by Hart, Lane
"Princes!?!" Ryan exclaims. "You can't possibly be foolish enough to believe such-"
I drop him to his knees, forcing him to shift to his four legged form, a silver wolf. "I warned you to watch what the fuck you say to me. Not only are they my sons, but they are my heirs, just ask the lion who submitted to them at the zoo. From now on you will protect Riley and Noah with your life! Now get out!" I yell in command, and the animal has no choice but to leave the room.
"What are you going to do?" Hope asks, grabbing my arm to force me to look into her worried, emerald eyes.
"Whatever it takes to stop them."
"Please go with us. I don't want anything to happen to you," she says, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I'm going to be fine. You just worry about getting yourself and the boys someplace safe. We'll stay in touch with satellite phones just in case the cell towers go down."
"But-"
"We need to hurry. Go get the boys ready and come say goodbye before you leave," I tell her as she pulls her clothes on. Of course I wish I could go with her. Hell, I wish we were still in bed, where it felt like everything in my life was finally perfect.
Rushing down the hall to my office, I have to think about all the innocent people we need to save, instead of the selfish things I'd rather be doing. I look down at my cell phone I swiped from the dresser and see that I have hundreds of missed calls and no telling how many texts representing just a few of the cries for help from our people.
The blinking lights on the office phone show several calls are currently coming through. I press them all while conferencing them together, knowing it's our informants from all over the world. They're the only ones that have this number.
Putting the phone on speaker, I immediately hear multiple frantic voices talking over top of one another.
"Quiet!" I yell. "I'm getting ready to direct Mark to send out an email and text alert to all of our people telling them their leader orders males over the age of eighteen to get off their asses and take these fucking bloodsuckers out by any means necessary, including shifting."
"You can't mean-"
"It's suicide-"
"Why should we-"
"Enough!" I yell to silence the complaints. "There's nothing else we can do, and I'm going to try my damnedest to lighten the blow of surprise about the underworld. Now coordinate your people and get to work!"
I slam the receiver down, disconnecting the call and pulling my cell phone out to call our IT man.
"I had a feeling I'd hear from you," Mark answers. "So what's the plan?"
"Mass communication through all channels. A royal call to action for all adult males, any female volunteers for action, and the rest to render first aid. Shift if necessary. Whatever it takes to stop these bastards. Any vampires not with Drake need to be donating blood for the injured."
"Got it."
"How about a public service announcement?" I ask.
"I can only take over the major television networks for a few minutes, so make it quick. Radio airwaves are child's play."
"Good. I'll get it to you in the next half hour. Once this is all over there's another announcement I need to make presenting my soon-to-be wife and our two four-year-old sons that carry the lion."
"Wow. Congratulations! Everything seems to have a way of working out, huh?"
"Yeah it does. But first, let's finally rid the world of these murderous vampires."
I hang up right as Hope, Heath, Kayla and the twins appears in the doorway. "You ready?" I ask, swallowing down the selfish regret of not being able to go with the woman I love and the sons I just met. They need to get out of town and out into the rural country where they'll be safe, and I need to track down the vampires since I'm the best weapon there is against them.
"Yes," Hope says barely above a whisper when she throws her arms around my neck. I hold her tightly against me, promising her that this will all be over soon and when it is the four of us, or likely five or six of us, will take a vacation.
"How about the beach?" I ask her, ordering my arms to let go of her even though my heart doesn't want me to.
"We've never been," she replies with a sniffle, swiping her tears away from underneath her eyelashes.
"Then I can't wait to take the three of you," I tell her.
I squat down to get eye level with the twins. "Will you guys be good and on your best behavior for your mom?" Both strawberry-blond heads nod. "Soon we're going to get to spend a whole lot of time together doing all sorts of fun things, okay?"
"You said you wouldn't leave us again," one of the twins says, crushing my heart.
I'm getting better at telling them apart because I'm almost certain the emerald eyes staring unwavering into mine are Riley's while Noah's are cast down to the new shoes Marjorie bought them.
"I don't want to, but there are a lot of people getting hurt who need my help."
"So you have to be Batman again?" he asks.
"I do," I answer, hoping the lie will help him understand as best he can.
"If you have the suit on, you can't get hurt by the bad guys, right?" Noah raises his eyes to ask.
"Right," I assure him.
"Good," he says, throwing his small arms around me. Never an emotional man, I now struggle to keep my composure while getting my first real hug from my son. Riley almost breaks me when he hugs me as well.
After they let me go I stand up and have to clear the emotion from my throat before I give final orders to Heath. "Take them to the lake house, pick up supplies on the way, and stay there until this shit is over. Don't let anyone in."
"Cake walk," he says dismissively. "You're gonna be having all the fun so just...be careful."
"I will," I say while giving him a one-armed, masculine hug. "Now go, we've wasted too much time."
"Let's go Ginger One and Ginger Two," Heath says, and when he doesn't make any jokes it tells just how serious of a mess we're in.
After rounding up Charles and Marjorie I quickly usher them to the garage filled with vehicles to give the sixteen men in charge of keeping my family safe their orders. Then I do one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I tell them goodbye.
