tangy and sweet at the same time. I looked over at her and noticed her veins pumping in her neck. I became really thirsty and my mouth watered. She leaned into me, “Go ahead,” she said.

  I looked at Tristan, he nodded giving me the okay. I turned back to Gilda and without hesitation I sank my fangs into her neck. She tasted just as sweet as she smelled. Her blood ran hot down my throat coating it. As soon as the blood hit my stomach I felt a surge of adrenaline run through me. Tristan came over and joined me, taking the other side of her neck.