Tasteful Darkness

Chapter 10

Balendin - Now

My body is filled with hunger. It swirls inside me, begging for the taste of another soul. It's only been a few days since my last feeding, but that's enough. As my time in the Overworld runs out, the need for souls is getting more and more frequent. It's far from an accident. The Underworld craves my return and will stop at nothing to get me back.

Something inside me twists and I nearly keel over from the pain.

"Damn," I mutter.

This is the only pain I will ever know in the Overworld. I can dip my hand into brilliant flames and not feel a thing, but the moment the hunger appears, it's almost too much to bear.

I want to answer the hunger's call, but there is a darkness looming over me and preventing me from hunting.

And their name is Adrian.

"Has the human fallen in love with you yet?" they ask as we make our way down the street.

The mention of Peter sends annoyance cracking through me as the thoughts of last night fill my mind.

After helping Peter, I went back home and my human form was too exhausted to do anything but collapse onto my bed. The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell into a deep sleep.

I dreamed last night of him. Well, not of him, but he was there.

It came in clips, as if I was running through a museum and catching only fleeting glances of each painting.

Peter. The markings of his skin plastered as pale galaxies against the inky black sky. His voice whispered in my ear, too close for me to move, and spoke of invisible wishes.

"No," I tell Adrian, clenching my hand to distract myself from the pain inside of me. "These things take time. Time that I don't have, and time that I'm wasting right now."

It comes out harsher than I meant, but it's the hunger fueling my annoyance.

"If you knew you would fail such a task," they say, "why bother to make the deal?"

"It was my only option."

Adrian doesn't respond to that. "I will be returning to the Underworld today," they say instead. "The Creator wants to be updated on your progress."

They say it in a way that makes it seem like a request.

"Are you asking me what I think you should say?" I ask, confused.

"Is there anything I should mention? Or choose to leave out?"

Is this Guard really asking me my opinion?

A thousand years ago, before I even came to the Overworld, I spent enough time with other Guards to realize they don't exist to work with others. They work to stay in line and do whatever necessary for their creators. If Adrian had told me this back then, I would have assumed it was a trap.

But something tells me they aren't trying to trick me.

I look at the ground. "Don't tell them about the cat."

Their eyes narrow. A smile of sorts?

"I will see you soon," they say.

I nod. "Until then."

In a flutter of a shadow, they're gone, and I'm left alone on the street.

Though not entirely alone, considering there are hundreds of humans walking around in their busy lives. Just as I'm about to take another step, someone bumps past me, harder than I think necessary.