Sacrifice Me: The Darkness (Episode 3) (2 page)

“No, no one came up to me or anything,”
I said.

“What then?”

I wrapped my arms around my body. Despite the late
summer air and the heat of the shot running through my veins, I was
shivering.

“Nothing, I guess,” I said. “Just
a feeling I got when I was up there.”

“You want another shot of Dragon’s
Breath?”

I laughed. “Is that seriously what it’s
called?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yeah. All
the drinks here have crazy color-themed names,” she said.
“You’ll eventually learn what they all are and what they
do. The base drink is Red Dragon, but Rend’s special mix for
the dancers is called Dragon’s Breath.”

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Sure,” she said, finishing her
cigarette and immediately lighting another one.

“How long has this place been here? I tried
looking it up online and it’s like it doesn’t even exist
at all.”

“Oh, gosh, Venom has been open for about
sixty years, I guess?” She looked up, as if the answer were
written on the sky. “Maybe sixty-five?”

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “I got
the impression this was Rend’s place. You know, that he started
it. How long has he owned it, then?”

She shook her head and tossed her cigarette onto
the ground, stomping it out with her heel. “Girl, you have so
much to learn, I can’t even begin to know where to start.”

I tried to ask her what she meant by that, but
before I could, she was leading us back into the club.

Selena gave us a wave as we walked past the crowd
waiting to get in. I smiled at her, but that smile was wiped right
off my face the second we walked back inside. I hadn’t realized
it, but the darkness was gone when we were outside. Walking back in
was like walking into a cave of fear.

I shivered.

“Maybe you should go rest in the back for a
little bit,” Lyla said, her face creased with worry.
“Something’s really got you shaken up.”

“You really don’t feel that?” I
asked. “That darkness?”

She shook her head, the smile fading from her
face. “I’ve been surrounded by so much darkness my whole
life, it’s the only thing I know how to feel.”

Lyla patted my shoulder and made her way toward
her spot on the dance floor, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling
of sadness.

I wasn’t sure I could face another three
hours in that cage.

Not with someone evil watching me. What did he
want with me, whoever he was? Was he the one who had sent the black
roses? I wished he would just show himself. Tell me what he wanted. I
couldn’t take the not-knowing of it.

I should find Rend. He’d told me to find him
if anything happened. I looked toward the bar again, but there was no
sign of him.

I glanced toward the black curtain. I could just
walk back there with a confident smile on my face and tell him I
needed to see him for a second. No one would know I was a mess on the
inside. He would be able to tell me if I was in danger or if this was
all in my head. And if I was in danger, he would be able to help me.

I hoped.

I made it more than halfway to the curtain when a
tall, thin man stepped in front of me out of nowhere. I knew him by
the look in his eyes and the shadows that seemed to ooze from him
like dark smoke.

I stopped cold, my chest constricting.

“I’ve been watching you,” he
said. His voice was oily.

“I know.”

He tilted his chin and smiled a thin, papery
smile. “Beautiful and intuitive.”

“Are you the one who sent the roses?”
I asked.

“Roses?” He lifted a long finger to
his lips. “Perhaps.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. What kind of an answer
was that?

“I was not aware of any roses, but perhaps
my associate sent them,” he said. “You see, my associate
is very interested in you, Franki.”

His voice sent a shudder of disgust through me.
“Your associate?”

“He sent me here to get a look at you,”
the dark man said.

“Who is he?” My voice hitched on my
fear. If this guy was just some lackey, how dark was the man he
worked for? And what the hell did he want with me?

“You’ll find out in due time,”
he said. “For now, it’s good your eyes have finally been
opened to this world.” He moved a step closer to me and I
fought to stand my ground, no matter how badly I wanted to turn and
run. “You belong in this world. You always have. Too bad you
will soon have to leave it.”

“I don’t know what you or your boss
want with me, but I’m not interested,” I said. I sounded
a lot more confident than I felt.

