Innocence and Evil (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #6)

by Malone Wright, Jennifer

  ***

  Christina remained semi-conscious all the way back to the house. I hadn’t wanted to be away from Christina so I rode the back with her head in my lap. When we finally rolled through the gates, I had the door open and jumped out of the truck before Drew had even come to a complete stop.

  Gently, I lifted Christina into my arms and carried her up to our room where I deposited her on the bed. Chloe, Drew, Alice, Oscar, Gavin and Luke followed me in. I turned to Luke, who I assumed knew more about this than any of them, aside from maybe Alice. “She was bitten … and they told us she’s in transition. How long does it take?”

  Luke looked like he was going to cry. The sadness written across his wrinkled face was almost too much to bear. “It depends,” he told me softly. “It could take hours … or it could take days. It really depends on the person who is turning.”

  “Can we stop it … please tell me there is a way to stop it?”

  Luke shook his head. “We can’t stop it. Once the change has begun there is only one way to keep her from becoming a vampire.”

  Suddenly, the thought hit me like a brick in the face. This house was filled with Vampire Hunter’s. Would they try to kill their friend … their family member, because she was becoming one of the things they hunted? I moved as close to Christina as I could without actually having to sit on the bed. “If any of you try anything with her, I will take you out myself.”

  Luke gently set his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry son, we have to give her a chance before anything drastic is done.”

  I didn’t even like the sound of what he probably thought was a reassuring response. I glanced at everyone else and saw that they all looked just as worried as Luke. No one appeared scared or angry, not yet anyway.

  Luke turned to Chloe. “Why don’t you pick out some fresh clothes for Christina to wear and help Zander get her changed. Everyone else … out.” He waved his hands, shooing the group from the room. Once they were gone he turned back to me. “Listen, we are going to do all we can for her, but you have to prepare yourself for the worst.”

  I lowered my eyes and nodded. “Yes sir.”

  He left the room after shooting me another sullen look. Chloe was in Christina’s drawer, rummaging around so I turned back to Christina and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. I wasn’t used to seeing her looking so weak. She was one of those girls who always took great pains to look badass, because it made her feel invincible.

  Her hair was tangled and spread over her shoulder, hiding the bite mark at her throat. The clothes she was wearing were dirty and torn with bloodstains marring the fabric in more than one spot.

  She coughed, her body trembling for a few seconds afterward, but then she returned to a state of unconsciousness. I grasped her hand in mine and held on, placing both my hands around her one. Then, leaning down, I pressed our hands to my lips. “Please let her be okay,” I begged whoever would listen. “Please.”

  My heart hurt so badly. The only other time I’d ever felt like this was when I had to watch my mother die.

  “Zander.” Chloe approached me and set a stack of clothing on the bed. “It’s going to be okay. Even if she is some crazy vampire when she turns, she might change when she gets out of the young stage. The blood lust is strong at the beginning.”

  “I know that. I just don’t want her to turn at all. How many vampires do you know that are good guys?” When she didn’t answer I shook my head. “See, none. Vampires are demons … they are the ones we kill.”

  “That’s not true.” Chloe shook her head. “Anthony is a vampire. And if you want to get technical, you and I both are too. So, not all vampires are bad, there are a few good ones out there.”

  It was true. Anthony was actually a great example, but he was like really, really freaking old so he had massive control. On the other hand, the amount of vampires out there that were bad guys, far outweighed the good.

  “Come on, bro, let’s get her changed before she wakes up. Cause when that happens, we are going to have to be ready. I hear the change can be a pretty painful thing.”

  I knew it was gradually getting worse. Her body was growing colder and colder, but her skin was also covered in sweat. “Why isn’t she waking up?” I wondered aloud.

  “I don’t know,” Chloe answered, looking worried.

  We set to changing her clothes and had almost finished getting the clean ones on when her eyes snapped open. “Zander,” she wheezed, her chest heaving as if she were having trouble breathing.

  I rushed to the head of the bed and leaned over her. “I’m here, baby.”

  “Why am I still here?”

  “Because we saved you.”

  “You … know what I mean.” When she spoke it was as if every word was hard to get out.

  She turned her head just a little bit so she could see me better. Her eyes were still extremely bloodshot and her skin was growing paler by the moment. I could tell she was already moving deep into the change.

  “I do know what you mean,” I told her with as firm a voice as I could manage. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do that. As a matter of fact there is no way I’m going to do that.”

  “Someone has to do it. Chloe,” She caught sight of my sister standing behind me. “You have to. If he won’t, then it has to be you.”

  Chloe shook her head. “You’re not a vampire yet. So, I’m not killing you. Sorry.”

  Christina closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. “But, I will be. I don’t want to be one of them. I … I don’t want to hurt you.”

  While I totally got where she was coming from and probably would feel the same way, she was crazy if she thought I was going to kill her. “Okay, listen. Once you have completed the change, we will make a decision then. This will be hard, harder than anything you’ve ever done in your life. But there is a possibility you can come through this and not be …” I didn’t finish the sentence because I wasn’t sure what words to use.

