Jared coughed. My body tensed. The knife shook in my hand. Noel stood by, as steady as ever, finger on the trigger.
“Gabriel?” Jared rasped.
“Melcher’s not here to save you this time,” I told him.
His lashes fluttered open, and he stared at me with a cloudy gaze. He tried to chuckle but ended up coughing.
“Bravo,” he repeated as soon as he regained his breath.
He was dying.
“Dust to dust,” I muttered.
Jared grinned sluggishly.
“Now I lay me down to sleep,” he murmured.
His eyelids drifted closed as I plunged the knife into his heart.
He didn’t utter a noise; his body didn’t so much as twitch. Perhaps he’d died right before I put the knife in him. What mattered was he’d finally left us for good.
“He’s dead,” I announced, leaving the knife sticking out of his chest like a grave marker.
“No kidding,” Noel said. “Just don’t go stealing my thunder. Remember who put him down in the first place.”
I swung my head around and squinted into the dark room. Noel had lowered the gun and stood with her feet planted apart and her head lifted proudly.
“I won’t ever forget,” I said.
“Good, now let’s get outside and radio Fane. Our team needs medical attention.” She stepped over Jared and helped me to my feet.
“Were you hurt?” I asked.
“Me? Nah,” Noel said, waving off the question. “But you don’t look so well.”
“I’ll survive,” I said grimly, “unlike Reinhardt.” I choked the last words out.
Noel lowered her head somberly. In the next instant, she kicked Jared’s lifeless body and shook her gun at him. “I hope this bastard goes to hell for what he did to Reinhardt and everyone else he’s ever hurt.”
If Satan did exist, Jared would probably become his second-in-command.
If anything, Jared looked smug in his death—peaceful even.
I didn’t care any longer. I only ever wanted him gone. With his demise, my anger broke apart and scattered like ice crystals in the wind. At the moment, I felt hopeful because Noel had said Reinhardt, but she hadn’t mentioned Dante.
I walked around Jared to Noel’s side.
I had to know.
“Is Dante alive?”
Noel’s head shot up and a small smile flickered across her lips. She holstered the gun and stretched her arms.
“He did a Humpty Dumpty, but he’ll be all right. Luckily he didn’t break his neck.”
“And Gunter and Ashley?” I asked.
“Both fine.”
I swallowed, feeling parched.
“A soldier went after Gunter,” I said, alarm rising in me that one of Melcher’s men could still be out there while the rest of us were wounded and vulnerable.
“Got him,” Noel said, as if it was no big deal. “After I put down the asshole who attacked me behind the bunkhouse, I saw another soldier running after Gunter, so I ran after him . . . and killed him.” Noel flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.
Shaky laughter bubbled up my throat. I shook my head in wonder and awe.
“I love you, Noel.”
“Aw,” she said, “I love you too.” Noel threw her arms around me and squeezed.
I sucked in air.
Noel let go, eyes widening.
“Sorry,” she said. “Broken bones?”
“Couple of gunshot wounds and a dislocated shoulder,” I answered.
“Cool, you’ll be good as new by Christmas,” Noel said.
At least I wouldn’t need any organs replaced. As far as I could tell they were all still working properly.
Noel led the way down the stairs and out of the abandoned recreation hall, calling out, “All clear. Target eliminated. I repeat, Jared the Jackass is officially dead.”
Good thing Jared had given Noel an ovation, because our team was too battered and beat up to say a word.
The night air felt soothing against my bruised skin. Silence settled over the street. The northern lights had moved on, leaving behind a sky full of stars.
Just outside the building, Ashley sat on the ground with Dante’s head in her lap. She stroked his hair.
Henry stood off a fair distance from our group, pacing back and forth, biting his fingers on one hand, clutching the radio in the other.
Gunter was hunched over Reinhardt’s body, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs.
