by K. M. Raya
Blue rose to her feet, trying hard to not step on David's body. The others just watched the spectacle while someone cried softly in the distance, probably Ronnie still. Blue stepped towards Jewel; her fists clenched at her sides around her stakes. "My family’s cursed? What the fuck are you talking about, Jewel; what fucking family?” she raised her arms to her sides and looked around. “In case you haven’t noticed, my family is gone too, just like yours!"
"And whose fault is that?" Jewel asked though her tears. Her eyes were alight with grief.
Blue slapped her palm to her chest two times. "Not mine!” she snapped. “You want it to be my fault so badly and I don't know why! Do you not realize that I was nine years old?" She was choking on her words… stuttering as she stepped closer and rounded the headstone that separated her from her childhood friend.
"I was nine fucking years old! I lost both of my parents and my grandparents that night! I know your dad is dead, and it's my parents’ fault, but Jewel... they were turned! It wasn't even them anymore. There's nothing anyone could have done, and you know that."
Jewel’s eyes blazed. The others in the graveyard watched the two of them, each carrying their own judgement in their eyes. Dresden, Cole and Jasper were latched onto Blue with single minded focus. They were ready to step in at any moment, she knew that. But she didn’t need them to protect her. She never needed someone to keep her safe, she could do that perfectly well herself and had done so for her entire life.
Jewel stepped into her space, shoving Blue backwards with the palms of her hands. Blue’s feet slipped in the mud, but she managed to remain upright. Her hair was plastered to her face and her dress hung it tatters as the wind still bit against her skin. "How dare you show up to this place, walking around here like you're some sort of prodigy while everyone suffers around you!" she spit. "How!" Push. "Dare!" Push "You!" she screamed in her face. Jewel shoved her into the trunk of a tree and her head hit with a thud.
Fat tears dripped down her right cheek and the wetness there felt foreign despite the rain. Her hands were shaking, and every latent, pent up emotion she’d worked so hard to suppress seemed to be swirling around inside of her at once. Grief, anger, betrayal... hysteria. It was all there and now it was coming out like an avalanche. Blue pushed Jewel back just as forcefully, almost causing the girl to lose her balance. "You want to know what happened that night, JJ?!" Her old friend winced as she caught herself on a headstone.
"They never told you, did they?" She laughed through her grief and memories. Jewel froze and cocked her head to the side in confusion. In fact, time seemed to stand still as everyone waited for her to finish. Blue laughed. "They never fucking told you how it all actually went down that night, did they… Well let me fill you in because unlike you, I was still there!" She approached Jewel; finger pointed right at her. “You were whisked off to your cozy mansion while I was stuck in that hellhole alone!”
Blue could no longer hold anything back. It was all coming out, and there was no stopping it now. “I’m so fucking sorry your father was killed that night, JJ. He was like family to me, and if I could trade places with him I would in a heartbeat, but I just can’t!"
Jewels eyes shone with angry tears, but Blue had more to say. “I wish I could scrape that night from my memory, but it replays in my brain over and over no matter what I do or how far I run… no matter how many vampires I dust. I’ll always remember the moment I was forced to end it.”
Jewel reeled back as if slapped. "What are you talking about, ended what!?"
Blue looked into her friend’s glossy eyes and let her see the ghosts there. The memories that haunted her every waking moment. She knew her men were watching with rapt attention too, soaking in every word. She’d never told a soul what she was about to tell everyone at once.
"Everything, JJ!” she sobbed. “My life, my world… my fucking family!” She tapped her chest again with the palm of her right hand as she took a step forward. “I staked both of my parents that night!” Several people nearby gasped, and she saw Dresden take a step forward from the corner of her eye, but Cole held him back with a hand on his shoulder.
“At nine years old I was forced to stab them through their hearts one by fucking one, turning them both to dust in my own bedroom!" Her knees buckled and hit the muddy ground. "I watched my whole world disappear... and every time I close my eyes, all I can see is my mom’s face when she knew it was over—wondering if she knew it was me that was killing her…." Jewel stared at her in silence, chest heaving and shaking her head in disbelief. Nobody ever heard that part of the story. No, the Conclave chose to leave those details out.
“Do you even understand what that feels like? Do you? You got to bury your dad and tell him how much you loved him! You had the luxury of knowing his spirit could rest, and you got to say goodbye when I never did.” Her eyes were wild. “Our people cast me out like I was a monster. You turned your back on us when we needed you, and you have the audacity to call me cursed?” She laughed hysterically and shook her head. “Fuck, maybe I am cursed! Maybe it’s me, JJ!”
