In the Light of Darkness

by Delizhia Jenkins

  D. No one other than my best friend calls me D. I tuck away this moment into the secret girly pocket purse of memory I keep stored away where no one can find. I fight the urge to smile, but it is damn near impossible.

  We drive for at least an hour before traffic finally released from gridlock and it was smooth sailing from there. I suddenly feel more energized once the sun has sank below the horizon. It is almost like my entire being has come alive after being rewired. All of a sudden, I want to fight. I want to draw my sword and level it at an opponent and engage. I inhale deeply. I love the night.

  We drive to a quaint little neighborhood down the street from the downtown area. The neighborhood is silent. Not a sound whatsoever. Not even the typical noises that night creatures such as crickets make. Nothing. Aiden ushers Biscuit out of the car as I slide out of the passenger seat and onto the sidewalk. I feel absolutely amazing. I want to dance and knock someone out at the same time. For no reason I back flip onto the street and Aiden looks at me as if I have lost all of my marbles. Perhaps in that moment I have.

  He motions for me to follow him and he leads us to this two story Victorian styled home with rusted fencing and a yard that needed more than a gardener: it needed prayer. The dilapidated steps that made up the front porch was chipped of paint and I wondered who did Aiden know that would live in a place like this. The screen door swung open without either of us having to knock, and we are greeted by the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. She stared at me with dazzling hazel green eyes. Dark coils of thick hair cascaded down to the center of her back. Her full lips pulled back into a huge smile showcasing her perfect white teeth the instant her eyes connected with Aiden’s. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, and I sensed the energy that exchanged between the two and I wonder how long have they been sleeping together. Her ivory skin is smooth beyond perfection, and she exudes an ethereal beauty that one simply cannot compete with nor deny.

  Yep, he’s slept with her. And by the way they are staring at each other I assume the moment I am out of sight they will be rolling in the hay once more.

  “Aiden,” she finally says after what felt like an eternity.

  “Siren,” he replies, seeming to still be trapped in a daze.

  Siren?

  “It has been a long time since you have come to visit me,” she says, lilting her voice in a sing-song manner. She returns her gaze to me, and I don’t like it. I left my sword in the car but trust me I am deadly without it. She senses my tension and she returns her gaze to Aiden, this time adjusting the tone of her voice from melodious to somewhat normal.

  “Come in. I know you have many questions to ask of me.” She steps to the side holding the screen door open for us. Aiden motions for me to go in first but I decline. I don’t trust her. As Aiden steps inside, she gives me this side eyed look with a message that reads loud and clear: Back off. He’s mine.

  I retaliate with a silent message of my own. Hurt him and you die. She looks at me, stunned and I pass by her unaffected. I survey the scene in front me. The living room is beyond spacious and is nothing like the dreadful exterior we were greeted with before entering. Decorated in aquamarine and various hue of blue, it dawns on me that this “Siren” is exactly what her name suggests she is! I had no idea that such a thing was even possible, but later on I will learn that the word “impossible” is simply a figment of one’s imagination. Anything is possible, if you look deep enough.

  High above our head is a chandelier made completely out of coral, sea stars and other trinkets one might find at the bottom of the sea. I am not sure if I find any of this amazing or totally weird, but she beckons for us to take a seat at the dining table which is long enough to seat at least twelve people. I sit next to Aiden while she sits across from us. She doesn’t bother to look at me. She keeps her eyes focused on Aiden.

  “It has been a long time since you last came to visit me Aiden,” She says softly.

  I forgot to mention that she was dressed in ‘white robing which wrapped around her from her bust line all the way down to her ankles. I have no idea how she was even able to walk properly, being that she sported the fashions of a mummy, but to each his own. Aiden is mesmerized by her, his eyes roam from her delicate face to the swell of her chest, and something tells me that she is doing this on purpose. I clear my throat. Loudly. She glares at me and I smile and whatever effect she is having on Aiden slowly dissipates.

