Dark

by Erika Phillips

  “That is the last time you will ever do that,” he commanded, his fingers digging into her flesh.

  Jazmine did not wince at the pain he inflicted. She took Thane’s punishment tonight, vowing to find the stranger who captivated her dreams tomorrow.

  Chapter Four

  That night Thane took his rage out on her in ways he had never done before. Jazmine woke up the next evening sore and bruised from Thane’s torment and anger. Jazmine quietly crept from his room. She needed to be by herself to think. She had no idea she was capable of the feat she had displayed at the club, to make Thane believe they were somewhere else all with her mind, was shocking.

  Jazmine had no notion as to how she had accomplished this illusion and she wondered if she could do it again. She decided she needed a quiet place to go test this new skill she had discovered. She knew no one would disturb her in the library, so she made her way there.

  The house was deadly quiet as she walked by room after room toward the library. She cracked the door open just to make sure all was clear before entering. Seeing no one, she slipped into the room and gently closed the door. Once inside, she felt safe.

  This was her refuge in this enormous house. Hardly any of the other vampires cared to come here, finding no use for the space or the contents it held. Jazmine, on the other hand, loved the knowledge that she gained every time she read a new book. She could never get enough.

  As she walked along the edge of the room, she browsed at the familiar titles that lay in front of her. She had read many of the books already and a few two or three times. She placed her hand out, running her fingers over the bindings as she casually strolled by shelf after shelf. As her mind mentally took a quick inventory of each title, one book in particular caught her attention. She was sure she had seen every book in this room, yet here was a new one. If she had not been paying attention, she would have definitely overlooked it due to its small size.

  Jazmine pulled it out from between two large, oversized books. She flipped it back and forth between her hands, studying it closely. This was no regular book. It was more of a diary as the front had an engraving that she could not make out. The cover looked to be rather old, at least a hundred years or more she figured. Jazmine walked over to a chair at the edge of the room. Sitting down she opened the diary to see what story lay beneath. A part of her almost felt guilty, like she was spying on someone she didn’t know. She flipped through the pages and saw that only half of the diary had actually been written in. The back half pages all left blank; the story unfinished.

  She flipped back to the front and on the first page there was an inscription.

  Vivian,

  To my loving daughter on her sixteenth birthday. May all your dreams come true. You are my moon and stars,

  Love, Dad

  Jazmine’s mouth dropped as she reread the inscription several more times. She had not heard that name in a long time and there was no way that this could be her mom’s personal diary. How could that be? Jazmine dismissed the thought that maybe she had discovered a piece of her mother.

  Her mother had been gone for so long, she barely remembered her. The few memories she had left were not pleasant or positive. She only felt pity and embarrassment for her mother.

  Jazmine sat staring at the yellowing pages, not sure she should go any further. But eventually curiosity took over and she needed to know if by chance this was her mother’s story. Her eyes skimmed the pages and a world she never knew opened before her.

  September 1785

  I can’t believe it. I think I just met the man I will marry one day. He is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His skin is as white as the winter snow, his eyes a crystal-clear shade of blue, his lips rosy red, they make you want to kiss them. Just sitting here writing these words makes my heart flutter and my head swoon again.

  And to think, the moment his eyes locked on mine at the bakery, I could tell he was just as enamored. I could hear his thoughts and they told me everything. If I had been a proper lady, and not a witch, I would have fainted at the dirty thoughts running through his mind.

  I hope I see him again, and soon!

  December 1785

  The Christmas ball is only two days away. Father says we need to attend, to make a good appearance. There has been a lot of talk around town and people are getting suspicious of us. Father worries we may need to move again. Oh, I hope not! I still have not seen the mystery man since that day at the bakery, but I can feel it in my bones that soon I will see him again.

  Also, there is much concern around the town of a family disappearing with no trace. Strange, it is winter, and people do not pick up and move this time of year. I have not heard any talk of illness spreading. Everyone thinks that evil spirits are among us. If they only knew!

  March 1786

  I can’t believe it! I finally saw him again! And this time he came up to me and introduced himself. Luckily, my maid was with us, so it was okay and proper for me to address him in public. My heart swoons, I think I’m in LOVE!

  Jazmine thumbed through several pages, skimming the words. She could feel the excitement that leapt off the pages as Vivian described her courtship with this mysterious man. She was smitten, but something in Jazmine’s gut told her that he was no good. Vivian, in her love-struck state, could not see it. Jazmine jumped ahead a few years in the diary:

  November 1790

  Today is the day that I’m to take my place among the coven as the high priestess. It has been a long time coming and I’ve prepared well. Or at least I believe I have. Yet, I feel something is missing. Growing up, this was all I wanted. Father said this was my destiny, my future for our coven. I was to lead us all.

  But I can’t stop thinking about Thane!

