Chapter Twenty-Five
R.I.P.
D
emetria sat on the edge of Carson’s bed. This was not her bed. This was not her room, not her home. This place was a waystation of death to her now. She’d fled here when Micha died and ran straight into the arms of his psychotic ex-best friend. She allowed Carson to possess her in hopes that both her son and she would be protected should the vampire try to murder them too.
Instead of granting that protection, Carson slaughtered her son; sentencing carried out without a trial. Guilt considered proven to only one. Demetria relived the last moment she’d seen Micha alive. He’d kissed her on the hair and told her he’d be back soon with their son. But he’d never returned and her last moments with her son had been clouded under an argument. Carson had taken all that was left of her. Ricky was dead. Micha was dead. And either she or Carson was going to join them.
Demetria stood on determined legs. Her wolf form broke free from inside her human one and as she ran out of the room, down the stairs, and through where the screen door should have been.
Her need for revenge drove her through the edge of town toward the vampire’s house. There was no justice strong enough to be served. But revenge, revenge she could have. She knew Carson had gone out to the coast to meet the traitors in battle.
As she neared the beach, she noticed that Carson had stationed wolves, pretending to be cops, or maybe they were cops, at every access road to the area. At least he wasn’t taking chances with avoidable human casualties.
Once her paws hit sand, she followed the sounds of growling and cheering. It took only a few moments for Demetria to make her way into the midst of the fighting. In the customary flash of light, Demetria became her human self.
A few wolves turned toward the new arrival, but most remained transfixed on the small, red-haired, vampire pinned as Carson’s large fists connected with her face and chest repeatedly. He pulled the large knife out of its sheath and plunged it into the right side of the vampire’s chest. She was weak, no longer resisting. He could kill her, but instead, he continued to extend her pain.
Ben noticed Demetria. Silently, he and Kip parted the sea of bystanders so that she had a clear path to her son’s killer. They both knew what he had done, although they were likely unable to speak of it.
Carson dropped the bloodied, silver knife onto the sand beside him, lifted his shoulders out of a hunch, pointed his face upward, and howled; a wolf’s cry of victory. Others followed their Alpha’s lead, a great roar penetrating the sounds of the stormy sea.
Demetria took the moment of his distraction and seized the blade off the sand. Carson’s back was to her; he hadn’t yet realized his fatal error.
Demetria acted faster than anyone could react. In the space of a small breath, the curved blade plunged into Carson’s back, right between his shoulder blades. He roared in agony, attempting to dislodge his attacker but Demetria’s grip on the knife was firm. He swayed forward as Kyle leaped from the sidelines, pulling Jules from underneath the Alpha’s falling frame.
Demetria could hear Carson wheezing as she pulled the knife from his back and walked around to kneel in front of him.
“Why?” he managed to choke out.
“You know why,” she snarled. The hatred she felt was ablaze in her eyes.
“I had to…” he began, fruitlessly defending himself.
“You murdered my child!” she shouted as she thrust the knife back into his body, right over his heart. She was splattered with his blood but did not react as she stood. Carson’s body fell to the ground and went limp. Moments later, the beast was gone and only the body of the wolf remained. “You’re dance with death is at its end.” She said her under her breath. “Any who mourn him are fools,” she said as the wolves parted for her. The murderer was dead. He’d never harm another man, woman, or child again. With a howl, she returned to her natural state; lost forever inside her grief and fur. Running at full speed to finish her journey on this earth with four paws.
LUCA
Luca finally broke away from the wolves who were keeping him from Jules’s side.
“Jules, Jules?”
He knelt next to her on the sand. Kyle moved to give him room. He cradled the top half of her body, lifting her off the sand. She laid limply in his arms, her eyes remaining closed. The sand beneath them was drenched with her blood.
“Wake up?” he said, brushing sand off her face. “Please wake up.” Tears started to well up in his eyes as he stared down at her unmoving, badly-beaten face.
Gabriel, on his feet again, moved quickly to her other side.
“She needs blood now,” Nick said, pushing observers out of his way.
“We don’t have any more,” Gabriel hissed.
Luca stared at her, panicked. He knew she needed human blood; wolf blood would do nothing. He could do nothing to save her. He pressed his face to hers, willing her to wake regardless.
