Dark Sonata Read online

  Ezra! What a joke.

  “I am actually not sure, I have yet to talk to Ezra this day. He is a hard man to keep track of,” he said evenly and glanced at the woman next to him.

  Something shady is going on.

  Tori shook her head in disbelief, hating that his doctor called him Ezra like he was a real person. Maybe they wanted her to believe this fantasy? It was like they were trying their best to push her in that direction, baffling her. At first they were turning her away from it, claiming she was a test subject long ago, and now they were all but hinting at this far-fetched fantasy. They wanted to confuse her, and they were doing a superb job of it.

  She spotted her blue ribbon on the vanity and went to retrieve it immediately.

  “Unfortunately things have changed in the little time that you have been here. Tonight will be a big test for you, so be prepared,” he eyed her then turned to leave.

  Her heart jumped at that. “What do you mean? Things have changed? How?”

  He barely turned before walking out the door. “We are holding a Victorian ball for tonight’s entertainment.”

  Tori bit her lip.

  Of course they would.

  Damn them.

  * * * * *

  Tori shivered as she stared out into the darkness that coated the night. Her bedroom window was open letting the cool breeze touch her face in a gentle caress. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath calming her nerves somewhat. She ate nothing today, and only drank water when it was absolutely necessary.

  When she refused her dinner this apparently enraged the so-called doctor named Michael but she cared not. She actually got a bit of pleasure out of it. Tonight she would find out what was real, without the hindrance of drugs. She'd be damned if she let them fool her again.

  Now she just desired to feel what was real.

  She wanted to be able to think clearly, having the confidence that she was not medicated in any way. It was time to look at her situation from all aspects. Tori glanced down at her Victorian attire. She was dressed in a deep blue gown complete with a tight corset and hoop skirt. The satin of her square neckline was very appealing, and how they got her correct measurements she wouldn’t know. This was a costume dress. She could tell for it didn’t appear to be vintage but brand new. The satin glimmered in the low lighting, giving it a rich and elegant appearance.

  Yes, she only assumed they were trying to see how she would react when dressed in Victorian garb. How would she react was indeed the question of the night.

  Well, let’s think about it.

  She had two options.

  One, being that everything was fake like they more than once had suggested. Option Two would be believing again in the fantasy that they were forcing upon her. Now that she had no drug hindrance she could think clearly and confidently.

  Option One was most logical and believable. It actually made sense, in a sick and twisted way. They wanted to see, with enough encouragement, if she would fall back into the delusion in which she grew up. All she had to do was keep a logical mind set and tell them that their tricks did not work this time, that everything was a shame. Bingo! That was her ticket out of here. She is not crazy and her mind is sound, clearly being able to function in society.

  Tori glanced around the room, feeling like she was being watched. There was something that was bothering her all day. Being clean of all possible drugs, she still felt a strong energy all around her. It didn’t add up which alarmed her. Shouldn’t that have gone away? It appeared that her senses were against the first option.

  Tori bit her lip as she thought. Now to be fair, she had to look at both options as if they were true, to see which one made more sense. Option Two made her feel uneasy. As stated in her novel, she fell through a portal casting her years into the future. Did that add up?

  She supposed it … did. Tori walked over to the bed and sat on its softness with a frown on her face. Her memory was gone, not being able to recall anything of her past life. Could she disprove anything from her story? She wrote it as if she were in a trance, not realizing what she was doing. That could not have been the drugs for she was not under their care at the time in which she wrote it. She was even off her medication.

  A slow shiver slid down her spine.

  Ezra’s appearance was spot on. Couldn’t disprove that except for his eye color. And, if she were looking at this situation like it were true, then Ezra could have lost his soul in the past years.

  Good God.

  The shiver returned up.

  Michael looked like an archangel with his golden hair and muscular form. He had a presence about him, very mysterious—too mysterious. Not only did he look the part, she felt a powerfulness surrounding him. Unnatural. Tori frowned and touched her neck, knowing that in her story she had a rare choker. Without her choker she was supposedly unstable.

