Dark Layers (Volume 4) Read online

  "I've missed you too." I whisper, my voice deep.

  With one hand wrapped around my waist, he cups the back of my head with his other. He pulls me between his shoulder and his cheek. I squeeze harder, he's all I have left in this world - apart from my Mother.

  "Anile, we need to start afresh." He says serious, a question still on his tongue.

  "I know."

  "I need to tell you everything about myself." He pauses for a second. "But you have to be ready, because the things I will tell you, and show you, they are dark."

  I had a sneaky feeling your secrets are dark, Darks!

  "Are you ready for this?" He breathes.

  I pull back from his embrace and peer up at him. His eyes are still so blue, like a clear sky at midday. I've missed those eyes. I run my index finger around his eyes with affection.

  "I'm ready for you to tell me everything." I smile weak. I gaze past him down my hall. "Why is the front door still open?" I ask.

  "I have food and drinks for you. I spoke to Derek, he told me to bring you something to eat."

  I smile again while shaking my head. "That's sweet."

  "It's necessary, Anile. You have lost so much weight, you are skinnier than when I first met you." He says pained, his eyebrows knitted deeply.

  I break eye contact with him and just peer down between our bodies, eyeing my dark wooden flooring. I have lost a lot of weight, I think I weigh all of, seven, maybe eight stone.

  He pulls away from me, releasing me from his strong arms. I lean against the wall and watch him closely. He walks back towards my front door. He leans out of the door and grasps two white carrier bags.

  "Sweets, fruit, dinners. Here." He passes them to me.

  "Thanks."

  I take the bags from him, one in each hand. They are heavy, he's gone all out. I turn towards the living area and make my way into the kitchen. The lights are still low, too low to see properly, so I turn them up, turning the switch until the entire living area is flooded with light. I put all the food away; the fruit I place in a white fruit bowel and set it atop of the centre island, the meat I set in the fridge, and the sweets, I place them on the counter top by the bar stools. Every so often I steal a glance at Elijah, he's sitting on my sofa, his elbows on his knees, his chin in his palms. He looks sad, tired even. I know he's still secretly suffering.

  Once I'm finished, I make my way over to him. The air between us feels toxic for some reason, like... something is going to go wrong.

  "Sit down, Princess." He orders, his finger motioning my position next to him.

  I slowly sit, the opposite end to him, and turn my entire body so I can look at him. He hasn't removed his long black coat, he's only unbuttoned it. Beneath his coat he's wearing fitted dark blue jeans and a white linen shirt. His black hair is messy, it needs cutting. It's getting long again, around his ears and neck. He still looks beautiful though, even with sunken tired eyes and unruly hair.

  "First things first, I have sorted your fathers will for you. Everything is now in your name."

  "Oh." I say, almost in a whisper. "Elijah, you didn't have to do that. Thank you."

  He shakes his head. "Yes I did. I also attended his funeral for you. I dealt with all the arrangements, and I laid flowers for you."

  My mouth drops open - I'm in utter shock. The powerful, dark, suit and tie man has stepped up and taken care of things while I've been a weak son of a bitch.

  "You don't know what that means to me, Elijah." I say while lowering my head.

  "I do. I was once you, when my Mother died. I had to do it for you, Princess." He leans closer to me and holds out his hand. "Come here, let me hold you."

  My nose tickles as tears rise to fill my eyes. I shuffle towards him, but he forces me quickly. He snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me beneath his arm. I curl up in his embrace, pulling my legs up onto the sofa, and I sit in his arms for God knows how long. The air between us is settling, I feel home again, safe and loved. I grasp his coat and hold it tightly in my hands. My throat tightens as I struggle to breathe with my rising tears. I've missed him so much it hurts.

  "I've missed you." I whisper.

  "I've missed you too, Princess." He kisses my head. "How are you now? I know it's a stupid question, but I have to ask."

  "I'm better now you are here. How are you? Have you been keeping busy?"

  He exhales sharply. "I am okay. I haven't been keeping busy - I am no longer working at Darks Lawyers."

  "What the! Why?" I pull out from beneath his arm and stare up at him in dismay.

