by L. A. A. Law
Sarah answers. “Grant is not here and neither is my husband. Considering what your children did to Jeff’s aunt, I would prefer that you not come in. I’m sure you understand.” She moves the door, but I wedge my foot in the opening.
“My children did not do anything to Amelia or anyone else. However, there is a real threat out there and everyone has been instructed to move up to the main area of Sanctuary, they are gathering in the recreation building.”
“I’m sure that we can take care of ourselves, we don’t need your help.”
“Sarah, I don’t know what I did to you to instill this type of hostility, but I believe that William’s coven or at least some of them are here and that is who killed Amelia. With Grant, Jeff and Paul all out, it would be best if you would at least go to the recreation building where the rest of our families are, especially if you would not feel comfortable coming back to the residency with me.”
“A werewolf killed Amelia and bit Lucas so stop lying to me.”
Martina interjects. “She is not lying to you. She is trying to protect you and your family. So please come with us and get with the others”
“We’ll go but I don’t need you to escort us.” Ousting my foot, she slams the door.
We are still on the porch when my phone rings. “Mia, we found Grant and Jeff and are on our way back. You are absolutely right William’s coven is on our land, or at least one of them. Jeff said that is what he smelled on Amelia. He wasn’t coming after us because he thought one of us did it, he was coming after us to warn us and to find Grant. They were searching for a lead, but we don’t have any. We don’t know if they are still on the grounds somewhere, but we are coming back now, we are not far away, we should be there momentarily. Where are you?”
“We warned the families by the school and are moving them all up to the recreation center. I’m at Grant’s but Sarah won’t come with us, she wants to go alone.”
The next moment, Jeff’s voice rings through the line. “Mia, I’m sorry if I scared you but David’s covens make me murderously crazy. Please, Grant told me what a powerful witch you are, do not let my family go alone, they have our scents because we have been after them before and have caused them damage. If they catch her alone with the children, she won’t be able to protect them. Please knock again and see if she will take the phone.”
I knock but she refuses to answer. Going near a window, I shout a warning to Charlie or Julianne. “Julianne, Charlie, please I need you to open to door Jeff is on the phone and Grant is with him, you need to come with us now, they need to talk to you, please come and get the phone and have Sarah talk to Jeff. I’m not leaving until you come with me.” I knock several minutes and hear arguing. I decide to give her one more minute and then, we’ll break the door down, if necessary. Finally, someone puts their hand out and I give them the telephone. I wait outside scanning the trees and can tell Martina is straining to hear if anything is approaching.
A minute later, the door opens and Charlie comes out with Julianne. “She’s just getting something for Andrea and will be right out.” Charlie hands me the telephone. Without a word, she comes out and we begin walking back.
We are half-way back when Martina stops suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
“There is someone coming up behind but not a scent I recognize.”
She and I position ourselves in the back and we all began moving quickly. I whisper to her. “Are you sure it’s not Grant or Jeff with the others, maybe the combination is messing up the scent?”
A menacing voice retorts from the trees. “She’s sure.” All of a sudden, three vampires jump out before us. One grabs Martina and is about to stake her when I flick my wrist causing the stake to go flying. She pushes him so forcefully that he hits the tree. The other two fly toward us but I repel them, throwing them off balance and yell to the others to start running. Julianne and Charlie phase and are gone instantly and I can’t understand why Sarah hasn’t. We are all running, but a male vampire catches Sarah while another knocks me down from behind. As he lifts me, I see Martina and the third one fighting. Struggling to loosen his hold on me, he pulls my hands tightly behind my back. I see the one holding Sarah run his nose along her neck. I scream and he looks up at me.
He bares his teeth at me. “Smell her before you bite. You may have gotten lucky too. This one has a very familiar scent. She belongs with the ones who attacked our coven with the wolf. William will be very pleased. Is yours one as well?”
His cold nose skims my neck as he inhales deeply. “No, but she has been in a room with Marlena. I can smell her on this one and it is pretty strong so Marlena must not be too far.”
