by CC Solomon
“I’m fine.”
Phillip paused for a moment, looking at the both of us. I’ll check on you later.
I gave him a curt nod before he left.
Erik turned to me. “I’m sorry.” He looked at me with concern.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” I replied, wrapping my arms around him.
He froze for a moment, not embracing me, and I hugged him tighter.
“I hurt you,” he said in a pained voice.
“No, you didn’t. You scared me. Let’s go home.”
I closed my eyes and whispered the teleportation spell to bring us back to the apartment.
Once inside the ruined space, Erik finally embraced me, kissing the top of my head.
“I’m sick, Mina,” he finally said, sounding painfully exhausted.
“No,” I replied. I suspected it, but I didn’t want to hear it. I wasn’t ready. I would never be.
“We can’t afford to risk that I’m not.”
“How did this happen? Did I infect you?”
He shook his head. “You couldn’t have. You aren’t sick.”
“Maybe I can carry it but just not have any signs of it. I’m a carrier. Oh my God, what if I got Brandon sick somehow?”
“It could be a number of things that got me sick. We don’t know if you were some type of carrier. I didn’t have any signs until last night, and even then, I thought I was just getting a cold. I work around a lot of people, Mina. I get exposed to all types of things being in law enforcement. I get spit on; I get people’s blood on me, I get hurt when I have to subdue someone. I eat out a lot, so who knows what someone could have put in my food. I’m not sick. I could have been drugged.” He pulled away and grabbed my hand, holding it tightly. “The important thing is that you and Phillip were able to fix me.”
“Even if it’s just a bandage.”
Erik nodded. “Eventually bandages wear off. We can’t take anything for granted or take chances. Which is why I think it would be best if I leave.”
I frowned. “Leave? No, you can’t do that. We’re mates, and you’re part of The Six. We have to stay together.” It certainly sounded logical, but I didn’t want to be without him.
“You aren’t going to talk me out of this, Amina. You weren’t here earlier. It was just me and Brandon, and I just snapped. I could have hurt him, even killed him. I could have killed you or … done other things. It’s like my mind went blank, and I went straight to this primal rage.” Erik looked away as his voice broke. He coughed and sniffed before turning back to me. He looked like he was fighting back tears and struggling to hold in his emotions. He was most likely feeling the same things I was feeling. Fear, worry, and guilt. He was a stoic man and would never show his pain, and I wouldn’t push him. “I have to go, Mina.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll go to where Bill and Mae are. They’re in a house about five miles from here. I can live in that area near them.”
“Away from us.”
“Keeping you safe. We can arrange visits. It gets worse in the evenings and night for the infected. That’s when most attacks happen. But if one day I don’t come for a visit, you don’t look for me.”
I leaned my forehead into his shoulder. My heart felt like it was constricting. “This sucks. I don’t understand how all this happened. The soulmates were behind this. I should have taken Gedeyon’s offer.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Erik turned to fully look at me. “We’re going to get through this. We’ve been through time apart before. This is no big deal. Just look out for Brandon. I’m sure I traumatized him.”
“Look out for him? Erik, I can’t watch him on my own.”
“Mina, his mother is missing. He has nowhere to go.”
I couldn’t be a single parent. I couldn’t do this without Erik. It wasn’t … what I wanted. “It’s too dangerous for him to stay with us, me. The soulmates could use him as bait. Maybe Mr. Johnson could watch him.”
“They could do the same with him if he stayed with Johnson. And I will visit when I can. I’m sure the others will be there for you too. We can ask Charles to move in with you. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
I moved away from Erik and got up. “If he gets hurt, it’ll be on me. I can’t focus on defeating the soulmates, finding a cure, and watching him at the same time. I can’t do this. I can’t do this on my own.”
My heart quickened, and my throat felt like it was tightening up. I raced to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I turned on the shower and slid to the floor. Resting my back against the bathroom door, I rubbed the palm of my hand into my chest. Hot tears fell from eyes against my will, and I sobbed to the point of hyperventilating.
This was too much. I thought of my brother dying the first time, my banishment, the people killed fighting the Unseelie Fae in Ireland, the regression attacks, attacks that happened to me, Gedeyon’s threat, Blake who was possibly the female soulmate and her escape, Joo-won’s close proximity to us, Seth’s barbaric rule, and now this.
My breath felt short, and I couldn’t take in enough air. I crawled away from the door and paused on my knees before resting my forehead on the floor, rocking back and forth. I tore at the neck of my sweater, feeling constricted.
“Amina?” Erik called behind the closed door.
I didn’t answer and instead took my coat off and pulled my sweater up over my head before leaning my forehead down on the floor again. Losing the sweater didn’t help. I still felt like my body was in a vice. I dry heaved and moved to the toilet, retching, but nothing would come out.
The door opened, and Erik walked through. “Take a deep breath through your nose.”
I did as he instructed.
“Let it out through your mouth and take another one.”
I followed his instructions and took several deep breaths. Soon I was able to breathe normally and the panic constricting my heart loosened up.
Erik sat down on the floor and wrapped his arms around me. He didn’t say anything for a long moment.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Erik finally said.
