Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) (16 page)

I try to catch my breath and lean
against the wall, but quickly withdraw my hand in disgust. The wall is slimy to
the touch.

A creaking sound echoes from
behind. It must be Jenkins! A rush of adrenaline causes all the small hairs on
my body to bristle. Down the stairs, I stumble as I reach the bottom steps. A rat
squeaks beneath my bare foot. A red glow emits out of a room up ahead. My torn
ball gown swishes over the floor. Staring at the walls and ceiling, I
understand why the wall is so slimy.

A cave.

The theater house must have been
built over it. The room glows and I hone in on the crystal in the center of the
cave. The Cyclops rats cover every inch of the cavern. Their yellow teeth chew
on bones in the corners of the room. I hope they are not human bones. The rats
halt and stare up at me. Their eyes are fire in the slight darkness. They bend
forward in a bow.

“You know...if anyone other than
you or I entered here, they’d be eaten alive by the Rodents of Hell.”

Skin shivering, I pivot. Jenkins
stands in front of me, with a deadly grin which frightens my mortal heart. “Why
do you want me to be your queen? I thought you loved Victoria before you, or at
least part of you, dated me. How could you decide so quickly?”

Jenkins barks out a laugh.
“Victoria is gifted, but nothing compared to you, Temptation. If she were to
enter this room, the rats would still attack her.” A thoughtful look crosses
his face and he adds, “They may not kill her, but they would seriously injure
her. Even if she wanted to free the Goblin King, which she never did, I would
have caught her before she ever left this room. Thanks to your cousin, I
discovered you here before you could make a mistake.”

Before I can move, Jenkins
advances and restrains me. “You almost got away with freeing the goblins and
their sorry excuse for a king. If the Goblin King would’ve left me alone all
those years ago, instead of interfering, he and his goblins would still have
their freedom. There just weren’t enough humans to go around for both the
goblins and demons. Believe me Temptation, things are better the way I have
them.”

“You’re going to kill the only
remaining family I have. How do you expect me to agree with you?” I push
against his chest to force a little more distance between my neck and his
chrome teeth. The necklace, still tight around my neck, can be taken off by
Jenkins.

“I don’t expect you to do
anything other than fight me. It doesn’t matter if you want to be my queen or
not Temptation. The thing is, even though you are powerful, I’m still more
powerful than you are, and I can force you to do whatever I want you to do when
I change you. I’ll tell you what...as a wedding gift to you; I’ll leave your
family human and let them be recruiters. But understand if you ever try to
release the goblins again, I’ll force you to murder your own family members. I
made Victoria murder her mother. She doesn’t remember though.” His words drip
like acid on a wound.

A tear escapes my eye. “Is this
what you told Victoria when you trapped her?”

Jenkins laughs again. “Victoria
wanted me and I wanted a new toy.”

“But Victoria loves you. Wouldn’t
you rather have someone who loves you as opposed to someone who hates you?”

“Oh, but the fun part of it,
Temptation, is you’ll always be a challenge to me. Victoria will do whatever I
ask of her. She’s too afraid to disobey me. Hold still. This will only hurt for
a minute.” Jenkins pulls my neck closer to him and exposes his pointy teeth,
which drip an acidy liquid the color of antifreeze.

I swish my white hair so that it
drapes over the necklace. Jenkins encages me better, and using his free hand,
he yanks my hair away.

All I can do is scream as he tugs
on the necklace.

Then a force tackles me on my
side, knocking Jenkins and me to the slimy cavern floor. Jenkins trundles over
the rats.

“Think I’m too afraid to disobey
you! Let’s see how you like this play toy,” Victoria says. Her mascara smears
down her cheeks.

Withdrawing from Jenkins, I give
Victoria free reign. She sprints forward and rams a knife into Jenkins
shoulder. Thanking whatever luck follows me tonight; I run and seize the crimson
crystal.

“NO!” Jenkins shouts, but before
he can get up, Victoria strikes. She sinks her teeth into Jenkins arm and rips
off a chunk of flesh.

The Cyclops rats attack Victoria.

“Dammit, Temptation, get moving,”
Victoria, commands. She sinks her teeth back into Jenkins shoulder.

I cringe. Victoria is making such
an effort to help me; it seems dishonorable to leave her behind. However, I am
not a demon and my aiding Victoria will not help either one, so I say, “thank
you,” and disappear up the stairs. Jenkins animalistic roars, and Victoria’s
painful cries, fade from my sensitive ears. As I pocket the crystal, I reach
the top of the staircase, and retrace my footsteps with the help of the idols.
At the corner of the balcony, I slam into a cool body. “Whelan! Thank the Gods
you’re–” I pause. “You’re a demon.”

Whelan’s face mirrors the biker
gangs own faces. Black eyes with white in their centers and beautiful pearl
white skin transforms his shaggy appearance to a regal visage. Jenkins did not
make Whelan.