  “Siren, please don’t do that again,” Aiden says finally as he comes out of whatever haze she put him in.

  “But I-“

  “I am not here for that,” he says quickly.

  She sits back against the wooden frame of the chair. “I see. Then why have you come?”

  “I need your help,” He says firmly.

  “My help comes with a price,” she coos.

  “Some friend,” I mumble under my breath.

  She scowls.

  “Fine,” He says with defeat.

  “Wait, you don’t have to pay a price for me,” I protest. “I have been dealing with the dreams this long and-“

  “Oh, the dreams,” Siren says all of a sudden full of interest. “Give me your palms child.”

  There is something about the way she says “child” that makes me want to scream, but I do what I am told-reluctantly. Her hands gently enfold around mine and she closes her eyes. Her touch is calming, although I hate to admit it, I relish the peace that washes through me. All of my suppressed grief is siphoned out of me; all of my hate and anger towards The House of Light; all my resentment towards my parents for never allowing me room to breathe and grow. After a few minutes I feel myself slipping away. I can hear her voice in my thoughts singing the sweetest of melodies and a part of me wants to fight her for it. But I can’t. The song is too beautiful, too serene, and it gives me a sense of peace that I have never experienced.

  I wake up hours later from the best sleep I have ever had in my life. No dreams of darkness. No nightmares. Just sleep. I sit up to find myself stretched out on a four poster bed decorated in various shades of purple and white. I need to find Aiden so he can explain to me what the hell happened. I slide off of the bed and make a mental note to decorate my own room like this once I am settled. My Timbs are nowhere in sight so I tiptoe out of the room and head down the long, dark hallway.

  “Aidan?” I whisper as I creep along. I hear noises coming from the room just a few ahead, and I am old enough to know when something is amiss. It sounds like Aiden, but a more primal, animalistic Aiden, followed by an incessant pounding. This place is weird and the faster we get out of here the happier I will be. I reach the door to the room where the noises are coming from and find the door cracked. I ease it open just enough and wish to the heavens that I didn’t. The vision that I witness is nothing I ever want to see again in this lifetime or the next and I am mad that Aiden could not control himself enough to see through this witch’s intentions. They are on the bed surrounded by wall to wall to…fucking ceiling with mirrors. His head is thrown back in ecstasy as she bops up and down on his lap, her large breasts bouncing in the palms of his hands. Her head is thrown back, her mouth is open in a silent scream. I cover my mouth to silence the gasp that was threatening to reveal my presence. And then, she turns her head toward me and smiles. I close the door.

  I freeze frame as fast and as hard as my body will go and I find my shoes near the entrance to the stairway. I am so out of here. Aiden can kiss my ass-no, never mind. I don’t want his lips anywhere near my ass. But I am gone. I don’t need his help. My parents have safe houses all over California and all I have to do is get to one of them and begin planning from there. The keys to the Humvee are I’m sure in Aiden’s possession and I am not about to go back and retrieve them. Fortunately I have my wallet with all of my financial access on me, the only thing I am concerned about is Biscuit. However, Biscuit will be fine. He is somewhere in that sea-witch’s house but I make a silent vow to get my dog back once I am settled.

  I take of
f down the street, whizzing past cars faster than a blur. I can’t stop. I will not stop until I get as far away from Aiden and the whores that follow him. Maybe I am being a bit dramatic. Maybe I am overreacting, but either way, I can’t stay. Not after everything I have been through in the last two days, and not after everything I know is coming for me. He can continue to get his jollies off. I need answers.

  I guess I was too wrapped up in my own personal drama that I didn’t realize what was following me until I hit a corner and went down a side street until I run right into a wall. I bounce off, completely dazed and by the time I get my bearings and turn around, there it is in front of me: a goddamn Berserker. My father spoke about these creatures frequently and he instructed me that if I ever engaged with one, I only have one option: run.

