Chapter 86 #2
I moved. I pulled myself up slowly, but only because I needed to lean against something.
I went to the desk, lowered myself gingerly down to the floor, being careful not to re-split the wound.
I sat, knees bent, back and head rested against the wood of the desk.
My chest felt as if someone was sitting on it, and it was hard to draw air.
Ethan slid down beside me. His elbows resting on his bent knees, his eyes downcast, looking every bit a broken man. When he spoke, I could hear the agony in his voice.
“Sarah and I dated for about six months. I loved her, I did.” He sighed.
“But not as much as she loved me. She was possessive, jealous, with a rage that was uncontrollable. The slightest annoyance and she’d fly off the handle.
I knew we needed to break up, so I did the only thing I thought would make her not want to be with me. ”
I closed my eyes, his unspoken words land deep. “You slept with her best friend.” My eyes blinked open. “I can’t believe Georgie would do that.”
“We both got really drunk and I know exactly what to say . . . I’m not proud of it, Amy.
” He dropped his eyes back to the floor.
“Sarah spiralled out of control, drinking and partying. Georgie and Nathan began seeing each other secretly. Georgie apologized, begged her forgiveness, but I didn’t help the situation.
I rubbed it in. Instead of taking her anger out on me, she blamed her.
Her anger at Georgie grew, but none of us could have realized just how much.
One night, blind drunk, she found Georgie and Nathan on Parson’s lookout.
They argued. Sarah hurled a large knife at Georgie.
It would have killed her, except Nathan pushed her out of the way.
He saved her life, but the blade sliced his neck open.
He fell backwards off the cliff. The fall did the rest.”
“Why does she think Karson killed him, then?”
“Karson blocked it from her mind, knowing she’d never forgive herself.
He told her we dated for a bit, but it was nothing serious, it ended mutually.
That we didn’t really like each other much.
He wiped her memories of finding Georgie in my bed.
” He rubbed his hands roughly together, stared blankly off to the side.
“I don’t know. I guess she remembers parts, maybe his face afterwards.
As far as we knew, they all thought he died, beheaded in a car crash. ”
“That’s why Georgie hates you so much,” I murmured.
“Karson altered Georgie’s mind, as far as she knows, nothing ever happened. Although it’s safe to assume he told her she didn’t like me much.”
“Bob, does he know the truth now?”
He shook his head. “No, Amy, how could I tell him his son died at the hands of his other child?” He drew a thick breath. “It’s all my fault, if I could turn back time I would.”
There were moments in life when my breath had been sucked like a vacuum out of my body.
When the pain of life had swooped in and snagged its claws against my soul.
This time it wasn’t my pain, it was Ethan’s, but in that moment, his grief became mine and dug down to my bones.
I wished with all my heart I could take his pain, that somehow, like a fine brush, I could gently sweep against the harshness of reality.
Somehow, I could smooth it away. But I couldn’t, I was stuck, just as he was, caught by the invisible threads that bind our souls together.
I cried then, not for myself, but for Ethan.
I put my arms around him and pulled him in tight. My chest began to hurt but I endured it.
“It’s okay, Ethan, it’s not your fault. You know there’s nothing you can tell me that would make me stop loving your ugly head.
” I fixed his wayward hair and kissed his cheek.
My breathing shallowed, I couldn’t draw a proper breath.
Each inhale felt as though I’d only sucked in half of what I needed.
I began to feel faint, the room swinging on an axis. I needed to lie down.
“Amy, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t fuss, just need to rest a bit. She gave me a lot of drugs. She got the grimoire.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“Who?”
“Sarah, she had it in her hands when she left.”
“You sure?”
I nodded.
“Huh,” he breathed out, shook his head. “The Bookkeeper, hidden in plain sight . . . clever.”
I gave an air-filled chortle, which urged a cough. Spit sprayed from my mouth and hung on my lips. I wiped it with the back of my hand, it was smeared with red. I was covered in blood and it was illogical, but I felt terrible for bleeding again, especially this close to him.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” I tried to sit up. The effort forced another deep cough, glass shards ripped through my chest.
“Amy, it’s okay, just keep still.” He sounded panicked. “Karson.”
