Descend into Darkness (BOOK 1)

| 08 | Mistaken Identity

"Morning."

   I stirred, pain pulsating from my neck as I winced and sat up in bed. I felt my throat and discovered that someone had bandaged me up.

   As my eyes adjusted to the piercing light, I was greeted by the sight of Marquis sitting at the edge of my bed. His hair shone like golden wheat in the sunlight.

   "Morning?" I said.

   "I treated your wounds, so don't give Carden any credit."

   I rubbed my temples with both hands.

   "What happened?"

   "He just left you there after he finished feeding. How does it feel to be treated like trash?"

   "Don't compare me to trash. He didn't throw me away, he's just—"

   "Being himself?"

   I fell silent. Marquis crossed his arms and looked away.

   "How much longer can you live like this?"

   I threw the blanket onto the floor and tried to stand up. My legs felt weak. I steadied myself and stood up. How was I supposed to answer that? Of course, I felt like trash. Of course, I couldn't live like this forever.

   But there was nothing I could do about it; a deal is a deal. Why would Carden go back on it when he had his own personal blood bank? I had truly lost control of my life.

   I shooed Marquis out of the room and got dressed in my uniform. I was already twenty minutes late, so I didn't bother to rush. Once I was ready, I found Marquis standing at the bottom of the stairs, a mischievous smile on his face.

   "What?" I said.

   "Since the vampire is away, want me to walk you to school?"

   I pushed past him.

   "Why?"

   He trailed behind me.

   "What, you let the vampire do it, but not the demon? That seems pretty unfair."

   I froze.

   "Were you...conscious while you were a soul inside him? Did you see everything?"

   He shrugged.

   "Who knows?"

   Annoyed by his vague answer, I grabbed my keys and continued out the door.

   As we walked at a comfortable pace, I couldn't help but notice the difference in my feelings when walking with Marquis. His presence was somehow lighter, his charm and charisma shining through effortlessly, making our stroll to school an entirely new experience.

   There was no sense of impending danger with Marquis. I didn't have to worry about him getting hungry and feeding off me, or feeling uncertain about what he might do next, or how he might react to what I said. In fact, if anyone saw him, they'd likely mistake him for an ordinary person.

   Upon reaching the school gates, I expected him to stop following me, but he continued. I halted and turned to face him. If it were Carden, he wouldn't have dared to step past the gates.

   "Why are you still following me?"

   "You didn't say I couldn't."

   I wondered if he had intentionally echoed Carden's words from that time. The situation was the same yet different. Had he truly been watching the entire time as a soul in the eyes of Carden?