Because Your Vampire Said So

by Michele Bardsley

Chapter Twenty-Two

 

  Jessica landed next to Patrick, and dispatched the creep he was trying to disembowel. They grinned at each other and charged forward.

  I kept my gaze on Koschei, who was throwing his followers at us without putting himself in jeopardy. What an asshole. Eventually, he'd run out of vampires. But maybe that was the point.

  No one approached me. I'd like to think it was because they were terrified. More likely, they'd been told that Koschei would deal with me.

  Honestly, I was feeling left out.

  I rose into the air and flew over the fighting vampires. Koschei saw me coming, but what could he do? I landed in front of him.

  Gabriel skidded next to me, baring his teeth and growling.

  "You won't win," said Koschei.

  "Yeah. I will. " I cocked my fist and punched Koschei in the jaw. He flew across the field and skidded on the grass.

  Koschei didn't stay down for long. He got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. Then, he zipped toward me, his fangs bared. Gabriel snarled as he dove in front of me, effectively heading off the Ancient.

  Koschei used his glamour to draw fighting companions. A big vampire male went after Gabriel. Two female vampires jumped in front of their Master. They each held wicked-sharp swords.

  With a wave of my hand, I made the swords fly out of their grips. Then I created two fireballs and lobbed them at the vampires.

  The flames consumed them instantly.

  Gabriel dispatched the vampire and returned to me, his mouth bloody and his fur matted with mud.

  We advanced on Koschei.

  His confidence was flagging. I couldn't kill him. I wanted to, though. Badly.

  Gabriel's bark seemed to acknowledge that he wanted the Ancient's death, too.

  Koschei wore a slim, silver chain. I called forth Zela's metallurgy. The necklace tightened against his pale flesh. His eyes widened and he clawed at his throat.

  He might not breathe, but being choked was no fun. I resisted the urge to throw a fireball at him. Instead, I landed nimbly in front of him.

  Minions crowded around Koschei, trying to protect him. I reached into their minds and told them to walk away. I told them not to listen to Koschei.

  They left and kept going, even when it was obvious their Master was trying to call them back.

  I faced Koschei. Ruadan appeared on his left, Velthur on his right, and Zela behind him.

  "No!" Koschei's eyes were wide, panicked. "You would give up to her your right to rule? She's a Turn-blood!"

  "And a beautician," I said.

  I looked down at Gabriel. His gaze locked with mine, and I knew it was time. I touched Gabriel's furry head. Magic flowed from both of us and covered the man in a gold glow. Velthur, Ruadan, and Zela stepped back. It was symbolic, what they did . . . the old guard relinquishing their power.

  Like it or not, I was the new ruler.

  "I ban you, Koschei the Ancient. Go into the world-between-worlds. "

  He tried to run, tried to reach out for Ruadan, but in the end, he couldn't escape his fate. Just as I couldn't escape mine.

  His gaze latched on to mine and in those empty eyes, I saw droch fola. He was soulless, but he was not without hatred. He faded from sight.

  I knelt next to Gabriel and hugged him. He licked my face and barked joyously.

  "Sit!" I commanded the zombies.

  They all sat.

  "Koschei has been banned," I shouted, amplifying my voice with my new glamour power. "The fighting is over!"

  Koschei's minions and supporters fled. Consortium members gave chase, but it didn't matter to me if they were caught or not. The biggest threat Broken Heart had faced was gone. Forever.

  I had forgotten about Lia.

  She and her dragon roared out of the sky. She lobbed the fireball straight at me. I saw Gabriel try to intercept it, but with one flick of my wrist, my energy pushed him back.

  It was all I had time to do.

  The fireball engulfed me.

  Oh, big whoop. I stepped out of the flames. The magic of my fairy dress certainly helped protect me, but I also had Lia's power, which made me less vulnerable to fire.

  She was already flying away on her dragon, but she'd seen me step from the fire unscathed.

  I pointed to the ground and water sprang forth to douse the burning grass.

  Gabriel launched himself at me and I was flung to the ground. He barked and growled, then licked my face.

  "Okay, okay!" I laughed. "Jeez!"

  I stood again, and looked at the three Ancients.

