Super Dark (Super Dark Trilogy) (36 page)

“Yes, plenty more,” he said.

“Jesus.” I wasn’t sure how I managed to remain so calm. Maybe a part of me still thought this was all a dream.

“You see,” Elliot continued, “gresvelts live by a strict code of conduct dating back centuries. Despite their carnivorous urges, they made a pact not to feed on humans. Their communities dwell on the peripheries of society, and their anonymity is only guaranteed when they keep out of humanity’s way. Killing a human is strictly forbidden because it draws attention. And gresvelts don’t like attention. Living by these rules is the only way they’ve managed remain a secret for so long, and they don’t take kindly to anyone who goes against the grain.”

“And that’s where the sentinels come in?” I asked.

Elliot nodded. “The sentinels are sort of like M16: highly trained assassins entrusted to keep the community safe from detection. Their job is to destroy anyone who poses a threat to peace.”

“So a sentinel killed the Gruesome Twosome to stop their killing spree?”

“Right. They were loose cannons, renegades, fugitives on the run long before they ever snatched me. Their craving for human flesh had made them outcasts from the community. I found out later that a price had been put out on their heads two years before I was taken.”

I felt numb. This was an awful lot to take in, and I was having trouble keeping up. “So, what happened when the sentinel found you? What did he do to you?”

“He took me to Stoneheath.”

My brows furrowed with confusion. “Stoneheath?”

“It’s a village in Somerset.”

“Never heard of it.”

“I’m not surprised. You won’t find Stoneheath on any map or travel guide of the United Kingdom. It’s where most of the gresvelts in England reside, sort of like their personal Mecca. Anyway, the sentinel took me to see his leader, a man called Lord Albion, and it was decided I’d have to go to court for my fate to be decided. The next day, I sat before a group of five councilors, who ruled I could live—but only on the condition that I never spoke about the gresvelts to anyone. I was made to swear an oath of allegiance to them. And I’ve kept that promise … until now.”

Disbelief cracked my voice. “Is that where you’ve been living all these years? In Stoneheath?”

“Yeah. But I never forgot about you. Or my parents. I really missed all of you. That’s why I asked the gresvelts to let me come back to see you one last time. They were reluctant at first, but I convinced them they could trust me.” His voice faded and stopped. “So I tracked you down to Elmfield. In the beginning, all I wanted was to look at you, just to see how you were doing. I honestly had no intention of making myself known. But then, well, things didn’t turn out quite like I planned.”

You can say that again.

“I became Lee Weaver because, in a way, I wanted to start over. I wanted to be a different person, to have a life free from bad memories and be the perfect guy to you. For a while, I actually believed I could make it work—but no one escapes the gresvelts. I’d sworn an oath, and they wanted to see to it that I kept my side of the bargain. I was foolish to think they would allow me to ever live a normal life.”

He swallowed hard and looked at me. “The first time I knew they’d sent someone to spy on me was that night at the bowling alley with Becky. I sensed a gresvelt presence, but I couldn’t be sure. Then when that black Ford started tailing us, I was certain.”

“That was a sentinel?” I frowned.

“Yep.”

My mouth dropped open. I remembered all those uncanny feelings I’d had over the past few weeks, the sensation of being watched. Had that been Greg all along? Had he used his power of invisibility to spy on me and my mum in the privacy of our own home? The thought of it made me physically sick.

“Hang on,” I said. “You’re telling me you knew Greg was a sentinel but you just sat back and did nothing? Why didn’t you warn me? That creature slithered its way into my mother’s life. Into her affections. Into her
bed
. And you did nothing to stop it?”

“Now that’s not fair,” Elliot retorted. “It wasn’t like I’d ever met your mother’s boyfriend or anything. How was I supposed to know he was an assassin? Sentinels are very crafty. They find all sorts of ways to ingratiate themselves to their targets, even forging romantic relationships to get the information they need.”

I shook my head. “Why did Greg try to kill me? What did I ever do to him?”

“I don’t know,” Elliot admitted. “Perhaps he suspected you knew too much. Perhaps he thought I’d broken my vow of silence and confided in you and he wasn’t prepared to take a chance.”

“So because of that, I deserved to die?” My eyes narrowed. “How exactly did you know Greg was coming to kill me tonight? Were you following me?”

He shifted awkwardly. “This morning, I had a strong feeling you were in danger and I had an urge to drive up to your house. Even if I couldn’t talk to you, I needed to be sure that you were okay. Then when I got outside, I could feel your spirit calling to me. I knew you were in trouble.” His tone became low, apologetic. “But you’re right. I should have done more to protect you and your mum. I shouldn’t have allowed things to go as far as they did. All I can say is, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

I became incandescent with rage. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. I could have been
killed
. My mother could have been
killed
.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way. I wasn’t supposed to stay in Elmfield for so long.”

“Then why did you?”

He hesitated. “Because of you.”

The words stopped my breath and my heart. I looked away from him.

“I saw you and all my good intentions went out the window. I couldn’t think straight. Thoughts of you consumed my every waking moment. I never, ever expected you to be so … perfect.”

“I don’t want to hear this,” I said through gritted teeth.

“But it’s true. You need to hear this, Sam. Being near you made me so crazy, I couldn’t breathe. I was like a mad person. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. I wanted you so badly, it became an obsession. I had to be close to you, no matter what, and I didn’t care about the consequences. But I see now that I was wrong. I’ve been very selfish. All I can do is beg you to forgive me. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

I felt a piercing stab of despair. “Please don’t say these things! You’re only making it worse.”

