by D N Simmons
“Tomorrow morning, then?” Matthew asked.
Warren nodded. “Yeah, the sooner, the better. I hate this feeling. I hate the anticipation, the not knowing what’s going to happen.”
“I know what you mean. So, it’s decided.” Matthew gave Warren a sad smile. He too, was worried about their fate.
“Well, whatever the case, we’re not going to let you two go to jail and we for damn sure won’t let them kill you,” Ignacio said.
“Is this where the violent part comes in at?” Natasha asked.
“I hate to say so, but yeah. Matthew is one of us. I’m fucking someone up if they think they’re going to kill him just because he lied about what he is. He did that so he could help them. These people are some assholes as far as I’m concerned for even taking this shit this far!” Ignacio replied, frowning. His anger was palpable, and not one could disagree with his sentiments.
“I don’t blame you. I remember when the S.U.I.T. arrested Darian. We had to haul ass to Russia, crack the case and sprint back to Chicago before all hell broke loose. Darian was going to break out of there one way or another,” John said, remembering the urgency of that time, and all that had depended on their involvement.
Darian chuckled. “It’s true, you all did a fine job, saved many lives.”
“Just so we understand what’s to come. Tomorrow, both you and Matthew will turn yourselves in, confess to being shifters and then what?” Xander asked, trying to get a broader understanding of what was to be expected.
“They’ll probably arrest us, since we’ve committed perjury. It’s a crime, punishable by law. If you’re a government employee, jail is mandatory,” Warren said.
Adrian snorted. “Bullshit, it’s a crime if you’re a shape-shifter and a government employee. For what you’ve been doing, if you were a human, the worst you’d get is fired, maybe a fine, but that’s it. This is a dick swinging competition to see whose got the biggest one. And what really pisses me off is, you shouldn’t even be getting arrested at all.”
“That may be true, but we knew the law when we took the oath. Let’s take the first step and then we can all see where to go from there, how about that?” Matthew asked, looking around the plane at the others.
“I still say we should bug you so we can monitor your conversation. Just in case we need to bust through some windows, crack some skulls,” Justin said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Warren said, pointing to Justin. “We should bug our conversation, that might be helpful.”
“Consider it done,” said Michael, a member of Xander’s Pack. “I’ve been meaning to ask you two this, but do you want me to find you a lawyer?”
“No need for that. I have a lawyer that I’m sure would love to take your case,” Darian offered.
“Is this lawyer the same one who was about to rip the S.U.I.T. a new asshole when you were arrested?” Natasha asked.
Darian chuckled. “Yes. I only put my money behind the best. He’s one of the top defense lawyers in the country.”
“He looked like a shark in that courtroom before we showed up. I almost didn’t think you were going to need us,” Natasha said chuckling.
“I’ll always need you,” Darian said. He lifted her hand, kissing it softly.
Natasha blushed. “All worked out for the best.”
“He’s got to be the best. He did rip the S.U.I.T. a new asshole in Darian’s lawsuit.”
“That’s convincing,” Matthew said, nodding.
“Well, if this guy’s as good as you say, then yeah, I’d really appreciate his help,” Warren said.
“Consider it done,” Darian said.
“All I know is, I’m glad Marcus and his crazy fucking coven are dead!” Christopher said.
“Oh, hell yeah!” Devin added. “I don’t ever want to go through anything like that ever again.”
“You?!” Gabriel said. “You had it easy compared to me.”
“What is this? A ‘Who got fucked up the worst’ competition?” Sergio asked. “People died! Friends. Family. Good people. We should be honoring their memory, not debating on who suffered the most, because in reality, there’s no competition.” He looked at the younger shifters. He knew he’d gotten through to them by the now somber and shame-filled expressions on their faces. He then looked down at Elise, who was still resting from her ordeal, but at least she was alive and healed.
“I’m sorry, Sergio,” Devin said, apologizing. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Sergio gave him a slight nod. “I know you and I know you didn’t mean to disregard those who’ve died.”
