Dark Souls: Box Set: Books 1-5

by E. J. King

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” The mystery man stood in the corner of the room, hands spread wide so that I could see he was unarmed.

  “It’s you.” I couldn’t believe that the same man I had seen in the library and at the bar was now standing in front of me.

  He didn’t seem at all dismayed by the carnage around us. “Kaylie, I need you to listen to me.”

  “Listen to you? Can you see all of this?” I waved my arms wildly. “My family has been torn to pieces!”

  “No.” He stepped forward quickly and grabbed both of my arms. I could see the wild panic on my face in the reflection of his sunglasses. “This isn’t real, Kaylie. None of this is real.”

  “You mean my family isn’t dead?”

  He hesitated. “The family that you know is still out there on the back porch, watching Jack ride his new bike.”

  “Why are you here? Why are you following me?” Despite his strange answer, I did believe him. I knew that what I saw around me wasn’t real.

  “I’m here to bring you back.” His grip on my arms softened. “I need you to trust me.”

  “Trust you? I don’t even know you,” I scoffed.

  His lips twitched into the smallest of smiles. “You know me better than anyone, Kaylie. You just need to remember.”

  “Remember what?” My heart was beating erratically. This man unnerved me.

  “Us.” He leaned even closer and for just a second it seemed like he was going to kiss me. I was so certain of it, my lips parted expectantly. “Close your eyes.”

  I let them flutter closed. Against all logic, I trusted this stranger.

  “Think hard, Kaylie. Think about the first time you saw me.”

  My mind instantly went back to the library. I remember the annoyed flutter in my chest when I caught him staring at me.

  “Now think about the next time.”

  I saw him sitting at the bar at the Lucky Lady, watching me.

  “And the next.”

  I didn’t think there had been another time. Up until this moment, I only remembered seeing him twice. But now my mind took me to another place and suddenly I had dozens, hundreds of memories of him flashing in front of me. Some of them were just passing glances between us, some of them were longer. Many of them were intimate. I was so surprised that I gasped aloud and my eyes flew open.

  “What was that?” I was surprised at how breathless I sounded.

  “You’re remembering.” Again, a small smile. “This world isn’t your world, Kaylie. This life isn’t reality. You’re trapped inside this lie and only you can find a way out.”

  “How?” I couldn’t explain it, but I wanted him to be right. I wanted there to be an us for me to remember.

  Someone called my name in the distance and the room around us began to fade away. I closed my eyes to stop the spinning and when I opened them again, I was back in my parents’ current house and Lincoln was yelling for me to come back outside.

  “You’ll figure it out, Kaylie. I know you will.” The mystery man’s hands dropped away and he began to back away.

  Just before he stepped out of the room, I called, “What’s your name?”

  “You’ll figure that out, too,” he said with a wink.

  He disappeared just as quickly as everything else. I was left in a spotless room wondering if I had imagined the whole thing. But my skin was still warm from where he had touched me and the image of him was burned into my head so brilliantly that I knew I hadn’t imagined him.

  “Seriously! Come on, Kales!” A pause. “Did you get lost?”

  Lost. That’s exactly what I was.

  I put on a brave face the rest of the day, pretending that nothing had changed. I laughed at the right times, rolled my eyes at Dad’s lame jokes, and had two servings of Mom’s cake. But the entire time I was questioning everything. How much of what I saw and heard was real? Was any of it?

  When it was time to say goodbye, I held on to each of them a few seconds longer than normal. Mom and Dad didn’t seem to mind, but Jack giggled and squirmed away. Lincoln gave me a long look.

  “Is everything okay?”

  I shrugged. “I sure hope so.”

  By the time I got back to campus, I managed to convince myself that I had imagined the whole thing. I must’ve gotten too much sun, or maybe my blood sugar had been low. Obviously this was my life. I could feel the people around me, smell the flowers in the air, and feel the wind on my face. It had to be real.

  “Earth to Kaylie!” Hope snapped her fingers in front of my face. “You have been flaky ever since you got back. Did something happen at your parents’ place? Did your dad spaz out about Luke again?”

  “No, nothing like that.” I frowned and stared down at the book in front of me. I had read the same line several times in a row and still couldn’t remember what it was about. “I’m just feeling a little weird. Not enough caffeine today or something.”

  “Only one pot of coffee?” she teased. “Are you coming to movie night down the hall?”

  A few girls on our floor were organizing a girls’ night. The plan was to watch a bunch of chick flicks, eat a lot of junk food, and gossip. One of those three things appealed to me, but the other two were enough to make me decline.

  “I think I’m going to hit the library instead. I need to get a head start on this paper.” I gestured helplessly to the books around me. “Maybe I’ll stop by when I get back.”

  “Lame!” Hope threw a pillow at my head. “You’re never going to make any new friends hanging out in that dusty old library. Except for a bunch of nerds. Oh and that hot guy from the other day. Be honest- you’re really going because you want to see him again?”

  I was glad that I had already turned my back on her, busy tossing books into my bag. I didn’t know how she had figured it out. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself. But now that she had said it out loud, I knew that she was right. I needed to see him again because I had so many questions I wanted to ask.

