Shed some Light

by Amber Naralim

  That was the understatement of the century, and Vincent knew it. Reese was the only thing that kept their squad alive. Not a one of them listened to Officer Perry, their commander. He couldn't find his helmet half the time. Perry was an even worse soldier than Vincent, and that was saying something. Every one of them looked to Reese as their leader, even Perry. Reese made the plans. Reese ran point on every mission. Reese was a soldier all right. He was a damn good soldier. Vincent gave his older brother a smile over Ellie's head.

  Ellie smiled at him. “All right then, soldier boy,” she said. “I am fine. I'm worried about this crazy coming after us, but if you're right, and you can sense him a mile away then I believe you.” Ellie rolled her head up to look at Vincent. “I will tell Vetler the same thing.”

  Vincent shook his head. “I have no doubt you will,” he said, leaning down to steal a kiss. He gave her that flash of his wide eyes. Vincent swallowed his annoyance. He agreed with Shane. She needed to talk about it with someone. It got worse the night he beat Edward to death. She tried to hide it. Ellie didn't do a very good job.

  “They‘re just dreams,” she scoffed. Both Vincent and Reese shared a look. The dream she had was not just any old dream. Her fear had woken Reese up out of a dead sleep. He swore she was being attacked.

  “Are you going to work with me today?” she asked Reese. He had promised to work with her some more on her shooting. He rather enjoyed being able to shoot the Colt again. Reese had even started carrying it again. Maybe he would show her a few things hand-to-hand, depending on how he felt. Reese shrugged. “What about you?” she asked looking at Vincent. “You have plans today?”

  “Depends, what have you got in mind?” Vincent asked, raising his eyebrows. He ran his hand over her stomach, loving the way the silk shirt felt against his skin. He laid a few open-mouthed kisses on the side of her throat that she enjoyed thoroughly.

  “Sparring, shooting, you know fun stuff,” Ellie said with a smile.

  “Yeah. What you consider fun.” Vincent tried hard to push the angry thoughts down. Spending the day watching her let Reese plaster his body against her. Watching him touching her, using any excuse to be close to her was not what Vincent considered fun at all. “Actually, Charlie asked me to go into town with her today. Do you mind?” Herculean task number two.

  “Course not,” Ellie said, giving him a smile.

  “Do me a favor?” Vincent said, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Change out of that shirt. I would hate for you to get blood on it. I can think of plenty other great things for you to do with me in that shirt.” Vincent laughed. “As a matter of fact,” he said digging into his pocket. Vincent pulled his phone loose, holding it up. The first picture he took was of them together. Then he took several of just her. Before he blew her a kiss and headed down the steps.

  “Well, ya heard him. Take that shirt off, now.” Reese laughed.

  To his surprise, she did just that. Ellie pulled it up over her shoulders. Even Ellie had been surprised at how quickly she got used to being naked. The Hale boys were always ripping out of everything they owned. They’d lived out of a car for so long. The idea of being naked in front of one another lost all of its awkwardness pretty fast.

  Ellie decided on a much less fun shirt. Reese watched her pull it on over her shoulders. This one was a long-sleeved, thin, jersey knit. Nowhere near as sexy, but much more fitting for how they planned to spend the day. Ten minutes later they went at it. Reese was pleasantly surprised at the progression on her footwork. She was getting faster. Even if to him, she still moved at a snail’s pace.

  Ellie threw a punch that he dodged to the right. He lashed out grabbing her wrist, her forearm, pulling her forward off balance. Ellie slipped her leg between his. She twisted her fist, wrapping it into his loose t-shirt, pulling him down with her, only because he let her. They rolled in what was left of the snow. That was northern Canada for you. Early June and there was still snow on the ground. Not much, still. They rolled once more with Reese coming up on top. Straddling her, he pinned her shoulders to the ground.

  Ellie laughed at him, laying her head back. Her chest heaving, she stared up at him. “One of these days, I am going to take you,” she declared.

