Heart of Darkness Read online

  Heart of Darkness

  An Immortals of the Damned Novel

  Claire Marta

  For Renee

  A light in the dark

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

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  Also by Claire Marta

  About the Author

  Cover Design © 2019 by Opium House Creative

  Proofread by Theresa Huber

  Edited by Tracy Damron-Roelle

  Copyright © 2019 by Claire Marta

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase.

  Disclaimer: Please do not try any sexual practice without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury, or death resulting from the use of the information contained in this book.

  Prologue

  Transylvania 1477

  The horse beneath me trots at an easy pace, my body in tune with its movements. I pat its neck, my gaze scanning the forest around us. The hushed voices of the men behind me mingle with the thud of horse hooves. A cool wind blows around us, rustling the green canopy above. The heat of the setting sun touches me every so often in streaks of gold through the trees. I savor the gift of these warm summer days. It’s drawing to an end, and winter here can be harsh. Unforgiving to all.

  “The men are uneasy, my Prince. There’s talk that the villagers have seen demons in the woods,” Stefan tells me, breaking my thoughts as he shifts uneasily in his saddle. His dark eyes meet mine, his rugged face carved with worry. As second in command, he has their respect and trust.

  “Superstitious nonsense,” I mutter. Falling prey to myths and stories is something I will not do. Wolves are plentiful, along with enemies, yet the peasants find it easier to account bad things happening the result of something supernatural.

  “They’re frightened of something, my Prince,” he continues, voice a little more hushed. “Since heading home an ominous presence has been with us. It’s an omen of death.”

  “Turk spies are the more likely the answer. Tell them to keep a look out just in case of a surprise attack,” I reply, aware of the same oppressive feeling he speaks of. Cloaking us since the moment we turned home, it’s been our constant companion. Even the horses are skittish as if they to sense something is watching us.

  It’s been an uneventful trip. News that the Turks had been spotted at our borders has turned out to be nothing more than rumours. I press my lips together. My brows dip in a troubled frown.

  After being held hostage as a child with my younger brother Radu by the enemy, I know full well what the Turks are capable of. He had become the sultan’s favorite. His loyal companion while we were there. When the sultan had placed me on my father’s throne after they’d murdered him and my eldest brother, my priorities had become my own. Radu had become my adversary. The fact we are family, born of the same blood, means nothing to him now. His loyalty lies with his new master. For that they had sent an impressive army to take what was mine. I had met their forces with the same bloodthirstiness I had become notorious for in their ranks. A forest of dead and dying impaled on stakes had awaited those that had come after. It had sent them into a tailspin of fear.

  Foreboding washes over me, a certainty of danger that sets me ill at ease. Hand moving up, my fingers squeeze around the talismans my wife gifted me the day I left her. We’re not far from home. A few more hours and the brooding dark towers of the castle will be in sight.

  My attention swoops to the thick signet ring on my finger. A small fierce dragon engraved on the surface representing my family. The emblem of my lineage.

  Tiredly, I raise my hand to stroke my bearded jaw. “I’m weary of this pace. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to sleep in their own bed tonight.”

  “We could ride the horses hard,” Stefan advises. “Be there just after dark.”

  Giving him a curt nod, I dig my heels into the flanks of my own steed, setting it into a faster gallop. No one questions my decision. They follow my rule and have prospered from it.

  The unease that plagues me only grows as the castle comes into sight. A familiar ocean of blue emerges, the wildflowers my Elizabeth loves so much. In the silvery light of the rising moon, the bright hues are strangely subdued. My fingers once more find the talismans around my neck. It has been a connection between us while we were apart. A promise to return home.

  A cry goes up when we’re spotted. Watchmen alerting the rest of the occupants to their Prince’s return. The horse’s hooves are heavy thuds as we cross over the draw bridge. Dismounting I don’t wait to watch the rest of my men pass safely into the boundaries of the castle. Unbuckling my leather chest plate, I hand it to a servant. Nothing looks out of place. No warning from those around us of hidden danger.

  “See to the men,” I instruct Stefano. Not waiting for his reply, I hurry from the entrance. I’m impatient. Restlessness still rides me, and I need to set my mind at ease. Silence greets me as I stride along the corridor toward our chamber. No one is in sight, and that fact only sends my anxiety higher. Elizabeth was always to have guards around her. Her servants to see to her every need. She’s scolded me before for being so overprotective, but it is in my nature.

  My thoughts swing to the last time I had seen my beloved. Memories crowding in.

  Princess of my kingdom and keeper of my heart.

  “Vlad!”