“Where’s Victoria?” Whelan shakes
me. Hard.

“She’s fighting Jenkins in the
cave – but I think it’s too late!” I shout after Whelan. He ignores me and
dashes out of sight. My gut clenches. I cannot help Whelan. I do not have time.
Glancing at a sun idol, I say, “Don’t let him find the entrance to the cave.
He’ll die if he goes down there.”

Loud shrieks fill my ears. Over
the balcony, the townspeople surround the captured humans. Craven and the rest
of the biker gang guard my cousins and bare their needlepoint fangs at the
imposing townspeople. Mr. and Mrs. Peters also guard the human prisoners.

They will not be able to fight
everyone! I jog to the end of the balcony. I thought I saw a box of fireworks.
Rounding another corner of the balcony, my heart skips a beat. I pray this will
work. In the box, I discover a few large fireworks. Unsure what each one did, I
grab the lighter in the box. Choosing a long firework resembling a dynamite
stick, I light the string, and toss it high. The firework hits the grand chandelier.
It bursts, raining droplets of glittering crystal on the demented townspeople.
Lamplights flicker furiously, imitating the effect of a strobe light. The
panicking townspeople below, twist their deformed faces up in search of their
tormentor. I select a large square, which holds a few rows of fireworks. I
light it.

“Hey! Here’s a gift from your queen.”
Every eye turns in my direction. I toss the box over the balcony and yell,
“Craven, get them out of here!” He grins before a parade of smoke and sparks
cover the ballroom. A couple drapes catch fire. It is the best I can do. Panic
rising, I gather my lengthy dress and sprint back down the labyrinth of
corridors. Sweat drips off my face, hidden beneath the mask. Part of my dress
falls from my hand as I yank the mask off. I clutch it tightly in my
henna-tattooed hand. I maneuver my way through the hallways with the idols’
help and finally find the corridor leading into Mrs. Peters’ house. The lady
sun, Adora, shrieks in delight as the idols cheer.

Even the old moon breaks into
praise. “Knew ya had it in ya!”

I exit the mansion, jump off the
porch, and stop at the biker gangs’ motorcycles parked in front of the theater.
Hoping the keys are still in the ignition, I straddle the nearest bike. Thank
the Gods! The motorcycle roars to life.

The theater doors bang open.

The guards spy me. Before they
can say anything, I speed out, and head toward the forbidden woods at the edge
of Rosewood.

Chapter Eleven

Stricken

           
The coldness of the night caresses my skin, while the noise of the forest
deafens my pounding heartbeats. I kill the engine on the side of the highway. I
am close to the stone archway. I can sense the goblins’ anticipation. The bike
falls to the ground, as I head into the blinding thicket. Leaves, painted a
decayed shade of death, fall from the tops of the maples and oaks. The faint
roar of impending motorcycles teases my eardrums. The Demon King’s guards hunt
me at this very moment. I wonder if Jenkins escaped from Victoria or if
Victoria even made it out alive. Whelan never trusted me enough with his
secret. It hurts that he kept it from me for all this time.

The questions torment me, but I
cannot turn back. I curse those stupid doctors.

The crimson crystal in my
tattooed hand glows in the dark forest. I caress the slick surface. The
shedding trees part overhead. A sliver of the moon highlights the stone wall. I
spy goblin eyes peering through the archway and over the wall.

A cloaked figure stands in the
center of the archway, waiting for my gift.

My movements cease at the cursed
entrance into the goblins’ world. I examine the disfigured face of the Goblin
King. He is two heads higher than me. Our last encounter a few weeks ago causes
me to blush and turn my face away. I regret not listening to his warnings. I
feel like a traitor.

He smiles at my shyness. “If you
wish to free me, you must step through the archway, and hand me the crystal.”

“H-How do I know you and your
goblins won’t attack me after I help you?”

The motorcycles halt in the short
distance to the road. The screechy roars of the demon guards cause the goblins
to bare their sharpened claws and chrome teeth. Their bronze bodies glisten in
the moonlight.

“Temptation, I give you my word,
as a king, my goblins will not harm you.” The Goblin King’s patient voice
comforts me, but his eyes express the urgency of our situation. “I’ll also need
the crystal filled with Jenkins’ blood.”

I reveal the other crystal from
my dress pocket. Crap. I am gambling with my life. As I cradle the two spheres,
the king’s eyes become bleak. I wonder what it must be like to live for the
last one hundred and fifty years, desiring and wishing for the two objects I
have in my possession. To have freedom an arm’s length away and not be able to
grab it must be the worst kind of torture.

“Temptation, stop, they’ll
destroy everyone!” The guards jog through the woods. They are only a few yards
away.

I lock my eyes onto the Goblin
King. The hope disappears from his demeanor and he bows before me. The
surrounding goblins stare bug-eyed at their proud king on his knees. I share in
their shock.

