Shed some Light

by Amber Naralim

  No matter how many breaths he took, he still couldn't breathe. Edward just could not get enough air. He ran his hands through his hair. There was dried blood and bits of flesh tangled in it. Vincent stared at him with those dark, thundering eyes of his. They swirled like molten silver.

  “Never underestimate the hunger!” Vincent told him.

  Edward nodded. He stared at the tracers that appeared behind his hand. He swallowed and looked up at the Vincent. “This isn't all it's cracked up to be? Is it?” Edward asked.

  “It took me seventy years and meeting your sister for me to learn to control it,” Vincent warned. “And truth be told even I don't have it under my boot completely.”

  Edward took in a breath just to blow it out slow. “All right, Yoda, teach.”

  Vincent frowned at the name Yoda. He’d heard Ellie say it once before. But for the life of him, he could not remember what it meant. Vincent turned to look over his shoulder at Charlie. “When she wakes up, tell her I'm with Edward,” he said. Charlie gave him a smile. “And Charles, whatever you do, don't run.”

  Charlie nodded a little too quickly and took the steps slowly, moving carefully. Once she was gone, Vincent walked to the door. He opened it. Vincent jerked his head toward the outdoors. Edward slipped off the table, following him out. His hands shook. His heartbeat thudded within his ears. Edward swallowed. His throat was raw, ragged.

  The sun shined in the bright blue sky. But the air was still frigid, somewhere below zero. Edward didn't notice the cold. He stared out at the snow sparkling in the morning sun. The trees danced in the distance. Vincent breathed next to him. Edward turned his head to look at him.

  Whether Vincent made the right decision was moot now. It was done. There was no going back. A voice in the back of Vincent’s head that sounded an awful lot like Reese laughed at him. It said, she is going to hate ya. Vincent closed his eyes against it, his hands shaking. He swore to himself he would never let this affliction spread. That nothing could be so dire to make him take that chance. He looked at Edward and sighed. Love makes you do crazy things.

  “Don't hold back,” Vincent told him. “Let the Beast free out here. So you can keep it caged in there,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the house.

  “I don't know how you did this. Every day with Ellie,” Edward said, his eyes wide. Every sensation was amazing. It was like opening your eyes, after being blind your entire life.

  “It wasn't easy,” Vincent admitted. “You have to keep it full!” Vincent reminded him. “And I swear to you, Edward, you ever try to hurt her again. I will find a way to end you.” His voice was grave.

  Edward narrowed his eyes at him. He knew now that he had no idea who the man standing next to him was. Every notion Edward thought he had was washed away with what Vincent had done. What Vincent let him see. Vincent saved him. He made Edward a monster in order to do it, but truth was he was a monster before.

  “She's my sister. I love her.”

  “Maybe you do,” Vincent said. “But not like I do.”

  Chapter 28

  Ellie stomped around the house in a mixture of elation and fear. Edward was gone. Edward was gone because he was with Vincent. He was alive, awake, and moving, all of which were happy things for Ellie. Charlie explained to her what happened. Charlie told her why Vincent did it. Though, Ellie was sure she knew why Vincent did it the moment it fell from Charlie's lips. Ellie, in the past four hours, had gone through every emotion that a human could experience.

  She raged at Charlie for not letting her know. Then she wept for what was left of her brother's humanity. Fear. What was taking so long? Wonder. This was a gift. Edward may be a monster, but now nothing could hurt him. He was immortal. Vincent gave her the only thing she wanted. It sent a thrill of panic down her spine that she didn't really understand. Ellie had never been able to believe in happy normal. There is never a shining wonderful without a deal with the devil. Over the past year, Ellie had seen firsthand the wars Vincent waged against his Beast. There is always a price.

  Ellie was four digits into dialing Vincent’s phone, again. Shane frowned. He pointed at the beat up burn-phone that by some miracle Vincent managed not to break this time in the bowl next to the door. Ellie scowled and dialed Reese instead. It just kept going to voicemail. Just like it did the last twelve times she’d called it over the past two days. Ellie was worried about him too. Had she really made him so angry that he left? She sighed, pacing back and forth in front of the windows.

