by Manuel Tiger
“I’ll make damn sure it’s a good day,” he said wrapping his arms around my waist. “Promise.”
I smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.
“You know,” Heather said after a moment. “It’s going to be a big mess to clean up what Samantha did once we return to San Francisco. I don’t think the vampire covens or wolf packs or any of the supernatural communities that were attacked by her will be easy to forgive those actions. It’s going to be a stain on the witch council for a long time.”
“I’ll help,” I said reaching out and resting a hand on her arm. “You won’t be alone in having to deal with it.”
“Thank you,” she said. “But Alistair was right in what he said about the coven needing to move forward, to be of the present instead of holding to the ideas of the past.”
“What are you thinking?” I asked as she began pacing back and forth. I glanced over toward Carmen and Sophia who had bandaged up Luis pretty well so that he looked less close to death and more like death warmed up.
“The coven needs to move in a new direction. The Elders were right in reaching out to keep the peace between the supernatural races, for that I commend them for. But how can you speak of keeping the peace among the races when you don’t have representatives of each race as a member of the council?”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I said.
“I want to include vampires, werewolves and all those that fall in between,” she said. “To make it inclusive. I think that is the only way we can truly combat what has been going on.”
“You’ll think the attacks in San Francisco will still continue even with Miss Samantha out of the picture?” I asked.
“There’s been a war declared on the supernatural races,” Daman reminded me. “The only way we can find out why? To even start combatting it? Is by ending the old feuds and grudges that have been passed down from one generation to another. What Heather is suggesting sounds rather brilliant. I’m on board.”
“Is there room for a human to help as well?” Scott asked.
Heather turned to face him, resting a hand on his arm. “For those that know about the supernatural and won’t rat us out, yes,” she said with a smile. “Even if I’m interim leader as Alistair said? I plan to at least be useful until a new coven leader is decided on.”
“You would be a great leader and have my vote already,” I said. “I think,” I took a pause and thought for a moment. “I think for those that were even abandoned or turned against their will? We could offer an outreach program. Bring them in and serve as teachers, guides like Alistair was for me.”
Heather nodded as I felt Daman tighten his arms around me gently.
“We could help from here as well,” Carmen said standing up. She rested a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “This is something which none of us can take on by ourselves. We need to form this union to share information as we find out more about whatever it is that is attacking the supernatural races.”
“Maybe with La Bruja gone?” Sophia said. “Others will now come forward to join the cause. I know most were scared to go up against her but with her now dead?”
“We may see the forces grow,” Carmen concluded. “It is a hope at least that such will be the case. I will work at recruiting harder now.”
“We both will,” Luis said. “We also will need to see to the proper burial of the fallen at La Bruja’s island mansion.”
“You know,” Sophia said placing her hands on her hips. “With La Bruja gone and her forces too? We could take over her island compound and turn it into a base of operations. It’s not that far from California and I’m pretty sure she left behind her planes not to mention her wealth.”
Carmen smiled. “Which we could use to create a fund to help those that she made homeless or whose family members were killed. Undo all the pain and suffering she sowed.”
“We could also put that wealth to strengthening our forces and see to the placing of officials that are not corrupt,” Sophia added.
“I think all this that has been said are great ideas,” Heather said. “Out of this crucible of war against the supernatural races, the near bringing of hell on earth? A new crucible will form in that we of the various races will come together to fight whatever the fuck is going on and to insure that the old feuds and hates of the past never rise again.
“This was a wakeup call. We can’t have this distance between us if we hope to survive.” She looked at each of us. “I won’t be naïve enough to believe it will be easy or happen overnight. Some have embraced those old hates all their lives and kept the feuds going for that is all they know, but I know that with all of you helping? Then I think what I want to occur will be possible.”
“Then let us get back to Mexico,” Carmen said. “I need to see to the burial of the fallen. And asking for a meeting with the elders in the city about bringing together all the races instead of telling them to run and stay hidden. They have to understand how severe this threat really is.”
“Before we leave?” Scott said holding up a hand. “Does anyone know how to fly that big plane?”
“I do,” Carmen said lifting the hand that Bryan had injured. It was now whole, unbroken, with the cuffs now off. “I flew several when rescuing those in trouble from Argentina once and then a year ago in Jamaica. It’s just the landing I sometimes have trouble with.”
“Wait, what?” Scott said following after her. “You’re kidding right?”
“She never kids,” Luis said. “Just make sure you don’t hit any damn ducks like you did last time, huh?”
“She is kidding right?” Scott asked.
“Guess you’ll just have to sit back, buckle yourself in and see,” Sophia replied.
“Come on! You guys are joking around right? I just survived near death!”
“It’s going to be an interesting return home,” Heather said shaking her head and laughing. She started forward then paused when Daman drew me back. “You guys coming?”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” Daman said.
She nodded and continued on toward the plane where I could hear Scott still asking his questions in a rising voice of panic.
Daman turned me to face him.