The one turns his opened mouth toward Sarah’s neck, when all of a sudden, something hits the vampire holding me and I’m free. Knowing what will happen if that vampire bites Sarah or Andrea, I throw myself at them, with my arms outstretched knocking all of us off balance. Falling, I feel something cut my hand. There are growls and tearing sounds. Someone helps me up and I see Sarah and Andrea get up as well.
Three wolves, Andrew, Jackson, Gabriel and Francis are fighting the vampires. Andrew yells to Martina. “Get them out of here.” Raising my hand to repel the vampires to give Andrew and the others a quick advantage to end this encounter, my eyes freeze on the blood seeping from my wrist. Martina grabs me and we are quickly moving away with Sarah.
Running, it hits me that they are sired from David and what Marlena said. I wonder if they have what can save Lucas in their blood. Wrenching my hand free and turning on my heels, I call out. “I have to go back, get Sarah to the recreation center” As the fight comes into view two have already been destroyed. “Andrew don’t!” He drops the match engulfing the last. I’m too late. The adrenaline immediately vaporizes and I fall to my knees.
Andrew is by my side, yelling to Jackson. “Go get the first aid kit.”
“Why did you come back?” I can see he is confused by my actions.
“They were part of David’s coven. Their blood may have had the same element as David’s to ward off a werewolf bite.”
Jeff approaches us. “Mia, we have killed some of William’s coven by biting them. I don’t think that they have what you need, nor do I think that these ones were sired by David himself, they were not as strong as his creations.”
Jackson returns, handing a solution to Andrew who is about to pour it on the bite. Grabbing his arm and pulling my injured one away, my voice is almost breathless. “Tie a tourniquet around it instead. Get me to Lucas, please now. If there is a chance we need to take it.” Andrew takes my arm and I feel his healing heat. “No stop that can wait too!”
From everyone’s features, I know no one knows what I’m considering. “There may be some of whoever got me at the wound site, maybe it could help. We at least need to try.” I’m in Andrew’s arms and heading toward the terminal building.
Opening the door, Lucas looks terrible. Catherine appears still as stone and is fighting with every fiber of her being to maintain control. Andrew places me on the bed next to Lucas. “Lucas, I need you to bite my wrist.” His features turn horrified. “Lucas, please, one of William’s men bit me and if our blood mixed, maybe you could get it before it becomes too contaminated with mine, please you need to hurry.” Although Jeff is skeptical, we can’t pass up even the slightest possibility. I place my bloodied wrist up to him.
But Catherine grabs it. “Mia, you know what happened to David.” I turn to her. I know, but he drank a lot. Catherine, look at Marlena, she is alive and she bit me too. We have to try before it’s too late. What we have given Lucas so far is not really working.” Patting her hand reassuringly, “Marlena bit me days ago, she is still here, we don’t have time, Catherine, and this may be our only chance, please!”
I look back at Lucas. “Please you have to do this, just remember, not too much.”
“I can’t bite you.”
“You have to before his blood flows and combines too much with mine. Lucas pl
ease you have to do it now!”
A pained look crosses his face as his teeth sink in. I lock my wrist tight and force my heart not to speed up with the pain. He is off my wrist very quickly and whispers. “I’m sorry.”
I touch his arm with my good hand. “Lucas this will work, you need to believe it. I do.”
He hugs me tightly.
Knowing that Cecil and Amanda are with the children and knowing there could be more vampires still on the land I want to get back to them. “We’ll see you in a while.” Rising, I feel a little light headed and my gait is unsteady. Andrew places his arm around my waist and we leave. As soon as we are outside the door, he sweeps me into his arms, taking me into an unoccupied room. He washes my wrist with solution before placing his hand over it. The heat pulsates through the wound, healing it quickly. I try to rise, but he places his hand on my shoulder, gently holding me down, and reaches for the EKG leads.
