My heart plummets to the souls of my feet the moment I see long fingers gripping onto the handle, and his oh too familiar jet black hair and over the perfect physique, body slip through the bedroom door. One glimpse at him and my body temporarily freeze."No! You stay away from me, you here!" I wave my fist like a madwoman and scream at the top of my lungs.The man’s smiles wash away as soon as he sees me afraid. Ever so cautiously, he walks into the room, with both hands surrendering into the air. "Calm down, Katrina." He says in a reassuring tone, "Please."The closer he steps, the more I back away, looking for another means of escaping. I scream at the top of my lungs, "Fuck you! Get away from me!""I know you're scared, but please listen to me and calm down." He asks calmly again. My hands search for something, anything to grab hold of to throw at his face, but I too far from the dresser or anything worth my while. “Calm down!” I yell in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?” “I
"Oh! Uh! Look, Raquel, you said your name is?" I ramble nervously.“That is soooo not necessary!”“Yes, it is." He says firmly. “It seems now more than ever.” “No, seriously, Raquel,” I say as I glance down toward his long fingers. The way they are steady as they wrap around the black zipper. Raquel twists his fingers, allowing the zipper to split the fabric against the seams. I hear the familiar clicking sound. Unable to look away, I watch as he purposely takes his time unzipping his pants. My mouth parts with each click. I wanted to swallow my saliva, but my mouth became dry. The corner of his lips turns up as he smirks at me. My cheeks become flushed once again. I look away quickly because I'm embarrassed that everything is happening so fast. “You're blushing, Katrina. There is no need,” he smirks, letting one side of his pants drop-down next to his v-line. “I am just showing you my tattoo.” The next side drops, showing me his dark hairline. He continues in a matter-of-fact-tone,
With one hand, Raquel moves his shaft out of the way, and with the other, he cups his hands around his balls and moves them so I can see the tattoo. The moment I see it, I am drawn in by its power. “Wow, Raquel. It is beautiful…” I whisper more towards myself.The tattoo is of no ordinary design. The intricate details almost seem inhumanly made. Swirls of dusty-grey storm clouds surround a midnight-blue sword. They begin at the handles and spiral throughout the golden blade. Behind the sword lays black and blue tip wings. Each feather tip is like a tempestuous addiction. The closer I come, I want to touch it.Visions of the wings wrapping around me, never allowing me to escape, consume my thoughts. I look up at Raquel and shiver, not understanding how a tattoo could be so powerful. The vision of the wings fades away. I look back to the sword and notice there more. Beneath the blade, there are three drops of velvet-red blood. The start of small, each drop becomes larger than the next.
"I'm not really hungry anymore.""Tell me more," I ask curiously."I have said enough for now." He slides his pants on and walks out in the hallway. His voice is stern and unwavering, " You need to eat."I roll my eyes and cross my arms. "I can eat later. I don't see the big deal in me eating."Raquel walks away with his head facing down the long hallway. Raquel holds his head high. I know he expects me to follow him, but I stare at his round ass once more before I do. “Are you coming, Katrina?”“Yep…” My face heats, realizing I cannot get enough of staring at him. Even the way, his pace is smooth and brisk. It almost seems like he glides when he walks. Me, I fumble along like an ungraceful love-struck teen. Fuck, this is bad. Deciding I need time to freshen up and process everything, I glance around for the bathroom, but I notice there are only closed bedroom doors."Fine, Raquel. I agree to eat, but I would at least like to use the bathroom and freshen up first."He glances over at m
The darkness fades away. My eyes flutter open and adjust to where I am. Looking around, I discover I am in a horrific bathroom all alone. The walls are now moldy with grey bricks, and there are cobwebs on every corner and crevice. Leading to the slimy cement floors are rusted water stains and by the toilet. There is what I assume to be human feces smeared against the sides of an old wooden cabinet. Covering my mouth, I look away and hold back my vomit. I realize Raquel has sucked me into my worst nightmare."N-no, Raquel," I whisper in fear, "get me out of here!"The sound of water plops from a faucet. I look over and discover there is thick, crimson red blood overflowing from a small vessel sink. Slowly, I step backward and bump into an old cracked toilet. The smell of incomparable stench slams up my nose. I whip around and watch several roaches crawl out from under the lid and scatter onto the floor. A low growl comes from behind the stained green and brown bathtub curtain. Two shad
“The Darklings?” A trail of burning tears, one by one, flow down my cheek. I try my best to whip them away. Each one keeps coming. Another and another. I didn’t want to cry, but there was a part of it that felt so damn familiar. It was pulling at every ounce of my soul. How could I push down the gut-wrenching feeling? It was impossible. Completely. Utterly. Impossible.Through the sniffles, I attempt to focus. It was essential to find out what was going on with me. “Wait, I have heard of those… in my books.”“I am sure you have.” Raquel rolls his eyes. “The human version, I am sure.”Tucking a curl behind my ear, I stare at the floor, knowing he is probably right.“Well, tell me about the Darklings.” For a moment, I pause before looking up into his deep blue eyes, hoping for answers. “Your side of the story.”Raquel looks me up and down and defiantly shakes his head no. “I think you have been through enough for one night.” “Oh, come on, Raquel!” I fuss with exasperation. “It can’t
“The World of the Unknown. A book to die for.”My mother used to tell me stories of Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, the Orramoths, and the worst of them all, the Darklings. Most of the creatures she told me they blew out of proportion. She said writers did this to make a dollar or two, and some did it to scare the shit out of their kids and make them listen.&nb
Prologue: The world has changed now. Nothing is as it once was. The humans live in the dark, using the moon as their only source of light. The sun has abandoned them, leaving only chaos and what many humans have described as the word Armageddon. The only time the sun casts through the Earth's surface is once a decade. The humans consider it a delicacy, for it is just a small taste of what they used to have. Life, death, night, and day. They are all decided by me and me alone. The question has always been, "Why would I have chosen such an undesirable fate for the living?" My answer, "I did it for him. I did it because he is mine, and I am eternally his."Chapter One The Call Heart-wrenching screams expel from my burning lungs. The flannel sheet is soaking with sweat, and my heart is pounding against my chest. One more breath could make the difference between dying in peace or living another day to suffer through the same nightmare that I have dealt with for the last seven da