“Sorry for what I said about the abandoning thing,” I said quickly.
“What? Why? There are some out there that have been abandoned and could use the help,” he said. “I just want to know you don’t still hold that against me.”
“I don’t Daman, for as I said? I know the full story now.” I put my hands on his chest. “But there is something you should know.”
“What?”
There really was no way to say it other than the straight forward way. “Bryan is dead,” I said looking down at my hands. “Alistair killed him when he was trying to kill me. It happened when I went through the floor and thankfully landed on a ledge.”
“I suspected as much,” Daman said lifting a hand and placing it beneath my chin as he tilted my head up. “Since he wasn’t here with the rest of us. Then again, that bastard has a way of surviving like a cockroach.”
“Trust me when I say he could not have survived how he died,” I said and rested my hand on his. “But you two were together for way more years than you and I were, are. Surely you mourn something that was there at one time?”
He looked off toward the valley, a breeze catching and playing with his hair as he remained silent, lost in thought then finally spoke.
“He was exciting in the beginning, something new, something I hadn’t experienced before,” Daman said. “But eventually he showed his true self more and more. I saw the way he manipulated people, me included. By the time I realized all this? The noose Alistair mentioned was tightened already. If I tried to leave? He would do something drastic, like promising he would remove the ring he wore and throw himself in the sun.
“Once after a fight? He did just that. He threw off that gold ring and threw open the curtains. He began burning, smoking. I grabbed him and
closed the curtains and he begged me not to leave him, to stay with him or he would do it again,” he said sighing softly. “He said he would make sure his loyal followers would know I was the reason for his death, for his departure as well as the vampire council so I would be punished or killed. If I wouldn’t be with him? No one could be with me.
“So, it just got easier to let him have his outbursts, to sleep around, start his fights, have sex that I was never present for even if I was there engaging in it,” he looked at me. “When I met you, Henry? You showed me what I was missing in my life, what I was desperately wanting and had never found.” He kissed me on the forehead and held my hands in his. “In time I will say my personal goodbye to him, but he and that chapter of my life was over long ago. I’m ready to start a new chapter with you, to make up for the time we lost, and,” he said wrapping his arms around me. “I’m never letting you go again Henry Sullivan.”
I smiled softly. “Then I’m ready to do just that with you Mister Salvadori.”
“Actually, I’m changing my surname,” he said with a grin.
“Oh?”
“Yes, Salvadori is linked to a past that I’ve been more than ready to move on from.”
“What do you have in mind of changing it to?”
“I’m thinking of switching to my mother’s maiden name of Delacroix, or…,” he released me, stepped back and reached into his jacket pocket then dropped to one knee in front of me. “Sullivan. If you honor me by saying yes, Henry.” In his hand he held a small black velvet box that he opened. Within resided a silver and diamond engagement band.
I stared at it and then at him. “You’re...you’re asking me…,” I couldn’t even finish. Was this really happening? Or had I got hit in the head too hard by a falling rock back in the cavern? “But…we’ve been separated for ten years! I mean, we just…we just got back together!” I couldn’t even think! My eyes moved rapidly back and forth from him to the ring.
“I had planned on doing this once we left Heaven Falls, Henry,” he said. “I’ve had this ring ever since for I knew I wanted you with me forever. I would have also done it properly in bringing you over into being a vampire,” he said looking up at me. “I have never stopped loving you Henry and want to spend eternity with you.”
I was quiet for a moment, perhaps a second, no less than that.
“Delacroix,” I finally said. My voice was thickly choked with emotions that it came out in a croak. I quickly cleared my throat. “I want to be rid of my last name as well. It just reminds me of my own past when I hear it and I rather be a Delacroix than a Sullivan. I want to be a Delacroix with you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” I whispered nodding my head rapidly, smiling, crying for once tears of happiness. “Yes, I’ll marry you Daman!”
He grinned as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto my left ring finger. “Then Henry, soon to be Henry Delacroix,” he said standing up. “I look forward to spending the rest of eternity with you as your husband.” He took me up into his arms and there in the warm glow of the sun of a new day kissed me, a kiss in which I felt all his love for me, a love that had never died just as mine had never died for him.
I pushed aside the troubles that dwelt around us, just for this moment so I could have my own moment with Daman. It may make me sound selfish, but I figured the universe would forgive me and allow me this moment where I pushed those troubles aside.
Sometimes those we are meant to be with, we may separate from, things may end. But Fate has a funny way of bringing you back into each other’s lives again if you were meant to be.
I had never stopped loving him, just, I had hated him for too long until the longed for answer was at last revealed. But I had never stopped loving him.
Now, I was ready to love him again and again and again for ever how many days we were gifted with.
July 30, 2018
About the Author
Manuel Tiger lives in Oklahoma. He can often be found writing, thinking about writing, plotting about writing and imagining what his characters are up to any hour of the day before reminding himself that they are fictional… or are they?
He is the author of The Chosen Witch Series, The Hybrid Chronicles and San Francisco Covens.