Dark Requiem (The Darkling Trilogy, Book 3) (6 page)

He’s acting like a
completely different person and not the sociopath I met when I came
here.

“
Yes, I know.” He peered
at me sheepishly, his lips curved in a little smile, a few lines
marking the space between his eyebrows. “You’ll have to forgive me
for all of that. You see, humans annoy me, so I can’t help being a
bit sadistic around them. But now you’re one of the family, so to
speak, I promise to behave myself.”

He had been trailing his
hand down my bare leg at that moment and I felt the oddest
sensation, like a mental nudge. Just like when I was drinking his
blood, an image came into my mind. I knew he was thinking of me
standing naked and dripping wet in front of my bedroom mirror,
but—surprisingly—there was nothing sexual in his thoughts, only
fondness.

He glanced toward the
door, his brow puckering in consternation. He sighed.

“
Maryse is back. I think
you should stay here while I go and explain what I’ve done.” He
straightened and smiled down at me tenderly for a few moments.
“I’ll be right back.”

He vanished. This time,
with my new eyes, I saw his form appear to pulse. The air around
him wavered before closing in on him. Then he was gone.

A few minutes later,
Maryse—a petite girl who looked around sixteen—came storming into
the shack. She wore jeans and a denim jacket with white runners.
Her hair was plaited back from her head in neat cornrows. Her skin
was a burnt copper, her small, even features pressed into a mark of
displeasure as she stood staring at me with her hands on her hips.
She turned to Shadrach.

“
Have you lost your mind?
Why the hell would you go and turn her into a vampire? He’ll kill
us for sure this time!”

“
Relax, Maryse. He won’t
even know we had anything to do with it. Dallas and I have a deal.
Once she tells me what my mother wants me to know, we’ll get her
home and never hear from her—or him—again.”

“
Your mama? Your mama’s
dead.” I said getting to my feet.

There was a hint of
impatience in his smile. “Yes, we established that fact not too
long ago. But you said her spirit is still around me, so tell me
what she’s told you.”

“
Please. Your mama has got
better things to do than hang around your sorry ass. She’s dead.
Gone. Get over it.”

“
You lied to
me?”

“
Hell yeah, I lied to you.
As if your mama would be hanging around watching you sleep
with
everyone
.
And the old woman with the three nipples—what the hell?”

Maryse burst out
laughing.

“
This isn’t funny,”
Shadrach said.

“
Actually, it’s quite
hilarious.” Maryse glanced up at him, looking much younger when she
smiled. “She played you—as the young ones like to say.”

“
What wasn’t funny was
making me think you were going to kill me,” I said. “And then all
that bullshit about leaving and letting me think I was going to
stay like that.”

Maryse let out a low
giggle. “You didn’t kill her to start the process? Oh my God, the
pain.”

They burst out
laughing.

“
Honestly, you’re such a
creep,” I said. “Look at how old you are and you’re still walking
around crying over your mama. She didn’t even know what was
happening when you killed her, let alone that it was
you.”

His laughter came to an
abrupt stop and he stared at me intently, awe in his eyes. He had
been so caught up in the blood lust that he hadn’t been aware of
the fact that his mother hadn’t known he was the one who killed
her. Relief poured through him, the burden he’d carried for decades
lifting.

Damn it! I’d done exactly
what I set out not to do.

He moved to me and placed
a kiss on my cheek.

“
Thank you,
darling.”

“
Whatever. Anyway, I wish
I could say it’s been a pleasure, but it hasn’t. I’m going now and
you better mind I don’t tell Avery about the way you treated
me.”

“
Oh, I see now. You did
this for him?” Maryse said.

“
I don’t see how it’s any
of your business, but yeah, I did. I’m in love with him. And now
I’m a vampire, we’ll be together forever.”

They looked at each other
and began laughing once more. I faced them with my hands on my hips
and waited for the laughter to subside.

Maryse was the first to
speak. “Oh, my dear child. He won’t want you.”

I felt a quickening of my
heart, the same twist of agony I’d had at the park as a
child.

“
Bullshit!” I moved to a
mirror I had seen in a corner of the room. “He may not like what
I’ve done to begin with, but I have a plan and I’ll soon have him
eating out of my hand.”

I glanced in the mirror to
check my hair and, to my dismay, noticed blood on my dress. I
turned to glare at Shadrach.
I’ll have to
change into something else. Maybe my white jeggings.

“
That’s your plan?” Maryse
asked. “A weave and tight jeans?”

They started laughing
again.

I was hearing their
thoughts now, like a gentle breeze rippling through my mind, and
they revealed Maryse was anything but amused by the
situation.

You idiot! You shouldn’t
have done it. This airhead doesn’t know what she’s got herself
into. He won’t be happy and who do you think he’ll take it out
on?

Relax, Maryse. I’ve
actually done him a favour. She’s not what she appears to be. I’m
sure she’ll look gorgeous in those jeans. And those pretty brown
eyes of hers. I don’t know of any male, alive or dead, who
wouldn’t—

“
Thank you, Shadrach,” I
snapped. “That’s about as much as I want to hear.”

Their laughter ground to
an abrupt halt and they both stared at me warily.

“
You shouldn’t be able to
do that yet. That skill can sometimes take days to develop,”
Shadrach said.

“
Well, I can because I’m
special. Now, it was nice getting to know you guys, but show me
where the bathroom is so I can change and get out of here. I have a
flight to book.”

The expression on Maryse’s
face was incredulous for a few moments. Then anger leapt out at me,
tightening her mouth. She advanced until she was just inches
away.

“
You seriously think
nothing’s going to change now. Didn’t you hear him say he killed
his own mother? You won’t be able to control yourself in an
enclosed space with humans. You’ll slaughter them all before the
plane has even left the airport!”

