5 Darkness Falls

by Christin Lovell

  Javier met us in the middle. “Alexa Jackson.” He cocked his head, considering me.

  Kellan stepped in front, pushing me behind him.

  “How sweet. You can protect her here, but not with Cecilia. Lucky for you both, she sent me instead.”

  I frowned, moving around Kellan. “What do you mean?”

  “Just what I said. She sent me instead to complete the mission. She didn’t think she could bare the pain on your face when we accomplished it.”

  I slid in front of Kellan, looking up into the trees. “You talk a big game, and granted, you’re prepared, but even the best planned missions fail sometimes.”

  He cackled; it grated on my nerves. “Please. You have thirteen including yourself. I have approximately five hundred and sixty two. Shall we do the math?”

  I smiled wide. “Well, David did defeat Goliath.”

  “Then I suggest you start slinging your stones.” He crossed his arms over his chest, standing with his feet shoulder width apart. He was waiting for me to do my best.

  I wouldn’t give it to him. He’d strategize around that.

  I heard my team move behind me. They huddled together. I ignored their whispers. I was focused on a single opponent, not an army. Javier was the vampire calling the shots. As long as I distracted him…

  “They’re launching!” Someone shouted from above.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find my team had divided up the grenades. Javier could move fast, but he’d still suffer a loss.

  “Go!” Jarrod shouted.

  My heart lurched when I saw Mel chucking grenades as we moved back.

  Javier jumped into action, but not before his army slipped into chaos behind him. Vamps ran for us at warp speed.

  Kellan and I shared a brief look. He nodded his head, assuring me before he lunged into the middle of it all. He snapped the neck of one vamp before elbowing another and sending him flying, knocking over a few more. He flew at lightning speed. I’d never seen him so vicious. He was like a skilled assassin. Pride soared in my chest. He really was ready to fight.

  I kicked out at the vamps swarming me. One put his hands around my neck as the other wrapped his hands around my waist. I heard the Velcro peeling apart.

  “Over my dead body, buddy.” I kneed his crotch. The second he released me, I used his body as leverage to kick up and over the vamp behind me. I immediately snapped his neck.

  My victory was short lived as an arrow whistled through the air above me. I grabbed the closest vamp and shoved him in front of it. He immediately fell to the ground, which meant the arrows were laced with something.

  ***

  Auggy

  Everything was fucked up. Nothing was working. I called in the helicopter to airlift Kalia to the holding cells again.

  “Teams two and three, move in now. Have your weapons up and ready. There are targets above and in front of you. Go, go, go!” I yelled.

  Claire moved to my side. “How bad is it?” She wasn’t able to look me in the eye; she feared the worst.

  “They’re alive, but grossly outnumbered, however, she’s fighting hard and well, I might add.” I slipped her the phone.

  She gasped. I knew she’d be overwhelmed by the amount of vamps attacking Lexi at once. The girl was strong though. She was holding her own.

  Her hands shook as she passed it back to me. “I have to get in there and help.” There was strength and determination in her eyes.

  My heart swelled. I’d never loved someone like I love Claire. She challenged me and protected me; she constantly saved me from myself.

  She’d never held me back. I could see now that I wouldn’t be able to hold her back either. Lexi had become her child. No parent would ever let their child battle alone, regardless of who they were.

  “You can move in with the fourth team…with me.”

  She touched my cheek gently, but there was power in her stance. “I’m ready, Augustine.” Her voice was tight, decided.

  I wanted to beg her to stay behind. That’s what she did to this grumpy old vamp. She brought me to my knees. I never feared losing my own life, but I always feared losing her.

  “We’ll fight together. Have Christian load you up, just in case.”

  She lifted on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across mine. Warmth spread through me; for that one millisecond, everything stopped around me. I wasn’t in the middle of a war zone. It was just she and I.

  Damn it. Love really was a weakness in the vamp world.

  Chapter 28

  Lexi

  I heard the bustle of back up running straight towards us. My body was already growing weary from the excess physical demand of fighting off so many vamps alone.

  My heart pounded in my chest. The baby’s heartbeat was also elevated by my exertion.

