“Huh?” She stared at him blankly.
“Did you notice that hot chocolate I gave you tasted different?”
Samantha thought back. It was only a couple of months ago, but it felt much longer than that. “Yes, I remember it was really thick and rich. I thought you used some heavy whipping cream or something for the base.”
“No, I used my blood and then flavored it with milk and chocolate.”
“What?!” She forgot how to breathe. Saliva filled her mouth as if she were about the throw up. “Wha—what does that mean?”
“It means that my blood protects you from dying along with the rest of us.”
Tremors shot through her chest. “But how would that work? If I drank your blood, wouldn’t that ensure that I die with you?”
He shook his head. “I gave you my blood freely. It was a small sacrifice for your benefit, made out of love. It’s how the magic works.”
“But if I kill you, and everyone dies, I’ll be all alone.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t think I can do that,” she whispered.
The boy’s careful control disappeared. He leaned forward and gripped her hands tightly. “You must. Samantha, you are the only one who can do this! No one else who loves me is capable of this. Even Tafari, with his strong sense of duty, could never kill his own child. It falls to you.”
“But I can’t lose you. I can’t stand the thought of this world without Nik,” she sputtered.
“This life was not meant for you,” he insisted, his accent making it difficult for her to understand. “I know this is hard to believe, but Nik is not for you. He should have died long before you were born. Every one of them should have. Even your relationship with Leisha is not good. You may be related, but it’s—”
“Wait. Just a minute.” She pulled her hands from Liam. “We’re related?”
Sighing, the boy suddenly looked much older than ten. “Distantly. You’re a descendant of Iliana’s brother. Her family is a long line of psychic powers. If Leisha had been born human, she still would have had some powers.”
“Are you saying my mom had an ability, too?”
He shook his head. “Your father.”
Blood drained from her face, and Samantha felt light-headed.
“We’re getting way off track here.” Liam glanced around impatiently. “They’ve broken through and will be upon us soon.” He picked up the sword and offered it to her again. “You have to do this, Samantha. It will restore the balance that your world has needed for the last two thousand years.”
His words rang true within her heart. It was a load on her, weighing her shoulders down, but Liam was right. If not me, then he and I will both die by the hands of an immortal or a vampire.
“Exactly.” Liam was filled with fierce passion. “I know it’s not fair, but you must do this. You’re the only one. It’s what your vision tried to show you.” He pushed the hilt of the weapon to her palm.
This time, she took it. The handle was covered in worn leather, but it still felt cold in her grip. She stared at it through her tears, uncertain she could do this.
“You need to cut off my head.” Liam knelt in front of her. He smiled and it brightened his whole face. “I’m glad I got to see your world, Samantha. Don’t ever take it for granted. It’s a beautiful place.”
She got to her feet shakily. Glancing down at Liam, his emerald eyes shining love for her, it was all she could do to keep her grip on the sword.
Footsteps pounded in their direction and Tafari backed into the room, fighting off three immortals. Samantha recognized the councilman named Arthur. He was yelling obscenities at Tafari.
“How could you leave us for vampire trash?” Arthur lunged while Tafari was blocking another opponent. The blade sliced into his back until Tafari pivoted and knocked the sword away.
“Leisha is more than any of you will ever hope to be!” He struck and cut off the head of the immortal to his left. Arthur and the other immortal took the opportunity to stab his back.
“Die, you vamp-slut!” the immortal screamed as he raised his sword to decapitate Tafari.
Samantha screamed. The others looked at her. Arthur’s eyes landed on Liam and his face lightened in triumph. Tafari used the distraction to knock the sword out of the other immortal’s hand.
Suddenly, more immortals came up behind them.
Liam touched Samantha’s sword arm. “You must do this now.” His voice was rushed, urgent. “Before it’s too late.”
Samantha glanced at the old metal in her hand as the sound of flesh being ripped and steel against steel clashed.
“Sam!” Liam yelled.
Samantha looked up to see four immortals running toward them, weapons ready. Tafari was still by the doorway, fighting with Arthur. She raised the heavy sword as Liam’s claws extended. He jumped on the first immortal, his claws and fangs digging into flesh before the man could look back.
Samantha used the sword to block a blow from another immortal, but it was too heavy to seriously fight with. The immortal knocked the sword from her two handed grip and lunged to stab her, but Liam intercepted, quickly tearing into his flesh and killing him.
Samantha couldn’t track Liam’s movements, but he left a trail of blood and corpses wherever he moved. Suddenly, he was standing in front of her, the sword in his hands. “It must be done now! Vampires and immortals are about to flood in here.” Once again, he pushed the weapon into her hand and glared into her eyes. “There’s no choice. You must do it.”
Both vampires and immortals ran into the room. Samantha couldn’t see Tafari or Arthur among the crowd pulsing in. They were far enough away that Samantha had a little time. But I’m not capable of this!
“You can,” Liam said softly. “There is no other way.” He knelt.
Leisha entered right behind the others. Her eyes widened in incomprehension, and then horror when she saw them. “Samantha, what are you doing?” She ran toward them.
“Now!” Liam shouted. “Do it before anyone can stop you!”