  The desperate cry had me turning on the spot. In a flurry of blue skirts, my wife had flung herself into my arms. Blue vibrant flowers had been woven into the length of her long black hair. Irises that matched the shade had stared up at me in a radiant face, whose youthful beauty had bewitched me from the first moment I’d gazed upon her. She’d peppers fevered kisses to my beard covered jaw. I remember seeing the aching, begging in her gaze. She hadn’t wanted me to go. Feared for my safety. As Lord of these lands, she knew it was my duty. Our borders are under threat. Enemies gathered to take what is ours, and it is something I could not permit.

  “Elizabeth.” Gently I had cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away with my thumbs. “I have to go.”

  “Why can’t someone else do it?”

  Her plea had made my heart clench. We’d barely been apart since our wedding day twelve moons ago. The happiest times of my life have been with her at my side.

  “Because I am the ruler here. It is
my duty. I must make a united front with the other Lords, whose lands are threatened.”

  “But I need you.” Her gaze had searched mine with innocent love.

  Forehead pressed to hers, I’d held her tightly. “Dragostea mea, I have gone against the sultan. The Turks are at our gate.”

  I hadn’t relished the time without her. A warm bed and my wife beside me are things I’ve become used to. She brings joy to my existence. I’ve grown tired of battle and bloodshed. Thought those years were behind me. Refusing to send young men to join the sultan’s army, as my father had before me, has only brought his wrath. My family is done bowing to his demands. After spending my childhood as a guest of the Turks, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else. Bloody thirsty, cruel, they have no humanity. My people will not be subjected to that.

  My hand had moved to rest on the large swell of my wife’s stomach, and I had still been in awe that our child grew strong in her womb.

  “It will make me return to you faster, knowing you are both safe here at the castle under protection,” I’d promised.

  Chin tilting up, her lips had teased my mouth. “I’ll be waiting for you in our big, lonely bed.”

  I’d been aware of my men watching us. Elizabeth has always been my weakness. Taking her mouth in a passionate kiss, I’d set her away from me determinedly. “Try not to pine for me too much.”

  “Wait.”

  Her soft cry had caused me to pause. In her slender outstretched hand, she’d held a round silver pendant. “What’s this?”

  “A talisman. It wards off evil and gives the wearer good luck.”

  I’d eyed the runes carved into the metal with scepticism. “Elizabeth, I don’t believe in such nonsense.”

  She’d slipped the chain over my head anyway, settling the cool metal around my neck. “Then wear it for me.”

  There’d been a fire in her tone when she wanted her own way.

  “All right, if it pleases you.” Stealing another quick kiss from her lips, I’d turned and headed for my mount.

  Standing in silence, her face painted in sadness, she had watched us leave the castle. It’s the last memory I have of her. Held tightly in my heart, I cannot wait to replace it with new ones. My beloved’s smiling face. To see how much more she has grown with our child inside her in my absence. How much more beautiful.

  Shadows stretch playfully out from the flaming torches nestled in their metal brackets, hanging from the walls. Pausing outside our closed door, I take a moment to gather myself. An unknown fear holds me in place for a beat before I push the wooden door open with the flat palm of my hand. What greets me leaves horror in its wake.

  Blood covers the blankets. Hair a wave of black among the red, my wife’s eyes are glassy and unseeing. Naked, legs spread, her lower half is covered in crimson. Pressure builds behind my temples at the shock. Not only has she been murdered, my beloved has been raped, our child slaughtered in her womb. The roar that rises from my throat comes from the very depths of my soul. Raw, broken, it reflects the shattering of my heart and soul.

  “Kill him!” The words are hissed and low.

  Her killers.

  Realization hits me with the might of a summer storm.

  The clash of our swords is swift and brutal as the three assassins attack. Searing rage and hollowing grief drives me. They murdered her in our bed. Violated her. Took my future before it had been born. It’s unforgiveable. A sin. For that I condemn them to Hell for destroying such innocence.

  Despatching one quickly, the second screams as my blade slices through his arm. Without mercy I take his other before spearing him in the chest. The last takes advantage of my distraction.

  Pain explodes through my ribs as his sword thrusts itself deep. Aiming my own I impale him just as deadly through his own muscular body with all the valor of the emotions churning inside me. Eyes flying wide, he staggers away when I rip it out letting his blood flow freely.

  What strength I have left drains from me my legs, sagging to the cold stone floor. My attention turns to the love of my life. The one person who has ever seen me truly for the man I am. Who has kept the darkness I harbor from drowning me.

  “Elizabeth? Wake up dragostea mea your Vladimir has returned to you.” My voice breaks on the last words. I’ve failed to protect her. Our child. My enemies have struck a devastating blow. The only weakness I have, and now she lays dead.

