Chapter 34 #2
“NO!” In the blink of an eye, William’s hulking form was torn away. Concrete and tile went flying, scattering dust, two dark shapes locked in a tumult of teeth and claws within the cloud. “You—are never taking him from me again!”
A sickening crack of bone split the air, followed by a pained whine. Tyler stood above the heaving form of his father’s wolf, eyes burning with hellfire and claws poised to strike. I took a step toward him, and he whipped back to me, holding up a hand with a slow shake of his head.
Emery came up to my side, wrapping an arm around me and tugging me against him. “This is his fight, warlock.” He pressed a kiss into my hair, then nuzzled the top of my head with his cheek.
I gave Ty a single nod, managing a weak smile as he turned back to his father.
With a pathetic grunt, William slowly shifted back to human, struggling to upright himself with his palms on the ground.
“Look… at what your twisted desires have birthed, Tyler.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Blood magic… the most profane of the occult…” Spitting blood to the floor, he lifted his head to Tyler.
“This… abomination you’ve become… and for what? Him?”
“No.” Tyler dropped into a crouch. His claws shot out, clamping around his father’s neck, and he leaned in with a wicked hiss. “For me.”
William sputtered a laugh, blood dripping from his lips. “There is no you left. You’re a beast. A demon.”
“I’m a vampire, you sad sack of shit and hypocrisy," Tyler snarled, bearing his fangs. “And now I’m going to repay you for murdering me.”
His grip tightened around William’s throat, claws sinking into his skin. “W-Wait!” His father’s face turned red, veins bulging in his neck. “Your mother… she’s alive.”
Tyler jerked back, releasing his hold for an instant, only to clamp back down, streaking away in a blur and slamming William into the wall. “You’re fucking pathetic, trying to bargain for your life now. I saw her in the hospital. I watched her wither away!”
“But you didn’t see her die.” William’s eyes bulged with the pressure of Tyler’s hold. “Her family… they’re hunters, Tyler. They kill things like… like you. It’s their way of life. That’s how I knew enough to…” His voice trailed off, eyes wide and searching.
“What?” Tyler hissed, lips curling with fury. “Enough to murder my boyfriend for your sick idea of righteousness?”
“P-Please, Tyler…” William’s face began to turn purple, his body convulsing as he fought for air. “I was… blinded. She… became something else to escape death. Disappeared and left me. Left you. You have to… understand. Please.”
Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “You… William Hargraves, asking me for empathy?” Leaning forward, inches from his father’s face, he whispered, “You first.”
With a sharp twist of his wrist, William’s neck snapped.
Tyler released him, letting him fall to the floor as he turned back to us. “That’s how that feels.”
“Ty…” The scythe in my hand clattered to the floor.
My feet were running before I realized it.
Closing the space between us in an instant, I threw myself at him, my bare chest crashing against his cold, solid form as I wrapped my arms around him tight.
I buried my face in his chest, tears filling my eyes. “You’re okay.”
His long, slender arms coiled around me, his claws on my shoulders holding me close. I felt him shift beneath me, and I looked up, staring into whiskey brown eyes. “I’m okay, baby boy. Room temperature now… but okay.”
I smiled, opening my mouth to speak right as Emery slammed into me from behind, wrapping us both in his massive arms. “Let’s get back to Gage and Mal and get the hell out of here.”
“Yeah…” I sighed into Tyler’s chest.
But none of us moved.
Just three monsters, standing in the middle of a bloody crime scene at the top of an abandoned sanitarium, holding each other close.
When we finally untangled ourselves, I glanced around at the carnage.
“How the hell do we deal with this?” Ty breathed, scanning the room himself. “There have to be like… two dozen bodies downstairs, at least.”
“So I have you two to thank for all that blood,” I chuckled.
“Mostly Ty.” Emery crossed his arms over his chest with a grin. “I helped a little.”
Still smirking at them, I rolled my shoulders, then bent down to retrieve the scythe I’d crafted. I ran my fingertips over the blade, wincing as blood blossomed on my skin before vanishing instantly. “Shit, that’s sharp.”
“A little edgy, even for you, Hud,” Tyler teased, cocking his head to admire the weapon. “But I like it.”
Pursing my lips, I glanced at the bodies and blood scattered across the floor.
I whipped the scythe through the air, envisioning what I needed.
The crimson pools that remained splashed outward from my cleave like water kicked up in the tide, washing over the fallen wolves and disintegrating them in seconds.
“That’s… terrifying,” Tyler muttered, staring at the floor, probably cleaner than it had been before we arrived.
“Said the vampire,” I shot back. With a smile, I turned to the doors, only to be met by three ghostly figures blocking our path.
Lenore, Henry, and Helena Garland, each of them looking at me.
“Oh, shit.” Emery moved closer to me, his stance turning protective as he placed a hand on my back.
“It’s okay, Em,” I said softly, stepping forward. “They answer to me now.” I met Henry’s cold stare, narrowing my eyes. “Don’t you?”
“From the moment you claimed Sovereignty of the Garland line,” Grams said, positively beaming. “The whole ascension thing is really just… for show.”
I smiled back at her, teary-eyed. There was so much I wanted to say, so many words struggling to fight their way out of my mouth.
None of them would come.
“I know, honey,” she whispered, then glanced out the window.
I followed her gaze, the red of the blood moon fading beyond the shattered glass.
“The veil is closing, but… if you ever need me…” She stepped forward, taking my cheek in her hand.
Cool air against my skin. “Just call. I’ll listen. Always.”
“Witnesses, nothing more,” Lenore said with the ghost of a grin on her lips. “Just as the ancestors are meant to be.” She turned her head with a scowl. “Isn’t that right, brother?”
Henry let out a huff, crossing his arms. “The boy is likely to rally armies against him simply for existing. I don’t plan on bearing witness for long.” He met my eyes, his form fading. “I think I’d much prefer being banished again, if it’s all the same to you.”
Lenore rolled her eyes, and both she and her brother flickered away.
Grams sighed, chuckling. “Every family has its messes, Hudson.” She glanced between Tyler and Emery before meeting my eyes, her kind face beginning to disappear. “Yours… is far more beautiful than most.”
“Don’t go,” I begged her, a tear trailing down my cheek.
She shook her head, vanishing from sight. “Never.”