  Berserkers are the strongest fighting force of the House of Darkness. Ranging from gigantic proportions of 7 feet to as tall as 9 feet, these entities are a force to be feared. Only the strongest of the House of Light stands a chance against one of them. Dressed from head to toe in armor made of metal that probably is not found on the planet let alone listed on the periodic table of elements, he stares at me curiously with the blackest of eyes. Thick bands of muscle are locked tensely as he studies me, probably deciding if he should kill me or carry me off somewhere. His long silver hair is cornrowed in an intricate pattern that I idly study and mentally plan to practice later if I survive this. His skin is midnight blue, which means he is the darkest of the darkest, not just in skin color but in soul. It doesn’t take him long to figure out his plans because in less than a second he draws his sword and I have no choice but to fight for my life unarmed.

  Us Greys have powers of our own that mystify even the two Houses. I have not had much practice with mine because my parents wanted me to fight the old fashioned way, but I have to try. I freeze frame around him and he barely misses me with the swing of his sword and I duck and roll just in time. I turn around, tapping into my own personal fury and the palms of my hands ignite with pure electricity which I fling at him, sending into him bolt after bolt of electricity that seems to keep him at bay. I freeze frame around him again and hit him with a roundhouse kick into his back, which doesn’t do anything other than piss him off. With one swing of his fist he connects to my chest and sends me flying backwards into the trash bins. The center of my chest explodes with pain, and I know that at least my clavicle has to be broken. I can barely move. I told you, my father said the best thing for me to do is run, and like a dumb ass, I stood my ground and now here I am about to meet a gruesome death.

  I am not sure if it was part of a hallucination but I hear Aiden’s voice and the sounds of a serious battle taking place. Aiden shouldn’t fight the Berserker. They are too strong and Aiden…I can feel myself slipping away from the pain and the last thing I remember is a pair of gentle hands lifting me into a cradled embrace. I hope Aiden survived.

  Chapter 7

  Aiden

  I am not sure if I should be pissed at myself or pissed at her or pissed at Siren, but I am pissed off nonetheless. As I gently ease Dawn onto the backseat of the car, I assess her injuries: broken clavicle, a couple of cracked ribs, and bruises up and down her torso. She lost the fight to a fucking Berserker! A Berserker of all things obviously was trailing her the moment she left and now…I shake my head. I understand why she left, and for that I am sorry. I thought she would be sleep for a lot longer but then again, the sexual endurance of a Siren is out of this world. Their pull is even more alluring and I should have known better, but Siren is the only one I know of who could at least block the darkness that calls to her. I did not come to her with intentions of it going as far as it did and I wish like hell that I never got involved with that woman in the first place.

  I knew the moment Dawn peeked into the bedroom and witnessed what transpired between me and Siren, but there was nothing I could do. Sirens are notorious for their abilities in the bedroom which is why the male species is doomed the instant they come into contact with one. Even members of my kind become trapped in their web of sexual pleasure, so much in fact that they become affected with a STC which stands for Siren Transmitted Curse, and I happen to be one of the unlucky many who can’t seem to shake it. A STC is basically a curse transmitted from Siren to partner which renders him completely unable to become sexually attracted to anyone or anything other than the Siren which gave it to him. My dick couldn’t get hard for anyone else even if I tried which is frustrating as hell, considering the fact that I have no real feelings for Siren whatsoever. The longer I stay away from her, the curse will eventually fade but now since I fell victim to her pull again it will be a long while before my body will be able to respond normally to another female again. She does this because she is in love with me, and she is jealous of the fact that I brought to her door another female.

  At least I got some answers that will help Dawn but now, I have to figure out where to take her to get her healed. I could take her back to Siren and have her dip her into her hidden healing pools, but then that will cost me. I am not going to lie, the price I pay isn’t bad at all, but my heart does not belong to her and a part of me carries a heavy weight of guilt for the indulgence. I hop into the car and Dawn groans in pain. I don’t have much of a choice. I have to take her back to Siren and I know it will cost me.

  Somethings are worth the price.

