Dark Layers Volume 1: Volume 1

by Gray, A L

He opens the door with grace and ushers me out while we are still arm in arm.

  "Elijah, is that why you don't kiss people? Because your mother was the last person to kiss you on the lips."

  "I don't want to discuss that Anile." He says fierce.

  I immediately bring him to a halt. I grab his arm, pulling harder than necessary. He turns to face me, gazing impassively.

  "You have told me half of the story, so you might as well finish." I urge a little to brave. If I knew what was coming for me, I would have left it well alone.

  "Half of the story, that is nothing. You have no idea what I do, what I am involved in, who I am involved with, or how I get my kicks, Anile."

  "Tell me, I want to understand." I plea.

  He shakes his head, "no. You are too special to me. I don't want to tarnish you with my fucked-up-ness Princess."

  I am not bloody letting this go!

  "I'm stronger than I look. Please Elijah, I want to know everything about you - the good, the bad and the ugly."

  He stands stone still. His eyes are strangely delicate. He rubs his chin contemplating something.

  "If I show you, you are never allowed to leave me; do you promise you will do everything it takes to stay?"

  I think about his answer before I reply. I don't want to seem tactless and idiotic.

  "What do you want to show me? I want you to tell me - speak to me Elijah."

  "The only way is to show you Anile. Do you promise you won't leave?"

  "Yes, I promise." I say baffled - how can he show me his emotions?

  "Because I have grown quite attached to you Anile."

  "I said I promise and I mean it."

  "Very well, on your head be it." He warns, and now I think I have taken my curiosity too far.

  We walk back to the car.

  "Get in the passenger seat." He orders.

  I get in and the driver stares at me stupefied. Elijah opens the driver's door and mutters some code talk.

  Delta India Sierra November Echo Yankee, Lima Alpha November Delta, Oscar Foxtrot, Sierra Echo X-Ray.

  The driver gets out of the car without a single word and Elijah jumps into the driver's seat. He definitely wears this car as appose to it wearing him. Fuck he look good in anything - I bet companies would pay him an absolute fortune to be the face of their business!

  "Buckle up Princess."

  "What was that?" I ask curious, trying my very best not to gawk at him.

  "What was what?"

  "That code talk."

  He flashes me a devilish grin but doesn't answer me. We slowly drive out of the darkness of London, and into the darker countryside. I shake my head and quickly give up on trying to press for an answer - I know better.

  "So, where are we going?"

  "It's a surprise Princess."

  I like his surprises. The London Eye was amazing and really brought us together - which I'm eternally grateful for. I try a different approach to things; he will not tell me about his code talk or where we are going, so maybe I should keep things general - or so he will think.

  "Are you not over the limit? You've had quite a few drinks."

  "I am fine Anile."

  "What if the police stop you?"

  "They won't."

  "How can you be sure?"

  He doesn't answer me, he doesn't even spare me with a quick glance - I find it frustrating. Ugh!

  "What is your favourite colour?"

  "Losing tactic?" He jokes, quickly flashing me a smile from the side.

  "Never," I over work my tone to exude power, "colours can tell you a lot about people. I learnt that you are a cold exterior of a man with a fluffy inside, just by observing your staff and forming a relationship with you Elijah."

  "Very good, but maybe there's something I did not want you to see." He challenges as he looks my way.

  I know what will get him, I'll use his very own words.

  "I saw you. Our very own human wolf among the sheep."

  His mouth drops open to speak but words fail him. I smile triumphant.

  "So you are a rebel then?" He asks and it confuses me deeply.

  "What's a rebel?"

  "The ones who see things and choose not to play by the rules. Like you knowing Darks Lawyers had a dress code but you chose to ignore it."

  "I thought this was a free country with Laws - not rules?"

  "Free to walk along the streets safely, that's all. The Laws are the rules - people just choose to see it as we tell them."

  "Ahhh, I see. So the government are even trying to take our safety away from us, insuring we have to rely on them on a daily basis. I'm guessing this is where robots will come into power, no?" I joke, shaking my head.

