Chapter 33 Faye
FAYE
Faye took her phone out of her pocket and made one last bittersweet call before heading inside.
She left the shutter down but the deadbolt off, so Peter would be able to get in.
She didn’t want anyone else to find her by accident; hopefully poor customers wouldn’t wander in.
Running her hand over the counter, she placed her keys on the usual hook.
She said a silent goodbye to the home she had built for herself, to the sanctuary Mrs Stoker had provided when Faye had thought all hope was lost.
In her apartment, Faye went to her bedroom and took off her coat.
As she stared at Peter’s stack of books on the side table, her chest tightened.
He might forgive her for not keeping her promise to stay at the castle, but not for what she had set in motion.
In time, she hoped he’d understand that she was doing this to save his eternal soul.
She reassured herself that Gregory and Benedict would help him stay on track.
Everything seemed to be in its place until she noticed the mud on the windowsill.
Faye took a deep breath. Whatever happened next, she would face it head-on with her chin held high.
Peter would curse what she was about to do, but even if she could run from Ian, her past – and death – would still find her, no matter what she did or where she went.
She refused to spend the time she had left in fear.
She wanted to face death on her own terms.
Stepping into the hall, she made her way to the kitchen.
Her composure faltered, only for a moment, when she saw Ian sitting at the table.
He was covered in dirt, and traces of black blood around his lips indicated that he had been feeding on someone he shouldn’t have.
She had sent the vampire into the temple knowing how deranged Ian would be with bloodlust. Still, feeding on his own kind was a new low for him to sink to.
“I didn’t realise I was going to have company for breakfast,” she said, turning her back to him as she wandered into the sitting room. “Though it looks like you’ve already eaten.”
“And yet I’m still utterly famished. I’ve been on a rather strict diet these past few months.”
She concealed her smile. Ian had fallen right into her trap. A more intelligent man might have left town and never returned, but he lacked talent in that area. “I’m afraid I don’t have any blood bags in the fridge. I’ve got out of the habit.”
“Aren’t you curious about how I escaped the temple?” Ian tapped his elongated nails on the table. He looked more beast than man with his talons and black eyes. His skin was so pale she could see the veins threaded beneath his skin.
“Does it matter?” she asked. “You’re here now.”
“I suspect you’re disappointed that it wasn’t another dead guy waiting for you. From the toothbrush in the bathroom and the books by the bed, he’s certainly made himself at home,” he said, chillingly calm. “You really do have a thing for men without a pulse.”
Faye gritted her teeth; there was no comparison between him and Peter, but she didn’t rise to the bait.
“I thought that once you gained your freedom, you’d want to get as far away from here as possible,” she said, glancing at her watch. It was almost time.
“I considered it. I thought about leaving this place and starting fresh somewhere new – but then I thought of you standing over my coffin, relishing in ripping out my fangs, and I felt I should come and say goodbye. Although I must say, you did a great job protecting this place. I was thankful to have had a little snack before arriving to help me get through your window. You really should have had your friend touch up those wards more frequently.” He smiled at her.
His fangs had barely grown in, his hunger slowing down his ability to heal, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use the rest of his teeth to bite and tear until he found what he was after.
She didn’t tell him that she had scratched through one of the wardings herself. She needed him to keep his guard down.
“I think we can call it even – you took ten years of my life, so I took your fangs,” she said, looking towards the door. “Goodbye.”
“I’ve only just got here. Can’t you spare me a few more minutes?
I have to say, as painful as the extraction was, hearing how your knight in shining armour spoke about you afterwards was fascinating.
I never took a Matherson as the loving type; they always seemed rather cold and unfeeling.
What is it about you that makes men lose control over their senses?
” He leaned his elbows on his knees, studying her carefully as she walked towards the sitting room window.
“I’m not going to talk about Peter with you.
This is between us, and no one else,” Faye said, hating how he spoke of the family who had shown her nothing but love and respect.
She turned to face the curtain, which she’d carefully pulled across the window when she’d left.
The morning sun, surprisingly warm today for October, had made them warm to the touch.
She stood there, waiting for Ian to creep up on her like the coward he was.
“I can see how much you care for him, for this place, now. It was selfish of me to ask you to choose, to expect you to be able to love two worlds,” Ian said. She heard the scratch of the chair as he stood. “They never wanted us to be together, but I know how I can save us.”
Faye forced herself not to flinch as he approached her.
His stench turned her stomach, months of rot threatening to make her eyes water.
Fear breathed down her neck; he could overpower her, outrun her in a matter of seconds, but he couldn’t outrun the sun.
His focus on her had blinded him to its proximity.
“There’s nothing left to save.” Not wanting to look at him, she dared to speak freely while she still had time.
“There’s no love in your heart – I can see that now.
I loved you more than anything, more than myself, for far too long.
I gave you more than you ever deserved, but you never loved me in return. You loved having control over me.”
“Don’t say that!” he snarled, gripping her shoulders. She refused to tremble.
“You probably loved the smell of my fear, my anxiety, and the sound of my racing heart whenever you got too close. I never knew whether you would hurt me or comfort me.”
“Don’t you know how much it hurts to hear you say such things?
” he snapped, though there was no sorrow in his voice.
“I can’t believe you hate me, that you feel nothing for me.
