The Return of Jonas (Pearl Vampire Chronicles #4) (22 page)

And so it went for the next two days.  Matt watched me like a hawk, of course.  And I watched Jonas.  I could see when he was hurting, so I would try to distract him by having him join me for a walk on the beach or a stroll through the woods.  I enjoyed seeing his new, friendly personality emerging.  The one I knew was in there, hidden under all the pain, loneliness and addiction.  He even told Carlos that he no longer blamed him for his being exiled to the island, which meant that Carlos and Maria now joined us occasionally in the main house.  At two a.m. on the third day after my first withdrawal episode, I gave up on sleeping and decided to take a walk.  The cramping wasn’t bad, but it was enough that it kept me from sleeping and I didn’t want to wake Matt or Jonas.  For some reason I decided to take the back path through the woods.  Suddenly I noticed a light
through the trees.  “What the…?” I said.  I swear it looked like a fire.  I sped up, ignoring the aching in my legs, until I came to the edge of the clearing.  The same clearing that we stood in when we convinced all those vampires to go up against the Elders not too long ago.  I stopped there… and stared at the fire.

Somebody had lit a fire in the fire pit in the middle of the clearing.  Who would do that?  Who would do that in the middle of the night?  I tentatively began walking towards it, my eyes searching the surrounding forest with every step I took, my nose breathing in every scent.  I heard the quiet snap as my foot triggered the trap, and I screamed as the wire cable squeezed around my ankle, pulling me upside down in a second.  The cable was digging into my ankle as I tried to pull myself up.  I heard someone approaching from behind.  I managed to turn my head around and gasp just before the rock he was holding smashed down on my forehead and knocked me out. 

“Sarah,” the voice called… from too far away.  “Sarah, Sarah,” it said again, this time a little closer.  Maybe it was Matt and he was looking for me.  I should probably call to him to let him know where I was.  “Sarah,” it said again. 

My eyes fluttered
. “I’m here.  I’m over here.”

“Yes I know you’re here, you stupid bitch.  I put you there,” he said.

Now that wasn’t Matt… but it was a voice that I knew all too well.  My head was still foggy and I was seeing two of him, but I definitely knew who he was.  “Ramon,” I growled.  I quickly tried to clear my head and assess my situation.  He had me up against a large oak tree, a huge metal chain wrapped around me and locked around my wrists.  And my neck felt unusually heavy, like it was weighed down by something.  I thought it might just be from the blow to the head that I took, but as soon as I glanced down, I knew I was wrong.  Hanging from my neck was enough C-4 explosives to send me to the moon… and the detonator was in Ramon’s hand.

“So now what?” I said.

Ramon sat down on a rock and said, “Now we wait.”

“Wait for what?” I said.

“For them,” he said.

“Why wait for them.  I’m the one who killed Malina.  Push the damn button.  Or are you afraid?  Just like you were too afraid to fight us before,” I said. 

He jumped up and slapped me across the face.  “Fuck you, Sarah!” he screamed. “She made me stay behind.  She told me I had to.  I had no choice.  If I had a choice, I would have been there and I would have torn you to shreds.  Instead, I’m alone, all alone and the only thing I have to look forward to is watching you being blown to bits.”  I watched his finger twitch over the trigger and I tried to will him to push it now, but he caught my gaze and followed it to his finger.  He sneered at me. “Oh, I get it.  You’re trying to save your little man, or should I say men? Did you and Carlos finally do it?  I can’t believe Matt would still want a slut like you.  No woman of mine is ever going to cheat on me and live.  No way, no how.  No, you’re not going to save them this time… and they can’t save you.  We’re just going to wait for the family reunion… complete with fireworks.  Ahhh, I hear them now.  They know you’re missing and they’re searching.  Go ahead, Sarah.  Call to them, link with them, just try to tell them to stay away.  You and I both know they won’t.  They’ll have to try to save you, so they’ll come… and then you’ll see… you’ll all see, what I am capable of,” he said then he turned and moved to the opposite side of the clearing from where I was, presumably so he wouldn’t get hit by the blast too. 

