I pictured the vampire in my head, trying to conjure up as much detail as I could manage. I tried to match all of the features to my memory as I mentally called the name out. I tried to transfer the message, making it clear how desperate I was. I tried to convey how urgent it was, probably even life changing.
I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn’t see anyone but vampires are designed to be able to blend in and so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to see him until he wanted to be seen.
“It’s safe. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.” I said, hoping that he heard me, wherever he was hiding.
There was no reply, and then out of the darkness came a voice. “What would you like to talk about?”
I turned around to face the direction of the voice. He stepped out from the shadows and came towards me. I was proud of myself for managing to summon him so easily. The plan was beginning to take shape, and his arrival meant that I was one step closer to achieving my goal.
I smiled brightly at him, truly happy to see him. “It’s lovely to see you again, Aiden.”
As soon as I had started to consider my options for dealing with Gabriel, Aiden had returned to my mind. He had so much history with Gabriel that it would be wrong for me to exclude him from the plan. It was the only real way of finishing this all off, the only fair way to handle everything. If I hadn’t called on Aiden then I would never have felt true peace. After hearing his story, I knew that he had more right than anyone to be involved in bringing Gabriel down.
I had only met him once but I felt bonded to him through our mutual hatred of Gabriel. I walked over and wrapped him up in a warm hug. He seemed taken aback by this. Our first meeting had started with me pinning him against the wall, so this was quite a drastic change.
“It’s nice to see you too but I assume you didn’t call me over for a friendly chat.” He said, gently pushing me away.
I think my unexpected intimacy had made him uncomfortable. It was clear that he felt out of his element when he was around female vampires, probably due to the centuries he spent with males in the Order. His love for Emma must have been difficult for him to admit, which made Gabriel’s betrayal even more unforgivable.
“I have something you’ll be very interested to hear. I can’t tell you how I found out, but I know where Gabriel is.” I said, a satisfied smirk never leaving my face.
Aiden perked up, clearly interested in what I had to tell him. He hadn’t known about Gabriel’s whereabouts, but I could guarantee that he hadn’t stopped looking.
“What do you plan on doing? I wouldn’t have expected you to sell him out after everything you went through together.” He replied.
A few of my memories with Gabriel flashed through my head. We had spent some wonderful months together, but everything has to come to an end and my happiness with him was no different. Every moment of joy we shared had been built on a lie, and then I had found something far sweeter with Robert. I would never forget that part of my life, the time when I was truly happy. Remembering that Gabriel had taken all of that away from me made it easier to let Aiden in on my plan.
“Gabriel killed the vampire I loved. He also killed the vampire you loved. He manipulated you and made you do things for him. He manipulate me too, and he wanted to destroy me and kill me. I owe him nothing.” I was telling Aiden this, but I was also partly convincing myself. I needed to be sure of what I was about to do.
“You’re right. Just so you know, I’m sorry for my part in everything Gabriel did. I’m sorry for everything you have lost.” Aiden whispered. He clearly felt uncomfortable sharing his feelings and so I simply smiled in return. “You still haven’t told me what you plan to do with this information?”
This was the trickiest part. I had no doubt in my mind that Aiden would agree with my plan in theory, but whether or not he would go along with it in reality was a different matter.
“Gabriel doesn’t deserve to be a vampire. He deserves to die.” Saying it out loud soothed me. I finally felt as if everything was coming together, as if I was doing the right thing after so many months of confusion and backstabbing. The path was finally clear.
I could see Aiden nodding. I was certainly right about him agreeing with the principal of my plan. I was sure that Gabriel deserved to die for all the suffering he had inflicted on the two of us, and Aiden firmly agreed with me.
“I could probably kill Gabriel. It would be difficult because he is older than me but I’m running on grief right now. I’m pretty sure I could do it and I would be willing to risk my life for the chance to take his. I know it would be worth it.” I thought of Robert for a moment, but then I pushed him away so that I could focus on that task at hand. “But you have waited a lot longer to get revenge. The way he treated you was far worse than the way he treated me. You are older than him, and stronger than him. For you to get the peace you deserve, you should be the one to kill him.”
Aiden seemed shocked. I think he had expected me to tear Gabriel apart with my bare hands. He definitely hadn’t expected me to hand over the opportunity to kill our mutual enemy, without any interference on my part.
“Are you sure about this? Obviously I would love the opportunity to kill Gabriel. I have thought about it for years, but I want to make sure you’ve really thought this through. Are you sure you don’t want to be there?” He asked me.
I had to think about that carefully. When I had been crafting my plan I had thought about killing Gabriel myself, but in the end it didn’t seem right. I didn’t want to bow down to my sire’s level. Killing a vampire is the ultimate crime and I had already rashly taken Dahlia’s life. I didn’t need any more marks against me.
