Death (17 page)

I shake my head, "Not me." I look uneasily at Lorri.
Her ears perk up. She turns and gives me a glare worthy of a death sentence.

"Where is he?" She asks though her teeth.

"It's done Lorri." She scares me more than most
things on the planet, so my voice cracks and lacks confidence.

She is gone. She doesn't wait to see if it works or if
anything else happens. She just leaves. I know that’s for my benefit. She
wanted me dead. I saw it. I've seen the look before.

I glance back at Hanna and see Sam scooping her up. He gives
me a look. I know he blames me. I frown, "Take her home. To her dad. He
and Blake are working on some shit. I'm going to go and find Ari with Luke and
Ben. And I guess O, that isn’t really O."

"Okay." He's curt.

"This is a frigging shit storm of doom. Anyone seen
Giselle?" I turn around. I don’t get an answer. I get a scream. I think
it's Hanna but she's gone with Sam. I spin to see Henry holding Marcus in the
air.

I wink closer.

Lydia runs over waving her arms, "Henry wait. Don't do
it. It'll taint you. I suspect this was Jonathan's plan all along."

Henry's hand twitches. He thinks about what she's saying. He
puts Marcus down, but holds him with his power. He looks at her and back at
Marcus, who is clutching his chest. I don't see Aleks. I know he told Henry,
but where did he go?

"Make him a new one, Henry." Her voice is desperate.
"Don't taint your soul. You'll be playing right into Jonathan's hands. I
suspect he always wanted you to kill Marcus from the beginning. That’s why he
told him about the heart. That’s why he told him if he took it he could control
you."

Marcus is coughing and dropped to one knee, but still squeaks
out a word. "Truth."

Henry's eyes flare bright red.

Lydia is gasping for air when she makes it to the street from
the backyard. "Make him a new one. You can do it. You have to. I know you
must take back the heart but don’t murder him. Make him suffer for all
eternity."

Henry looks sad. He nods once.

Lydia looks at me, "You take care of them child. Don’t
let them kill each other. Take care of each other and love each other. I'll be
watching."

"What?"

She pulls open her blouse, flashing her old lady bra at Henry.
I wince, "What are you doing old woman. Put that back on, do those buttons
up. Jesus." I grab at her. She swats at me. It's then I see the tears
streaming down her cheeks and Henry's. He's about to do something he doesn’t
want to.

My mouth drops, but even as I try to wink and move forward,
I'm throw into one of the huge old oak trees. "NOOOOOOOOO!" I scream.
Lydia shakes her head and looks at me, "He has to stay pure. He has to. If
the evil gets into him Jonathan can corrupt his magic. He's been counting on
this moment from the beginning."

I'm sobbing and struggling but my back doesn't budge from the
old oak.

"Ophelia, Ophelia help me. " I scream.

O walks over. Her body is shifty and weird. Her eyes are
magical all the time now. She tilts a head and asks with the voices of the
sisters, "Why do you need help? What is happening?"

I point, "Stop them." I'm panicked and breathless.
"Stop him."

She shakes her head, "The witch is right. The Fae king
cannot kill or his soul will be tainted." She turns and walks away.

"He killed Aleks's dad. Lydia his soul is already
dark."

Lydia shakes her head, "He removed the curse that gave
Jon his long life. He never murdered him."

I slump, "Aleks, ALEKSSSSS!" I can't flash. I can't
move. Henry pulls back. Lydia looks at me and smiles, "Look away my
love."

I can't see her clearly. My eyes are so full of tears.
"SAM. BEN. LUKE. ANNABELLE. SOMEONE!" Annabelle comes through the
door as Henry's hand breaks flesh, but it's too late. Lydia drops to the ground
in a heap. Her heart glows like a red ball of flames in Henry's hand. Henry
lifts it to the sky and shouts something I don’t understand. Annabelle screams.
Her ghostly body is pinned by the guards. She cannot get out of them. She
screams and pounds. I shake and sob, but can't move either.

Henry grabs Marcus and lifts him off the ground. He shoves the
fist into the vampire and comes out with another heart. I see the light of it
but it's too bright. I turn away. He does something I can't see and then the
light is gone. Henry smiles at me.

"She wanted you to know she lived an amazing life."
He walks towards me and puts his hand on my face, "She wanted you to have
these."

The pictures come flooding in. They stretch everything in my
mind. I sob and scream and laugh like a madwoman, as everything finds its way
back to its proper place.

His magic lets me go and I drop to my knees. I bend forward
and lose my stomach on the cement.

Somehow her words roll through my mind. Words she spoke to me
in the very beginning of it all. "One day we will all see the big picture
and where we fit inside of it. For now, we just try to do the best we can to
make the world the place we would want to live, if we were human."