I immediately closed my eyes and linked with Matt. 
‘Honey.  Listen to me very carefully’,
I thought.
‘I need you to stop right where you are.  Please, dear God, stop.  Don’t come any closer. Please.’
  I know he could hear the sobs that were racking my chest.

‘
Sarah?  It’s Jonas, isn’t it?  What the fuck has he done to you?’
Matt thought.

That confused me.
‘Jonas? No, not Jonas.  Why would you think it was Jonas?’

‘
Because he’s missing too.  But if it’s not Jonas, then why do I have to stay away, honey?’

‘
Because it’s Ramon… and he’s got a bomb.’

‘
A b-b-bomb?’
Carlos thought.
‘What do you mean he’s got a bomb?’

I heard their footsteps speed up then.
‘No, not faster, guys.  Please, just stop.  For me? Please, stop,’
I thought.  I could see their shapes now, coming closer.  Matt cleared the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing.  His eyes locked on me and took a second to register what he was seeing.  I squeezed my eyes shut as I saw the pure terror that filled his face.  He gasped, “NO!” as he fell to his knees. 

Ramon stepped out into the clearing then.  Carlos growled at him and started to move towards him, but stopped when Ramon shook his head and held his hand up showing him the detonator.
“Not one step closer” he growled. 

Matt kept his eyes locked on me as he said, “What do you want, Ramon?”

“What do I want?” he spat.  “That’s easy.  I want to watch you choose.”

“Choose?  Choose what, Ramon?” Matt said.

Ramon hesitated with his answer, waiting until Matt had to tear his eyes away from me and look at him. 

“Choose whether you want to watch her die or do you want to die with her,” he said as he smiled.

“Ramon,” Carlos said, “there must be something we can work out here.  Nobody has to die.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.  Somebody does have to die.  All of you have to die
.”

Matt didn’t even think.  He just started slowly walking towards me.  I was instantly in a total panic.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” I kept saying over and over.  It was all I could say.  I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.  Hoping, praying, that I wasn’t really seeing this.  “Please, no,” I gasped.  All he did was smile, just smile.  You know, that smile that’s only for me.  The one that always lights up his entire face.  “Oh God,” I sobbed.  I dropped my head.  He was three feet away from me, that’s all, just three measly feet.  Suddenly the nausea hit me like a freight train.

‘Sarah, quick, tell him to stall.  Don’t let him reach you.  And for God’s sake, lift your head up for me.  Now, damn it
,’
Jonas thought. 

I instantly linked with Matt,
‘Stall.  Jonas wants you to stall.’
  Confusion filled his face… but he stopped.  Oh thank God, he stopped.  He turned to Ramon. 

“Can I ask one thing,” he said.

“What?” he spat. “You change your mind?  Don’t feel like sacrificing yourself for that slut?”

Matt growled
. “No I did not change my mind,” he spat, then he regained his composure. “Can I hold her in my arms?  When the bomb goes off, can I please be holding her in my arms?”

Ramon just stared at him.  Probably trying to figure out what his angle was.  Jonas took this moment of hesitation to tell me,
‘Head up now, Sarah.’

‘Why?
What are you going to do?  NO!  You can’t Jonas.  He’ll push the button when you’re holding it.  Don’t!’
I thought.

‘
Damn it Sarah.  I’m faster than that.  By the time he pushes the button, I will be away from you and I will have dropped the bomb.  Now shut up and hold your head up.  I’m coming… NOW!’
he thought.

I held my breath and lifted my head.
‘Please let him be fast enough, please let him be fast…’ I thought to myself as my hair moved in the wind.  I blinked.  I never even saw him.  I looked down at my chest… and the bomb was gone.  I started to turn my head to scan the sky when I heard Ramon.

“What the fuck?  NO!” he said
, and his thumb went down on the button.  Carlos pounced on Ramon and quickly tore his head off as Matt and I watched in horror at the shape of Ramon as he was slammed into the side of a huge boulder on the side of the cliff.  He had dropped the bomb, but it was still only a few feet away from him when it went off. 

“NO!  Matt, get me down, please get me down,” I screamed.  He ran around behind me.

“Shit,” I heard him say.

“What?  What?” I said.

