everything. Power… People will lie at our feet.”
“I told you before, I don’t want this and never did,” I said as I still kept my eyes shut.
“Pretty soon it will be the only thing you will crave.” He forced my face to straighten. “Now look at me, Sloane. I need to see those beautiful eyes of yours.” He rubbed his stubby cheek against mine. “If you open your eyes, I promise to make it all go away.”
Although I knew it was against my better judgment, I just couldn’t fight anymore. So I opened my eyes and looked him square in his soulless eyes. The last thing I remembered was Simon’s mouth and eyes opening wide and something black and misty flowing out from them and into me. I tried to fight against it. He must have sensed it too.
“Stop fighting me, Sloane.” Those were the last words I heard before I passed out again and Simon carried me to the bed.
I can hear someone calling my name. “Sloane!” They are telling me to wake up, but all I want to do is sleep. I have no strength left to even open my eyes, but somehow I manage it. I’m lying in Declan’s arms. He is shaking me, begging and pleading for me to open my eyes. And how can I deny him?
“Dec…lan? Is it really you?” I mumble.
“Sloane? Jesus, Sloane, look at me. I need you to tell me where you are.” He looks awful, like he has been up for days.
“It’s a hotel somewhere. Declan, I’m scared. I think…I think I’m losing myself.” Declan caresses my face. “He feeds me darkness. I try to fight it, but it makes the pain go away.”
“Listen, Sloane. I don’t know how much time we have, so here goes. Viktor is trying to find you as we speak. We will find you.” I touch his face, scared it’s the last time I will ever see or touch him again. He leans into my touch and uses his hand to cover mine on his cheek. “Sloane, I don’t care if I have to go to Hell itself to find you. I will find you and bring you home. I should have never left.”
“Shhh, you have to leave now,” I whisper.
“I’m not leaving you,” Declan says again.
“I have to stop dreaming about you. It’s unhealthy.” I laugh at myself, considering my situation of being healthy. “This isn’t real and I need to let you go.”
“That’s where you are wrong, Sloane.” A tear drips from my eye. “It’s always been real. These dreams you pull me into are real.”
“It can’t be,” I say, still lying there in his arms.
“Listen to me, Sloane. I need you to find more information on where Simon has you. Then when you go to sleep, I want you to meet me here.” He’s talking so fast, it seems.
I reach up to touch his face again and I notice my nails change from the French manicure to straight midnight black. I try to sit up on my own, but Declan helps me forward. He doesn’t notice my nails, though I know something was wrong. My nightgown, from the hem, starts to change to black. I see the fear in Declan’s eyes.
“Fight, Sloane.”
“I don’t want to fight anymore. I just don’t want to exist. Take pity on me, finish what you were supposed to, or run before I hurt you.” I start to cry, but instead of clear tears, my tears are black. “It’s starting,” I say, and just like that, out of nowhere, I’m yanked from Declan’s arms.
I can see Declan standing there on the bank looking up at me with fear in his eyes as I levitate. I look down at myself and see where the silk nightgown changed to a medieval corset dress that is strapless and black as night. I can hear a part of me screaming to get out, but there was another part of me that is relieved. As if she were a caged animal finally set free. The darkness caresses me, and man does it feel good.
I feel as if the weight of the world has just been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally breathe again. I look up at the moon and it’s full and bright. I glance at my reflection in the lake, and there I am all in black. I am made for Darkness. This suits me.
“Sloane, you have to fight,” Declan calls out to me.
“You know what, Declan? I fought