  I couldn’t see anyone. I could only fight hard and hope they were all still alive. I had to fight to see that he survived. It was imperative that Kellan survived.

  I kicked out, at the same time decking a vamp at my side. I was struggling to keep my light show under wraps. My pulse was pumping loud and hard; my body shook with electricity, with energy that surged towards the end goal of victory.

  I caught Drexel beside me. “You doing okay, Baby Cakes?” he asked, knocking out a few vamps.

  “I’m dealing,” I replied, snapping the neck of another. “Have you seen Kellan?”

  “Afraid not. I’m sure he’s okay though.”

  We were pulled in opposite directions as we continued battling the swarm of vampires. It should never be one race against another. We should never fight over something that is unchangeable. The color of someone’s skin, their ethnicity, is unchangeable. No one should ever be punished for having to wear glasses, for having brown skin, for wearing ragged clothes or for living in a shack. Focus on the changeable.

  We have too many issues in the world, vamp and human, to focus on petty items. We need to fight to inspire change that might possibly come to fruition. When we unite together for a common good, we accomplish amazing things. We make a difference. We change our futures. We impact our futures by having the courage to change the changeable.

  I moved in and out of the crowd of vampires. I heard weapons fire. vampeens and vampires dropping behind me. My heart skipped each time.

  War cries filled my ears, grunts echoed all around as we fought for what we believed in. This was about more than Kellan and me. This was about fighting for a better world. We would never know peace as long as we killed over things that couldn’t be changed. We had no control over whether we were a vampeen or vampire.

  I elbowed a vamp, sending him backwards, twisted into a semi-circle and shot my other elbow up into another vamp’s neck, effectively breaking it. I spun around to take out another vampire when he abruptly threw his hands up in surrender.

  I looked up and out over the mayhem. It appeared that another team had moved in, because I saw Auggy taking prisoners. It was more than just my vampire surrendering.

  I watched as many vampires tried to escape in opposite directions, but they were being caught. Like a coordinated symphony, vampires started throwing their hands up in surrender.

  Pride and relief surged through me. We’d done it. One by one the remaining vampires were surrendering. My adrenaline was still pumping as the last of the vampires were killed or subdued into forfeit.

  As the field started to open up amidst the cluttered chaos, I got a better view of the area. Horror ran through me as I gazed around at the scene. There was more bloodshed than I would have liked. Hundreds of bodies lied limp on the ground. I swallowed hard. I knew it was unavoidable. There were always more sacrifices than victories.

  Kai approached me, sheathing his gold dagger. He glanced around before returning his gaze to me. He withdrew an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to me.

  “What’s this?” I studied my name on the front of it written in his handwriting.

  As I lifted my gaze back to him, he bent and kissed me. His l
ips were soft, yet there was an unyielding urgency to his touch. The feel of his mouth against my own sent my heart into overdrive. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. In an instant, it was as if our souls were intertwined. Breathing in his scent, I inhaled all that was Kai as I returned his embrace. I wasn’t able to think clearly, I was only able to feel, and I felt Kai. I felt his blood pumping through him at a steady rate that matched my heartbeat. In this moment, with his lips secured to mine, with our bodies interwoven, it was as if we were one.

  He slowly drifted away, lingering with a few soft kisses. When I opened my eyes to him again, there were red tears streaking down his cheeks. He smiled at me despite the sadness in his eyes.

  He swallowed hard. “I love you, Leka. Take care.” He kissed his fingertips and pressed them to my burgeoning belly.

  A chill ran down my spine. My pulse was racing as I watched him survey his surroundings. I looked out, but there was nothing to see. Everyone was either standing around or restraining new prisoners.

  Abruptly, Kai took off in an open throttle run. That’s when I saw him: the vamp in the tree.

  “No, Kai!” I cried. I dropped the letter, chasing after him.

  ***

  Kellan

  At Lexi’s scream, I instinctively turned towards her voice. I was immediately thrown backwards. Everything reduced to slow motion. I was on my feet in time to see the dart flying through the air. Kai turned to me, meeting my gaze. He nodded his head once, as if to affirm what he was doing. The dart pierced his chest the moment before Lexi reached him.

