by Amanda Carol
I know it won’t be the last time, but hopefully my message came across loud and clear. Once I killed those witches, I left town, but I have vampires still in New Orleans keeping an eye on things for me. Come tomorrow, I’m leaving for Portland. Everything I need is there. The demigods are locked in a safehouse that no one will be able to find, because when you have a god on your side, they can protect it. Just like Luna or Leuce—whatever the hell name she goes by these days—protects the “sacred ground” of the Compound.
“I’m not sure why you need to wait any longer, Isabella. You have everything you need. Why not just release the Titans tomorrow?” Athena takes another sip of her drink as she looks on at the crowded nightclub in front of us.
I ignore her and glance around the room, focusing in on all of the accelerated heartbeats. The sound makes my mouth water, and my throat suddenly feels like sandpaper that only one thing can quench.
My eyes land on a young man. His heart rate kicks up as his eyes scan the room, looking for the thing that he knows is watching him. He doesn’t know what it is, not yet, but when his gaze lands on me, I bite my bottom lip and bat my lashes. His heart rate slows because, to him, the threat is just a pretty girl. I hop down off the barstool and walk over to his group of friends.
I curl my perfectly manicured finger into the top of his shirt, pulling him to me, being careful not to give my strength away as I run my nose up where the main artery is located in his neck. My mouth waters for just a taste, so I dart my tongue out, and his breath hitches. I can sense the blood flowing to all the areas of his body, and if I wasn’t so starved, I would fuck him before I suck him dry.
“Meet me out back in five minutes,” I breathe in his ear.
For good measure, I nip at his earlobe, but I bite a little too hard and draw blood. He’s so turned on right now that I don’t even think that he notices, though. I make my way through the bodies dancing around packed close, blood pumping quickly through their veins.
I stop suddenly and turn to the couple standing off in the corner. It’s small, but I hear a tiny beat coming from the woman’s abdomen. She’s holding a glass of water while the man she’s here with sips on his whiskey. She’s so in love with that bastard that she’s willing to sit through her own personal hell just to make him happy. Something I am all too familiar with.
“I don’t understand the significance of having to wait.” The sound of Athena’s voice makes me flinch as I was caught up in a memory.
“You don’t need to understand. I’m the only one who can release the Titans,” I tell her, then walk away.
The only reason why I’m the only one that can release the Titans is the because apart from the Olympians and our heroes, I’m the only one who knows that they even exist. Since the gods were the ones that trapped them in that prison, they cannot be the ones to release them. Athena needs me to do it, and I will.
I walk outside and turn down a dark alley. A few moments later, I hear feet shuffling down toward me and the soft thumps of his heartbeat. The closer he gets to me, the faster his heart rate gets.
“There you are,” he slurs coming up to me.
I lean my back against the wall as he lowers his head down and kisses me, forcing his tongue into my mouth. He grabs my leg, wrapping it around his waist, and grinds his erection into me. I can hear the blood flowing through his veins quickly as his heart rate increases, and I moan, not because his hands are groping me, but because I can taste him. Bored with this, I push him off me, and his back hits the opposite wall.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Oh, you like it rough, don’t you?” His eyes roam down my body.
I smirk. “Something like that.”
I drop my fangs and lunge at him. My mouth lands on his neck right over his jugular vein, and I bite down, drinking down the blood that squirts into my mouth. The thirst for his blood consumes me as I place my hand over his mouth to quiet his screams, while my other arm holds his body still. After a few moments, he stops struggling in my hold, and it makes it easier for me to drink, allowing me to savor the metallic flavor hitting my taste buds, quenching my thirst, and soothing the burn in my throat. His legs give out and he slides down the wall. I go down with him, straddling his almost-dead body so onlookers would think we’re just fucking.
His heart rate slows until there isn’t one anymore, but I’m still thirsty.
“The descendent of Apollo will get visions, and they will be there to stop you. I know that January seventh is an important date to you, but is it really worth the wait?”
