Love In Death

by Elizabeth Stokes

  For now, she knew that as terrifying as the flames were, they were a sign she could still breathe. When the flames disappeared, she would be in danger of doing so as well.

  Allison struggled to walk amid the pain. Again, she was sure there were at least a few broken and fractured bones in her body, but she needed to move quickly. She managed to walk around the giant boiler tank. In the shadows, blocked by columns of flames, she could see the dead bodies of the newborn vampires that the Sieve had sacrificed with her. They were completely ruined with no chance of resurrection. But they were not her enemy any more.

  The fire was. And it was an enemy quickly winning against her.

  But first, Xander.

  Allison rounded to the front of the giant boiler tank and peered inside. Xander was still chained naked to the inside of the boiler tank, appearing to be barely alive. He took the brunt of the explosion, as evidenced by the giant burns across his body. It also appeared that part of the explosion incinerated large portions of his flesh, reducing him to a partial skeleton. His hair was also completely singed from his scalp.

  But he was alive.

  His eyes opened, and he saw Allison standing behind a wall of flames from the gas jets on the lip of the boiler tank. He immediately started to struggle against his chains.

  Allison wasted no time in kicking the metal pipes at the lip of the boiler tank. They served as a curtain of fire to keep Xander in place – and possibly part of the Sieve’s twisted experiments to burn him to near-oblivion to see if he would come back to life. However, after the explosion, the metal of the pipes had softened enough that Allison could bend them each with a strong kick of her boot. Soon, she had the pipes turned away, shooting harmless flames under the tank and to its sides.

  Allison stepped into the tank, feeling the heat of the metal melting the rubber soles of her shoes. However, that was a small sacrifice to be back in Xander’s arms.

  When she reached him, she gently touched his face with her hand. Their eyes met, and she could see through all of his pain that he was happy to see her. She kissed him gently on his burned, blistered lips.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” she said, almost having to shout above the roar of the fire surrounding them. Xander smacked his lips, and she knew immediately what to do.

  Allison pulled up her coat sleeve, exposing her wrist, and without much thought to the pain, bit down into her pale flesh just below the palm of her hand. She didn’t reach the vein, but the surrounding flesh bled quickly. She held her exposed wound up to Xander’s mouth.

  Xander began suckling quickly, eagerly. A moment later, she felt the sting of his teeth bite through the flesh and into the vein itself in her arm. Soon, she felt the blood flow from her arm as Xander sucked greedily on her wrist.

  Allison quickly became lightheaded, though she was unsure whether this was from the heat, the loss of blood, or the lack of oxygen in the room. She looked behind her and saw the flames around them starting to die down, and she instantly knew that it was the latter. The air would soon become unbreathable, and then she would pass out. Her only hope was to free Xander now!

  Allison looked at her lover, and instantly saw the healing begin. The wounds on Xander’s face were closing up and fading. His scalp was reforming before her eyes, and she saw the hair return almost as quickly. There was still a lot more healing he had to do, but his strength was much better now.

  Xander managed to tear his mouth from her wrist and then sucked in a deep breath.

  “We have to go,” he said, his voice raspy. “Now!”

  Allison nodded, starting to swoon. She stepped back to give him some room, but when she did, Xander was still struggling with the shackles attached to the inside of the boiler tank.

  He’s still restrained! Allison thought, and suddenly she felt hopelessness sinking in her heart. How heartbreaking to be this close to escape but to still be trapped. Even if she had her vampire weapons, she did not know how a flamethrower, grenades, or wooden stakes would help her at this point.

  Xander yanked against the shackles, but they held firm. Perhaps if he were whole, he might have been able to escape on his own. But Xander was in a weakened state. He could barely move, much less break the bonds that held him.

  Soon, Xander looked up at her, sadness washing over his face.

  “Go,” he said, his voice raspy and torn. “I will find a way out.”

  Allison, shook her head furiously, tears welling up in her eyes. “No!” she yelled. “I’m not losing you again!” Twice was enough for a thousand lifetimes!

  “I will still live,” Xander said. “You won’t.”

  Allison was not so sure of this. Did she still have his blood in her veins? Would she be able to survive if she passed out? Would she make the transformation? And would he survive himself, burned to such completion in the belly of this metal beast?

  As much as Allison feared death, she feared a life without Xander. The only way to make sure that didn’t happen was for both of them to escape.

  With time draining away, Allison started to panic. She reached at her side, knowing the grenades and vampire weaponry would do her no good. Then, her hand rested on her belt, and she smiled.

  It was likely the lack of oxygen and the panic that caused her to forget the other weapon she had brought with her. It was essentially useless against vampires, but it could do some good now.

  Allison drew her service weapon and flipped the safety off. She cocked it, chambering a round, and then held the barrel right next to the chain securing Xander to the inside of the boiler tank. Allison then closed her eyes and pulled the trigger, and the small explosion of gunpowder echoed in the tank. Along with that sound came the distinct clattering of metal. She opened her eyes to see the metal shackle dangling from the secured point on the top of the tank, and Xander’s hand suddenly freed.

