by Amy Miles
Lucien wails as he sinks to his knees. The flames lick at his fingers, rising up his arms and around to his shoulders. Gabriel lowers his sword, breathing heavily with the weight of it. Sweat clings to his brow as he watches his father burn. Lucien plummets to the ground, curling into a fetal position. His pulse is frantic as he beats at the spreading flames.
“Gabriel!”
He turns at Roseline’s call. “I’m here.”
She sprints toward him with a bloodied ax clutched in her hand. She is painted with blood and her leather corset torn in several places. Scrapes and cuts line her bare skin, but she is intact.
“I was so worried.” He ignores his father’s shrieks as he rushes to meet her, consumed with relief. “I should never have left you.”
She races into his arms, crushing her lips against his. Her fingers curl around his shoulders as she molds her body to his. “I never want to let you go again,” she breathes.
“Me either.” He wraps his arms tightly around her. Gabriel breathes deeply, overlooking the scent of the foul blood that clings to her pores to find the one scent unique only to her. He smiles, pressing his lips to her bare shoulder and Lucien’s cries fade away.
She is safe, he repeats over and over again in his mind.
As he pulls back to cup her face, he fears that he might not be able to be the man she needs. She is so strong and independent, but as she rests her head on his chest, he knows that she still wants him, even if she doesn’t need him to protect her.
“We did it,” he whispers, pressing his lips against her hair.
Exhaustion tugs at him as the weight of what they have endured falls over him. How many of his friends made it? How many of their enemy still live to fight another day?
Roseline leans back to look up into his face, her smile tender and filled with loving promise. She rests her hand over his heart. “I love you.”
“No more than I love you.” Her smile tugs at his heart. He looks away, staring deep into the forest, lost in thought. Lucien’s cries have faded. The scent of burnt flesh stings his nose and throat.
“Are you ok?”
When Gabriel looks back at her, he knows the timing is right. He places his hands on her waist as he smiles down at her. “I know this isn’t the most ideal time, and certainly not the best place, but I can’t wait any longer. I want you in my life, Rose. Not just today or tomorrow, but for all of eternity. With Vladimir gone, there is nothing to stop us.”
He lifts his hand to cup the back of her neck gently, holding her close. “I pledge my heart, my life, my soul to you on this day and all the days to come. My life, bonded to yours, if you will have me.”
Tears escape from her eyes as she nods. “My life, bonded to yours,” she repeats.
Rising up onto her tiptoes, Roseline leans in to kiss him. Gabriel pulls her close, encircling her in his embrace. The kiss is gentle and achingly tender. Her tears taste salty against his lips as he pulls away.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She rests her head against his chest as he places a kiss on the crown of his head, praying this moment could last forever.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…” he smiles as she lifts her head and steps back. The warmth of her hand against his chest gives him the courage. “From the moment we first met, I”
His fingers flinch against her waist at a sudden stabbing pain in his chest.
“No!” Roseline’s eyes widen in horror as a sword pierces up through the palm of her hand.
Gabriel tries to breathe, to think around the pain, but all he can focus on is Roseline’s face twisted with horror. Lucien’s peeling face appears over his shoulder. Gabriel can feel the heat of the flames licking at his back. “Next time, make sure I’m dead first,” Lucien rasps.
Her shriek fills his mind as his legs give out on him. He tumbles face first to the ground, unable to stop himself. Snow fills his nose and mouth, blocking his airway. He tries to lift his head, but the pain in his chest is excruciating.
“Gabriel!” Roseline’s scream sounds far away. A strange cold drapes over his body, chilling him to the bone.
Frantic fingers claw at his arm, wrestling him onto his side. He cries out as the blade shifts in his chest. Roseline swears as she clings to him. Her image is blurry.
“Hold on. I have to pull this out,” she says, cupping his face in her hand. “I think he missed your heart.”
He tries to brace himself, knowing the pain is about to increase tenfold. He can feel her fingers wind around the hilt. He clamps his eyes shut.
