5 Darkness Falls

by Christin Lovell

  I discarded the duffle bag. I sent up a silent prayer that things went well, so well that I didn’t have to run for this bag on my way out.

  I swallowed back my fear. I was doing this for Kai. I was doing this for my baby boy. I was doing this so we didn’t have to run anymore. I had to face what I was running from in order to avoid having to do it again in the future.

  “Let’s go,” I said. I grabbed Kalia and pulled her in front of me. I fidgeted with the back of her shirt, directing her.

  She mumbled something that I understood as, “Don’t mess with the duds.” Whatever that meant.

  The guys fell in line behind me. We all crouched to Kalia’s height approaching the house to ensure there were no gaps or points of attack.

  As we climbed the steps, the front door opened, revealing a tall, slim woman with short, brown hair. She had an air of elegance to her; regality you didn’t find these days. She smiled, her eyes filling with amusement. “Isn’t this cute. Five little duckies waddling in a row,” she sang. “You can cut the crap. Jewel won’t shoot.” She focused on the line leader. “Hello, Kalia, darling. I see you’ve faired well.” Her lips were tight.

  We walked into a beautiful, traditionally decorated home. I felt like I was walking into a time capsule. The furniture was exquisite, polished and not a day over two hundred. The craftsmanship was impeccable. If I had to guess, most of it was probably imported; it was made of the finest, quality materials.

  “I must say, the pink is adorable on you men.” She smirked as she closed the door behind us. “Come along.” Her heels echoed on the hardwood floors as she led us into a sitting room. She must have seen us coming, because she had exactly six chairs set out.

  She sat down, immediately crossing her legs as she stared at us. “I must admit, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Alexa.”

  Her manners were disarming. Based on Kellan's experience, I knew better. “Hello, Cecilia.” I sat in the chair across from her, removing my helmet.

  The guys followed my lead, claiming chairs of their own before piling their helmets on the floor. “Don’t stand there like an idiot, Kalia. Join us,” Cecilia ordered.

  Kalia glared at her. I could see the socks effectively quieting her. Hm. I guess they didn’t threaten her. She really couldn’t get them out.

  “Fine. Please release her.” Cecilia looked at each of us imploringly.

  I nodded to Drex. He frowned, but complied with the request.

  The moment Kalia’s hands were free, she ripped the socks from her mouth and beat Drex with them.

  He was quick, capturing her wrists with one hand before yanking the weapons free from her grip.

  “Kalia, don’t be petty. I’m sure you got your digs in,” Cecilia lightly scolded her, as if she was a child. She came across levelheaded; calm.

  They both sat down, allowing the focus to return to the important stuff.

  “The infamous Alexa Jackson is finally here,” she cooed. I couldn’t tell if she was patronizing me or not. “To what do I owe this splendid visit?” There was something charming and engaging about the woman, but equally terrifying; like a mental patient with manners.

  “Why am I a threat to you?”

  Her smile was tight. “My, my. Someone is awfully cocky.”

  “Why are you coming after me then?”

  “I’m not going after you, dear.”

  “Fine. Why are you sending other people after me?” My patience was wearing thin already. I was trying to be polite, to not piss her off, but I was so close to the edge. I’d lost Kai because of her and her crap. I was being forgiving. I was being far more lenient than I thought myself capable of when all I really wanted to do was rip her throat out to avenge Kai’s death.

  But that wouldn’t bring him back.

  “You have ruffled my feathers, dear. You’re corrupting the minds of my people, making them believe that vampeens and vampires can exist together.” She eyed my baby bump. “That they can procreate together.” She didn’t bother to hide her disgust.

  “Why shouldn’t they?”

  “Vampeens were never meant to exist. You’re an abomination to the religions of the world.”

  “And vampires aren’t?”

  “No! We are God’s beautiful creatures, the closest thing to his image that exists, with all His glory.” Fire blazed in her eyes. Her entire body stiffened as she glared at me.

