Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
YORICK
“So let me get this straight, Yorick,” Julian says as we all stand in a circle.
“We’re going to just… all go over to the club and leave you by yourself?
” Julian looks at Atticus for help on this, but I slide in front of him so Julian can’t pin him down.
Atticus is already growing weak and close to caving.
I know I have to get them to see my side.
“Morpheus will follow me. Niles doesn’t know that Morpheus will protect me, and he’s not going to sense Morpheus right away like he would with any one of us.
Niles will let his guard down if you guys show up at the club.
You know he’s going to have people waiting there.
Once you’re there, look for anything that will identify where the poison came from.
Then we’ll hand the information over to Morpheus or Wick. ”
“What if Morpheus uses it to get more poison for himself?” Julian asks.
I’ve thought of this too, but if he did want the poison, would he be doing things this way?
I say, “He could… but I think he was telling the truth. If he was interested in acquiring the poison, he wouldn’t have allowed so much of it to blow up at Wick’s, right?
He’d have tried to collect it, but Wick said that his group gathered it from those involved. ”
Cyrus nods. “True. We all know that Morpheus would have been more than capable of taking what he wanted. Do you think Niles would still kill Johnny if Julian or I went with you? I can’t imagine he sees either of us as a threat, but we could still help you.”
“I see no sense in putting either of your lives in danger, and Morpheus… I don’t know that Morpheus would protect either of you,” I admit. “He’s not exactly… the most caring of people. This will work.”
Julian seems uncertain but reluctantly accepts my words. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Yorick, a second alone,” Atticus requests as he turns from the group, leaving them to prepare to leave. I follow him to the middle of the kitchen where he stops and looks at me intently.
“Johnny chose to leave our protection. He chose this,” Atticus says, and despite his words, I know he’s still worried about Johnny. He just doesn’t like the idea of losing me as well.
“Stop, I’ll be fine! What are you so worried about? Did you forget how lucky I am? I get out of everything just fine,” I assure him.
“That’s not how life works,” he says, and I can see the anxiety etched across his face. “I don’t know when I’ll lose you. But this… I can’t do this.”
I move closer and throw my arms around his neck. “Morpheus has proven that he’s stronger than Niles.”
“And what happens when Niles sends a hundred vampires after Morpheus and he can’t get to you in time?”
“I know the last person you want to trust right now is Morpheus, but if we don’t do this, we’ll lose Johnny, and we’ll be no closer to stopping Niles.
What will keep him from coming after me tomorrow or the next day?
Are we just going to hide in this house?
What will keep him from surrounding it tomorrow?
But right now, we’re prepared. We are aware of his trap and we can do this.
You guys will go to the club first. Niles will likely know the second you show your face, and he’ll let his guard down. ”
Atticus still looks hesitant, but he’s not fighting me. “About Johnny… don’t let him lose control, okay? If he loses control, he will try to kill you and he won’t stop.”
“That’s not ominous and vague at all,” I grumble.
“That’s Johnny’s story to tell, not mine. And if he dies, it won’t matter at all.”
“Why are you evil inside?” I ask curiously. “I want to know what Johnny is.”
“I’ve never been evil before,” he informs me.
I raise my eyebrow as I consider this, and then I shrug and pull him in for a kiss. “You’re sexy evil.”
“Is… this a compliment?” he asks, oddly uncertain.
“Best compliment there is.”
His lip quirks while he thinks about that. “I’m not quite sure it’s the best, but I’ll take it.”
“Good, good,” I say as I quickly steal another kiss. “Now get going. I’ll see you soon.”
Tension fills his body, and I’m not sure if I said something wrong. I cup his cheek. “It’s okay.”
Atticus grabs me and pulls me in for a tight hug, squeezing me against him. “I finally have you. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t. I’m not nervous at all.”
His fingers dig into my body. I wish I could get rid of the worried look on his face or the way his fingers tremble. Have I ever seen Atticus like this? I don’t think I have. I wish I could say something to reassure him, but if he were in my position, I’m not sure anything could reassure me.
“I know none of this seems good. I know the risk is high, but the outcome is what we’ve always wanted. What we’ve always needed.”
