Dark Layers Volume 2: Dark Layers

by Gray, A L

  "I'm sorry." He whispers. He moves towards me, resting his face in my lap. I hug him with everything I have. Wow, Elijah in tears and desperate for some affection; I almost want to cry myself.

  "Do you want to come in?" I ask, desperately hoping he will say yes. He nods, still looking extremely traumatized.

  "Please don't cry Elijah, I cannot handle it." My hands tremble while I try to hug him.

  "I'm sorry." He says.

  "And please stop saying sorry. It's not your fault your family are... intense."

  I pull him with me and set us both on our feet. Elijah reveals a set of keys and strangely opens my apartment door.

  "How did you - when did you get a key?" I ask flabbergasted.

  "I own this place now."

  I close my eyes. Boy oh boy this is annoying! And when did my father sell? I'll call Scarlet later, I need to know what the hell has been going on.

  "Elijah, I am still leaving."

  "If you leave, I'll just buy your new place, so you might as well stay put."

  "You cannot buy all of London!" I gasp. I'm all pointing fingers.

  "Actually, I probably could." He snaps deadpan.

  Okay, is he upset or angry? I cannot tell.

  "Please stop this Elijah, it's too much."

  "I do not want you struggling for money; I do not want you living in squalor; just stay put. I'll charge you rent if it makes you feel better? Or you can pay me in kind." He smiles.

  "Just come in Elijah." I say in a weak voice. I'm mentally exhausted.

  We walk into the living area. I don't say anything, I'm observing him. He feels different, I cannot explain it but things feel sort of relationship-ey - I know that is not a word but it's the only way to describe things right now.

  "So you do not want to marry me." He says, lowering himself into the sofa. He crosses one leg over the other and places his hands comfortably in his lap. I just stand in front of him like an ice sculpture.

  "I don't want to marry anyone." I frown, pocketing my hands because of my nervous spout.

  This is so awkward - it's way too early in our... relationship to be discussing this. I have given up on taking things slowly - skipping the heady merry faze - and decided to move forward with us, practically on his terms. I have forgiven him of everything - what else does he want? Blood?

  "Elijah, I have not gone forward with my desire to take things slowly with us - I am moving at your pace. I have forgiven your disappearing act. I am trying - why is this not enough for you?"

  "You never fail at making me want you," he frowns, "everything you do, is it calculated?"

  "What?" I gasp.

  "You heard me."

  "What do you mean 'calculated'?"

  "Do you mentally plan everything for an outcome that lands in your favour?"

  "No I bloody well do not."

  "Oh come on Anile; dropping your virginity when I had you trussed up on my fucking wall - when I wanted to fuck the shit out of you; defying my decision to sack you; playing me at my own game by flirting with the bar tender the other day when you told me 'no'. If that is an unknown tactic, maybe you should start teaching women how to reel men in."

  He gazes at me; he's watching me intently. I'm so sick of games between us. I lose my jacket and shoes and fall beside him on the sofa. I pull my skirt up my thighs and pull my legs up. I cross them while turning to face Elijah fully.

  "Elijah, are you not tired of wondering all the time?"

  He frowns, "what do you mean?"

  "I mean this; you thinking I have an agenda; people wanting to know our private business; the stunt you pulled with Angel the other day - are you not tired of it all?"

  "It is all I know Anile." He says soft.

  I take both his hands in mine while leaning closer to him. A hot rush fills my brain immediately. I breathe a low *sigh*. He is my own personal drug - my ecstasy; I desperately need this feeling to forget all the bad between us.

  "You can learn new things Elijah," I stare up at him, "you do not have to stay the same. I am telling you that I have no agenda. It may be hard to believe - from where you come from everyone plays dirty - but I'm not like that, I'm desperate for normal."

  "Normal being - no marriage?" He smiles weakly.

  "Elijah, we have not been dating that bloody long - how can you know I'm right for marriage; right for you?"

  He tugs on my hand, "because of 'this'." He says affectionately.