He laughed and the sound grated on my insides.
Even his laughter sounded ominous and devoid of joy. “How
cute,” he said. “You think your opinion matters.”

I swallowed down my terror. I didn’t like
the fact that he talked about me as if I was already part of
someone’s plan. I didn’t like for anyone to talk about me
as if my life was out of my own control.

“You look so much like your mother,”
he said, lifting his bony finger to my cheek.

I pulled away, barely restraining myself from
slapping his hand away. “What do you know about my mother?”

“More than you, my dear. So much more than
you,” he said.

Anger flared within me, amplified by the potion
still working its way through my veins. A sudden breeze blew across
my skin and the man’s eyes widened.

“So much power inside that heart of yours.
So much passion,” he said. “It’s a shame you’ll
never really have the chance to explore all that talent.”

My heart thundered in my chest. I clenched my
teeth and tried to force deep breaths. The last thing I needed to do
was start a tornado with all these people in here. I squashed my
anger as best I could, but it took everything I had just to keep my
power from ripping this place apart.

“Your mother worked so hard to keep you from
ever discovering this side of yourself,” he said. “It’s
a shame she had to die before she saw your powers at work.”

Tears sprang to my eyes and I cried out, forcing
them back. I would not cry. Even if he was telling the truth, I would
not break this promise to myself. Especially not for a woman who had
long since abandoned me.

“Such control,” he said. “Astounding.
Truly.”

“Just tell me what you want.” I said.
“Stop playing games.”

“Sweet child,” he said with a smile.
“The games have only just begun.”

I couldn’t move.

Anger, fear, and intense sadness pulsed through my
veins as the dark man turned and disappeared into the crowd of club
goers.

It took all my willpower to hold back the tears
and rage I wanted to unleash.

Just who did he think he was, coming here and
threatening me? Telling me my mother was dead and then walking away?

I wanted to kill him. I wanted to shove my hands
inside his wide mouth and rip him in two, straight down the middle.

I turned to look for him in the crowd. This
couldn’t be it. If I let him get away now, he’d just keep
finding me. Watching me. Toying with me until I’d lost my
damned mind.

I sprinted after him, pushing people out of my way
and not even bothering to stop and apologize.

I finally caught sight of him going through one of
the doors Azure had told me was off limits. His movements were slow
and deliberate. He slipped through the door as though covered in oil.

I pushed my way through the last group of dancers
and followed him through the door, only taking a second to look
around and make sure none of the other staff were paying attention to
me. When I didn’t see any eyes looking my way, I moved inside.

The room was nearly pitch-black, and I stopped as
the door closed behind me with a thud, blocking off the only light.

Laughter rang out, echoing in the space.

“You really are something,” the dark
man said. “Ninety-nine out of a hundred girls wouldn’t
dare follow me. They’d still be out there shaking in their
boots, but not you, Franki. You are special in every way.”

I could hear him several feet away, in front of
me, but I couldn’t see so much as an outline of him in the
blackness.

“I don’t like games,” I said.
“If you want something from me, I’d rather know what it
is now than go back and forth wondering when you’re coming back
for me.”

“In this case, it’s not up to you, I’m
afraid,” he said. Had he moved closer? I tried to mentally
estimate the space between me and the door back into the club. Could
I reach it in one or two steps?

It was stupid to have followed him. Impulsive.

In my fear, I reached for the only card in my
hand. “I work for Rend now,” I said. “I’m
under his protection.”

More laughter that cut me to my core. I had been
hoping for some sign of fear, like those guys in the alley.

“Yes, that is a minor bump in the road for
us, but Rend’s protection only extends so far,” the dark
man said. “Rend would be a fool to deny my associate anything
he asked. If he wants you, he will have you.”

“So why tell me and then walk away?” I
asked. “Why not just take me now if he wants me, whoever he
is?”