Athena’s voice kills my buzz and I yank myself away from the man’s neck. I glance down at him; his eyes are glassed over and his mouth agape with a little blood trickling out. I lean forward and lick it away, my body feeling stronger after ingesting blood.
I’m counting on him getting his visions. The tales and the history books all have it right. Yes, I was born on January seventh, and yes, that is also the day that I became a vampire. But there is one piece to the puzzle that no one knows, not even Apollo himself.
Before I was turned into a vampire, I found out that I was with child. I was so deeply in love with Apollo that I would have done anything for him. The gods weren’t allowed to have children, and if he or any of the other gods found out that I was pregnant, I, along with my unborn child, would have been killed by Zeus.
I lost my baby the day I was turned. I sacrificed the love of a child for the love of a man that I thought I’d be spending the rest of eternity with. But he left me, and I was alone. My family had long since died, and I didn’t have many friends.
Being dead is better than being alone for thousands of years wishing you were.
Breathless, I stand up, turning around and wiping blood from my mouth with my thumb.Feeling buzzed, I walk toward her, but stop when I get right next to her. I turn my head in her direction, but neither one of us make eye contact.
“I call it poetic justice,” I say, then turn on my heel.
“Then you will die,” Athena calls out to me as I start to walk away.
Her mistake is thinking I care whether I live or die. The fact is, I accepted my fate a long time ago. As long as I unleash hell on earth, then I’ve won.
A week is not long enough to prepare for the biggest battle of your life. But here we are, getting ready to head to the airport to get on one of Gunner’s private jets. It’s big enough to hold all of us going and then some, in addition to all of our weapons. He was able to pull a few strings, and we can taxi out as soon as we’ve boarded. We’ll be getting into Portland late tonight because tomorrow is the seventh and I didn’t want Isabella to sense us there too soon.
I have no doubt in my mind that she is expecting us. Thanks to Declan’s visions, we know that she has an army of vampires protecting her. Her decision hasn’t changed, and neither has his visions.
According to Artemis, the gate to release the Titans is about halfway up the volcano. If she succeeds, that’s where they will come out, and it won’t be like we suspect. It’ll be like thick black smoke, and in that smoke is their essence. They will possess people who they sense are worthy and strong enough.
Oliver, Knox, Luna, and the other witches were able to locate the other demigods. It’s a good thing that Luna was there, because she was able to sense the protection surrounding the house and she was able to take down the wards.
Zayne, Kat, Grace, and Luna have all been working very closely with the demigods and are teaching them how to use their powers. They have been getting stronger every day and they’re ready and willing to go up against Isabella. She killed the people that they loved most because they refused to go with her, so they’re motivated to bring her down.
The good news is that there haven’t been any unwanted visits by Athena or Isabella, or any other vampires, for that matter. Although, that could also be bad news, because we have no idea what it means. But it’s too late to worry about that now.
The wolves from the other packs that did not
come here to New Orleans have all left their homes and are currently en route to Portland. Those pack members had stayed behind to keep their cities safe, but they were ordered to leave and meet us there. We need all the wolves we can get.
I zip up my bag and walk downstairs to see Aria sitting with Declan, Ciera, and Maggie. Ciera and Declan told Maggie the next morning about her parents, and according to them, she took it really hard. She got overstimulated and they had to take her out by the woods so she could release some of the power that was building up from all her emotions. Once she calmed down, they were able to talk to her about it and answer all of her questions to a degree. They left out a lot of the gory details, but told her the truth. The Devereauxs didn’t keep our world a secret from her, so she knows about vampires.
“Look at what Ar-we-a got me!” Maggie squeals as she runs over to me.
I pick her up and look at the stuffed wolf that Aria got her.
I smile. “Oh, that’s very nice of her. Does he have a name?”
Maggie rolls her eyes. “It’s a girl! And her name is Princess Wolf Cuddles.”
