Darkness (Darkest Nightmares Book 1)

by Elizabeth Knox

  I run over, hoping to grab it quickly before something horrible happens and just as I pick it up in my hands I hear Sapphire from behind me. “What in the hell is that doing out here? That was in my trunk.”

  I turn slowly, facing her. “I grabbed it. You have a stash of weapons and I wasn’t going to just come out of here defenseless. I really think Sugar Tits would’ve loved that,” I retort, staring back at where Jett’s body is walking towards us, but I make no mistake, Darkness’ eyes are the ones looking at me.

  “What do you mean you grabbed it?” Sapphire looks at me like I have three heads, which...let’s be honest, isn’t too far out of the normal considering what we are.

  “Are you deaf or something? Like I told you. Or do you want me to explain in full detail? I went to the trunk, I grabbed it with my precious hands and used it to kill some of whatever the fuck these things are.” I hold the crossbow up, waving it around in the air, holding the leather, showing Sapphire I have it firmly in my grip. I hear her mumble something about the leather under her breath and choose to disregard it, at that moment Darkness is grabbing my elbow and tugging me towards him.

  “C’mon, both of you. We need to get inside and talk about the plan.”

  “No, we need to keep fighting these things and help out whoever we can,” I argue, needing to do more. I’m not the type to just sit around and watch madness happen around me.

  “He’s right. We need to have a plan, they just keep coming, Haven. This is bigger than any of us expect I’m afraid,” Sapphire agrees, beginning the trek back to the door that leads into Sanctuary. Darkness pulls me into his arms like I’m a pathetic, defenseless little girl and rushes us both back into the safe walls of Sanctuary.

  Sapphire walks towards the back, heading to her office and Darkness follows her closely. Before we get into the hallway I raise my hand and motion for Fern to come along. She needs to be in on this too. We may not get along all the time but considering how unpredictable both Jett/Darkness and Sapphire are, I just might need the additional opinion to back up my own.

  The doors to Sapphire’s office don’t even close before I’m being put on the ground, I stagger from right to left as I wasn’t placed down in the gentlest way. I look up to Darkness, seeing that his black eyes are gone and instead they’re replaced with Jett’s.

  “We’ll be having a talk later.”

  I roll my eyes at his grumbling tone and instead divert my attention to Sapphire, only she doesn’t speak.

  “We need to get everyone that we can out of here. I have a safe place where the demons won’t be able to go,” Jett tells us. Whoa. Those were demons?

  “What a crock of shit. The only safe place is Sanctuary. The strongest mages, sorcerers and warlocks have spelled it to be so. You can’t stand here and tell me that you’ve got another option. Unless you want these people to die, you won’t think so foolishly again.”

  I hear Sapphire’s accent slipping out, sometime when she’s really heated you can hear it come through. It sounds northern European, as if she was once a Viking.

  “You would consider me a fool, really?” He snarls, staring at her like he knows much more than he lets on. “Only a fool would do things such as you have. Right, Sapphire?” He taunts, hissing at her. Jett brings up his hand, showing her a ring that sits on his middle finger, it’s a flat ring, thick gold makes up the band and as I look closer I can see there is a lion head with a circle of blades that surround it.

  Sapphire’s eyes go wide. “How did you get one of those?”

  “The same way I have access to Norvka,” He snaps back, clearly displeased with her questions. I wonder if he’s becoming insulted. I can’t help but snicker, noticing how he has a soft spot. Oh, how I’ll have fun with that later. At this point it’s clear to me that I know Darkness so much better than I know Jett.

  It’s funny, isn’t it? I’ve seen Darkness the least and yet he doesn’t hide anything from me. Maybe Jett isn’t hiding anything per say, but Darkness doesn’t feel a need to do that. He’s shown me what he truly is and isn’t afraid to display the darkest parts of him.

  That’s what I want Jett to do. I want him to show me the dark parts of him, and maybe even the light too. We all have a little bit of darkness inside of us, it’s just not Darkness.

  “No, you all died in battle. Every single one of you. I’ve heard the stories,” Sapphire says to him, looking around the room as she begins to pace, folding her arms in front of her chest.

  “Some of us did, yes, but not all of us.” It’s silent for a few minutes while everyone processes what is going on. I don’t quite understand it to be honest, but something tells me I’m about to.

  “What’s your plan then?” Sapphire looks Jett up and down. “You’ve got the ring, and now that I see the chain around your neck I don’t think it would be smart of me to assume you’re not what you say you are. You’re in the high order, so you must have a plan.”

  “We need to get everyone to Norvka. The only thing we need is a fairy who has the ability to teleport. They can dreamwalk into me and see where it is, and then open a portal from Sanctuary to there. We have enough space to hold thousands, all we have to do is get them there.”

  I don’t know what the hell is going on. What is the high order, and what is Norvka?

  “Care to explain what it is you two are going on about?” I interject, demanding some answers.