My heart broke for Gunter losing a teammate who was a close friend. I had no words of comfort to offer. I barely had any words at all. The shock began to settle over me. It was over. I had lived. Back upstairs there had been moments when I didn’t think I’d be around to see tomorrow. Now that we were safe, I wanted nothing more than to see Fane.
“Hey, Sky, I saw a shooting star,” Dante said in a faraway voice.
I stepped over to where he lay.
“It’s good to hear your voice,” I said.
“I still have more songs in me,” Dante answered proudly.
I didn’t doubt it.
“Thank you for coming after him. If you hadn’t—” My voice cracked and eyes filled with tears. I blinked them back. Now that we were out of danger, emotions were pouring over me faster than I could handle.
Dante gave an amused little sniff.
“Don’t go weepy on me now, Sky. This isn’t my first tumble. Believe me, a second-story window is child’s play compared to sliding over a cliff and landing on a pile of rocks. Couple days in the infirmary on base, and I’ll be ready to parachute out of a plane. We’re superhuman, remember?” He grinned and winked.
“No parachuting for you, mister,” Ashley chided. There was no mistaking the affection in her voice, though, especially not when accompanied with her gentle hands cradling Dante’s head.
“What? It’s part of the recovery process,” Dante said.
I held back a chuckle, remembering him once telling my mom that after he recovered from his snowboarding accident he’d returned to the mountains and gone for the double-black-diamond runs.
That was Dante. Pigheaded, stubborn-ass, fool. Man, I was going to miss him. At least he had someone who seemed to understand and love him.
“I’ll see to your recovery process,” Ashley said.
Dante looked up into her face and grinned. “Who’s calling the shots now?”
“I am,” Ashley answered. “And you better follow orders.” She leaned down and kissed him on the lips.
I turned away and headed for Noel, giving Dante and Ashley their space. A weight had lifted off my chest once I’d seen Dante was going to be okay.
As I walked toward Noel, Henry headed over. The radio jerked in his shaky hand.
“Fane said helicopters are on the way. He wants you and Dante on the first one back to base where a medical team is waiting.”
“What about Melcher?” I demanded.
The man had orchestrated this whole bloody ambush in Platinum. There was no way he could pretend innocence. What if he tried to have us killed in the infirmary before we could tell anyone what he’d done?
My eyes stretched open as I stared at Henry.
“Josslyn has subdued him,” he assured me.
“Joss?” I asked incredulously.
“Yep,” Noel said happily. “Everyone’s getting in on the action.”
“Joss,” I repeated in disbelief. “What if he doesn’t succeed?”
“He already has,” Henry said.
I looked from Henry to Noel, who shrugged and picked at her nail. “Sometimes it’s the people you least expect who end up saving the day.” She looked around then grinned. “Then again, sometimes it takes a village.”
In the case of Jared and Melcher it had taken a team of misfit hunters, informants, and outside friends banding together to put an end to their heinous plans.
Team Reindeer had triumphed.
Peace on earth.
Aurora Sky. Out.
20<
br />
The Beginning Of Forever
Key West, Florida
Christmas Eve
67 degrees Fahrenheit
A gentle ocean breezeteased the ends of my hair across my bare shoulders. Soft white sand filled the spaces between my toes with each step along the narrow strip of Smathers Beach. The edges of my cotton dress billowed gently above my ankles, the thin fabric a warm whisper against my skin. I’d never seen water so blue.
It felt like a dream, especially the part where Fane walked at my side in a pair of khaki shorts and a white T-shirt, holding my hand.
The last eight days had passed by in a blur of pain, recovery, jubilation, and mourning.
When Fane had arrived in Platinum on the first helicopter there hadn’t been any time to savor our reunion or rejoice in the victory over Jared. Our extraction had been rushed.
Despite his bravado, Dante had been in a great deal of agony. It turned out he’d broken both arms and legs. But he had made a speedy recovery, as had I, being superhuman and all, after we were patched up at the agency’s hospital wing and ordered to rest a few days at home.