  Hmm.

  So with that being said … if she expresses a great amount of anger she should be able to break a mirror. Or in the very least rattle the walls a bit, knock the vase off of the vanity. She was not wearing the choker so if Option Two was true she should be able to prove it now. Why didn’t she think of that before?! It should be an easy test to conduct, and if it didn’t work, well, then One was the truth!

  “Don’t hurt yourself by thinking too hard, love.”

  Tori whipped around and gasped, backing up to the wall. “What—how did you get in here?!” Her first reaction was terror, for she had never felt something so dark, so consuming. Her fingertips tingled and her heart pounded in her chest. Ezra was leaning up against the wall, drenched in the shadows. Tori swallowed, the hairs on her neck stood on end. She was like a cat with its back up, being cornered by a wolf.

  This was no delusion.

  God no.

  Oh no.

  Tori tried to scream or say something reprimanding but no words formed out of her mouth. All she could do was stare as he stared back, his dark gaze glittering in the shadows. It was the eyes of a predator. She could tell he wore a maroon overcoat with a dark shirt and jeans. Was he wearing a plum top hat? He was! The man looked like he was the Mad Hatter personified. He looked like Ezra.

  “My, my, don’t you look fetching.” His voice washed over her skin. “It brings back so many fond memories,” he said icily.

  Say something!

  “W-what are you doing in my room?” she got out, hating that she sounded so meek. And, how did he get in her room without making a single sound? Surely she would have heard the door open. Unless he just walked through the wall.

  Oh dear.

  He moved. Every bone in her body tensed as he walked towards her. Ezra took off his hat like he was angry and threw it. Tori blinked, then blinked again. The hat seemed to disappear completely, baffling her. Not good. He ran a black gloved hand through his hair and stopped right before her. She could feel the heat of his body, hear his harsh breathing. Tori looked up into his face and knew this was not a medicated perception of him. He downright scared her and excited her at the same time. His face looked to be made out of ivory, or the finest porcelain. But he was not perfect, far from it in fact. The deep circles under his eyes and the harsh set of his gaze reminded her of someone who should not be toyed with. His mouth was beautiful, yes, but it made her think of a rose surrounded with poisonous thorns.

  He began. “So Michael thinks to convince me that you are not she? Telling me that you’re just another decoy?” He laughed but his black gaze held no ounce of humor, like he teetered on the edge of his sanity. “I am convinced his soul is as black as mine, at least we have that in common.”

  Tori was in no mind to call his bluff, to tell him to stop acting because it didn’t appear that he was. This man was for real, a blind man could probably tell her this much. No actor could possess the amount of emotion that she saw right now in his gaze, this was pure-raw-anger.

  God … that meant only one thing.

  Tori swallowed, her body trembling. “I am not sure what you are talking about
but I’m sure this can be worked out,” she offered lamely. She lied, for she did know what he was talking about. Was she entertaining the fact that this fantasy was real? Tori gazed up into his black eyes and could not help but believe. Having him stand there in front of her gave no room for doubt.

  And, God forbid, if he was a fake then she could not fight against it. Lock her up for good because she could not ignore what she felt. He was too real, too petrifying. The energy he was putting off made her want to jump out of her skin, making her lungs constrict, scared to move a muscle.

  Ezra tilted his head at her and the slight movement cause her to tense. His dark gaze slid over her face making her breathing hitch. “I see from your eyes that you are still in denial?” he continued as his voice dropped, “Though it’s not your fault.”

  Tori thought of her story trying to replay it in her mind. It was so hard for her to think when he was staring at her with such intensity. “Why,” she said with a frown, thinking, “would Michael do this? He is an angel, an archangel at that.”

  He smiled making her pulse leap. “Bravo, so you do remember? I thought Michael would have you convinced that you were just a test subject. I see that you are smarter than I thought, and that’s not saying much.” Bastard.

