Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) (10 page)

“Like I was saying, I’m sure
Jenkins already told you of a fantastic story of how I murder children and rape
women.”

I shake my head. “No, but I did
read a story; a folktale of Rosewood which said something to the same effect.”

“You mean you found a copy of the
folktale of Rosewood? Amazing. I thought Jenkins destroyed all those books.”

“Why would they want the books
destroyed? The story condemns
you
not them.” I try not to look away from
those piercing eyes and hyena-like face.

“The story hints on how to free
me. I’m not a rapist or murderer, Temptation. True, the townspeople wanted help
because of all the murders in Rosewood. Dead bodies kept turning up with
monstrous bite marks on the neck and shoulders. Remind you of anything?”

“Vampires. But they’re demons.”

“The stories of vampires
originated from the demons.”

“So in a way, they are the
original vampire?”

The king nods. “They townspeople
blamed my goblins and me for the murders. So, they hired the twin sons of a
priest to exorcise us out of Rosewood. They did not realize until it was too
late, Jenkins was responsible, and the goblins were protecting the victims. So
yes, I stole children and women. But not for the reasons the twins told you
of.”

“You hurt Victoria.”

“Accident.”

I shift in his arms. “If that’s
true, then let me go over the wall.”

The Goblin King’s shoulders
slacken. Hands, the deep color of tarnished bronze, fall away from my body.

I hurry around the mud pit and
hop over the wall. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. He actually let me go!
Peering back at the king, the sadness in his eyes stirs in me a drop of
sympathy. “Tell me one more thing. If what you say is true, don’t you think the
townspeople would’ve realized people started disappearing and dying when the
twins moved to town?”

The king’s depression dissipates
and a malevolent grin replaces his frown. “Jenkins was born in Rosewood. He was
not a stranger.”

Confused by this new information,
I ask, “Then how did they become demons? Did they get possessed by something?”

The king throws back his head and
laughs. “In a manner of speaking. You see they were always rascals in their
youth and one of their pranks went horribly wrong. They died.” He stalks closer
to the wall. “They went to what you humans call Hell and saw monstrous things
too horrible to describe. They escaped and their souls returned to their
bodies. The townspeople rejoiced, calling it a miracle from God, not realizing
the creature borne into the twins that day.
They’ll never be able to experience peacefulness
again. The only thing to calm their demons is song. It’s why Victoria is
their...doll. Her voice is what makes them feel human; strips them of their
immortality for a brief moment in eternity. It would be wise to not allow them
hear you sing, Temptation. I heard you in the theater house.”

Color rises into my cheeks. “I
didn’t want anyone to know. It’s not a part of my life anymore.”

The king tilts his head. “A
shame.”

“So – how did they get their
wings? I didn’t think demons had angel wings, I thought they would be more
bat-like.”

“I’ll answer with a question.
Have you ever heard of the Nephilim?”

I shake my head.

“They’re the offspring of human
women and fallen angels. Jenkins is a Nephilim and a demon. The only one I know
of in existence. Young as he is, he’s still extremely dangerous. He needs to be
stopped before he can escape from Rosewood. Free me, Temptation.”

Thunder claps overhead. I jump.
As I stare into the night, a single raindrop falls on my cheek. Weird, I
thought, the sky was clear a moment ago. Back over the wall, the goblins, and
their king disappear. I hug my torso and dash back in the direction of town.
Aunt Sally is going to murder me!

Chapter Seven

Five Minutes

           
The carved oak door opens and I tiptoe into the warmth of the Victorian-styled
living room. Glad to escape the pounding rain, I shut the door, and lean
against it for support. Crap, I feel like I ran a marathon. My wet hair lay
sleek against my oval face.

“TEMPTATION!”

I jolt backward, slamming the
back of my head in the process. As I rub the sore spot, I inwardly curse Aunt
Sally. “I know I’m–”

“Alive! Thank goodness you’re
alive!” Aunt Sally dashes out of the kitchen, into the dimly lit living room,
and asphyxiates me with an affectionate hug.

Uncle Jack comes stomping down
the stairs. “Temptation, where have you been? Thank God you’re not hurt!” He
rips me from Aunt Sally’s arms and embraces me with such strength, I feel my
back popping.

“Uncle Jack? When did you get
back and what are you two talking about? I know I’m late, but why wouldn’t I be
alive?”

“Two people were killed tonight.
The Blares. They were the couple who told your father about Rosewood.” Aunt
Sally sniffles into a tissue.

A sick sensation bubbles in the
pit of my stomach. “Did they have a daughter in high school?”

“Poor girl.” Uncle Jack shakes
his head. “Victoria. Alfred told me how wonderful his daughter is at singing.
She has many things in common with you, Temptation.”

What a compliment. I dread the
answer to the question that springs from my lips. “Uncle Jack, how did the
Blares die?”

“Their throats – completely
ripped out. The police think a wild pit-bull is to blame. Rabies maybe.” He
shakes his head again before ushering me to the staircase. “Let’s not get into
details tonight. You’re alive and that’s what’s most important. Someone found
your backpack by the lake. We thought the worst.” His eyes water which causes
guilt to flood throughout my body. “You need to get out of those wet things
before you catch a cold.”