  “The High Order is before your time, girl. They were founded centuries ago when an evil sorceress by the name of Soraya had one objective, to destroy this world as she knew it. She opened the portal to Xeha and allowed demons to come through, causing chaos much like today; however today it is much worse. I remember that day, how the demons stopped coming...from the looks of it, the portal has long since been closed . The members of The High Order are demons themselves, rumored to have escaped Xeha the first time Soraya opened the portal. I happen to wonder if that part is true or not, however they were able to defeat her the first time. The only part of this story that doesn’t add up is that The Order and Soraya had all died in the battle...however it seems to be that none of you are actually dead...considering she’s the only one who can open the portal to Xeha...”

  “Okay...got it. What’s Norvka?” I ask, this time I look to Jett.

  “Do you not know anything about our history?” He asks me, and I shake my head from left to right. It’s not exactly what happens You don’t exactly know the ins and outs of this world when you’re abandoned and raised by humans. The only things I know about our history are the things I hear while serving patrons at the bar, or what Fern tells me. Otherwise, I’m not privy to such knowledge.

  “Norvka is our refuge, a safe place for those to come if something like this were to occur again. Magically reinforced by the elder mages. A spell very similar to the one that was placed here. Nothing can get in that we don’t want to. It’s our only option. We need to move everyone there as soon as we are able. Can anyone dreamwalk here?”

  Fern steps forward, raising her hand hesitantly. “I can. I haven’t done it in a little bit...but I can if need be. I’ll help in any way that I can. Shall we do it now?”

  “No. Not yet, I’ve called my brothers and sister who are preparing Norvka for our arrival. They will need a few hours at least. All we can do now is make sure everyone within Sanctuary is fed and happy. It’s almost one in the morning, do you have blankets?” Jett looks over to Sapphire who nods.

  “If we have to wait, we must wait. I have rollaway cots in the back portion of the hall, they just need open the gold door and it leads into another room. Luckily, I’m prepared for situations like this when Sanctuary was built. We should have enough room for everyone.” Jett nods at her words.

  I just stand here and act like I understand exactly what’s going on when in reality, I know nothing.

  Sapphire exits her office, Fern quick on her heels. I can assume that those two are going to help get everyone settled for the night, and what pushback there will
be. I’m sure people just want to go home to their loved ones.

  There’s not much I can do, so I take Jett’s hand in my own and leave Sapphire’s office, walking across the hall to another doorway that leads to Sapphire’s private quarters and upstairs to where the employees live. He sticks close behind me as I make my way up the stairs and reach my bedroom door.

  I open the door slowly and reveal my bedroom to him. It’s small, just a teeny bedroom with a double bed, a small desk with a chair and an even more cramped bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it was free, so I’d take it. He steps inside with me, and shuts the door behind him, locking it.

  I swallow, not looking at him, wondering who I will be faced with. Jett or Darkness. “Go to bed, little girl.”

  Darkness it is.

  I turn to look at him, his black eyes filming over Jett’s. I can’t help but stare, at the mystery that is both men...or can I even call them both men? Sapphire said the high order are demons...so a demon and a man? I need to brush up on my species education.

  I take my arms around him, leaning up on my tippy toes I bring my lips to his, kissing him sensually. He growls in pleasure, his own arms wrapping around me as they pull me closer to him. He nips at my bite again and I mew, sounding like a baby kitten.

  “We need to go to sleep...I’ll burn all of this energy out of you in the morning.” He winks at me, biting my lip again before he lifts me into his arms and throws me on the bed. I hit it with a thud as he plops down next to me, holding me firm against him.

  “Mierfin,” he murmurs against me, I don’t know what the word means...but it settles me, and soon thereafter, darkness is the only thing that greets me.

  Chapter 12

  I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible and when I leave, you will understand why storms are named after people. -scorpioquotes.com

  Soraya

  I walk up and down the halls of my home, the aged wood calls out to me, calming me in ways that nothing else ever has. It’s dark, not black, but almost so. The wood is as dark as I am in a way, and it only makes sense that I am comforted by such a grim color. Along with the wood I have a deep green that accents my furnishings. It’s the same shade of emerald jewelry that coats my body. The stone that my mother had passed down upon me long ago.

  Today was one of the biggest days, I’ve had in a long time, I’ve re-opened the portal to Xeha, giving the demons a chance to wreak havoc upon this world as they have once before. Only, that time I had closed the portal quickly upon opening it, using the demons to do my bidding for me. This time I still rule them, they look to me as their queen; however, I have no intentions on closing the portal. This time I refuse to make the same mistakes that I have previously. I allowed my heart to get in the way of my objectives, and I will not do that again.

  I decide that pacing these walls is pointless, and a grand idea pops into my head. I go down the stairs, opening the door that exits my home and find myself in the woods that surround it. I was particular when purchasing this property, wanting to make sure that any events had happened on the land. By events, I mean war. Whenever there was war, battles or bloodshed the blood of the dead had a certain way of making the land a syphoning ground. Because I am a sorceress, this made it easier for me to conduct my own magic.

  My property lies on the outskirts of Culloden, Scotland. One of the most famous battles within history happened here and I was front and center to every bit of madness that came about. I smile thinking of the parts I had to play in the demise of the Jacobites and King Charles’ intentions. To be fair, I had warned him not to mess with Britain or me, but he chose to ignore the caution I so kindly gave him.

