The Pack Survives

[10] Traces

    I stood there breathless, my wolf- breathless, as we stared at our sister and realized the weight of what she just showed Celeste. I never realized, not once, how much my sister had looked up to me. I could barely hold it together as she took quick strides towards me, throwing herself into my waiting arms. These arms, arms that I have killed with, arms that are strong and fierce, would always be here to protect her and hold her. My sister. My best friend, truly. I lifted my gaze over my sisters crazy hair and met Celeste's eyes. 

    I know why my sister showed her that. She wanted to show her that no matter what, I was worthy, that I wasn't a killer, or the self loathing person I perceive myself to be. Celeste’s eyes were warm, loving, and encouraging. Most of all, they were accepting. She accepted me and, in that moment, I knew, no matter her past, I would and have already, accepted her for who she is too.

    “Thank you, sister. I love you. I had not realized you noticed… that you remembered any of that. I don’t want you to think that saving you or protecting and defending you is insignificant. To me it’s not. I always assumed you didn’t want saving.” I said to my sister. She lifted her head up and had a smirk on her face. She punched my arm and said “I never said you SAVED me, Evan. I simply showed her what you are capable of. And you are right. I don’t need saving.” With that, she stuck her tongue out at me and shoved me away. My arms were suddenly replaced with Celeste’s body and I held her close, inhaling her scent. Breathing in her love

            I looked up and noticed that people were waiting on us. Edmond and his wife had taken a strong liking to Erin, she in turn adored them. They currently had her positioned in the middle of them, each with an arm around her. She looked so content. From an outsider’s perspective they looked like they could be her parents, and that was another development to add on the list of Things I Am Grateful For, Since Celeste Showed Up.

            “Sorry, guys I didn’t mean for that to get so intense. So I uhhh, guess I should wrap this up. The third and final piece to this all is each Vampire’s individual gift. There are so many out there, all varieties. One of our recently passed members had the ability to cloak her appearance so even those standing next to her, magic or human, would not see her. Some can control the weather. Some can see the future, though it will change repeatedly. My parents have their own gifts as well, but I will let them divulge that themselves should they so choose to. Mine is telekinesis.”

            There was a time in my life when that was just not fun. There’s nothing cool about being a newborn vampire with insatiable thirst and anger who can rip a wall off it’s foundation with the flick of a wrist. It was quite inconvenient at times to be honest.” She was pacing, nervous and back to wringing her hands together. She stopped and her eyes swept across the room and she finally took a deep breath. “So that’s it! The end. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.”

            There was a half second of silence and everyone erupted at the same time.

            “Throw the lamp!”        

            “Pick me up!”

            “Can you move a ship?”

            “If you can move things can you just fly?”       

            It was like being in a room with a bunch of children. I sighed and extended my arms for my mate to escape their nonsense.

***

Celeste’s POV

***

            I expected a big response, but not that. I expected fury, anger, outrage. I was a monster. But they were so happy, excited even. I buried my face in Evan’s chest and looked up at his eyes briefly. His thoughts in my head were all encompassing, you did great Luna. Look how they adore you. I felt love envelope me and I soaked it in as long as I could. They were all getting rowdy now. The boys, Brian and Eric were arguing with Gabe over what was the coolest thing I could move. Emily, Norah, Nic and Brittany were talking about the amazing and helpful things I could do with my powers. Erin was listening intently to my parents fill her with stories of all the things I destroyed in my younger years. Clarence stood there in complete silence looking back and forth at everyone.

            I shot him a look and he walked over to me. “I, uh, bet you never expected THIS response, huh?” he said almost playfully.

            Evan glanced at him and then at me and then back at Clarence and asked, “Why? What other response would she have gotten?”

            “Well, Celeste isn’t like most Vampires. Almost all the rest of them utilize their gifts to be the deadliest of predators. She clearly isn’t on the same wavelength morally as them. She has always feared that her particular set of skills would take away from who she is as a person.”

            I laughed. His Taken reference didn’t go unnoticed.