“Yes, and I need to call the
police to tell them we found you.” Aunt Sally bustles back into the kitchen.

I allow Uncle Jack to lead me up
the moaning stairs. He leaves me at my bedroom door with a kiss on the cheek
and a promise to talk in the morning.

I shut my door behind me and
exhale. “The Goblin King and the twins both have good points, but who can I
trust?” I shiver. “Crap, I’m freezing.”

In the bathroom, I amble to the
side of the tub, and turn on the tap. Steam fills the air, along with the light
sent of chamomile, and sandalwood from the bath beads. I strip and sink into
the hot water, closing my eyes. My worries melt, while the warmth of the water
massages my muscles.

A creaking sound, coming from my
bedroom, bolts me out of my daydreaming. Heavy footsteps stop at the bathroom
door. The lights flicker.

“Temptation. You in there?” Uncle
Jack’s voice echoes through the door.

I sink back into the tub, while
my heartbeat returns to its normal pace. “Yeah, Uncle Jack. What’s up?”

“There’s someone here to see
you.”

“I’ll be downstairs in a minute,
I need to get changed.” Wet feet touch the cool floor as I step out of the tub.
Wrapping a royal purple towel around my body, I check my reflection, and then
open the door. “What are you doing in my room? Who let you in?”

Herald yanks my hair back to
investigate the curve of my neck.

“Get off!” I shove him. “Uncle
Jack? Why aren’t you doing anything?” His brown eyes possess a vacancy in their
cores. I cannot even see my reflection. His eyes are empty. Dead.

Herald stands next to Uncle Jack.

“You son of a –! What did you do
to him?”

          “He’s
fine. Think of it as sleepwalking. He won’t remember a thing.” Herald reaches
out and strokes my wet hair with his clawed hand. “How did you get away from
the goblins? More importantly, how did you escape the king?”

I retreat when his hand forms a
fist, before dropping to his side. “Why did you allow Victoria’s parents to be
murdered?”

“An accident; we’ve never seen
the goblins this strong. One clawed Mr. Blare’s throat out,” I remember the
recruiter who attacked the goblin. It must have been Mr. Blare. “And the other
ripped Mrs. Blare’s neck apart. Answer my question.”

Herald advances on me and I react
by stomping on his foot. He releases me with a noisy grunt. Darting into the
room, the four-poster bed separates me and Herald. His nails dig into the
bedpost, proving how easy it will be to slice into my skin.

“The Goblin King let me go. How
can he be as bad as you say if he didn’t hurt me? If he did help kill the
Blares, why didn’t he kill me?”

“He’s playing you, Temptation. He
wants you to free him!” Herald sneers and points an arched nail at my face.
“And the day you try, is the day you’ll die. I won’t let you ruin everything
I’ve accomplished in this town; no matter how much Jerald likes you. Here I can
live peacefully, without the outside world knowing about me and hunting me
down.” Herald edges around the bed.

“You stay away from me or I will
release those goblins! Do you understand me? I want you to leave me alone. I’ll
keep your stupid secret, but I’m not going to have anything to do with you or
your brother.”

Herald mutates into his demon
form. “Jack Falls, I want you to jump out of the window.”

Before I can blink, Uncle Jack
dashes past me. The windows blow open. I scream and lung forward to stop him.
Hands seize my wrists. Uncle Jack jumps and disappears out of the window.

“Damn you!”

Herald takes a fistful of my hair
and wrenches my head back. “Look.” He jabs a long finger at the window.

I see the motionless form of
Uncle Jack, hovering in mid-air.

“I can let him drop, but I’m
getting tired of this tug-of-war between us. You obey me or you’ll start losing
more family members. Your defiance is disrupting the order of things in
Rosewood. Should I let him fall or will you save him?”

Painful memories of my parents’
death haunt me now. Flashes of the car aflame and the first time I heard the
cruel chuckle of the creatures cause me to slump in Herald’s arms. “Fine. Leave
my family alone.”

Herald frees his hand from my
hair and motions for Uncle Jack to return to the room. His voice changes to
worry-free and intoxicating like waking to the sound of rhythmic ocean waves. “Jack
Falls, you’ll not remember answering your front door. You and your wife and
children went to bed. You never heard Temptation scream. If she tries to tell
you about demons, you’ll be deaf to her words.” He stops to grin at my outraged
expression. “Return to your wife and don’t leave your bedroom until morning.”

Uncle Jack’s eyes register
nothing. His movements imitate the wobbling of a zombie as he staggers out of
the room. When the door shuts behind him, Herald yanks me back against his
chest, while he fumbles with something in his pockets.

The towel begins to loosen its
grip on my body. “What are you doing?” I ask, eyeing his pocket.