Agony rips through his chest just before a heavy weight crushes him. He can’t breathe, can’t think as Roseline and Lucien fight for control over the sword. He hears her muffled cry but can’t tell if it’s in pain or outrage. All he can focus on is the pain as the sword shifts, slicing deeper into his chest.
“Stop. Please!” The pain in unbearable, but not knowing what is happening to Roseline is worse.
They roll off of him and he gasps for breath. His lungs expand but only partially. The need to breathe, to focus on something simple, becomes his only goal as Roseline rolls on top of Lucien, beating at the flames that lick her clothes and hair.
Gabriel blinks and focuses on his father. His scaly exterior has almost burned completely away, leaving bubbling human skin beneath. The scent of charred flesh is nauseating.
“Roseline,” he croaks, reaching out his hand. “My sword.”
She whirls around, floundering along the ground in search of his sword. The instant her fingers grip the hilt it ignites. Lucien’s wild roar is cut off as she spins and shoves the blade deep into his chest.
Roseline spits in his face. “Survive that!”
Gabriel’s eyes widen as Lucien erupts into blue flames. His hands claw at the air as his skin begins to melt off his bones. Roseline backs away, dropping the sword to the ground as she rushes to Gabriel’s side.
Roseline throws herself over his chest, trying to shield him from the flames as Lucien incinerates. Ash floats into the air as the last of the flame dies out, landing gently atop her hair. Gabriel blinks, staring up into the gray snow. It looks almost beautiful as the cold begins to sweep him away. He falls limp in her arms.
“Gabriel?” Roseline rocks him as his eyes slowly close as the pain begins to spread through his chest. “Gabriel!”
Twenty-Nine
Tears cling to Roseline’s lashes, making it hard to see Gabriel clearly as he lies on the ground before her. His skin is pale and cooling to the touch. His lips are painted red with the blood that bubbles from between his lips. The wound in his chest seeps continually around the pressure of her hand.
He stares up at her, his gaze unfocused as he grimaces in pain. Roseline’s lower lip trembles as she clings to his wound, desperate to stop the bleeding. She can hear the erratic beating of his heart and knows the sword severed his main arteries. She hangs her head as great sobs wrack her body, shaking her from head to toe.
“I can’t lose you,” she whimpers, clutching his right hand tightly. She hardly feels the stinging in her own hand as she leans toward him. His grasp is growing weak, far too weak.
“I’m going to save you,” she whispers into his ear as she draws her wrist to her mouth. The wound from her earlier bite has already begun to heal. It only takes a small amount of effort to pierce the new flesh.
Holding out her hand to Gabriel’s lips, she realizes that he is too weak to drink. It terrifies her to release his hand, but she has no choice. Now that the pressure is off his wound, the blood begins to flow freely from his chest.
She wrings her left hand around her right wrist, squeezing as much blood from her wound as she can. She cries out as it splatters against his nose and cheeks, only managing to get a small portion of it into his mouth.
Roseline holds her wrist only a few inches above his mouth and tries again. Her blood patters a
gainst his tongue, sliding down his throat, but he doesn’t move.
“No!”
She throws herself upon him, clinging to his shoulders as she presses her ear to his wound, desperate to hear his beating heart. She gasps when she hears something, sure that there is still hope, but she quickly realizes the sound is not coming from him.
Leaning back, she stares blankly into the sky above her as Elias slowly descends. His great form seems to push the forest aside as he lands softly on the crimson snow. Roseline stares at his bronze feet, lit by the golden glow of his wings.
Her stomach rolls with disgust when she realizes Lucien’s blood has mingled with Gabriel’s on the ground. She starts frantically beating at the snow, desperate to keep Lucien’s filth away from him.
“Roseline, it’s too late,” Elias whispers as he drops to one knee beside her. His hands are warm, nearly scorching against her bare skin.
Tears roll down her cheeks as she stares blurrily up at him. “It should have been me. Not him.”
“No, young one. These things came to pass as they were meant to happen.”