  “I have a plan, Christina. Please … please don’t give up now,” Chloe pleaded with her. “We need you to want to come through this so you can still be with us.”

  Tears welled at the corners of her eyes and then eventually spilled over. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” She released a chest wracking sob. “I save people, I don’t eat them.”

  On any other day her declaration may have raised a smile or a chuckle, but on this occasion it wasn’t funny at all. I pushed her hair back off her forehead. “You will always save people. Baby, you have Hunter blood running through those veins and that blood is from angels and Gods. The good in you won’t be so easy to get rid of.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this. I can’t tell you to let me turn into one of those monsters. You will have to lock me up to keep me from attacking people.”

  “We don’t know what will happen,” I insisted.

  “You …” The tears spilled over even faster, “You might want to kill me. What if your gift prevents us from being together?”

  “It won’t,” I promised.

  “I don’t want to be here without you.” Christina wasn’t usually the type of girl who liked to bare her soul, but I understood why she felt like she needed to say it.

  “Listen to me.” I grasped her hand and held it between both of mine, pressing it to my heart. “I will never want to hurt you. Never. You got that?”

  She didn’t say anything else, including agreeing to try and get through this change willingly. I hated that we were going to make her become something that she didn’t want to be. After a few long moments, Christina turned her head toward Chloe and whispered, “So what’s your plan?”

  “I called Anthony. He’s already on his way here.”

  Christina practically seemed herself when she let out a quick breath and rolled her eyes. “Anthony is your plan, seriously.”

  Chloe shrugged. “He’s a vampire and he’s not all bad. He can help us with pretty much any scenario that we might encounter after your transition.
”

  “Ugh, great,” Christina mumbled, but then her eyes widened and she lurched forward to clutch at her stomach. “Son of a … hurts.” Her legs curled up as if she were trying to make herself into a ball.

  “Christina.” I stood, not knowing what to do. “Are you all right?”

  “Oh holy mother it hurts.”

  “What can I do?” I addressed my panicked question to both Christina and Chloe.

  Chloe shrugged, just as confused as I was. We had never seen anyone go through the transition from mortal to vampire. Her skin had paled dramatically, having gone from a nice tan color to pasty white. That change alone made her look entirely different.

  Not that I was worried about what she looked like or anything.

  She flopped back down onto the pillow and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m hot. It’s so freaking hot in here.” It was true, she was sweating before, but now she was downright soaked. The clothes we had just put on her were stuck to her body.

  Just when I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be able to handle seeing her go through this whole thing, the bedroom door burst open and Anthony strode toward us, followed by a much slower Luke. “How long has it been since she was bitten?” He bypassed the hellos and went straight for Christina.

  After examining her and quizzing us on the when she was bitten he turned to us. “Does she wish to continue through the change?”

  I faltered, she said she didn’t want to be a vampire, but Chloe and I had asked her to try … to see what happens after. I didn’t want to lie to Anthony about what she wanted.

  “Your silence tells me all I need to know,” he told me.

  “Yes,” Christina croaked from the bed. “I’m going to do it. Dammit.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “This is crap.”

  “As long as she wishes to continue, I will help you. I only had to know with certainty it was what she wanted. Now, as for the pain, she seems to be going through all of the normal symptoms of a transition, however …”

  “However what?” I demanded.

  “Anthony threw a glance over his shoulder to where Luke was sitting with Christina. “It should be much worse.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Is that all?”

  “I did not mean to alarm you, it is only that her condition surprises me. I have seen a lot of people go through the change and all have experienced far more pain than our young Hunter here.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Christina choked out from the bed. “That jerk off who did this called me that.”

  I eyed Anthony. “He won’t say it again,” I told her.

  He nodded. “I do apologize, Christina, I meant no harm.”

  “So, do you think that this is minimal because she is a Hunter?”

  “Perhaps,” Anthony answered.

  “See baby,” I called out. “The blood of angels and gods!” She only groaned in response.

  “It is still the beginning.” Anthony informed me. “Her symptoms could still worsen. Right now, they might only be delayed.”

  By nature, I wasn’t a very patient person so waiting for something like this to happen was not going to be a happy time for anyone. Christina released a painful cry and moaned against the pillow she was holding. “Okay, everyone out,” I ordered.

  “I shall stay with her as well, if you will permit me.” Anthony directed his request to me. “She will begin growing stronger as her body changes. You will need my assistance.”

  I really didn’t want him to stay, but I knew that he would be a big help if things with Christina went south. “All right, you can stay.” Luke and Chloe left, although hesitantly.

  As soon as they were gone I rushed back to Christina’s side. Anthony said these were minimal symptoms for a change, but it seemed to me like she was already in a lot of pain. How much worse could this get?

  Sadly, it wasn’t long before I found out just how much worse. Anthony had brought a bowl of ice water and a washcloth from the bathroom. “Here, use this to cool her skin.”