  I venture further into the woods until I travel at least a mile inland. I speak suddenly, quickly in my native tongue, holding my hands above the ground, concentrating on the specific being I want to come from Xeha. He hasn’t come forth yet, and he may not unless I summon him.

  The earth below me breaks apart as the portal is opened, the still air around me picking up with giant gusts of wind. I hear the leaves on the trees being ripped off, flying around as the portal continues to open. Green fire appears in front of me forming in a circle, I can see Xeha and the creatures behind it. I focus, whispering to the one I want to come forth, and he is bound to listen.

  I whisper, staring into the portal as he comes forth. His skin as dark as night, his mane almost touching the ground and once where his black eyes were, are now covered in a deep emerald that matches my jewels, showing that he is bound to me. Gloom walks towards me, taking step by step through the portal and stands before my eyes.

  I’m sure Jett and the High Order will appreciate the little bit of chaos that I’ve created for them. Too bad they’re vastly outnumbered. I just can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees who I have standing before me. I pet Gloom’s mane, and he neighs happily, rubbing his head against my bosom. Oh yes, I will enjoy this very much.

  The High Order may have thought that they had gotten rid of me before, but they hadn’t, and they never will. I am far too powerful for them to just simply defeat, the magic that runs through my veins is too strong for their measly attempts. I did a great job at making sure that they had no clue I have been alive for all these years, instead I have lived in hiding, making sure that everything would go as I wanted it to on the day I would act. So far it has, and no one will mess my opportunity to have vengeance.

  Ever since I’ve taken ahold of my father, I’ve been so much more powerful than I could ever imagine. It happened years ago, when I trapped his demon body inside of me. He was the ruler of Xeha, but now that privilege belongs to me. He was being a fool, not running the things the way that he should have and for far too long he didn’t give me my rightful crown, the one I was born to have.

  That ended the first time I opened the portal. He told me I would never have Xeha if he was alive and attempted to take my powers from me. That backfired on him very quickly when I spelled him inside of my necklace, giving me the ability to use his powers in addition to my own. It also enables me to control every demon from Xeha. I can’t help but smile at that, no one will know what hit them, and they won’t know what to do when they realize the powers I truly hold.

  I hope they’re ready, the war is here.

  Chapter 13

  I see humans, but no humanity.

  -Anonymous

  Jett

  I wake later than I thought I would. Darkness was in control of my body for most of the night, holding Haven close to both of us. There’s something about the girl that calls out to both him and I, and since he revealed to me overnight that she’s a demon, I can see why his interest is peaked. It would only make sense that he craves her so much, she and him are the same, yet she knows nothing of it since she hasn’t been through her awakening.

  When we were in the dragon shifter’s office, I discovered that Haven doesn’t know much...in fact I wonder what she does know. Since she works in Sanctuary I assumed she’d know a little bit, but this makes me realize that I don’t know much about her. I haven’t got the slightest idea. Fuck, I think Darkness knows more about her then I do.

  There’s so much that I want to know, that I desire to know about her. Since that first night I’ve had my eyes on her. It wasn’t only Darkness that made his claim to her last night, but me as well. When he bit her, he told me he was going to. He wasn’t asking my permission, and in some cases I did argue with him, it’s not like he listened when I did but last night I didn’t disagree with him.

  I want her too, maybe not as much as he does, but somehow, I think that will someday change. Some of the things he does I have a problem with but having her isn’t one of them.

  She barreled into our life like a hurricane, it was most unexpected. Never in all my life have I just met someone who I’ve wanted to give things to. The girl intrigues me like no other, and this makes both Darkness and I want to give her everything she desires. I have an inkling that she’s never had that kind of treatment
before, and between both he and I she will just have to adapt to the change.

  I glance around the room and notice that Haven isn’t there, however I see steam coming from the doorway indicating that she’s currently in the shower. I look over to my right and see a small bedside table that I hadn’t noticed before, my phone sits on the top, a blue light flashing which tells me that I either have a missed call or an incoming text that I hadn’t opened.

  I swipe my thumb up, unlocking my phone after I grab it and listen to the voicemail that was left for me.

  “Where are you Jett? You left a voicemail on the phone line we all share and now you decide not to fucking answer. What the hell? I swear one of these days I am going to shove my size five boot so far up your ass it’ll pop out of your big mouth. By the way, the world is in complete chaos right now, I had one of them lower demons jump right into the guy I was in the middle of fucking. Not cool. It kind of ruined my night. Another thing, Gunth better not be there or I’ll leave. I swear on Daagon I will cut him to bits.”

  Daagon. She just had to bring him up. The high demon who rules Xeha. I figured after all these years, the drama between Gunther and Bhellatrix was finally over. I guess not. Going back to Norvka was going to be interesting either way, now it’s going to be like an episode of that trashy human show The Vampire Diaries.

  If that show doesn’t want to make me cut out my own eyes I don’t know what does, all the drama and all that bullshit, nonsense about vampires. Maybe I should let Darkness get a hold of those directors and show them what really lurks in the dark corners of the night. It would be a rude awakening for them.