  Oh I feel it too baby! I want to tell him, but I don't. My reticent ways keep me safe, and also leave things to the imagination. I'm not on Elijah's level when it comes to lust, but mentally, I can take him.

  "Elijah, I overheard you and your father talking today."

  "What did you hear?"

  "Everything. You know him saying Darks Lawyers is only yours if you are married is a load of crap, don't you? That is not legal."

  "Anile, Princess, it does not really matter. My father has every Judge and Police Chief in his pocket. If he wants something, he will just take it. He thrives on control."

  I smile, "I see the apple has not fallen far from the tree?"

  He raises his eyebrows but then frowns. "Why is marriage such a no go for you Anile?"

  "Why is it so important to you?"

  "My question first." He says surely.

  I breathe a huge *sigh*. How the hell will we ever get past all this?

  "Elijah, you trust me right?" I say while looking right into his eyes - I need his trust for what I am going to propose to him.

  "Um, yes - I try to daily."

  He tries? Well, with a family like his, it's understandable that he has trust issues!

  "Shall we play a game, a safe one?" I ask.

  He bites his lower lip. "What game?" His eyes are wild, alight, penetrating.

  "Truth or dare. If you win I'll marry you - one day, not now - if I win, you will drop that question?"

  He smiles, revealing all his teeth. "This could get messy, and last all night."

  "It doesn't last for only one day - we will use our truth or dares over time. But you can stay here tonight if you like. Don't take things too far with the game though Elijah - let's learn about each other."

  This is the only solution I can think of - fucked up I know but I'm trying desperately to think like Elijah. I can learn about him while he learns about me. We can test one another, fail with one another and hopefully come out on top - together.

  "Okay," he says stroking my knuckles with the gentle pad of his thumb, "are there any rules?"

  "Yes, there are always rules. You get ten truths and ten dares. Use them wisely. If you lie, you lose one question to ask me - a truth. Once a truth has been answered, we get three further questions to ask but only whys and when's. Whoever forfeits the most loses. Does that make sense?"

  "Yes. And what if you forfeit your dare, what do you have to do?" He asks serious.

  I can sort of understand why he is so curious about the dares. I almost want to laugh. I think about his question properly. What is an appropriate forfeit?

  "What do you want me to do if I forfeit?" That is fare - I think.

  "Hmmm, the possibilities. If you forfeit, I will kiss another woman in front of you. You know how painful I find kissing Anile, so I will be punished also because of your weakness."

  "Elijah, no." I snap, pulling my hand free from his.

  "Anile, that is the only way I can insure you will do your dares."

  I grit my teeth - why oh why did I give him free reign of the consequences?

  "Okay, deal. And if you forfeit, I will kiss another man."

  "Deal - just know that I will never forfeit." He smiles viciously. "Shall we shake on it? A blood deal." He says.

  "A what?" I frown and narrow my eyes at him.

  "It is -" he starts to say something but doesn't finish, "it is a final deal, it cannot be broken."

  I swallow hard. "Okay, how do we do it?"

  He gets to his feet and glides to the kitchen. He rummages
through the draws and comes back to me. He's holding a small black handled potato peeling knife. He takes my hand, opening all my fingers. Horror rushes through me because I know he's going to cut me. Surprisingly though, he doesn't cut me, he places the knife in my palm. He loses his suit jacket and his waist coat. Holy hell he looks so damn good! His scent penetrates my nose as he throws his jacket and waistcoat over the back of the sofa. Hmmm, Elijah! He unties his hair and ruffles it with his hand. He sits back on the sofa, this time mirroring my position; he crosses his legs and smiles at me.

  "Here, take my hand and cut a small hole. Not too deep though Anile."

  "Elijah, I cannot do that." I frown. I'm so scared; I don't want to do this.

  He cups my chin, "I trust you." He whispers while gazing into my eyes.

  I swallow and desperately try to stop my hands from trembling. I take his hand and open it fully. I place the knife in position. I thrust the knife into his skin and blood gently escapes.

  "Do you trust me to cut you? It's okay if you don't Princess." He says, still looking at me.

  "I do trust you." I whisper. My breathing picks up to a dangerous speed.