I scoff playfully. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s otay.” She squirms in my arms, so I set her down, and she runs back over to Ciera and takes the teddy bear out of her hands. “This is a he, and his name is Mr. Teddykins. My daddy gave him to me.”
Maggie realizes what she said, and her little lip trembles.
Ciera holds her arms out, but instead of going to her, Maggie runs to Declan, who’s sitting on the couch next to Aria. He holds Maggie close, rubbing a small circle in the middle of her back while she rests her head on his shoulder.
Aria lays her head down on the back of the couch and reaches up to tuck a lock of hair behind Maggie’s ear. All of us here, with the exception of Ciera, knows what it’s like to lose a parent. So we know the pain that Maggie is feeling right now. All we can do is just be whatever she needs us to be.
She sits up in Declan’s arms and places her tiny hands on his face, and the words that come out of her mouth stun us all into silence.
“Can you and Ms. Campbell be my new mommy and daddy now?” Tears are falling down her little cheeks now as she looks at Declan.
From where I’m standing, I can see the tears welling up in his eyes.
“P-please. I promise I’ll be good. Please! I-I promise,” she sobs.
Instead of giving him a chance to reply, Maggie lays her head back down on his shoulder and sobs while his eyes flick over to Ciera.
I have no idea how that process even works, and I have no idea if Maggie even has other relatives that will take her, or if the Devereauxs even have a will. I know that when we are gone, Ciera will look into all that, and I know that she will fight like hell to make sure that Maggie gets her wish.
A few minutes pass by, and Maggie calms down a little bit.
“Listen, Mags. I have to go now, okay? But I’ll be back soon. I promise,” Declan whispers.
“No! Please don’t go!” Maggie screams, holding onto Declan tightly. “I don’t want you to go! You have to stay here with me and Ms. Campbell!”
Aria gets up from the couch and comes over to me while Ciera takes her spot on the couch next to them.
I feel the familiar tug and open the link.
I hate seeing her so upset. If we didn’t need Declan to kill Isabella, I would have told him to stay.
I know, but Ciera will take great care of her while we’re gone, and we will make sure we bring Declan back home to them, I reply, taking her hand.
“Maggie, it’s okay. Declan will be back soon,” Ciera says softly. “I’ll tell you what. How about you and I make him welcome home posters for when he gets back?”
That gets her attention.
She slowly sits back up and looks over at Ciera. “C-can we put sparkles on it?”
“There better be sparkles on it, little miss, or I’m going to be very sad,” Declan pouts playfully.
That makes her laugh.
“Otay!” she says, sniffling and grabbing her stuffed animals. She hops off Declan’s lap and grabs Ciera’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go! We need to go to the schoolhouse because all my favorite sparkles are there! Oh, and can we go and visit with Sparkles, the fancy unicorn, too?”
It’s crazy how well getting her to focus on something else helps her cope. Kids are resilient, I swear.
Ciera laughs. “Okay, slow down. Why don’t you give everyone a hug, and then we can go?”
“Right. Otay.” Maggie drops Ciera’s hand and runs over to Aria first. “Bye, Ar-we-a!” Then she hugs me around my waist. “Bye, Hunter!”
We both laugh and say goodbye, but she sort of ignores us and runs back over to Declan, who is now standing. He picks her up, and she hugs him tightly.
“Bye, Declan. I love you!”
Aria grips my hand, and we watch as Declan hears those three little words. From the look on his face and Ciera’s, I think that’s the first time she’s ever said it.
Declan smiles. “I love you too, Mags.” He kisses her cheek, then hands her to Ciera. “And I love you, sunshine.”
He kisses her quickly on the lips, then brings them both in for a hug. They stay like that for a few moments, then he pulls away and reaches for his duffle bag.
We all leave my cabin and walk over to the SUVs, but I smile as I look at my black Impala. I will be driving out of here in that today. I look around at all the witches and wolf shifters who are leaving to go with us. My mom, Ciera, and Kora are some of the few staying behind. Aria and Declan go to say goodbye to their mom while I search the crowd for mine.