“Andrew, I’m fine, really. I only got a little dizzy. That’s all.”
After examining me and my several protests, he allows me to rise. “See I told you that I’m fine. Come on, Eva said Amelia arrived and I want to see what is going on with the children.”
Getting off the gurney, Andrew embraces me tightly. “I know you think that I’m being over cautious, but Mia, your heart and pulse rate have never returned to the rhythm they had before David bit you and your blood is still registering those abnormalities, although the growth rate does seem to be slowing down. It’s just that with the changes in you and then what happened to the others, everything seems to be tied to you and I’m very concerned.”
“I know you are, but I feel fine.” I hug him and plant a chaste kiss on his sculpted lips. “I really do want to check on the kids and Andrew, the ones that you destroyed may not be the only ones out there. Marlena seemed too confident. What if there are others coming for her?”
“We will handle them. Now that everyone is on alert and on the main grounds, we can search.”
“But they still have a werewolf or werewolves out there. What if you are bit. I know I told Lucas it would be alright, but we don’t know anything for sure.” I feel the panic rising within me. As we walk down the hall, Jeff comes toward us.
“How are you feeling?” He inquires standing beside me.
“Fine. How’s Charlie?”
“He was scared at seeing William’s men, but he’s better now. I hope you don’t mind, but he asked to see Kayla and I let him go over to your place.”
“We don’t mind at all. Charlie is a very nice young man. He is the one who got Kayla speaking again. I’m very grateful to him for that”
“I’m very grateful to you.” He lifts my bandaged hand. “If Sarah or Andrea were bit” He shakes his head. “Thank you.” He turns to Andrew. “If you wouldn’t mind, I need to see Lucas and his bite.”
“What’s wrong?” Andrew’s interest is immediately piqued.
Jeff’s eyes fall toward the floor. “When I went in to see Amelia, I thought I caught Lucas’ scent around her mouth. I need to confirm whether or not she is the one who bit Lucas.”
I gasp. “Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know, but I had been speaking with Lucas earlier and I could have sworn that when I went close to her I caught it again. I know that Amelia was acting strange and keeping to herself, so I doubt that she ever spoke with him, but before I voice my opinion to Grant, I need to see Lucas.”
Heading back down the hall, when we open the door, Lucas is barreled over in the bed and Catherine is struggling to straighten him, and reassure him that everything will be alright. Andrew runs his hands all over him as Jeff inches forward, taking a deep breath. He shakes his head, inching closer. Andrew finally gets Lucas to lie back in the bed and he appears to be calming.
Jeff stands next to him. “Lucas, can I examine your bite as a wolf?”
Lucas nods but I can tell he is puzzled by the request. Jeff phases and gets right up to the bite. He stays there several moments. I gasp as he steps away, the bite is healed. Jeff phases back and he stares at Lucas. “Thank you. I need to go.” He is swiftly out the door. Andrew’s hands are still traveling over Lucas as Catherine speaks softly to him.
I catch Jeff in the hall. “What did you discover?” Turning around, his eyes are blank and he looks like he is in shock. “Jeff, what did you find out?” He stares but can’t seem to find his voice, so I lead him to a bench. “Jeff, please what’s wrong?”
After several moments, he pushes the words past his lips. “Amelia bit him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, there were microscopic traces of her scent around the wound site. Your family wouldn’t have smelled it because his scent is so overwhelming. In fact, I almost missed it because I couldn’t believe what else I smelled. “I smelled your blood in him and the blood of another, but it wasn’t William’s man.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mia, I smelled fresh pumping blood, his blood. His heart was beginning to pump.” Jeff’s voice drops and is barely audible.
“Are you saying his own blood was flowing through him and that he’s human now?”