“I have blood.”
Luca looked up, tears obscuring his vision. It was Monica who had spoken. She and Seth had just broken through the crowd of immortals. When they had arrived on the beach, he couldn’t guess.
“She wouldn’t want that, Monica,” Gabriel told her, staring down at Jules.
“I don’t care what she wants,” Monica said and ran for the discarded knife lying next to Carson’s body.
Seth ran after her, but before he could stop her, she had sliced her arm above the wrist. She cried out in pain, dropped the knife, and held her shaking arm.
Within moments, Gabriel was on his feet restraining Eileen. Kyle and Hayley worked together to keep Nick away from their bleeding human friend.
Luca heard Seth’s panicked yell, but all he could see was Monica’s courage. Despite the danger, she walked over and knelt in Gabriel’s vacated spot on Jules’s other side.
Luca threw out his hand, grabbing Monica by the arm. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Monica replied as she leaned over Jules and let her blood trickle between Jules’s lips.
“Drink Jules,” she said quietly.
After a few moments, Luca’s heartbeat started to quicken. Jules responded. As a reaction to the much-needed nourishment, she grabbed ahold of Monica, unsheathed her fangs, and sunk them deep into Monica’s arm. Monica winced but didn’t pull away.
JULIANA
Jules saw a familiar face, but it was different, the perspective was off. The face more angular, the hair brighter, the iridescent silver eyes alluring. She hadn’t seen that face since she’d become a vampire. This was her face, but not her face. This was her vampire face through the eyes of one that loved her. Jules heard Monica’s vibrant laugh accompany her own musical one.
The image of Jules faded, and Ethan became the focus of Monica’s next memory. “You can’t have a crush on my best friend. It’s creepy. Get over it!” Monica yelled at the beautiful, blue-eyed boy. Jules could feel the irritation Monica felt but also the love. “I don’t have a crush,” he whimpered, a red flush betraying him. “And I’m not creepy.”
Next Monica’s blood led Jules to Seth and then her parents. There was so much love in this human’s life. “We have to go back Seth,” Monica pleaded.
“We can’t. Jules said…” Seth began to protest.
“Jules is wrong!” Monica shouted. “You know we have to go back.”
The look on Seth’s face betrayed him. “Fine, but we stay out of the way. You can’t rush in!”
Monica jumped forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Fine, can we go please!”
Jules continued down this path, consuming the blood and memories of her most precious human friend. She couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to. She could feel her wounds healing as the opulent blood entered her body, saving her from the brink of death. Somewhere far away, Jules gripped Monica’s arm tighter.
And then she saw it. The face of the girl reflected in the mirror at her bathroom sink. Her soft brown skin was blotchy. Her warm brown eyes were red and puffy. She’d been crying, mourning. The loss of what, Jules wasn’t sure.
“Jules stop, you’re killing her,” someone said. Someone Jules wanted to listen too. Her eyes fluttered open, she saw the same face that had been reflected in the mirror only moments ago. The same eyes were no longer rimmed in red but clear, searching the face of the one who was killing her.
“Your eyes are red when you drink blood,” she heard Monica comment, but she seemed strained like she was out of breath.
Jules’s eyes focused in on the face before her. It was Monica. She loved Monica. If she didn’t stop, she would kill her. She had to stop. Jules closed her eyes and focused on removing her fangs from the source of the blood and peeling her fingers off her friend’s arm one by one. It should have been harder. Never before had she found the will to stop before the body was drained of every ounce.
With cracked lips, she smiled at her friend. “Yes, they are.”
Jules had just consumed a great portion of her blood, nearly killed her, and Monica was simply smiling back, not retreating in fear. She really was the most extraordinary human Jules had ever met.
Monica rocked on her knees, obviously beginning to feel the effects of the vampire venom that had just entered her body. Seth ran to her and caught her in his arms. He looked at Jules with panic in his eyes, but she smiled at him.
“She will be fine Seth. I promise,” Jules said with a thankful sigh.
Seth nodded but still looked a bit uncertain.
Jules was about to explain that the effects would wear off soon when Luca touched her lightly on the cheek, pulling her focus to him.
“Hey there,” he whispered.
When she looked up at him, she saw his eyes were full of tears.