  Vetler flipped through a magazine. “They aren't there,” he told her. Ellie shot him a withering look.

  “I can't believe he was dying?” Anna said, her dead eyes wide. “I can't believe he didn't say anything?”

  Ellie huffed out a breath. “I can,” she grumbled. Ellie’s frowning lines deepened.

  “You're not surprised he kept that from you?” Anna asked her. “You're not angry?”

  “Oh, I'm pissed.” Ellie shrugged. “That's Edward. He thinks that if you don't talk about it. It isn't happening,” she complained. “Life doesn't work that way, though.” Ellie sighed. “My mom was the same way.”

  “You never talk about your parents, either of you,” Anna said, leaning forward in the chair.

  Again, Ellie shrugged. “My dad was an abusive dick, who did everything he could to break my brother. My mom was an addict. She lost touch with reality at the end,” Ellie said. “All I really ever got to see were their vices. They both died when I was thirteen. Car crash.” She plastered her lips together. “Then it was just me and Edward.” Ellie smirked at that thought. “It always was me and Edward,” she corrected.

  “I feel like we’ve known each other so long and I know nothing about you,” Anna said.

  “You never asked.” Ellie gave Anna a shrug that was completely lost on her. And realized then, Reese’s non-committal shrugs were infecting her.

  Ellie turned to look at her. She could barely hide her contempt for Anna. Ellie liked her at first. Then when she got here, it was like Anna had given up on life. She was blind. Ellie on some level understood the loss. She understood what it was to have something taken from her. But Ellie just could not wrap her head around giving up. Because of that, she didn't think Anna was good enough for her brother. Anna was weak. And Ellie despised weakness.

  She took in a breath, the realization washing over her that it wasn't so much Anna she hated, as much as maybe feared. Ellie was afraid that people looked at her the way they looked at Anna. Worried they looked at her as a burden, worthless, and pathetic. Worried they saw her as someone who always needed protecting. That frown on Ellie’s face deepened even further.

  With that realization came a pang of guilt for how she treated Anna. Edward loved Anna. He could try to push her away all he liked. That didn’t change it. Ellie chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. It wasn't Anna's fault. It was dawning on Ellie just how crippling fear could be. For the longest time, Ellie buried her fear. It was oozing through the cracks lately. That dread was smothering her. Anna had drowned.

  Ellie made the decision right then. She crossed the floor to Anna. “Get up,” Ellie told her.

  “What?” Anna asked, face full of vague confusion.

  “Just, get up,” Ellie demanded. Anna looked up into the direction of her voice. She climbed to her feet. Ellie pulled the Heckler from its inner-pants holster at the small of her back. Checking the safety, she walked around Anna until she stood directly behind her. Ellie reached around her, pressing the Heckler into her hand.

  “What is that?” Anna asked.

  “It's a gun,” Ellie said. “Take it.”

  Anna bit her lip, frowning, but she did as Ellie asked. Anna wrapped her hand around it. Ellie helped her slip her finger through the trigger guard. She slid her arm against Anna's, guiding her to hold the gun up, pointed.

  “This,” Ellie told her, “is the safety. When you're not in a fight, this is always on. Understand?”

  Anna nodded. She ran her thumb over the sm
all switch. Ellie took her other hand, guiding her fingertips over the gun.

  “Breach. Barrel. Safety.” Ellie made a point of making sure that Anna knew where it was. “You're small, like me,” Ellie explained. “Use a two-handed grip,” she said, showing Anna by placing her hands where they needed to be. “It will help with the kick.”

  Anna nodded. A shaky smile spread across her face. The gun felt heavy in her hands. It was a reassuring weight, though. It felt good. It fit her hands. She didn't have to stretch, or reach for anything. Charlie stood in the dining room watching them with a warm smile. This was Ellie's form of an apology.

  “You can't see, so listen,” Ellie told her. “Footsteps. Men, especially the mercs, tend to have a heavy tread. The squelch from their radios is another good thing to listen for. They wear them on their shoulders, so aim three inches lower.”