  That comment probably deserved a slap, but considering that she was conversing with a demon, she would take it as a compliment. “Thank you,” she said coldly. “So, you are Ezra. The one I lo…” she trailed off and blushed a bit. The one I loved. Moron, don’t blurt that out!

  He narrowed his eyes like he knew what she was going to say and didn’t like it.

  Victoria laughed and shook her head feeling mortified. “I mean, er, you were the one in my story.” She shook her head and looked up at him feeling a loss for words. “Well, you were a big part of my story, I mean.”

  His voice was low, sending gooseflesh all over her skin. “Was I now? I have heard about this story you wrote but I have not seen it for myself. It must have been a gift from your mother or father, a man I have yet to find. ”

  Tori scowled. “So you still have no clue of who my father is after all these years?”

  He exhaled, his jaw flexing. “Oh, love, your mystery runs very deep. Michael is not what he seems. I still have a binding contract with him and I know he does not want to see it carried out. Years and years later our contract is still binding.”

  “You bringing me to Lior to redeem your soul?”

  “Yes,” he mumbled. “So your story has true elements in it after all.”

  “What do mean, that some of it … isn’t true?” she asked, fearing what that could mean.

  Ezra smile coolly and shrugged. “Who knows. The one thing that I have learned in my worthless existence is to never put your full trust in anything.”

  “I see,” she murmured, her nerves going crazy. Tori glanced at his handsome face and noted his eerie black eyes. “I thought once you lost your soul you wouldn’t want to be saved? Being evil and loving it?”

  He took a moment, as if debating whether to answer her or not. “I thought so too, and so did Michael. I think that was his plan when he threw you through the portal. That was the night I lost my soul completely.” He pulled out a necklace from under his shirt. It was a grey chain with a shiny silver ring attached to it.

  The ring caught the moonlight making it flash. Tori inhaled, knowing the ring looked so familiar to her but couldn’t remember why. Think. Remember.

  “The ring was my mother’s. I believe that she had something to do with it for when I take it off I am a monster. My mother’s purity still clings to the ring, keeping me from losing my mind. Something that I’m sure Michael didn’t plan for.”

  There was no emotion in his gaze as he spoke, just the subtle flicker in the deep depths of his eyes.

  Tori swallowed. “Why did you lose your soul the night I fell through the portal?” God, she wanted him to tell her that he was once in love with her. Hoping with the deepest part of her heart that she didn’t fabricate that part. Please no.

  “Betrayal is enough to throw the strongest of men into the fire,” he said carefully.

  That’s not what she wanted to hear, but what did she expect from a Demon? For him to confess his love to her? Absolutely not.

  Maybe she did fabricate that part.

  Tori looked down, feeling her cheeks heat again. “Did we … I mean, did me and you, uh, were we intimate?”

  His soft laugh startled her.

  She glanced up fearing what she would see. His expression gave away nothing but his eyes were dancing, she could tell. Tori waited for him to say something but nothing came making her regret her question. She felt like vomiting from her nerves. “Yes? No?”

  He took a long moment as his gaze traveled over her face. “I am not sure.”

  Rage and pain washed over her like a waterfall of fire. She leaned on one hip and glared at him, not wanting the tears to swell in her eyes. “You’re not sure?”

  His eyes grazed over her body, lingering on the swell of her breasts then looked away and shrugged. “I’m sorry to offend you, but centuries ago is a long time, especially when one has no soul. Memories becomes a foreign word to the damned.”

  “But surely you must remember something—“

  “No.” he said powerfully. “I remember nothing. I also have felt nothing for the past hundred years. Leave it at that,” he whispered darkly, his gaze glimmering oddly.

  She swallowed and nodded, feeling a sense of loss. It was a bit overwhelming.

  “I want to check you for your father’s birthmark, that’s why I’m here.” He inched closer to her, making her back up.