Two days ago, I’d have given anything to hear him say those words— yet now it didn’t feel right. Not after everything that had happened.

Elliot’s eyes glinted in the darkness, burning through to the depths of my soul. “You have no idea how much I love you,” he said softly. “Right from the beginning, it’s always been you. My first, my only. And despite everything I’ve been through—the pain, the torment—I’d gladly endure it all a thousand times over if it meant being with you.”

I had begun hyperventilating. I threw back the duvet and headed for the door, but in a flash he was standing in front of me, blocking my exit.

“Move out my way!”

“Where are you going?”

“I need some water. That a problem?”

“I’m not letting you go anywhere till you’ve heard me out. There’s so much more I need to say.”

“I don’t want to hear it! Nothing you say can justify putting my mum’s life at risk. I’ll never forgive you for that.” My voice rose an octave. “Why did you have to come back, anyway? Why couldn’t you let me live in blissful ignorance? I’ll never get over this. Never! My life’s ruined. Why couldn’t you just leave me be?”

“You know why!”

Something inside me snapped then. With a battle cry, I lunged for him, aiming a blow at his head. He ducked and I tripped, ramming my fist into the wall. It felt like every bone in my hand was broken, but I took another swipe at him, missing again. Then he grabbed me around the waist and, in one fluid move, had me up against the wall with my arms pinned above my head.

My heart thudded erratically against my rib cage. His strength was astounding. It felt like if I made one wrong move, my life would be over.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me that you hate me.”

I couldn’t. And I couldn’t meet his eyes, either. I was too afraid of what I might see.

“Say it!” he roared.

Trembling, I opened my mouth to speak. And then he was kissing me. Deep, hungry kisses that robbed me of speech. Kisses that stole my breath away. Kisses so ravenous, so fierce, I felt like I was losing my mind. It was like the sound had been turned down on everything; or I was drowning. We kissed and kissed until my lips ached. We kissed until I couldn’t take any more. And then, when I finally came to my senses, I realized my mouth was swollen.

I stared up at him, awestruck.

My throat had gone dry, my body weak with longing. No words could describe the feeling of euphoria pulsating through me at that moment. And then, all at once, I knew I would give anything to be with him like this forever.

Fighting back sobs, Elliot wrenched himself away and sprang to the farthest corner of the room. Consumed by shadow, his body started violently convulsing, his back growing more pronounced and hunched. Although I couldn’t see his face, the rapid lengthening of ears and hair sprouting out his head told me all I needed to know.

He was one of them.

“Oh my god,” I breathed. “You’ve got to be kidding …”

“Don’t look at me!” he bellowed, his voice an unearthly rasp. “Bring me a blanket from over there.”

With quivering fingers, I tore the fluffy bed throw off the mattress and tossed it over to him. Hastily, he covered his face and neck with it, but still refused turn around.

Facing the wall, he made a low growling sound that sent goose bumps up and down my arms.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Do I look all right to you?” he snapped. “Damn, this is all your fault.”

“How is it my fault?”

“You tempted me with those lips. I couldn’t control myself anymore.”

“I don’t understand.”

“This is what happens whenever I get aroused. I transform. I hate not being able to control it.”

Shit! This is insane.

Now I finally understood. Everything was starting to fit into place. This was the reason he’d always been so cool and reticent toward me. This was why he’d kept me at an emotional distance. He feared his longing would trigger a transformation.

And then I thought of something else. “But Greg was intimate with my mum loads of times. They did more than just kiss. Why didn’t he change?”

“Because he’s older than me,” Elliot sighed. “It takes years of practice and restraint for gresvelts to learn how to control the metamorphosis. Any strong emotion—lust, anger, fear— can trigger it. I’m still young, so it’s gonna take me a while to get the hang of it. But I’m working on it. Believe me I am.”

“My god, what did they do to you?” I felt the tears rising again. “How did they make you one of them?”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice, you know,” he replied bitterly. “When I went to court, the councilors gave me two options: join them or be executed at dawn. Well, needless to say, a frightened eleven-year-old doesn’t take much persuasion.”

“How horrible!” I breathed. “They’re barbarians.”

He shrugged his shoulders, his voice muffled beneath the blanket. “After the verdict, Lord Albion performed a secret ceremony to claim me.”

“Claim you?”

“Yes. That’s gresvelt speak for turning someone.”

“What happened at the ceremony? What did it involve?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

I fell silent.

For long moments, we remained frozen in our positions: Elliot hunched in the corner, his face concealed in the blanket, and me leaning against the wall, my heart beating like it wanted to explode. If it wasn’t for the darkness, I would probably have been much more terrified. But after a while, my fear was replaced by a morbid curiosity to know what he looked like under there. Was his face as hideous as Greg’s had been? Would it make me feel sick? Would it make me faint?

“Why do you keep watching me?” he demanded, still keeping his back to me. “It’s not very polite, you know.”

“You always stare at me,” I countered.

“That’s different.”

“What else am I supposed to look at? The furniture?”

“Just stop it, okay? I don’t like it.”

I looked at the floor. “Can I ask you something?”

“If you must,” he sighed.

“Was Frasier telling the truth about you healing him? That night at the party, did you really heal his leg and fix his eyesight?”

Elliot hesitated before replying: “Yes, I did.”

I bit my lip. “But how? I don’t understand.”

“All gresvelts have the abi
lity to heal sickness
,” he explained. “I don’t know where the power comes from, I guess it’s just something they’re born with. Gresvelts also have the power to
inflict illness
but,” he hastened to add,” I’ve never abused my power in that way. I’ve only ever used it to do good.”