“But why?” A cry escapes her throat as she clamps her hands over her mouth, only partially aware of how much blood coats her hands. Her own blood mixes with Gabriel’s and Lucien’s. She feels numb. Grief roots her in place as she stares down at his…at Gabriel. She can’t bring herself to say body.
“I never saw it coming. Lucien was in flames. He should have been dead. I should have checked, should have made sure…” she trails off as she draws her knees into her chest, beginning to rock.
Elias turns his face to stare at Lucien’s remains. Blood and ash pool where the body had been. There is no chance of Lucien returning from the dead this time. He places a comforting hand on Roseline’s shoulder. “This is not your fault.”
She lifts her face to look at the giant, looking past the blood, sweat and burns to see the grief shining in his eyes. This man loved Gabriel too and intimately understands her loss.
“How can I go on without him? Fane is gone. Grigori fell. And now Gabriel…” she chokes up. Her hair falls in tangled waves about her face as she bows low over Gabriel’s body. She places her hand over the wound that took him from her.
Blood seeps from her wrist and onto his chest as she clings to him. Her fingers dig into his sides as she rests her head on his shoulder, wishing that she could feel his arms surround her one last time, to feel his lips pressed against hers or hear him laugh when William cracks another corny joke.
She would give anything to see life in his blue eyes as he swings her around and around and to feel safe and secure in his arms…but that will never happen.
With a cry of outrage, she lurches to her feet and stumbles to a nearby tree. She clenches her hand into fist and slams it into the towering pine. The top of it shakes, swaying wildly as she repeatedly lands blows.
The skin over her knuckles tears and bleeds but still she continues. Her screams send birds flocking to the air and a loud groan echoes through the forest as a large crack forms in the tree, splintering upward. The ground rumbles as the tree rocks and threatens to fall, its roots unearthing beneath her.
“Roseline, stop.” Elias grips her shoulders, raising her to her feet. She is limp in his arms, spent of energy and emotion. She watches the tree as it sways precariously, but it doesn’t fall.
Her brow furrows and she shakes her head. She yanks out of Elias’ grasp and slams her boot into the trunk. That final blow sends the tree crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. Roseline feels a tiny amount of satisfaction as Elias picks her up into her arms and unfolds his wings.
They stretch behind him, dazzling in their brilliance. As they sweep back, Elias crouches and leaps into the sky. Roseline’s head rolls on his arm, staring down at Gabriel’s body as she rises higher and higher.
He seems so small from up here. She feels completely numb as her eyes roll back into her head and blissful oblivion takes her.
***
Roseline stares down at the closed casket, knowing that she would like nothing more than to crawl inside with Gabriel. Numbness and bitterness were her companion on the long trip back to Romania. Sadie and William did their best to cheer her up, but she couldn’t even bring herself to fake a smile.
Elias has remained by her side the entire time. She finds his presence both comforting and painful. She can feel his guilt and finds comfort in knowing she isn’t alone in that sense.
The casket before her is beautiful pewter. It has been hand crafted and inlaid with silver, white gold and platinum. He deserved the best. It was the least she could do.
She lifts her gaze to the stone mausoleum before her, feeling the weight of the aged stone bear down upon her, as if it is slowly crushing her into the ground. Panic seizes her as the instinct to flee threatens to override her will to remain.
As if sensing her rising anxiety, Elias draws her hand into his own, engulfing her in radiant heat. She looks up through her tears to see him offering her a comforting smile. “You can do this.”
“I still can’t believe he’s gone,” she whispers, using the back of her hand to wipe her cheek clean. She thinks back to the last words he spoke, so tender and filled with a promise for a future together.
“He pledged himself to me right before he died. Did I tell you that?”
Elias’ fingers clamp down around hers. “What did you just say?”
“A pledge. It wasn’t anything formal of course, no rings or a lavish ceremony, but he meant it when he said he was bonding his life to mine. I like to think that it was meant for something more than just that one kiss.”