  “Yes!” Allison said, looking at Xander, who smiled back, proud of his lover’s ingenuity. Allison then quickly fired into the other chains, breaking apart the shackles and releasing Xander, who immediately collapsed.

  Allison quickly dragged him out of the boiler tank, which was burning his exposed flesh. Xander did not cry out, but he was clearly in pain.

  Allison draped his arm around her shoulders and helped lead him to the stairs.

  When Allison reached the top of the stairs, she kicked open the large wooden door she had descended into with the Sieve what seemed like an eternity ago. As the door swung open, a blast of cool air smacked her in the face, and suddenly she could breathe freely again. However, she spent no time relishing in the experience. She already felt a wave of heat rising up the stairway as the fumes and flames from below tried to escape while the fresh oxygen-rich air tumbled down the stairway. Allison knew they only had a few seconds before the backdraft ignited the air in the kitchen as well.

  She continued to support Xander, stepping over the flamethrower and the other belt of grenades without a second thought. They were useless to her now that the Sieve and his minions were either gone or burned to death. At this point, an arsenal of weapons was the least of her concerns.

  Allison gasped huge gulps of air as she dragged Xander to the front door. Behind her, she heard the whoomph of fire erupt from the basement into the kitchen, and she knew the inevitable would happen shortly.

  They stumbled through the foyer, stepping over dead newborns with their backs arched and hands clenched in claws as they had died. The incendiary grenades she had tossed in there had long since burned out. The wallpaper had curled up, and the wood on the banister glistened with a scorched finish.

  The door Allison had been so certain to close earlier was their only obstacle. However, she reached it and twisted the handle quickly. It burned her hand, but she ignored the pain. After throwing it open, she ran out of the house, dragging Xander at her side.

  They managed to stumble just past her car parked in front of the door when the tanks of the flamethrower in the kitchen ignited, setting off a chain reaction in the
belt of grenades lying next to it. The explosion was deafening, even outside of the house, and the windows on the first floor simultaneously shattered. The door was still open, and the shock wave erupted from the house, hitting the hood of the car and causing the windshield to crack in a spiderweb pattern.

  Allison had managed to drag Xander behind the car with her, so they were mostly protected from the explosion. She only felt the sudden air pressure change around them, making her ears pop, and the car lurched back against them, stopped by the parking brake.

  After the explosion, the air was suddenly very quiet, save a dull ringing in her ears. The only sound Allison could hear was the soft hiss of the fire burning inside the building. She ached all over, with stabbing pain running through her bones. The points on her body where she had certainly broken some bones screamed to life. Even slumping next to the rear bumper of the car was agony. She wasn’t even sure she could stand at the moment.

  Allison turned to look at Xander, who was still leaning on her shoulder. The burns on his face and much of his body had healed for the most part, though it still looked very red and tender. She looked into his eyes, which were pained and exhausted... but alive.

  Even as she looked down at his body, she could tell he was not whole. He looked emaciated, like he had been starving for weeks, even though she knew his ordeal had only lasted a day. Still, he looked sick, and she knew why. He had spent most of energy healing himself enough to survive the blast. Now they were safe from the fire, but he was far from recovered.

  Allison could not help herself. She kissed him hard on the lips. They were rough, hot, and wet with sweat, but she did not care. It was Xander, and she had never thought she’d be able to do this ever again.

  Xander kissed her back, albeit very weakly. He was still struggling to remain conscious. Allison reached up and touched his face with her hands, and when her right wrist came up to her own cheek, she felt the sticky, tacky mess of blood from her wound where she had fed Xander in the basement. The blood was already starting to clot around her wrist, but it was still fresh.

  Allison felt Xander breathe in suddenly as her wrist came close to his face. She was sure the scent of fresh blood was intoxicating to him, especially in this condition.

  And that’s when Allison realized what she had to do. She stopped kissing Xander and leaned her head back. Her hand reached up to her neck, and she pulled back the locks of her sweaty, burned hair, exposing her throat to him.

  Xander paused for a moment, and she heard him lick his lips.

  “For you,” she said softly, and pulled his face downward against the soft flesh of her throat. A moment later, she felt Xander’s hot lips against her skin, and then the sharp sting of his teeth penetrating her flesh. She sighed, riding the slight pain, then giving herself into the feeling of becoming one with Xander.

  He fed, hungry at first, breathing inward heavily through his nose and exhaling against her throat. Allison felt the caress of his breath against her skin. She hugged him tight, pressing his face hard against her throat, digging her nails into the back of his neck. A soft moan escaped her lips.

  Xander kept feeding, more than he ever had with her before. Allison was not worried, however. He was still in control, and he needed her blood. It was the only way to keep him alive.

  Allison felt the essence being drained from her body, and in spite of the fiery events of the last few minutes, she soon started to feel very cold in the extremities. However, deep inside her chest and torso, she felt extremely warm... soothed.

  Although Allison’s eyes had been closed this whole time, a new feeling washed over her. The darkness behind her eyelids became foggy, and she felt light-headed. She gasped slightly and could still feel Xander suckling on her neck. The strength started to leave her body, and she went limp in his arms. A moment later, Allison lost consciousness.