Samantha felt as if she were outside of her body as her arms raised the heavy sword up and to the side. She used all of her back and stomach muscles to twist the sword to the side as she brought it down. It was a clean cut. Liam’s head spun twice before falling off to the floor. It lay upright, the carpet soaking up Liam’s oily, red blood as it spurted out of his neck to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Goodbye, brother. I’ll miss you! His smile stayed in place and Samantha thought that he was still looking up at her, as if he still heard her thoughts. The sword slipped from her hand and clanked loudly on the ground.
Taking a breath, a small, broken cry escaped her body. She wasn’t sure if she could live with herself after this. How could you make me do that, Liam? But, he couldn’t respond. He’d never talk to her again.
An anguished scream tore through the air.
Glancing over, she saw Leisha still heading toward her at breakneck speed. The vampire landed on top of her, forcing them both to the slick, bloody ground.
“Why?” Leisha screamed. “Why?” Her hands came up and punched Samantha clumsily on the cheeks. “How could you?”
It didn’t work. The realization was more than Samantha could bear. She did the worst thing she could ever think of and it didn’t even work. Her chest felt heavy, as if it was sinking past her stomach.
She hoped Leisha would kill her. Closing her eyes, she gladly took the abuse from her friend and reveled in every bone-cracking blow.
Suddenly, the onslaught stopped. Not just Leisha’s attack, but all sound in the underground chamber. It was unnaturally silent. Samantha opened her eyes to see Leisha staring at her hands. They were no longer solid. They looked almost translucent.
Looking up, Samantha saw that the vampire’s face was the same. She reached up and tried to grab Leisha’s hand, but it was like trying to grip water.
She could feel it, but couldn’t quite grasp it.
Leisha gazed into Samantha’s eyes with questions, but couldn’t seem to speak. Then she was gone. Her clothes floated down and landed on Samantha. Slowly sitting up, Samantha looked around to find clothes scattered all around. Even Liam’s body had disappeared, with only his shirt and pants remaining.
Samantha walked as if in a dream through the corridors. More clothes were littered all over at the bottom of the ladder, but there was no blood, no sign of anyone. I never got to say goodbye to Tafari. Now he’s lost in a pile of anonymous clothes.
The ladder was charred and dented from the grenade Leisha had dropped, and it shifted precariously as she climbed up. The hatch had been yanked off and destroyed. But besides the clothes, there was nothing.
She stumbled in the sea of empty clothes and sat heavily. She couldn’t even get herself to cry. Her eyes were as dry as the desert surrounding her. Glancing down, she saw the dark blue shirt Nik had been wearing. It was right in front of her, as if waiting for her to notice. Even with only stars to illuminate, she knew it was his.
With trembling fingers, she grabbed the material and brought it to her nose. One inhale, and Nik’s scent was suddenly embracing her. Clutching it tight to her chest, Samantha raised her face to the sky and wailed. She was beyond using actual words to say goodbye to the only man she’d ever loved. All she could do was cry and scream at the heavens for putting her through so much anguish.
The sky was starting to lighten when her voice finally gave out. Exhaustion pulled at her, but she knew she couldn’t stay there, surrounded by those clothes that represented all the people she’d just killed. Numbly walking to the cars, Samantha found one with keys in it and drove away. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was going to do. All she knew was that she had saved the world and was now she all alone. I resent being the hero.
Epilogue
Two Months Later
Samantha walked into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She’d just finished a twelve hour interview at FBI headquarters. It had been grueling, and she could barely bring herself to drag one foot in front of the other over her hardwood floor. But from what she could gather, she would be offered a job very soon.
It had taken several recruiters and a lot of promises to convince her that they weren’t going to experiment on her. But apparently, that secret division had been closed down. On paper, it had never existed. One of the recruiters had shown her evidence that proved it really was closed for good—files of all the people involved in that division, and their death certificates, along with pictures of their corpses at the morgue.
When the recruiter, Nancy, had closed her laptop, Samantha had been uneasy about joining the FBI. Nancy must have sensed that. She reached out and patted Samantha’s shoulder. “You have no family, Samantha. They’re all gone.”
She shrugged off the woman’s hand. “I’m fully aware of that.”
“Do you find it difficult to get to know other people?” Nancy looked at her tablet. “Our records show that you interact with others on a minimal level. The only time you see people is when you’re shopping.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “How would you feel if you were in my situation? The people I considered family were supernatural beings. Now they’re gone. How can I carry on a casual conversation with someone and feel like we’re bonding? Should I tell them I have visions and watch them scurry away from me as fast as they can?”
Smiling, Nancy looked at her tablet again. “So far, we have nine recruits. Each of them have a psychic ability to help investigate different phenomena.” She paused and met Samantha’s gaze. “If you joined us, you wouldn’t be alone in this world anymore.”
Now she was actually in the process of joining a special division that was more . . . open-minded. The idea of working with people who were like her was too tempting. And being a field agent would help her feel like she had a life again.