I remember it all. The switches with Ari. The death's we've
lived through.

Dorian.

His smiles and sneers. The way he kissed me when we were
alone. The way he watched me all the time. The heartbreak is bigger than anything
I've ever lived through. Bigger than my mother. It's over as fast as it hits. I
pull the feather from my bra and hold it to my face. Other memories filter in.

My heart panics. Aleks. I need him. I scan the street for
Shane. He is gone. I'm dying inside about changing him into a monster.

Marcus looks at me and laughs, even though I can tell he is in
terrible pain. He howls and screams some more.

"What did you do to him?"

"Gave him a heart again. Feelings. You just suffered
through a couple years worth. He is suffering through hundreds of years
worth."

"You must free her too." I point to where Annabelle
is lying on the grass reaching.

"I know." He looks back, "There will be no safe
place when I do." He grins, "Except Marcus's."

He flashes to where Annabelle is and reaches through the
guards. He touches her hand and pulls her to him. He touches her chest, which
is still heaving and sobbing. Annabelle is in such a fit, she doesn’t look at
me. She doesn’t even try to say goodbye. She clutches to him as he puts the
light out. It hurts me she leaves and doesn’t say goodbye, but I get it. Lydia
was her Ari.

Sam flashes back without Hanna. He looks at Lydia's dead body
and breaks into a run. His face is drawn and pale. He skids on the ground to
her. He shakes and hugs her. His screams are louder than Marcus's.

I'm numb again. It's too much death. Too much for one heart
and one day.

"I give them back to you spirit. I give their souls to
you and offer you their love. Please accept them father and mother." Sam
whispers to me. His face looks like mine. He is broken and can't cry anymore.
He continues to translate the words spoken by Henry. "Heal them and take
away the pain they’ve suffered for the cause. Replace the pain and suffering
with joy and love and let them always have each other."

Henry tosses ash into the wind. It makes a tornado and shoots
up into the sky. Suddenly flowers start to fall slowly. They fall overtop of
where we sit in the grass and plant roots. I watch as a daisy lands in front of
me. Green vines crawl from the bottom of the stem and dig into the grass. The
smell of the flowers is everywhere. It blows in the soft early summer breeze.
The flowers become an instant meadow.

Giselle is heaving and sobbing. Lydia and Annabelle were the
only parents she ever really had. She is a mess. She shakes me violently just
by touching me. Ben wraps himself around her and pulls her in. Ben and Luke are
in rough shape. Ari's still missing and the deaths we have suffered.

"What is Henry exactly?" I whisper to Sam.

He leans in and speaks so softy, I almost don’t hear the
words, "One of his parents was one of the first three children of Lillith.
The other parent was of the Stag's people. The man Lillith was waiting for when
Adam raped her. He is one of her witch children's children. He is a shaman.
It's part animal part witch. Very strong. The magic combines and makes
something almost unbeatable. Henry could take us all on. He can control nearly
anything. If he murdered Marcus, even to get back his own heart, it would have
made him a port for the darkness. The evil would have gotten to him. He would
have become like his brother. Then Jonathan could have made him work for
him."

"Did you know all this already?"

He shakes his head, "No. I never knew Jonathan had a plan
for Henry. I thought he was mad because Marcus tricked Henry. I guess it was
act. Pretty convincing."

"What happens now?" I ask.

He laughs, "We go live at Marcus's."

I look around the meadow at the children. "They can't
stay there. He is horrid."

Sam grins, "Not anymore."

"We have to deal with Shane, kill Jonathan and Lillith
and Ophelia is a nightmare now. Plus we have to get back Ari." My stomach
sinks. It's been so long since she was taken. I fear the worst. I try not to,
but I can't help it.

"I feel it too Aimes."

I lean into him and glance up at Aleks, who is standing next
to Henry.

"He isn’t going to let us kill her."

Sam shakes his head, "He isn't. We have to kill Jonathan.
That is the main thing."

"And get back Ari." I look at him.

His eyes are hardened and scared. He gives a single nod. He
does feel it too. The lonely pain that is freezing us all over. Making us numb.

"I'm glad you remember me again." He whispers and
squeezes my leg.

"Me too." I'm not glad I remember everything else.
Seeing it the other way was simpler. More confusing but simpler. Now every bad
thing I've done or experienced, crawls around inside of me, threatening me with
a nothingness that will eat my heart and soul.

Aleks looks distraught. He doesn’t do worked up or emotional,
but he looks like he might today. His fingers tremble. He clenches them to stop
it but I see it. I see him fighting the emotions. His father is dead. Dorian is
dead. Lydia and Annabelle. O and Oliver. There are so few of us left. I slip my
hand into the top of my shirt and feel for the feather. The softness of it
between my fingers saves my sanity some days.