  “Why are you showing me this?” Anna asked her.

  Ellie licked her lips. “Because I can't imagine not being able to protect myself,” Ellie told her honestly. “And my brother’s got a thing for you.”

  That made Anna smile. “Thank you.”

  “You're welcome,” Ellie said. “I'll see what I can do about getting you your own gun.”

  Anna laughed, shaking her head. “I never thought I would be so excited about something like that.”

  Ellie smiled back at her. She sniffed. “Neither did I,” Ellie admitted.

  Anna gave her back the gun. Ellie checked the safety, then slid it home. Shane watched Ellie intently.

  “What?” she asked.

  He smiled, just a pull of lips, and shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing at all,” he answered.

  Ellie rolled her eyes and walked back to the bank of windows. Anna sat back down, reaching for Birdie. She ran her fingers through his fur. He yawned, and stretched. Anna was actually excited for the first time in months. Her heart beat fast, slamming against her ribs. But it was a good feeling. It was nice to know that someone understood her fear. Since her little escapade at the hospital, Anna lived in constant worry and dread, more so than everyone else.

  Anna was completely at everyone's mercy. And she knew it. She hated it! Anna despised having to rely on everyone else. She hated not being able to do anything. Utter dependence came hard to someone who had always been so independent. Not to mention, she thought Ellie hated her. Anna sat there imagining the prospects of them teaching her how to use the other guns, maybe even getting one of them to show her how to fight. She had taken a self-defense class once, years ago.

  Somehow, Anna didn't think blowing a rape whistle, and gauging at someone with her car keys would quite cut it with the bad guys that were after them now. She had been concentrating on sounds. It was harder with Reese and Vincent because they were so quiet. But she had come to distinguish the others.

  The room was silent for a long while. Shane made his way over to Charlie. She cooked when she got nervous. There was almost always something on the stove, or in the oven, especially the last few weeks. He came up behind her, pulling her gently into his embrace. Shane locked his hands together beneath her large, soft breasts. He leaned forward, kissing the top of her head. “They're fine,” he told her. “You're worried about a couple of immortal monsters.”

  “No,” Charlie argued. “I'm worried about a man I love like a brother and a young man I’ve become rather fond of.”

  Chastised, Shane snitched a piece of cheese. All of them looked up when the front door opened. Reese came striding in. He was naked, covered in blood. But Ellie knew it was not from hunting. “What happened?” she demanded, rushing over to him.

  He’d never been happier to see anyone in all his years. “We got a problem,” he told her.

  Reese told them about the events of a few hours ago. How he ran into a monster. Reese left out the fact that the guy could’ve killed him. Reese told them that he ran off. With discretion being the better part of valor, Reese headed back here to get Vince to help him. Reese still didn’t understand it. The guy had him dead to rights.

  Reese’s lips pulled up in a surprised grin. He couldn’t deny the feelings coming off Ellie. She was angry, jealous of the girl he’d spent the night with. He batted pretty blue eyes at her. “Do ya know who Elijah is?” he asked Ellie.

  Ellie blinked at him. Her hands began to shake. She shook her head. “I don’t know anyone named Elijah.” She didn’t understand the fear that rolled out of her at the mention, though. Reese shrugged.

  “Could it be one of the crazies?” Charlie asked, cleaning her hands on a dishtowel.

  Ellie sighed. “More than likely. At least it's not the crazy bitch that came after Anna.”

  Ellie crossed the floor in a few quick strides throwing her arms around Reese, happy that he was home. She had been so worried that he wouldn't come back. He wrapped his arms tight around her. Reese leaned in ready to steal a quick kiss from her cheek. He hesitated over her lips. Ellie blinked those eyes he had been longing for at him. Reese swallowed past the tightness of his throat. It took every ounce of will to simply lay his mouth on her cheek.

  “So, ya missed me, huh?” Unable to let well enough alone, Reese could be childish sometimes. The smile spread wider across his face as he felt her emotions like warm sunlight spill over him.

  Ellie nodded her head. “Of course I did.”