“That can’t be, I know what I heard, but it has to be impossible. He’s a vampire, his heart can’t be pumping and his blood cannot be flowing, it was almost free of venom. I don’t understand it. I must be going crazy. What type of place is this? Vampires and witches working together; vampires around humans without feeding on them, and your family back in England trying to save even the wolves.” As he stares at me, a look of incomprehension crosses his features. “It’s ironic, I had found some peace when I first met you, it was because of you that I was able to begin forgiving and understanding my father, but now, our paths cross again and you have turned my understanding of everything upside down. Nothing is making sense anymore. Vampires can’t change, yet Lucas right now is human. He was a vampire when I went in to the room and in a matter of moments, he wasn’t anymore. What is it with you people, who are you, really?”
“I don’t know how it happened.”
Before I can even finish, Andrew is by my side. “Mia, Lucas is asking for you.”
I turn to Jeff. “Excuse me.” Lucas is hooked up to an EKG machine which registers a heartbeat. I step closer to Lucas. “How do you feel?”
“Shocked” He is holding Catherine’s hand, stroking it with his thumb. “Thank you for saving me. I could feel the bite extinguishing my existence.”
I’m speechless knowing what is happening now.
He leans toward me, hugging me. “Thank you. I was not ready to leave this existence and Catherine.”
“Is there anything that I can do for you?”
“Yes, you can get Nicholas and Kayla and bring them here. I’ll have them shut off the machine.” His eyes shift to the EKG. “I want to let them know myself that I am doing much better.”
“We’ll get them and be back.” Jeff is gone. As we walk across the courtyard, Andrew brings me closer to his side and I can tell his eyes are scanning the surrounding area.
“You don’t think they would come here do you?”
“Considering what we just endured because of David, their atrocities know no bounds so we can’t discount that possibility. We don’t even know how many there are. We have Marlena, they probably don’t know Alexander is dead, and they did get to Amelia and manipulated her into biting Lucas. I don’t know how much they know of what went on down there or your involvement in David’s demise, but I’m not taking any chances. I don’t want you or the children walking around here without one of us.”
Forgetting that Amanda and Cecil are in our suite, I am caught off guard when I hear Kayla. “I don’t feel any different.”
An unfamiliar voice responds. “You won’t feel different but now with practice you can control your transformation so that you are no longer a prisoner to involuntary phasing when there is a full moon.”
“Does that mean I can force myself to never transform again, i
f I don’t...”
As we enter, Kayla stops talking. She and the other children fly at us. “Your back, are you o.k.? Charlie told us you got bit again.” Kayla grabs my arm.
“We are fine and so is Uncle Lucas, in fact, we came to get you. He’s asking to see you.”
“Is he going to be alright?” Jacob inquires, his voice filled with excitement and hope.
Andrew responds carefully considering we don’t have the answers. “The bite is healed and he is anxious to see you.”
They run to the door, but then Nicholas turns around and addresses Amanda. “I’m sorry, do you mind if we go? I know you came a long way to help us, it’s just that we’re so worried about our uncle, we’ll come right back, we just need to see he’s alright for ourselves.”
“It‘s fine, go and see him. I will be here when you return and Kayla, in answer to your question, you won’t have to turn ever again if you don’t want to.”
Going over to her, I extend my hand. “It’s so nice of you to come all this way. Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. I’m sorry to take them away so quick and have you wait, it’s just that...”
“Please go and see Lucas, I will still be here when you return and then you can tell me how you brought David down. I have been trying to do that for centuries.”
“We won’t be long.”
“Take your time.” She smiles, but looks preoccupied. Staring at her, it’s strange but as she smiles, her face looks familiar, but I can’t place why.
Heading into Lucas’ room, the EKG is turned off and he looks much better, but Catherine’s eyes are still fixated on him and she appears concerned. The children jump toward Lucas. They are happy and relieved. Catherine backs away as they climb on his bed and I touch her hand, whispering. “Can we go into the hall?”
She shoots a glance at Lucas and we move outside.
Moving over to a bench, I take her hands. “Catherine, I know that you are afraid for him, but you look like you are about to fall apart. Is there anything that I can do for you?”