  “Well, darlin’, all ya got to say is when,” he mocked. Reese brushed the hair out of her eyes. His smile wilted at the edges a little bit. She really had no idea how much he wanted just that. Ellie moved her hips, trying to push him off her.

  “You going to let me up?” she asked.

  “I'm thinking.”

  Chapter 33

  “Hey, are you alright?” Charlie asked. “You have been staring out that window, dejected, nearly this whole drive.”

  Vincent looked at her. “Just fine, Charles, the world is my oyster,” he said. His voice sounded sullen and pissy. He breathed in deep and shook his head, his chin came down slightly and Vincent looked at her again. “My brother is in love with Ellie.”

  Reese made him the promise that he would never act on it, and part of Vincent almost believed that. Reese had never been one for lying. But Vincent couldn't help the jealousy he felt. It was little things. He would catch Ellie looking at Reese, sighing when he touched her. It drove Vincent crazy. Well, crazier.

  Ellie was everything to him. Losing her was something so incomprehensible to him it made his heart squeeze with fear when he thought of it. These past months were the happiest Vincent had been. Having his brother with him again was wonderful. He loved Reese. Knowing Reese was there to protect her, knowing that Reese cared enough about her to take care of her was a good thing. Vincent just couldn't bear it if she left him for Reese.

  Charlie blinked at him a few times. Reese didn't even try to hide the way he felt about Ellie. Charlie took in a deep breath. “You have nothing to worry about, Vincent.”

  “Why do you say that?” Vincent asked, blinking those dark eyes at her.

  “Ellie loves you,” Charlie told him simply. She tore her eyes off the road to look at him.

  “She loved Reese. She thinks I'm a monster,” Vincent said sadly. His eyes dropped to the floor, a crushed frown breaking across his features.

  “What on earth makes you think that?” Charlie asked, reaching over to take his hand.

  “She told me,” was all he said. Charlie was speechless. She had never known that girl to be cruel. Charlie looked the question at him. “She told Reese, the one in my head,” he admitted. “She told him that she would help him kill me.” Vincent sighed. “She should have. I keep trying to be him. Trying to be the man she thinks I am. I'm not, Charlie. I'm not a good person. I'm definitely not what she wants me to be. I don't know if I can keep pretending like this, Charlie.”

  The tears rimming his eyes made her sigh. “Ellie doesn't want you to be anything, but what you are.” Charlie plastered her lips together. “You are a good man, Vincent. You just have to believe it yourself, honey.” Charlie squeezed his hand. “Ellie loves you, even if you don't want to believe it. I know deep down a part of you knows it,” Charlie told him. “You will only lose her if you let her go.”

  Her words brought the ghost of a smile to his lips. Vincent was always tearing away at himself. Ellie never showed him anything but love, acceptance. When she said those things, she didn't know him. The problem was, he was afraid she still didn't know him. Ellie was right. He was always holding back from her. He kept so many secrets, hid so much away from her. Vincent was afraid that if she saw the real him. She could never love him, not the way she professed to.

  Ellie had given over every part of herself to him, and she only ever got to see glimpses of him. All of them only ever got to see glimpses of him. Even before Vincent was infected, he hid. Afraid of what evil he was capable of. Afraid he was just like their father. Vincent’s breath fogged the glass.

  Charlie was right. He just couldn't make himself believe it. Ellie trusted him utterly. She believed in him, in a way that made him believe in himself. Through her, he learned to control the
Beast inside him. It wasn't the Monster, the infection that scared him anymore. It was the man. Truth was it always had been. Vincent saw that evil in his father’s eyes. Before he was old enough to walk, Vincent knew what it was. He recognized it as part of him.

  Jasper Hale was a passionate man. He could love. There were nights when he would touch their mother with the gentlest of hands. Jasper Hale revered her. He also hurt her just to hear her say his name. He smiled when her tears fell. That same cruelty ran through Vincent. That same malice. That was the part of himself he kept hidden from her.

  Ellie believed the Monster held him back. That he was afraid of it. She was wrong. That Beast was a simple creature. Give it what it wanted, feed it, and it would purr happily. The darkness he was afraid of was something different entirely. It was his need to shatter bones. His delight in other people's screams. Vincent could never let her see that piece of himself. He could never let that part go.