  “The sultan and your brother send their regards.” The last assassin splutters. Hunched on his knees not far from me, his hand is splayed over his wound. We both know it’s as fatal as my own. Neither of us will leave this room alive. Plunging forward I cleave the tip of my sword through his neck speeding his demise.

  I curse the sultan.

  My brother Radu.

  Those in my kingdom who must have betrayed me. My own home.

  There will be no one now to avenge my beloved. My heart breaks further with that truth.

  Crawling to the bed, I brush the matted, sticky hair from Elizabeth’s pale face. Tears prick my eyes. She wields a beauty that not even death can touch. Pressing my trembling lips to hers, I feel my sorrow break free, sending the tears I can no longer hold in rolling down my cheeks.

  “Vladimir.” Hushed whispers call my name.

  A chill rises up my spine at the sound, making me shiver. It’s like nothing I’ve heard before.

  “Who’s there? Stefano?” Exhaustion rolls over me. My fight has fled. All I wish to do now is lay with my wife and embrace her one last time before the angels come to take me.

  A murky shadow detaches itself from the darkness, edging the boundaries of the room where the torch light is to sparse to reach.

  The unnatural shadow becomes a form.

  A man.

  He treads toward me with bare feet. Clothed in long black robes, that coil around him like the scales of a serpent. Emerald green eyes are fixed on my face. They’re so striking it’s as if they can penetrate my being to my very soul.

  Limbs weak, lifting my sword to protect myself is near impossible. “Get away, demon. I won’t let you touch her.”

  His lips smirk, but he doesn’t stop moving. “I’m not interested in the dead. It’s you I’m here for.”

  “Who are you? Have you come steal my soul?”

  “In a manner of speaking.” Thrusting back his robes, he crouches beside me. “The ones responsible for your wife’s death still live and breathe. I can give you the power to seek your revenge.”

  Blood loss and pain has my head spinning, and I know I don’t have much time left to me. “For a price?” I utter, already knowing the answer.

  “Nothing ever comes for free.”

  My soul. He means to take it in payment if I agree.

  “No. You shall not have anything from me.”

  Reaching down between us, he dips one long finger in the puddle of red that grows around me before rubbing the liquid between his forefinger and thumb. “The treachery against you runs deeper than you can imagine in your home. The friends who have turned into vipers against you. Your people will fall in death and despair to new masters. Would you forsake them now?”

  “I will not damn myself. Elizabeth awaits me in heaven, and I will join her.”

  “Vladimir you are a butcher. Your God has already forsaken you. You have murdered thousands in the name of your church and felt nothing. Do you truly believe His gates are open to you? Even done in his name, killing is a sin. Your damnation was secured the first moment your sword tasted the life of another. You cannot hide them from me. Every depravity done stains your soul like ink.”

  All of my being cries out in denial, but in my heart, I’ve always known it to be true. There’s nothing pure about me. I have slaughtered the guilty along with the innocent. Drenched myself in their blood and suffering in the name of war. Impaled them dying and begging for mercy only to watch them breath their last with uncaring eyes. It fed the blood lust inside me. The ever-present darkness.

  I’m a monster.

/>   Already without remorse or guilt.

  “Who are you?” I whisper, unable to keep the dread from my voice.

  The stranger cocks his dark head at my question, amusement dancing over his handsome face. “You know who I am.”

  The Devil.

  Lucifer himself.

  “Take it then; take my soul. Let me have my vengeance. My life is worth nothing without her.” Hand finding Elizabeth’s, I curl my fingers around her dainty limp ones. “If I am condemned to be without her, let it not be in vain.”

  The light withers around us as the Devil rises to stand. Beyond the window even the moon hides behind a veil of dark clouds as if fearful of what is to come.

  Crimson bleeds into the green of his eyes, lighting them with hellfire. “The night will become your day and the moon your sun. As your life’s blood now drains from your body, so you will forever crave it. Dominion over darkness shall be yours and the beasts that thrive in it. It will become legendary. A sin everlasting with your immortal life.”

  Agony twists through my body. My hand slips free of my beloved wife’s. Writhing I’m slammed down onto the hard-stone floor by an unseen force. My heart beats to a rhythm that could very well cause it to explode in my chest. The sound of my screams bounces around the stone walls of my chamber.

  “You will be a snake among men,” he continues, his voice steady, pulsing with menace and power. “New born son of the Devil and they will cower in fear of your name.”

  Red shrouds my vision as overpowering thirst takes a hold of me, and in that moment, I sense death itself cowering away from me. Savage, unstoppable, primal madness consumes my mind.