  He takes my hand. He opens it fully and surprisingly pulls it up to his mouth. He kisses my palm, gently. His lips cause a rush of ecstasy to fill my brain - his pheromone rushes to every inch of my mind. He pulls my hand to his chest level.

  "Ready?"

  I nod, not truly ready but I do trust him. He pushes down on the knife. It pierces my skin.

  "Ouch." I wince.

  Blood lightly breaks free. This is so fucking weird that I have hardly any words to explain what the hell we are doing! He takes my hand in his bleeding one. He closes our fingers around our palms. I can feel his blood against my cut; it feels so strange, and warm. Elijah closes his eyes and holds my hand extremely tight.

  "Master, accept this pack with consequences to the failed one. Accept it as a reward to me, a reward for my dedication to you, my love for you. Accept it with knowledge that I dedicate myself to this blood pack. No one but you knows the consequence of breaking a binding blood pack."

  He finishes and I hastily pull my hand free from his. What on earth was that? I clutch at my bleeding palm with my other hand, holding it close to my chest.

  "Elijah, is it done?" I ask wide-eyed.

  "It is Princess."

  "Good, I want to ask you something." My tummy feels extremely tight. I feel strange.

  "Well I guess I'm choosing a truth first then?" He smiles. I don't return his gesture; he has officially freaked me out.

  "Are you a Freemason?" My words come known to me - I need to know, I'm desperate. "Remember to answer truthfully, and I get three questions to ask after you answer. If you are a Freemason, you must explain."

  His eyes become impassive; his nostrils start to flare - shit he looks nervous.

  "Yes." He says simply.

  HOLY FUCKING SHIT! I cannot breathe properly, yet my mouth is wide open. Although I knew he is a Freemason, I just was not expecting that!

  He quickly cups my face - his touch is numb to me.

  "Breathe Anile, breathe."

  "Elijah, I-" I don't know what to say.

  "Please do not look at me like that Anile. Remember, curiosity killed the cat."

  "Is that a threat?" I snap. I hastily grab his hands and remove them from my face. I rise to my feet.

  "No, of course it's not. Anile," he says frowning, "it's a figure of speech. You should not ask questions if you are not ready for the worst of answers."

  I blink rapidly, wondering what the hell to say.

  "Are you part of the Illuminati?"

  "That is a question for another truth."

  Still blinking, I wonder if he really is. This is Satanic shit, no wonder he is fucked up. Oh this poor man. I grit my teeth in hope that I don't cry.

  "Yes it is - I'm sorry. My first question on the subject," I frown, "who made you become a Freemason?"

  "Sit down and I'll tell you." He says with worried eyes.

  I sit next to him. For the second time ever, I feel nothing from him. He has strangely shut down his vibes.

  "My father made me join when I was eighteen."

  My thoughts are confirmed; oh no, my poor baby!

  "Why - how?"

  "Are they your last two questions?"

  Still blinking rapidly I manage to answer. "Um - yes."

  "Promise you will not bolt, Anile. I have not committed myself to any rituals since I have met you, I swear."

  Oh, that's good news. My pulse settles a little - maybe I can save him after all. Tears glaze my eyes a little; I know I will not like this. I feel so much pain for him, it weighs heavily on my chest.

  "I swear I will not bolt, you have my word."

  I will do everything in my willpower to stay with him. This is what it means to be with someone fully, to take everything they have and hope that you can save them, love them with every ounce of yourself.

  "Can I take your hands? I need to feel close to you while I tell you this."

  "I can do one better." I say. I slide over to him and sit in his lap. I don't want to see his pained face while he unloads this Devil Satanic stuff on me. He wraps his arms around my entire body. I feel safe, I feel so safe in his arms.

  "When I turned eighteen, my father told me he had a surprise for me. He blindfolded me and drove me out to the woods. We were met with 'our leaders', our Freemason leaders, twelve of them - including Castor and my father. While I was still blindfolded, they performed the ritual without my consent - sacrificing my soul to Satin. My father performed the three threats of trust. Firstly, I had to sacrifice a loved animal. I hated every minute of it. My father brought my dog, Sancus. I had to kill him - please do not make me tell you how because I know it will hurt you Anile." He hugs me tighter.