His grip lessens but his eyes darken, his face shrouded. She glances up at him, surprised by his silence. “Is everything ok?”
Elias hesitates before nodding. As an afterthought, he plasters on a smile for her benefit and pats the back of her hand. “Yes, everything is just fine.”
She frowns at the unusual tremor in his voice but drops her gaze, noticing Sadie standing on the other side of the casket. Her wounds have healed much faster than Nicolae’s. He leans heavily upon a crutch, his ankle wrapped tightly in a black cast. The corner of Roseline’s lip curls into a hint of a smirk at the thought of Nicolae being foolish enough to take on a full sized troll on his own.
Beside them, William stands with his hands crossed before him, his head bowed in respect. Claudia’s hand is wrapped around his arm, a black mourning veil draped over her face.
Many caskets stretch out beyond Gabriel’s, memorials of those who were lost. Daelyn, Enoch, Julian, Grigori…the list seems endless right now and the loss far too great to endure.
She turns her head and stares hard at the gold and bronze casket that holds Fane’s body. Tears form along her eyelashes as her pain deepens. How can she live after having lost so much? Fane was her first reason to live. Gabriel her final.
Elias releases her hand and sets his arm down upon her shoulder. The tight grip of his hand reminds her that he also lost a dear friend. Although she never met Seneh, Gabriel spoke highly of his guardian angel. Perhaps, together they can figure out a way to carry on.
One by one, her friends say their farewells. Sadie’s mascara streaks down her cheeks as she places her hand atop the casket and whispers goodbye. Nicolae gently pulls her away, pausing a moment to look back. William and Claudia follow behind them a short time later.
The hunters linger near the end of the line of coffins, paying their respects to their fallen commander. Roseline closes her eyes against her tears, deeply sorry that Grigori fell. He was a good man, gruff but honorable. He didn’t deserve to die.
None of the hunters did.
She steps out of Elias’ grasp, raising a rose to her lips. Tears slip down her cheeks and onto her black dress as she kisses the delicate petals. Stretching out her gloved hand, Roseline carefully places the rose atop Gabriel’s casket.
“I brought you an orange rose,” she smiles, rubbing her hand along the smooth surface. “I
t’s our favorite.”
Her shoulders shake as she tries to keep her emotions locked down, desperately fighting to bury them so deep that the numbness will return. She looks up as Costel Petran limps toward her, his arm in a sling and his left leg encased in a brace. Bandages wrap around his head, concealing one ear. His split lip curls into a smile as he approaches.
“I have never been much for apologies or admitting that I am wrong, but there is always a first for everything.” His one good hand stretches out to grasp hers.
“I didn’t know Gabriel, but I’m smart enough to know that he saved us all.” He pauses to look down at the orange rose. “When you are ready, I’d like to call a meeting to draw up the official peace treaty.”
Roseline blinks back her tears as she gives him a firm handshake. “I’d like that very much.”
He nods and limps away, leaning heavily on the arm of Marcus Talbot, who managed to survive much of the war miraculously unscathed. Roseline watches as a large group of hunters follows behind, many of them dipping their heads with respect as they pass.
“I don’t believe it,” she whispers. She turns to look at Gabriel’s casket and allows herself a small smile. “You did it.”
“No,” Elias says, pulling her along with him as he heads back up toward the castle. Stars have already begun to twinkle in the sky. The torches that line the path to Bran Castle create a pleasant glow on the ornamental gardens as they pass. “We all did.”
THE END
Epilogue
The subtle rustle of feathers is the only betrayal of Elias’ discomfort. He has sat, perched atop the opulent mausoleum, for many hours. Mists cling to the ground as pinpricks of dawn’s first light appear on the horizon. The air is cool and damp, hinting at the coming arrival of spring.
His breath hangs in the air before him as he sighs. It is nearly time.
Pale pink and lavender begin to splash across the sky. Elias rises and stretches his arms wide as his wings unfurl. Their golden glow is subtle compared to the glorious sunrise before him.