Chapter 26 Two Months Later
TWENTY-SIX
two months later
“What did you think would happen?” I ask Harrison as I sit across from him in the large SUV. “You practically hand-delivered her to Viktor.”
Anger flows from my maker. “I thought she would follow instructions and bring me the immortal child.” Harrison has always been a little off, but since Amelia’s arrival, he’s gone off the deep end. His obsession has created a monster disguised as a vampire. I scoff at the oxymoron of that thought.
“She’s smarter than you thought. So is Viktor.”
“Shut up, Violet,” he spews.
“Yes, Father,” I retort, using as much sarcasm as possible.
“When we get there, take care of the wolf. I’ll get Amelia and the girl.” I don’t argue. In fact, I don’t respond. It’s not worth my time or energy.
We arrive at Viktor’s home not long after. Amelia and the immortal child are the only energy I feel from inside. Lycan energy comes from outside, but by the strength, there is only one.
I leap from the truck, moving quickly toward the wolf that’s on guard.
Hiding behind a tree, I spot him not far from the lake.
His head jerks up as he senses me. He sniffs, reminding me of my friend from years ago.
He’s about the same age as Simon was the last time I saw him, and smells much the same.
“Kill him,” Harrison says through my mind.
“Fuck you, Harrison,” I whisper. The lycan shifts into wolf form, still sniffing in my direction. “I’m not going to hurt you,” I say into the wind.
“Kill him!” my maker repeats.
“No,” I answer.
“Violet,” he warns.
“I won’t do it.” A loud yelp sounds as the wolf flies through the air. His back is clearly broken, and his heart is barely beating. “Bastard,” I say loud enough for him to hear.
“Useless,” he scoffs. “I was right to sell you. Cyrus was wrong about you.”
His words anger me. “I’m leaving. Figure this out on your own.”
“If you leave, I will kill you.”
“You don’t scare me, Harrison.” He roars through our connection. “You’re obsessed with Amelia. So obsessed that you killed two of Edon’s children. I will not be a part of your insanity.”
I turn to leave when his voice turns me back. He’s at the front door, knocking, and pretending to be me. What the hell? “Amelia,” he says through the door, sounding more like me than I do.
I stare at the spectacle in front of me.
I’ve gotten to know Amelia over the past few months.
She’s become my only friend. “Amelia, I know you’re in there.
Let me in, please. I left Harrison and Thomas in the city.
I’m here to help you, and I’m hurt,” my maker continues, using my voice.
He calls her again, this time slamming his hand against the wooden door.
“Dammit, Amelia. I need your help. Don’t you want to help me? I thought we were friends.”
“Don’t open that door, Amelia,” I say aloud.
“I can hear you,” he continues. “I can smell you.” He breathes heavily.
“Your wolf is still alive, but won’t be for much longer.
” He picks the body of the wolf up, slamming it on the porch next to the door.
“He needs your help. I know how you like to help everyone, Amelia. Like you helped me the other night.”
Oh, my God. Ewww…
“Remember how it felt to have me inside you?” I stare at the spectacle in front of me, not sure if I should intervene or leave it alone. “Come to me, and we can be together every night.”
Vampire energy rushes me as a familiar form lands on the grass in front of the steps. “Harrison!” Viktor shouts. “Get away from my home,” he warns. His voice is low and threatening.
“She’s mine, Viktor,” my maker responds. “I made her. I saved her. She belongs to me!”
“She belongs to no one. She makes her own decisions,” Viktor retorts. “Get off my land before I make you get off my land.” His threat feels ancient and powerful.
“We both know you’re not strong enough,” Harrison answers.
Three wolves appear from nowhere. I have no doubt that the largest of the three is Edon, Alpha of New Orleans. Thomas appears from nowhere, joining my maker at the door. “Kill them,” Harrison orders Thomas.
“No!” I shout. “He’s not strong enough.”
“Then kill your maker,” Harrison orders my only child, Thomas.
Thomas turns toward me, moving full speed in my direction. “Stop!” I order. “I will not harm you, Thomas.”
Ignoring my words, he rams into me at full vampire speed, knocking me back several football fields. My body slams into a thick live oak tree before sliding down to the ground below. How the hell is he so strong? I lay there, unsure what just happened.
“Kill her,” my maker orders.
Thomas is standing over me minutes later. “Don’t make me hurt you,” I whisper with the small amount of air left in my lungs.
“I have to do his bidding,” Thomas answers.