“Hi,” she replied. She smiled as a few of his tears dripped onto her face and he brushed them off.
“What happened?” she asked. He didn’t respond but reached down to kiss her, his lips brushing her face with a feather’s touch.
“Ouch.” She sucked in a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” he retracted his lips from her face.
She saw werewolves all around them, some registering shock, others remorse. She noticed the reason the fighting was at an end. The body of a large wolf lay a little way off. “Carson?” she asked.
Luca nodded.
“How?”
“Demetria,” he explained simply.
The battle was over. The people she loved were safe. They were all safe, she noted how very much alive they each were, to her great relief.
Feeling a little steadier, Jules sat. She reached up and kissed Luca. For a moment, the only being in existence was him. All she felt were his warm lips on hers and his strong arms holding her.
“I love you,” he said.
She smiled. No one would try to stop them now. They could be together. No one would ever try to keep them apart again.
“I love you, too.”
Jules felt light in Luca’s arms as he cradled her, lifting her off the sand. She leaned her head against his shoulder but winced when her cheek touched his skin.
“You okay?” he asked, seeming panicky.
“I’ll heal soon,” she assured him. “I’ll be alright.”
LUCA
Luca slowly set Jules on her feet. She swayed a little, so he tucked her protectively under his arm, steadying her.
“Luca,” Ben called as he approached them both. “Carson’s dead.”
Luca cocked his head wondering why that needed to be stated verbally. Everyone could see the proof of it.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Ben seemed to be fishing for something.
Then reality hit him like a speeding truck. He was never officially removed as this pack’s Beta. Thus, according to werewolf protocol, he was Carson’s successor. “I’m the Alpha.”
As if on cue, Luca felt a great weight press against his shoulders. A sort of heaviness came with this responsibly. He didn’t want it. He’d never wanted to be Alpha to a pack other than his father’s. He’d only taken the Beta spot as a formality.
However, a plan began to formulate in his mind. He nodded to himself, scanned the faces of his new subjects, and then looked down at Jules.
“My first order as the Aboit pack’s Alpha is this; this pack will no longer give in to prejudice and hate. These last weeks have taught me that, like any other species on this earth, all vampires cannot be judged by the actions of a few. Protect Aboit always, but do not condemn the innocent. We will never again cast judgment on an individual without proof of wrongdoing, solely based on who or what they are.”
Luca paused to ensure that the pack members around him were offering compliance and nods of understanding. Only once he was satisfied did he continue, “and as my last act as Alpha, I name my successor, Kyle Cooper. Do you accept the responsibly of this power?” Luca asked his friend.
Kyle looked at Hayley and then Luca and Jules. He nodded.
“With this, I step down.”
All eyes turned to Kyle. The wolves wore a mix of expressions on their faces. It was evident some didn’t care about the change, but others looked downright frightened.
“Oh,” Luca added. “And I name Hayley Reynolds-Cooper as the rightful queen and his Beta.”
Luca heard several audible sighs of relief. He watched as Kyle turned toward his new subordinates, a look of mischief and glee on his face. “Sit,” Kyle commanded the few who were still in wolf form. He chuckled and jumped up and down when they obeyed. “Lay down.” The wolves did as he asked, and he turned to grin widely at Luca. Kyle would be fine.
Hayley rolled her eyes and started to yell. “Kyle Cooper you are an Alpha now, grow up and act like it!”
Luca chuckled. He’d left the pack in good hands.
KYLE
“Kyle, don’t you think they’ve suffered enough?” Hayley asked, smacking him on the bare arm. It stung.
“Yes, jeez!” he said, dramatically rubbing the red mark that appeared. “All right, all right. I’ve been overruled. Take care of Carson’s body, can’t have it just lying there forever. Take it up to the burial grounds. He may have been an ass, but he was still a werewolf. Then you are dismissed. See you all at the next full moon.”
A few of wolves started to move toward Carson’s body.
“You really have to take this seriously. It’s a big responsibility and…”
Kyle put a finger to Hayley’s lips. “I know, honey, I know. I will,” he assured her.
“There’s one of yours over there by the rock cliff,” Gabriel told Kyle.
“And another down by the water,” Nick added with an ashamed grimace.
