by Aria Sparke
‘How could this have happened? It doesn’t make sense. We checked the wards.’ Alexis was livid. He turned to the group of weary dhampirs. ‘Everyone’s to form a line of defense inside the wall. We will stay out here until dawn. No one will cross this line.’
* * *
CHAPTER 33
Bella
It was an hour or so before dawn with the sky lightening in the east. I lay listening to the early wakening birds and wind whistling through the gap after I opened the window slightly ajar. Although I knew even at this hour, there was a mild risk of a vampire entering the gap; part of me had to do it, to remain strong and defiant against the Berisha clan. I was curious too wanting to set my newly acquired spells on them even if I had to pay a price. Although if a vampire happened to burst through the window in the next thirty minutes, I’d probably regret my rebelliousness.
My phone buzzed on the desk beside me and I struggled out from under my quilt and grabbed it.
‘Lily, help me. It’s Bella. I need you.’
‘Are you in your room?’
She gasped. ‘Yes.’
I pulled my bathrobe on and slippers, grabbed my keys and at the last moment my cante. Running along the corridor, I realized I’d forgotten my phone but kept going because I knew Bella had one. I burst into her room and saw her lying on the floor. Before diving to my knees beside her, I quickly snatched a glimpse of her window and saw it was locked.
‘What is it, Bella? What’s wrong?’
She was curled in a ball, clutching her stomach and moaning.
‘Is it the baby?’
‘She’s coming.’ She screamed in pain.
It was then I noticed the huge pool of blood beneath her. I had to keep her calm. I fetched a pillow for her head and pulled her onto her side. She made a deep guttural sound at the back of her throat and then screamed and writhed. I held onto her.
‘I need to call Leah. Where’s your phone?’
She whimpered.
‘It’s okay, Bella. You’re going to be fine,’ I said although I had no idea how I was going to help her. Seeing the blood seeping out more rapidly now, I scrambled to my feet and searched for her phone. It was on the bed. I grabbed it and flicked through her contacts until I found Leah’s name. Holding Bella with one arm, I stabbed at the number with my thumb. The phone rang through several times, but no one answered. Frantic, I hit the number again and almost cried with relief when she picked up.
‘It’s me, Lily. Bella’s in labor, but she’s bleeding,’ I said while trying to hide the panic in my voice.
‘Where are you?’
‘In her room on second floor.’
‘I’m coming, hang on. Keep Bella calm.’
How?
The minutes passed with Bella writhing and screaming. ‘She’s here.’
I looked down and realized the baby’s head was crowning, but this was like no birth I’d ever seen in films or read about in books. Within a minute the baby was fighting its way out, scrabbling, tearing and clawing its way from Bella, whose eyes were rolling back in her head. She fainted and lay white and limp on the floor as the baby continued to struggle and the dark pool of blood seeped across the floor.
I bent over the baby and lifted her from her mother. The infant was dripping with blood, Bella’s blood and was bellowing at me. I held her under the arms still attached to Bella through the pulsating umbilical cord. The baby looking much older and more knowing than any newborn I’d ever seen, glared at me and screamed. She was angry and I’m sure if she could have spoken would have cursed me there and then.
Bella moaned as she regained consciousness.
My mind went blank with panic.
‘Bring her closer, Lily,’ she whispered, her face deathly white.
Carefully, I drew her close to Bella. ‘She’s beautiful. She looks just like you,’ I said not knowing what else to say.
‘I want you to watch over her, Lily.’ Feebly, Bella lifted a finger and touched the baby’s cheek.
‘Of course.’
‘Promise me.’
‘I will.’ Tears clouded my vision.
‘It’s okay, Lily.’
I wracked my brains thinking about the spells I’d learned. Disgusted, I realized every one of them was about protecting or hiding myself from vampires. There was a volume on healing spells in the cabinet and I hadn’t even borrowed it. What if there was a spell that could save Bella?
‘Her name’s Avery. When she’s ready, I want you to teach her to be a witch.’ She was struggling to speak yet using every ounce of energy she had to make her request.
‘No, no, you can’t go. You have to fight for Avery. She needs you.’
‘It’s okay, Lily,’ she whispered and gasped.
I could see by the look in her eyes and the massive pool of blood there was nothing I could do for her. ‘I’m so sorry, Bella. I promise I’ll teach her, look after her, love her ... I promise.’
Bella closed her eyes and let out a gentle shuddering breath—her final one.
I held Avery close to me and wept.
Carrying a medical bag, Leah burst into the room with Alice, who was holding towels. Within a minute, Leah had cut the umbilical cord and handed the child to me. While the baby continued to bellow, I took her to the bed, cleaned her and wrapped her in a fresh towel. Holding the infant close to me again, I looked over at Bella. Leah was holding her hand.
‘What about a spell?’ I said to Leah.
She shook her head with a sad expression. ‘It’s too late.’
‘What? Surely there’s some magic to bring her back.’
Leah stood, walked to the window and gazed outside. ‘She only came back to college a few days ago to be near me in case the baby came early.’ She clasped her hands together. ‘I failed her,’ she said in a broken voice.