  “Excuse me?”

  His sensuous mouth formed a smile. “I am going to find out who you are, then I am going to take you to Lior to complete the contract owed to me.” He continued, “Every child bears their father’s mark.”

  She just stared at him, her heart pounding.

  “Don’t you want to find out who your father is?” he asked softly, leaning down to her level.

  “Yes,” she mouthed.

  His dark eyes became darker, if that was even possible. “I am going to need you to strip.”

  Tori’s eyes widened.

  He tilted his head. “Don’t worry love, I feel naught. Seeing your body will do nothing to me, I am completely dead inside,” he explained carefully.

  She nodded, not sure if she trusted the dark flicker in the depths of his gaze.

  Chapter fourteen

  He was casting a spell. The same eerie effect that a violin has on a silent room, changing the mood dramatically with a few careful played notes. The ordinary quiet chamber was now something quite exotic, intoxicating, exuding a dark appeal.

  Dangerous.

  Tori slowly glanced up at him, watching her every move down to her every breath. He wanted her to strip? That is what he said. As she gazed at him she couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. She glanced down unable to bear his constant evaluation of her any longer. “Will you leave the room while I undress? I will be able to search my body without your assistance.”

  “I am in no mood to wait princess,” his voice was a harsh whisper.

  She didn’t like the way he said princess, like she thought herself royalty.

  He shrugged off his maroon over coat making her breathing hitch and rolled up his sleeves. “Turn around,” he ordered quietly, his soft voice raising gooseflesh on her skin.

  “Why—“

  He grabbed her arm and turned her himself so her back was to him. She could feel his strength and knew she had not a chance if she decided to flee. “If you had any idea how old I am, you would know that there is nothing I have not seen before,” he breathed into her neck, “now hold still while I unlace you.”

  She felt faint and bit her lip as his hands touched her skin. A tingling sensation dotted the back of her neck at his slight touch. “So you feel nothing then?” Tori closed her eyes as his fingers lightly grazed her skin.


  “No.”

  “Not even lust?” she whispered as she felt his hands work at her buttons making her shiver. Yes, she was definitely becoming lightheaded. Surely he must at least feel lust. Right? Mercy, he was too good-looking not to feel anything.

  What a shame.

  He took a moment before answering her. “Would you feel better if I told that you’re not my type? Enough questions and hold still before I tie you down.”

  An electric thrill shot up her spine, he couldn’t be serious.

  Wait, did he just say she was not his type? Not his type?! Asshole. She knew he was a demon so why did it matter to her if he thought her attractive or ugly? Was he bluffing? She thought hard as she felt the heavy dress slide down her body. “So, you do feel something. It just that I’m not your type,” she said almost to herself.

  She looked down and realized that she stood in her colorless undergarments that were definitely not from the nineteenth century, but were given to her as a part of her insanity get-up. A plain white corset paired with a cotton slip. God, why then did she feel like she wore the most scandalous of garments? Was it her imagination or did it feel like his gaze was burning her back? Her breath escalated as she stood there in silence, her body felt hot and her mind was on high alert.

  Tori gasped as he whipped her around, standing face to face with him.

  A wave of warning washed through her body as she noticed an odd glow in his gaze. This unnatural blaze she was becoming accustomed to. What did it mean? A warning perhaps? His expression was very hard to place for making out any emotion on him whatsoever was not happening.

  He tilted his head making a raven strand fall in his pale face. “As I have stated before, I feel nothing. You should be pleased because if I did feel an ounce of lust I would have you roughly bent over this bed whether you wanted it or not,” he murmured coldly. “I was not a romantic lover back when I still possessed a soul. I would have you blushing shades of red if you knew anything about my sexual tastes.”

  Her face did turn a bright shade of red just at the thought. Was he trying to scare her away? Away from what? But something inside of her called his bluff. What possessed her to say this she wasn’t sure.