  I was sitting on the bed beside her, wiping the sweat from her face and arms, when she cried out. It wasn’t a moan or a cry of pain like before, this time she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her voice was filled with so much pain, I could feel it puncturing my heart.

  Her body seized, growing stiff as her chest lurched upward.

  “It’s beginning,” Anthony informed me softly as he moved to my side.

  “What do we do?”

  “There is nothing we can do for her, except let it run its course. Hopefully hers will be swift.”

  Yeah, hopefully.

  For twelve hours I watched the woman I love thrash about on the cotton sheets of our bed. She screamed and screamed and then screamed some more. Her pain was so much that even I didn’t know if I would be able to stay with her.

  At one point I turned on Anthony. “You told me this was minimal! That she wasn’t experiencing a normal change.”

  He stared at me with a static expression while I got in his face with my accusations. “Zander, please, remain calm. This is considerably less pain than I have seen most endure. She will be fine when she fully comes through it.”

  “Argh!” I grabbed my hair and pulled on it. I wanted to help her, but all I could do was sit there and watch. In a moment of weakness, I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the top of my dresser. I twisted the cap off and took a long pull straight from the bottle.

  Anthony took it like a champ. I could be a real ass when I wanted to be and sometimes even when I didn’t want to be. When I mouthed off, he ignored it or gave me an encouraging reply. In the end, I was grateful for his company and help.

  It was mid-morning when Christina’s pain finally subsided. I stood at the foot of the bed, watching her after she finally was able to let slumber take her. She looked beaten and worn, like she had fought a long battle. She had though. What she went through I don’t know if I could ever do. It amazed me that every vampire who was ever turned had to go through that.

  While she slept, I snuck off to the kitchen. I’d asked Anthony if he wanted anything but he declined. He refused to leave the room just in case she woke up. Because when she woke, she was going to be hungry and the only blood in this house were people she cared about.

  So I grabbed a snack, filled everyone in on what was happening and then ran back to the bedroom. I found Anthony sitting in the chair by her bedside with his legs crossed.

  I paced the room and ate an entire box of granola bars while doing it. Finally, I couldn’t stand the silence. “So, realistically, what are we going to do?” I asked him.

  Anthony tilted his head and looked up at me. “I have been pondering the same question and have only one conclusion that will be best for everyone.”

  He paused and I spread my hands out. “Well, what is it?

  “I do not normally consider taking young vampires under my wing, but I think it may be for the best interest of everyone involved if I take Christina with me for a little while.”

  “What? No. You can’t take her.”

  He shook his head. “I give you my word, it would only be for a short time and then she will return to you if she is able to. I do remind you, however, there is the chance that she may not be able to return. If this change has taken her too far into the dark, I will not let her come back to you.”

  “Let me come with you then.” I heard the plea in my voice and knew already that this was what was best for her.

  Anthony shook his head. “That is not a good idea.”

  My heart sunk. “What if she thinks we did this to her and then abandoned her?”

  “My dear boy, you will still be able to write letters and speak on the telephone. I’m not going to keep her prisoner, I just want to keep everyone safe. She will be able to leave me at any point, I simply do not want her to be around so much fresh blood while she is so young. Not until she has some sort of control.”

  “I don’t know.”

  He stood, looked from me to Chri
stina and then back at me. “I think you do know. This is what is best. I will take care of her and she will be treated as if she were royal. Have no worries.”

  I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to give permission for him to take her away from me.

  “It has to happen quickly,” Anthony warned me, with another glance at Christina.

  I closed my eyes, surprised when I felt tears spill over onto my cheeks. “Okay … okay.”

  ***

  “Zander!” I heard Chloe yell at me, but ignored her. I was in the gym, beating on the heavy bag hanging from a steel post. “Zander, stop!” She stepped over behind the bag and grabbed it to keep it from swinging.

  “Get out of my way, Chloe. I just need some time.”

  “You’ve had time. It’s been two days. You even got to talk to her.”

  “We did this. I did this.” I stepped away from the bag since she was in the way. Sweat poured off my forehead and into my eyes. “It’s like picking up a puppy at the pound and then deciding you don’t want it because it bit you.”

  “This is nothing like that scenario.” Chloe scoffed. “She’s fine, she even told you she would rather be away right now. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “It’s still not right. I feel like I gave up on her.”

  “We all feel like that. This isn’t a feeling that is going to go away anytime soon. But you have to stop beating yourself up about it.”

  I glared at her. “I’m not beating myself up, I was beating on that bag until you stopped me.”

  “Smartass.”

  “Better than a dumbass.”

  She shook her head. “We have reduced ourselves to juvenile comebacks.”

  I began unwrapping the tape from my knuckles. “I just need some time to process this whole thing.”

  She nodded. “I understand. Anthony will take good care of her though.”

  I didn’t doubt that. I knew he would because he promised me that he would. I was having more issues than just Christina. It made me feel like a selfish jerk even thinking about myself with her being gone … and a vampire, but I had somehow spiraled back down into the depression that had plagued me before I went to see the Warrior Angel.