“Please, Temptation.” He tilts
his lump of a deformed head up. “Set me free.”

Unable to refuse the pitiful
sight, I take the last step forward, and enter the goblins’ kingdom. The king
rises. The shouts from the demon guards increase. I place the two crimson
crystals in the Goblin King’s awaiting hands. The crystals crack and the king
places them to his parting lips.

The crimson glow disappears into
his crooked mouth.

The only light in the woods comes
from the moon, which shines through the skeletal branches of a dead maple tree.
In a split second, the ground begins to shake. The goblins snarl at the demons.
Fear etches on the demon guards’ faces. The stone wall cracks. The sound echoes
throughout the forest like thunder.

Remorse yanks me out of danger
from the archway as it crumbles to the ground. The rocks clack together,
reminding me of the sound of balls smashing together in a game of pool. “We be
in yer debt Girlie, so ya can’t go dyin’ on us, can ye?”

I open my mouth to reply, but it
is too late. The goblins race over the mounds of rock left from the destroyed
wall. The guards flee to their motorcycles, while the goblins chase them like
bloodthirsty pit bulls. As more goblins rush past, I sense the king creeping
up. Twirling to face him, my mouth drops open. The king’s face no longer
resembles a mutated hyena. Instead, he looks human. Except for a very sharp
bone structure, which he inherited from his goblin ancestors. The black cloak
falls at his feet. With his humpback form gone, he has no need to cover up his
body. His bronze skin displays black tattoo veins covering his muscular arms
and naked torso. His chrome teeth appear a great deal sharper than Jenkins’
teeth. I nervously rub the metal necklace protecting my skin. The sharp angle
of his thick eyebrows makes him look fierce and powerful.

Realization dawns on me. “You’re
the one who was in my bedroom the day I first came to Rosewood. The one who’s
been stopping my suicide attempts.” I shake my head. “What happened to you? You
look so barbaric. Yet you look human too.”

Pointy ears poke out of his sleek
hair. The Goblin King chuckles and cocks his head sideways. Never blinking, he
says, “When Jenkins took my magic, he really took most of my soul. He wanted to
imprison me because I kept taking his victims. He feared women who could see
goblins, like you, because he believed they would help me based on my
appearance. So, he took my very identity and bestowed upon me a gruesome body.”
The amusement in his voice holds no anger. I would be angry if someone made me
look as hideous as a harpy. “But since I have his blood in me, I look slightly
different than I did a hundred and fifty years ago. As for my human features,
my ancestors had a thing for Native American women. And it would seem I also
like dark skinned women.” 

I blush until his previous words
sink in. “Do you mean Jenkins is over a hundred and fifty years old and he
still acts like a teenager?”

The king grins. “Jenkins became a
demon when he was a teenager, so his mentality will always be that of a
teenager. But he never understood humans, anyway. He believes they only care
for beautiful things. He underestimates them, just like he underestimated you.”
He circles me. A bizarre kind of pulsing vibe flows off him.

Perhaps it is magic.

“He believed you to be broken
from the tragic accident with your parents, and therefore never took you as a
serious threat. Yes. You would be a challenge for him to control, but I believe
he thought threatening to kill your only remaining family members would drive
you to be submissive to him.”

At the mention of my family, I
snap out of my trance. “Goblin King–”

“My name is Silus, Temptation.
It’s about time you used it.”

“Right. Silus. Remorse told me
you’re in my debt for freeing you and your goblins.”

Silus presents a teasing smile
and folds his strong arms across his chest. “Is that a question or do you have
a request of me?” The muscles along his torso bulge. The last goblins run past
and a terrifying scream echoes in the distance.

My hair whips past my face,
causing it to reflect the moonlight. “I want you to save my family. I know I
can leave Rosewood, but I want my family to leave, too. I’m afraid Jenkins has
already killed them because of what I’ve done. Craven and the rest of the
bikers are trying to protect them, along with the Peters. I helped them before
I came here. I don’t know if it gave them the time they needed. I also saw my
friend, Whelan. Did you know he is a demon?”

“Yes.”

“Is he working for you too?”

“He agreed to protect you where I
could not. In exchange, I agreed to help him to save his Victoria.”

Eyebrows rising, I ask, “His
Victoria?”

“Whelan was already…involved with
Victoria before she came to Rosewood. Her family was lured here by recruiters.
It took him a while to enter Rosewood, because–”

“Only those who are invited to
Rosewood can find it,” I finish.

“Exactly. Victoria had already
been bitten by the time he arrived.”

“This is horrible!”

Silus frowns. “Are you in love
with Whelan?”

“What? No! It’s Victoria.”

“You like women?”

“No! She was fighting Jenkins in
the cave. I’m not sure she survived. Whelan ran after her, but I told the
golden statues not to let him find the cave.”

