Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “Everything I do is to keep you safe.”

  “Yes, but it still doesn’t mean you have a right to take my choices away from me. We could have faced this together but instead you forced my hand, Draven.”

  “Yes, and what of the outcome?! Did you find what you were so preciously looking for?” he threw at me and in that moment, I knew that I should have told him. Told him about being changed into a Vampire, but more importantly, told him about the baby I could be carrying.

  But I couldn’t.

  I couldn’t because I was scared. In fact, I was terrified that he would simply get up and walk away and I couldn’t let that happen. Besides, I didn’t want to tell him about the baby, as when the time came I wanted it to be viewed as a joyous thing, not done so in the aftermath of anger or bitterness. Because I knew that telling him would only send him over the edge. And because my being pregnant right now would only mean one thing to him, that the prophecy was coming true and that I would in fact, die.

  “I let it lead me down a path and can only hope that along the way it was done so because it was fate…the outcome is yet to be known,” I said feeling that this would be enough. He took a deep breath in relief and I hated myself for being the coward that I knew I was. The very cowardly act I had accused him of, when not telling me the truth. And now I was a hypocrite and no better.

  “How did you know?” I asked getting off the subject of what had happened there.

  “I saw you arrive at the hotel and then drive away again, so I followed you.” I raised an eyebrow at him, one he knew the meaning of.

  “Don’t give me that look, for under the circumstances I think I was well within my rights to be suspicious. Besides, after that kiss this morning, well I knew something was wrong.” I thought back to that day and it seemed like a small lifetime ago but for Draven it had been hours. It was like Janus had said it was, my time in the past hadn’t affected this time at all.

  “I was on my way here and a thought occurred to me. I had Lauren check your car for clues and she found your book.”

  “Oh.” I said thinking back to Pythia’s book, one I had casually tossed in the back seat of my car without a single thought.

  “That told me enough but even if it hadn’t, what I found by the fountain certainly confirmed my fears.” I looked to him and asked,

  “What did you find?”

  “My gift to you, it was broken…along with my trust,” he added and I nearly sobbed hearing it.

  “You lied too,” I said, reminding him of that fact.

  “Yes, but you kissed me and you said goodbye, knowing that it could be the last time. You made me a promise you had no idea whether you could keep…you didn’t just lie Keira, you put our love on the line and then pushed.” I looked away from what he was saying hating the sound of his cruel words right now. I got up and decided to throw some reality back at him.

  “At least I said goodbye! What did I get from you that day, a friend of yours I hardly knew, turning up at my door and telling me you were dead!”

  “Yes, and now you have your payback because I too thought you were dead!” he said hitting me with his harsh words. I was astonished and beyond furious.

  “Is that what you think this is! Fucking payback!?” He flinched at my anger and after his shoulders slumped he said,

  “No, I know you are not cruel but you don’t know what it was like…” I staggered back a step and said,

  “I didn’t know?! You dare say that to me! What did you have Draven, twenty minutes to worry and what did you give me…months Draven, fucking endless months thinking you were gone and there was nothing I could do to get you back! So, excuse me if I say I think in the grand scheme of things you fared better than I did!”

  “Yes, and you are also forgetting that I had nine months of not knowing where you were or what was happening to you, so don’t speak to me of worry, for since I met you then you can be damn sure I have had my fill of fucking worry!” He lashed out again and well, to be honest, I knew this was true but still, he wasn’t getting away with his words so easily.

  “That may be so Draven, but this isn’t a pissing contest! I think we can both admit to making mistakes and breaking promises but now what’s important is now we have a choice to make…”

  “And what is that?!” he hissed obviously expecting another argument thrown his way.

  “To move on from this and learn from those mistakes that all stemmed from lies or kept secrets.” Okay, so I would have liked to have been brave enough to make the first step in telling him all he needed to know but I wasn’t.

  “You don’t understand my world,” he answered with a small shake of his head. But again, with this last comment, it only managed to fuel the flames of my own angry response.

  “I don’t understand it? Are you serious, I just spent over two weeks emerged neck deep into it! You have no idea what I went through and nor would I want you to but then again, if you did, then you might stop seeing me as a weak little human that could get hurt by your world!”

  “I never said you were weak and I certainly never even thought it! But Keira, don’t you see that it is my job to protect you and how can I do that when you fight against me, instead of with me.”

  “Because you’re not asking me to fight by your side Draven, you’re asking me to stand safely behind you, whilst I watch you fight it alone.” He knew it was true and he raked a frustrated hand through his hair.

  “And what other choice do I have when all the Fates tell us is that in order to beat this, you have to die along with that threat.” And there it was, his greatest fear spoken aloud.

  “If that is what it will take, then I do so fighting it by your side, as I always should,” I said after closing my eyes against the pain the image caused me.

  “NO! I will not allow it!” I jumped at his sudden outburst.

  “Draven, you can’t condemn the world just so that you may keep me in it, one that may not even survive long enough for one last kiss,” I said trying to get him to see reason.

