Darkness Awakens ( Darkness Series book 1)

Chapter Five

"Gamó! Skata! Páo na ton skotósei!"
I watch from the comfort of the white leather couch I'm huddled on as Dante paces the room his anger oozing from every pore, turning my tired eyes to the others in the room I see Lilly and Alika sitting on the opposite couch, worry and fear pinch their faces as they watch him carefully, two other Demons stand near the fireplace garnet eyes flashing with anger. Releasing a sigh, I swivel my head back round towards Dante just wanting to close my eyes and sleep, the exhaustion from tonight catching up with me.
"How the fuck did this happen? I have at least twenty dead another thirty injured and nobody knows who the fuck did this?" A growl rumbles from his chest and his whole body trembles with rage as he loses himself to his anger. " The fucker knew every weakness and exploited them, knowing that I would rush to Lilly when I was told something was wrong with her, setting me up as soon as I entered her chambers by sealing me in with an entrapment spell, sending my own men to try and kill me -" With a snarl of rage he hurls a fist through the wall, brick and mortar dusting the floor as his body vibrates with unleashed fury.
"Nikolas, Stavros I want you to find the traitors and bring them to the cells for questioning we need to find out who they're working for, I want more men stationed throughout the grounds and to contact me with anything that seems out of the ordinary."
"Nai o kýriós mou." Both men bow slightly then quickly leave the room and I feel the sudden urge to run after them, the tension in the room is palpable and my stomach churns as those silver eyes turn towards me.
"Rosa." Dante growls my name and I flinch knowing that I didn't have the strength to go toe to toe with him right now. As if sensing my distress Lilly stands and moves to sit next to me wrapping a gentle arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a hug, tears prick my eyes at the unexpected embrace.
"Brother you will calm down before you speak to her, she has been through hell tonight and does not need your anger nor does she deserve it!" I pull back surprised and she gives me a gentle smile. "Come Rose let me show you where you can rest tonight, and do not worry about my Brother he will not force answers from you tonight."
I ignore the harsh growl that fills the room and follow Lilly to one of the doors leading off from the sitting room and walk into a very masculine room decorated with red and blacks, a huge bed takes up the length of the back wall, that big it looks like it could sleep eight people or more, scarlet sheets and matching drapes adorn it and I breathe a sigh of pleasure at the sight of it. Lilly shows me where the en-suite is and hands me a beautiful lilac nightdress to put on and I quickly strip and throw it on as my body trembles with exhaustion.
"Here Rose lie down you're practically falling asleep on your feet, rest well tonight for tomorrow the battle truly begins."
I groan as the soft mattress cradles my aching body and mumble a thank you to Lilly who laughs as she walks away. When I'm alone I roll onto my side and try to block out everything that has happened tonight but the insidious voice of the creature tortures me, I still feel his hands on my body and can't help the cold fear that runs through me. All these years and I have finally met my parents' killer but still have no face to go with it just the dark voice that will forever haunt my dreams.
There's so much that I still don't know and it's driving me slowly insane, who am I? What am I? What do the Coven, the creature and Dante want with me? They all want to use me in some way but I have no Idea why, sighing I turn onto my back wondering if tomorrow I will finally get the answers to these questions and pray that I'm strong enough to face them. As I drift further into sleep a woman's voice wraps around me, soft and sweet whispering gently through my mind.
"It's time to remember little one." And I fall into the abyss... into my past.