  The library was nearly deserted which wasn’t surprising. Most college kids didn’t spend their weekend nights in the library. At first, I only pretended to study, flipping idly through my books while methodically scanning the room for any sign of the stranger. When almost an hour passed without a sighting, I grabbed my notebook and flipped it open.

  This same notebook had been sitting in front of me back in my dorm room, filled with notes from my political science class. But now it opened to a page filled with doodles I didn’t remember making. Across the page in big, flowing letters I had written one word, a name.

  James.

  I was so startled to find it written there, in my handwriting and with no recollection of having written it, that I knocked my half-full cup of coffee over. The brown liquid instantly stained the paper in front of me.

  “Crap.” I hurried to right the cup, but the damage was done.

  Stained book in hand, I rushed to the small kitchen in the back to find some napkins. As expected, the area was empty. I snatched the last few sheets of paper towels from their roll and dabbed at the stain. It was hopeless.

  When I got back to my study table, I was no longer alone.

  “Studying on a Saturday night? Pathetic.” My stalker shook his head in mock disappointment.

  I tossed my ruined notebook on the table and fell into a chair. “You might think this life is a lie, but a failing grade sure does feel real.”

  “You’ve never failed at anything in your life, have you?” He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  “You don’t know me as well as you think, James.” I smiled with smug satisfaction at the shocked look on his face. “That’s right. I remembered your name.”

  His cocky smirk returned. “What else did you remember about me?”

  “I remember being annoyed by you. A lot.” I felt a strange tingle in my body when he laughed. I was pleased that he found me funny. “This would be a lot easier if you would just tell me what is going on.”

  “I�
��m usually not opposed to being easy,” he said, eyebrows waggling. “But I think I need to make you work harder on this.”

  “Why?”

  He turned serious for a minute. “Because I need you to want to see the truth. If I give it to you, it will be too easy for you to ignore it or brush it away. But if you earn it, you’ll be more likely to hold onto it. And I really need you to hold onto this truth.”

  “You know that none of this makes sense, right?” I asked.

  “Come with me.” He pushed back his chair abruptly.

  “What?” I stammered.

  “Put your books away, stop being a nerd, and come with me.” He grabbed the stack of books closest to him and shoved them in my bag. “Live dangerously.”

  “Where?” I found myself closing the book in front of me.

  He waved away my question. “It doesn’t matter. You can trust me, Red.”

  I was surprised by the nickname, and even more surprised at how easily he said it. It was like he had called me that a million times.

  The next thing I knew, I was following him out of the building.

  James walked a step in front of me, hands in the pockets of his leather coat. It was a little too warm for leather, but somehow it suited him. Then again, I had a feeling he looked good in just about anything. After that thought filled my head, I felt myself blushing. Fortunately, it was dark outside.

  “It’s a lovely evening for a stroll,” he said casually.

  “Why did you come find me in the library? You must have something you want to tell me.” I hurried to zip my jacket. The weather was actually quite mild, but I still felt a strange chill running through my body.

  “Nope.” He paused, almost long enough that I thought he wasn’t going to continue. When he did, his voice was lower than usual. “I just needed to see you again.”

  My cheeks flushed again. “Oh.”

  “I also need a partner in crime to help me hunt tonight,” he added, much to my disappointment. He was asking me to do the thing I had sworn I wouldn’t do again.

  “I’m not a Hunter anymore.” I couldn’t keep the defensive tone out of my voice. “I gave it up.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. You want a normal life, blah blah blah. I’ve heard this all before, Red. But I know something that you don’t know.”

  “Oh, do you?” My eyebrows arched. “Care to enlighten me?”

  “I know that you can’t really leave that life behind. Being a Hunter isn’t just something you do. It’s who you are. You can’t give that up like a bad habit.”

  He turned down a path that would lead us away from campus. I was so busy getting annoyed by his words that I barely noticed our journey.

  “You actually can give it up. I know that because I’ve already done it.” I crossed my arms stubbornly over my chest. “I’m done.”

  “You’re just getting started,” he replied.

  We walked for several seconds in silence while I fumed. I hated how he spoke like he had known me for longer than a day. I hated that he looked at me like I was an old friend, or more. I hated that I liked it when he looked at me.

  I decided to change the focus of our conversation. “I take it that you are a Hunter?”

  “Not just any Hunter. One of the best.” He said it in a cocky tone, but I was fairly certain he was also telling the truth.

  “If you are so good, why do you need me to tag along?”

  “Arm candy,” he said with a crooked grin. “I might have been a little too optimistic with that plan.”

  I glared. “In case you were wondering, you are not funny.”

  By now we were a few blocks away from the library, moving toward a residential street that I had never walked down. Yet I had a weird sense of déjà vu.

  “Where are we going?” I asked again, not really expecting him to answer.

  “Home.” He stopped walking and turned to me. The streetlamp overhead made his lenses flare brightly and I wondered again why he always wore those shades.

  “Whoa. You are not going home with me.” My eyes narrowed threateningly. “Is this your normal way of picking up girls?”

