Call Of The Dark

Emma was stunned. She came to a halt, hiding behind a gnarled tree. She held her breath as she peered around to take a closer look.

Through the mist shrouding the black woods, her eyes fell on the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes on. With skin like pristine marble, pale blond hair, and chiseled features, he was nothing like the men Emma had previously seen. His eyes—red. Otherworldly.

A woman knelt before him, possessing a glow that softly illuminated the surroundings.

”I will do anything for you, Lord Lazarus, ” she mewled in a regal accent, her eyes locked with his. ”This mortal body is dying and in order to rule Wilyra, you need me—a goddess. But I am trapped in this sickly body. You must find another human body for me. ”

”Soon, ” he hissed. ”I will find a way. ”

Emmas eyes widened as terror surged through her. She had heard of those who ruled Wilyra but had never seen any of them.

Vampires.

They lived in high castles over the snow-covered hills, away from the mainland.

Shaking with fear, she gasped but immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, realizing she made a mistake by revealing her presence.

His head snapped in her direction and their gazes locked. Those murderous piercing red eyes bore into her emerald green ones. She let out a soft whimper. He clenched his jaws, fisting his hands upon seeing her… as if in rage. Thick tendrils of mist rolled in the forest around them, enveloping them in the dark woods.

The fog now reached up to her thighs. Lightning crackled in the distance, making her jump. Dread skittering down her spine, she turned away to the woods behind her and raced back home. Twigs and leaves and swishes of blades splattered and crunched beneath her feet as she crossed the poppy fields and the stars overhead, to go back to her home, trying to outrace her thundering heart and not focusing on the occasional rustle of leaves around her.

Emma had come to this part of the woods, a path she had memorized ever since she was fourteen years old. She found peace here, and from the past few months, her life had been tumultuous.

As she ran, her nightgown fluttering behind her, the sky deepened with darkness. She stopped at the edge of the forest, far away from them. She leaned her back against a tree, trying to catch her breath and tears poured out uncontrollably. She sucked in sharp air when she started to walk back on the path that led to her village.

Just when she was crossing the dirt road that led to her village, a high-speed carriage whooshed past her. She almost caught herself in time otherwise she would have fallen under its wheels.

The carriage came to a screeching halt and the coachman jumped down. He rushed to Emma. ”Are you fine? ” he asked, studying her with serious concern.

Shocked, Emma nodded, not realizing that her cheeks were now wet. ”Im fine, ” she said in a hoarse voice, noticing his tall and wiry frame.

His brows were furrowed as he looked at her with concern in his emerald green eyes. Her eyes darted towards the carriage he wa