“Whelan will be fine. He is a
rare kind of demon.”

A silence stretches between us.

“Will you save my family?”

“Consider it done.”

Relief sweeps through me, but the
predatory glare Silus is giving me, makes me retreat a few steps.

“And since this evens us up, I’m
unbound to you.” Silus unfolds his arms. His nails grow an inch. The antifreeze
colored liquid, drips from the points of his chrome teeth.

“No! We’re not even yet, because
you haven’t saved my family. They’re still at the theater house and the more
time we waste here, the more likely it is Jenkins has already done something to
them.”

Silus rumbles out a throaty
chuckle. “Don’t worry, Temptation, I’ve already instructed your family’s safety
is our first priority. However, I do need to get into town. I’ve waited a long
time to kill Jenkins, so let’s be quick about this.”

I stumble backward over the
fallen stones. “You told me you wouldn’t hurt me after I freed you. You lied to
me!”

“No. I told you my goblins
wouldn’t hurt you. I never said I wouldn’t hurt you.” Silus lurches forward.

I spin on the spot and dash
toward the road highlighted by the moonlight. The wind swirls my hair in the
air. The breeze swishes over my necklace. I sense Silus’ ascension and sprint
harder toward the road. I snap my head to my right. Silus is running next to
me, replicating my strides. He does not even break a sweat. He is teasing me. I
spy the motorcycle ahead.

“Gotcha,” he whispers.

Warm arms encircle my waist and
reject me from taking the last few yards to the motorcycle. Voice shrill, I aim
a kick and make contact with his stiff legs.

He grunts and then chuckles. He
spins me and we stand so close the tips of our noses touch.

I intend to kick him in a better
place this time, but he twists my arms. I cry out in pain. Silus pushes me
backward and I stagger. The bark of an oak tree grazes the naked flesh on my
back. As his body pushes against mine, he pins me to the dry tree. A few leaves
glide to the forest floor.

A couple of tears escape my eyes.
“Y-You’re going to kill me?”

Silus cocks his head sideways.
His black eyes penetrate my own. “I thought it’s what you’ve wanted most in the
world since the death of your parents. The one thing I’ve barred you from over
the past year. Are you telling me, when you’re about to have your deepest wish
come true, you don’t want to die?”

I consider Silus’ words. I have
longed for death over the past year. “I wanted to escape my memories. Death
seemed like the easiest choice at the time, but I have a new family. I’ll find
a way to deal with my past. Besides…” I shift my head to rest more comfortably
on Silus’ large arms. “My aunt and uncle love me–”

Silus snorts and relaxes his grip
on my wrists. “You know your aunt only tolerates you. I used the white mask in
your home to watch the way your family treated you. I saw what she did to you
the first night you came to the theater.”

The anger in Silus’ voice causes
me to falter in my thinking. “Why would you care? You want to kill me?”

Silus displays another sinister
smile. “Do I?” The lime-green liquid leaks out of the points of his teeth once
again. “I will never be dishonest to you, Temptation. This is going to be sharp
and unpleasant.” He seizes a fistful of my hair and yanks my head sideways. His
clawed hands grasp the necklace. It shatters like glass.

I scream. It is all I can do.
Powerful jaws lock on my neck and bite down, causing the points of his teeth to
dig deeper into skin and muscle. I stop screaming and gasp for air. He is not
sucking my blood. The veins all over my body are on fire. Using my free hand to
grab a handful of Silus’ hair, I try to yank him away from my throbbing neck.

He compresses harder, releases my
hair, and captures my hand. Untangling it from his own hair, he pulls me into a
tighter embrace.

A spiking fever makes my eyes
water. My legs go limp and Silus gently lowers me to the cold ground. No longer
able to lift my arms, he arches back, and gaze upon me; apparently pleased with
my frailness. “Y-You going to watch me die?”

Silus leans forward and places a
light kiss on my lips. My eyelids flutter in alarm. “Whether you live or die is
your choice, Temptation. I’m grateful to you for freeing me. Even if I did have
to bow to you.” He chuckles and strokes my cheek. “You are an amazing woman. I
hope you decide to stay alive. Goodbye.”

In an instant, he vanishes. As my
vision blurs and I close my eyes. I listen to the tree branches knocking
together like battle drums overhead. The combating demons and goblins growl in
the distance. I try to embrace the final sounds I will ever hear.

Reopening my burning eyes, I am
at the theater house, staring up at the roof. I fly in the air and land on the
balcony rooftop. Turning, I stare down into the crowded street. Goblins and
demons battle below; their black blood splatters the buildings and street
signs. A few lampposts on the Peterses’ front lawn are destroyed. Shards of
glistening glass cuts into a few of the goblins’ feet. Their cries of pain
cause my anger to grow toward the zombie demons.