            “Is that true, love? How could you even think that? We are all magical beings in here. All of us have had to fight or kill to survive or protect. You just have a lightness in you. You have to know how much more you are than a predator?”

            Erin chirped in, “Yeah I mean come ON! You must be a saint if you are mated to my brother! But seriously, CC I have one question.”

            I loved how she picked up my nickname already. It sounded so natural coming from her mouth. Like she has been calling me that her whole life. “Yeah, of course… what is it?”

            “Please toss me in the air? Please! Please, please, please I will do anything!” she begged like a little kid begging their mother for candy at the store.

            I looked around the room and was met with eager faces. I realized then that they truly thought this was cool. They lived a very brutal lifestyle as wolves, and while this was technically a time of peace within our realm, it wouldn’t last long and I wanted to help my friends and family have a little enjoyment while we still had time for it.

            “WOAH!!!” Erin screamed, as her feet came out from under her. She was flat as a board, parallel to the floor, hovering one inch above it. She looked up at me with her eyes bugging out of her head. The room exploded in laughter and hoots and roars. Erin was beaming now, and I lifted her effortlessly and zoomed her strait towards Evan. She had one knee bent and one arm straight out, fingers curled into a fist. So, help me Goddess, she was screaming “SUPERMANNN!!!” and landed a punch square on the nose of a too-stunned-for-his-own-good-Evan.

            I can’t remember a time I laughed so hard. If we weren’t all Vampires, Wolves or Witches, with superior healing, the punch obviously would have been too much, but I am sure growing up, they had done much, much worse to each other.

            I looked over at my parents, my father’s arm draped across my mother, her head on his shoulder. They were looking out over the room with pure love on their faces. They had wanted children, before they were turned, and I was my mother’s wish come true. I knew she wanted more ‘children’ and that is why she funded so many charities. I could see on her face that each being in this room, were filling little pieces in her heart. Like a puzzle coming back together. My father glanced up at me for the briefest of seconds and offered me a smile. I guessed right. She was subconsciously adopting every person in this room.

            Not that you can adopt adults, but she sure as hell would try.

            After a few minutes or so of me obliging to everyone, Evan stopped them from ‘bothering’ me, as he put it. He got everyone to quiet down and turned back to Brittany. “I think we all got a little off topic, myself included, but there was a point to all this wasn’t there?”

            Brittany stepped forward, nodding her head. She turned to Nic and Emily motioning them to come forward. “I think it worth repeating, but just like when a witch uses her magic, a Vampire’s gift leaves a footprint. Whether you can tell that someone was ‘glamoured’ or what have you, it’s almost like a residue is left behind. Because Vampires gifts are within 3 classifications, that helps breakdown who’s work you’re looking at. Or at the very least, what family they came from. That is how we can tell who is working with the hunters, or what they are.”

            My father stepped up at that last part. “What do you mean what they are? What are you saying? I thought we were working with Human hunters here?” His fists were balled up at his sides.

            “Well, one of our own were in that home. She was on an ambassador visit when the attack happened. We were able to pull her memories from the last few moments she was alive. The group that attacked masked themselves as humans. Unfortunately, for them, we were able to see through the mask. They are vampires and the only family I know who that can do this….”

            “Mario, Micah and that moron Stella!” My dad roared. His eyes were as red as they’ve ever been. His fangs protruding, his breath ragged and if my mother weren’t holding him back, he would have launched out the double doors to the balcony and ran back to the coven home to kill them.

            “Yes, that it what I believe. Now I have no pure evidence to prove that they are the ones directly behind this. They could have just sired these two psychos and that is it. I have no clue. All I know is the traces left behind point to one blood line. It’s theirs. The Magliano’s. What would their motive be?”

            There was a pause, while we all thought of what connections there could possibly be for this family to sire two of the worst people to ever walk the human world. The hunters had wreaked such havoc in our world, so much death and agony. But why? What’s their move? What did they want? I was contemplating all of this when I felt eyes on me. I looked up and saw Brittany looking at me. She knew something. She walked hesitantly to me and held her hand out. I glanced at her hands and back to her face and she gave me a curt nod. She wanted me to see what she knew.