My right arm had been the first thing they fixed, or rather, set—an excruciating experience I hoped never to repeat for as long as I lived. Once in place, it was as good as new.
The bullets were then removed from my arm and leg, as was the tracking device from my neck. Everything healed quickly with the help of blood. I took it patiently through an IV the agency doctors hooked up to my arm. Once I returned home, Fane served me all the blood I wanted in a mug.
He told me not to get used to it.
While our team was off battling Jared in the field, Joss had done an impressive job of convincing Melcher he had something sensitive to discuss. Melcher had come over to Joss’s place alone, suspecting nothing. I liked to think of it as boys’ night. An evening that ended with Melcher getting a dose of his own medicine—knocked out by a cup of Earl Grey.
He probably never dreamed that the frail, reclusive vampire would make a move on him, especially with Fane out of the picture.
I guess there was justice in the world.
Noel was right. Sometimes it was the people you least expected.
While in the hospital having my wounds treated, Melcher had slept soundly, oblivious to the fact that his plan had failed . . . big time. After Fane had flown off base to join the operation, Joss had invited Melcher over for tea and to talk.
Fane had arranged for Lieutenant Pearlman to pick up Melcher while he was unconscious.
He’d said to make it look like an accident.
At one time I might have felt let down not to witness Melcher’s final demise, but knowing he was no longer a threat, no longer existed, was enough for me. I’d let it all go when I plunged that knife into Jared’s heart. I was finally free, and I’d never kill again.
Fane had sent Joss with Pearlman to confirm Melcher’s death. The rest of the team had reacted with relief rather than disappointment. I think we were all ready to move on to the next phase of our lives.
For Henry, that had meant getting away from the agency as soon as he could. Fane had bought him a one-way ticket to England and set him up with a generous severance package.
I liked to think Selene was in California spending time with her family. In her own twisted way, she’d helped us bring down Jared and Melcher.
Not surprisingly, Dante, Noel, and Ashley decided to stay at the agency.
But what surprised me even more was when Joss decided to stay with the agency, to essentially take Melcher’s place as the head of operations on base.
“We have been companions since the day I stopped being human,” he’d said somberly to Fane. “It is time for me to take my own path.”
“Are you sure?” Fane had asked.
“A change will do us both good. You’ve found someone new to spend your life with.”
At one time I had believed I would be the third wheel if I were to live with Fane and Joss, but apparently he had considered the situation carefully. For that matter, Joss didn’t seem as sullen as he once had. He even looked healthier with a little more color in his face and his eyes not so sunken in.
I suspected it had something to do with Noel, but that was still only in part. Ultimately, it came down to having a purpose. Where I had failed to find words to console Gunter, Joss somehow managed to relieve the teen’s grief. Mr. Moody, go figure.
As Jared said before dying, sometimes a purpose was the most anyone could ask for.
My purpose had never been more abundantly clear. My happiness and future came down to four letters that spelled FANE.
He was my North Star. My beacon in the dark. I was undead and yet, he made me feel alive.
Fane gave my hand a gentle squeeze, bringing me back to the present, which still felt surreal.
We had the beach to ourselves. By Florida standards, the temperature was cool. For me, it couldn’t have felt more pleasant. Fane tugged my hand toward the ocean and we waded, ankle deep, continuing past palm trees and tall reedlike grass as the tide pushed and tugged as steadily as a lullaby.
A pelican flew past us, large gray-brown feathers spread, soaring over the ocean on a current. With my free hand I pointed, following the pelican with my finger as it passed us by.
“Look! Look at the pelican,” I said, my voice rising with excitement like a child’s at a theme park.
No eagles or ravens hanging out in this area. When we first arrived at the beach we’d seen a great blue heron wading along the water’s edge.
Fane grinned. “I have to admit, Christmas in Florida is pretty fantastic.”
“And I’m sure New Year’s in Italy will be amazing,” I returned. “But for now I’m happy we’re in the Sunshine State.”