  "Maybe." He challenges and now I'm left open-mouthed with no words to defend myself. I was expecting him to disagree with my opinion but I'm again shocked by him.

  "We are here Princess."

  I never even noticed the journey while I was busy staring at him. He really is too addictive - especially on the eye.

  We pull into a stone driveway. We are met by a huge white mansion; the White House springs to mind with its vast white columns and the huge double front doors. The garden is immaculate, and as I analyse it, I'm dumbfounded to see all the Greek Goddesses standing in order to greet us, cut from bushes and they stand perfect; strong even. Why does he seem to collect Gods and Goddesses? What could he possibly want with mythology?

  "Is this your house?"

  "You know you ask too many questions." He jokes.

  "Sorry, I'm not your submissive; I can speak when I like and ask my own questions."

  His eyebrows shoot up in utter shock, "the irony of your words are - well, you will see."

  I sit back into my chair thinking over our last conversation, and while I'm in my daydream, Elijah exits the car. He comes around to my side and ushers me out.

  "Ready?"

  "As I'll ever be."

  He takes my hand and walks me to the front doors. The stone driveway is harsh against my dolly shoes - I know they will be ruined tomorrow, perhaps I'll bill him! The Bastard!

  He knocks on the door, quietly. A small hatch hidden in one of the doors panels instantly falls open. A hand emerges from the hatch as Elijah pulls something free from his pocket. He places the object in the hand - I think it's a ring. Elijah then places his hand in the hatch and we wait for thirty seconds - I count every single second as they pass.

  "What are you doing?"

  “No more questions Princess - stay by my side and do not interact with anyone. Do you understand?”

  My mouth instantly dries and I become stressed.

  “Maybe this is not such a good idea Elijah?”

  “You will be fine, you are with me.” He says in a soft reassuring voice.

  The doors open and creek under the pressure of their own weight. My palms sweat. I try to rub them down my jeans but every time I do, the moisture just doubles back and pools in my hands. Once the doors are open fully, I'm stunned, speechless and overwrought. Will I live to regret this? Probably!

  We are met by a vast hall. Stunning is the only way to describe it - shiny black and white tiled floors stretch throughout. There are two human size wax men standing in the centre of the hall shaking hands. You cannot see their faces because they are wearing full length capes with hoods covering their appearances. The capes look suede soft and are of the deepest purple. The stairs are magnificent - silver marble dresses every single step. They stretch the entire length of the hall, commanding your eyes attention immediately. Whoever owns this place must be absolutely loaded!

  “Elijah…” I start to say but he silences me with a hand signal. I cross my arms in aggravation.

  While pouting so childishly, I notice six porcelain white women - who are also made from wax - standing upon columns flush against the walls. They are beautiful and enchanting - reminding me of Aphrodite emerging from a bath of milk. I walk over to one of them and touch her dress. I instantly feel panic
course through my veins as I realize they are not made from wax, they are real women! Holy shit! The woman standing on the column quickly grabs my hand. I jump back in a frenzy, pulling her with me.

  “Ahhh, let go of me.” I scream.

  I don't even register the initial impact of the hard floor smashing against my back.

  “You shouldn’t be here, leave now - while you can.” She quickly whispers into my ear before she's dragged off of me.

  Elijah rushes to me. He gently lifts me off of the floor, brushing my clothes down with affection.

  ”Stay close to me and do not walk off Alpha.” He addresses me annoyed. His eyes are hooded. His eyebrows are creased. I look at him in confusion but agree by nodding. Why the hell is he calling me Alpha?

  “Back to your pedestal girl!” He orders the woman.

  So much is happening that I feel a headache coming for me! A man in a deep burgundy cape emerges from another room. He greets Elijah with a strange handshake. They don't perform a normal handshake. They grip one another with their fingers - their palms don't touch. Their thumbs stay pointed out - Elijah's is pointing towards the sky and the man's' is pointing towards the earth. How bizarre?