  He scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. You should know that in a parallel universe, you find me irresistible.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Absolutely. You can’t keep your hands off of me. It’s embarrassing, actually.” He smirked. “I miss that universe.”

  “Maybe you should go back. Now.” I couldn’t hold back a smile any longer. As much as I was annoyed by his cockiness, I also found it enticing. “Alright, I’ll bite. What did you mean about going home?”

  James smiled sincerely this time. “I thought you’d never ask. Recognize this place?”

  He pointed to a quaint looking, two-story home. It had a large porch with a wooden swing and two front doors. Even though I had never seen the home prior to that moment, it did feel familiar to me. And I knew without a doubt that the door on the left led to the first floor apartment while the door on the right led upstairs. I also knew that the porch steps would creak if we stepped on them and the front door would stick if we tried to push it open without shaking the doorknob.

  “Why do I know this place?” I asked aloud even though I didn’t expect an answer.

  “I really didn’t expect it to be this hard for you to remember.” He eyed me skeptically. “You aren’t messing with me are you?”

  “I’m sorry, do I strike you in some way as being interested in messing with you?”

  “Well…” he grinned. “When you put it that way…”

  I groaned internally, cursing myself for a poor choice of words. “Can we get on with this, please? Yes, the house feels a little familiar. No, I don’t have any idea why. I don’t suppose you are going to tell me?”

  “You know the rules, Kaylie.” He shook his head, like a parent disappointed in a small child. “That’s not how this works.”

  “What exactly is this? Besides a weird way to spend my evening? Because none of this makes any sense to me.” I waited just a second to see if he would answer, but when he fixed me with a stubborn stare, I turned on my heel. “Find me when you feel like being helpful.”

  I stormed away with determination, but part of me hoped to be stopped. Because even though I was annoyed by the games he was playing, I was even more intrigued by all of the strange things that had been happening since he showed up.

  It wasn’t until I was back on campus that I accepted I wasn’t going to be stopped. I thought that I had given up on him, but it turned out that James had also given up on me. He had admitted that he had underestimated the situation. What if he never reached out to me again?

  When I got back to the dorm, I didn’t join the girls at their movie night. I went straight to my room and got ready for bed. Just as I was about to turn out the light, a strange force pulled me over to the window. With two fingers, I parted the blinds and peeked between the slats. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness outside, but then I saw him.

  Standing under a tree, nearly hidden in the shadows, I spotted his silhouette and I knew that it was James. His head was tilted up toward my window and even though I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, I knew he was looking right at me and that he was smiling.

  I felt myself returning the smile and decided that no matter what, I was going to get to the bottom of everything. Even if it meant risking the life that I knew, I was going to find out the truth.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “You could at least pretend that you are having fun,” Hope scolded as we waited in line outside the fraternity house.

  It was a chilly evening and Hope had talked me into wearing an absurdly skimpy outfit, right after she had convinced me to accompany her to the party.

  “I’m here, aren’t I?” I frowned at the sight of two girls stumbling toward the house in high heels and miniskirts. “This isn’t really my scene, Hope.”

  “Because you might have fun?” she teased.

&n
bsp; Not for the first time, I wondered why Hope even put up with me. I knew that I was a difficult friend most of the time. She would probably have more fun without me.

  “When will you finally accept my lameness?” I asked.

  She threw her arm around my shoulders. “Never! So you might as well stop being lame now.”

  “But I’m so good at it.”

  The line began to move and once we were finally inside, I began to have even bigger regrets. The house was filled with the smell of beer, half-naked girls, and bad decisions. Mentally, I braced myself for a few hours of dealing with annoying drunk people.

  “Drinks,” Hope demanded, grabbing my arm and marching me toward the kitchen. I have to admit that I didn’t put up a fight. A few drinks was about the only thing that was going to help make the party more tolerable.

  It was only a matter of minutes before Hope had made a group of new friends, regaling them with stories that I had never heard and wasn’t entirely sure were true. I stood next to her, nursing my drink and trying to look like I belonged. But after nearly thirty minutes of conversation, I knew I wasn’t fooling anyone. I hadn’t said a single word, hadn’t laughed at the appropriate times.

  When I was tired of pretending I belonged, I slowly snuck away and no one noticed. The kitchen was surprisingly uncrowded and I headed in the direction of the keg.

  “Whoa.” A guy I had never met stepped into my path. “You need me to refresh your drink?”

  “I’ve got it.” I held my empty cup close to my chest. As an afterthought, I added, “Thanks.”

  He stepped aside, letting me pass. But he wasn’t ready to give up completely.

  “You didn’t come here alone, did you?”

  I reached for the nozzle and started filling my cup. “No. My friend is in the other room.”

  “Friend?” He smiled. “Female friend?”

  “Yeah.” I stifled a groan, knowing exactly where this line of questioning was headed. I decided to head him off. “My boyfriend decided not to come to the party.”

  His smile wavered. “Of course. He sounds like an idiot.”

  “I’m sure he’d say the same about you.” I was already regretting having opened my mouth in the first place. I compensated by taking a long gulp of beer.