The Darkness that Binds us

Copyright The Darkness That Binds us Y.C Perez Copyright © 2023 by Y.C Perez No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or resold in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical reviews and certain non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places, and incidents, are a product of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. This book is intended for the reader of this book only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Please respect this author’s hard work. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders. Cover Design: Graphicallyauthentic Editor: Abookybrunette Contents 1. Author’s Note 2. Book Playlist 3. Chapter 1 Amaris 4. Chapter 2 Nathaniel 5. Chapter 3 Amaris 6. Chapter 4 Amaris 7. Chapter 5 Amaris 8. Chapter 6 Amaris 9. Chapter 7 Amaris 10. Chapter 8 Amaris 11. Chapter 9 Amaris 12. Chapter 10 Amaris 13. Chapter 11 Amaris 14. Chapter 12 Nathaniel 15. Chapter 13 Amaris 16. Chapter 14 Nathaniel 17. Chapter 15 Amaris 18. Chapter 16 Amaris 19. Chapter 17 Amaris 20. Chapter 18 Amaris 21. Chapter 19 Nathaniel 22. Chapter 20 Amaris 23. Chapter 21 Nathaniel 24. Chapter 22 Amaris 25. Chapter 23 Nathaniel 26. Chapter 24 Nathaniel 27. Chapter 25 Amaris 28. Chapter 26 Nathaniel 29. Chapter 27 Nathaniel 30. Chapter 28 Amaris 31. Chapter 29 Nathaniel 32. Chapter 30 Nathaniel 33. Epilogue Amaris Six Month Later Acknowledgments Other tittles by YC Connect with YC This one is for readers who like it dark and disturbed. With a dash of blood and a hint of kinky. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” -Edgar Allan Poe Author’s Note Reader’s discretion is strongly advised. TDTBU may contain sensitive or disturbing content for some readers. Please visit the link below for more information before diving into Blackwood. LINK Book Playlist Love In the Dark- Jessie Reyez Animal I Have Become, I Hate Everything About You- Three Days Grace Arms of the Ocean- Blackbrair Dear Agony, Breath, Dance With The Devil, Without You- Breaking Benjamin Love The Heartless- Jelly Roll Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls Use Somebody- Kings of Leon The Reason- Hoobastank You Found Me, Never Say Never, Over My Head- The Fray Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol Everything, Broken, You And Me, Falling In, Hanging By A Moment- Lifehouse Deep End- Daughtry Never Let Me Go- Florance + The Machine Bring Me to life- Evanescence Yellow- Coldplay Madness, War Of Hearts, Bad Dream, Carry You, Rival, Storm, Monsters, Where We Come Alive, Dead Of Night- Ruella Kryptonite, The Kill- Thirty Seconds To Mars Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Away From The Sun- 3 Doors Down Never Let You Go- Third Eye Blind Best Of You- Foo Fighters Motive- Ariana Grande The Beach- The Neighbourhood Bad Guy- Billie Eilish Stand By Me- Denmark + Winter When The Truth Hunts You Down- Sam Tinnesz Everything Is Lost- Maggie Eckford Born To Be Champions, Fallout- UNSECRET Wicked Game- Ursine Vulpine, Annaca Wake Me Up-Tommee Profitt Hold On- Chord Overstreet Kingdom Fall- Claire Wyndham Celestial- Ed Sheeran Take Me To Church- Hozier Just Pretend- Bad Omens A Drop in the Ocean- Ron Pope Addicted- Saving Abel Latch- Acoustic- Sam Smith Silence- Marshmello Crush- David Archuleta Popular Monster- Falling In Reverse How Villains Are Made- Madalen Duke The Summoning- Sleep Token Dancing All Alone- Clinton Kane Spotify Playlist Chapter 1 Amaris A smile creeps onto my face as I roll my windows down, allowing the salty sea breeze to kiss my skin. I feel at home. I barely register the music blasting through my car speakers, not with the crashing waves and the wind whipping my too-long hair around me. I don’t think I’ve ever needed to feel at home more than I do now. My body welcomes the comfort of the sea's closeness, calming me enough to make this crazy plan seem less of a mistake. Rather than at home with my family in Los Angeles, I find myself and Minx, my cat, driving to some home that shouldn’t even belong to me in Middle-of-Nowhere, Connecticut. I intend to sell it – that’s at least better than leaving it abandoned. I have so many questions, and hopefully, these next few weeks will answer them. The sound of my phone ringing rips me from the tranquil sound of the water. My breath hitches as my mom’s picture flashes across my phone screen. I pull over onto the shoulder; after ending my last two conversations with her in tears, I can’t trust myself to drive through this one. A beat of silence fills the car until I finally break. “What’s up, Mom?” “Amaris, sweetie. How’s the driving going?” Her voice, which can usually command a room, breaks on my name. Though soft-spoken, Mom holds a certain confidence in her words. That confidence is lost right now; she’s been tiptoeing around me all week. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, though it just stutters in my chest, bringing tears to my eyes. I know she cares, but I can’t get past the fact that they lied to me. My parents are kind and generous people. They reassured me that I belonged when I felt at odds with the world. Their values, their insistence on doing what’s right, are something I’ve always found admirable, which makes their deceit that much more painful. “Fine,” I reply, my voice clipped. It’s all I can muster without breaking into tears. Silence