A Final Game

by Amelia Wilson

  “I did, at least for a while,” Yarra said. “But I think the conversion is successful.”

  She got up and appreciated her now metamorphosed body. For the most part, she still felt the same, but something was different. Her senses were sharper, and she had lost the will for biological necessities. She did not need to breathe as much, and the earlier pangs of hunger had now completely vanished.

  “I don’t understand,” Avice said. “A successful conversion happens immediately. You should not have died first.”

  Yarra knew the answer. She had seen what would happen. The Oracle, Matthew Finley had shown her the possible outcomes, and she chose the one that she wanted the most. She chose from her heart.

  “Your bite transformed our little baby first. That was why it took some time before it converted me.”

  It was too much for Avice to take in all at once. First, they had escaped being killed by his mother and her clan members. Second, his girlfriend was now a vampire. And third, a baby?

  “You will have to explain it to me, one by one!” he laughed and cried at the same time. They hugged in the quietness of the shack and kissed, a vampire warrior reunited with his now-vampire oracle girlfriend.

  Conclusion

  It was a small patch of land away from everyone and everything. Their closest neighbor was an elderly couple living three miles away.

  The small cabin was nestled in the valley surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Three brooks broke from the furthest peak, running down to form the river which ran silently outside their home. Yarra felt at peace.

  The sounds of a baby’s laughter came from the living room. Putting some sugar into two cups of tea, she carried it out of the kitchen and into the living room where Avice was playing with Jessie, their daughter. At three months old, her regenerative powers were in full swing, and she looked more like a four year old. According to Avice, she would be all grown up by the time she was three.

  Such was the growth curve of a vampire; a steep incline followed by a plateau until death.

  “Tea?” She offered a cup to Avice.

  He smiled graciously and took the green ceramic mug from her. Life in the valley was quiet. Since the Keepers of the Blades had assumed that Yarra was dead, they had decided to banish him from the clan. They had not bothered him since, with Alicia under the assumption that Avice was living a miserable life, wallowing in grief.

  Far from it. Avice was leading the perfect life away from his former clan members. With a wife and child, he was the happiest man on earth.

  “It is supposed to rain heavily tonight,” Yarra reminded him. Setting her cup to the small coffee table, she picked Jessie up with a slight grunt. Little Jessie squirmed gleefully, eager to play with her mother. “You might want to chop some wood for the fire tonight.”

  He peered outside. “It doesn’t look like it will rain tonight though. The sky looks clear, and it isn’t the slightest bit windy, baby.”

  She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Do you doubt my words now?”

  He sipped his tea and then laughed heartily. Sometimes, he forgot that his wife was indeed an Oracle. Following her metamorphosis into a vampire, her abilities had become increasingly pronounced. The visions came to her with perfect clarity.

  “Okay, okay, you are the clairvoyant one here!” He threw his hands up in mock defeat. “I will do as you say.”

  After a large sip of his tea, he proceeded out of their home, heading to the back where large piles of wood were waiting to be chopped. The rustic life suited them, for now. When they become bored of it, they would change to somewhere that would suit little Jessie better. So far, they had been throwing ideas around about living on a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific, or even in a large city in East Asia. For now, the small, secluded village in the Himalayas was their home.

  The family was impervious to the extreme cold of the mountain. Being what they were, they were unaffected by the sudden plummeting of the temperature during the nights. But Yarra sometimes reverted to her human form, a state of physical being that she missed.

  She had not told Avice about her meeting with the Oracle. It would be the one secret that she would keep until the end of time. Kissing Jessie on the cheeks, they laughed together, looking at Avice chopping wood out the window with the crudest axe in his hands. He did a little dance for their entertainment, before proceeding to cleanly cut the wood with his bare hands.

  Yarra wondered if there will be another Oracle born into the family. The Oracle’s words were still fresh in her mind. When she foresaw the birth of a new Oracle into the world, he would come, to bring her into the Tome of Sight. Until then, Yarra was free to live the rest of her life on Earth.

  She did not need her visions to tell her now, that she had achieved her happy ending. With Jessie and Avice in her life, she was content.

  *****

  THE END

  About The Author

  Amelia Wilson has dedicated her life to writing. She is a firm believer in the power of love to conquer all, and her works reflect this belief. Her paranormal romances are known for their love stories, action and suspense. She creates immersive worlds that are rich in detail and full of emotion.

  Amelia can be contacted at her Facebook page or through her newsletter.

  http://www.ameliawilsonauthor.com/

  Preview: UnBearable Romance Series Book 1

  Bearly Deniable

  UnBearable Romance Series Book 1

  By:

  Amelia Wilson

  Chapter One: Sylvia

  “Mom, I told you I’d call you when I got off the plane, and I’m off the plane. We didn’t crash, or have a catastrophic engine failure, or anything like that. Please relax.”

  Holding my cell phone between my shoulder and my ear, I grumbled into the receiver and tried to stave off wincing. My mom was so loud the other people waiting for their baggage could probably hear her. Along the line, a rough, heavy sigh flowed, and I pursed my lips together.

