Darkness (Darkest Nightmares Book 1) Read online

  Darkness

  Darkest Nightmares

  Book #1

  Darkness

  Darkest Nightmares Book #1

  Elizabeth Knox

  Brynn Burke

  Darkness

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

  Darkness: Darkest Nightmares.

  Copyright © 2018 by Elizabeth Knox & Brynn Burke. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews. For information contact Knox Publishing.

  https://www.facebook.com/eknoxbooks

  Cover design by CT Cover Creations

  Editing & formatting by Cordially Chris Author Services

  Proofreading by Brynn Burke, Knox Publishing

  Teasers by: Decadent Designs by Dee

  KEEP IN CONTACT WITH ELIZABETH

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  www.goodreads.com/eknoxbooks

  STAY UP TO DATE ON WHAT ELIZABETH IS WORKING ON

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  KEEP IN CONTACT WITH BRYNN

  https://www.facebook.com/BrynnBurkeAuthor/

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  https://www.facebook.com/groups/BrynnsMinions/

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  STAY UP TO DATE ON WHAT BRYNN IS WORKING ON

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  To CoBro

  Oh, CoBro. Hi, Bish!

  What can we say about you? Both Brynn and I adore you to bits, and your schnazzy ass is on the cover. It’s not just because you’re a pretty boy, we swear. Okay, maybe that might be a fib.

  You’re an incredible human being, and we both admire you so much. You’re pretty much the example of productivity – constantly moving, hustling your damn ass off, but even with your busy schedule you still know how to be a great bro when either one of us needs you.

  Whether it’s stupidly insecure moments of self-doubt, where you to tell one of us (usually Liz) that we’re being an idiot, or family Facetimes with the Deanchings. You’ve always got our back, and we’ve always got yours.

  The epitome of a true friend, we’re both blessed to have you in our lives.

  Happy Birthday, Bish.

  Brynn & Liz

  Acknowledgments

  Reggie & Melissa – I can’t even with you two, Brynn and I love y’all to death. You’re the missing brother and sister that neither of us had. You’re both so much more than our favorite photographers, you’re our family. #okkurrrttt

  Clarise – Thank you so much for creating the cover for Darkness, it’s everything we could imagine and more. #MagicalUnicorn

  Christine – You deserve an award for putting up with the two of us. Thank you so much for helping us flush out Darkness. We cannot wait for everyone to see the craziness headed their way!

  Our faithful betas, Bina, Rachel, Michaela, Chas and Court – Thank you so much for putting up with our crazy writing schedule, for the sometimes weeks-on-end without a single chapter update. We appreciate your patience, and every piece of input that you gave us. You truly helped us make Darkness the best that it could be.

  Our readers – This is the first of #BRIZ, but so much more is coming your way. Thank you so much for following our journey. We cannot thank you enough for the endless support you give us both.

  Warning

  This content contains material that may be viewed as offensive to some readers, including the abuse of a minor, extreme violence and sexual situations.

  Playlist

  Stranger | Tove Lo

  Blood | Breaking Benjamin

  Romantics | Tove Lo

  Angels Fall | Breaking Benjamin

  Familiar Taste of Poison | Halestorm

  Burnin’ For You Blue Oyster Cult

  Bad Company | Five Finger Death Punch

  Bed | Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande

  Right There | Nicole Scherzinger ft. 50 cent

  Table of Contents

  Dictionary

  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

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Coming Soon

  Dictionary

  Voros are your people - they do not have to be blood to be your kin

  Xeha is a form of purgatory, a sister to hell, where unpredictable demons will stay eternally

  Reckard is the supernatural black market

  Gringhan is a fated female demon mate

  Ojri is a male demon mate

  Chapter 1

  Damaged people are dangerous. They know how to make hell feel like home.

  -@Quotes’ndNotes

  Jett

  I was at Sanctuary, stiff drink in my hand, trying to curb my hunger, hiding in the shadows of the most secluded booth in the bar. No one would even notice me if it wasn’t for the fact that this bar alone was the one place all supernaturals could come as a judgement free zone. It is one of the largest paranormal bars in the United States, however no others were quite like it.

  The war between species didn’t matter once those gained entry through the doors. Sanctuary is magically reinforced by some of the most powerful witches and warlocks in the world. No one can pass through the doors if their intentions are not of the purest kind.

  Thankfully, this type of magic doesn’t work on my kind. I am made of Cimmerian shade. My core is not exactly evil, but to survive, I need to feed and in doing that I was deemed part of the dark. So, I came here to find my next victim. I am able smell the evil atrocities done by individuals, my senses are so strong that I can taste the sweetness on my tongue, causing my stomach to rumble. Unlike some other races of supernaturals, I could eat “normal” food as the humans would call it. I am not completely forced to feed Darkness but I need to do this to keep my human half alive. It is Darkness that needs the constant consumption of fears, horrors, negative thoughts and nightmares.