  Tears lightly make their way down my cheeks. This is so dark, so, so dark. I don't know if I want to hear anymore. I clutch at his shirt unknowingly.

  "The second sacrifice was to be a human. My father tricked me into this, but I never actually pulled the trigger. Pun." He says kissing my forehead.

  What does he mean by pun? Pulling the trigger is a figure of speech? It must be, surely if he actually killed someone he would be in jail?

  "The third was the sacrifice of innocence; my first wife. Once I preformed all three threats of trust, I passed, therefore becoming an Enlightened one. They finished the ritual three months later - after I married - by holding a knife to my neck and that was their final threat to me. They told me that if I did not keep our community a secret there would be consequences. From thereon I have attended rituals every week - until I met you."

  I gently peel myself away from him, peering up into his cold ice blue eyes.

  "Elijah, do you feel - possessed?"

  I know quite a lot about all this stuff, and I know that once you sell your soul to the Devil there is no going back - God will never forgive you.

  He shakes his head firmly, "no, I do not go that deep Anile. I would have, but you somehow saved me from myself."

  Oh my! I cannot help myself, I start to sob.

  "Princess please do not cry. I'm okay." He says, cupping my face and trying desperately to pull my eyes to meet his.

  "No wonder you came looking for me." I say, still sobbing.

  "How right you are, you have saved me from myself Anile - that is why I need you."

  I clutch at his waist, hugging him with everything I have. I cannot stop crying, so I sob lightly against him.

  "Can you not stop? I mean, it's dark Elijah, you are better than that."

  He sighs for a long while. He strokes my head tenderly.

  "It is not that easy Anile. Once you commit yourself, you become a liability if you try to leave. They have rules, dangerous rules and now you are in my life, I cannot risk anything happening to you."

  "Do not worry about me, I will not let them come between us."

  "It is not just about them trying to come betw
een us. It's more than that." He pauses for a second. "I think because I have not attended our weekly gatherings, that is why my father has returned."

  I peer up at him. "Your father is evil Elijah, I sense it from him."

  "I know." He says with hooded eyes.

  "I won't let him hurt you, not anymore."

  He presses his lips to my forehead and smiles.

  "My turn," he says, "do you love me?"

  Oh my sweet Dark soul, he needs confirmation that someone loves him. I nod my head against his chest, I cannot manage words.

  "Tell me Anile - I need to hear you say it."

  "I do, I do love you Elijah." I whisper.

  He inhales deeply. I feel his chest harden. I cannot tell if he liked hearing that or not.

  "Are you ready for a dare?" He says.

  I frown, is he not going to return my gesture?

  "Elijah, I just told you that I love you." I say sitting up straight. I gaze at him. Oh he did like that, I can see it in his warm crinkled eyes.

  "Dare?" He says with raised eyebrows.

  I don't further him, his haunted expression has gone and I will not be the one who brings it back.

  "Dare." I say sweetly. "What do you want me to do?" I wipe my watery eyes and try my best to seem beatific.

  "I'm going to leave now, I will text you."

  "Whoa, what? You cannot leave; I thought you were staying the night?"

  "Goodbye Anile." He says, smiling with a hint of desire in his eyes.

  He gets to his feet and strides past me. He doesn't take his jacket, he just walks right out of my apartment without so much as one word.

  I'm gobsmacked, utterly gobsmacked.

  My phone pings within minutes. The Cirque De Soleil have paid a surprise visit. I rush to the floor, I'm on all fours trying desperately to find my phone. I unlock the screen with hasty fingers - I'm dying to know what he says.

  From: Elijah

  I dare you to strip and wear only my waist jacket. Take a photo of yourself lying on the floor with your legs open and send the photo to me. x

  Holy fuck! My mouth is agape; I cannot do that - can I? The punishment is worse Gooden! Shit! I stand tall, excited yet nervous. He will be able to see my sex all the damn time! Oh no, this is taking things too far!