Giselle shakes and cries. Her and the little kids. Danny's
little chubby face sobs. Memories of Lydia and Annabelle are attached to the
kids. When I see them I remember so many things. Things I cling to desperately.
I understand Marcus a little. He clung to Hanna for the little bit he could
suck from her. I might do the same thing. I might cling to them and pray that I
am able to feel. Even if it sucks and feels like I die a little bit everyday.

I pick a flower and eat it. I don’t know why. I just need
something. It's bitter and silky and I know it’s a piece of Lydia that’s going
to stay inside of my forever.

"I'm ready to go Aimee." Danny whispers.

I stand up and take his chubby hand in mine. The service is
over. I wink him to Dr. Jekyll's house.

"This is a good place for you. You'll be safe and you're
nerdy enough that Blake and the doc can use your help."

We walk into the house. Roland was at the funeral. I know he
isn't home yet.

He doesn’t say anything. He clings to me, frightened of Hanna
no doubt.

She walks up. She isn't smiling but I can feel the instant
dislike for her. "Hi Aimee." Her words are mechanical.

"Hey. Do you know Danny?"

She shakes her head. She doesn’t really know any of us.

Her face lights up when she looks past me. I turn to see the
grinning face of Sam, he can't even fight it. He has Roland with him. Roland
looks less than impressed to see me. He blames me still.

"Roland." I say.

"Miss James." His words are curt and short.

Sam stumbles through his words, "H-hi. Uhm I-I'm
Sam."

Hanna grins and I can smell her polluting the air worse than
before. It's like being in a field of flowers you're allergic to. I drag Danny
through it. He's grinning at Hanna too. I tug, "No." I mutter.

He smiles, "She still smells pretty."

I roll my eyes and knock on the door to the office.

"Come in Aimee."

I open the closed door with a quizzical look on my face.

Blake grins, "We knew it was you. Those boots you
wear." He looks back at the doctor, "She really was a normal nerd
once. But like the saying goes, 'Be yourself. Unless you can be Wonder Woman.'
And there she is. In the flesh and blood only with black boots."

I scowl. Blake doesn’t understand the last couple days. The
doctor barely does.

"This is Danny. He can help."

I look down at Danny, "Just like Lydia's. No going
outside, no leaving the house period. Blake plays WOW too. I'll be back to
check on you." He rolls his eyes.

"K mom."

Blake laughs. The doctor lifts an eyebrow and smirks.

"Take care of him. He's Nephilim." I wink out of the
house with my own grin. I didn’t need to see the horrified look on the Jekyll's
face to know it was there.

I stand outside the house and look up. I bite my lip and walk
through the front door.

"GET OUT!" He screams as I cross the threshold.

"No. Stop being a bitch and get me something to
drink."

He turns away from me and storms down the hallway. I wink to
his lab.

He opens the door and bursts into a fit of laughter. He leans
against the frame, "I should have known-oh-that's-funny."

I smile back, "You let me in. I can wink."

He laughs and turns away from the room. "You are such a
bitch Aimee."

I walk after him, "You let me in there. You turned Shane
into a crazy psycho. You forced yourself on Hanna, using her weird Siren juju.
You Killed Dorian."

He turns sharply and puts a dirty finger in my face. I notice
suddenly how disheveled and desperate he looks, "You did that. You killed
him. He never loved a single person, until you." His smile is sick and
satisfied.

I lean into his face, "You betrayed us. You got O
murdered and let them take Ari. I want to know where she is. NOW!"

He laughs in my face and lowers his hand. "You think I
know where she is? You think Jonathan trusts me? I betrayed Lorri. Jonathan
isn’t so dumb as to trust me."

I grab his collar. He snarls his fangs at me. I laugh,
"Go ahead. Take a long drink."

He trembles with anger and hatred, "I can't. Even if you
didn’t kill me with one drink, I can't."

Tears fill his eyes. He pulls away and is gone.

"That was weird." I mutter.

"Not so weird."

I spin to find Aleks behind me.

I can't help but smile at the nice surprise, "How are you
here? How did you know I was here?"

He shakes his head, "I didn’t. I came to check on
him."

"Why?"

"Because he was my friend for a long time and he is
heartbroken and destroyed. And even though he is evil and rotten, I can't
change the fact he helped me kill my father and make things right in my
world."

"You're a very honorable person."

He laughs, "No, I'm not. I just believe in an eye for an
eye. Marcus has been punished. You cannot know how bad it is for him now."

I put my hands on my hips, "So, he lost Hanna. Big whoop.
Now he has a heart and can feel. He doesn’t need her."