  One by one, they bent down on one knee and inclined their heads. The three royal princes of the lycanthropes joined them, lying on their bellies with their heads lowered.

  I looked around and saw that everyone else - even Jessica - was kneeling.

  Well, now.

  I guess that makes me queen, doesn't it?

  I woke up in a twin-sized bed with Gabriel nearly crushing the life out of me. "Hey!"

  "Scooch over," he said sleepily.

  I did. We had almost no space between us, but that was okay. "How do you feel?" I asked.

  He grinned, that gold gaze aglow with the kind of fire I didn't want to put out.

  "The shelter accommodations suck," I said. "I want to go back to the cave. "

  "Okay. But there is the question of what to do with the bodies sitting in the field next to the compound. "

  "Oh, crap. We'll have to march them back to their graves. "

  "Indeed. " He kissed me.

  And everything was all right with the world.

  I took a shower and changed clothes before I tracked down Wilson.

  He was staying in a large room with the other kids. Bunk beds lined the walls. Some kids were watching television, others were reading, and Brian - Jess' oldest - was playing his PSP.

  Wilson was reading Goodnight Moon to Ralph's toddlers while Ralph watched. I stood in the doorway and listened. My heart squeezed. It was sweet watching my son be so nice to two little ones.

  When Wil was done with the story, he tucked in the boys. Then he walked to a nearby bunk and sat down on the bottom bed. He looked tired and worried.

  "Hi, Wilson," I said. I sat on the end of the bed, hoping he wouldn't shut me out again.

  "Mom," he said. His voice broke and he put his arms around me. I held him while he wept and I got the sniffles, too, thanking God that he was okay, that we were together again.

  Sniffling, he raised his head, his eyes red and snot running out his nose. He solved that problem by wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt.

  "Honey, haven't I told you not to do that?"

  He laughed. "I'll try to remember. " He looked away, then back at me. "I love you, Mom. I know I've been a jerk. "

  "Yeah. Me, too. " I brushed his hair away from his face. "I love you, honey. Nothing will ever change that. "

  He hadn't quite let go of me. It had been such a long time since we'd hugged or shared a laugh. I missed him, and the way he used to be. The way we used to be.

  "Are you really married to that guy?" he asked.

  "Yes," I said carefully. "He's a good guy. I. . . like him. "

  "Just like, huh?" He waggled his brows and I grinned.

  "Okay. Maybe more than like. "

  "Well, he likes you, too. I can tell. "

  "Oh, really? How?"

  "By the way he looks at you. " Wilson cut his eyes toward the doorway. "He's watching you right now. "

  I looked over my shoulder. There was Gabriel, waiting patiently, smiling as he watched us.

  He had saved my life again. Maybe in a way he hadn't realized yet.

  "Do you want to say hi?"

  Wilson looked at Gabriel. "Hey. "

  Gabriel nodded. "Hey. "

  I rolled my eyes. Men.

  Wilson looked troubled again. "I g
ot problems, Mom. I need help. "

  "I know, baby. We'll find the answers. Together. "

  He hugged me again.

  Gabriel walked me down the hall to my room, which was a single. It was like a hotel suite, plain white with basic amenities, but I was just grateful to have a bed to sleep in.

  Gabriel smiled at me and brushed his lips across mine. Yummy. If I had a working heart, it would be trying to beat out of my chest.

  I sat on my bed and Gabriel sat next to me. He took my hand. "You are my life mate. "

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, look at me. I'm a beautician with a high school education, I have a kid with a drug problem, and I carry a whole lot of emotional baggage. "

  "That is not how I see you. "

  "Would you have me if not for the prophecy?"

  "Yes, damn it!" He looked at me, really looked at me, as though he was trying to see my soul. "Maybe you're just trying to find a reason not to be with me. "

  I pressed my hands together, my mind whirling. If not for the whole prophecy thing, Gabriel would've never met me. We wouldn't be together at all.

  And he wouldn't have met his true life mate.

  Me.

  "What about that whole thing where we're supposed to save the werewolves? Not only am I undead, I'm missing the parts necessary to have children. "

  "We've trusted the prophecy so far," he said. "Maybe we need to have faith a little longer. "

  Gabriel kissed me hard. I responded because . . . okay, I admit it. I loved him.