by White, Megan
I heard the pain and torment that laced his voice. It ripped a hole in my chest knowing that he was hurting, hurting because of me. I let go of my serenity, of my utopia, and of my mother.
My eyes opened to the tear stained face of an angel hovering over me.
“Erin!” He cried out, rocking me in his arms.
“You’re alive.” I croaked. The undeniable love I felt for him gripped my chest as I peered into his red-rimmed blue eyes.
“You are alive.” He sniffed into my hair, “Why did you do it?” He asked through shakes, holding me tight to his chest.
Through dry lips and a weighted body, I answered him, “I wasn’t going watch another person I love die.”
“Love?”
“Yes.” I finally admitted, to both him and myself.
Tightening his grip, he sighed, “You don’t know how long I have waited for you.”
He held me in his arms as he slowly rocked us back and forth. His nose nuzzled into my hair, breathing me in, “I thought you were gone.” His voice hitched, “I thought I had killed you.”
“No,” I crooned, rubbing my fingers over his cheek, “You have saved me.”
His eyes filled with tears as he looked down at me. I could see the pain swimming through those crystal clear irises because they always mirrored my own. “I couldn’t have lived with myself knowing you died because of me.”
“Shh,” I smiled, “Everything will be okay.”
But I wasn’t sure if that was the truth. We were both alive, but the body of Corina still lay at our feet. The wife of the Supreme leader, limp and lifeless in a pool of her own blood remained in Declan’s great room. I shook as the visions of what Tarant would do when word got back to him that I killed her. Instant death would be too merciful for the tyrant that was Tarant. He would make it slow, enjoyable. He would want to watch me suffer.
I pointed to the body of Corina, “What’s going to happen now?”
“I have others coming for her, you don’t need to worry about her.”
“What will Tarant do?”
“Nothing.” Declan smiled down at me, his eyes twinkled with the first sign of real happiness that I had seen from him in so long, “He had no idea she had come here. As far as I know, no one did. When we dispose of her body,” He sighed, relaxing into the back of the couch, “neither of us will have her to worry about her ever again.”
He was right. Out of our long list of enemies, Corina was no longer one of them. She paid for what she had done to our families. Her death was justifiable, and I would have been lying if I denied the gratification it gave me knowing that I was the one that killed her. The last thing that woman ever saw was my smiling face as I tore into her neck, and that alone sent pleasure soaring through me.
“Did you feed on her?” He asked distractedly as he looked over her blood-covered body.
“No.” I tensed in his arms, “I didn’t want one drop of that woman inside of me.”
“I have waited years to watch her die,” He shook his head, “Thought it would have been by my hands.”
I couldn’t help but giggle in his arm, “Sorry to steal your thunder.”
“I didn’t want your hands to get dirty. When you take a life,” He sighed, “no matter the life, it will always stay with you- haunt you.”
“Maybe that means you are better than I am,” My lips twitched in a wry smile, “Because I will never feel guilt over her death. What she did… her end was fitting.”
I felt him nod against the couch, “How are you feeling?”
“Tired.” I tried to sit up, “and thirsty”
“Oh, no you don’t.” His arms bound around my waist, pulling me back to his chest, “You need to stay down for a bit, at least until you are stronger.” He pointed to my arm that had been swathed like a mummy from wrist to elbow, “You have quite a few stitches to worry about.”
“Okay, but could you move me away from her?” I pouted, pointing to Corina’s body that still remained only a few inches from our feet.
“Fine, but you’re not walking.” He scooped me into his arms and stood, “Bed or couch?”
“Where will you be?”
“Out here.” He nuzzled my neck, “I have a few things to take care of.”
“Then I choose couch.”
“Good choice.”
He slowly laid me on the couch as if I were as breakable as a china doll, “I’m not that fragile.” A giggle left my lips once he pulled away from me. “You are to me.” His lithe fingers brushed down my neck, “The most precious creature to walk the earth.”
My heart expanded as I drank him in. His jet black hair glistened in the brilliant sunlight that streamed in from the large window. His eyes filled with unnamed emotion captivated mine every time I looked into them, his touch, so soft and reverent against my skin. Those were all the things I thought had been ripped away from me, never to experience again. It took watching him die in front of me for the barrier I constructed to fall, giving way to the enormity of emotions I had been running from. But he was with me. He was my other half, my reflection. To see him go would have killed me. His heart, his mind, his soul, they all added to the beauty that was Declan, and I no longer fought the swell of sensations he made me feel.
I had fallen in love with my Keeper.
“You look amazing.” I crooned from the couch.
“I’d like to think so.” He teased while straightening his shirt.
“That is not what I meant, you egomaniac.”
“I know what you meant.” He bent down and brushed his lips over mine. “And it’s all thanks to you. Although,” He straightened away from me, no longer smiling, “I am still mad at you.”
“Mad?” I squeaked, “About what?”
“I almost killed you, Erin.” He shouted in exasperation.
“I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t going to let you die. Would you have sat back and watched me die if you could help it?” I pressed him, my head tilting to the side as I regarded him shrewdly. I already knew his answer and by the look on his face, he knew I knew.