‘She was already bleeding heavily when she called me,’ I said, although I shared her guilt and knew what she was talking about. ‘Were there spells that could’ve saved her?’
‘If she had been brought straight to the clinic, I might have saved her using vampiric blood, but there wasn’t time.’ She turned to me. ‘This is not unusual for dhampir births. If I hadn’t been distracted by the events earlier tonight, I would’ve checked on her after dinner like I’ve done since she arrived.’
I frowned. ‘What events?’
She seemed surprised I didn’t know. ‘There was a vampire attack over the wall and in the grounds. I don’t know how they broke the wards around the perimeter of the college. I suspect they may have a powerful witch helping them.’
A horrible thought crossed my mind. ‘What about Tarek? What will he do when he discovers Bella has died? Would he harm Avery?’
‘He would never harm a dhampiric child. He knows how brutal the birthing process can be. He has lost wives before.’ She walked over to the bed and reached down to the baby, who grabbed her finger and held on tight. ‘I think she heard me.’
‘She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Poor Bella will never see her grow up or share her life. It’s so unfair.’
‘And she will never know her mother.’
Tears slipped freely down my cheeks.
Leah sighed. ‘I’ll tell Tarek what happened.’
I shuddered with the sudden realization I was in danger. ‘Please no, not yet. He’ll come after me. He said I was next.’
I could see my horror mirrored in Leah’s eyes. ‘He said this to you?’
I nodded. ‘Straight after Mirela died. He would have taken me if I hadn’t drawn a circle of protection.’
‘Go now to Alexis’ office. We must act quickly. We have to get you out of the college.’
‘But what about Bella and the baby—Avery?’
Leah pointed at Bella’s body. ‘Do you want this for your future?’
I looked at her with a dismayed expression.
‘We won’t tell him until you’re out of harm’s way.’
‘But where will I go?’
‘Alexis
will sort it out. He has contacts. Go to your room and collect your luggage, not too much though. Once you’ve collected them go to Alexis’ office and wait. He’ll help you and organize a hiding place. I’ll ring him and Flynn to let them know the situation. Please hurry.’
‘Thank you, Leah.’ I turned and whispered goodbye to Bella and her baby before rushing down the corridor to my room. Once I’d quickly packed, I hurried downstairs where I noticed Alexis’ office door was already open with light streaming into the foyer. Shaking, I dropped my overnight bag inside the doorway and clutched my handbag closely to my chest as though trying to draw comfort from it.
‘Come inside, Lily,’ Alexis said softly. ‘Are you okay?’
I nodded although I wasn’t in any sense of the word.
Flynn came bounding into the room soon after and hugged me. ‘Leah just told me everything. I can’t believe it. Poor Bella, it’s terrible.’
‘I know. There wasn’t anything we could do for her,’ I said.
Alexis was talking on the phone, distracted from our conversation.
‘Although if I’d practiced more healing magic ... maybe,’ I said out loud.
Flynn put his hands on my shoulders. ‘You can’t think like that. If you’d used unfamiliar magic, it might have destroyed you.’
‘If I’d known a healing spell, I would’ve taken the risk.’
Flynn shook his head. ‘I know you would’ve, but I’m glad you didn’t because I couldn’t bear losing you.’
‘But Bella’s dead now.’ I tried to hold the tears in. ‘Avery has no mother—that’s what Bella named her.’
‘It’s a beautiful name.’ Flynn held me as my tears fell freely.
‘Okay, I’ve organized everything,’ Alexis said after he ended his phone call and handed me a piece of paper with handwriting on it.
Flynn and I separated from each other to focus on him.
‘You’ll catch the last flight tonight out of Portland to Singapore. Sorry, but you’ll have to put up with a stop for three hours or so in San Francisco,’ Alexis said and gestured at the paper I was holding. ‘I’ve written the flight details on the paper.’
‘Singapore? I don’t understand.’ I examined the piece of paper to make sure I could decipher Alexis’ writing.
Alexis sighed. ‘Trust me, Lily. We have to do it this way. Once you’re in Singapore we’ve people there who can wipe any trace of you making the connecting flight to Canberra, Australia. If there were any easier option, I would’ve taken it.’
I felt my eyes widening. ‘Are you serious?’
‘You’ll be met there and taken to a university with residences on campus. You’ll enroll to study an exchange semester of pre-med subjects. It will help your medical aspirations.’
A mix of conflicting emotions sent my brain into overdrive. It just wasn’t quite the way I’d imagined it. Fleeing across the world to escape a vampire intent on making me the mother of his children while furthering my medical prospects wasn’t what I’d envisaged. In any case, my medical aspirations weren’t a priority.
‘What about Flynn?’
From Flynn’s expression, I could see immediately he wasn’t part of the plan. I felt my throat catch and a rising panic.
Alexis shook his head. ‘Not straight away.’
I breathed again, anticipating a glimmer of hope.
‘There was only one seat left on the plane. In any case, it would be more difficult to hide two people passing through airports. Flynn and I will see Tarek when he returns later tonight. We’ll hide Bella’s death until tomorrow to give you a head start. He won’t suspect you’ve gone if Flynn is still here.’