Chapter Twelve
Hope
The Coughlin lake house is nice and comfortable, but I can't even begin to let myself relax.
After tucking the boys in, Heath, Kayla, Charles, Marjorie, and I sit down in front of the TV to finally get an update on what's going on in the rest of the world. One of the major networks replays Eric's video message from earlier, explaining the underworld to an already nervous population. He tells them the vampires murdered his father, and are now trying to end his life to obtain the freedom that would allow them to do even more harm. He says his people, shifters and innocent vampires are voluntarily doing what they can to put a stop to the violence. Then there's videos of the savage attacks around the world. After seeing one of Eric killing vampires from a distance with just a thought, I'm sure he's convinced even the most nervous critics that he's one of the good guys.
We watch the television all night, and by sunrise, most American cities are reporting that they've gotten things back under control, the same happening slowly in some of the other countries as well. I say a little prayer that things are looking up, which hopefully means we'll be going home to Eric in no more than a few days.
“We’re not safe here,” Kayla says to me quietly at the kitchen table as we sip coffee to stay awake. “I think we should leave, just you me and the boys.”
“What are you talking about? There are sixteen guards surrounding the house in the middle of nowhere and Heath is here with us. We’re as safe as we can get during this craziness,” I assure her.
“He’s not safe! He’s one of them!” she hisses, referring to Heath. I know after her bad experience with evil vampires she is somewhat prejudiced, but I’d hoped she’d see that Heath was a good guy.
“Trekkie, are you trash talking me again?” Heath asks when he joins us,
taking an empty seat at the table. I can tell by Kayla’s cringe that she wants to make a run for it away from him.
“Trekkie?” I ask in confusion.
“He’s referring to my Halloween costume from years ago,” she answers with a huff.
“You two met at that party?” Wait a second. “Heath you were Dracula?” I exclaim.
“Ugh.” Kayla shivers. “I can’t believe I slept with a vampire.”
“So, you two…?” I ask.
“Oh yeah. I had to pry her off my cock,” Heath teases, making me laugh. It’s nice to have a temporary distraction from everything that’s going on in the rest of the world. “We fucked in the forest after King Cunt’s men crashed the party.”
“Shh!” I hush him, even though the boys are still asleep.
“I had to have been really drunk,” Kayla mutters, staring down at her coffee with a blush coloring her face.
“You weren’t drunk. When I took you home you said you hoped I’d call you,” Heath explains. “I was going to…but then the next day I met this wild chick named Vanessa, and she was a hellcat in bed.”
“You’re a pig!” Kayla groans.
“Actually sweetheart, I’m a leopard,” Heath says before he stands up and shifts into the large feline right there in the middle of the kitchen floor.
I look over at Kayla expecting her to be freaking out. Instead she’s smiling. “I think I prefer you as a leopard. Now you can’t talk.”
The two continue bickering the rest of the day. If I didn’t know better I’d think the two actually want each other, but Kayla is scared shitless of Heath, and he pretends to be annoyed with her.
…
The next night, Heath and I are actually able to fall asleep after hearing even better reports from the news channels. The exhaustion of staying up two nights in a row pull us under into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I'm not sure how long we've been asleep when we wake to gunfire.
"Oh God!" I jump out of bed at the same time as Heath.
More shots ring out, the guards outside shooting at someone or something.
"Go to the boys’ room and lock the door," Heath says as he quickly dresses.
In the hallway I run into Kayla and drag her across the house to the twins’ bedroom. Both boys are sitting up in bed, eyes blinking with sleepiness, trying to figure out what's going on. Kayla locks the door while I scoop the boys up. The four of us huddle together in the small closet.
"Shh. We need to be quiet, okay?" I tell the twins and they both wrap their arms around me in the darkness.
We all jump out of our skin with every gunshot, but eventually the night is quiet again. Eerily so. I wait in the floor of the closet, the boys and Kayla clenched to me, too scared to leave just yet.
When the closet door opens I'm expecting it to be Heath, assuring us everything is okay. I scream when I see the man it actually is covered in blood.
…
Eric
I'm exhausted. I've been hopping from one plane or car to another for almost three days straight tracking down and killing vampires. Finally, we've got peace and calm again across North America. After a short break, I'll be heading overseas to make sure things are under control. I'm on my way to the lake house to bring Hope and the boys home before I have to leave again. I’ve only talked to them once because everything was so hectic and crazy. At least they were away from the chaos.
I know something's wrong when the guards driving me start talking frantically into their earpieces to the guards in cars behind us. That's when I notice the bodies littering the ground. My men. All slaughtered. I jump out of the car before it slows, my heart racing, panic setting in when I see the front door is still wide open. I take two steps into the foyer and fall to my knees.
Heath.
He's covered in blood, too many wounds to count. I don't have to even feel for a pulse to know he's gone, but with a shaking hand and watery eyes, I do it anyway. Nothing.