  I started to grind my teeth. “Sounds like someone is turning themself into a false god.”

  “Blasphemy!”

  I rolled my eyes. “What about Kalia then?”

  “Her father saw the error of his ways and made her right in time, the way all vampires ought to. A vampire having sex with a human is the worst kind of bestiality in our worlds.”

  “I don’t see it that way.”

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “You are lost, my dear child.”

  Chapter 37

  This wasn’t going where I wanted it to go. We were getting angry. We were pulling away rather than uniting together. We were arguing rather than finding common ground.

  “Do you believe gays and lesbians should have the right to marry?”

  Her head spun towards me quickly, her brows dipping inwards as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Tread carefully,” she warned; her voice was low and tight.

  “Some believe marriage is a liberty that everyone should be able to have and to enjoy. Others believe same-sex marriage is an atrocity and that by simply allowing such a thing to exist, they would in essence be condoning sin. My point is, they have opposing opinions and views, yet they both exist in the same world, concurrently. Your opinion that vampeens are abominations is just that, an opinion. You’re going to exhaust yourself trying to stop us from existing; the same way the Knights of Columbus exhausted themselves in trying to pass Proposition 8 in California, fighting against same-sex marriage rights. They fought to refuse a privilege, to a specific group of people, in a country built on freedoms. It’s not going to erase the gay, lesbian and transgender population from the Earth. Inevitably, it’s only going to delay progress towards equality. The same way you’re trying to fight a race that will never be extinct. As long as vampires and humans exist, so will vampeens. I’m not saying you have to support the procreation of our kind, or even support our existence, but at some point you’re going to have to, at the very least, accept it.”

  She folded her hands in her lap, meeting my gaze head on. “Why?”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged, her brows rising and falling in unison. “I have no reason to.”

  “Aren’t you tired of fighting?”

  “No. Because I’m not the one out there fighting.”

  Kalia’s head snapped back. “What?” she snarled.

  “Don’t get yourself worked up.” She quickly dismissed the young girl. “You see, Alexa, I don’t have to fight. I have others who do it for me. I suppose you would probably compare me to the pastor sending his church out to campaign against gay and lesbian rights rather than going himself.”

  I searched my mind for a new angle. Any other angle. This wasn’t working. This wasn’t working and I was slowly slipping behind a quiet rage. Cecilia had no remorse. She ruined lives and didn’t care. She acted as if she was being a good citizen, but…

  “Where’s Jewel?” Derek asked, with a knowing grin on his face. He winked at me.

  Cecilia’s face pinched as she glared at him. “That’s not your concern.”

  Jewel? That was definitely a female’s name. Tread carefully. Practically spearing Derek for asking about her. Cecilia was… “Cecilia, are you gay?”

  “That’s no concern of yours,” she said through a clenched jaw.

  “Then who is Jewel? You obviously care about her a lot to react like that.”

  She rose up from her seat. “You’ve got two seconds to get out of my face before I do something crass,” she stated.

  I stood in front of her, though I was a good six inches shorter, I didn�
��t back down. “Female vampires can’t have children. That means she is your lover, or at least someone you love.”

  She growled. “Enough!”

  “You are a selfish lover if I ever met one then because, if you stopped this big radical venture of yours, your lover could walk free. You keep her under wraps because if people knew she was yours, then her life would be in danger, wouldn’t it be?”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She grabbed me by the neck. “One wrong move and you're done.”

  The guys moved in on her, but I immediately held out my hands to stop them.

  The storm brewing in her eyes told me the truth even when she didn’t.

  “You want a wrong move? Your people killed a man I loved, the same way the woman you love is going to end up: dead. You know how I know that? Because he’s proof!” I lit up, electricity sparking on my surface. I couldn’t hold back my emotions anymore. I couldn’t fight my fury when it needed to be released. I would never get over Kai’s death; I could never accept it knowing others would face the same fate in spite of it.

  She dropped me in a split second, shaking out her hand.