  “Echo, how nice to see you brother.”

  I think I know what this is but I'm too scared to even imagine the words. Is this a fucking Freemason secret house?

  “I will see you another time November. I have business to attend too.” Elijah says simple.

  “Of course.” The man replies to Elijah but stares at me, smiling with a wicked grin. I don't return his gesture, he creeps me out - big time!

  The creepy man leaves and Elijah takes me by my arm, holding me in a firm grip. He leads me down the hall to the door at the very end. It's white and expensive with strange carvings of angels on every corner. We stop while he pulls a set of keys free from his pocket - he still has me in a tight grip. He unlocks the door and as soon as it's open, I wish I had just kept my mouth shut and accepted what crumbs he gave me.

  For some reason, I don't feel like I'm the first woman Elijah has brought here. I feel like I'm imposing.

  The room is small. The only colour I mentally register is a deep purple. It leads onto two further rooms but I don't care about the other rooms - my curiosity has now vanished and turned into a plague like feeling. Above the doors are ghost white masks with moustaches. Either side of the masks are real knives, pointing inwards. They have mother of pearl handles and I think they are fish knives, that's what they look like - no, that can't be right, can it? The walls look like they are dressed in cotton like wallpaper; the colour is the deepest purple you have ever seen. To my left is the only wall without a door. It's dressed in perplexing instruments and a curious picture.

  There is a naked woman with translucent skin painted onto a wooden bracket that is attached to the wall. The wooden bracket has tons of inscriptions, I think the words are from the bible, but I cannot be sure. You cannot make out the woman's face, she's bowing her head and her blonde hair is hiding her features. She's standing in a star position. She has a black gag with a ball in her mouth, tied perfectly around her face and it looks tight - her cheeks are indented with the leather. Her hands and feet are restrained with what looks like golden plates circling her wrists and ankles - she couldn't free herself even if she wanted to. Her legs are also held open with a long bar that has handcuffs attached - even the bar has some strange writing on it.

  I think the woman looks broken, like she's suffering terminal pain. Surrounding her, painted on the wooden bracket is the Zodiac system - how bizarre? And around the wooden bracket is every single object the woman has on her body - but real objects - they are not painted on. They are perfectly pinned next to each Zodiac sign. There are also whips added between each object - pure white whips with one long band of leather. Fuck me this looks... I don't fucking know, I'm lost for words. It looks like whoever decorated this room has used these objects and the woman to create a pentagram.

  “Elijah, what is this place?” I whisper flabbergasted.

  “Please go in Anile.” He urges with his hand at the low of my back.

  I swallow hard, “I don't think I want this - I don't think I want to go in there.”

  “I will not hurt you, trust me Princess.” He whispers soft from behind me.

  I look back to him, peering up with tears pricking my eyes. I walk further into the Devils Realm - I hope I will be okay.

  Elijah makes me jump - his voice sounds so loud.

  “This room is called - The Forbidden Room, Anile,” he points to the door in front of us, “you are never allowed to enter this room, do you understand?”

  “I'm not a moron Elijah, of course I understand."

  I steal a double take at the forbidden room. Holy shit! I notice small golden eggs painted in gold leaf on every corner of the door. The egg he gave me! It must have something to do with this place!

  "Why is that room forbidden?”

  “It just is.”

  I feel a little annoyed while I think over the past evening. Does he think I'm fucking stupid?

  "Did you know you would bring me here tonight?"

  He looks at me baffled, "no, why?"

  "Because you have them keys." I point to his hand. "They are not your usual keys. I saw your office keys when you first unlocked your office door, and I noticed you had a car key on that bunch. You don't have your car key on them."

  He stares at me wide-eyed.

  "Don't look at me like that Elijah, answer the question!" I snap.

  "I come here regularly. Sometimes I sleep here, sometimes I come here to indulge in my desires. That is why I have these keys handy. Stop questioning everything Anile." He says firm.