  The beings in the bar may not be able to see me, but they can sure as hell sense my presence. They feel the shadows that seep out of my being, the ghouls brushing lightly against them, giving them a sense of dread. A young barmaid walks towards me from the kitchen, passing by the booth I am sitting in. She is headed towards a table full of rowdy shifters. They are all intoxicated on demon’s brew. It is the only drink that doesn’t metabolize as soon as it hits the pit of your stomach. It was the most popular drink of choice: strong, potent and gives off the same effects as alcohol did for humans. It is one of the only ways to escape from our immortal lives, for just a little while - som
e of us desperately need an escape.

  The sway of the barmaid’s hips and smile on her face instantly vanishes as her steps falter and I can sense goosebumps break out along her skin. A light glaze of sweat breaks out across her brow. She looks around in all directions, confusion written over her pretty little face. She tries to shake it off, raising her shoulders, placing the fake smile back on her face. She looks over her shoulder one last time, most likely feeling eyes upon her.

  I smirk to myself. Even though I hate what I have become, I always enjoy the way people react to me. It gives me much pleasure to make people uncomfortable - not only for myself, but it also feeds Darkness, allowing me a bit of time before I must feed again. After the girl is out of my proximity, I let my eyes glaze over with a white film. I take a step into her past, as if I was there the whole time.

  ***

  “Please don’t. Stop Jeremiah. Please stop,” she rasps out, begging a man who has his hands wrapped around her neck. He releases her neck, taking a little step back just to raise his fist and punch her first in the face and next the stomach. I can see the bump expanding her belly, telling me one thing - she is pregnant. She keels over grabbing her stomach, tears streaming down her face. The man shoves her to the ground and starts kicking her repeatedly. With every kick she screams out in both pain and sorrow, attempting to protect the life growing inside of her but knowing she was failing. There is nothing she could do, no matter how much she tries. He doesn’t relent, and I see as the light fades from her eyes, as darkness claims her.

  The girl is a fae. A fairy. Unlike the dark fae, light fae are gentle creatures. Kind and giving beings who live for keeping the balance between the human races and supernatural. Faes are a peaceful race. I feel for her. No one should go through losing a child, especially not by that peon of a human. I can feel all her emotions as her memories flash before me. I feel her fear, her love for him and her betrayal in his actions.

  He is nothing.

  Scum. The lowest man on the totem pole. Any supernatural can squish this man like a bug. Well, anyone but a light fairy. They don’t have a single fighting bone in their bodies. It was all about love with them.

  Sipping on my drink in the shadows, I wait for her to finish her shift. I know what I need to do. In this instance, I don’t feel like such a monster, instead I feel like someone’s savior. She goes behind the bar, constantly looking over to the clock on the wall like she was waiting for someone.

  From the corner of my eye, walking through the entrance of the bar, I spot the most enticing creature that ever existed. She is petite. Her hair flows down to her waist, a silver-white combination with a thick streak of black running through it. Her body is covered head-to-toe with tattoos and she’s wearing a short sleeved white crop top shirt that shows off her stomach, while the sparkle of her belly button piercing glimmers in the light. The tan leather pants she has on hugs every single one of her curves in just the right way. Combat boots cover her feet and thick leather cuffs adorn her wrists. She is a fantasy come to life.

  My mouth starts to go dry and I chug down the rest of my drink. What the hell is wrong with me? In all my years, no one has ever drawn my attention like this. I want to get a feel for what she is. My curiosity is eating away at me. I hate the attraction I feel towards this mythical creature. I am made to be alone. I don’t have the time, the need or the want to bring anyone in my life. I am a loner, and that is just the way I like it.

  She approaches the bar and I watch as the little fairy grabs her belongings and ducks out of the bar so quick, waving to the other barmaid in the process. You’d think the place is on fire. I reach in my pocket, grabbing my wallet and place a hundred on the table. I only had one drink, but I figure I’ll tip well because this is where I usually come to find my next victim.

  Sanctuary isn’t just a place for do-gooders. The deepest of the dark also came here and as long as their intentions were pure while they were in Sanctuary, they were allowed in. I stand up and walk to the exit, but not before I take one last look at the little tattooed barmaid. Our eyes lock and it was like the world stops around us. I pull my attention away from her, pissed off.

  What the actual fuck?