"Alison where's Rosie?! He's coming-"
"David? What's wrong?"
"He's found her! Shit Ali! The Coven of Hecate they've been helping him all along, helped him lock onto her scent...by the Gods Alison we must keep her safe!"
I look up as my Mother races into the kitchen where I sit at the table with my crayons and colouring book and smile up at her when she comes over and scoops me up into her arms.
"Rosie... Me and Daddy are going to take you on an adventure, would you like that angel?"
I nod my head and she quickly clasps my hand and pulls me towards the sitting room when I hear shouting coming from behind the door, my mother freezes and turns to me colour leaching from her face and places a trembling finger to her lips telling me to be quiet as she pulls me towards the front door.
Power thrums through me as my Mother screams when the front door crashes open and a shadowy figure fills the doorway, I launch myself backwards at my Mother and she pulls me towards the kitchen again when an amused chuckle fills the air.
"Tut-tut Alison...You have something that belongs to me."
The lights blow as he edges nearer, glass exploding everywhere and my Mother pulls me back roughly making a run for the sitting room where we could hear my Father screaming. We make it through the door and I wail in horror at the sight before me, blood paints the room dripping slowly down the walls and I freeze in place at the sight of my Father on his back pale and unmoving on the floor.
"Daddy?" I whisper quietly as I watch my mother drop to her knees and pull his head onto her lap.
"David! No...NO!" My Mother screams and sobs brokenly against him as I stand there numb with pain even as I feel the dark presence stepping closer behind me seeing nothing but the broken lifeless doll that was my Father.
"Exquisite..." The creature whispers from the doorway making me jump with fright, I quickly scramble towards my parents falling hard as I slip in my Fathers blood and grab onto my Mother my small body trembling violently. Raising her head, she stares into my face a wash of emotions flickering through her eyes and with a broken smile she places a soft kiss upon my cheek and turns back towards the shadowy creature.
"Give her to me Witch and I will let you join your husband."
"I will never let you get your filthy hands on her Mammon! I swore an oath to the Goddess of Night and Darkness to protect this child with my life and that is a small price to pay to keep her from the likes of you!"
"I smell your fear Alison and when I feed from you I will savour the sweet flavour for years to come!"
She laughs coldly and raises her palms out towards him and begins chanting, I feel power flow through her and she grasps my hand and I feel my own magic leap inside of me as she syphons it to boost her own.
"Oh mighty air, that rushes its force through the trees and plants on a windy night, I call to thee!"
"Oh mighty fire, that warms us and helps provide us with many comforts, I call to thee!"
"Oh mighty water, that overtakes low land with great force and is essential to all life, I call to thee!"
"Oh mighty earth, that we walk upon and must treat as we would our own kin, I call to thee!"
"Oh mighty spirit, that rages through all of us, keeping us strong and healthy, in the name of Night and my goddess Nyx, I call to thee!"
A rushing wind fills the room and throws Mammon against the wall his growls of rage deafening as he fights against it, but she only chants louder taking more power from me until I'm dizzy from loss.
"Oh sweet Mother of Night, I call upon your name to bring me your protection in my troubles, banish the Demon Mammon send him back to the pits of hell protect your child from his wrath!"
Jasmine scents the air and Mammon screams out in pain as those dark shadows that surround him are ripped away and I let out a breath of surprise as I look upon his face. Instead of a monster that I imagined he was beautiful, like some kind of handsome Prince from one of my story books, his obsidian eyes land on me and he smirks through his pain as he takes in my shocked face.
"Not the... face of a... monster is it... little one?" He grits out as the shadows begin slicing through his body, scarlet tears weeping from the deep cuts and I raise a trembling hand to my mouth to try and hold in the scream bubbling up my throat.
"Fuck you Nyx! You know you can't keep her from me!" Mammon roars his beautiful face twisting in rage. "Your Goddess may send me back to Hell Witch, but mark my words I will be dragging you with me!"
My mother lets out an anguished cry as blood begins to weep from her eyes and mouth and she falls to her knees, choking on the blood filling her throat, I run towards her but am held back by the shadows that coil around my body gently holding me in place as I watch on helplessly.
"I... Love you...baby girl..." She chokes out as I watch the light slowly fade from her eyes and I scream out in anguish as she slumps face first to the floor, Mammon's' dark laughter sending hate and rage through me.
"Nyx your sister has promised me the girl! She is MINE! Ugh-" The slithering shadows silence him as they rip his body apart, blood and gore raining down like crimson rain the warm drops staining my skin.
The shadows that hold me slip away and I race towards the body of my fallen Mother crying and screaming as I look at her, begging her to wake up when the smell of jasmine gets stronger and a warm soft hand clasps my shoulder.
"I am so sorry child...but this is only the beginning of your trials and I only pray that you will be strong enough." A woman's soft voice whispers through my mind but I feel no fear, I feel nothing as though I'm dead inside.
"Mammon will come back for you Rosalie, you must learn to use your gift and make yourself strong. Many others will try and use lies and deceit to bind you to them and others will come in the form of enemies but are truly your salvation." I hardly hear her words through the thick fog of misery and pain and she sighs as she steps away.
"I must leave you now for my sisters' followers come ...when you remember this day seek me out child and I will find you...te amo filia mea."
With those words the Jasmine scent recedes and I'm left alone with the bodies of my parents and I howl my anguish into the night.