His skin's is cool to the touch, lifeless. Pain and fear keep me on the ground. I'm too scared to go any farther into the house...but at the same time...I have to know. I wipe the tears from my face and force myself to my feet on shaky limbs.
The house is quiet as I walk slowly through it. The guards let me lead the way because they know the danger is long gone. The living room is where I find Charles and Marjorie. The two were more kind and loving to me than my own parents, and now they're gone, too. What little hope I had that I'll find the woman I love and my boys possibly injured but still alive escapes me. I still push myself farther into the house to look for them.
The first guest room I come to is empty but the second...a sob escapes my throat when I see her.
I kneel beside her and lift her into my arms. I swear I must be in a horrible nightmare. There's no way she's gone...it's impossible. Incomprehensible. I brush the hair from her face and see the bullet wound through her head. They were supposed to be safe here! Oh fuck! Where are the boys? He wouldn't have...he couldn't…
"Find the boys!" I yell to my men. If they've been hurt...I can't bear to see it, and I can't make myself let go of Hope or leave her side. I'm waiting for her to open her beautiful emerald eyes and tell me everything is okay. That this isn't really happening. That I haven't lost her and everyone else I love. Kayla’s body lies not far away, her unseeing eyes still open.
"Your Grace?" one the guards says. "I'm sorry, but there's no sign of them."
Maybe they're okay. I have to tell myself that they are. But where the fuck are they? I don't even know where to start looking for them. The pain in my chest is excruciating, but the longer I wait...we need to find them before it's too late. They're probably terrorized after losing their mother, and now scared and alone with that fucking vampire.
Holding Hope in my arms, I force myself to my feet. I won't let her down. I'm going to find Noah and Riley and keep them safe.
Not knowing what else to do, I call the human police, so that they can put out an Amber alert for the boys and an APB on Bron Drake. Officers and a line of ambulances show up in record time. They force me to let Hope go since it's now a crime scene. I don't bother telling them there's no reason to investigate. I know who did it and he won't be alive much longer. I just need to find the son of a bitch. I can't keep waiting around, hoping he turns up. There's got to be a quicker way…maybe a spell.
Saying goodbye to the four most important people in my life until I can give them the proper burials that they deserve, I have a driver take me back to Eden. It still doesn't seem real that I've lost everyone, just when I'd finally found happiness for the first time in my life, the bastard took it all from me. He left me alone and empty. The boys are all I have left and I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth if needed to get them back.
On the drive back, I call the one woman I know who does spells worth a damn and she agrees to meet me. She's sitting on the porch waiting for me when we pull up at the house.
"Young Coughlin." She stands up from the patio chair.
"Is this what you meant? About me losing it all because of Drake?"
"You have no one but yourself to blame."
"Why?" I ask, unable to hold back more sobs. "Because I wasn't with them? Because I chose to save everyone else but the only people I've ever loved?"
"You finally did what you were destined to do. If you'd only stepped up to be the leader you needed to be sooner, they'd still be alive and your twin heirs would be safe."
"I need you to help me find them. Help me find Drake."
"That's all you want?" she asks. I'm too upset to know if she's being sarcastic or not. It hurts too bad to give a shit.
"I want them back unharmed."
"All of them?"
"What?" I ask. "They're gone. I'm begging God to let Noah and Riley still be alive, that's why I need your help before it's too late."
"It's never too late," she says.
"He could still kill them, or worse. What if he keeps them alive while he tortures
them? Every second we wait might be too late!"
"What if you could go back?"
"Back?" I ask in confusion.
"There may be a way for you to go back and set things right. Put everyone on a different course with a different future."
"You're kidding."
"There are no guarantees. You could very well make things worse-"
"It can't be worse than this!" I exclaim.
"Then if that's what you want, you'll have to make a sacrifice."
"Anything," I say.
"You'll have to give up your family's dynasty."
"But-but what happens then?"
"When you return to the past, the strong survive, and the weak will fall prey to them. Thousands, maybe millions, of innocent lives will be lost since no one will able to stop the vampires or any other member of the underworld. There will eventually be chaos worse than we've seen the past few days."
"But Hope will become pregnant with the twins? Heath. Charles and Marjorie. They'll still be alive?"
"Yes. Your six loved ones will live while everyone else will lose people they love."
I hang my head with the weight of my guilt and shame. Could I be so selfish as to let people die, so that I could be happy? To see Hope's beautiful smile one more time. Hear Heath's ridiculous jokes. See my two boys from the moment they're born. Have the two people who raised and were always there taking care of me alive again.
What about all the other wives, girlfriends, children, best friends, and parents who will be lost? How can I say my family is more important than someone else's?
"I can't," I tell Li Na through the sobs, knowing I've truly lost them. I'll find the boys and keep them safe. Make sure they remember their mother. What she selflessly sacrificed for them because I wasn't there for her or them.
"You could, but you're doing the right thing for once," Li Na says and then she thrusts a medicine cup in front of my face. One with a familiar red syrup in it. "Drink this. It'll help the pain."
"I don't want anything that will knock me out. I have to stay awake and look for Noah and Riley."
