Dark Requiem (The Darkling Trilogy, Book 3) by A D Koboah Page A

the world. They could never have guessed how long he had
been on this Earth, how much he had seen over the centuries. Or of
how unhappy and lonely he had been for so long. I wished
desperately I could take away all his pain, remove the burden he
carried—inject joy into his world. But as he had said the night I
came to the mansion, I was a poor substitute for Luna and in my
heart I was beginning to believe it.
    We eventually came to a
large pond that was almost hidden by trees. A fallen tree lay
forlorn in water turned a dark moss green by the dark. He came to a
stop and we waited.
    “ What are we doing here,
Avery?”
    He didn’t answer, his eyes
hooded as he stared into the trees to his left. It was a moment
before I heard the sound of feet pressing carefully through the
undergrowth. She came into view a few minutes later. She had a
rosewood complexion and long dreads swept into a bun atop her head.
I felt a pang when I recalled that my aunt sometimes wore her hair
that way. The girl’s lean, delicate face was placid, her eyes dim
as she came to a stop before us, completely under Avery’s command.
Her scent filled my nostrils, bringing on that feverish yearning
which made my body shiver in response. Fear touched me and I
remembered the waking dream and the yearning for blood that could
never be assuaged. And although my stomach twisted in dread, I
couldn’t deny the longing the girl’s scent awakened in
me.
    “ Her name is Jessica,”
Avery said. “She’s twenty-one and has a young child. Both her
parents died in a car crash a few years ago and her—”
    “ This is so pretty,” I
said sadly, my thoughts on my aunt as I reached for the girl’s
wrist so I could peer at a bracelet she wore.
    It was made out of blue
and white beads.
    “ Dallas, please focus.
This is important. You will have to drink from a human being today.
You’re already quite weak and you’ll keep getting weaker. Think
about what happened with Mallory—”
    “ Avery, I have to talk to
you about that. It was as if something—”
    “ I know. I’ve given this a
lot of thought. Whatever happened to make you attack her, it will
be easier to control if you’re not constantly warring within,
trying to fight the hunger. You have to start drinking human blood.
So take this seriously.”
    “ I am taking this
seriously, Ave. I was just admiring her bracelet, that’s
all.”
    “ Well, look into her mind.
She made it herself. She’s very creative. You have to drink her
blood, Dallas, but you won’t drink more than you need. Like Luna,
you’re stronger than I am so I won’t be able to overpower you if
need be.” He smiled then and squeezed my hand, his gaze growing
tender. “You can do this, Dallas.”
    He took her arm and
brought her wrist to my face, the wrist with the blue and white
bracelet.
    “ Ready?”
    I stared at the girl, my
thirst a dry, painful ache. I didn’t want to do this, especially
since I couldn’t stop thinking of my aunt. I knew it was a mistake,
but I could sense Avery’s desperate need for me to control my
bloodlust enough to drink from someone and not kill them. So
reluctantly I nodded, took her wrist in my trembling hand and bit
into it.
    Blood flooded my mouth and
I was caught instantly in a crimson funnel dragging me mercilessly
into its depths, sending me hurtling along a vortex of raw
bliss.
    The girl, Avery, the pond,
disappeared.
    Too late, I felt a
warning, that truck bearing down on me, but the blood. The blood
consumed me and I tumbled into darkness.
     
    ***
     
    I was wrenched out of the
darkness to find myself standing elsewhere beneath an old, gnarled
tree that appeared to be almost as ancient as the moon.
    “ Dallas,
Dallas !”
    It was Avery shouting my
name. He sounded so far away.
    “ Avery?” My voice sounded
small and my head tingled.
    He materialised in
mid-stride a few metres from me and came to a stop, fear marking
his handsome face along with something else, something I couldn’t
quite