  Vincent ran his hands through his hair. Charlie patted his thigh. “Are you going to be all right, sweetie?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I'll be okay,” he lied. Vincent plastered a smile onto his face. Looking for anything else to think about, he asked her why, “Why did you want me to come with you?”

  The look on her face made him worry. Charlie took in a deep breath and licked her lips. “I took a sample of Edward's blood yesterday. Mostly, out of curiosity. But what you said about Bennet trying to make you have children got me thinking. I was a little worried about Lucky.”

  Vincent looked at her confused. “The baby?” He laughed at the name. “You think there is something wrong with it?” Worry stole over him.

  “No, that baby is fine. It was Edward's blood that was kind of... wonky,” Charlie said.

  Vincent took in a breath. It was always about Edward. “What's wrong with him now?”

  “It's not so much wrong,” Charlie said. Vincent gave her a look that said he had no clue what she meant. “Baby, you are amazing,” she told him. “Your cell division. Your structure, superhuman is the only word for it. And looking through your files it has gotten steadily better. Every time they stopped your heart, you came back better.” It was the only word she could think of.

  “Okay?” Vincent said, still not quite following what she was talking about.

  “Edward is better than you,” she said.

  Vincent laughed. “What like more powerful?” he scoffed.

  “Yes!” Charlie said simply. “His blood, compared to yours. Is like your blood, compared to mine. Your cells are off the charts. His are in the stratosphere. It's like there is nothing left of Edward’s DNA.”

  “Okay, so he's powerful. Why are you worried?” Vincent asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

  “I'm not, I just thought you should know,” she said.

  “Charles,” Vincent admonished. “I've known you since you were five. I know when you're worried.”

  “Okay, maybe I'm worried,” Charlie admitted. “I just think it might be harder for him to control.”

  “You think I shouldn't have infected him?” he asked, plastering his lips together.

  “I know why you did it. And we knew there could be a risk. This probably doesn't mean anything. But I wanted you to know, just in case,” Charlie said.

  “I'll watch him,” he assured her.

  Charlie gave him a smile. That was all she needed to hear. She eyed him. Vincent may be able to read her like a book, but that was something that worked both ways. Charlie could do the same with him. He was still worried about Ellie. The problem was, nothing she could say could make him feel better. If he didn't believe that Ellie loved him, then he never would. Vincent refused to see what was right in front of his eyes. The only person to convince him otherwise was him.

  Vincent sighed. His mood was slipping down into the abyss. His conversation with Vetler hadn't really helped. Charlie didn't belong here. Vincent hated the idea of telling her to leave, though. Weeks since Edward freaked out and the stress levels had not slipped away for any of them, up until then, things were going... good.

  A breath fell out of him. Vincent blinked his swirling gray eyes at Charlie. He really did love her. Charlie was the closest thing to a daughter he would get. Vincent looked forward every week to her coming to see him. For nearly ten years, they spent every Saturday together. He watched her grow from an adorable and sweet five-year-old girl into a lovely teenager.

  She hadn't changed much in all that time. Charlie had grown. But she was still a sweet-tempered lovely woman. He wanted her to be happy. Part of him knew that would never truly happen with him in her life. Vetler was a good man. Charlie had finally found someone who was almost worthy of her. Vincent reached across the seat and touched her hair.

  “I want you to be happy,” Vincent said giving her a bittersweet smile.

  “I am happy, Vincent. Why would you think I wasn't?”

  Vincent took in a breath. This hurt a lot more than he thought it would. “I think you and Vetler should go. I can knock over another armored truck. I could help you two make a life together.”

  “What are you talking about, Vincent?”

  “He's afraid of Edward. Now I know you're afraid of Edward. Vetler's afraid he'll lose control and you will get hurt. And the truth is Charles, he's right. He’s right to fear.”

  “He went to you?” Charlie’s face fell into a scowl. She would certainly be having a stern talking to with Shane when they got back to the house.

  “Charles.”