“Because you’re not ready,” he
said. This time he was definitely closer. I hadn’t heard any
footsteps, but his voice was inches from my face. Could he see me in
the darkness? “When the time is right, he’ll come for you
and there will be nothing you can do about it. You are a very special
girl, Franki. Your sacrifice will change the world.”

“Sacrifice?” The word tasted sour on
my lips.

He moved so close I could feel his clothing
brushing against the bare skin on my arms and shoulders. His leg
pressed against mine and one very cold hand snaked around my middle.

“Your death is inevitable.”

My body shivered violently as he pulled me against
his thin frame. I grew colder, warmth leaving me as if his very touch
was draining my body of its will to live. My knees went weak and my
head felt fuzzy.

“Don’t touch me,” I said, my
voice trembling.

“Or you’ll what?” he asked,
amused.

Behind me, Rend’s voice came out as a low
growl. “Or I’ll rip your goddamned arms off,” he
said. “Let her go.”

The dark man’s body slid off me like a
shadow, more cloud than solid form.

I backed toward Rend’s voice. The door to
this room hadn’t even opened. How had he gotten inside?

Rend extended his hand and an orb of light formed
against the darkness, illuminating a long hallway instead of a room
like I’d expected. He moved in front of me, putting himself
between me and the dark man.

“You aren’t welcome here, Fallon.”
Rend said. “You know that.”

“You cannot deny me entrance to this place,”
the dark man said. He didn’t seem afraid despite the conviction
in Rend’s voice. “You and my master have an agreement,
remember? I’m sure he would be happy to refresh your memory, if
need be.”

It wasn’t lost on me that suddenly this
man’s associate had been upgraded to his master.

Rend dropped his hand, but the orb continued to
float in the air in front of him. “Maybe your master is the one
who needs reminding,” Rend said. “The witches who work
here are under my protection. He has no right to them, and he can’t
step foot into my club.”

“The devil’s in the details, my
friend,” the dark man said. “This girl is special. For
him, she’s worth breaking a few rules. Even your rules. I’ll
go for now, but you can’t stop this, Rend. You would do well to
politely step out of my master’s way. You wouldn’t want
to risk everything you’ve built here, would you?”

“Get the hell out of my club,” Rend
said, raising his voice.

The dark man lowered his head in a bow, then
disintegrated into black smoke and shadows.

Rend turned to me, and I threw my arms around him,
my entire body trembling against him. He held me close until I’d
calmed down enough to untangle myself from him.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“His name is Fallon,” he said.

His face was all hard angles in the dim light of
his glowing orb.

“Franki, I’m trying to be very patient
and understanding here, because I know you’ve been through some
shit over the past few days, but my patience is running thin,”
he said. His voice was calm and even, but his muscles were tense.

I pulled away, startled. Was he seriously
reprimanding me after what I’d just been through?

“Why would you follow him back here?”
he asked, some of his anger leaking into his tone. “After
everything that happened the other night, why would you follow
another stranger into a dark hallway, out of view from me and the
rest of the staff?”

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. It was a fair
question. How did you explain to someone like him that sometimes I
was too stubborn to be smart?

“I looked for you,” I said. “I
felt him watching me again, just like the other night. But you
weren’t at the bar, so I figured you were behind the curtain.”

“Why didn’t you come back there to
talk to me, then?”

“I was going to,” I said. “I was
on my way back there when this guy appeared out of nowhere. He
blocked my way, and I knew the second I looked at him that he was the
one. He said things to me. He threatened me.”

“So you thought it would be a good idea to
go with him into a dark, secluded place?”

“Hey, I didn’t know this was a dark,
secluded place,” I said, gripping my arms, still shivering a
little.

Rend shrugged out of his black jacket and put it
around my shoulders. I mumbled a thank you and slipped my arms
inside, inhaling the scent of him and wishing it didn’t send a
wave of desire through me.

“Azure told you this door was off limits,
right? Staff isn’t allowed back here in the first place and you
knew that. You better start explaining yourself, Franki.”