  I inched closer to her, allowing my rage to intensify, giving it free rein on my surface. I reveled in the way she leaned away from me. “You think you’re protecting her here? Not on your life, sister. You can’t escape fate, and fate dictates that you will fall under your own sins. The war you’re starting over something we can’t change is going to have your enemies at your doorstep ensuring she’s killed. And let me tell you, sweetie, you can’t bring her back to life! She’ll never come back, and you’ll have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life. Because it’ll be your fault. All. Your. Fault.

  “Instead of accepting vampeens, knowing they can’t change what they’re born as or born into, is an ignorant mentality for a gay person considering you can’t change the fact that you were born this way with this longing yet are ridiculed just the same. So congratulations. You got your wish. You stole a man I loved. But you forgot one thing. Karma’s a bitch!”

  My heart pounded in my chest, my pulse thumped erratically. My baby boy’s heartbeat reflected my own. Shit. I needed to calm down.

  I took a step back from her. She hadn’t moved and merely continued to glare at me like I was the abomination she claimed.

  I focused on taking deep breaths.

  “That’s it, baby cakes. She’s not worth it.” Drex met my gaze, reassuring me, encouraging me with his eyes.

  Slowly, I returned to a normal state. The blue dissipated as quickly as it’d appeared. I rubbed my belly, trying to calm my son.

  Cecilia sat back down in her chair, crossing her legs and cupping her hands in her lap. She lifted her chin. “The theatrics were unnecessary.”

  “They were only unnecessary if you would have listened without them. You clearly didn't."

  “Yes, well. I do hate being disproved.”

  I took the seat across from her again. “Listen, I’m beyond pissed at you for what you allowed to happen. But in good conscience, I couldn’t do the same to you. That’s not to say someone else won’t. So if you do love her, you’ll choose her over this ruthless war. You’ll choose to accept the things you cannot change and focus on what you can. Why not fight for your rights instead?”

  She studied me up and down before addressing Kalia and the men. “Excuse yourselves. Now,” she barked.

  Kalia immediately skipped away, looking thrilled to be free. The guys all scrutinized me, ensuring I was comfortable with this.

  I shook my head, telling them to listen and go.

  They shot a look of warning at Cecilia on their way out the front door.

  “She doesn’t love me back. Our love is not mutual in that way.”

  “But your love still endangers her, regardless of whether it is reciprocated,” I reasoned.

  “She has been taken before.” Her voice was hard, devoid of emotion, as if she was afraid to let go and relive what she felt in that time.

  “At least you got her back.”

  “It was a group of vampeens from the very army you control that took her.” She pressed her lips tightly together, looking at me expectantly.

  “I’m sorry about that. I can assure you the vampeen army is run very differently these days.”

  “Hm. So I’ve noticed.”

  We sat in silence for a minute. She wasn’t making any strides in accepting me, but she also wasn’t piercing me with her eyes anymore.

  She sighed. “What do you want from me?”

  “Commitment.”

  She smirked, her eyes dancing with sarcasm.. “Sorry, dear, pregnant women aren’t my thing.”

  I gasped dramatically, clutching my hand to my chest. “I’m shocked!”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure,” she droned.

  “I’m not asking you to change your beliefs or even respect the existence of vampeens. I’m asking you to accept it. I’m asking you to stop punishing us for something we can’t change.”

  “And that?” She pointed at my belly, awkwardly.

  “Was made out of love. You should know better than anyone that you can’t control who you fall in love with, even if they don’t love you back.” I couldn’t hide the sadness in my voice near the end.

  “I should have hired you to negotiate my assassin contracts. You make too much sense to deny.”

  “So, you’ll sign a peace treaty?”

  She remained silent, watching me, observing me. Finally, she extended a hand. “Against my better judgment, I will work with you. However, should any vampeen cross me or threaten the ones I love, all previous arrangements will become null and void.”

  “Limit it to just the ones that come after you and we won’t have a problem.” I shook her hand.

  She sighed. “I suppose you’ll want me to come back with you.”