  “Vincent, I can't leave. What about Anna?”

  “What? You don't think I could birth a baby? I grew up on a farm.”

  Charlie chuckled at the wide-eyed look of confidence he gave her. “I know you can do anything, Vincent. But it's more than that. This is supposed to be a family. You don't just leave your family when things get difficult.”

  And that right there was why Vincent loved her the way he did. She had such a big heart. Nothing in this dark life could change her sugar-coated view of the world. Ellie could hope. She shined with it like a beacon in a dark world. But Charlie could love. She loved deep and she loved unconditionally. It made all of them around her better for it.

  “I love you, Charles. I have since I saw that smile of yours.”

  Those words brought out said smile. “I'm not going anywhere, Vincent.”

  He sighed. Vincent hated himself for wanting her there. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. He was second-guessing infecting Edward. Vincent really hated him more every day. His whole world seemed to revolve around Edward. Vincent was tired of thinking about him.

  Vincent followed Charlie around the grocery store like a shadow. Lost in his own thoughts. He did manage to talk her into a box of yellow Hostess cupcakes, though, a bright spot in his otherwise black day. When they got back to the house, both Ellie and Reese were showing Anna how to shoot. It wasn't so much about hitting anything. They were teaching her the stance, getting her used to the kick, the feel of the gun.

  Vincent hefted a few boxes of food and headed inside. He heard Ellie's footsteps come up behind him and smiled when her hands closed around his chest from behind. She pressed the side of her face against his back. “Missed you,” she said.

  Vincent sat the boxes down on the island and turned in her embrace. He touched his feverishly warm hands to her face, leaning in for a kiss. Ellie was surprised by the passion of it. “Well, I guess we'll have to let you hang with Charlie more often,” she joked.

  Vincent looked around. “Where's your brother?”

  Ellie shrugged, coming around to poke at the boxes. “Out. Probably hunting.” She smiled wickedly. “Why, are you worried he is going to catch us doing something naughty?” she asked conspiratorially, with a raised eyebrow.

  “Maybe,” Vincent said with a devilish grin of his own. He moved so fast she didn't see it. His arms closed around her, and they were halfway up the steps before she realized they were moving. Ellie laughed at him as he laid a line of kiss
es down her throat. Her laughter echoed out across the field behind the house. Reese let out a smoky breath and did his damnedest to be happy for them.

  Chapter 34

  Vincent ran naked and happy. He was full, for now. Two deer and a bobcat made his Monster content. They hadn't played this game since they were kids. Reese appeared behind him, his bloodstained mouth smiling. Reese started counting, just like he did back then. He got to three before Vincent took off running through the tall spruce trees. Hide and seek was a much more interesting game to play nowadays.

  Charlie's words helped some. They always did. Vincent had been able to push back his desolate thoughts for the rest of the month or so it had been since their conversation. Ellie was his. She chose him. He and Reese were getting along like they did before this darkness fell on their shoulders. A better mood, a happier outlook, Vincent was finally beginning to let go of the worry. He wasn't afraid he was going to lose her. This is what a family was supposed to be. Vincent was afraid to admit that he was happy.

  As if were he to say it out loud, it would call down some wicked spirit to take it all away from him. He had Ellie. He had Reese. He had Charlie. And boy, did Vincent love the sound of that baby’s heartbeat. Anna was still getting used to the idea. Vincent knew once she held that sweet, tender thing in her arms she would come around.

  Sometimes Vincent caught himself fantasizing about what it would be like if Ellie were carrying his child. He never let her know of course. It didn't matter. They had each other, and that was enough. If Ellie realized what Reese felt for her, she didn't act like it. Ellie was his girl. That thought made Vincent smile.

  His feet slammed against the forest floor, his heart pumping, senses on fire. He may be faster than Reese, but his brother always had some trick up his sleeve. Vincent’s arm lashed out, catching a low hanging branch. He used it to push off the ridge. His body went flying through the air. Vincent landed gracefully, rolling, coming up on one knee. The light rain sparkled in his hair. It helped to clean away some of the blood.