“Don’t do it again.” He snapped, turning for the kitchen.
“I will do it as many times as necessary! You just need to stop almost dying.”
“I’ll do my best.” A sly smile played on his lips as he brought back a large glass of water that made my mouth instantly salivate.
“Drink this.”
He was still just as bossy as ever, but I didn’t mind. He was alive, he was healthy, and he was all mine, “Planned on it.” I giggled, taking the glass from his hands and downing half in one gulp.
“I have some calls to make, Please rest.”
I smiled at his serious expression and laughed, “You should be nicer to me.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I am more venomous than you are.” I flashed him a toothy grin.
“Indeed you are,” He scoffed and pointed over my head, “And what came of that is still lying on my living room floor.” He bent over and planted a wet chastising kiss on my lips, “I have a few calls to make.”
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Declan.”
“You are right,” He jumped over the arm of the couch, landing softly on top of me, “But I look good on you.” His lips brushed my neck playfully, “Stop talking to me, I have to get some work done.”
“Aye, aye Captain.”
It felt good to be able to play with him. We both knew our troubles were far from over but to have any short reprieve where we could just be felt amazing. He had given me something I never knew I was missing, stability. He loved me with everything he had, was willing to put his life on the line to save me, and I was willing to do the same for him. We were going to fight for each other, fight for a love that we both so desperately craved. Fight for a life where we could be free to live and love openly without the fear of persecution.
It was a life we were willing to die for-- together.
Chapter Nineteen
There wasn’t much for me to do other than wait, and waiting left the door open for my thoughts to run wild, something I never enjoyed. Never would I tell Declan of my flight with my mother. I had died, but death would never again frighten me, I wanted it. It was the peace I had craved my entire life.
When you lived in a world full of darkness, greed and hate, a moment of peace is all you wished for, something you would die for. I had seen enough death, enough killing. I was ready to let it all go and just be…free. It was beauty in the highest sense of the word. There was no pain or torment. Declan would never have understood, and I loved him enough to save him from the thought of me no longer being with him, but when the time came, I would be ready.
I no longer feared death. I welcomed it with open arms. I would fight on earth for as long as I needed to, for as long as I had a purpose. Tarant would come for me, but I no longer feared him either.
I could hear Declan muttering orders from the kitchen, no doubt to another one of his Keepers, maybe even Kellan. The anger lacing his tone was evident, he was frustrated, but he had all right to be. His father’s wife was dead in his living room and the longer she remained, the more our danger grew. There were only a few Declan could trust, if word got to Tarant that his wife was dead, anyone that knew of it would die along with her.
We needed a plan.
Pulling myself from the couch, I tested my legs to find that for the most part, other than a little dizziness, I was perfectly fine. I followed Declan’s exasperated voice into the kitchen, smiling when I saw him hunched over the island, his hands tangling into his hair, “So what’s the plan?”
He turned from the island, the movement so quick it almost knocked me back, “I thought I told you to stay on the couch!”
I hopped onto the counter and wrapped my legs around him, “I heal quickly remember?” I chided, caressing his lips with my own, “What are we going to do with mommy dearest?”
“We aren’t going to do anything.” He powered off his phone, “I have a crew coming to get her. We are going on a little trip.”
“A trip?” I squeaked, “Are we running?” That was the last thing I ever thought I would hear coming out of his mouth. Declan didn’t run from things, he ran to things. He didn’t know fear, all he knew was passion. He worked hard to become what he was, to hold the powerful position he did. How could he suggest running?
“No.” He tilted his head back on a loud laugh, “Not running, but I have a place that you need to see.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“Nope,” His eyes twinkled in mischief, “It is a surprise. Dress comfortably, jeans and sneakers.”
“So we’re just going to leave her there?” I pointed in the direction of Corina’s body.
“She will be gone before we get back. I told you not to worry about her.”
“Then what has you so upset?”
“Let’s just say getting in where I am going to take you…” He paused, leaning down to kiss my neck, “Takes a little work.” He nipped my lower lip playfully, “Get dressed.”
“Actually,” I looked down at my bloodstained clothes, “I’d like to take a quick shower first.”
His jaw tightened as he looked over me, “Fine, but make it quick and don’t get your arm wet.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I jumped from the counter and made my way to the washroom. How he could have expected me to agree with getting dressed while still covered in not only my blood but also his and the spawn of Satan baffled me.
Something had him riled, something that he was not telling me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, Declan never told me anything.
I knew no amount of soap and water would remove the ick that covered my body, but I dialed the temperature to as hot as I could stand it, stepped inside, and held my right arm out of the stall. It seemed silly to have to worry about the stitches, I felt completely fine, but I did it for him because he worried about me, and also because I knew he would soon interrupt my showering to rush me along. All men are the same.
Wanting every ounce of that woman off me, I scrubbed my skin until it felt like a blistered shell, and not caring how bad it hurt to make that happen. My fingers were still tender from the glass, and I watched as the scabs sloughed off, trickling new blood down my hands. I laughed at the sound of the door creaking open, signaling Declan’s entrance, “Come on, I have only been in for ten minutes.”