“Amelia, what’s wrong, are you alright?” Karson loomed above, his image waved in and out like ocean tides. I blinked to try to clear my vision.
I drew a deep breath, it wheezed in my chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really tired.” Suddenly, I remembered the bikers. “Did you get all of them? The bikers?”
“Yes.” He crouched down.
I looked at Ethan, my lungs felt as if I’d run a ten-mile race, like they might burst. As fast as I drew air in, I needed more. I spoke on a staggered breath. “Did you leave the business card?”
He frowned so deep the lines between his eyes would take a mini truck full of putty to fill in. “Sure did, I stuffed it in one’s mouth.”
“Nice, I like the touch.” I smiled weakly.
Blood filled my mouth. I swallowed it back down, more replaced it.
I felt warm liquid slide over the edge of my lips.
I wanted to sleep, worn out by drugs, fear, and pain.
I felt my body slip low. I laid my head on Ethan’s side and closed my eyes. His arm cradled my back.
“Karson?” Ethan said, his voice sounded muffled and panicked.
“She’s coming. Amelia, stay awake for us.”
I nodded. I laid there for a long moment resting.
I began to feel like I was drowning, only able to take a little breath each time my head hit the surface, then I’d go under again, staying down longer each time I sunk.
Devoid of breath and lightheaded, I knew it was not drugs.
Something was very wrong. I began to panic.
“Ethan, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe. I can’t . . .” I tried to sit up straight, but I couldn’t.
“Amy, it’s okay, it’s okay, just relax. It’s going to be okay, relax.” He ran a hand over the side of my face.
I stared up at him, his eyes reflected and glowed like the lake’s surface on a summer’s day.
They were beautiful, captivating, comforting, and an odd sense of déjà vu floated over me.
The panic faded. The world around me grayed and dimmed.
I was left in a surreal state as if I were dreaming and looking down on myself. My eyes fluttered shut.
“Amelia, wake up,” Karson’s sweet voice seemed distant, like he was across the room speaking quietly, I felt him tap the side of my face gently.
I forced eyelids, made of lead, open.
“Yes,” I said, like I answered a question.
He looked confused.
“The answer to your question is yes,” I hesitated to draw a few breaths, they curdled in my chest. “That day you asked me, did I think we would end up living happily ever after? The answer is yes, that’s exactly how I thought we would end up.
” Robbed of air, I took a few heaping breaths.
I closed my tired eyes. Drawing strength, I unglued them one last time and sought his.
“Because I love you, Karson. I will always love you, darkness and all,” I whispered.
The words depleted the last of my energy. Exhaustion shut my eyes.
“Amelia, wake up. Wake up! No!” Karson’s voice was breaking with emotion. “Hold on, hold on, please hold on . . . I love you,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath floating on my ear. He took me in his arms, held me against his chest.
I’d waited so long to hear those words spoken.
The light shone brightly in my heart. I felt a peace I hadn’t known for some time.
He loved me—me—the unlovable girl who everyone else shunted to the side.
He loved me even though he knew what I was.
Even though he was a vampire and I was a witch.
The darkness that churned inside, he loved me in spite of it.
“I love you,” he murmured again, his voice cracked. “God, how I love you. Just stay with me, Amelia. Stay with me.”
Tick. Tick.
I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. I tried to say, ‘it’ll be okay, don’t cry.” I couldn’t do that either. I felt my body being rolled to the side.
“Karson, you have to bite her,” Ethan’s voice waved in my head like a film stuck in slow motion.
I tried to say no, but it got lost in a pool of blood that gurgled out my mouth.
Wolf howled. It was a long, mournful sound, his sweet melody danced through my ears.
“You know I can’t, Ethan,” Karson shouted, his voice breaking. He was crying. The tough, indestructible head of vampires was crying.
“Karson, God damn you!” Ethan roared.
“You will have your happy ending, my love,” Karson whispered, “I promise you.”
My eyes blinked open. I caught a glimpse of Karson’s sparkling fangs coming toward my neck. I closed my eyes and melted against him.
“Amelia, stay with me,” the darkness whispered, his breath tickling my throat.
Tick.
From somewhere faraway a woman screamed, “No. Stop.”