” He leaned closer. “You’ll remember our love once I change you.
I made the mistake of expecting you to live in two worlds.
Once you’re reborn, you’ll understand everything I’ve done and how I’ve struggled.
” He brushed her hair aside gently, exposing her neck to him.
Faye swallowed her terror. By now, Peter would have figured out that she had left, and he would be here soon. She was running out of time. The light drifting over her feet beneath the curtain washed away her fears.
“I’ll never understand you, and I have no desire to try,” she snapped, ripping open the curtains and ducking down to let the relentless morning rays pierce his already weakened flesh.
Ian cried out in agony. The smell of his burning flesh was overwhelming. Faye stood to the side, watching him burn. His handsome face had hidden his true self for far too long; his charred features and fangless smile revealed the monster he had always been.
He fell to his knees, crawling pathetically out of the sunlight with a furious growl.
Faye couldn’t even imagine the pain he must be in.
His black eyes focused on her. Before she could grab the stake hidden behind the couch cushion, Ian was on her.
Too fast. She had hoped the sun would slow him down.
He threw her across the room. The air was stolen from her chest as the kitchen table broke her fall, breaking under the force of the blow.
Pain radiated from every inch of her body. She was sure some bones were broken, but she couldn’t discern which in her hazy state. She probably had a concussion. Coughing up blood, Faye reached for a broken table leg and turned onto her front, concealing it beneath her.
She felt Ian above her, felt his pity on her back. He knelt beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. He rolled her over, and Faye shifted painfully to wrap her arms around him, careful to keep her weapon concealed.
“I don’t want to hurt any more,” she rasped, holding the makeshift stake high above his back. “I don’t want to be afraid.”
Ian stilled in her embrace, his hesitation telling her that she wasn’t the only one to be afraid. He was terrified; it wafted off him like his terrible stench, and he had every right to be.
“The pain will end soon, I promise,” he told her. “Once I’ve drained you, my strength will return and I’ll be able to use my blood to bring you back. Our time apart will become nothing but a bad dream.”
Faye cried out as he tore into her neck messily.
She fought her desire to fight back, to remain in control, as the pain echoed down into her arms and chest. Blood dripped down her back to the floor, but he was quick to lick it up before returning to her neck.
The sensation of his tongue on her skin made her want to gag.
Feeling her life drain from her, she leaned into the bite, letting his bloodlust weaken his guard, but the delicate flapping of wings brought her out of her trance. Scarlett, ever the escape artist, must have found a way out of the inn. Faye wasn’t going to let Ian hurt her.
“I knew you’d understand. Soon we’ll be together forever.” Ian’s words were barely a whisper.
“I’d rather die,” Faye snarled. She used every ounce of her remaining strength to plunge the stake into his back.
His deafening cry shook her soul, but she didn’t let up; she dug deeper until she reached his heart. The sickening crunch and crack of his bones was music to her ears. The sun had weakened him enough for her to break through.
Ian pulled away from her, terror in his eyes as he pushed her aside. He tried to scramble away, to save himself. It was too late. It was too late for both of them.
Faye watched through blurring eyes how his skin greyed and flaked, black veins bulging. He burst into flames until all that was left of him was ash and black ooze.
She lay back on the tiles, staring at the ceiling.
She felt no anger or fear, only a deep sense of peace.
All that played in her mind were memories of her friends, her family, and Peter.
Snapshots of love, laughter and even despair, but she smiled as she looked back on her life now that the monster’s shadow had been lifted.
“Don’t worry, beastie, it doesn’t hurt,” she whispered to her winged friend, sitting beside her. She struggled to catch her breath between words. “I don’t have much longer, but you’ll behave, won’t you?”
Small tears in those yellow eyes broke Faye’s heart. Scarlett whined, resting her head on Faye’s shoulder. Faye smiled, reassured.
“Look after Peter for me,” she gasped as Scarlett snuggled in closer.
Gregory Hawthorne appeared by her side, an imposing figure in his black hooded robes. “Are you ready?” he asked gently.
Faye smiled and nodded faintly. It was over. He had kept the promise they’d made that night in the Matherson gardens: to fulfil the task for Peter.
“Take my hand.”
She didn’t think she’d be able to, but her limbs had a new lightness she had never experienced before. Glancing at her shimmering hand in his, Faye noticed how weightless she felt when she stood by his side. No pain, no sorrow, only a sleepy calm.
She glanced back to see herself lying on the tiles, Scarlett pawing at her. Her heart went out to the creature. She wanted to reach out and scoop her up, but Gregory gently urged her towards the door.
“Don’t worry about Scarlett. Benedict and Peter are already on their way,” he assured her kindly. “We need to go.”
“Can I see Peter? Just even a glance?” Faye asked, not wanting his last image of her to be of her broken body.
“I’m sorry.” Gregory shook his head. “You need rest – your soul’s been through a great trauma. There will be time for you to process, but you need peace right now.”
His voice was like a lullaby; she couldn’t resist. She followed him to the door like a moth to a flame as contentment washed over her. Knowing it was Gregory’s ability to influence her emotions, she was glad for it. She wouldn’t have had the strength to leave Scarlett and Peter otherwise.
Finding her courage, she let him guide her through the door, and white light engulfed her. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Peter’s arms embracing her warmly until peace consumed her final thoughts.