  CHAPTER 32

  Allison only regained consciousness sporadically over the next few hours. She remembered feeling Xander lift her body and carry her to the passenger seat of her car. He had rooted through her pockets to get her keys, then gently laid her in the bucket seat. He then slid into the seat next to her and started to drive. Allison barely recognized the sound of fire engine sirens in the distance as she once again slipped away into unconscious.

  The next thing that woke her was pain from her body as Xander was lifting her out of the car. He did so as gently as he could, but the damage her body had sustained at the Sieve’s house left her broken and bruised. Even though her eyes were heavy and she didn’t have the strength to open them much, bright lights still cut through her eyelids. Bright fluorescent lights.

  Allison wasn’t necessarily awake, but she wasn’t asleep either. She seemed to float outside of her body in a realm of cloudy darkness. She could hear things around her, and she felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness, but she could not wake up, or open her eyes.

  She could hear people scrambling around her and Xander calling for help. There was the sound of a rolling cart, the rip of plastic being pulled apart, and she felt a multitude of hands upon her carefully removing her clothes. Soon, she was laid down on a firm surface, and she felt herself being rolled away. She heard more sirens in the distance, but they were different from the fire sirens she heard at the house. The flashing red lights mixing with the bright fluorescent lights on her made her realize she was in the emergency room.

  Then Xander was gone. She was sure of it. She could not explain why she could tell if he was near, but that feeling had left her now. Still, Allison wasn’t concerned. She knew he had just slipped away this time. It was the smart move, really. Too many questions for the naked, bloodied man bringing in an injured and unconscious woman into the E.R. In the scramble to get Allison stable, he had simply disappeared.

  Allison slipped back into the void, being pulled out again what seemed like an eternity later by a powerful force against her chest. A rhythmic thumping against her ribcage, sending pain rattling through her skeleton. She tried to cry out, but she was paralyzed from moving, as if her mind was detached.

  She fell back into the void again, feeling cold.

  Then suddenly she was awake again, a great fiery pain ripping across her chest. She heard a high-pitched beep, and then another jolt shot through her chest. She felt all the muscles in her body tense, then release, then suddenly spasm.

  And she was gone again.

  The next time Allison felt anything around her, it was a sharp pain in her elbow, and soon a warmth spread from that point up her arm, to her heart, and then to the rest of her body. Time seemed compressed during this. While Allison felt this over the course of what could have been hours, it only seemed like a few seconds to her. But soon, the warmth filled her body, and a calm washed over her.

  Allison lost consciousness again, but this time, it was more like sleep than escape from the trauma she had withstood.

  † † †

  The next time Allison swam into consciousness, things felt disappointingly normal. The shadowy remnants of pain spread across much of her body, and the light stung her eyes, but the fantastical reality she had been living in these past few months seemed to be forever gone. She felt human... normal, for the first time in a long time.

  And that worried her.

  As Allison blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light around her, she heard a soft beeping. Feeling began to return to her body, and there was a tightness in her left arm. She twitched and quickly realized there was a needle taped to her forearm.

  Before her vision completely returned, she knew where she was: in a hospital room. Allison felt the uncomfortable hospital gown cinched around her body, and she swooned, trying to sit up.

  “Whoa,” came a familiar voice from across the room. Moments later, a shadow stood over her, and Allison’s eyes focused on the face. It was Georgia.

  “Take it easy, Allie,” Georgia said, resting her hand on Allison’s shoulder. “Give yourself a little time.”

  “Where am I?”
Allison asked. “What happened?”

  Georgia reached up with her hand and stroked Allison’s forehead.

  “You were in really bad shape, hon,” Georgia said, smiling. “You lost so much blood. And had six broken bones.”

  “Six?” Allison asked, feeling a small bit of pride. Even with the world back to normal for the time being, she felt good about her abilities as a badass.

  “Don’t start bragging,” Georgia said. “Four of them were fractures. But the broken ones in your arm and rib were still pretty bad.”

  Allison suddenly sat up a bit and looked around. “Xander?” she asked.

  Georgia patted her on her shoulder. “He’s fine. More than fine, actually, now that you’re safe.” She paused for a moment and caught Allison’s gaze, looking directly into her eyes. “But he can’t exactly be here now, can he?” Georgia’s eyes darted to the window.

  Allison understood. She had no idea what time it was, but it was clearly daylight. The hospital room was not equipped for maximum light protection, and the sunbeams shooting into the room would have meant real death for Xander.

  “He’ll come back tonight,” Georgia said. “But I think you already know that.”

  Allison smiled. She just now remembered that in all the excitement over the past couple days, she had never told Georgia any specifics of her situation.

  “Thank you, Georgia,” she said. “I owe you an explanation.”

  “Shhh...” Georgia replied, stepping back from the bed. “Later. Xander explained to me that there were still some things you had to take care of.”

  Allison’s expression soured into a grim frown. “The Sieve...” she whispered.