“No, you don’t. I am your maker.” I stand, moving away from the tree. “I command you to go home.” Through magic or luck, I’m not sure which, Thomas turns, walking away from Viktor’s home. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m not questioning it.
I run full speed back toward the home, finding the door bashed in and Viktor unconscious. “Viktor!” I yell, shaking the ancient vampire.
He’s awake and on his feet moments later. “He’s inside,” he says, running toward the house. I follow him inside and down the stairs to the basement.
“Sarah,” I say, finding her headless body. “He took her head, and, oh, my God…her hands.”
The look on Viktor’s face changes from anger to panic.
“He’s trying to get into the safe room.” He flies through the basement, knocking down priceless antiques along the way until we find my maker.
Sarah’s head and hands are lying on the ground, and he and the immortal child are battling at full force.
The girl is fighting harder than an adult vampire.
“Celeste!” Viktor yells, stopping the girl in her tracks. He grabs her, pulling her up the stairs and away from the insanity that is Harrison.
I step back into the darkness, not sure what my next move will be. I’m not strong enough to fight Harrison one-on-one, but I won’t stand by and watch him kill Amelia.
She screams, running out of the room, past me, and up the stairs we just came down.
Harrison is right on her heels. “All of this could’ve been avoided if you had just followed directions.
I told you to get the girl and bring her to the truck.
But no, you were too dumb to do any of that, weren’t you?
Penelope was smarter than you could ever be.
Hopefully, when you change, you’ll pick up some of her intelligence,” Harrison spews hatred as he follows her at human speed.
He’s gone from being obsessed with her to toying with her.
“I don’t give you permission to change me,” she shouts. My foot trips over a heavy piece of shattered wood. I pick it up, not sure why.
“I don’t need your permission, Penelope. We’re meant to be together, forever,” Harrison retorts. He’s completely lost his mind. I follow them up the stairs, both unaware of my being there.
He pounces on top of Amelia, sinking his teeth deep into her neck. The smell of her blood is intoxicating as her heartbeat begins to slow.
“Harrison,” she chokes out. “Stop, please.”
He doesn’t stop. Her heartbeat slows even more as the blood is quickly being drained from her body. I can’t…won’t allow him to kill her. He won’t stop until she’s dead.
Memories flood my mind. Memories I’ve worked a century to ignore. Visions of my friends at the café. Visions of mine and Harrison’s walk by the river. Visions of the pain he gave me as he drank the life force from my body.
Without thought, I raise the broken piece of wood and rush up the stairs toward my maker. I don’t hesitate.
Shoving the wood through his jacket and shirt, I pierce his heart through. The scream that leaves his mouth is deafening as he collapses on top of Amelia and begins to disintegrate.
I’m standing over the body of my maker, holding the weapon that took his life. Amelia’s eyes lock with mine as she breathes her last human breath.
……
Over the next few days, I visit the girl who has become my friend several times. Each time, she looks better, healthier. After Harrison took her to the brink of death, Celeste made the decision I refused to and turned her into one of us.
Without Celeste’s blood, Amelia would’ve died. That decision was taken away from me. I refuse to take it away from someone else.
“She’ll be out for a few more days,” I tell her tiny maker. “Hopefully, she’s through the hellfire stage and is now in the recovery stage. There’s no way to know for sure, but she should be able to hear you.”
“I think she can hear me. I’ve been reading to her, and she seems to like it.” Celeste’s innocence is refreshing. “Daddy says you killed Harrison.”
“I did.” I pause. “He had it coming for a few centuries.”
She laughs. “That’s an understatement. Thank you.” Her words hold anger and pain. I don’t press for more.
“You’re welcome.” I turn to her father, the sworn enemy of Harrison. “I’ll be back to check on her tomorrow. Thank you, Viktor, for allowing her to stay here. And thank you, little one, for being at the right place at the right time.”
……
The door to Viktor’s house opens before I have a chance to knock. Waiting on the other side is only the second immortal child vampire I’ve known. “Come in,” she says with a wide smile.
I’m surprised to see Amelia sitting on the couch. She looks good. “You’re awake,” I announce the obvious as I move in front of her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. “I was so worried.”
“Violet, thank you.”
Stupid tears form in my stupid eyes. I wipe one away, not sure where the emotion is coming from. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m so sorry you had to kill your…”
“My maker,” I fill in the blank with a smile. “Don’t be. I’m not.”