“I didn’t either. You’re right. I’m sorry,” Gabriel said, apologetically.
Sergio nodded, accepting his apology.
“As much as I would like to not have to ask you this, I must. Darian, would you happen to have any spare coffins we could borrow to take our members home in?” Xander asked.
“Actually, I only have a few. Not nearly enough for what you ask. But whatever I do have available, it’s yours,” Darian said. Silently, he wondered why so many assumed he had an abundance of spare coffins lying about, but he dared not voice his thoughts as the mood would have made such a statement extremely inappropriate.
“Thank you,” Xander said. “We’ll make sure we return your property to you.” He paused with a sigh. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
Darian nodded in agreement. He too, was saddened to lose one of his loyal human servants and a member of his coven. Annabelle had been one of his for almost seventy years. To lose her with such a violent ending was disheartening. Still, he knew his pain could not compare to that of Miko’s, who had shared more than companionship with Annabelle. He looked at Miko noticing her silence, he could see the anger she felt at her loss behind the caramel color of her eyes. He thought for a second of going to her, giving her words of peace, but what could he possibly say to take away her pain? There were no words to console the inconsolable. In the end, he decided to allow her time to deal with her pain, but leaving himself open to her if she wanted to come to him.
***
The airplane landed in Chicago an hour later. As they were driving back toward Darian’s mansion, many were silent, not really wanting to face the carnage that awaited them. They didn’t want to see their loved ones scattered about, lifeless, their bodies torn to shreds, bloodied and dismembered. The memory of all they had experienced grew clearer, more defined in Christopher’s mind as they got closer to the mansion. Frantically, he called for Xavier to pull the SUV over. Bursting from the SUV, he leaned over the railing of the overpass, vomiting a thin stream of blood into the water below.
“Should one of us go out there, see if he needs any help?” Natasha asked.
Darian watched his young coven member from the passenger seat. He could imagine exactly which images were now burned into the young man’s mind to cause him to become so sickened. “He’s been exposed to a great deal in a short time. He’s never seen death so up close, let alone, experience a true fight for survival. And there are other aspects that he must now come to terms with.”
“He’s just a bit rattled right now. He’s going to need time to come to grips with it,” Xavier said.
“Here he comes,” John said as Christopher slid into the seat beside him, closing the door behind himself.
“All right, we can go,” Christopher said, clearing his throat.
“Are you going to be okay?” Gary asked.
“Yeah, I think so. It’s just … I wish I could stop thinking about it, but I can’t.” He shook his head, turning to face the window, not wanting to look at the others.
“This doesn’t make you weak, Christopher. You went through a great deal in the past forty-eight hours and you’ve survived. Try not to dwell on the pain, it will eat at you if you do,” Xavier said before putting the SUV into drive and pulling off.
Christopher sat in silence for several minutes, and then he spoke. “How?”
“Come again?” Xavier asked.
“
How do I put everything behind me? How do you?” Christopher asked, innocently.
“You keep on surviving, living the life you have to live. There’s no magic answer I can give you, Christopher,” Xavier said, steering the car into the long winding driveway.
“Our lives are just as riddled with pain and suffering as those of humans. What matters most is how we deal with that pain. You can’t let what happened to you take you over. You’ll either end up insane or dead,” Darian said, adding his own words of wisdom.
Christopher reflected on what the two older vampires said. He couldn’t deny the wisdom in their words, and it gave him a sort of peace he hadn’t expected to feel. Their words helped clear his mind, gave him a sense of direction on what he expected his life to be. He still had to find a way to deal with what happened to him, however, he knew he would. “Thanks,” he said.