“You’re only in this position again because of that asshole. Because Morpheus forced you to kill Lou. It’s always him—”
I grab his face in my hands. “And we’ll be done with him after this. We’ll be free of him.”
Atticus slowly nods before peppering me with soft kisses. “I’m sorry I brought you into all of this all those years ago.”
“I’m not. Because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here with you right now.”
His grip tightens once more before he lets me go. “Please don’t let this be the last time I see you.”
“It won’t.”
The expression on his face makes me feel anxious because I know if something happens to me today, he’ll blame himself for the rest of his life. And I know he’ll do something reckless.
I can’t let that happen.
I won’t let anything happen to him.
Atticus seems to be on autopilot as he walks out to the vehicle where the others are waiting for him. He gets into the back but watches me while Casimir backs up and heads out of the driveway. The second they’re out of sight, Morpheus steps up next to me.
“I can’t believe he agreed to this. Has Atticus grown up?” Morpheus asks.
“I think Atticus grew up long before he became an adult. You were not a good man to him, even before your daughter died,” I respond.
Morpheus stands there in silence for a minute, seeming to contemplate that.
“I suppose I wasn’t, was I? I’ve never been a good person.
I was always seeking that… one thing to make me feel something, so I’d push people harder to try to achieve it.
But do you want to know something funny?
Now that you’re both being taken away from me, I find myself not wanting to let either of you go.
Maybe I did feel something for the two of you after all. ”
“I don’t think what you felt was healthy for anyone,” I say.
“Maybe. But it made me feel. Now, let’s get this over with. My brother has already been alive a thousand years too long.”
“Do you feel anything for him?”
“Merely a desire to kill him. Let’s go.”
“You’ll keep me safe?”
“Of course I will,” he says before disappearing.
I climb into the car and start to drive. The location I’m going to is a little farther than the club, so I’ll arrive after they do. Hopefully, by the time I get there, Niles will have been informed that the others are at the club and will drop his guard.
I receive a text about fifteen minutes before reaching my destination.
Atticus: We’ve arrived. I love you.
Me: I love you too. Let’s do something fun this weekend. I want to go on a date.
Atticus: Anywhere or anything you want, I will give it to you.
He’s always let me have too much. I guess if he wasn’t allowed to openly love me, it was what he thought would make me happiest. But in truth, I just wanted to stay tied to him in some way.
If I stole something from him, I would be in debt to him until I paid him back.
And if I never paid him back, the debt would never go away. It would keep going and going…
I take a deep breath and continue driving until I arrive at the address I was given. The building seems to be back away from the driveway, so I park the car and get out. As soon as I do, I can feel the young vampires closing in around me.
I ignore them, trying to act confident enough to keep moving.
When I reach the building, I head to the door and step inside. It’s a foolish error on his part. The people who could have helped protect him are now outside. They would be funneled in through the door. Is he that confident just because I showed up alone?
I walk down the hallway to the only open door and look into the enormous room where Johnny lies with Niles standing over him.
“I can’t believe you came alone,” Niles says with a grin. “Just for this fool who thought he could kill me alone. I can’t believe Atticus really let you go.”
“Trade me for Johnny,” I demand.
He barks out a laugh. “Oh, this monster? I never intended to let him go. And now that you’re here, I have no intention of letting either of you go. Why would I when I can kill the one who killed Lou, and I can kill Morpheus’s precious creation? Fuck both of you. Fuck all of you.”
“You act like you didn’t start this,” I say.
“Why do you and your brother believe that you’re the only two beings who exist?
You pinned something absolutely horrible on Atticus.
You sat back and watched while he was tortured by that horrible man for a thousand years.
And then when Lou decided that it was her right to bring this poison back and distribute it to others who she thought were worthy, killing those who weren’t, you were fine with that?
Why is everyone else’s life inconsequential to you and Morpheus? Why are you the only two who matter?”
Niles’s jaw tightens with fury. “Because you are nothing. You mean nothing. How hard is it to comprehend that all of you are nothing?” he yells as he kicks Johnny.
I can see Johnny digging his nails into the ground. And when I get a good look at him, I realize that it’s not because he’s in pain… it seems like… he’s fighting something.