I didn’t want him to think I was weak. I was stronger than this. I could not fall apart again.
Erik was going through enough without worrying about me.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Just ate something bad is all,” I gently pulled away from him.
“Yeah, I’ve had that happen before,” Erik stated.
I glanced at him, but his face gave away no look of disbelief, and I loved him even more for that which only broke my heart even more. I sniffed away any threatening tears. I couldn’t rely on him anymore. I never should have. I never should have relied on anyone. I wasn’t strong enough to handle things when they broke apart. However, I’d have to learn to be.
Chapter 22
We’d pacified Seth with the test which he planned to administer to everyone in town.
Fortunately, I was not infected, so I rested a tad easier that I didn’t make Erik sick.
The test was also accepted by Colonel Robinson in Hagerstown, which prevented the forced exodus of all the paranormals. They still lost a portion of that community who no longer felt like true equals, rightfully so, in that town. Some of those people came to us, and some went who knows where. It was a shame because we lost allies.
Erik moved out the next day while I was out. When I returned, the place looked totally different than his sparsely decorated bachelor pad. Now it was filled with silver and royal blue accessories and vibrant art.
The furniture was light and sturdy with a pale grey suede sofa and natural wood rectangular coffee table that matched the rounded dinette set. The study was now a pale green and no longer housed a desk and but a full-sized bed, side table, TV, and dresser.
Our bedroom was different, as well. Light blue walls balanced off a deep gray fabricated headboard and navy blue and white patterned bedding with enough pillows for me to get lost in. Just how I liked i
t. Matching black side tables and dresser, pearl colored lamps, and framed artwork matching the coloring of the bedroom gave the space a sophisticated touch. It was all perfect for my taste, and he had done this all just for me before leaving.
It made me want to cry. As beautiful as it all was, the apartment felt less comfortable without Erik.
Ella was still missing, and I still had Brandon who was beginning to become a nervous child. Not that it was surprising. In just the time I’d known him, he’d gone loupe and been almost attacked both by a vampire in bloodlust and a were going loupe.
In between trying to keep Brandon calm, I moved forward with building up preparations for the impending attack by the original soulmates. I had kept my distance from Phillip and Chelsea. I wasn’t sure I could fully trust them anymore. I was sure that did nothing to strengthen our own soulmate bond, but to do otherwise would be foolish, and I was done being the kind and gullible Amina. I had to protect myself and those I loved.
A week into single momdom, I had an unexpected visitor. I had just sat down with Brandon to eat dinner when I heard a knock at the door. I jumped up, annoyed at the interruption. I’d spent too little time with him as it was with all that was happening.
When I opened the door, Raya was standing there with a look of panic on her face.
“We have a problem,” she said immediately.
“What are you doing here?” I readied myself for another attack. While we’d curbed any advancement of her sickness, I knew that at any moment the regression could break back through, and she could lunge out and bite me again.
“Can I come in?” she asked, looking up and down the hallway, still in obvious panic.
I sighed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I replied in a tight voice hoping she would sense my irritation.
She looked back at me. “Please, Amina. I won’t hurt you. I promise. I’m sorry about what happened before. You know I wasn’t in my right mind. In fact, I’m leaving soon.”
“To go where?”
She looked behind her again. “Can we talk inside?”
“Brandon is here.”
“I won’t do anything wrong. It’s important that we talk.”
I gave her a long glare before curiosity got the best of me, and I opened the door wider for her to come in. “If you try anything, I will kill you. It won’t be like last time.”
Raya nodded, unbothered by my threat. “That’s fine. I understand.”
I narrowed my eyes. Why was she being so agreeable? It must be serious. “Let’s talk in my bedroom.” I led her through my apartment. “Brandon, finish your dinner. I’ll be back, then we can go over your homework.”
“K, he shouted.
Raya and I walked to my bedroom, and I closed the door behind me.
“It’s really special what you have with that little boy. He needs that. Now more than ever.”
“What do you mean, ‘now more than ever?’ Why are you here, Raya?”
“Seth killed someone who wasn’t sick.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I know that. I saw that piece of shit order the killing of a bunch of people who weren’t sick the other week.”
Raya shook her head quickly. “I’m not talking about that incident. He killed one of his concubines. He said she was sick. But her test results showed she wasn’t. She was just PMSing if you want to be real. But he just shot her point blank in the head in front of the other wives, me, and our fifth in command. And I think he’s behind Ella’s disappearance. I already knew he was into some foul shit, but I think he’s gone insane.”
My heart froze. I was no fool. I had suspected Seth was behind Ella’s disappearance, among many other evil deeds. However, I had a tough time getting proof. He had a whole town behind him. A town full of people I needed as allies. If I was going to accuse their leader of something, I had to be right. “Does anyone else know what he did?”
“I haven’t told Erik. This just happened.”
“What? So, the body’s still there? Who’d he kill?”
“Sarah. The blonde.”
“You just left the others there?”
“Of course not. I got them out. Well, all but one. She locked herself in a bedroom. The others are in our fifth’s apartment right now. Carter stayed behind to keep an eye on Seth and make sure he doesn’t kill the other woman. He said to get you.”