            I reached out instantly and was met with a few irrelevant memories and thoughts, slowly forming into a specific train of thought. The information was starting to sort out and sift into one precise bit of information. They were after me.

They knew what I was.

Micah had suspected for some time.

That is why he pursued me.

He told his parents.

They created the hunters. All of them. The twins.

The twins had been assassins as humans. The perfect vampire.

They gave them a mission. Create panic, find the truth, collect the prize.

Me.

I thought back to every attack, every murder. I was supposed to be at each location or had just left. All those innocent people had died because of me.

Oh my goddess.

I yanked my hand out of her hand, shaking, absolutely terrified. My father and Evan were standing side by side, my father’s arm draped across Evan’s shoulder. They had a map in front of them and on the other side of the desk were the rest of the guys including Erin and Norah. These women clearly didn’t shy away from a fight.

My mother stood with Emily and Nic silently watching from the other side of the office. I looked back at Brittany. “I have to tell them. This is all happening because of me. Because of what I am.” I said, pleading almost. I wanted her to understand, in that moment, that I had not known. The guilt of this knowledge was suffocating.

“Celeste, no one blames you. That is not why I shared this with you. You are the reason this is happening, yes. But you are also the one who can end this. Look around this room.” She said in a hushed voice. I did. I looked around and saw three very different groups of creatures working together to take out a threat to all of us. “See? You have already brought so many together. They are here for you. You have to make a choice. Wait…. try to face the hunters as you are… Vampire. Or change….. be who you were meant to be.”

I took a deep breath and looked back over my shoulder. The boys were bickering over battle plans, my father was on his phone- no doubt contacting some of our most trusted coven members. Trust, ha. We used to trust the Magliano family. Look where that got us. I was fuming. Absolutely livid. I needed to hunt.

“Evan!” I said, maybe a little too forcefully. He looked over at me and his eyes grew wide. He was in front of me in a heartbeat, arms outstretched. I rested my head on is chest and wrapped my arms around him, my hands splayed across his back. “I need to hunt, or run… I need a break this is all too much. I don’t want them to stop if they don’t want, but will you join me?”

“Always.” He responded. I sighed in relief. He began to leave instructions for his Beta, Gamma and Delta when Norah spoke up. “Um… can I please come with you?” I felt so horrible, what a friend I am. I almost forgot she was here, with everything going on. “Of course, Norah! Gosh you don’t have to ask. Yes, come with us.”

We began to leave the office when Gabe stopped us. I hadn’t really had time to speak to him and hoped at some point I would be able to really get to know these guys. He was tall, lean, dirty blonde hair like Evan’s but had caramel brown eyes that were gorgeous. He had one tattoo and it was on the back of his calf. It was a picture of a man with a shield up in front of him. The eyes of the man were similar in color to Gabe’s, but the bottom of his face wasn’t exposed. It was covered by this shield that reminded me of medieval armor. On the shield was a crest. There was a full moon – clever, that had two swords crossing over it. It was done beautifully and there most definitely had to be meaning behind it. I promised myself I would ask him about it some time.

I realized I was zoning out, focusing on his leg, and had missed what he asked Evan, but it wasn’t hard to decipher based off his answer. “Yes, of course Gabe. I would never deny you your duty. Come, we need to get her outside right away. Norah too.”

What did that mean? I fully planned on asking him, but we reached the end of the hallway where there are two large sliding doors that open to the back of the property looking down on the valley and out across the Delaware. I didn’t wait. I leapt over the balcony and landed firmly on my feet. I heard another pair of feet land behind me followed by two large wolves. I glanced around and we took off. I have been hunting these woods for centuries and made it out of the pack’s border effortlessly.