  Should I believe him? This place is pretty creepy, why on earth would he want to sleep here?

  He unexpectedly pushes the door to my right open. I stand almost on the threshold staring, contemplating on whether to enter or not. The first thing I notice is a low - almost dark - orange light reflecting from the room. It dances around my eyes, causing me to feel a strange sense of deceit.

  “I'm going to get things ready - you can either stand here or enter the room to prepare yourself. Under no circumstances do you go back out there without me, do you understand?” He stands in front of me. Gazing down at me for some kind of reaction. All I can manage is a questionable stare.

  He gently strokes my cheek with his thumb, sliding it all the way down my face to my lower lip. This has to be the first time ever that I don't get a reaction from his touch - why do I feel numb? Now I want Darks flu, need it even! I need to feel something! I need to feel heady, drunk!

  He quickly gives up on my rejoinder, I think, and he walks behind me. My eyes follow him. I watch as he locks the door we just entered, turning the key six times. He leaves the keys hanging in the hole - why would he leave them in the door if he doesn't want me to leave without him? Isn't he worried I might run out?

  Chapter Fourteen

  ELIJAH SAUNTERS PAST me into the room. His presence is potent, causing me to suddenly feel heady, dizzy - damn him! He constantly infects me with Darks flu without even realizing. I hold my breath in a personal salvation attempt - I need to stay focused!

  I edge closer to the threshold and peer into the darkness. The first thing I notice is a strong smell of lavender, mixed with the cool air. The sweet minty fragrance forces me to immediately relax a little, so I quickly accept the earthy aroma while I take a large gulp of air - yes, I need this, so badly!

  Once I feel ready, I scan the room in an attempt to try and prepare myself mentally as Elijah requested. It looks dark and secretive, like a private area no one should know about. It's decorated with textures of purple scintillate silk sheets – they hang perfectly from the solid grey stone walls and add a sense of art work. The floor is uneven grey slate - it matches the walls. There is a porcelain white roll top bath that could easily fit four – Elijah's kneeling by it, watching the water rise. To say the bath's in an odd position wo
uld be an understatement. It’s free standing, in the centre of the room, in front of a huge bed that is also covered in messy purple silk sheets. Why is the only colour in this house purple? I expected red!

  The bed looks uncomfortable - it appears to float and looks too modern with its sharp dark wooden edges. I feel a sense of medieval, clashed with controlled modernization. Whoever decorated has particular tastes and is extremely illegible.

  I gaze further - my curiosity has now peaked. I see two huge wooden pyramid platforms that must be at least seven foot high. They build up in step form with black leather straps attached. The straps have huge shiny gold clasps. Two straps are at the tip of the pyramid - I presume to tie hands above the head - and two are at the bottom, to tie legs apart. One pyramid is attached to the wall on my left, and the other is free standing in the room to my right. Strangely, attached to the slate floor in front of the bath are more leather straps and an outline of a female's body painted in white.

  Elijah's still kneeling by the bath, watching me intently. I take one calculated step into the room. Elijah rises to his feet, looking serious. He's standing very still - he's analysing me now I'm in his space.

  My perception of this house and even this room is surreal - I don't know if I’m intrigued by everything or if I'm ready to leave!

  “Elijah, what is this place?” I whisper, maybe to quiet, I'm worried he cannot hear me.

  He gazes at me, tilting his head to one side. “This is called the verboten room, Anile.”

  “I thought the other room was called the forbidden room?” I question.

  “That is called the forbidden room, this is called the verboten room. Same meaning via definition but I can assure you, that other room is very different Anile.”

  "Well, it cannot be any worse than this one." I gasp.

  "Don’t you like it here Anile?" He asks. His voice is hoarse, his face is perplexing - did he honestly think I'd like it here?

  "It isn't exactly Disney Land, is it? Or maybe it is - maybe it’s the Disney Land Of Sex!" I scoff.

  He stares at me astonished - his eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head! I quickly ignore his expression, I don’t have time for his mental games!