“That’s five minutes too long,” He griped, pulling the shower curtain back, and freezing when he saw my hands, “What did you do?”
“Nothing,” I smiled, bringing my fingers to his lips, “They’re just not fully healed yet.” My core tightened when his lips enclosed around my bloodied digits. His eyes sparked as he lightly sucked, drawing lightly on the tips. “It’s time to get out of the shower.” He crooned, pulling my hand away from his mouth, “We have company arriving soon and I’d rather be out of the house before they arrive.”
“Any reason for that?”
He held out the silken robe to me, jiggling it impatiently. “Is it wrong that I don’t want to share you?”
Smiling as he wrapped the silk around my shoulders, I brushed my lips down his neck, “Nope.”
He guided me to the bedroom, flipping on the light once we entered, “You have jeans in the closet and t-shirts in the dresser.” He pointed to his watch, “Dress as quick as you can.”
“Ok, ok!” I rolled my eyes at his retreating back, “Sheesh.”
“I heard that.” He yelled from the hallway.
“Heard what?”
“Your eyes roll.”
Laughing at his seemingly playful attitude, I went to the dresser and found some suitable underwear and a blue t-shirt, followed by a dark pair of jeans. I was dressed as ‘comfortably’ as possible without being in sweats, but what shocked me most of all was that he did not expect me to put on a uniform. Any commoner seen without their issued garbs would immediately be arrested. It wasn’t safe for me to dress that way. If we were leaving his home, a uniform should have been what I wore. I searched the closet, looking for anything that resembled a commoner’s uniform, there were none.
I found Declan pacing in the living room, periodically staring out the window, “If we are leaving, why am I not in uniform?” I asked once I made it into the hallway.
He stopped his pacing once he heard my entry, “Because no one will see you.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Because we are going under,” He flashed a grin, “Not over.”
He leaped at me, grabbed me in his iron tight hold, and pressed his lips almost painfully to mine. His fervor knocked me back, but all too soon, I found myself yielding to his passion. I opened to him, allowed him to explore my mouth with his tongue, tasting me as he lapped inside. A moan left his lips as his fingers pressed into the small of my back, pulling me closer to his chest, “We need to go.” He pulled away panting, leaving me reeling.
Unable to think, I just nodded, allowing him to pull me down the hall and through a series of doors.
We ran deeper into his home, my mind unable to grasp how large it really was. Pushing through a set of double doors, hundreds of books greeted my eyes. Declan had a library that could have rivaled The Supremacy’s ‘Public’ archive.
We stopped at a large bookcase, my eyes shooting to his as I wondered if he had lost his mind, “It’s a book case.”
He said nothing as he pulled a copy of ‘War and Peace’ from the shelf, causing the case to rumble at our feet. My jaw plunged to my feet as I watched the towering wall of books swivel, opening to a dimly lit tunnel.
“Are you ready?” He whispered, pulling my hand in his and intertwining our fingers.
I remained paralyzed as I peered down the darkened passageway, “For what?”
“For everything.” He pulled me passed the wall of books and into the channel. My heart stopped when the rumble came again, telling of the case closing behind us, “Do you trust me?” Declan whispered close to my ear.
> “With my own life.” I answered without hesitation.
We walked in silence down the twisting channel, our fingers laced together in an unspoken display of fusion.
Intermittent lights flickered from overhead, illuminating the tunnel just enough for any one person to see. There was no end in sight as I followed him through the underground. “We don’t have much further to go,” He pointed ahead of us, pointing at nothing.
The tunnels seemed to go on for miles, twisting and turning under the teeming populous that was our Zone, “Is this how Keepers make it around undetected?” I asked, looking around me, seeing no other way out other than the way we came.
“No Keepers under Tarant know about these tunnels.” His fingers tightened around mine, “You have nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid.” And I could actually say that was the truth. I had Declan beside me, a towering force of power and will; with him, nothing scared me.
“We’re here.” He stopped in front of a barren wall. I knew from before not to state the obvious and just wait until it magically opened into someone else’s giant library.
The ground rumbled under our feet as the dirt from above rained down on our heads. Mystified, I watched the wall magically swing open, revealing the two cloaked Keepers from the Farm standing on the other side. One being the Keeper that ushered me off the bus that first day, the one that nearly crushed my skull into the rocky ground in front of the lectern where my best friend laid lifeless at the hand of the Keeper that held me tight to his side.
My hand fell from Declan’s as the two neared us. The feeling of betrayal gripped my chest as I looked to him for answers, “It’s not what you think.” They trapped me in the tunnel, Declan at my back and the two at my front. “These two are our escorts.”
“Escorts where?” I bit out, clenching my teeth as I tried to stave off the stinging tears my body wanted released.
“To the compound.”
“We won’t hurt you, Erin.” One spoke softly, leading the way down the darkened path. It didn’t surprise me that they knew my name; nothing was a secret in the world of The Supremacy.