The Darkest Song (The Eternal Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I woke sometime later to the sound of Julian's voice. I opened my eyes, but he wasn’t there. I sat up on the bed and pushed my hair out of my eyes. I glanced at the windows and saw that the steel shutters were still in place. It was daytime. I could have sworn-

Come Sarah .

I stiffened at the sound of his voice in my head. Damn him! My body slid off the bed and walked towards the door.

I tried to stop. I almost screamed, but didn’t want to draw the attention of any other vampires. As I headed downstairs, I was acutely aware that I was barefoot in my pajamas.

Come to me . I heard his voice again and felt myself being pulled towards him. Why was he doing this? Was he angry because I trashed my room? Of course those guards told on me!

I walked further through the house. The lights were all off, and with the shutters closed it was pitch black. But I could see clearly. I was in a long hallway, with a closed door at the end. I knew he was there, waiting.

Come.

I neared a door, and my hand lifted to the knob. My heart was pounding so hard, he could probably hear it through the door. As if in slow motion, my hand turned the knob and pushed the door open, and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

The room was draped in jewel colored silk, swaths of it hanging from the ceiling and walls. Small couches were scattered around the room, and the floor was covered with large cushions. The room was full of vampires, all naked, caught up in the throes of passion. In the center of it all stood Julian. He was naked, with a gorgeous woman bent over a chair in front of him. My eyes widened, and I took a step backwards.

Stay.

His lips never moved, but I heard his command clearly. I was frozen to the spot, unable to tear my eyes from his. His eyes were completely black, and his fangs were visible through his parted lips. He held my gaze as he continued to fuck the woman. The sound of her moans filled my ears, and my nipples hardened. Unable to look away, I watched his body move behind hers, his muscles flexing with every thrust. My breathing quickened, and I felt heat curl low in my stomach.

I squeezed my thighs together, and without thinking spoke aloud. “Let me go.”

At the sound of my voice, every head in the room jerked towards me. Shit. That was a mistake.

My eyes flew back to Julian’s. He moved faster, his fingers digging into the woman's hips as he pounded into her. I was breathing harder, practically gasping, as if I were the one getting fucked. I began to wish I was. I wanted to tear Julian off that woman. I wanted to take her place.

Julian’s body tensed, and I heard him say my name. Aloud, not in my head. Then he released me. I turned and ran from the room. I ran all the way back to my bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me.

What the fuck just happened! I leaned back against the door, listening to see if Julian had followed me. A few minutes passed, but he never came. I told myself it wasn’t disappointment I felt. I eventually went to bed, and though I’d never in my life wanted to masturbate so badly, I refused to.

When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed I was back in that crowded room, and Julian had me bent over the chair. He fucked me until I came, and suddenly the other vampires disappeared and it was just the two of us. We were laying on the floor, and he was on top of me. We made love slowly, never breaking eye contact.

M y eyes shot open, and I flew upright in bed. I was breathing hard and my chest was heaving. How could I have a dream like that about Julian? I took a deep shuddering breath and tried to calm down. It was a dream. It didn’t mean anything. But I couldn’t get the tender image out of my mind.

I got up and showered and dressed. By the time I was done, the shutters had opened for the night. There was a soft knock at my door, and Helen walked in carrying a tray for me. She stopped, her mouth dropping open as she saw the destroyed room.

“Uh, yeah, sorry about all this,” I said. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up.”

She just stood there, continuing to stare at the room, so I walked over and took the tray from her. “Thanks for breakfast, I’ll take it from here.”

She gave me a bewildered look, then left, closing the door behind her. I sat the tray on the floor and picked up the glass of blood. I sat on the edge of the bed while I drank, waiting to see who’d arrive next. Helen was going to tell someone. Plus the guards had seen me through the couch out the window. I’d expected Julian to come up and scold me right after that, but now I knew why he didn't. He'd been busy with other things.

I finished drinking and sat there holding the empty glass. A short while later the door swung open and Julian walked in. He stopped, taking in the destruction, then looked at me.

He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

I blinked.

“I should never have called you last night,” he continued, stepping into the room. “I wasn’t in my right mind-”

I snorted. “No kidding.”

“I was high, Sarah. I drank nectar. It's a vampire drug, the only drug that affects us. I was out of my mind. I don’t know why I called you. I don’t know why I even drank it to begin with, but that’s no excuse. I was way out of line, and I’m sorry.”

I stared at him, stunned that he was actually apologizing.

He looked around the room. “I can see it upset you.”

“Actually, this all happened before that.”

His head snapped back towards me. “What happened?”

“I lost my temper, but not with you.”

His face hardened. “Who upset you?”

“No one!” I rushed to say. “I was just thinking about stuff and got upset.”

He seemed to relax a little. “Can I ask what you were thinking about?”

I looked down at the empty glass I still held. I didn’t want to tell him I’d been thinking about Adam.

He let out a breath. “Can we start over?” I looked up at him. “Our time together has been-” He paused, as if searching for the right word. “I know I haven’t made the best impression, and my behavior last night has only made things worse.”

“I am pissed about that.” I told him.

“You should be. But do you think we could start fresh? We’re going to be stuck together for some time, we might as well try to get along.”

I didn’t want to get along with him; I wanted to escape. But I nodded. “Okay.”

He smiled, looking relieved, and sat on the edge of the bed next to me. “You know, you have a calmness and a level of restraint that is very unusual for a newborn. If it weren’t for your scent, I’d have guessed you to be centuries old.”

His words were so similar to what Adam once told me, that I felt sad again.

“What is it?” he asked, seeing my expression.

“Is Adam dead?” I asked, fearing his answer.

His expression went blank. “Yes.”

“Did you kill him?”

His jaw clenched. “No. But I wish I had.”

“How can you say that to me!” I cried, jumping up from the bed.

He stood, his face hardening with anger. “You have no idea what kind of monster he was.”

I threw my empty glass to the floor. “He wasn’t a monster!”

“Do you forget he’s the one that changed you? The pain you felt that night was your body dying. He left you to face death alone, and still you defend him?”

“I love him!” I shouted.

Julian’s hand shot out and grabbed my chin, his fingers digging into me painfully. He leaned over me, bringing his face close to mine. “If you ever say his name again, I’ll cut out your tongue.”

He released me with a shove, and I stumbled backwards before catching myself. He glared at me for a moment, before walking out of the room. He didn’t close the door behind him, and I stood there, stunned, staring at the doorway.

What just happened? Why was I defending Adam, when just last night I was so angry at him I trashed my room? Did I just say it to taunt Julian? After what he did to me last night, he deserved it! And one minute he’s telling me he wants to start over and be friends, then he’s threatening to cut my tongue out? What the actual fuck!

I tried pacing, but my room was too cluttered with broken furniture. I clenched my fists in frustration. Julian was the monster, not Adam. I saw him rip a man’s heart out, and yet everyone seems to worship him? They probably treat him that way because they fear him! Well I don’t, and I’ll prove it if he ever threatens me again!

I screamed with frustration and kicked a piece of broken chair. It flew across the room and shattered the one remaining window. Fuck.