Xavier smiled before parking the SUV in front of the mansion. Sergio, Adrian and Richard pulled the other SUVs up behind Xavier’s. All of them climbed out of the trucks and looked at the mansion, not really wanting to go in, but knew they had no choice. Darian entered first, looking around; the mansion smelled of rotten blood. It reeked of death, a scent he didn’t enjoy at all. His nostrils crinkled as he moved further into the parlor. Xavier stepped up from behind, walking further into the room. One by one, each of them came into the mansion, making their way to the living room where most of the carnage took place. Once there, they looked around, tears flowed freely from several of them as they mourned.
“Jesus Christ!” Daniel said as he gazed at Darian’s human servant, Troy’s mutilated corpse. The body had been ripped to shreds; both his right arm and left foot were missing.
“I think I’m going to be sick again,” Christopher said, struggling to keep down the bloody bile that threatened to erupt forth.
“If you’re going to puke, please do that shit outside. The last thing I want to see is regurgitated blood spewing from your mouth. Once was enough,” Sergio said, stepping past Christopher who managed to choke back a gag.
Christopher swallowed hard. “Sorry, it’s just, I can’t help it, I’m not used to this like you are.”
Sergio turned sharply, looking at him. “You think I’m used to this?”
“Well,” Christopher shrugged. “You seem to be handling it better than I am.”
Sergio turned around, looking at the rotting corpse of his Pride member. Rachel’s body lay sprawled on the blood soaked carpet. Her eyes held no sign of the spirited life she once exuded. His heart sank as his memories of her played over and over in his head. He turned slightly, looking at Christopher from over his shoulder. “You never get used to this shit, no matter how many wars you survive. You never get used to losing people who meant something in your life.”
Miko knelt beside Annabelle, tears flowing down her cheeks as she stroked her lover’s hair gently. She leaned down low, her lips lightly brushing Annabelle’s ear. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you,” she whispered in Japanese.
Xander stood over the gruesome remains of Phillip’s body. He thought about his now deceased member. Philip had been with him for thirty years. He’d once challenged Xander for control of the Pack and lost. Xander had allowed him to stay because he was young at the time. He gave the shifter allowances for his youth. After he’d been giving the second chance, and not killed, he proved his gratitude with loyalty to Xander and the Pack. He hadn’t bothered to challenge the Alpha any more. Xander had seen Philip killed, had seen the very moment when Marcus ripped the shifter’s heart from his chest with one powerful blow. It was at that point he saw Xavier ushering the others out of harms way: Natasha and their children, along with Gary, Madeleine and David. He, himself had decided to distract Marcus’ coven, doing his best to make sure his members and all of their friends were safe. He only wished he could have saved the others as well.
Adan’s expression was full of sorrow as he gazed at the remains of his fallen Pride members. His Matron, Danielle was kneeling beside Patricia’s corpse, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“We should cremate our dead,” Adan suggested as he surveyed the damage and loss of life.
“I think that is a good idea. We can scatter their ashes in the wind over the lake. Patty, Stephanie and Lori would have wanted that,” Danielle agreed.
“I actually like that idea. Allowing their remains to fly free as opposed to rotting away in the ground,” Elise said, agreeing with Adan.
“I have no objections,” Xander said. “We need to inform their families of their demise. Those are telephone calls I’d rather I didn’t have to make.”
“I’ll contact Philip’s sister, she needs to know,” Tatiana said. Xander nodded solemnly.
One by one, they wrapped the bodies of their fallen brethren in sheets Darian provided. They had decided not to take Darian’s only coffins. Especially since there weren’t enough for all of their dead.
Darian gazed as the bodies wrapped in white clothe linens. It reminded him very much of his time … the death shrouds one would wrap their dead in. Before he would se Annabelle’s body into the flames, he would send her to her God in an ceremony worthy of a warrior.
Sergio loaded Rachel’s body gently into the back of the SUV as the other remaining members of his Pride climbed inside the truck. Elise climbed into the passenger’s seat. After Sergio climbed in behind the wheel, he gazed at her lovingly. He had thought he’d lost her, and for a second, he didn’t know how he could go on. Miranda had helped save her life, had she not given Elise her blood at that exact moment, he would have had to face a life without her. He shook his head of the memory. Turning the key, he kicked started the engine.