I rolled my eyes. “There you go, burying the lead,” I grumbled before opening the bedroom door. “Brandon put on your shoes. We’re going to visit Mr. Johnson for a bit.”
I went to the hallway closet and put on my brown hiking boots. Brandon, the well-behaved child that he was, did as he was told and put on his sneakers.
“What are you going to do?” Raya asked.
“I’m going to do what you are too scared to do. Kill Seth.”
A woman’s cries filled the quiet hallway as soon as the elevator doors opened to Seth’s penthouse level apartment. “Well, screams are good. Means she’s not dead.”
“You aren’t going to really kill him, are you?” Raya asked.
“You didn’t come get me because you wanted me to negotiate with him.”
“We thought maybe you could freeze him or something until we see what’s wrong with him.”
“Nothing’s wrong with him. This is who he is.”
“If you kill him, the pack will come for you.”
“Not with you and Carter as my support, as well as the other wives and the fifth to collaborate what you are saying.”
“It won’t be that easy.”
I turned from her and stood in front of Seth’s door. This was the opportunity we needed to get rid of Seth. Was I sure I could kill him? I was in no place to underestimate him. However, I also knew I wouldn’t sit back and let him continue to kill innocent people.
I opened the door with my magic and stepped inside with Raya close behind me. I entered the living room, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, and saw Seth grabbing a woman with dark blond hair by the neck, Pamela. He aimed a handgun at her head.
“Come on man, put the gun down,” Carter shouted, hands raised.
I didn’t wait for Seth to respond. Instead, I recited a conjuring spell, and the gun disappeared from his hand into Raya’s grasp.
Raya looked down at her hand in shock and then held tightly to the gun. I was not a good shot, and I preferred to use my magic as my fighting tool.
“Amina,” Seth cried, eyes bloodshot and crazed. “Sneaky woman. What are you doing here?”
I took a step forward. “Let go of your wife.”
“She’s sick. They’re all sick. I have to protect the town.” He tightened the grip around the woman’s neck, and she gurgled a cry.
Carter moved towards Seth.
I took another step towards him. “Your wife is not sick. She’s—” I stopped speaking as I caught sight of a body on the ground. Sarah was sprawled out in the center of the living room near Seth’s feet. Her eyes looked vacantly up at the ceiling with horror, a bloodied bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. I frowned and shook my head. “Sarah wasn’t sick, and neither is she.” I nodded to the woman in his grasp. “You’re a murderer, Seth. All this regression illness has made you unstable. You need to step down and let Carter take over.”
Seth let out a short laugh. “Who do you think you are giving me orders? I’m not going anywhere. I asked you to find a cure, and you failed.”
“You said to come up with a test, and we did that.”
“Your test is bullshit,” he spat. He let go of the woman, and she tumbled to the ground. The fact that he hadn’t immediately killed her meant he was playing with her. He wanted her to be scared. He enjoyed it. This wasn’t about getting rid of a possible infected. This was about his twisted need to indiscriminately kill.
Carter started towards her, but Seth grabbed him by the arm. “You go over to her, and I will kill you,” Seth said, still looking at me.
Carter wrenched his arm free and took a step back
, looking at the sobbing woman on the floor.
“My test works,” I stated in a steady voice.
“Then why was Sarah still sick?”
“She wasn’t sick from any regression.”
Seth sucked his teeth. “You don’t know shit. And don’t think I don’t know that Erik is sick. I heard about that episode he had a few days ago. I’m not a fool. When I’m done here, I will kill you and that boy and then find him and kill him too.” Before I could respond, he bent down and twisted the neck of the woman, killing her instantly. He moved with such speed I could barely track his movements. It was too fast, even for a were.
Raya cried out and shot at Seth. A bullet hit him in the shoulder, and he stumbled back slightly. “What did you do?” Raya shouted.
“The only threat to your people is you,” Carter yelled before tackling Seth to the ground.
The pair tussled, but Seth, even with the bullet wound, eventually overpowered him. He moved on top of Carter and slammed his head down on the hardwood floor. I lifted my hand in the air, and Seth flew up and off Carter. I floated him across the room and crashed his body through the windows of the fifteenth story apartment.
“Holy shit,” Raya cried.
I walked over to the window, not speaking, and carefully leaned over the broken glass to look down.
A hand grabbed my arm. “Be careful,” Carter advised.
Seth couldn’t fly. He lay sprawled out on the pavement, unmoving with arms and legs bent at unnatural angles. A pool of dark red blood grew around him, covering the snow on the sidewalk.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” Raya said, standing behind me, a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I shot him. I really am sick.”
I shook my head, still looking at Seth’s contorted body. “If you were sick, you wouldn’t have shot him. You’d have gone to your primal self and attacked him with your claws or tee- what the hell?”
Seth’s body began to twitch and then move. Before our very eyes, he moved his broken legs until they were facing in the right direction. He soon did the same with his arms, and then he turned his body so that he was laying, on his back, staring up at the sky. Seth sat up, and I reached my limit of watching this nightmare.
