Page 1 of The Darkness Within
BLADE 1
The dimly lit bar buzzed with the low hum of laughter and clinking glasses. Shadows cling to every corner, hiding secrets in their depths. Blade leans back in his chair, his blue eyes scanning the room with the practiced ease of a predator. Beside him, Scar is nursing a glass of whiskey, his gaze fixed on the bar’s entrance.
“We’ve been here for two hours,” Scar murmurs, his dark eyes flicking to Blade. “If Rake was coming, he’d be here by now.”
Blade grunts, swirling his drink. “He’ll come. He’s gotten careless. Thinks he can slink around here, feeding on humans, and we won’t notice.”
Scar shrugs, taking a long sip. He was the perfect contrast to Blade—where Blade was controlled and calculating, Scar was a brawler, brash and reckless. They made a good team. Two of the Demon Council’s Elite, hunting down rogue demons who didn’t follow the code. This was their life: a relentless hunt in the shadows of the human world.
The bar door swings open, and three women walk in, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Blade barely glances their way until his senses prickle. He turns his head, and for the first time in over two centuries, he feels a surge of emotion that shatters his calm.
It is the woman in the centre who has caught his eye. Her hair is a rich auburn that falls in waves down her back, a stark contrast to the dim light of the bar. She is petite, almost fragile looking, with an elegance that seems at odds with the gritty surroundings. But it is her face that hits him the hardest—the way her mouth curves when she laughs, the way her eyes sparkle with a lightness he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Blade blinks. The world is changing. Slowly, colour is bleeding into his vision, starting with her hair, a deep, vivid red that he’d only heard about in stories. His breath catches, he clenches his fists, feeling the familiar rush of heat that comes with rage—or in this case, something dangerously close to desire.
Scar glances at him, brow raised. “You good?”
Blade doesn’t answer. He is focused on the woman, on the way his demon senses scream that she is important, that she is his. The myth had always seemed distant, something other demons spoke of like a fairy tale. But now, here it was, living and breathing, standing a few feet away.
She is flanked by two other women, chatting and laughing as they make their way to the bar. One of them, a blonde with a bubbly laugh, grates on his nerves almost immediately. But the other one—the one who mattered—was all he could focus on.
Scar, who had followed his gaze, whistles low. “She’s pretty. You gonna make a move?”
Blade’s jaw tightens. “She’s not just pretty. She’s mine.”
Scar frowns, his casual demeanour slipping. “Yours? You mean—”
Blade cuts him off with a look, his eyes flashing with intensity. Scar knew better than to press. For a demon to find their mate, to finally see in colour, was unheard of. Blade had spent centuries thinking it was a myth, something reserved for other demons, for legends of the past.
Before he can act, a human man approaches the women, his attention on his woman. The sight sparks a dark possessiveness in Blade. He watches as the man leans in, saying something that makes Rayne smile. Blades’ vision darkens, the telltale sign of his demon side surfacing.
Without thinking, he stands, crossing the room in a few strides. He steps between Rayne and the man, towering over him. The man takes a step back, clearly startled.
“She’s taken,” Blade says, his voice low and edged with menace.
The man’s eyes widen, he stammers an apology before quickly disappearing into the crowd. Blade turns to Rayne, who is looking up at him, her mouth slightly parted in surprise. Up close, he can see every detail of her—how her eyes are flecked with gold, how the faintest blush creeps up her cheeks. And beneath the surface, he feels the connection snap into place, undeniable and strong.
Rayne blinks, pulling herself together. “Do I know you?”
Blade smirks, tilting his head. “Not yet. But you will.”
Scar joins them, giving Rayne a quick once-over before smirking at Blade. “Guess we’re sticking around for a while then?”
Blade doesn’t answer. He is too focused on Rayne, the way she looks at him, her curiosity mixing with a hint of something else. He knows he should walk away, keep his distance until he understands what this means. But he can’t. For the first time in centuries, he is seeing colour, and it is all because of her.
Rayne’s friends call her back, she gives Blade one last lingering look before joining them. As she walks away, Blade feels a pulse of possessiveness so strong it leaves him breathless.
Scar slaps him on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re in trouble, brother.”
Blade chuckles, the sound low and dangerous. “Trouble? I’ve been waiting for this kind of trouble my whole life.”
As they settle back into their seats, Blade can’t take his eyes off Rayne. He knows this is only the beginning. Whatever the bond between them means, he is ready to find out. And nothing—not Rake, not the Demon Council, not even his own doubts—will keep him from her.
And so, Blade’s world has changed in an instant. The hunt for Rake, the mission, and even the code fades into the background. All that matters now is her.
???
Rayne leans against the bar, laughing as Ashley recounts another ridiculous story from their school days. It has been a long week, and she needed a night out with her friends. She sips her drink, glancing around the room. The bar is a little darker, a little grittier than the places they usually go to, but tonight, it felt like the perfect escape.