Aleks crosses his arms, "That’s not the whole story
Aimes. Henry cursed the heart he put in Marcus's chest."

"Lydia's heart."

He nods, "Yes. He put a curse on it that is similar to
one I had. He feels everything that his victims feel or have felt. His pain
over the past couple days has been brutal. He has felt the terror and pain and
everything."

I scowl, "But why was he a good vampire last time, only
taking what he needed and bad this time? He wasn't a good person but he was a
good vampire."

He shakes his head, "It's the cost of what Ari does.
Things change. Things she can't control. Think how easily Blake adjusted to you
being what you are."

I nodded, "Yeah. He was so good with it. But the first
time he tried to commit me."

"Exactly. He has dealt with it subconsciously so many
times, that when it came time to tell him this time, he was cool with it."

I look down. The sexual tension between us is mesmerizing. I
remember so many things. We're talking about depressing things and all I can
think about is brushing my fingers up and down his back. I shake my head and
take a deep breath.

"Thinking about something?"

I look up. I know my face is on fire. I shake my head.

He grins his uneven smirk and I stare, like a psycho, at the
fat part of his lip. I can taste it if I remember hard enough. The feel of me
feeding off of him as he thrusts inside of me, is fresh somehow in my mind.
Part of me wants to shy away from the thought. The other part of me wants to
rip him limb from limb, devouring him. I realize I'm glaring and making a low
growl.

His grin widens.

He grabs my hand and we flash. He shoves me hard into
something as we stop moving. It hits me behind the knees and nocks me back. I
land on a soft bed. He's on me, pressing me into the mattress before we both take
a breath and realize it's a bad idea.
It's hungry and desperate. We have never made love like it. His teeth scrape at
my neck. My hands drag up and down him. I rip his shirt from him. My t-shirt is
torn open. His lips against my breasts are soft. They're too thick and plump to
be anything but gentle against the swell of my breasts. His teeth nip lightly.
I cry out. He's massaging and caressing. The trail of his touch is like rubbing
a burnt match head against me. My skin sizzles. We pull apart and struggle from
our clothes. I lift a foot. He grabs my boot, cussing in Norwegian as he tugs
it off. It makes me hotter. He tosses them aside and pushes me back down.

I don’t even know where we are. I don’t care. His tongue is in
my mouth. He owns me. He knows all the right buttons to press. He flicks one
nipple with his tongue and lightly tweaks the other one with his fingers. I'm
moaning loudly. He muffles my ecstasy with his mouth. My hands reach around the
back of him. I'm scared to suck him, but I need it. He climbs between my thighs
and thrusts inside of me hard and fast. I cry out from the pressure. My hands
are sliding up and down his back. I'm mid orgasm when it starts. I don’t know
if he will die or not from the suck but I can't stop it. He's pounding me still
when I finish screaming into the huge round shoulder I'm biting. My orgasm
prolongs as he finishes. He collapses onto me, panting.

"That stings a bit Aimes." He says breathlessly.

I laugh. The sex felt dirty. Desperate. Amazing. There was no
appreciation for one another. It was hard and fast and I loved it.

I feel like I can't get my breath. I push him off. He grins
beside me, "I think I used you a wee bit there."

"Use me anytime you feel the least bit needy." My
mouth clamps shut. I can't believe I've said it. He bursts into a fit of
laughter and rubs my belly. His huge hands against my skin make me weak. I want
more.

"Hungry for something beyond my empty soul well?"

I shake my head, "I need to find her."

He smiles, "I think I may have the answer to that.
Downstairs." He lifts me up off the bed. I look back at my torn clothing
and press my lips together. I wink to my bedroom and jump in the shower. I
rinse and jump out clean. I wink back to his bedroom with my clothes in my
hand.

"I hate it when you do that." He says leaving the
room fully dressed. I grin and pull my clothes on fast. I wink down the stairs
after him. We are in his old house in England. I love the place. I have since
the moment I saw it.

"I can imagine us living there. My parents visiting. We
have two Irish Wolfhounds and maybe bunnies and of course a cat. I'm wearing a
sweater and my dad and you talk by the fire, wearing those sweaters that Dorian
always calls a jumper and mocks." My chest tightens when he turns back to
look at me. I realize what I've said.

"Dorian doesn't talk anymore." He regrets his words
as much as I regret mine. We both wince and look away.

"If I could have died instead I would have." I say
but it, doesn’t improve things. He walks down the stairs to the basement.

"You can’t leave me. Ever." I follow him down. I
smell something when I'm part way down. My insides tighten and panic.

"What have you done?"

Giselle walks across the basement looking grim.
"Hey." Her eyes are still red from the funeral.