I walk over to her and pull her in for a hug. “I love you, Mom.”
She squeezes me back tightly. “I love you too, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you. You take care of yourself and the pack okay? That includes the witches.”
I smile. “I will, I promise. I’ll see you soon.”
She chokes back a sob and pulls me in for another hug.
I release her, and I find my girl talking with our friends from Maryland, so I head over that way.
“You guys please be careful, okay?” Haylee says as she hugs Aria, Declan, Abby, and Bennett. “And please kick some evil bitch vampire ass, because as much as I love it here, it’s humid as hell and being pregnant makes that ten times worse.”
I laugh. “Deal, Hails.”
I give her a hug, and then Dani comes over.
“You guys are the fiercest people I know. I’ve seen all of you do powerful and remarkable things. Isabella will wish she never pissed you guys off,” she says.
Kyler comes over and pats my shoulder. “What she said.”
I smile. “Thanks, man.”
He waves me off. “Anytime.”
“So, if you die, can I have that Impala?” Zach asks after he hugs Aria.
“Oh, no!” I hear Aria whisper.
“If I die, that’s going to be my haunt. So if you’re cool with me changing the station to T-Swift all the time, then she’s all yours,” I joke.
“Do not hate on Taylor!” Bennett shouts.
“I still can’t believe that you like her,” Aria comments, and everyone laughs.
Bennett sighs dreamily. “She’s the best.”
Zach and I exchange bemused glances.
“On second thought, you can keep the car.” Zach slaps my back as he hugs me.
“See ya on the flip side, Zachy-poo,” Bennett says hugging him. “And you too, HailsBails.”
“Bye, Benny.” Haylee laughs as Bennett twirls her around.
“And MaiKy, my man!” Bennett hugs Kyler, then moves on to Dani. “Oh Dani-girl, can you please have some cinnamon rolls for us when we get home?”
Dani chuckles. “Um, sure.”
Bennett kisses her cheek. “You’re the best!”
“Thanks, but you know you guys are going to have to learn how to make them for yourselves right?” Dani lifts her brows.
Both Bennett and I turn to Aria.
Ar
ia narrows her eyes at us. “Ugh! Fine, I’ll learn how to make them. But I’m only doing it for Hunter. You’re on your own, Benny.”
“Thanks, baby. You’re the best!” I joke, pulling Aria to me and cradling her head to my chest.
“Yes, yes, I know,” she laughs, pushing me off her. “Dani, could you—”
“Write down the recipe for you? I got it.” Dani smiles as Kyler puts his arm around her.
After we say goodbye to everyone, they walk off with Ciera and Maggie, who wanted to show them Sparkles. I don’t think they’ve actually seen Sparkles the unicorn yet, but I’m sure Ciera will tell us all about it. Bennett, Declan, and Aria are all headed for my car when I feel a hand grab my arm.
I turn to see Aria’s mom. “Hi, Mrs. Matthews.”
“I wanted to give you this personally,” she says, handing me a bag. “It’s nothing special. Just a bag of snacks and goodies. I hope it’s okay that I sort of took stuff from that cafeteria in there. Kora told me to help myself…and, well…” She trails off.
“It’s perfectly fine,” I tell her.
Then she does the last thing I would have expected her to do. She hugs me.
“Please take care of my children,” she whispers in my ear.
“Don’t worry. I will.” I whisper back.
“Good. Now off you go to save the world.” She shoos me away.
I say goodbye and head for my car.
“What was that all about?” Aria asks as I get into the driver’s seat.
“She gave me some snacks,” I explain, setting the bag down between us in the seat.
“Oh, what did you get?” Bennett asks, leaning forward and reaching for the bag.
Aria smacks his hand away. “No, not for you!”
When she goes to open the bag to look inside I quickly snatch it away, causing her eyes to glow softly. God, that’s sexy.