‘Wait, won’t Tarek be aware of Bella’s death? I thought vampires knew when their partner took her last breath.’
‘No, only if their partner dies from a vampire’s attack,’ Alexis said.
Shocked, by Bella’s violent death, the unfolding events of the evening and Alexis’ plan, I was having great difficulty holding it together. ‘But you’ll come to Australia, won’t you?’ I said looking at Flynn.
‘As soon as I can,’ he said in a broken voice. ‘Nothing will stop me.’
‘Remember it isn’t just Tarek you have to worry about,’ Alexis said in a steady voice. ‘I’m more concerned about the Berishas and their network. If you make it to Canberra, we have a man there who’ll meet you at the airport.’
If I make it to Canberra? My stomach somersaulted. I felt like I was caught in a spotlight on the movie set of a spy thriller.
‘I’ll drive you to the airport,’ said Flynn stepping forward.
‘When should we go?’ I asked looking at Alexis but already knowing the answer.
‘Now.’
* * *
CHAPTER 34
Leaving
It was after 8 pm when Flynn and I hurried through the crowded entrance of the Portland International Airport. I clutched my ticket and carry-on baggage with my cante and a spell book tucked safely inside. I had to ditch the matches as I didn’t want curious security staff discovering them in my bag after it went through the x-ray machine. Flynn shadowed my every move while looking around the airport anxiously as though anticipating an attack. As we went through the various security checks, I analyzed every official’s face, terrified he or she might be connected in some way to the Berisha family. When we finally entered the departure lounge, we relaxed slightly as no one appeared to pay us any attention. Dazed people sat drinking coffee while others fiddled with phones or snatched sleep on the floor as they waited for the last flight of the evening to Singapore.
My heart was breaking. For a while I struggled to speak. Bella, one of my closest friends at Anubis, was dead and her newborn baby had just lost her mother. As we stood watching planes taking off and landing, I realized I wouldn’t be able to go to Bella’s funeral. I was abandoning her.
I slipped my hand inside Flynn’s. ‘Will you please go to Bella’s funeral for me?’
‘Of course I’ll go. Anya, Martin, Alexis and me—we’ll all go. She won’t be alone, I promise you. We’ll bury her next to Mirela in the garden at my home.’ He drew me close to him.
‘Will you take white lilies to the funeral for me and tell her I loved her?’
Flynn nodded and blinked away tears.
‘What about Avery? I promised Bella I’d look after her, and yet here I am leaving her behind already. Someone will have to feed and clothe her and watch over her. Who will be able to do that? It won’t be your father, will it?’
Flynn rubbed my arms. ‘It’s okay, Lily. She’s our sister, so we’re her family now. We look after our own. She’ll be well cared for, I promise, until you come home again.’
‘Thank you.’ I thought about how Flynn had spoken about home. In my heart, Wicklow wasn’t home, yet I knew he was the center of my universe.
I trembled with the thought that in a few minutes I’d be jetting off to the other side of the world without Flynn to escape Tarek and begin study at a foreign university.
Flynn pulled me toward him and held me close. ‘I don’t think I can bear this,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘We have to for now,’ I said searching his eyes through my welling tears. ‘We have to be strong.’
‘We could get married,’ he said desperately, almost imploring me to stay.
For a moment it was as though he had thrown me a life buoy, but almost immediately a tide of niggling practicalities washed over my mind. ‘Not yet, not like this.’ I loved him desperately, but I knew it wasn’t the answer. ‘We’re too young.’ Well, I was at nineteen. ‘Anyway it may not stop Tarek coming after me.’
‘I can protect you from him.’ Flynn seemed distraught. ‘My love for you is infinite like the sea, the sky, space, clouds, air ... I can’t not love you.’
‘I feel exactly the same. I love you desperately,’ I said in a broken voice and tried to smile to hide my devastation. ‘Once everything is settled here, will you come to Australia?’ I heard the boarding call
for my flight and saw a line of people already forming. I felt a wrenching, sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach like I was being physically torn from him. I had to steel myself to stop myself running from the airport. Thinking once more of poor Bella lying in a pool of blood brought me back to reality in a cold flash. I knew I wouldn’t be free until I was in the air.
Flynn drew my hair back from my face and drew me closer before he kissed me deeply and passionately. ‘Does that answer your question?’
I nodded, too upset to speak as I let go of him. It was as though I’d been clinging to a cliff edge and someone had sliced the rope holding me. Now I was free falling into nothingness.
Already I was anticipating the long lonely flight and arriving in a foreign land without him while knowing he would be suffering too.
‘I’ll come, Lily, I promise. Nothing could keep me away. I’ll be with you again.’
‘Goodbye, my love.’
THE END
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed First Love in the new Vampirica series. If you did, please consider posting a review. Book two, Elusive is available on Amazon. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to contact me:
[email protected]
@aria_sparke
www.ariasparke.com
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* * *
The Vampirica Series
Read more in the Vampirica series:
First Love (Vampirica 1)
Tarek’s Story (Vampirica 1.5)
Elusive (Vampirica 2)
Soulmates (Vampirica 3)
Elusive (Vampirica 2)