  He swallows hard. "My father got wind that you were pregnant, and because we were not married, he took it as a gesture of me telling him to 'go fuck himself and his rules'. He's making a point." He winks at me. He's trying to act unaffected but I know he loved his job.

  "And your house? He hasn't taken that too has he?" It's mentally a plea, I hope he hasn't taken his house! I take his hands in mine and graze his knuckles with the pads of my thumbs.

  "No, the house is mine. That's all I have now, until I do as I am told."

  I pant hard and fast, my anger hitting an all new high. My God I'd love to kill his father!

  "Elijah, screw him and his money. My father, he was rich. We can live happily off of my money, we don't need your fathers."

  I'm happy for this, no more evil blood money, we can have a real fresh start.

  "Please do not degrade me, Anile." He pulls his hands free from mine. "I am not living off of handouts from you!" He says it as if it's a dirty idea.

  "I am not degrading you! It's a simple solution, and it's clean." I snap. "We don't need your father, you can run my father's businesses. He has law firms all over Kent." My attention is quickly drawn to the employees that haven't been paid for months. "Elijah, the employees, I need to sort myself out and start paying them."

  "Everything is still running, everyone has been paid. Don't worry your pretty little head over the technicals. When you are feeling better, you can take over."

  "See, you can help me. We can do it together. Please do not go back to Darks Lawyers, please, Elijah." I beg.

  I take his hands again, but he slips out of my grip and takes mine in his. I smile while peering down at his long fingers. I have missed them skilled hands.

  "I will help you, but I need my own thing Anile, I need to be able to support you, pay for you, take care of you properly."

  "Elijah, how much bloody money do we need?" I gasp. "I don't want billions! I don't need that much money, even my father's money is too much!"

  "Anile, stop, before you get upset. You have to understand, I am a man, I need my own thing. Now that's enough."

  I fall back against the sofa, pulling my hands free from his and deflate. I do understand him, I do understand that he wants to be the bread winner, but who cares? I don't. We now have more than enough money to live happily and comfortably - why does he need so damn much?

  I *sigh*. "Are you going to remove your jacket? Or are you not staying?"

  "Of course I'm staying, Princess." He rises to his feet and gracefully slides out of his coat. He throws it over the back of my sofa and sits back down.

  I stare down at my knotted fingers. "Where do we go from here?" I gaze up at him and rearrange my words. "I mean, how do we move forward?"

  He exhales sharply. "Anile - about my Mother - I want to tell you everything, all the reasons for my darkness. I need you to know me fully. This is how we will move forward - no more secrets, it's you and I against everything." He lowers his head, in shame I think. "Do you remember that egg I gave you?"

  My heart skips a beat - where is he going with this?

  "Yes. Why?" I frown.

  "Can you get it for me?"

  "Why?"

  "If you get it, I will tell you."

  While blinking rapidly, I rise to my feet. I make my way across the cool wooden flooring and into my bedroom. I slide under my bed and spot the dark wicker box. How did I forget about this? My curiosity u
sually gets the better of me. I pull it out and open it with cautious hands. The egg is still so bright and golden. I wonder why he wants it? I make my way back out to him, the egg in hand. I left the box in my bedroom.

  "Here." I pass it to him. I sit back down next to him, again facing him at the other end of the sofa.

  He places the egg onto the cream rug and surprisingly stamps on it.

  "Elijah!" I gasp.

  The egg shatters into hundreds of pieces, revealing a solid gold key.

  "Oh my God!" I gasp. I'm shocked, shocked that I had that key this entire time. I wonder what it's for?

  He picks up the key and eyes it wryly. "This key, is the key to my darkness." He turns to face me. "This is the only key, you have to know this."

  "Why?" I ask confused.

  "Because you have to. You will understand when you open the door it belongs to."

  He passes it to me. I take it with cautious hands. It's cold, and surprisingly heavy.

  "Where is the door it belongs to?"

  He bites his lower lip; he looks nervous. "It's to the forbidden room, at the DLOS house."

  Holy fuck! I knew that room was full of darkness, but I never in a million years imagined...

  "I will take you there, tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever you want to go." He frowns. "Just please know this, I have not once been inside that room since I met you, Anile. You will discover some disgustingly dark things about me, but I am not that person anymore."