“Let’s go home,” he said, pulling away.
Xander pulled off in his truck after Sergio, ready to return home, as were all of their members who trailed behind them in other SUVs.
Richard put his arm around Matthew’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine. For tonight, try and get some rest.”
“I’ll try,” Matthew said as he climbed into their Anaconda XL40 SUV. Much like Darian, Richard also enjoyed owning luxury automobiles that were insanely pricey. They drove off, toward their mansion in the northwest suburbs. They were quiet on the way home, reflecting on all that had transpired and what was still to come.
***
Miko gently placed Annabelle’s body into her coffin. Her gaze lingered for a few more minutes before she closed the lid. Darian and Natasha watched in silence from the doorway; neither wanting to disturb her. Natasha couldn’t image the pain Miko was feeling. The loss of a soul mate, not to mention one you’ve shared your life with for decades. She looked down, seeing Darian’s hand at his side. She slid her own hand into his. Darian squeezed her hand reassuringly, he turned toward her, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. He kissed her lightly on her forehead. No words were necessary to express what they felt for each other. After a few moments had passed, Miko rose from the floor and left the room, walking past both Darian and Natasha, giving them a sad smile. Natasha thought about saying something to her, but decided against it. What could she say? Should she ask her if she was going to be okay? Would that be the polite thing to do? She opened her mouth to do what she thought was the polite thing, but Darian stopped her, shaking his head. Natasha nodded.
“The sun is rising, we need to rest,” Darian said, leading Natasha to their bedroom.
“Darian, I don’t think I can sleep here tonight. There’s too much blood, pain … I … I …” Natasha struggled to find the right words to express herself, but was unable.
“Shhhhh,” Darian placed his finger over her lips. “It’s all right. I understand. I’ll instruct Billy to take you to the hotel, stay in our suite.”
Natasha nodded. “I’ll see you this evening?”
“Yes, I’ll come by the hotel to visit you. However, I suggest you stay clear of the mansion until it is presentable. So make sure you take with you plenty of clothing and other provisi
ons.”
“I can do that.”
“Good.” Darian leaned forward, kissing her softly. “I must go now.”
“Until tomorrow,” Natasha said. Darian nodded, then turned, walking away. She watched him make his way into their bedroom. Not wanting to spend another moment in the mansion as it was, she went into the nursery, scooping up their son. Packing all of her necessary items, she informed Billy of her plans.
“I can’t blame you for not wanting to stay here. Just let me get my overnight bag,” Billy said, and he did just that. Slinging the bag over his broad shoulder, he stepped up to Natasha. “Are you all ready to go?”
“Yes,” she said, buttoning up her jacket, as the temperature had dropped a bit. She gathered her son and the three left the mansion, driving downtown, toward Xavier Hotel. Natasha had no problems getting the key to Darian’s master penthouse suite. Billy raided the fridge, snacking on whatever was restocked. He looked at Natasha as she entered the room.
“How’s the little guy doing?” Billy asked.
“Sleeping like a … well, a baby,” Natasha answered. She sat down in one of the luscious comfy chairs that adorned the room, making herself comfortable. “He’s been so upset these past few days, and who could blame him. The screaming, the fear, the running. I never wanted my child to experience anything like that. Hell, I never wanted to experience anything like that.”
Billy nodded. “Yeah, war is something a child should never see. Still, Darian and Xavier sheltered you both pretty well, all things considered. It’s been rough, and I didn’t think I was going to survive.”
“I never really knew the extent of Darian’s warning until now,” Natasha said, staring forward in deep thought.
Billy’s brows crinkled, his lips pursed. “I’m not following you?” he asked, confused.
Natasha shook herself mentally, bringing her back to the present. “Before I became pregnant, Darian once told me that their lives were dangerous. For some reason, I didn’t think about a psychotic ancient vampire wanting to attack us as part of that danger.”