Shadrach moved forward and
pulled her back, his voice gentle when he spoke to me.

“
You’re a vampire now,” he
said. “You don’t need to take a plane. But we’re not letting you go
anywhere until you’ve made your first kill.”

“
Eww, please! I have no
intention of killing
anybody,
let alone drinking blood.”

They exchanged glances. I
noticed Shadrach was looking a great deal more uneasy than he had a
moment ago. He managed a smile, a nervous one.

“
In that case, we’ll help
you get there and disappear long before your friend discovers we
were the ones who did this.”

Shadrach and Maryse
carried me with them through the Mississippi countryside, delving
in and out of shimmering fissures, bending everything in our
immediate vicinity to our will and parting it for us so we moved to
a completely different location in a matter of seconds. Despite the
wonders of my new body and the supernatural powers at my
fingertips, I could only think about Avery. I kept picturing him
alone in the clearing surrounded by desolate shadow, regret in his
eyes as he watched me walk away from him. It was difficult not to
give into tears again, but I was consoled by the fact that I would
soon be with him.

When we materialised in
the field of flowers outside the mansion, a stillness descended on
me. I was hardly aware of Shadrach and Maryse who barely stayed
long enough to utter a goodbye before they fled back into the
void.

I stood in front of the
mansion which loomed before me, an elegant understated beauty that
was grand yet welcoming in the deeply sensuous Louisiana night. Two
giant oaks stood guard on either side. Crickets sang a welcome
chorus and the humid air was made intoxicating by the sweet scent
of the Queen Anne’s lace. The mansion and its grounds were now
enclosed behind a brick wall, and the field of flowers ended before
iron gates. A gravel drive formed a horseshoe around the field of
flowers. A silver Lamborghini was parked to my left.

As I stared at the
mansion, I felt a chill run down my spine. It felt as though I had
waited decades to be here and I was overcome with searing delight
and excitement. As I stood there trembling, I thought I saw the
mansion as I imagined it looked when Luna first saw it: weathered
and faded in harsh sunlight whilst still managing to hold onto its
grandeur amidst the rambling foliage.

I blinked and it was gone,
but it was a while before I moved to the front door and rang the
bell, wishing the butterflies beating heavy and wet against my
stomach would still. Footsteps sounded within and I held my breath
as the door opened.

I exhaled in a
disappointed
whoosh
when a tall, willowy woman with lustrous red hair opened the
door. She was probably in her forties and had almond shaped brown
eyes. Her bone structure and innate gracefulness reminded me of a
retired ballerina who still carried the poise and elegance honed
from years of dancing. She was dressed in a cream, sleeveless top
with a khaki-coloured pencil skirt that stopped mid-calf. Tan pumps
completed the look. She looked surprised to see me standing
there.

Jealousy leapt into my
heart and I narrowed my eyes. “And who are
you
?”

“
Mallory,” she replied,
her voice breathless with a husky undertone. I felt that stab of
jealousy deepen. “Mallory Wentworth. You’re Dallas Marshall, aren’t
you?”

I nodded, my hand on my
hip, my lips tightening into a pout as I stared at her. She smiled.
Although she was completely poised on the outside, I could feel a
prickle of mild disquiet emanate from her.

“
I’ve seen your photograph
so often in those gossip magazines. But I didn’t expect you to be
even more beautiful in person.”

Some of the tension left
me, although I was still pouting at her. “Thank you. I’m here to
see Avery. But...but...he is not supposed to have a
girlfriend!”

“
Me? Oh no.” She laughed.
A light airy sound that would have caused my jealousy to deepen,
were it not for her words. “I’m not his girlfriend, I’m a
relative.”

“
Aww...well that means me
and you may as well be family then,” I said with a
chuckle.

She laughed softly, but
the disquiet emanating from her deepened. She was skilled at
keeping her thoughts hidden, but I managed to catch a single
sentence.

When did she become a
vampire?

“
So where’s Avery?” I
said.

“
He’s out—somewhere. I’m
afraid I can’t invite you inside without his permission. But I can
have him back here in a few minutes.”

“
Okay. Do you mind if I
just check my make-up?”

I stepped past her across
the threshold and to a small mirror in the foyer without waiting
for a response.

Her eyes
widened.

She watched me smooth my
hands over my hair as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. The colour
drained from her face.

“
Oh, this mansion is just
beautiful,” I said, looking around the foyer with its high ceilings
and dark wood, squared panelling on the walls. A dark beige rug
with gold detailing lay on the white marble floor. “I can’t wait to
see the rest of it. Me and you are going to get along just fine,
you’ll see.”

On impulse, I hugged
her.

She stiffened and her
heartbeat sped up. I noticed her scent for the first time, not the
smell of soap or the lush flowery scent of her perfume, but another
scent that came off her warm skin in hot waves, and which made my
entire body quicken in response. The dull ache I had woken up with
turned to flames that coursed through me. My muscles tensed and my
throat constricted as it spread across my skin, seeming to heat my
brain so I felt woozy, almost disconnected from myself and all that
was happening around me. Thirst, hot and painful, tugged at me with
cruel fingers.

“
Oh, you’re so warm.” I
involuntarily hugged her tighter.

That was when I became
aware of another presence. It was the oddest sense of something,
some dark mass, riding along the thirst for blood that had snatched
me up in its seductive arms. Dread—clean and visceral—flooded me as
that something pushed against my psyche as if I were a door it
could open and move through. When I felt intense pressure above my
front canine teeth and they began to lengthen, pushing down
mercilessly on my bottom lip, I abruptly let Mallory go. She tried
to remain poised, but her face was a chalky white against her
flame-coloured hair.