Ending his life myself wouldn’t make me any happier, but knowing that Emma and Robert had been avenged seemed like a noble act. After this, I didn’t want to think about Gabriel ever again. This was the only solution I could come up with, and it meant that both Aiden and I would finally have peace.
I took Aiden’s hand, disregarding whether or not he was comfortable with that level of intimacy. “I’m giving you the chance to do this for both of us, if you want to.”
Aiden paused for a moment and then gave a small nod. That was all I needed. The plan was now in full effect: Robert’s belongings were safely stored away in case I ever returned to London, although I had sent a few of his books on to my next destination so that I would have a momento of him close by; Now Aiden had agreed to take matters in to his own hands. The plan was finally coming together.
“Ok then.” I said, struggling to hold back my smile. “I guess I’ll take you to him.”
I hadn’t expected to return to my childhood home. It held many memories for me, both good and bad. My family had been massacred there and I had spent years caring for my alcoholic mother, but I had also fallen in love with Gabriel at this place and I had been turned in to a vampire within it’s walls. First it reminded me of those happy moments, and then it reinforced the fact that they had all been lies.
I let go of Aiden’s hand as I could tell he disliked my contact, and I began to run in the direction of my former house. It had been several months since I had been there, but I knew the way without even thinking about it. The location would likely be etched on my memory forever.
Aiden ran with me, keeping up without much effort. I occasionally glanced over at him and saw him growing more excited as we neared our destination. He had been waiting for so long to take Gabriel’s life, to finally face up to him, and now he was about to get the chance. I don’t think the reality of the situation had truly sunk in yet.
It took us a long time but eventually we reached my old home. It looked exactly the same, in fact the entire neighbourhood did. I had expected the door to be criss crossed with police tape after Penny’s murder, but it was long gone. Gabriel never left any evidence of his presence at a crime scene, and I knew that meant the home was probably not a priority for the police anymore.
We stood outside, side by side, staring at
the house. For Aiden this was a chance to plan his attack, to work out what he was going to say to the creature who had ruined his life. He had so much pent up frustration, the result of years of seething rage. I could hardly imagine what he was going through, but I knew he was the perfect vampire to defeat Gabriel once and for all.
This pause gave me a chance to reflect on everything I’d been through. I had spent 8 years of my life, my entire adolesence, dreaming of Gabriel. He had seemed so perfect that I had spent every waking moment dwelling on him. I had been so enamoured with him that I had even let him take my life.
Over time he had inflicted deep wounds. He had played with my mind, making me fall in love with him and then using this love to drive me mad. He had punished me for things beyond my control, as if I was his pesky student. He had even brought another woman in to our home.
I had also found real love. I had met Robert and even though we had only spent a few weeks together, I knew that he was special. He had more honesty and passion than anyone I had known. He had loved me for who I was, and he had been open with me, telling me his life story right from his days as a human in France. He had been everything I once thought Gabriel would be.
I knew true love couldn’t last forever. I had lost Robert too soon, but I was finally on my way to starting the life I deserved. By the time the sun rose I would finally be free of Gabriel, and I knew that Robert would always be watching me. I was going to carry on living, just as I had promised him.
“I can’t believe this is really happening.” Aiden said, chuckling in disbelief. I think he was just as surprised as I was with the way everything had turned out.
There was nothing else that needed to be said. We both knew how significant this moment was without uttering a word. I was sure that Aiden would always be part of my life, purely because of the link Gabriel had created between us. I would never forget him and I hoped he would never forget me.
He began the walk towards the front door. I had no idea what his plan was but he seemed confident, even cocky, and suddenly all of my lingering doubts were wiped away. For the first time, I was certain that everything was going to be alright.
I could have stayed to watch Aiden complete the plan. I even could have waited outside to make sure that he left the home in one piece, but I trusted him and so I decided to go. I hadn’t wanted to kill Gabriel myself, and so I didn’t need to be there.
I turned away from the home one last time and walked slowly down the street. I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had found, and lost, my true love but I knew he wanted me to carry on without him. I had promised him that I would go on living and that was just what I was going to do.
I didn’t have a clue what the future held, but I knew my next step. I was going to make my way to Paris. Robert had said it was one of the few places which had significance for him, the place he was perfectly matched to. If it was good enough for him, then it would be good enough for me. I would be there in a few nights, ready to start my new life on the same streets Robert had once walked.
I continued down the road, walking towards my new life. I didn’t need to turn around once during my journey. My old life was long gone, miles behind me. I had nobody watching me over my shoulder anymore, waiting for me to slip up. I was completely free. I smiled to myself, knowing that whatever happened I would be ready for it. There was nothing left for me to fear.
The Embrace Page 34