  Jazmine stopped breathing. Her mind raced as she read the name over again. She knew Thane was old, that he had been around for a long time. She knew little of his past as he never revealed that part of him to her. As many times as she tried to access that part of his memory, she always came to a dead end. He had it sealed off and she was not powerful enough to penetrate it. She continued to read:

  I never thought I would ever meet someone like him. Someone that challenged me in a way that no one else ever has. It’s so unfair that I have to choose him or the coven. I mean how can they make ME choose. It is my birthright to lead and to tell me that I can’t have the man I love. Well, I’ll show them all tonight! I can feel my blood start to boil even as I write these words. Tonight, I will show them all how powerful I can truly be.

  Jazmine closed the book. She didn’t need to read the next passage to know that something bad happened that night. She could feel a cold chill run up her spine. She didn’t want to read anymore, her head screamed for her to put the diary back. That if she continued, she would find out a truth about herself she did not want to know.

  Yet, she needed to know for sure. A voice in her brain encouraged her to finish, to know the truth. Jazmine shook her head trying to dislodge the voice that had invaded her most private thoughts. This was no longer her internal voice, this was something else, some force urging her to find the truth.

  Jazmine slammed the book down on the floor. She grabbed her head between her hands and screamed out loud, “Get out!” The sound of her own voice startled her. Jazmine looked around the room, she felt like she was being watched and the feeling disturbed her. Her eyes darted from wall to wall scanning for someone to appear out of thin air. After a few minutes when no one emerged, Jazmine tried to steady her thinking and regain control.

  She looked at the clock and saw it was getting late and soon others would be up. Not wanting to share her discovery with anyone, she picked the book up off the floor and hid it behind another book on the shelf. Feeling like she had successfully stored her newest acquisition, she left the library before anyone in the house awoke.

  Chapter Five

  Jazmine found Thane sitting in the main section of the house with some vampires she had never seen before. Over the last
few months, this had been happening more and more as he built new alliances with other clans. Jazmine had started to become used to meeting new vampires on a regular basis. She was never invited to partake in any of the conversations, but she was never told to leave the room either.

  Jazmine took a seat on the soft, velvet chair in the center of the room. She was far enough away to have to strain to hear parts of their conversation. From what she could make out, it sounded like there was some trouble with the latest clan with whom they had been negotiating. The clan was happy with the way things worked in their community and were not interested in something greater or being a part of something more powerful.

  Thane had always envisioned a world where he led a group more powerful than anything the world had ever known. There would be nights when he would tell Jazmine about his desire to rule others, to create a world where vampires no longer hid, but where people knew of their existence and worshipped them. He was tired of hiding in the shadows as he had for hundreds of years.

  Jazmine would listen to him go on for hours, making sure never to discourage him or contradict his plan. At these moments, she found his arrogance to be the most unattractive thing about him. Though she knew that she could never leave him. He would always find her.

  His vision was now finally coming to fruition. The group talked for over an hour, when Thane finally had had enough of the conversation and dismissed them all. Jazmine glanced over at him and she could see the fury in his face. Things had not ended well, and she knew he was formulating a plan for revenge against someone.

  Jazmine did not dare approach him when he was in this mood. He needed time to cool off, which meant he needed to get away and feed. On these nights, she knew it would be a savage one. She almost felt sorry for the person that would accidentally cross his path this evening.

  Jazmine sat motionless not wanting to draw attention to herself and silently prayed he would just leave. Unfortunately, tonight she was not so lucky. Thane’s jaw twitched as he grinded his teeth. His eyes locked on her sitting so quietly like a church mouse, hoping the cat would just saunter away.

  “So, I assume you heard everything?” Thane asked, not really wanting a reply.

  Jazmine stared back at him wide-eyed, not sure if she should speak or remain silent.

  Thane shook his head in disgust, “I don’t understand how some people can be so ignorant. I’m offering them salvation. They would be gods amongst the living if they joined forces with us. But instead, they choose to continue to hide. To cower away like sewer rats!”

  Jazmine still said nothing, only her blinking eyes indicated she was not a statue.

  “I’m sure you would agree with them, the way you only prey on the evilest of the human race. Choosing your victims by the immoral choices they make,” Thane spewed, a look of disgust on his face as he stared her down. Then, instantly the corner of his lips curled up into a sinister smile. Jazmine could feel drops of sweat trickle down her back from fear.

  The look on his face was pure evil and she had a horrible feeling in her gut. “You think that humans are worth your pity? You think that they are so good? Well, let’s just test that theory of yours then, shall we?” Thane was out of his seat so fast that Jazmine was not able to react.

  Thane grabbed her arm and before she could protest, they were in the middle of the city square. It was late, about midnight she guessed. The street was busy, even for such a late hour. It was a weekend night, and the street was lined with bars at every corner. People walked by them, stumbling, laughing, and shouting at each other. A mix of emotions flooded her as she could feel everything they felt.

  A guy walked by and bumped into her shoulder. He stopped and fumbled out the words “excuse me” in his drunken state. Jazmine looked at Thane, who stood next to her. “What are we doing here?” she pleaded

  “You know what we are doing,” he replied, the sinister look still plastered across his face. His once beautiful face now looked grotesque.