“You four, with me,” he called to Adam and three others. “I’ll be right back,” Kyle said to Hayley. He placed a hand over hers, resting on her stomach, and kissed her on the hair. “The rest you, go home to your families. Nurse your wounds and kiss your loved ones. This fight is over.” The remaining wolves nodded their compliance and dispersed.
Kyle turned away from his wife, took a deep breath, and walked toward the fallen werewolves. He sighed deeply. He didn’t want to know who had lost their lives in this fight, but it was his responsibly now. Luca had trusted him with it; he was not going to let anyone down.
A Few Weeks Later
GABRIEL
“I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon,” Jules said to Gabriel as she taped a box of Gabriel’s books closed.
“I know,” Gabriel said. “But it’s time.” He squeezed Jules’s shoulder gently.
“I can’t believe you stayed in this sleepy town this long. Or this house,” Nick said walking out of the kitchen holding yet another glass of the newly acquired blood. “I mean, it’s so tiny.”
“It’s cozy,” Eileen chided.
“Don’t drink so much!” Jules ordered, walking over and taking the glass from her brother’s hand. “The point is to drink enough to keep you from killing someone while making it last as long as possible.”
“But I’m so thirsty,” he whined, reaching for it but letting it and her disappear back to where he’d come from.
“You’re very tiny to be so hugely bossy,” he called after her.
Gabriel smiled at him. Nick had some habits that desperately needed breaking, but he was confident that with her twin by her side, Jules would be alright.
“And you’re a blood addict!” she shouted back, her voice somewhere between a tease and a chide.
“You know it!” Nick picked up an empty box and walked into the spare room.
“Oh, now you decide to help,” Eileen called, playfully.
“That’s me,” Nick called back. “Very helpful, never distracted.”
“Uh huh,” Eileen replied, her retort full of much-deserved skepticism.
Jules shook her head fervently and then went into the room after him.
Eileen walked over to where Gabriel was placing the last of his books in a box. She put her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. His hands slid over hers, where they landed on his chest and abdomen.
“You really think I’m ready for this?” she asked. She was nervous about returning to the reservation. But what he’d seen from her since Fort Miles had convinced him that she could handle anything that the human world threw their way.
He turned to face her, his current packing project discarded.
“I think you are ready for anything.” Gabriel leaned toward her, intending to kiss her when the doorbell rang.
“Whoever that is, I’m gonna kill ‘em.” Eileen rolled her eyes and walked over to the front door.
“Try not to my love,” he called after her and then turned back to his box.
“Jules, it’s for you,” Eileen called.
Jules walked out of the spare room
Gabriel’s head shot around. Standing at his front door was Luca, covered from head to toe in mud.
“Did you and Kyle have a good run?” Jules asked but stayed a few feet back from the door frame.
“We did,” Luca replied. “I’m headed home but thought I’d stop and see if you wanted to come and give me a kiss?”
“I don’t think so.” Jules shook her head again. “No.”
“You sure?” he asked. “It’s just mud.” He took a step forward.
Eileen rushed toward him and pointed a finger at his muddy heart. “No way! The new owners already approved our price. Take one more step and I’ll bite you.”
Luca put his hands up and backed away in mock-surrender.
“She’s not kidding,” Gabriel said. “She will bite you.” He tried to smile at Luca, but it came out a grimace. Still, in any kind of personal change, trying was always the first step to real and lasting growth, and he was trying.
HAYLEY
Hayley closed her eyes tightly. She wasn’t quite ready to wake. However, when she rolled over, her nose touched something furry and a bit scratchy. Her eyes blinked open. She shoved the paw away from her face and looked around. A wolf was sleeping on his back, legs sprawled, taking way more space then it needed and there were muddy paw prints all over her white sheets.
“Kyle!” she shouted, startling the very muddy dog.
He growled, flipped over, and in a flash of light, became his human self. He smiled unashamedly but bolted out of bed before she could smack him.
As he stood there looking at her, she felt an amount of love that she’d never thought possible. He was the father of the baby growing inside her, and he was going to be hers for the rest of her life. But she couldn’t let him know how happy she was at this exact moment.