  “That is where you are wrong, for I can and I will, with every selfish beat of my heart! For I will not lose you again!”

  “And where do we live Draven, for the world you speak of may die right alongside everything we hold dear. Are you willing to sacrifice everything and everyone just so you may hold me a little longer?”

  “I do whatever it takes to keep you safe,” he declared and I knew that in sight of all I had said, he was only saying this now as a way of not accepting the truth of it.

  “Then maybe…you should stop trying,” I whispered gently, one that wasn’t received that way.

  “What?!” he snapped.

  “I have come to terms with possibility of my death Draven, what I am saying is, that maybe it’s time you do too,” I said tears flowing down my cheeks as it seemed there was always room for more. He stood up and gripped me by the arms and pulled me to him, then he whispered a fervent,

  “Never!” Then he crushed his lips to mine in our first kiss and I melted into him, holding on and never wanting to let go. It was as if I was back in the Void where time stood still and nothing of the outside world could touch us. His taste, his scent, the feel of his tongue duelling with mine…it was all as I had remembered and it was,

  Magnificent.

  “I missed you…god I missed you so much!” I told him once the kiss had finished and I uttered these words over his skin, needing him to not just hear them but feel them as well. He wrapped both his arms around my waist and held me so tight, it was as if he was scared a storm would roll over us and blow me away.

  “I’ve never been so scared” he admitted sincerely.

  “I know, and I am so, so sorry I did this to you,” I told him because I was sorry. Sorry that I put him through any of this, just like he too was sorry for all the things he had put me through. He placed his forehead to mine and said,

  “I know sweetheart…as am I.” Then he took my hand and entwined it with his.

&
nbsp; “Come, it’s time to go.”

  “Why?”

  “Because this is one promise I am not letting either of us break,” he said pulling me towards the house across the gardens.

  “Promise?” He looked back at me and gave me a smile before spinning me back into his arms, then over my lips he let me feel his own beautiful words…

  “To meet at the altar.”

  Chapter 40

  Ding Dong the Fangs are Going to Dine

  Standing here now in front of the mirror and I had to confess, I was having a mini meltdown.

  After Draven had walked me back over to the house I was ready to just grab his hand, run to the nearest church and ask the vicar to marry us right then and there. I even told Draven as much and he looked down at me and said,

  “Well, you’re certainly dressed for it.” And he was right. I had come through the portal still wearing a roman goddess style dress, that was gathered up over one shoulder, leaving the other exposed and it was tied tight with a thick gold belt just under the bust line. Above this had been a dark red cloak that was huge and wrapped up across my torso and attached to one shoulder by a large round brooch that held a pin through its centre. And now, it lived in the Janus Temple, cast aside in sight of Draven.

  But I looked as though I had just stepped out of a historical documentary.

  However, one glance over to the three girls all waiting for me by the car and I knew I couldn’t skip out on the wedding and do that to any of them. Sophia had worked extremely hard on planning this wedding, that much you could tell by all the people running around carrying flowers, chairs, tables, and some other things I couldn’t actually tell you what their use was. It even looked as though some guys had turned up ready to erect a big marque.

  When I first arrived Sophia had made me promise not to look, but after returning and the turbulent events that quickly followed, then all promises went flying out the window. I think the fears of the wedding being called off were enough to have any prospective bride freaking out.

  I had tried not to look, as I wanted it to be a surprise and if truth be told, it was still a working progress but even then, it was enough to see that it would be stunning. After this Draven had pulled me along the side of the building, not wanting to let go of my hand. We all piled into the limousine and Draven tucked me close next to him. Then he took a deep breath and said,

  “We have twenty minutes before we get back to the hotel, so who wants to start first?” I tensed in his hold and he rubbed my arm up and down in a soothing motion no doubt trying to ease my fears.

  “I will start,” Sophia said nodding and I felt my eyes narrow in her direction. What on earth she was going to tell him I had no clue, hence my first meltdown…one definitely subtler than my current one as it consisted mainly of me quietly asking myself a million questions and coming up with excuses ready to blurt out at a moment’s notice.

  But in the end, it didn’t go as badly as I thought it would. Sophia was precise and chose her words very carefully, telling him only the facts she thought he needed to know. Like how we went there, met his younger self, followed the clues we hoped would lead us to something, they didn’t and we left. To give her credit, she didn’t lie, she just left out a whole bucket load of truth, one I knew she would unfortunately pay for at some point…myself included.

  You could see that Pip was almost ready to explode at trying to hold back on all the details. She even spent the car journey sitting on her hands, biting her lip and rocking back and forth like an old lady on a rocking chair. Even Ari kept patting her hand and comforting her. I also think that she was nervous and rightly so. Because Pip had never kept anything from her husband before and I very much doubted she would be able to keep something like this secret. I didn’t particularly want to be anywhere near that shitstorm when it hit…and I was thinking desert island might be the way to go with that one. Talk about potential tsunami!