We ran as a unit and goddess be damned, we were a formidable unit. I ran in the front, flanked by Evan and Norah, Gabe rounding out the back of the group on high alert. No matter what direction I took and even if Evan or Norah stepped out of formation, Gabe did not leave me. Not once. I wanted to test this theory

I took down a buck with no sweat whatsoever. The group behind me devoured their prey as well. I began to stroll away from them, letting them finish in peace. These woods brought me so much peace in my earlier life as a vampire. When the blood lust threatened to take control of me, this place was a sanctuary to me. To think that before it was a special place to me, it was my actual home. I was born here, as a baby, with a mother and a father who raised me, cared for me, and sacrificed themselves for me. An entire pack of wolves and witches were decimated, and I was the sole survivor.

Then, the family that took me in, my second set of parents. The memories I have of them are a blur. Tiny flashes of their faces, smells, sounds. I have lived many lifetimes over since that time, it has become almost impossible to remember. I raked my hands through my hair, frustration and despair washing over me. I have barely had time to fully get to know my mate, his pack, Erin… and my whole world was flipped upside down. Now, instead of the honeymoon period, post-finding your mate, I am being consumed by the knowledge that I am not the person I thought I was. Not in the slightest. And that the horrid creatures I have been trying to take down for centuries, are the cause of my pack being wiped off the face of this earth. They are the reason my mate’s parents are gone. They are the reason for so many innocent deaths.

But they aren’t, are they? It was Mario and Stella. Maybe not Stella, but for sure Mario and Micah. Thinking of the time I spent with Micah makes me ill. He had pursued me for so long, we dated, if you want to call it that, but his possessiveness and rage, his unfaithfulness and whoring was too much. I thought our breakup was amicable. Was I so naïve? He moved on, many times over, and the last I heard he was settled with this bimbo newborn named Amani. How was our coven so blind to those two faced, power hungry murderers? I was starting to lose it when I felt two strong hands on my waist.

I melted into those hands, knowing deep in my soul that they were my mates. I leaned back into his chest and as a sign of submission, bared my neck to him. He leaned down into my neck and breathed in, exhaling slowly, and speaking. “What is troubling you, Celeste?” his voice deep and brash. His voice reverberating through my bones, goosebumps rolled across my alabaster skin. He swept aside my hair and the contrast of my near silver hair on his tanned skin was astounding. I turned slowly to meet his gaze and saw him greedily taking me in. His eyes traveled from mine, down my throat, across my chest, down my stomach, in between my legs where he held his gaze a few seconds longer, before his eyes retraced his previous path back up before settling on my lips. Before the next beat of my heart, his lips were crashing into mine and devouring me.

I knew this was a battle I would lose and lose happily. His hands wrapped around my ass and lifted me up, so my legs were fastened tightly around his hips. My back suddenly slammed into a tree trunk and we lost ourselves in each other. Suddenly he went rigid, and I silently cursed whatever disruption was making itself known. Evan dropped me and spun around, throwing his arms back around me protectively. I looked up at him and saw his eyes black as onyx, and far away. I knew he was mind linking someone and I knew it was bad. In a second Norah and Gabe were with us, Gabe in his wolf form. Norah looked panicked.

“Do you know what is going on?” she asked, her voice on edge.

“No, not yet.” I replied honestly. “Evan, what is it?”

Gabe was growling low, his lips curled back exposing his teeth, the fur on his neck sticking straight up. Suddenly Evan turned to me, his eyes wide with fear, anger and…pain? “They are here. Celeste, Norah. We must go. Now!”

I stared at him, admittedly dumb founded, did he need to spell it out for me? “The hunters. Micah and Mario.” Traitors. He gave me a pointed look and turned to shift, and I stopped him. “Wait!”

He and Gabe stopped and looked at me, waiting. Norah took a step to me, hesitantly, concern laced in her features. “They are after me. They knew, well, had a feeling that I was the lost child of the coven slaughter. They are here for me. I won’t let them kill another person, human, wolf, vampire or witch, because of me.”

He was in front of me instantly, his hands in fists, shaking. “I will never, EVER, let them near you. I will never let them harm you. I will never let them take you. Do you hear me?” The last part coming out as a growl. Gabe let out his own snarl, echoing the sentiment.