“Nothing.  I just need to find a… here this will work,” he said.  I heard the huge rock bang down on the lock.  I was straining with all my might to pull the chain apart as his blows rained down.  Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was really only a few seconds, he stopped.  The lock fell to the ground and I began yanking at the chain to get it off me.  I started running full speed towards where he fell.  I stopped when I broke through the trees and saw him.  I heard Matt come to a stop next to me. 

“Good blood, as much as you and Carlos can carry.  The combination is 9208.  Go.  Quick,” I whispered.  I slowly moved toward the mangled mess that was Jonas.  His left leg was gone.  His right arm was bent backwards and pinned underneath him.  His shirt was in shreds, revealing large gashes across his chest and stomach.  As I quietly approached he opened his eyes, looked at me…
and started
laughing. 
I tiptoed over to him, knelt down and gently brushed his hair out of his eyes.  “Well, Sarah,” he gasped. “I used to be faster than that.”

“Oh, Jonas.  Why?  Why did you do that?”

“Don’t be stupid, Sarah.  You of all people should know that I had to.  Not doing it was never an option,” he gasped, then started coughing. I wiped the blood away from his mouth.

“What do you mean you had no choice.  Of course you had a choice.  You didn’t have to do it.  I didn’t want you to it,” I whispered.

“Of course you didn’t want me to do it.  That’s why I had to do it.  You will never understand, Sarah.  That’s why we all love you.  Isn’t that right Matt?”

Matt nodded as he stepped closer.  He had at least a dozen pints of blood cradled in his arms.  Jonas took one look at it and smiled
. “You drink it.  I don’t think I’ll be needing it anymore,” he said.

“What?
Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you will.  You’re going to get better, Jonas.  You have to,” I sobbed.

“Now, Sarah.  Don’t go blaming yourself for this.  You were a victim in this too. You did not cause this.  You have to promise me right now that you will not blame yourself for this.  You saved me Sarah Pearl.  In more ways than I could ever comprehend.  You saved me,” he whispered.  His breathing was
much more shallow.  He closed his eyes. 

“No!  Jonas, open your eyes.  Please!
Open your eyes and look at me.  Don’t leave me,” I sobbed.

He smiled and opened his eyes, but I could tell they weren’t able to focus anymore.
“Sarah?  Sarah?” he said, as if he couldn’t see me.

“I’m right here, Jonas,” I said as I leaned down and kissed his temple.

“Mmmmm. Sarah?  I think I would have liked this being a friend thing.  I think I would have liked it a lot,” then he closed his eyes… and stopped breathing.

“No,” I gasped as I looked back at Matt.  “He’s not…
please tell me he’s not dead.”

Mat
t walked over and wrapped his arms around me.  “I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t hear his heart anymore.”

I started shaking my head
. “No. That can’t be. You have to save him, Matt.  He can’t die.  He’s a really old, strong vampire.  They just don’t die… do they?  There must be some vampire magic voodoo shit you can do to bring him back… there has to be,” I growled.  I was getting pissed now… and poor Matt was going to bear the brunt of it.  I pushed him away from me and jumped up.  “Goddamn it Matt.  Call Bahiti, call Musetta, call every fucking vampire you know and find a way to bring him back.  Do you hear me?  You fucking find a way to bring him back,” I yelled.  My chest was heaving, I was gasping for air.  I knew I was fighting a lost cause.  Knew it in my heart, but my head didn’t want to stop.  I fell to my knees.  “Oh my God,” I sobbed.  I crawled over to Jonas and took his face in my hands.  “I’m so sorry, Jonas. I’m so sorry that we didn’t get the chance to see what great friends we were going to be. I would have been proud to be your friend,” I whispered, then I leaned down and kissed him goodbye

Chapter
Fourteen

It took us two weeks, but Maria and I managed to help Matt and Carlos
get through the worst of their withdrawals.  I was almost glad I had to help them.  It kept me busy and it kept me from thinking about what had happened.  We buried Jonas out in the garden, under the shade of an oak tree.  I tried to get out to visit him at least once a day.  I would sit and talk to him about my day.  It was calming and it helped me feel a little less guilty.