Jewel lost control of her emotions then. She was sobbing into her hands, her body heaving. Her weapons dropped to the ground and she shook her head back and forth like she was trying to make it all go away. Blue had the strongest urge to pull her into her arms, but now wasn’t the time for comfort. Now was the time for realization. She was tired of being walked on. She was tired of getting blamed. She didn’t deserve it, and it was high time people fucking knew it.
A shriek pierced the silence and Blue felt like all the blood had drained from her body. Turning around with her weapons at the ready, she almost didn’t move quick enough before David lunged for her. Blue screamed, as did several others as they grappled. Somehow, her stake had been knocked out of her grasp, and she was forced to hold his face back by his hair while his newly elongated teeth snapped for her flesh.
There was a commotion around her, but suddenly David was ripped off of her, so she rolled to the side and grabbed her stake. David was thrown against a nearby headstone by Cole, who was still partially shifted. “No!” she screamed as he went to swipe his claws out at David. Cole craned his head and frowned at Blue.
“Let me do it!” she begged him. Cole’s eyes softened as she moved closer. She approached David as he was pinned against the stone by Cole’s claws. He thrashed and writhed, slobbering black drool all over the place. His eyes were blackened, and his face was stretched and barely recognizable. Her heart ached at the sight of him, wishing there was a way to turn back time and save him.
He never stilled as she brought her stake up and laid the tip of it over the spot where his heart used to beat. She shook her head sadly and whispered, “You deserved so much fucking better, my friend.” Then she plunged the silver tip into his heart with a scream of agony, and seconds later he went still, before exploding into a spray of black ash.
Chapter Twenty Seven
The memorial for the fallen Slayers was beautiful. A mausoleum was constructed by the next week, fashioned out of glimmering marble. It was a massive building, housing the remains of the thirty-six Slayers who lost their lives that night.
The mausoleum stood proudly beneath the starlight and Blue still couldn’t bring herself to leave its side. She’d sat vigil every night for the last week, unable to leave it vulnerable. She must have read and re read every name carved on every plaque dozens of times, trying to memorize them so that their sacrifice would never be forgotten. So, every night she spent her time of solitude among the ghosts and memories. Jasper had tried to convince her to let him keep her company, but for some reason, she just wanted to be alone during her watch.
Arcane went back to business as usual in the days to follow, but it was like a dark cloud was hovering over the heads of everyone on campus. The halls were strangely silent, and people pretty much buckled down and started taking their training more seriously than ever. She supposed the sudden and unexpected attack was enough to whip those slayers
into shape, and to remind them that they were never truly safe.
Weirdly enough though, she’d noticed a change in the attitude of those around her since that day. No longer did her classmates shy away from her or taunt her in the halls. Occasionally, she even received a smile or a wave. She supposed it had something to do with those she’d shielded with her body in the heat of battle. Perhaps they were simply showing gratitude to her for saving their lives, but whatever it was, she was grateful for the reprieve.
The guys had taken to guarding her like she was a precious jewel. They barely left her side, taking turns babysitting her to the point of suffocation. She’d never ask them to back off though. She finally knew what she wanted from each of them, and it was for them to love her and work as a team.
Most nights, she had one or two of them sleeping in her bed, holding her throughout the nights when the nightmares would sneak in to wrack her body with grief. Cole was called away more often now to train the newer Guardians as he prepared to ascend the role of Alpha. Gareth was retiring later that year, and Blue was incredibly proud of Cole’s willingness to step up to the plate.
Dresden warmed her bed most nights while Cole was away, and Jasper was tired from training. Sometimes he and Jasper shared her bed, and those times were becoming blessedly more frequent as they got used to each other. She’d begun to see another side of Dresden since her confession in the graveyard. The way he looked at her though, wasn’t one of pity. It was one of respect. He sympathized with the horrors she faced, and now that he was aware of how much she’d suffered, he made promises to never let her suffer alone.
Many nights still, she could hear Ronnie whimpering in her own bed, crying out in pain after losing David in such a horrible way. Sometimes Blue crawled into bed with her and wrapped her friend in her arms while they both cried.
Harlow kept Ronnie company too as they grew even closer than before. Blue later found out the reason for Harlow’s absence during the battle. Apparently, she’d been busy barricading Headmistress Merriweather in her office, guarding the door with her life as she staked over sixteen vamps on her own. In thanks, the Headmistress invited Harlow to live and work at Arcane as a teacher aid in one of the freshman Team Building courses. Harlow was over the moon and accepted immediately.
Things were looking up around Arcane, but not everything could be healed so quickly. She had yet to return again to the Graves estate, which was now rightfully hers. She knew she’d eventually have to face it and figure out what she needed to do next regarding its restoration. Dresden had talked to her about possibly selling the house to the Conclave and building another elsewhere, but she just couldn’t do it. Though that home held horrifying memories, she knew she could never bring herself to get rid of it. It was her home… her legacy.