  “I have reps from every group here so you don’t have to.”

  She glanced back towards the stairs. “She’s been asking to get out for a while. I keep her cooped up most of the time, in fear that someone will…” She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. “I will tell Jewel the good news and be packed shortly.”

  “How long has she been with you?”

  Cecilia got a starry eyed look as she stared into the distance. “Long enough for me to love her when no one else did.” She smiled wistfully. “She had a hard childhood that, I’m proud to say, I saved her from.” Her smile faded into a frown. “Though judging by the prison sentence I issued her here, I suppose I shouldn’t be so boastful.”

  “Give me just a minute.” She stood and I quickly followed.

  Cecilia disappeared through a door under the stairs. Less than a minute later, a young woman came flying through the door screaming in delight. She nearly knocked into me.

  She abruptly stopped, allowing me to get a good look at her. She was beautiful in a rare, exotic sort of way. I couldn’t pinpoint her ethnicity, but that seemed to only add to her inexplicable charm when she smiled. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware we had company.”

  “It’s alright. I’m fine,” I assured her.

  She cocked her head, as if I looked familiar. She glanced back at Cecilia, who was watching her closely a few steps behind. “Is this-?”

  “Yes.” Cecilia cut her off.

  She turned back to me, her eyes beaming with appreciation. “Whatever you did, thanks. I’ve been dying for a vacation. Now, if you’ll just excuse me. I need to pack.”

  “Of course.”

  She rushed upstairs like a child that’d been told they were going to Disney for the first time. Excitement carried her away to a different world.

  “Please have them prepare the documents. I’ve decided to take her to several other destinations afterwards. She deserves a break.”

  “I’ll make the call now.”

  “Very well.” She bowed her head before ascending the stairs, presumably to pack.

  I pulled out my phone and called Au
ggy.

  “Where the hell is that address Jackson?” he grumbled.

  “Stop whining and prepare the treaty docs.”

  “Wh…” His growl was abruptly punctuated. He chuckled softly. “Well I’ll be damned,” he muttered, mainly to himself it seemed.

  “See you soon, Augustine.” I smiled as I hung up.

  I opened the front door, and Derek nearly fell on top of me. They tried to play it off like they weren’t ready to barge in if I needed them. “Let’s call a taxi, boys.”

  Chapter 38

  Two weeks later…

  His cologne left a faint trail in the hallway outside our condo. He’d been there, probably to get clothes. My heart immediately tensed. It’d been almost a month since I’d seen him. As much as I wanted to forget him and move on, he would always own a large part of me. They both would.

  My hand shook as I unlocked the door. The moment I opened it, his cologne assaulted my nose. The baby fluttered about, as if it sensed his lingering presence. The condo was too quiet.

  “Go ahead, baby cakes.” Drex was right behind me, gently coaxing me.

  I ambled forward and around the corner, abruptly halting. I gasped, my hand flying to cover my mouth. Tears sprung as he came into view.

  He’d never looked more handsome. He wore a traditional tuxedo; his hands were clasped behind his back, as if he was waiting at the end of a wedding aisle. His hair was spiked the way I liked it; his emerald eyes were sparkling with love, the love that I always knew was there, even when he treated me bad.

  I knew other people were there, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He enraptured me; he spoke to me on every level with his silent gaze. My heart was soaring; my soul was crying out for him. I couldn't get to him soon enough.

  “For crying out loud! I freaking stuck a needle in my heart to surprise you and held my breath. Will you at least run towards each other like in every sappy movie?” Mel interjected.

  I couldn’t move past the tears. They streamed openly down my face. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him. My chest felt tight, my lungs barely expanding as I took him in.

  Slowly, I pulled myself together enough to glance around. Everyone was there. Old and new friends filled the living room, though there was one person notably absent. But it wasn’t just a loss of one; it’d been a loss of many over the past year. I just couldn’t see past the one. None of the others compared to Kai, even my parents, but Kai was never Kellan. No one could take Kellan’s place.