  Hell, even Vincent and Zagan were going to hit the roof when they found out, as I doubted this was something we could just keep from them all. Draven turning up out of the blue had seen to that. Because he wasn’t going to lie to his brother or his brother in law and no one was brave enough to lie to Adam.

  Well, there was one thing for sure and that was this wedding party was going to be a riot, literally! I think my face said it all and so did Pip’s when she started biting her nails.

  “I think I can speak for all of us when I say I think it’s prudent to keep our… little adventures, should I say, to ourselves for the time being, or I don’t see this wedding being the event we hoped for.” Sophia said and Pip started laughing nervously, as if she was also going slightly crazy. Ari put her arm around her shoulder and whispered,

  “It will be okay Pipper, you will see.”

  “I think that’s wise,” Draven agreed and finally Pip took a deep breath, finally relaxing slightly. Well, considering my own experience with Draven, then let’s just say I didn’t envy them in their task. Our men were as scary and as badass as they came!

  And I knew that my own explanation wasn’t yet over, it was simply postponed until after the wedding. I knew this when Draven held me back after we had all got out of the car. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back against his chest so that he could whisper down to me,

  “I will be waiting to hear your own version of events after I make you my wife… and Keira, I WILL know all.” This last part was emphasised in such a way, I knew I didn’t have as long as I had hoped to keep my secrets. Which was why I was now looking at myself in the mirror and was currently going through my second meltdown, one far more daunting than the first. Because no matter how beautiful I looked all done up ready for my big day, there was one major catch…

  Fangs.

  But before that…

  I had half my hair swept back at the sides and twisted into the mass of tumbling curls that had been heated into shape. Each big bouncy curl that cascaded down my back looked like spun gold, and for some reason highlighted lighter strands of blonde as they caught in the sun. The shorter parts of my hair had also been curled and then softly pinned back, creating body. My makeup had been done to create ivory skin that looked near flawless, with just the hint of pink blush at the apple of my cheeks. To this was a sweep of neutral shades of eyeshadow that had a slight shimmer to the powder, one that was applied with a dark shade to the crease line and outer V of my eye.

  My lips were tinted pink with a slight gloss to them and I had to say the look suited me. It didn’t look overdone but was just enough to know I had make-up on. Even my naturally long eyelashes had been given extra umpf, making them curl upwards thanks to the mascara. Hell, even my eyebrows had been brushed.

  And then there was my dress and boy, what a dress! I had nearly cried just seeing it on the hanger, something Sophia had started fussing over for fear it would mess up my makeup. Well, too late for that now I thought bitterly.

  After that she had then helped me get into it with extra help from my own sister. The rest of my family had been in full swing of getting ready by the time we made it back and now Libby, along with Sophia was wearing a beautiful purple gown. Each of which were a different design and a slightly different shade but Sophia assured me at the time that this would go well with the theme.

  And besides, we didn’t think it possible to get Pip into what you would call a conventional dress, not when the one she chose looked like a purple disco ball, then yeah, conventional was way out the window.

  My own stunning dress was an ivory, off white tone and the bodice had a sweetheart neckline and was covered in a luxurious beaded applique and lace embroidery. This continued up over the shoulders in a downward V shape, like delicate pearl and crystal encrusted vines were curling over my skin, making them shimmer.

  The delicate design continued down over the bodice and past the waistline. It finished off to one side where it was at its thickest and overlapped where one side of the skirt was gathered up. The whole thing was pulle
d tight at the back thanks to the corseted ties making it fit me like a second skin. Then the skirt flowed out around me making me feel like a fairy-tale princess wanting to twirl, which was precisely what I did after I got it on thanks to layer after layer of rippling chiffon.

  So now here I stood, alone at my own request, seeing myself as someone else…

  A Vampire bride.

  My fangs had come out the second I had started to get emotional and panicky over Draven finding out the whole truth. Then what followed was my eyes turning demonic and I started to cry as I just didn’t know how to get it to go away this time. I had tried what Lucius had told me but no matter how many bloody honey dipped mice I thought of, I couldn’t get it to go away. It seemed the more I started to freak out, the worse it got. Now, I could add a small network of black lines around my eyes that looked as though someone was injecting my veins with ink. Seeing this only managed to send me over the edge and pretty soon I found myself screaming in my mind for the only person who could help me.

  “Keira! What is it, what’s wrong…oh,” Sophia said running back into the room and pausing when I turned my face to look at her. The next thing I knew my dad was following behind and Sophia quickly shut the door, leaving it open a crack and saying,

  “Sorry Mr Williams, girly crisis.” Then she shut it, locked it, and ran over to where I was shaking. I looked down at my hands I held out in front of me and said,

  “I can’th…can’th get itth tho…tho sthop.” I said trying to force the words out like they were getting stuck. I didn’t know what was happening but it felt like I was close to having a fit.

  “Okay, okay, let’s just calm down and think about this, we will figure this out. Did you try thinking about something disgusting like Luc suggested?” I nodded and said with a heavy lisp,

  “Yesth, I tryth that.”