THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS - BWS

eleven

My first reaction when I heard his words was to laugh.

'Creatures are attracted to power, and the two biggest sources of power in the world are in the same place right now.'

If what he was saying was true, then the situation really wasn't funny. But it simply couldn't. I wasn't even sure whether or not to believe that Hell was real. But his saying I was as powerful as the Gates guarding it? That was simply too big. Being able to heal faster than normal didn't make me powerful, and certainly not as powerful as the Gates of Hell, if that even was a thing.

My laugh quickly faded when I noticed the look on his face.

"Oh, you're serious," I commented, my eyebrows flexing into a frown.

His head tilted as his eyes continued to scrutinize me. He was looking at me as if I was a mystery to him, as if no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand me.

"Why would I lie about that?"

He sounded genuinely surprised that I didn't believe him. Did he not realize how insane he sounded?

"I don't know, maybe to make me go away? To be able to go back to killing people in peace?"

This time, his face displayed a mix of amazement and frustration. His jaw clenched.

"You really know nothing about us," he answered, his lips curled into an irritated snarl. "Whoever's keeping you in the dark about who you are, and about us, is the one you should be concerned about– not me."

My heart started to beat faster in my chest. Was it true? Had I been kept in the dark my entire life? No one had ever told me I was special, not my parents, not Richard. And no one had ever told me about the Gates of Hell. But what did he mean by 'you know nothing about us'? He seemed so surprised that I saw him like the bloodthirsty creature he was. Was he not one? The facts were against me on that one. First, he worked at a hospital and was in contact with blood on a daily basis. And secondly, I was still breathing despite how annoyed and angry he was. I swallowed. Was everything he said true? Was everything I thought I knew about creatures wrong? The thought gave me chills. If that was the case, then the bigger question was why had I been kept in the dark? Was it possible that my parents didn't know I was– special? That Richard only taught me what he knew about creatures? It couldn't be otherwise. They were my family, they had no reason to lie to me. And what did special even mean?

A pounding headache had made its way to my head from the million unanswered questions I had.

"I'm not concerned about you," I answered, trying to act confident.

He took a step forward, making my body react without my being able to control it. A quiet gasp escaped my lips as my body jolted, my heart racing in my chest. His lips curled into a grin.

"Clearly," he mocked. "Why do you even bother denying that you're scared of me? I can hear it— and smell it."

I froze. He could really smell it? Could he smell my emotions? That couldn't be true–

"And now you're wondering if I'm telling the truth— and no, I can't read your thoughts," he added when my eyes widened.

I wasn't sure whether or not to believe that, because it looked a lot to me like he could. Then that would mean he knew I was attracted to him, and that I had pictured him without his clothes on the other day– Oh God. Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"I really can't, although I wish I could, just to know what kind of perverted thoughts are in your mind right now–" He laughed. "Sometimes you're just very easy to read."

Was I really? The smirk on his face made me believe so. Great.

"What now?" I asked, changing the subject before my face unveiled more than I wanted. "You said you don't want to kill me, so does that mean I'm free to leave?"

He stared at me again, as if weighing his options. Did he really mean it when he said he didn't want to kill me? Or was he just playing with me?

"It depends—" he answered, his eyes narrowed. He was still standing a couple of feet away, too close for comfort. My chest was heaving fast, despite how hard I tried to control my nerves. The intense tingling feeling all over my body did not help. "If I let you go, will you go back home?"

Home. That word didn't really mean anything to me. I didn't have a home. Blue River hadn't been my home since my parents were killed, and Richard and I had moved cities every six month or so after he took me in. There wasn't a home to go back to. Except for Rick. He was my home.

My eyebrows furrowed suddenly.

"Why do you want me to leave so badly? Why do you care if I get killed?"

It didn't make any sense. Just as the words were out of my mouth, a loud ringtone echoed in the house. Before I could see him move, William had a cell phone glued to his ear.

"What is it?" He said to the person on the other end of the line, his eyes still focused on me. His face darkened and his jaw clenched. Whatever the person was saying wasn't good news. "Are you sure?" An emotion I had never seen on him before now sat on his face— fear. My heart skipped a beat. That couldn't be good. If even him, an immortal being, was scared, that meant that things were about to go very wrong. He detached his eyes from me. "No, she's still here," he added, turning his head back to me. He was talking about me. But with whom? And why? Had there been another victim? "If she is, then we're all in trouble— Yes, I'll make sure of that." He hung up.

My heart was beating so fast and loud I could barely hear my own thoughts.

"For God sakes, slow your damn heart," William snapped as he placed his phone back in his pocket. Easier said than done. I tried to focus on my breathing, but the grave look on his face didn't help.

"You were talking about me," I stated blunty. He ignored my comment and grabbed the bottle of whisky he had left on the kitchen island and filled his glass before drinking it in one gulp. The glass barely had time to sit on the island counter before he filled it up again, and drank the second glass in another gulp. Were his cravings so strong that he needed so much whisky? I was probably not making it easy for him by being so nervous. I really needed to calm down before he was out of liquor and not able to control himself anymore.

"You should have left when I told you to." The finality of his words had me shuddering all over again. The way he said it made it sound like it was too late now. What did he learn on the phone? My heartbeat accelerated once again as fear started to spread through me.

"Why?" It was all that could leave the threshold of my tight lips. William lifted his gaze from the bottle and met mine. The amusement and intrigue were long gone from his eyes, and replaced by something new, something I couldn't quite identify, and yet it had me shivering.

"Because I can't let you leave now."