  I smile sweetly at him. "I know you are not the same person, Elijah. And I am grateful that you are finally letting me know all of you."

  Already, him being here has taken my mind off of my depression. And the thought of our future being filled with us two finding out more about one another tells me that I will have no time to wallow in self pity, I'm glad.

  "I appreciate that." He swallows hard. "When do you want to go?"

  I shiver at the thought of leaving my home. "I don't know if I'm ready to leave my apartment yet, Elijah. I've been here for months, I'm nervous."

  "Anile, you cannot stay cooped up forever. Even if we don't go tonight, I want you to come back to my place. I want you to see your greenhouse, I want you to play the piano for me, I want to spend some time with you - I want you out of this place."

  "Elijah, I-" I cannot finish, I just don't know what to say, how to feel.

  He gently taps my left temple with his index finger. "Fear is in the mind, it isn't real."

  I think for a moment, I think about what he's just said - is that true? I frown.

  "Forget the thought of going outside and let me bathe you."

  "Bathe me?"

  "Yes, I want to clean you, put you in fresh clothes, feed you and carry you out of this dammed place." He says tenderly.

  I frown. "Why do you think it's dammed?"

  "Because, ever since I brought this place off of your father for you, it has brought you nothing but sadness and pain. And now you have been locked up in it for months. I want to get rid of this place." He lowers his gaze. "Anile, I want you to come and live with me, please? I want to wake up next to you and peer into your beautiful innocent eyes every morning. I want your face to be the last thing I see at night. I want to feel your presence in my house, even when you are not there. I'm lost without you." He steals my hands and gently strokes my knuckles.

  My heart swells in my chest. I want to live with him, be with him every day, I do. I just don't know if now is the right time.

  "Do you think now is the right time?" I stare up at him. He's still lowering his head. "Elijah, look at me." I order.

  He meets my gaze. "You know, I hate that expression, 'the right time'. There is never a right time for anything, you just have to do things and deal with the outcome."

  "You waited to tell me all your secrets." I try to joke.

  "It wasn't about waiting for the right time, it was about insuring you loved me, so you wouldn't leave me." He swallows hard. "I love you, Anile, with everything I am. I will go wherever you go, and if you stay here, than I am staying too."

  I start to cry a little, small sobs escaping my mouth. I know he loves me, and that is what will save me from myself.

  "Hey," he reaches over and catches my tears with his gentle finger, "don't cry, Princess." He begs.

  "I'm not crying because I'm sad," I sniffle, "I'm crying because, for the first time in months, I feel happy again." I smile a little.

  "I told you, I will do everything in my power to take care of you and make you happy." He smiles.

  I take his hand and press it against my cheek. I close my eyes.

  "I love you too." I whisper.

  He pulls me onto his lap, grasps my entire body and rises to his feet. I squeeze the collar of his linen shirt and snuggle into him. I inhale, he smells like freshly ironed clothes mixed with musky cologne - hmmm. He walks out of the living area and into my bedroom. The lights are off, it's dark. He sets me onto my bed and glides into my en-suite. I see him switch on the light, it illuminates half my bedroom. I hear the bath trickling, he's filling it. I pull my legs up to my chest and wonder why I didn't just allow him to be here for me all these months? I know I said I didn't want to associate him with my pain, but I think I was wrong, I don't think I would have, I think he really would have taken care of me.

  "Anile, come here." He calls from inside the bathroom.

  I rise up off of the bed and walk towards the light. I peer around the door and spot him standing beside my white porcelain bath. He's unbuttoned his shirt, all the way - he looks magnificent! He slowly walks towards me. He peers down at me once he reaches me toe to toe. I hold my breath, Darks flu. He's infecting me with his pheromone drug, it's swimming euphorically around my brain and making me feel dizzy. He starts unbuttoning my pyjama top, slowly and effortlessly gliding his fingers all over the buttons. Once it's fully open, revealing my swollen breasts, he slides his fingers across my naked shoulders, pushing my pyjama top off of my arms. It hits the floor by my feet. He grasps the top of my pyjama bottoms, either side of my hips, and pulls them slowly down my legs. I have no underwear on, I'm almost naked and panting like a mad lion. His fingers gently graze my skin, all the way down to my ankles. The electric sensation I always suffer with from his touch is still there, and if anything, it's stronger than ever before. He stands tall next to me once I'm at his mercy, and I step out of my pyjama bottoms. He takes my hand and pulls me towards the bath. He's put my jasmine bubble bath cream in, it looks like heaven. I inhale, the sweet scent does all the right things to my nose. Hmmm, it's my favourite. I rise and step into the bath.

