"What have you done to me? Why do I speak like that?"

The mysterious man in front of me demanded again with a voice I couldn't ignore. Rich and with an accent I wasn't familiar with. I could ask what was wrong with him but there was an angry mob behind me and I was barely holding onto my sanity as it was.

"You know me, you had to be. I'm remembering-" He snapped his fingers with an alarmingly fast motion. "You were going to embrace my friend also known as death. But given the consequences, you woke me up-you, you are my bride."

No, God, no.

It couldn't be...

The man in front of me was dressed in a black robe which was in the same condition as mine. Torn in places and dirt all over it. I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes. And his hair...it should be sinful to have such hair. I almost wanted to touch his long midnight black hair which had soft curls hiding his right eye. But if he really was who he's hinting at-no, it was too far-fetched.

"Oh! For devil's sake! The first time I've got to marry a lady who turned out to be deaf!" He fake gasped clamping his mouth with his hands in an over irritating way like the girls in the clan used to do to make me angry.

"Who exactly are you?" I meant to shout but all it came out as a horrified whisper.

"Oh. Look at that! You can speak. And here I thought I was talking to a deaf and mute." He clapped happily making me grit my teeth. Did he seriously just insulted me?

Screw politeness, he deserved none of it. "You didn't answer my question, you asshole. Who are you?"

The man seemed hell-bent on ignoring my plea for answers as his lips twitched into a grin. "Such dirty mouth for a young lady! No, that won't do. Once this matrimony is done, we need to have a serious talk about that kind of behavior. I think I even have the-"

He stopped to look for something in his cloak but it came out empty as the grin disappeared from his face, leaving a frown. "Oh well...I thought the ring would appear with the ceremony on its own. My mistake, now where were we?"

That deranged good for nothing marriage...no, thank you.

"I don't know what you are talking about. There isn't any matrimony going on." Not if I had any say in that.

His frown deepened. "You forgot it already? Oh, the melodious chants, the screams of those witches, and the scary sound of your vows. Ouch! That hurts Emeline. That really hurts!"

My eyes widened in fear. For him to know my name, he could only be a trick of my mind or worse...

"You are not real." I cursed, beating my chest to find a pulse. "Shit! Am I dead?"

If I get stuck as a vengeful spirit forever, I swear on Madam Florence's eyes that I'll kill him.

"Don't be so dramatic, you are alive. Tell me, who do you think I am, Emeline? Someone you conjured up in your mind? Or someone very much real?" All emotions vanished from his face as he asked me the one question that I was trying to avoid. Besides, for someone dead, he was starting to sound too convincing. But why me? Why was he lying?

What was the purpose?

Darkness couldn't be alive, it was impossible.

Then again, the prophecy was turning out to be wrong on so many levels.

So looking up at the devil in disguise, with a calm voice I stated what I really thought about his claim. "Listen here whoever you are, you are not that person you are trying to call yourself. That was a dead man in a grave, God knows maybe his bones even have become ashes by now. Someone has sent you to kill me. Admit it."

The man scrunched his nose in disgust but didn't say anything when I continued. "And for your record, I was going to try jumping off the cliff to get rid of those vultures anyway. By saving me you just lost all your chance to have revenge or money, whichever case suits you."

He kept staring at me in silence but after a few minutes, he let out a chuckle. "Please tell me that's not how I'm represented in the world. Grave man? That gentleman whose bones have become ashes? What is this? This had to be the most disrespectful thing I've ever heard. I feel severely insulted."

Was he for real? I couldn't choose if he was being sarcastic or was truly confused.

Goddamit.

Just as I decided to walk away from the lunatic, he grabbed my wrist again. "You are a fool if you think you can run away from me."

"What are you talking about? Stop it!" I yelled pushing him out of my way. He let me, but he had a mischievous glint in his eyes which only screamed trouble.

"Deny are we?" He chuckled harshly. "You are important. This matrimony is important. I am here, alive. That has something to do with that soul of yours...it tastes different, almost familiar, my shadows recognize it, little soul. And you better believe me when I say that I'll have it for me."

You got to be kidding me.

"You want my soul? If you are really are Darkness, you killed them. Killed them without even blinking. Now they are after me because of you!"

This stupid prophesy.

The sacrifice.

Everything for this piece of shit who couldn't even answer one damn question correctly. I was a minute away from really going after his neck when I heard a familiar voice.

"Who are you talking to?"

Turning around, I was surprised to find Gema staring at me with a frown. She refused to see me last night, not even joining in to dress me up in that wedding gown. Out of everyone, it hurt the most to watch her lose hope for me.

"Gema? How did you find me?"

"Mrs. Sullivan tracked you down. It's literally hell over there, Emie. You can finally leave the territory, you have to leave." Now that she was here, maybe now Darkness could be held responsible. Why did I have to be the one to run? Maybe she could even bind him here until the clan returned? With that in mind, I tilted my head only to find...nothing. Surprised, I looked around me to catch the strange man for one last time. But there was no proof of his existence.

Did I really just hallucinate the whole incident? No, he was right here!

"Emie?"

"There was a man right behind me. Did you not see him?" I asked her with the hope that I was not going insane. If he was really here then it was beyond impossible not to notice him.

"I didn't see anyone. You were talking to yourself. Look, we don't have much time left." She quickly handed me a bag that she was holding earlier, ushering me toward the highway. That only meant one thing.

She didn't believe me either. Which on a board spectrum shouldn't hurt at all after everything I've gone through, but it did, oh so freaking much.

"It's me, Emie. I didn't do anything. I don't know what was wrong with the spells. I can't even do any magic. I didn't kill them." She had to believe me, right? I tried to explain but Gemma only shook her head, the sadness in her eyes visible.

"I believe you, Emie. Trust me, I do. But if I let you in my house they will burn us all alive or worst, banish us on the Nerulia beach. And we all know there are things worse than anything we've ever heard."

No, anywhere but that place. Even death was acceptable over that fate.

"I am sorry and I know it makes me sound like a bad friend. But words traveled to places where they shouldn't have. Even to the coven. You understand what that means, right? They have a bounty on your head for God's sake! I can't see you hurt, it's a miracle that you are even alive. I don't want to risk it. There are some clothes and money in that bag. I want you to run far away from this cursed town. Forget this Red clan even existed."

Why did it felt like a final goodbye?

"I don't want to go," I interjected, for once feeling like I might cry. I wouldn't last a day out in the world, not without hiding who I really was.

She's silent only for a second before she straightened up, the look on her face saying everything that needed to be said. "You have to. Goodbye, Emie."

Without looking at me she left, once again making me wonder why I didn't embrace death when it came for me.