“Hold still.” Herald unveils a
gaudy necklace from his pocket. He binds the long metal necklace around my
throat and mumbles a few words. I hear a loud
click
. “There. The goblins
cannot harm you. Only a powerful demon could remove this from your neck. Next
time Victoria suggests for you to do something stupid again, don’t listen to
her. Seriously, I thought you were smarter.” Herald shoves me on the squishy
bedspread. “You’re not to miss school on Monday. Tryouts for the lead singer at
the Halloween Ball are going to be held then, and you’re going to audition–”

“I don’t sing anymore. My parents
died because I tried to make it to a concert on time. I don’t want to sing.
Victoria–”

“–is not who I want to hear this
year.” His firm voice shows no remorse for my feelings. “You’ll sing or one of
your family members will pay for it. Your younger cousin maybe. What was his
name? Nathan?”

“Why does this Mask Ball mean so
much to everyone? To you?”

“Because,” Herald says. “It’s the
one thing in this world that gives me pleasure. It’s almost better than sex.”
He is eyeing my loose towel. “Almost.”

Securing the towel more tightly
around my bodice, I say, “I’d rather sing for you than give you
that
kind of pleasure.”

The devilish smile on Herald’s
lips does not match my own frown.

“Look, it’s been a long night and
I’d really like to go to bed.”

He runs a hand over the towel
along my hips.

“Alone.”

“How about a goodnight kiss? I
believe you still owe me one for winning the race.” Herald snatches my wet hair
and jerks me into a crushing embrace.

The kiss is bruising. I have
never kissed a person who I disliked and I hope by no means to do so again. His
hand slips under the towel and caresses my lower back. I bite his lip and knee
him below the belt. He growls like an animal and tosses me on the bed. I try
not to scream, but fail. His chrome teeth drip antifreeze green liquid over the
metal necklace. He cannot bite me unless he removes it.

The wardrobe next to the window
begins to shake violently.

Herald blanches and releases my
wrists. He straddles my waist, but his full attention narrows in on the
wardrobe.

I stop screaming.

The wardrobe goes still.

Herald regards me like a puzzle
in need of solving. He frees me and backs up to the window, panting a little.
“Don’t tell Jerald about what happened tonight between us. As far as he knows,
I never checked up on you. I would hate to have to kill my own brother.”

“You’re insane! You’d kill your
own brother over me? Why?”

Herald’s chrome teeth grind
together. “Jerald’s ability to show regret, sympathy, and love,” he motions at
me, “really pisses me off.”

“But why? Can’t you feel those
emotions?”

“No.” Herald climbs to the window
ledge. “I feel only the dark sins of human emotions. I don’t love you,
Temptation, but I lust for you.” He tilts his face around so I can see his
crimson eyes glowing. The night sky intensifies the vivid color. “One day, I’ll
have you.” He steps off the ledge and disappears from my sight.

My world becomes silent. No bones
crack from Herald’s drop from my windowsill. Careful not make a sound, I tiptoe
over to the ledge. Wind and beads of raindrops attack my hair and skin. Next to
the moonlit window frame, I look down into the yard that is sparkling like
diamonds from the recent rainfall. Herald is gone. Everything becomes blurry
and a moment later, hot tears blind my view of the world.

****

I awake to a cool breeze invading
my bedroom through the window. Hair stuck to my face and eyes crusted with dry
tears, I pull back my black hair and shiver. The towel fell off sometime during
the night. I rewrap the towel, but screech when something sharp pokes my ribs.
A blue rose drops to the floor. I bend forward and pick it up.

“Temptation! Are you all right?”
Uncle Jack bursts in through the door. “What happened? Oh...sorry.” He backs
out of the room. His usual pasty cheeks turn a shade of pink. Uncle Jack’s
thumps from his boots retreat down the staircase.

The giggle coming from my own
mouth surprises me after the previous day’s adventures. Laughter is not
something I expect to have this particular morning. I step over to the
disengaged wardrobe. Careful not to make a sound, I open both of the wardrobe
doors. Nothing but clothes. Thank the Gods I did not find some new monster
awaiting discovery. Tossing the rose on my bed, I pick out a graphic shirt, and
faded jeans.

My cell phone battery died, so I
hook it up to the charger. Karma is probably suffering an anxiety attack by
now. If she can pick up on my depression for the first day of school, she
definitely will have felt my fear.

After I finish dressing, I do my
make-up in a more natural tone, and then hurry out of the room. Rose forgotten,
I skip down the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the dining room where the
family is eating eggs and bacon.

“Are you all right, Temptation?”

“Yeah, Uncle Jack. I thought I
saw one of those wolf spiders. I didn’t mean to scare you after everything that
happened last night with the Blares.”

“Yes, it was a tragic accident,
but I received a call this morning. Apparently, they found the dog responsible
for killing the Blares.”

Aunt Sally ushers me to the
table. We pass the china doll masks mounted to the wall. The feathery mask I
found the first day at the house outshines the rest. “Eat before the boys make
it all disappear.”

“How do they know if the dog is
the one that attacked them?” I ask.

“A truck hit the dog, so it’s
kind of a mess. The ‘strangest dog they had ever seen’ is what the sheriff told
me. Anyway, they found some skin tissue stuck in the dog’s teeth and had it
tested. It ended up as a positive match to both of the Blares.”