Heart of Darkness

Marie stared at him with suspicion. "Why suddenly?" she asked.

"I am desperate." He told her.

"So what is it about yourself that you will give?" She asked.

"What do you want?"

She walked along the fence, her eyes taking in all of him. "I don't know." She said amused. "There is a lot I like about you."

Of course, she would enjoy this moment. Finally a demon at her mercy. One who had used her knowing she had a thing for him, it wouldn't hurt to use him back.

"Well, I am here." He said. "You could have it all except for that which I cannot control." His heart was not an offer.

"What makes you so desperate?" She was curious. "Is it the prophetess? Your friend's wife. You think she is her?"

Skender clenched his jaw. "I know she is not her and why do you know so much about this?"

"You think I helped you without knowing anything about you? I would not be so stupid. Now you are so desperate to save her. Why? She is not yours to save, just like the previous one wasn't yours to save."

"I know she wasn't mine," but he loved her still.

"I like your good heart, but it will make you suffer." She told him. "You will always end up sacrificing yourself and no one will sacrifice themselves for you."

"I came here for help. Not to have my future predicted."

Her gaze pierced into his as she leaned closer. "I am helping you. Your friend is only thinking of saving his wife and does not think of what might happen to you. And your punisher is not telling you everything. Everyone is keeping secrets."

Skender frowned. "What secrets?"

"It is not in my place to tell you, but you should think about yourself first because no one else will."

No one else will? Of course. Whose priority was he? He was meant to be alone.

Marie watched him as if she knew his thoughts.

"Well, I am not here to talk about myself." He told her. "I need help defeating a shade."

"You are still not listening to me." She shook her head. "Alright then."

To his surprise, she stepped outside the fence. "Let's go somewhere private." She took his hand and teleported them away.

They arrived at a small cabin. Marie went to sit on the small bed in the room. "So, what exactly do you need?"

"I need to find a weakness. Do you know of Constantine?"

"Yes. As a future coven leader, I know of every shade and demon I need to know about."

"What do you know about him? Is there something I can have any use of?"

Marie tilted her head and watched him for a long moment. "No. I just know that you shouldn't try to fight him. Even if you defeated him, there will be his family left who will seek revenge. It will be a never-ending, bloody battle."

"He has an enemy that he wants to defeat. Do you know who it could be?"

She frowned. "An enemy? Well, it would be a powerful demon in the human world that could be a threat to all shades."

"Besides the Arch who sets rules and doesn't meddle with shades, who could it be?" He wondered.

She lifted one eyebrow. "I don't know."

"Is there any way to find out?"

"There are grave consequences to using magic like that." She told him.

"I will take the consequences." He said without hesitance.

Marie sighed, not looking pleased. "We could still find nothing."

"I am willing to take the risk."

"Alright, but I will still need something from him. A nail, a strand of hair, a piece of clothes."

Skender groaned. "How am I supposed to get it?"

She shrugged.

He cursed. "This is not helpful. I need to go back."

"Don't forget the payment," she smirked caressing the mattress to show him what she meant.

Ignoring her, he teleported back.

Rayven had found another shade to torture but again this one refused to speak as well.

Skender watched them for a while and then noticed something peeking out from the shades boot. He went and pulled out the dagger.

The handle was well decorated and of gold. Rayven stopped and looked his way confused.

"This must be a gift. Who did you get from?"

"From our Lord."

Skender looked at the dagger wondering if this would do. He went back to Marie. She looked at the dagger skeptically. "I can try," she said.

*******

"Find any female related to her mother. Anyone she knew, a friend, a relative." Constantine gave orders. Angelica's mother must have hidden the powers somewhere.

His subjects bowed and left. He leaned back, grabbing the goblet on the table beside him and sipping his wine while listening to every movement Angelica made.

That red hair and those blue eyes. She looked just like her. Even the way she spoke and stared at him with bravery and fury. He knew he shouldn't believe her. She was a clever woman but he would wait and see. Otherwise, he would have to try his absurd second plan that he didn't think would work. Not after what he had witnessed about the defender.

Interesting that he wouldn't save himself even when close to dying. As if someone had purposely numbed his demon. Why? He couldn't be a defender without his demon.

It seemed as if all odds were against him. How much longer would he have to wait to execute his plan? He had been patient enough.

Angelica moving around in the mansion caught his attention. He listened to her steps. Would she try to escape?

How sad that she ended up with that demon but what could he say. Good women were destined to be with bad men. It was the same with Ramona. At the end of the day, none of them could protect their woman.

"Useless," all of them, he thought.

Standing up he went to see Angelica. She wondered around the hall, smelling of a demon. He had marked her. He could see the faint scarring on her neck.

Putting his hands in his pockets he walked toward her and turned her head swiftly her eyes wide, like a prey hiding from a predator. Her blue eyes closed in on him as he neared and he could see that she was fighting the urge to step back.

"Was the offer I made you not good enough?" He asked. "I only need your blood, but you will get all the benefits. You will never need to hide or fear a shade ever again. They all obey me."

She nodded. "I understand but what can I do? I don't have what you need."

"That is unfortunate. I really hope it is not a lie. It would be a shame to hurt someone like you."

She frowned at him, looking displeased.

"What is your second plan?" She asked him.

"The king, does he see you as Ramona?" he tilted his head to one side. "That would be sad. You are not her."

"The king knows what you did to Ramona."

"Does he?" He chuckled. "How hurt he must be."

"How sad you must be. You must not know love."

"Love? I know love. I just love differently." He said taking a step toward her. His curiosity peaked. "I wonder what your lover would feel if I hurt you and he could do nothing about it? What kind of person would he turn into? What length would he go to, to avenge you? Or would he just become numb because of all the pain? His life nothing but a waste."

Was that what happened to the defender? Was that even possible?

Angelica's eyes shifted to something sad. His words hit a nerve. "Our deeds come back. I am sure you will know one day if you do such a thing."

Oh. Constantine missed this. He loved such women. They always had something to say.

"I like you, so let me tell you something. Never rely on men to protect you."

"Constantine!" He suddenly heard a familiar voice calling him from afar. It seemed like his plan came to him instead of the opposite. "I know about your father!" He called.

Constantine froze!

What did he know? How did he know?

Leaving Angelica behind he immediately went to see him. Skender stood outside the gate of his mansion, waiting for him. Rayven stood beside him looking furious and the two other demons followed them.

Constantine went to stand close to the gate. "I see you have finally come."

"Where is Angelica?" Rayven glared at him with eyes that could kill.

"She is resting. Don't worry." Then he turned back to Skender.

"I think it is better you hand her over."

"Or?"

"Or I will hand over your secret to your father."

Constantine chuckled to conceal his worry. His father could never find out. They would all be destroyed.

"You wouldn't want to do that?" Constantine said.

"Why not?"

Constantine clenched his jaw. Changed plans it seemed but he could still work with it.

"He is the enemy. Not me."

"You became the enemy when you took Angelica." Rayven spat.

"Would you have preferred my father did? He is also looking for the prophetess."

"Why would he?"

"How do you think he gained so much power? He found and drained every prophetess he could, including Ramona."

The defender's eyes darkened with suspicion but also fury. Good, Constantine thought.

"You drained her! You killed her!" He said with clenched teeth.

"I. Did. Not!" That was not the accusation he expected. He thought the defender was angry at him for another reason.. This was even better. "I loved her!"