  "Aw." I gasp.

  Crap that's hot, maybe even too hot! I lower myself until I'm completely submerged by bubbles. After a few seconds my body adjusts to the heated water, and now it's just the right temperature. I gaze up at him. He looks somewhere else. He's looking at me but his eyes are vacant.

  "Are you getting in?" I ask in almost a whisper.

  "No, I want to bathe you like this. Close your eyes." He says deadpan.

  I swallow hard and close my eyes. Music fills the room - Adagio BACH, piano.

  "Where is that coming from?" I wonder because I don't have a stereo in my bathroom.

  "My phone, shhh." He breathes.

  I feel the flannel on my tummy just beneath the silk water, it feels soft and godly, like his fingers. He cleans all of me, all the while my eyes are closed. He reaches my face and I think he's balled the flannel in his palm. He gently pads it on my face, wiping all the darkness away. Once he's finished, he just rests his hands atop of my belly beneath the water. We stay like this for so long that I fear I will fall asleep, but I don't, I just bask in his essence.

  His hands leave me.

  "Stay there, with your eyes closed." He orders.

  I obey. I lay very still in the darkness of my own mind. My goodness, how good love can feel in a matter of minutes. I've needed this, his love, his affection.

  "Open your mouth." He says, making me jump.
r />   Bloody hell that was quick!

  I gasp a little, but my eyes remain closed. I open my mouth just slightly. I feel something round on my lips.

  "Open your mouth, Princess."

  I open it fully, and he drops the round thing inside my lips.

  "Bite." He says.

  I do as I'm bid and I bite hard. I think it's a grape. The sweet flavour of the grape escalades all over my tongue and the juice almost oozes out of my mouth. It's so yummy. I want another piece.

  "Can I have another piece please?" I whisper.

  I feel something round, like soft leather against my lips - it's not a grape.

  "Bite." He orders.

  I bite down. Oh my! The sweet flavour of a strawberry melts inside my mouth. I chew and swallow and relish in the sweet flavours.

  "Would you like more?" He whispers.

  He's just by my head, I can feel him, his warm breath on my cheek.

  "Yes, please."

  He places something else on my lips, and I think twice about biting down. It feels like a soft petal. I open my eyes.

  "You cheated." He jokes while smiling. His eyes are sensual, lit, and crinkled at the sides.

  I smile back at him and gaze at his hand. He has another colourful rose, he's resting it against the bathtub. The petals are so beautiful, bright yellow, deep blood red and candy floss pink.

  "I love this rose, I think it's my favourite flower." I whisper.

  "Mine too." He says.

  He starts peeling off the petals. He drops them into the bath, one by one. The bubbles change colour.

  "That's a neat trick." I joke.

  "Only for you." He flashes me a half grin. He winks at me and my tummy doubles over.

  I sit up and move towards him, the petals clinging to my skin. I snake my hands around the back of his neck and pull him closer. I kiss him on his cheek - my God his skin is so soft.

  "I feel it." I whisper into his ear.

  "What?" He frowns.

  "You, your love. I feel it all around me." I swallow hard. "I will move in with you, I want to be with you forever."

  Chapter Three

  I'M IN ONLY MY WHITE TOWEL. I'm in Elijah's arms on my sofa; still damp from my bath with wet hair. Neither of us care of my wetness. The background music is, Brian Crain, The Secret Letter. We are laying down, backs against the sofa, with a tray of food on our tummies. My living area is low lit with vanilla candles; they smell so creamy and make me hungry. Elijah is feeding me chopped fillet steak. Every mouth full is soft and covered with a cheese sauce. It smells pongy, like bad feet, but tastes divine.