ohn awakened staring at Lisa lying on Cody’s chest as they rested together. Billy had retired to his room to listen to music. Anna stood at the window staring out while Daniel sat in the chair staring at the doorway. “Anything?” John asked stretching. “No,” Anna said softly.
“It’s nearly sunrise, and Samuel, Pedro, Sage, Cristian have not returned. She heard the sound of the newspaper being dropped at the door as the delivery truck drove off. “I’ll get it,” she said.
“Get what?” John asked, confused, “I didn’t hear anything.”Lisa and Cody stirred awake.
“Hey,” he said grinning. “Hey,” she said timidly as she lifted
herself from off of him. “Look at this,” Anna said bringing the
newspaper into the room. “The hunter is dead. It hasn’t been
confirmed yet, but police suspect that the body that was found in
the church was that of Rafael Pearson whom the police were looking
for in connection with the missing portrait, the disappearance of
Robert Scott, and the string of vampire like slayings that have been
plaguing the city,” she read aloud.
“Pearson is dead,” Daniel said. “It seems he is,” Anna smiled.
John glanced down at the floor saddened by the news. “I hope he rests in peace,” he mumbled. “He was the last hunter,” Lisa said. “Not really,” John said. “He was the last of the direct line of Pearsons, but he had cousins who may be hunters also. He never spoke of any other relatives except about Lance Pearson, but there were probably others.” “We know there will always be hunters pursuing us,” Anna said. “I would never be naïve enough to think that just because Pearson is gone another hunter won’t take his
place.” “That would be foolish thinking.”
After waiting during the night for the coroner to complete
the autopsy and hold a news conference, Randi approached him
as he headed toward his office. “I’d like to claim the body of
Rafael Pearson,” she said. “He didn’t have any family here and his
immediate family is deceased, so I would like to claim his body so
that he will have a proper burial.”
“And you are?” the coroner asked. “I’m his girlfriend,” she said.
“He would want me to do this for him.”
“Okay, I’ll just need you to sign the release papers,” he said,
leading her to his office. “I know what to do,” she thought. “I won’t
let you down.” After signing the papers, she took out her cell phone
and called a funeral home arranging for Rafael’s body to be picked
up from the morgue. Instead of having a burial service, she opted
for him to be cremated and she would scatter his ashes. Arriving
home, she was greeted by police officers who got out of their
cruisers. “Ms. Benson,” the officer said. “We would like for you to
answer questions regarding Rafael Pearson and your relationship
with him.” “Am I under arrest?” she asked. “No, we just need you
to answer some questions,” the officer said.
Jillian and Christopher stood over Cristian while the doctor
injected him once more with the experimental drug, trying to calm
him down while he screamed Sage’s name.
“Please, Son,” Jillian said. “Please try to see it from our point of view. We did this because we love you and we’re trying to save
your soul.”
“By forcing me to be drugged!” Cristian exclaimed, “This is
how much you love me. Neither one of you has any idea what love
is. Didn’t you teach me?” he said. “Love is patient, love is kind, love
isn’t jealous, it isn’t boastful, it isn’t arrogant or rude, it doesn’t insist
on its own way, it isn’t irritable or resentful, it doesn’t rejoice at
wrong, but rejoices at what’s right. Instead, you ridicule the woman
I love, you speak against her with hate, you schemed to try to tear
us apart, and now you’re drugging me, thinking that this will make
me love her any less. I thought I knew you, but I see now I didn’t.
Don’t think for a second that I will forget what you’ve done. I will
never forget it, and I will never forgive you. “Ever.”
“One day, Son, you will come to understand that we did this
for you, and you will thank us,” Jillian said emotionally. “Highly
unlikely, Mother,” Cristian said firmly. “As long as there is breath
in my body, I will never forget, and I will never stop loving Sage,
no matter what you do.” “We don’t have a choice,” Christopher
whispered in Jillian’s ear.” “We have to go to plan B.”
Samuel awakened, sitting up to glance at the headstones around
him. Staring back at Sage, he gasped at her, transfixed. She was lying
at the foot of a headstone that was carved into a cherub. Lilies and
baby’s breath grew around the base of the grave. Staring at the name
on the headstone, Samuel realized the grave belonged to a baby girl
who died a week after her birth forty years ago. The angel carved in
stone hovered over Sage as though it was watching over her as she
slept. She was resting with one hand at her side and the other hand
resting on her stomach, her dress hugging her body snugly. Her hair
sprawled around her with long waves of curls. The sight reminded
Samuel of an altar, and he felt compelled to fall on his knees in
worship. She was stunningly beautiful in her rested state. Looking up toward the sky, Samuel saw the clouds swirling as
the rays of the sunlight penetrated. Turning his gaze to the clouds,
the clouds scudded, covering the sun like a blanket shielding his
eyes, and the blue sky became overcast.
Sage opened her eyes, sitting up. “Samuel,” she said, caressing
his face. “I wasn’t dreaming.”
“No,” he said smiling. “I found you. Or I should say we found
you.”
“We?” she asked.
“Pedro and I,” Samuel said. Sage didn’t seem surprised to hear
of Pedro’s return. “We should be getting back—I know the others
are anxious,” she said.
“Cristian has been beside himself with worry,” Samuel said.
“Tensions were high.” Sage nodded her head, feeling strangely that
she couldn’t feel her blood connection to Cristian anymore or read
his thoughts. “There’s much we need to discuss,”
Samuel said. He stared intently into her eyes. “I need to tell you
something before we go back,” he said, serious. “I had promised
myself that I would say it no matter the consequences.” He took a
deep intake of breath. “Sage, I love you. I love you with all that I
am.” “I know you love me,” she said softly. “Your eyes don’t lie.” Samuel exhaled, realizing he was still holding his breath. “Sage,
I know you and Cristian have unfinished affairs that need to be
addressed and that he still lays claim to your heart, but I had to tell
you my feelings,” he said, “I could no longer keep them hidden
inside.” He clasped her hand.
“But I can’t be a consolation prize or the person you turn to
because you and Cristian are having problems. I can’t allow myself
to be put in that position.”
“I would never do that to you Samuel,” Sage whispered. “You
should know me better than that.”
He realized that his words hurt her when he saw a flash of pain
in her eyes. “We should get going,” she murmured, standing up and
turning away from him.
Jillian opened the elevator cage to Cristian’s loft looking
around. “Where would he keep it?” she said looking through the
drawers. She looked at his answering machine and listened to the
two messages. One message was from her and the other was from
Randi. She swiftly erased both messages. “Don’t need him having
any reminders when this is all over,” she thought. She walked into
his bedroom.
“He has to have it here somewhere…,” she wondered. She saw
an old program from the night he presented the painting. Turning it
over, she exclaimed, “There it is!” He had written down the address
to Sage’s loft on the other side of the program.
“If Rafael completed his task, this might not be a great idea.
But, somehow, I think that that vampire is still around, because
she still has a strong hold on Cristian,” She gripped the crucifix in
her hand, remembering how Sage snapped her necklace from her
neck on the stairwell of the hotel when she held the cross to her
face, repelling her. “God help me for what I’m about to do,” she
thought.