  “Don’t you tell me to relax, Sylvia. That flight was seven hours long! How was I supposed to know nothing bad happened to you?”

  I nearly rolled my eyes at the argument, but my mother made a good point. Cell phone use was prohibited on flights so she wouldn’t know what happened to me for hours. Letting out air through my nose, my gaze narrowed on my rather large suitcase as it traveled on the belt.

  “Well, I’m perfectly fine. No need to worry anymore since I won’t be taking another flight back until July. I do have to go, though. I should pick up Aunt Rachel’s Jeep before it gets too many tickets. I’ll call you tomorrow after I talk to the realtor, okay?”

  Snatching my luggage from the belt, I carefully pulled up the handle and began to make my way out of the small airport. My cell phone speaker crackled, and a slither of irritation wiggled into my heart.

  I was 22 years old and had my life on track; there was no reason for my mother to fear so much.

  “Fine, but you better call me, Sylvia. And don’t forget to text me pictures of the house when you get there. Maybe I’ll keep it and use it for vacations.”

  At that notion, I did roll my eyes, and a small smile upturned my lips. My mother had such grand ideas and whimsical dreams. Everyone knew she’d never leave Maine, though.

  “Yeah, okay. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Mom.”

  Hanging up before my mom could drag on the conversation, I heaved a big, loud sigh. Shoving my phone in my pocket, I ran my free hand through my hair. Energy zinged through my veins to replace the annoyance I felt. Sleeping on the plane had been a good idea. Even with everything circling in my head I’d at least gotten a few hours of rest.

  Anchorage, Alaska was a beautiful place, and the first thing that hit me was the crisp, clean air. Despite the cars and trucks that mobbed the street, the smell was much fresher than anything I’d experienced before. My chest expanded as my lungs took in as much as they could, and I held my breath for a moment.

  My feet carried m
e towards a sprawling parking lot, but even for its size it was smaller than ones in the Lower 48. Dipping into my purse, my fingers easily found the extra set of keys I’d received at my great aunt’s funeral. Why she’d gifted me this cottage and a rickety, old Jeep was beyond my comprehension.

  Maybe it’s because her grandkids are spoiled pricks that don’t know how to work a broom.

  The thought made me frown, and I glanced around the lot with narrowed eyes. My Aunt Rachel was filthy rich; the key word there being ‘was.’ When she died, she left all her money to her nine grandchildren to divvy up amongst themselves. None of my cousins wanted a dusty, old cottage in the middle of nowhere, so no one contested me.

  Talk about dodging a bullet.

  “Where is this thing…?” My question was hollow, and my brows came together over my sharp eyes. I didn’t even have a picture of this car, just a license plate number, make, and model. “It’s a red Jeep… how many can there be…?”

  After walking up to several Jeeps to stare blankly at the license plate, I finally found the one I was looking for. Surprise blanketed my expression, and I let go of my suitcase to stand in the middle of the driving lane dumbly. This shiny, auburn colored four door looked brand new; it was nothing like the topless, beat up hunk of junk I first expected. The car sparkled despite the light coating of dust it wore, and the wheels looked like they’d driven less than a hundred miles.

  Clicking the ‘Unlock’ button on the key’s remote starter, I licked my lips as my heart hammered in my chest. There’s no way this car is less than 50 grand… and it’s in my name.

  “Thank you, Auntie Rachel.” I stepped up against the trunk, mumbling to myself as my spirits about this trip took a sharp and sudden upturn. Peering over lightly dyed leather seats, I could smell that new car scent wafting up into my brain. There wasn’t a speck of dust inside the trunk, and even the various compartments were free of grime on their edges.

  Carefully sticking the key in the ignition, I let it hang there to wiggle my bottom comfortably down into my seat. I’d never even had the luxury of sitting in a car with a dash navigator, let alone one that was built in. The panel was at least seven inches wide, and excitement nibbled at the back of my throat. Exploring this car was going to be fun.

  My fingers wrapped comfortably around the leather steering wheel, and a small sigh floated up from my lungs. The engine rumbled to life, and I sunk a little into my seat before carefully backing out inch by inch.

  “Oh wow - it connects to my phone.” Sitting at a stop sign in the middle of nowhere, I grumbled my surprise as I tapped the touch screen console. One of my music lists popped up, and my lips stretched into a wide smile. Scrolling down, it wasn’t hard to find a nice, upbeat song to match my mood.

  My head bopped side to side, front to back, to the beat of the music as I drove. The road was getting bumpier with each mile, and a genuine apprehension kept me from going over 30 miles an hour.

  At this rate, I won’t get there until nightfall.

  Glancing at the GPS, I bit down on my bottom lip at the distance I still had to go. My aunt’s cottage was in some tiny town of four thousand that no one had ever heard of. Aunt Rachel came up here almost every other summer for nearly 40 years, even when her kids and grandkids refused. The property included a lake, and I’d heard on more than one occasion that it was the sole reason she’d lived to 108 years old.