  Reese lingered there with her in his arms. Glad that Vince wasn't there to get angry at him. Ellie laid her head against his chest. She was glad he came back. She couldn't imagine losing him. What happened with Edward shoved a spike of fear into her chest. Ellie loved him. God, she loved Vincent. But she loved Reese too. She couldn't imagine a life without the two of them near her. Reese’s arms around her calmed some of the wild emotions that slithered through her.

  “I mean other than dumb, fucking, luck. What are the chances that one of them would have made their way here? This has to be the guy murdering all willy-nilly all over the town.” Ellie speculated. At least, boy did she hope it was. Still, the nagging little voice in her head would not let her believe it. Ellie tightened her arms around Reese. He was perfectly happy to stand there like that for as long as she would let him. Ellie smiled up into his handsome face.

  Vetler looked at Ellie with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Willy-nilly? Their slang is rubbing off on you, Princess.”

  “Call me princess one more time,” Ellie threatened playfully. She absolutely refused to let that little voice drag her down.

  Anna swallowed the lump in her throat. The events of the night that crazy bitch as Ellie called her, tortured her all came flooding back. She still woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night with the nightmares that bitch caused her. Anna blinked. She tried hard to control her breathing. Suddenly, she very much wanted a gun of her own. Fear clutched at her heart.

  “Who is this guy? How did he find us?” Vetler asked Reese.

  “Ellie met him. Ya ran into him at the diner.”

  “I knew there was something strange about that guy.”

  “Ya sure ya don’t know nobody named Elijah?” Reese asked.

  Ellie blinked wide eyes at him. There was something at the back of her mind. But she couldn’t place it. “I don’t know. There’s something about that name.”

  Reese brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “You’re shaking. I ain’t going to let nothing happen to ya. Neither will Vince.” Ellie nodded laying her head back against his chest. Reese sighed. “We can track, hundreds, thousands of miles, if we got a scent,” he told Vetler. “Usually,” he added lamely. Shane stared at him with wide eyes.

  “Well, we can't just pick up and move,” Charlie said, trying to keep a cool head.

  “Yes, we can!” Ellie cried. “And we damn well should.”

  “Damn it!” Reese cursed, resting his bent head against the top of Ellie's.

  “What? What is it? What's wrong?” Anna cried, on the verge of blind panic.

  “I miss the dining table. There ain’t nowhere to sit now,” he complaine
d.

  Anna scowled, tilting her head to the side in annoyance. Ellie rolled her eyes at the both of them. She would never admit it, but she didn't pull away from Reese because in that moment she needed to be held. Having his arms around her, his body molded against hers eased some of the unexplainable fear running through her.

  Reese spotted both Edward and Vincent appear at the tree line. There was no way Edward would be up and running like that unless... unless Vince had done something extremely stupid. Reese sighed, giving his head a shake. What the fuck was Vince thinking? Reese looked down at Ellie still wrapped in his arms. He knew exactly what Vince was thinking.

  “They’re back,” Reese announced. He pulled away from Ellie a few moments before the door opened.

  Reese wasn't exactly happy with what Vince had done. And he sure planned to tell him so. But Reese got why he did it. Vincent came in first. He was drenched in blood. It looked like someone took a bucket, and dumped it over his head, Carrie style. Vincent gave Ellie a look of contrition. Vincent had been so sure that she would hate him, either way, this turned out. Edward came in behind him, naked, and stained with blood.

  Ellie threw her arms around him. “You're okay!” she cried. Edward thought Ellie was trying to climb through him, she hugged him so tight. Edward froze against her. He worked hard to control his breathing. He looked at Vincent with begging eyes. Ellie slammed her fist into his arm. Edward glared down at her in surprise.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “That is for making me shoot you!” she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.

  Edward shook his head. All the fear and anger leaked away from him the instant he saw her smile. “God, I'm so sorry, little Lottey.” Ellie pulled him in tightly again. When she finally pulled away, Ellie reached for Vincent. Vincent’s lips pulled sideways, his eyes swirled with worry. He stepped forward. Ellie slipped her hand around his neck. Pulling him down, she pressed her forehead to each of theirs.