The Darkest Temptation ✔️

TWELVE

Word Count: 1821

~Tove

Three days ago, Keo told me flippantly over breakfast that he had business to attend elsewhere.

He still isn't back.

I spent the first two days reading the book he gave me. On the third day, I spent most of the day staring out at the sea, lounging in the sun and eating all the food left for me.

Today, I'm officially bored. I want to explore.

Every door I find that leads to the outside is unlocked, although distantly, there doesn't appear to be any civilisation, which means strolling around likely won't get me anywhere.

So, I opt instead for wandering aimlessly around this expansive manor.

Most rooms are empty. This is obviously just a temporary place for Keo to come to as he hops around the land.

On the bottom level, I come across an ajar door which I peek through. My mouth drops at the sight of a small library.

Nudging the door open with my shoulder, I step inside, breathing in the smell of ancient books.

I just found where I'm going to spend the rest of my time while Keo is absent.

I spend at least half an hour inspecting as many books as possible before one piques my interest. It's particularly old, written over a century ago. By the looks of it, it details some Angel-blood history regarding Demon's.

Lugging the book upstairs, I lay it on my bed, flipping the cover open.

I take my time scanning the small text, learning about the war, about Angel's depiction of Demon's. It's rough, hearing how they detail the mass death's, and how they justify it.

To them, Demon's are more than just dangerous and powerful. They are pure evil that should be exterminated to restore balance to nature.

Eventually, Keo's name comes up.

My heart almost stops as I read a particular narration of an Angel-blood who describes their interaction with Keo while they worked in a facility that tested on Demon's.

I've never known such a facility to exist, although by now such a horrific organisation has disbanded.

From what I can gather, they tested on him to determine the extent of his power and how they could extract it from Demon's so they would be less dangerous.

My throat dries. This is horrific.

There's not explicit details about the nature of this testing, but it's clear it was not consensual, nor was it fair and reasonable.

Keo underwent something horrific. I can tell.

I slam the book shut, clutching my stomach. Who knows how long Keo endured testing all those years ago, and what exactly he went through.

Knowing how much Angel-bloods resent Demon's, I know it must have been brutal.

The sound of a door slamming from downstairs causes me to flinch.

Somebody is here.

Grabbing the book, I press it to my chest and rush downstairs, following where I believe the sound came from. It leads me to Keo's private office that I've been warned about coming near, but if he's back, I want to talk to him.

Sure enough, the door is open, allowing me to see him sitting at his desk, head bent down as he looks over a mess of documents.

I lean my shoulder against the doorframe, holding the book behind my back. "You've returned."