“Ok. But I will not let them hurt anyone in my pack. Not now, not ever.” He nodded at me and shifted instantly. His wolf was beautiful and deadly. He strutted over to me and pushed his snout against the back of my thigh, nudging me forward. I placed my hand on the top of his neck and hoped he knew that I would follow him anywhere.

With one last glance at Norah and Gabe, we took off. We barreled through the forest at top speed. This was different than any hunt or war games I had planned. There was danger ahead and they were threatening all that I loved. I didn’t know how many there were other than Mario and Micah. I was confused by Stella’s lack of presence, but I had hoped that it meant she was blissfully unaware of her families ill fated lifestyle choices. These two were strong, but their gifts were admittedly useful. It wasn’t handy in a fight, to mask yourself as a human, but in a semi mercenary group of rogue species, hunting and attacking unsuspecting groups, it had it’s advantages. The abuse of powers was the part that enraged me. Using our powers, our gifts, to cause harm to the masses is irrefutably the most sickening thing you can think of.

The sounds of battle broke my thinking as we tore back through the territory. Our speed increased exponentially as we bound over fallen trees and boulders. The forest stilled at our approach. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something blast out of the tree line to the west, but I was too late. The forest in front of us, blocking us from getting to the pack house, was ablaze. “f**k!” I yelled. Vampires are immune to quite a lot, but fire is a definite way to kill us. Norah and I recoiled from the heat, while Gabe and Evan took a protective stance, flanking our sides. They were snarling, lips peeled back as far as they could, saliva dripping from their venomous canines. A figure began to form beyond the fire, slowly splitting into two. The fire parted revealing non other than the Twins. They sauntered forward, looking victorious and smug. The male was not tall, or as tall as my guys who were all oddly above 6 feet. This moron was closure to 5 foot 10 inches but had some muscle on him. He had brown hair and a chiseled jaw line. He looked like a male model; except he was a monster. His sister was short, even for a vampire. She had long brown hair, curls cascading down her back. Her and her brother were identical, same brownish -golden eyes when calm, red eyes, like the rest of us, when we were feeling particularly unstable.

The world is cruel, placing two of them on this earth. Killing them will be a service to all mankind.

“Well Celeste Benevenetti, we finally meet. We have been searching for you for half a millennium it seems!”  The words rolled off his tongue like venom, like I had done something to wrong them personally. The female smiled. She was a sick one, I could tell.

“What do you want? Why are you attacking this pack when they have done nothing to you? Why did you come here?” I demanded. I was shaking with rage the longer I stood here with these imbeciles. I could feel something inside of me ready to break through, ready for blood. A voice in my head, the same voice that had haunted me my whole life, was now starting to morph into my own voice, but not mine. My wolf, I deduced. There was still a barrier between me and her, and now more than ever, I wished to be here. I wished to have incomparable power to stop these two.

“Oh, you don’t know? I have been told I am a good storyteller. You see, there are two powers here at play.” he offered, pacing back and forth between us and his sister, his hands behind his back. “Micah, your ex-lover I presume, he wants you to mate with. To share the power with the one who has it all. The vampire, witch, wolf hybrid. It is said, that when you mate, bringing out the trifecta of powers, you would share some of your powers when the mating process is completed. He wants to be the strongest. He feels he can rule over everyone once he has assumed your powers. He wants to control the witches, the wolves and the vampires, and in controlling those 3 he will control all others in between. The Fae, Sprites, and so on” This earned a ravaging growl from Evan who now stood directly in front of me, his fur rippling with anger. His hackles were hazy with the endless vibration of growls and snarls coming from the livid wolf underneath.

The girl stepped forward now. Her eyes sparkling with mischief that sent a chill down my spine. “And the other one is Mario, who simply doesn’t think a being such as yourself should exist. Unfortunately, Micah doesn’t know what his dad’s plans are. He thinks his dad is blindly helping him to bring his true mate back from the paws of a dirty wolf. Nice to see you again, Evan, Alpha of the Blackwater Pack. It’s been some time, has it not?” she said, in the most disturbingly happy and cheerful voice I have ever heard. What human gave birth to these monsters?

