by Dawn Judd
Markus nodded at me, and I nodded back. I knew what had to be done. I had to be the one to do it. Markus had made me a promise, and he couldn’t break it. I caught the sword just as Vyktor whipped back around and ran at me. Swiftly, I swung the sword, plunging it into Vyktor’s chest. With my free hand, I grabbed him and pulled him towards me, plunging the sword deeper.
I reached up and took his face in my free hand, and I pressed my cheek to his, tears running down my face. My heart was breaking. This would be the last time I ever saw my son.
“I love you. You are my son, and I will always love you.” Vyktor’s breathing quickened. I could hear his heart race. I knew the pain he felt; the fire that burned. I pulled the sword from his chest and with both hands, raised it high. “Forgive me,” I whispered, and swung the blade towards his neck. He closed his eyes, just before the blade connected.
“I cannot,” he whispered back.
Markus caught me just before I hit the ground.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When I opened my eyes again, it was not Markus, but Mack that was holding me. My vision was blurred and my head was splitting, but I knew it was him. He had come back for me. I heard other footsteps around us, and whispers here and there. But my head was filled with cobwebs, and I couldn’t make anything out.
I looked over Mack’s shoulder, and saw the building we had just left. Smoke and flames poured out the windows. Seconds later, a loud explosion rocked the landscape, sending a shudder throughout my whole body. As though it had waited for this moment, the sky opened up and the rain started, drenching us and making it hard for me to see anything else.
“Don’t look,” Mack whispered. Obeying, I laid my head against his chest.
“Jake?” I asked weakly.
“He’s fine. Hurt, confused, but fine.”
I closed my eyes again, letting the darkness take me once again. I drifted in and out of consciousness over the next several days. My wounds were extensive, even for a vampire, and they took a long time to heal. I knew that I was back at Jake’s little house on the beach. I could sense people around me, though I didn’t know who.
I knew Mack was there; always there, taking care of me. When I was finally strong enough, he explained to me what had happened. He had come back for me, to try to talk me out of taking on Vyktor alone.
He hadn’t known what I was planning, so when he got to the warehouse where most of the network was still gathered, he was shocked to learn that I had turned them. All of them.
“I didn’t know what else to do, Mack. They will never be safe. Even with Vyktor gone, his people will always be looking for me, and for them. At least now they have a fighting chance.”
“I know, Khallie. I’m not upset about it. You gave them a choice. They made their choices, and I respect that.” Once he realized what had happened, he explained, he knew that they were the key to getting me and Jake out alive. It didn’t take much convincing. Protecting me was what they had always done. It was Mack who had stopped Set’s advance on me; the others taking out Vyktor’s men.
“What happened to Set?” I asked, confused. Surely, Mack hadn’t been able to kill him.
“You gave him what he wanted,” Mack answered. “After you killed Vyktor, he left. I tried to stop him, but he is damn strong. I’m sure he wasn’t in the mood to take on an entire room of vampires, either. He looked a little shocked when he realized what was happening.” He went on to explain his shock at finding Set there.
Markus later explained what had happened. He had seen Vyktor take Jake. He knew what was going to happen. He didn’t want to see me take on Vyktor, again. He went to Vyktor, telling him that if he went to Set and freed him, that he would know how to destroy me.
He thought Set would know him instantly and kill him right there. He figured that the two of us would be able to contain Set once again, and with Vyktor gone, it would be easy to go in and rescue Jake. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out quite the way Markus had hoped. He had never planned on me being forced to kill my own son.
I sighed, and closed my eyes. I felt a pang of guilt when Mack mentioned Vyktor’s death. Even after everything he did, it hurt to think I had taken his life; my son’s life. I tried so hard to avoid this. Deep down I knew it would come to this one day, but it still hurt.
As if he read my mind, Mack spoke up. “Don’t you feel sorry for him. You did what you had to do, Khallie. You protected him as long as you could. He made his choice. Khallie, he forced your hand. He should’ve never taken Jake like that.”
“Jake! Mack is Jake ok? Where is he?” I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen Jake at all. I was here, in his house; in his bed. But he was nowhere to be seen. Mack looked down. He finally looked back up at me, picking up my hand as he did.
“Jake is gone.”
“Gone!!” I shot up in the bed, a wave of nausea hitting me as I did. Mack forced me to lie back down, trying hard to reassure me as he did.
“Mack, you said he was ok. I heard you. It wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t have been a dream.” I kept babbling on until Mack finally put his hand over my mouth, shooshing me.
“Gone, I said. Gone; not dead. He left, Khallie.”
“Left?” I was even more confused. Why would he leave? He was safe now. I looked up at Mack. I could read it in his eyes. Jake was really gone. I shook my head. I wanted to cry. I couldn’t. I had nothing left.
“Oh sweetie, you have to understand. He’s in shock. This was all just too much for him. He loves you, he truly does. But I don’t think he realized what being in love with a vampire entailed. He…..” Mack trailed off. I knew what he was trying to say. Jake was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. He had seen my true nature, and it scared him. I had scared him. We all had. I did cry then.
“How could he leave me, Mack? How? Doesn’t he understand what I just did? What had to do, for him?” I sobbed like a baby, as Mack pulled me close to him.
“I know.” He answered. “Look at me.” He tipped my chin up, so I was looking directly into his eyes. “He’s alive. That’s what you went in there for; to keep him alive. He may not be here with you, but he is safe because of you.”
Mack swallowed hard and looked away. God, I was so insensitive. He was right, of course. At least Jake was alive. Marlene was not so fortunate. Mack had lost the love of his life, all because of me, and here he was comforting me. But it hurt so much. Jake was gone, and Vyktor was dead.
“Come with me,” Mack said, forcing me to stand up. I swooned a little, and Mack caught me before my legs gave out completely. “Carefully,” he said gently. “You took quite a beating. It will still be a few days before you are feeling like yourself again.” He led me out of the bedroom and towards Jake’s living room, where I could hear a humming of lively conversation.
As we neared the living room, I saw Darren standing there. The moment he saw me, he broke into a childish grin. He ran towards me, scooping me out of Mack’s arms and swinging me around.
“Girl, we didn’t think you were gonna make it,” he laughed, still swinging me around.
“Darren, I’m gonna be sick,” I blurted out. My head was still spinning, and I really did feel like I was going to be sick. Darren blushed, and set me down gently.
“Sorry, Kal. I was just excited to see you up and walking around.”
Mack laughed in the background, and the rest of the crowd followed. Surprised, I looked around the small living room. There was barely an empty spot. They were all there; the entire network. Those that were still alive, anyway. Smiling faces and laughing eyes met me. I looked back at Mack. He smiled and hurried over to help me sit down.
“It wasn’t just Jake,” he whispered into my ear as I settled into the overstuffed chair. “It was all of them. You saved all of them. Your family; the people who love you. Always remember that. You gave Vyktor a thousand lifetimes. Your job as his protector is done.”
He kissed me on the top of the head, and I smiled. He was right. It would take time for me to he
al, to forgive myself, but he was right. And as long as I had Mack with me, it would be ok. He would make it ok. They would make it ok. I settled back into the chair and began my new life with my family. My real family.
The story continues in
Finding Hope
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