KYLE
“Look what you’ve done!” Hayley said with exasperation. She motioned around the room, throwing up her hands in frustration like he was driving her crazy. Which, of course, he knew he was. Kyle followed her gesture. He and Luca had gone running early that morning. “Oops,” he said with a sheepish, not so innocent, smile.
“You dumbass!” she shouted, throwing herself back onto their bed and covering her face with her arms.
He slid up beside her and put his nose inches from her. “Hayley…” he called softly. “Hayley… come on honey.” He watched as she shifted her arms from her face. “There’s my pretty, impregnated wife?”
“Don’t ever call me that again.” She glared at him and shoved him away.
“And why not? You are, aren’t you?” He playfully pinched her cheek.
She punched him on the arm.
“Ouch.” He rubbed it, pouted with his lower lip, and whined audibly.
“I’m not falling for the face,” she said and moved to stand.
He grabbed her, fell back, and she fell on top of him.
“Kyle!”
“Good morning,” he brushed her hair behind her ear and she let him, “my love,” he said and leaned up.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, meeting him in a kiss.
MONICA
Monica sighed, everything felt so normal, like the world didn’t realize what they had all been through. Patrons at the Seaside Soda Shop just went about their lives; none-the-wiser to the supernatural fight that had ensued, or the deaths that had changed Aboit forever.
“Monica?” Seth snapped his fingers in her face. “Are you alright?”
“Oh, I think so…” She stopped when Seth took her hand. She stared at their intertwined fingers. “Are we officially back together?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face.
“Oh, I think so,” he said in the same tone she had just used. He leaned over the small table and kissed her lips.
Monica giggled and kissed him enthusiastically. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” he agreed with a wide smile.
Monica smiled back happily. Her life was good. Her future was back on track and she couldn’t wait for the adventures life had in store for her and the boy she loved.
LUCA
After a rejuvenating run with the pack, Luca walked up to Jules’s, now their, front door. Kyle’s first full Moon ceremony had been a complete success, but it was good to be home.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sky. The sun was just about to rise. The forecast had said it was going to be a bright and sunny day. Inside the house, all was quiet.
He passed the living room where their permanent house guest was snoring lightly. It was alright, Luca had grown to like Nick. He was very different from Jules, but he could see a bond between them that would never die.
Luca walked to the bedroom and saw what he expected to. Jules was sound asleep as well. Both vampires were obviously prepared to be inside with the curtains drawn for the next several hours.
He walked to Jules’s side and slid onto the bed next to her, trying not to wake her. He was unsuccessful. She shifted slightly, her head coming to rest on his chest.
“It went well?” she asked sleepily.
“Very,” he replied, stroking her hair.
“So, what now?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. So much had changed in the last few weeks. It felt like the supernaturals’ world in Aboit could never go back to something resembling normality.
“Well,” Jules said, “Nick and I were talking last night, and we started reminiscing about England. Would you consider…”
“You want to leave Aboit?” he asked, cutting her off and propping himself up on his elbows to gaze down at her.
“Only if you do,” she told him. He knew she’d be willing to compromise if he wanted to stay.
“But we’re safe now. There’s no threat. Why leave now?”
She reached up and brushed his lips with her fingers. “I said only if you wanted to. And I don’t mean forever. But with everything that’s happened,” she paused and sighed, “I just feel like maybe I need a change.”
He considered this. He could see that she really wanted to go. “Kyle does have the pack now, and Hayley, and the new baby on its way.”
“Gabriel and Eileen are gone and Seth’s graduating. So, he and Monica will be leaving for college soon. And if I’m being honest, Nick’s getting restless. I don’t know how long he’ll be willing to hang around here.” There was desperation in her expression. She didn’t want to lose her twin, not yet anyway.
Silence stretched between them for a few moments as they studied each other.
Luca smiled, his decision made. With every end, there is also a beginning. His life with the Aboit pack might be coming to a close, but his life with Jules, the love of it, was just beginning.
Luca watched Jules laying there, looking up at him with a gaze full of love. His eyes drifted to her mouth and he leaned in. She lifted her head ever so slightly to meet him in a kiss.
It was always as if time stopped. Nothing in the world mattered but her… him… them. They were two bodies with one heartbeat. Hers would never beat again, his beat fast enough for them both. They were completely and inescapably in love.