*
She was sitting on the edge of the Graves mausoleum, dangling her boot-clad feet over the edge with one hand idly stroking the head of a stone raven perched on the corner, when she felt a presence at her back. Turning abruptly, Blue was startled to see that Jewel Hobbs had climbed the building and was plopping herself down next to her.
“You've been out here for days,” Jewel broke the silence.
“You're correct,” Blue snapped. Cold washed over her as the wind picked up. She wasn’t sure why Jewel had tried seeking her out, or what exactly she was supposed to say after everything they went through. “Not sure why you care,” she added.
Jewel let out a long, tired breath, picking at the leaves that lay strewn around the roof of the mausoleum. “I deserve that.” Jewel hung her head, brunette curls falling around her shoulders and peeking out the hood of her sweatshirt.
“Yeah, you kind of do,” Blue agreed, shaking her head.
“Look…” Jewel started, then stopped, seeming unsure of how to begin.
“Just spit it out, JJ. I’ve known you since we pooped our diapers, you can say what you want.” She laughed quietly, causing JJ to giggle. Hearing that sound was like a physical blast from the past.
“I’m sorry, Blue Jay.” Blue sucked in a breath. She hadn’t heard her best friend call her that in ten years and it was doing something wild to her heart. Her chest ached with homesickness. “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. You didn’t deserve any of it and I’ll understand if none of this means anything to you, but I needed you to hear it.”
“You didn't speak to me for ten years, Jewel. I sent you letters, called you I don’t know how many times. I even took a bus once when we were twelve and tried to sneak into your house, but your mom threw me out on my ass.”
Jewels eyes widened. “She never told me that.”
“Would it have mattered?” Blue asked.
Jewel sighed. “Probably not. But Blue, I get it now. I may have had my head up my ass before, but I get it. I’m so sorry for making your life hell this year. I know it might take me weeks, months… even years to try and convince you to give me another chance to be your friend, but I’m going to try.” Blue felt her anger leave in waves. Jewel sighed again. “None of what happened was your fault. Not my dad, not David or anyone else who we lost.”
“How can you say that? I know your father’s death wasn't on me, but the rest?” She shook her head sadly. “If it wasn't for me, David would still be here.”
“Oh, shut up, Blue, you self-loathing sad sack,” Ronnie’s voice suddenly cut into their conversation. The redheaded girl plopped herself down on Blue’s other side, dangling her feet to match. “Nobody blames you for what happened. Honestly, it was bound to happen eventually. The Conclave made us believe we were untouchable for so long; I think we forgot what the real world was actually like out there.”
“She’s right, you know,” said Jewel as she nudged Blue’s shoulder with hers. “Some of the others are calling you a hero. The way you jumped in front of people... saved them? That’s some prime Slayer shit right there.”
They all laughed. Blue’s chest warmed, and so did her cheeks. She didn’t think she was much of a hero, but she’d take it. It was much better than being labeled a monster.
The girls fell into a companionable silence. They relaxed in the calm night air, waiting the moonlight play out over the sea of headstones as the spirits roamed between them. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a sense of peace. She had her best friend right beside her the way she dreamed of for years. She’d made brand new friends, lost a special one but laid his spirit to rest, and gained three of the most amazing men who she could finally call her own. Temporary peace settled deep into her bones. It had been such a long time since she could really say she had someone to watch her back, someone she trusted beyond the shadow of a doubt.
They remained on top of the Graves family mausoleum until the morning sun came up over the far-off horizon. The three of them laid back on that roof all night long, gazing up into the fading starry sky as the horizon began to turn pink and orange. They talked about everything under the sun and more, catching each other up on everything they missed while they were apart. Everything was right in her world at that moment in time, even if it was just for a little while. Even if it was just these few moments and nothing more, she was grateful for the peace.
One moment they were laughing about something nonsensical, and the next, JJ turned her head and faced Blue with a mischievous grin. “By the way,” she drawled. Blue held her breath, knowing what was coming next and felt her cheeks turn pink. Jewel’s eyes sparkled with humor. “How the hell did you manage to snag three guys at once?”
Blue just tilted her head back and laughed deeply. “Guess I’m not so cursed after all.”
The Not So Bitter End
More by K.M. Raya
Angel, The Brotherhood Book 1
Devils, The Brotherhood Book 2
The Witching Hour, A Reverse
Harem Vampire Romance
Kindred, Into the Darklands,
A Reverse Harem Fantasy
Lament,
A Contemporary Bully Romance
> Boys of Summer, Man of Fall,
A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance
Hayzed n Confuzed,
A Contemporary Rockstar Romance
Feral Skies, Zombie Apocalypse Urban Fantasy