“You see, Micah plans to take you back and mark you, assuming half your powers. His father will kill you before that happens.” She shrugged, as if she just offered us up directions to the nearest gas station. It was effortless for her. My jaw was on ground. How could these two be so blinded by their own singular goal that they weren’t at least acutely aware of the other’s motives? At least Mario wasn’t. He knew his son’s plans. That made him a monster. Micah had no clue. That made him stupid. And dead. They are both dead.

I was shaking with anger. I could hear my friends and family, this new pack of mine, fighting and being slaughtered, exposing the young to this brutality all because of these two sick twisted souls, not the twins, Mario, and Micah. What were the twin’s purpose? A hired hit? I couldn’t take it anymore. “What do you get out of it? What is the point? Who do you think you are?” I said, teeth grounding together, my fangs bristling against my lower lip. My nails were drawing blood in my palms while I fought the urge to plunge them into each of their eyes, anger pouring into them for everything they have ever done on this earth. For everything they have ever thought of doing. Every wasted breath they used. I wanted justice.

“Oh how rude of me!” the girl said, bouncing on her toes, index finger waving in the air. “My name is Kelly, this is my twin, Kev.”

“Great. Now that I know your names, I can properly end your life. I have always hated to take the life of someone without being introduced.” I said, smirking. I knew it was dramatic, but I was known to have the flare for drama during my hunt.

I glanced over their shoulders, faking them out. They turned around to see what caught my attention and I lunged. Norah and I have been fighting together for years, she was an extension of myself. I threw myself on the girl, Kelly, and knocked her to the ground in one fell swoop. Before she could blink, Norah was on her pounding her fists into her face. I heard a body drop to the ground behind me and saw out of the corner of my eye, two wolves, Evan and Gabe, taking Kev to the ground. Suddenly I was on my back as I watched Norah flying through the air and landing next to me. This pain in the ass took advantage of my momentary distraction and laid me out, knocking Norah down as well. She tried to pin me down and reached behind her. I saw the glint of a blade behind her back and grabbed her throat, twisting and flipping us over until she was pinned.

Norah, finally on her feet, came over to help secure her. She still had her right hand pinned behind her and was struggling to use one arm to protect herself. I pulled out my knife, also made of silver and held it to her throat. “Why are you doing this?” I hissed at her. “What is the point??”

She smiled, but it faltered. I couldn’t wait and gripped her free hand in mind. My eyes glazing over with the memories of this feeble woman’s life. Her childhood, being turned with her brother. They were found in a hospital. Something familiar about it. The walls, the beds, the screaming, the horror. They had been brought there from an orphanage. Local to here and to what was supposedly my first home. They had parents. They were hunters. I could hear Norah outside of my subconscious telling me to hurry up. I was so close; I could feel it. She was pushing memories on me, forcing me to find what I was looking for. Her parents, mother was fierce, red hair, fiery spirit. Father was tall, strong, black hair and brooding. They went out on a mission and never returned. The hills were on fire that night with the sounds of screams as they were taken to a stranger’s home. Days turned to weeks and eventually, they were taken to the orphanage where they stayed for some time. Their parents never returning, they leaned on each other, their bond growing stronger. They had always been special. Some said it was because they were twins, but they were special. They could read minds. They had no one to teach them to handle this gift and exposed themselves. They were taken to a hospital, smelling of death, decay, and a sad attempt at sterilization.

Then finally, a man and woman came in, they entered their room and spoke with them. The woman was beautiful and different. Red blazing eyes and a smile so warm it felt like home to this broken-hearted girl. But the man and woman left, taking instead, an older girl. They were angry, feeling betrayed of being picked over for escape, until years later another man arrived in the night. He had the same red eyes, but they were not as kind. They were promised refuge and a life beyond their wildest dreams.