  Jazmine tried to pretend she had no idea but pretending would do nothing. She knew that tonight she needed to take the life of an innocent, that he was teaching her a lesson.

  “You love your humans so much. I want you to see them for who they truly are, dirty wastes of space,” Thane spat.

  Thane turned her in the direction of a dark alley. The moonlight was bright tonight and illuminated the alley enough for her to see a man holding a woman against the crumbling brick wall. Jazmine could make out the look of fear on the woman’s face as the man fondled her breasts. Jazmine tried to pull away from Thane to run over to the woman to help her. She tried twisting her arm to break free of his grasp. But, his hand was like a vice and she could not break his hold.

  “Let me go!” she demanded of Thane. “Can’t you see he is hurting her?!”

  “I can,” he glared at Jazmine. “You will watch and see just how vile these precious creatures are and see that they are not worth your salvation. You need to know that they have only one purpose and that is to be our food.” Thane continued his tirade. “None of them are good, and our world will be better without them.”

  Jazmine could feel the tears start to roll down her cheeks as she felt the pain and fear the woman in the ally was experiencing. She could also feel anger begin to boil in the pit of her stomach, not for the man that abused the woman, but for Thane. Thane sensed her rage and let it fester inside her. When he finally released her, she moved through the night air so fast the man in the alley had no idea what was happening.

  One second he was about to have his way with the woman he was with and then he was flat on the ground feeling his life leave his body. Jazmine was so enraged she did not see that Thane had a hold of the man’s victim and was draining her of her existence as well. Thane held the woman so she could get a good view of Jazmine while she took the man’s life.

  Jazmine wiped the last droplet of blood from her lip. “What are you doing?” she stared directly into Thane’s vacant eyes.

  “You know what you must do.” he snarled. He had her. She had to take this woman’s life to protect their way of life. Jazmine mulled over her options in her head. If she let her live, she may talk but who would believe the ramblings of a drunk woman? She knew she needed to act fast.

  Jazmine opened her mouth to speak, when, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a hooded man in the alley watching them. She was not afraid of this dark figure. Something in her head told her she knew this person. Her body stirred in recognition of this man. She could not make sense of it, but her essence was drawn to this figure, she needed him. Her mind raced trying to piece everything together. Her thoughts muddled as she tried to register any memories of how she could know this man.

  Jazmine looked at the woman’s limp form as it slid down the wall, barely hanging on to life. Thane, who had released the woman from his grip, stood stock still. His gaze analyzed the black figure before them. Jazmine took the opportunity to push the woman out of Thane’s path, yelling, “Run!” The woman, suddenly alert, gathered all her strength and ran for her survival.

  The sound of Jazmine’s voice brought Thane’s attention back to Jazmine. She saw the look on Thane’s face and the anger had returned. But it was different in some way. Thane reached out to grab her, but Jazmine was quicker this time and she ran. Instead of running away, her body had a mind of its own and took her closer to the figure still standing before them.

  As Jazmine reached her arms out to embrace the person as if they knew him, the words slipped out of her mouth. “You’re him. You’re the man from my dreams!” she cried out. Just then, Thane was in front of her. Capturing her in his arms, the alley vanished, and they were back home.

  Jazmine looked around bewildered. They were in the parlor. The strange figure no longer before them. Jazmine was crestfallen, feeling she had come so close to escape.

  “What have you been hiding?” Thane growled.

  Jazmine was frightened. She was not sure what he was asking. Thane repeated himself, “
What have you been hiding from me?” his voice louder.

  Jazmine took an involuntary step backwards. She tried to form her words, but nothing came out. How could she explain her dreams to Thane? They were nothing, nonsense she thought, until now.

  “Leave,” he commanded. Jazmine did not need to be told again. She ran out of the room as fast as she could. She needed to think, and she couldn’t with Thane there glaring at her. Jazmine went to her room to find her diary. She hoped that she might find a clue to this mystery figure somewhere in the dream fragments she had been scribing for the last several months.

  Thane paced the parlor floor for over an hour. The events of the evening playing back over and over in his mind. Something Jazmine said had spooked him--she had seen the figure in her dreams. She knew that man tonight and Thane knew who he was too. Yet, Thane could tell that Jazmine could not put a name to the dark shadow. But once she remembered, it would all come back, and he had worked too hard these last three months to erase that memory.

  He needed to keep her from puzzling the truth together and he needed to leave this place. It was no longer safe. Christian had found them, and Thane knew he was coming for her.

  Chapter Six

  For the next week, the home was in an uproar. Thane stormed around, watching as vampires came in and out, moving furniture and packing their belongings. Jazmine could not comprehend why they were suddenly leaving. One minute, he was planning to take over another vampire clan and now his days and nights were consumed with finding a new place to live.

  Thane had been eerily quiet towards Jazmine since that night in the alley. He barely glanced in her direction. When he did speak to her it was brisk and to the point. Thane was never a compassionate vampire in the first place, but this was altogether different.