Life had grown agonizingly mundane with no vampires, immortals, or hybrids to keep her company. The ironic part was that she didn’t actually need a job. While all trace of Leisha and the others was erased, Leisha’s bank account was very much accessible. Samantha had considered traveling the world for a while, but didn’t think she’d enjoy it by herself. So instead, she’d tried to start a new life. A life with my own name. It was nice to not pretend she was a different person anymore. Not that it mattered since she didn’t really talk to people much.
Of course, if she became a field agent, she would probably have to work under cover, but the idea didn’t bother her as much as she’d thought it would. Too bad I didn’t keep my human servant powers. I could kick anyone’s butt if I still had that extra strength.
After washing her face and slipping on her pajamas, she decided that she was too tired to eat, and went straight to bed. She would have a big breakfast in the morning to make up for her fast. For now, sleep was all that she wanted. She didn’t have any obligations tomorrow. From this point, it was simply a matter of waiting until FBI headquarters contacted her.
Sliding between the cotton sheets, Samantha sighed. She was so tired that she didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment she was awake, and the next, she was dreaming deeply.
She was standing in a place that seemed barren. There was no sunlight, no grass or plants or trees. Just rocks, ash, and a colorless sky. She didn’t see any people or sign of life. She moved forward, a disembodied consciousness hovering over the landscape, uncertain of what she was supposed to see.
She glided in a circle and noticed a few stars starting to shine in the sky, but there was still no color. She moved to continue forward, but was stopped by the most beautiful sight. It was Nik. His body was clothed in a royal blue robe, and his smile was brighter than anything she’d ever seen. His hazel eyes and sandy hair stood out prominently against the gray background.
“Samantha.” His voice drifted over her and she savored it.
He opened his arms and tears sprang to eyes she didn’t actually have as she rushed to him. She distinctly felt his large, warm hands around her. It brought feelings of safety and contentment. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Sobs threatened to shake her nonexistent body, but she suppressed them. She didn’t want anything to ruin the moment.
“What’s going on?” She pulled back and gazed into his shining hazel eyes. “Am I having a vision?”
“Of sorts. I wouldn’t be able to visit you if you didn’t have your abilities, but this isn’t a vision of the future.”
She brushed her fingers lightly over his face. “What is it then?”
“We didn’t get to say goodbye. I wanted to thank you for what you did.”
This time, she couldn’t fight her tears and they spilled over her cheeks. “Why would you thank me? I’m Death. Because of me, everyone died.”
His index finger grazed her lower lip. “Don’t think like that. What you did was save millions of human lives. No one has to die to provide blood for vampires. And that’s all because of you. I never knew you could be so strong, Samantha. I’m so proud of you.”
Leaning down, he kissed her tenderly. His lips felt firm and so full of life. He pulled away and took the heat with him. “Be happy, Samantha. I love you for who you are and what you’re becoming.”
“I love you too.” Her voice cracked.
He faded into nothingness. Samantha reached out to hold him there, but grasped nothing. She sat down hard and continued to cry, but someone appeared next to her. It was a woman Samantha had never met. She had long, blonde hair with brown eyes. Her straight nose and angular jawline reminded her of Leisha.
The woman smiled warmly. “I want to thank you for bringing my daughter to me. We are finally together.”
“Are you . . . Iliana?”
“Yes.” She leaned over and hugged Samantha. The love and adoration flowing through her body at Iliana’s tou
ch was almost overwhelming. “You have a long, full life ahead of you. Don’t dwell on the past, dear. You’ve learned a lot from your experiences. Be sure to use that in the future.”
She disappeared before Samantha could respond.
Samantha didn’t see her new visitors appear. One second she was alone, and the next Tafari was on one side of her and Leisha on the other.
Samantha froze when she saw Leisha.
Her friend must have sensed her hesitation and smiled reassuringly. “I’m here to say goodbye, Samantha. You are an incredible woman and I look forward to when we’ll see you again.”
“You mean you can visit me more?”
“No,” Tafari answered. “This will be the only time. Rinwa sends her regards, by the way. Our magic was unable to include her. What Leisha means is that when you die, after a long and adventurous life, we will be waiting for you.” He grabbed Leisha’s hand. “All of us. Together.”
They leaned in and hugged her from either side. Samantha had never felt so at peace, so ensconced in love.
“Be happy,” the couple said in unison.
Samantha woke with a gasp. She sat up and looked around her dim room. The presence of Nik, Leisha, and Tafari still felt incredibly strong. But no one was in her apartment. Lying back down, she stared at nothing in particular above her and felt a smile stretching her lips for the first time in months. Be happy, they had said. That’s what she intended to do.
Acknowledgments
As usual, I must thank my critique group and beta readers for all the help they give me. A special thanks to Rebecca Rode and Reece Hanzon—thanks for pushing me so hard! And to my tribe—you know who you are.
Author Bio
Adrienne Monson is the award-winning
author of the Blood Inheritance trilogy and a paranormal Regency novella, Eyes of Persuasion. She resides in Utah with her husband and two children, where she works on more stories to share with the world. She also enjoys reading, kickboxing, and cooking. Adrienne Monson has immersed herself in different kinds of fiction since a young age, but she has always had a voracious appetite for vampire novels. She currently lives in American Fork, Utah, with her husband and two kids.
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