  I ran to his side right as Lexi’s body started quaking. I checked for a pulse, but found nothing. He must have died upon contact.

  Lexi’s shudders turned violent. Tears streamed down her face as her veins illuminated the familiar blue. Faster than ever before, electricity crackled over her flesh. She yelled at the top of her lungs; flares of blue sprung up and out of her every time she cried out. Her bellowing shrieks shattered my heart; I heard the breaking of her heart in those guttural roars.

  One second she was in front of me, the next the shooter dropped out of the tree, his neck having been snapped. One by one the prisoners we’d taken hostage were withdrawn from an ally’s possession and killed. Lexi was moving so fast; I couldn’t keep up, even with my enhanced vision.

  A wave of fear rolled through me, concerned with her safety, and the safety of our unborn child. I was on my feet, trying to cut her off, but she wasn’t slowing. Her rage only seemed to grow.

  I watched closely as she returned to the center of the small clearing. She was struggling to breathe as her lips quivered. Her thoughts were closed off to me; a protective shield around her, preventing anyone from getting close.

  Tears steadily streamed down her cheeks with no signs of drying any time soon. Kalel and several others were hovering over Kai. Everyone had turned to observe Lexi though; to watch as she fell into the depths of despair.

  Suddenly, she let out a cry so loud that it shook the surrounding timbers with its echo. Everyone leapt back as bolts of lighting, thick darts of electricity shot from her flesh. The lightning bolts hit the nearby trees, burning their trunks in seconds and sending them crashing to the ground. Vamps scattered, fleeing any way they could.

  My chest hurt, my heart burned as I was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch her suffer. My hands were cuffed. There was nothing I could do. And for the first time, I understood what it truly meant to be helpless.

  She stumbled over to Kai’s lifeless body. Everyone had stepped away from him when her outburst turned lethal. She collapsed to her knees, the light in her body beginning to ebb. Sobs poured from her, still, as she wrapped herself around Kai. The armor Auggy had given her for the baby was long gone. Her baby belly was exposed, lying slightly above Kai’s stomach. She yanked the dart from his chest and tossed it aside. She pressed the side of her face to his chest. Her hands shook as she gathered one of his into her own. She gently kissed his palm, a new set of tears deciding to avalanche.

  I moved closer, wishing she would stop glowing so I could hug her, hold her; so I could soothe her and comfort her the way she needed to be. I was so wrapped up in her that I couldn’t mourn Kai’s passing or honor his sacrifice at the moment. He saved my life. Single-handedly, he beat fate, but it was at a high cost. I’d called him selfish in the past, but I could see now that he was actually selfless.

  I crouched down on the other side of Kai, where Lexi could see me. Her eyes met mine, and I fell back at the raw pain that her eyes bared.

  She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back another swell of emotion. “He’s gone.” Her voice was hoarse; she sounded empty and hollow.

  She swallowed hard. I knew her serum must have drowned her mouth several times by this point. She focused on Kai again. I could tell the fight was leaving her. Her anger had given way to pain; her rage had given way to sadness. She reverently pressed her lips to Kai’s, closing her eyes and allowing the tears to splash onto him.

  A whimper escaped me as I saw her pull away. She rested her head on Kai’s chest again, and within a few seconds, her light disappeared as she slipped into oblivion. It was then that I heard the baby’s heartbeat escalate, beating faster. My gut wrenched tight, my chest constricting from the fear that it wouldn’t survive. I sat, paralyzed by the idea that after all of this, the baby could possibly not make it. I’d never heard its heart so quick and erratic.

  Kalel and I reached their side. Tears rimmed the strong vamps eyes, as he stared down at the pair. His jaw line was rigid; it was taking a lot of effort to keep his emotions at bay. This was his brother, his maker, his best friend and so much more. I could only imagine what he was going through. I couldn’t help the guilt that furled deep inside me; Kai died so that I could live, so my baby would have its father.