Mario.

“You see, you monster. They picked you. It could have been me. It could have been me and my brother. Instead it was you. He came back for me. Not your parents. He changed me. He did this to us.” In a moment of complete exposure, she bore her soul to me. She didn’t have a look of hate in her eyes anymore, she looked defeated, abused, exhausted. I felt pity for her. I felt…. Guilty. I shuddered at the thought of Mario finding me. “He used us, in all senses of the word. He turned us into killers. We didn’t get to live a life of luxury. He sired us and still we had no parents. He wouldn’t let us near his wife. She never knew. We were molded into weapons. But he did offer us one thing that made all the rest worthwhile. He offered us retribution. Our parents died in the attack on your parent’s pack. Your father, your true father, fought my parents off as your mother escaped with you. He killed my parents to save you, a monster. Funny, though, how our lives have been so entangled all these years, unbeknownst to us. You lived in a home after the attack, while we lived in the orphanage down the mountain. You lived in a room 4 doors down from us in the hospital. You were chosen by a wonderful family while we were chosen by a monster, who was in the same coven as your family. He turned us into the same monsters my parents set out to destroy. We rebelled against it, but eventually succumbed to the idea that we would have more strength to take you down and the others out there. Our stake in your death is more than just what you are or could become. It’s about what you, your very existence and the air you breathe, has taken from us.”

I stared at her. Absolute shock resonating through my body and soul. Everything she said sounded so insane, but something inside of me told me she was telling the truth. “You can stop, just stop following Mario. It’s not too late for you to change.” I pleaded with her. My eyes were drilling into her, willing her to accept my offer to change. I didn’t know how I could help her, but I would do anything to right this wrong. Before she could answer, a scream echoed through the woods from my right. Kelly, Norah, and I jerked our heads to the side just in time to see Gabe, his jaws clamped down on Kev’s legs and Evan’s teeth ripping through his throat, his head detaching from his shoulders. I felt Kelly begin to stir under me and looked back down, ready to comfort her, to hold her down while grief tore through her. Instead, I was met with her blood red eyes, except now they held complete, all consuming rage. I hadn’t noticed she was able to wiggle free just enough to pull the blade out from behind her and it was now pointed directly at my chest.

“You will never stop taking from others. Even when you don’t try, you are still a monster. I know I will die today, for you’ve taken the only person I love away from me, and that is just fine by me, because I know you will die today too.” She said between ragged breaths.

The last thing I heard was a symphony of Norah, Evan and Gabe screaming my name, as she plunged the blade deep into my chest. The force of the magic in the blade penetrated my skin and blew me back off her, slamming me into the ground about 15 feet away. I heard one more scream, from Kelly I assume, as she was ripped apart. I could feel the darkness swallowing me whole, but I felt eerily at peace. I remembered my life, as much of it as I could. I remembered my tiny life as a child, with the couple that adopted me, the horrors in the hospital leading me to my parents and effectively my being changed into a Vampire. I remembered meeting Norah and feeling like I had a sibling, Clarence who easily became my second in command and my confidant. Evan, my sweet, sweet Evan. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t have enough time with him. I mean, s**t, we are immortals, we are supposed to have plenty of time, yet it’s been only a few days.  I wanted more. But I was fading quick and the last thing I saw was Evan’s face over mine.

It was raining now, I could taste the rain and new it was magic. A witch had pulled this from the sky, probably trying for an upper hand. It could have been a Vampire, who manipulates the elements. What did it matter? Evan hovered above me, dripping in water. I could see his mouth moving, his eyes full of tears. I wanted to hear his voice one last time, but I settled for touch. I reached up to touch his cheek, my hand shakily making its way up. He met me, forcefully, halfway and cupped my hand to his cheek. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips. When he released me, I looked up and saw him yelling at someone, barking orders I imagined. He kept glancing back down at me, fear evident on his face. I smiled. He was a perfect view, the very last view of my life.      

That was the last coherent thought I had, as I succumbed to the darkness.