  I just need to get laid. It’s been a few decades, thanks to Darkness. He is picky and doesn’t like any of the females I want to fuck. This is not going to happen. One rule I have for myself is to never sleep with a supernatural, it always ends badly. They want something I can’t give - my heart. I don’t have one. I am cold and closed off. My heart is as dark as the shadows that surround me. I take large strides through the doors, exiting the familiarity of Sanctuary. As soon as the fresh air hits me, I take a deep breath. It is time to hunt.

  I allow my senses to open to see where the fae went to. She is about two blocks away, walking rather quickly. I shift into the shadows and teleport to an alley that the girl would likely have to pass by her way to wherever she was headed. I see her in a few moments and wrap tendrils of my shadows across her body, lifting her up off the ground and dragging her towards me. She gasps and starts flailing her arms and legs. She tries to fight me off but it’s no use. I have her in my clutches and she has absolutely no way of escaping.

  “Let me go you son of a….” Her words are cut off when she realizes who has her. “You! You were the one at the bar tonight.”

  I nod at her.

  “What do you want? Please don’t hurt me.” I laugh at her. I have no intention of hurting her.

  “I am not going to hurt you little fairy. I am going to make you better,” I tell her while looking into her eyes.

  “What do you mean? I don’t need to be made better, I am fine.” She continues to struggle, to get out of the hold I have on her. What she doesn’t realize is that it’s not going to happen. If I want her in my hold, she will sure as hell be in it.

  “You won’t remember this, so you should thank me now.”

  “Are you insane, mister? I told you…” Her words were cut off when I place my lips against hers. My kiss is a sedative, putting a person to sleep and paralyzing their body. No sooner, her body is limp, floating in the arms of my ghouls. I take my pointer fingers and place them on her temples. Instantly she replays the scene I witnessed earlier. I take those nightmares from her and devour them. Darkness hums inside of me, happy that he is finally being fed again.

  Once the nightmares are fully consumed, a person will never have them again. The memories are wiped clean. No more torture, no more pain. She will still have memories of the beatings her ex gave her before this instance, but the terror, fear and heartache that she had suffered from losing her baby is gone.

  I feel Darkness lick his lips inside my head, her nightmare is just a little snack - enough to keep him sated for the moment. I remove my fingers from her temples and blow my ice-cold breath on her face. She will come to in a few moments. It will be like this never happened. I place myself back in the shadows to watch her. She wakes up and scratches her head in, her eyebrows crinkling as she reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. I hear her whisper the word “shit,” and she’s off, continuing in the same direction she was headed when I approached her.

  Now it is time to fully satisfy my hunger. I feel the presence of Darkness in my head, jumping up in down in glee. While in her head I found exactly what I am looking for. The address I need.

  Do you want to come out and play tonight, Darkness? I ask him in our mind. His response is an evil cackle, telling me exactly what I thought. He wants to come out for quite a while.

  I close my eyes and let him take over, my whole appearance warping in the process. Once I stood, looking as a normal man, and now I look like an honest to god nightmare. I allow Darkness to take the lead on this one. He doesn’t need my help. His thoughts are mine and vice versa.

  “Jeremiah, I’m coming for you. Be afraid, very afraid,” Darkness says in an animalistic growl, as he takes us both off through the abyss of the night.

  Chapter 2

  Like a black r
ose, her darkness was beautifully fatal. -e. corona

  Haven

  It’s been three fucking days of Fern on her happy go lucky high and I’ve about had it. She transformed from this scared little bunny rabbit to something I’d never expected of her; bright and full of energy. She is a light fae, but damn, what the fuck happened that night to make her all bouncy and shit? I’ve had to work with her every night and it has been nothing but pure torture. At least when she’s quiet I can get a break from constantly having to chatter it up with the patrons. Hell, the only reason I do that was because I need the tips. Don’t get me wrong, Fern is my friend, but only because we have to be.

  Everyone else who works here is pretty much a veteran. All the customers know them, they have that solid relationship. Fern and I are different, both of us having a story much like the other. I just happened to stumble upon this bar one day, opened the door and waltzed on in. Who was I to know that it was filled with paranormals? Filled with people who I only believe exist in fairytales and folklore? I thought I was normal, even though my entire life people made me feel like an outcast. The day I walked into Sanctuary was the day that I realized I wasn’t normal, but neither were the ones that I should have been with all along.

  Fern has a different back story than I. She doesn’t talk about it much, but she’s told me she’s a light fae. To sum it up, it means she’s a goody two shoes. From what I know about her, she’s grown up her entire life knowing she is a paranormal, or supernatural as some call us. If you’re older than a century you’re probably going to call us a supernatural, but if you’re a youngin’ such as myself we call each other paranormals. I don’t have the luxury of knowing who my parents are, or even what kind of paranormal I am. It’s been years and I feel like I will die before I discover what powers I hold.