Spending the holiday at the southernmost city in the contiguous US was a satisfying way to begin my new life. I fingered my North Star pendant. I was a long way from my hometown, embarking on a new journey free of murder and missions—a future in which I got to call the shots.
As Fane and I approached a rocky wall dividing two sides of the beach, we stepped out of the water, feet sinking into the fine grains of white sand.
Fane stopped. He looked back the way we’d come, stared down the beach toward the end where he’d parked the rental car along the road. I gave his hand a tug. I wanted to keep going. I didn’t want to return to the bungalow he had rented for me and my family to spend Christmas together; not until we walked the entire beach.
“We should head back and help with dinner,” he said.
Mom and Gran were busy in the bungalow’s open kitchen preparing a holiday feast; one that thankfully didn’t include cookies of any kind. Gran was working on a holiday pound cake, a recipe she said she’d learned in a baking class she and my mom had taken back when I was away at boot camp.
I gave Fane’s hand a squeeze. “That hardly seems fair when we don’t plan on eating any of it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Fane answered. “I’m after mom points.”
I snorted. “The all-expense paid holiday vacation should cover you.”
Fane shook his head. “Somehow I don’t think that’s what matters to your mother.”
I slipped my fingers out of his hand and touched his face. “You’re right. What matters is I love you.”
Fane stepped in closer, so closely I could feel the heat of his chest through my cotton gown. His lips parted. My eyes dropped to those mismatched lips that drove me wilder than any other feature on him, though I loved every inch of Fane Donado.
He pressed hot kisses over my lips. It wasn’t until he leaned back that he flashed me the Cheshire grin.
“Let’s keep going,” he said.
“Good decision,” I said with an approving nod.
We rounded the rocky wall and continued along the water’s edge, waves lapping over the sand.
If the sun had been beating down and it wasn’t the eve of a major holiday, the beach would have been jam packed with people. F
or now, it was ours and ours alone.
“What about me?” I asked. “Do I have to worry about impressing your family?”
“You? No,” Fane said with a chuckle. “The only thing you have to watch out for is my family’s endless attempts to impress the cute Alaskan vampire girl. They can be quite boisterous—my cousins especially.”
This made me grin. “I’m looking forward to meeting all of them. I don’t have any siblings or cousins.”
“My family is your family,” Fane said.
A sudden ache filled my chest. Life felt both beautiful and cruel in its enduring evolution.
I swallowed before saying, “And my family is yours . . . for the time we have left together.”
“We’ll make it count,” Fane said.
Our eyes met and I blinked back tears quick enough. I was too happy to fall into a funk. Not today. I had too much to be grateful for, including the cheerful banter flying off the lips of my mom and Gran back at the bungalow.
They had been waiting for us at the Miami airport. Mom had nearly knocked me over when she’d tackle-hugged me in the terminal outside the security checkpoint. She’d hugged Fane, too, which had been a sight I wouldn’t soon forget. And when my mom had pulled back there had been tears running down her cheeks as she said, “Thank you for keeping my daughter safe, young man.”
If the moment hadn’t been so touching, I might have laughed at Mom’s choice of words. From the grin on Fane’s lips, I could tell he’d been gratified to be referred to as a “young man.”
So far, Mom had expressed nothing other than delight in Fane’s company. The whole thing felt surreal—like part of the dream my life had become after the living nightmare I’d survived from the moment of my car crash leading up to Jared’s death.
Gran insisted on using the name Francesco, which seemed to make her giddy every time she said it aloud.
Fane had won points with her by scheduling several shopping days into the itinerary before we all drove down to the Florida Keys to celebrate Christmas together.
It seemed like ages ago that Dante and I had seen them off at the Anchorage airport to ensure their safety while Giselle was stalking about. The Vulcan hadn’t been so bad. At least she had tried to rid the world of Jared, both in her century and the present one.
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 28