  Kalel placed a heavy hand on my shoulder as he bent down beside me. “I don’t blame you. It was his choice.” He looked away, his breathing becoming haggard. “Damn him for making this choice.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this was on the ground over there,” a high-pitched, male voice came from my left.

  Kalel and I looked over to see a plump, rosy-faced teen looking down at us. His chubby fingers tightly grasping a white envelope. I took it and flicked my wrist for the young vampire to go away. I studied Lexi’s name on the front of the sealed envelope; my chest collapsed in on itself at seeing Kai’s handwriting.

  Drexel approached on Lexi’s side. He knelt down and carefully lifted her into his arms. “We’ve issued orders for all the dead vamps to be buried here. Graves are already being dug. I’ll leave it up to you what you do with his body.” He bowed his head for a minute. “I’m sorry for you loss.” His voice was soft, unlike the deep, brusque voice I was used to hearing from him.

  One by one, they started closing in on us. Gabi fell to her knees beside Kai; Jack was right beside her. Red tears stained her cheeks. She gathered Kai’s hand in her own and kissed the top of his hand. Francesca moved in beside Kalel. She laced her fingers with his, offering him the strength she knew he needed. The High Authorities stood together in the distance, regarding their fallen comrade.

  Bladang officers ripped off a piece of their clothing and began piling them on top of Kai. The affect was like rose petals of varying colors and shapes.

  Suddenly, I didn’t care about all the times he put the moves on Lexi; I didn’t care that he kissed her more times than he ought to. As hard as it was for me to admit, if he didn’t have the connection he did with Lexi, then I wouldn’t be here. For that, I would always be grateful.

  I looked at my beautiful fiancé lying limp in Drexel’s arms. The swell of her belly sent my limp heart into a flurry, as it always did. Pain twisted my insides as the memory of her outburst flashed in my mind. I couldn’t live with the situation if Kai and the baby died. I released a harsh sigh. No! Kai couldn’t die in vain.

  I patted Kalel’s back. “I’m sorry. There are no words that could expre
ss how utterly sorry and equally grateful I am.”

  He met my gaze. “I know, brah.” He lifted his eyes to Lexi. “Go take care of her. I think she’s taking this harder than anyone. She’s going to need us. But first you need to make sure that the baby is okay.”

  “Dr. H and Dr. Zhan are both on their way via helicopter,” Drexel announced.

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” I told Kalel as I stood up.

  “I’ll be by the doctor’s office later to check on Lexi,” he said. Even he was being selfless in this moment. He’d lost the last of his blood family in a single moment, yet out of concern, he was setting aside his grief.

  Mel and Craig were at my side in an instant, along with my parents, Sanders, Claire, Gabi and Jack. “We’re going with you whether you like it or not,” Mel stated, stomping her right foot into the ground. They all nodded their heads and murmured their agreements with Mel’s statement.

  “Of course.” I couldn’t blame them. They would be equally concerned about Lexi and the baby.

  I heard the helicopter’s blades slicing through the air as it drew closer to us. Everyone retreated into the covering the trees offered, moving over the fallen trees and branches that Lexi had destroyed. I ran the back of my hand over her cheek as she rested in Drexel’s arms. I needed to hold her. I needed to have her against me, with me, where I knew she was safe.

  “Please give her to me.” I held out my arms.

  Drexel scrutinized me for a long minute before he surrendered Lexi into my arms. Her neck fell into the crook of my elbow; our baby pressed against my chest. I walked with her to the helicopter.

  “It’s going to be a tight squeeze,” Dr. H said as everyone began boarding behind me. He and Dr. Zhan immediately began checking Lexi’s vitals, listening to her pulse and finding the baby’s heartbeat.

  They took out another piece of equipment. Dr. H lifted Lexi’s shirt, exposing her belly. He pressed the end of a mic, attached to a wire and connected to the heart of the machine, against her stomach.

  With the switch of a dial the baby’s reckless heartbeat could be heard over a speaker. It sounded worse at the higher volume; so unstable. I started grinding my teeth, trying to keep from reacting, from crumbling. Kai was dead, Lexi was unconscious and our baby was in limbo.