Page 63 of The Darkness is Calling

“Turn around and stop talking.”

I turn only because I am upset with him and no longer want to see his face.

But when his arms wrap around me again, I let the furry dissolve and close my eyes.

“Good night, Katya.”

His voice is deep and steady, while mine still carries a hint of anger.

“Good night, Artem.”

I should not be here.

But right now, I don’t want to be anywhere else either. That is exactly why, to my surprise, sleep claims me almost immediately, in the arms of the monster who wanted to kill me a little while ago and now is giving me the peace I need to fall asleep.

When the morning comes, I wake in an empty bed, with the rays of a strong sun stroking my face. It’s much earlier than I usually wake up, but any trace of sleep disappears the second I remember the kiss from last night.

Taking advantage of the solitude of the room, I pull the pillow over my face and scream softly into it while kicking my legs.

In the daylight, everything feels much more serious, and my throat certainly confirms it.

He almost killed me.

Or fucked me.

I jump out of bed and hurry toward the bathroom, but of course, in my numb state, I slam my little toe into the doorframe.

“Motherfucker!” I curse loudly, because there is no other way to react in this moment, like any normal human being who feels the pain all the way to the brain and wonders how the fuck such a tiny toe can exist only to crash into everything in its path.

After rubbing the damaged area for a bit, I limp to the large mirror above the sink and draw a deep breath.

Then I look at my reflection.

For one second, my heart stops, but then it returns to a more normal rhythm as I turn my head from one side to the other, analyzing the state of my throat.

The marks left by his fingers don’t seem that obvious.

But they are there.

Proof left by a man who wanted to kill me.

And could do it at any moment.

But even in a time like this, when fear haunts my body like a cold ghost, the memory continues with the passionate kiss he gave me afterward. I move from one state to another, my mind a mess and my heart more confused than ever, all because of someone I should not even be thinking about.

I sigh.

“Fuck.”

One single word from behind me, and I scream in fear when I hear the deep voice.

More precisely, less than half a meter away.

When did he appear?

Before I can understand what is happening, Artem is pressed against my back, looking in the mirror at the marks.

His face is transformed.