  *****

  Dawn

  I wake up once again in the same purple room I was in before. I jump up, feeling better than ever considering my run in with the Berserker. I wonder how I got away and how Aiden was able to find me in time. I dash to the door and swing the door open. I am not about to repeat the same mistake I did earlier so I make sure I steer clear of the room down the hall. I don’t hear any noises other than the typical noises an old house makes. I tie my braids high above my head and carefully tip toe down the stairs. I am starving, freeze framing takes a lot out of me but I am not eating a crumb of whatever this chick has in her house. Everything about her home breeds manipulation and seduction and I want no parts of it. I take a seat at the dining table and open a magazine that she left idly lying about and I flip through the pages. It figures: Cosmo. Why am I not surprised? Just as I read through another article detailing the latest exploits of the most annoying reality family in the world, Aiden emerges from the top of the stairs pulling his shirt over his head with none other than Siren trailing behind him. She is wearing an oversized shirt that covers her entire petite frame. It figures. I know there has to be more than a relationship other than sex. I know that for a fact. My parents proved it, as a matter of fact I don’t believe sex was even a part of their vocabulary.

  He spots me, but I don’t acknowledge him or her for that matter. I continue reading. Whenever I do decide to give my body to someone, it will be to a man who deserves it. Plain and simple. And it will not be under the guise of whatever agreement we come to. He will belong to me and me to him, and that is that. I can feel Aiden staring at me and at this point I just don’t care. I am kind of grateful for this traumatizing experience. It lessens my attraction to him and I can think straight when I am in his presence. Siren approaches me with a smile and I wish like hell that looks could do more than cut: I wish just by glaring at her, she could be stabbed. Multiple times.

  I think she senses my resentment and her smile widens. Without my permission, she drapes a small sack around my neck and I snatch away from her.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I snap, jumping to my feet.

  “Dawn!” Aiden scolds.

  “What?” I snap. “I don’t trust her. Everything about her is a calculated seduction and she may have you fooled but I want no parts of this.”

  “She has saved your life and she offers you is a gift,” Aiden says calmly.

  I glare at him and then return the same hateful stare to her.

  “Do not worry my prince,” Siren coos. “Let me deal with her.” She turns to face me. “You are indeed gifted, perhaps the strongest of
your kind. You are also a threat to both Houses who have warred since their creation and both sides are fighting to either save you or kill you. The House of Dark wants you alive. There is a prophecy that states that you are the key to their salvation and Han’s freedom. The House of Light hopes to prevent that from happening and seeks to blot you out from existence. Inside this sack are the Scales of a Siren which will grant you some invisibility from both sides. They will hunt you but as long as you wear this around your neck they will not be able to see you, only Aiden will-“

  “I think that is enough Siren. We have to get going now,” Aiden interjects.

  Why does he always do that when someone is about to tell me something of high importance? I think to myself. What does he have to hide?

  Siren simply nods and saunters over to Aiden, urging him to lean down to her five foot frame. She places a gentle kiss on his lips and I roll my eyes. I swear this chick is sickening. When she pulls away, he seems to be in a daze and my palms tingle anxiously for my sword.

  “Come back to me soon my love,” She says in the sing-song manner. “As soon as you are done with her, come, be with me as we are destined to be. I will have no other than you.”

  He nods and I whistle for Biscuit to follow. I storm out of there almost tempted to toss her scales into the trash on the way out.

  He stumbles behind me and once we are in the car he seems too intoxicated to drive and so I wait impatiently for him to get himself together. It takes about ten minutes before he is clearheaded enough to start the car. I wish I had my IPhone with me, but it is somewhere in my luggage. I need something to tune him out and keep the distance between us even farther apart. We drive in silence before we hit the freeway. I don’t even bother to ask where he is taking me. I already am making plans for an escape.

  After about 45 minutes, he finally asks, “Are you hungry?”

  My stomach muscles clench up at the notion of food. I am not that prideful to decline. “Yes, I am.”