Chapter 33
Philip said that Ivan left the house carrying the body of his wife. Marcus knew he should let him be alone with Alba but he couldn’t. He followed Ivan’s scent trail and walked miles into the woods. He heard the mournful howling long before he reached his friend.
Ivan was nude and was sitting with his wife in his arms. The damage done to Alba’s body brought fury to Marcus even through his wall of grief.
It took a moment for Marcus to realize Ivan was speaking to him. “I can’t survive without her. I want you to kill me. I need to be with her.”
Marcus knew Ivan asked the impossible of him. “Ivan I’m here to help, but I can’t let you go. You are as much a part of me as Alba was part of me and I’m selfish. I need you, your children need you. I’m so sorry and I don’t know how any of us will survive without her.”
The yell of grief that came from Ivan was shattering. Marcus knew he didn’t have a choice and acted quickly. Taking blood would do what it always did and give the donor what he needed most. For Ivan it was oblivion.
Ivan barely fought. Marcus was too quick. He could feel when Ivan’s mind slipped away. He then called for Ivan’s fellow pack mates to come and help him get Alba’s body and Ivan back to their home. When they arrived at the house, the wolves arranged her body on Ivan’s bed. Marcus carried Ivan to the downstairs den and put him on the couch. He left him with hope that this short respite from his grief would help him face the hard hours and days ahead.
Marcus went up to check on Amy. She was feeding. When she pulled away he asked the wolf to leave, went to her and wrapped his arms around her. He knew Amy needed his comfort just as he needed hers.
“Where are the babies? I need to see them,” Amy asked.
Marcus picked her up and took her into the bathroom. “We’ll get you washed up and then I’ll take you to the babies. The blood on you is starting to sour and we don’t need you scaring small children.”
Amy showed a slight smile, but then tears came to her eyes again. “Alba is really dead isn’t she?”
Marcus could hear the grief in Amy’s voice. He could say nothing and looked at her with terrible sadness in his eyes.
Amy cried through her shower as Marcus washed her and then gently ran a comb through her hair. He helped her dress, then picked her up and carried her from the room.
What surprised him most was that she didn’t argue about his carrying her. Marcus knew this was a sign of her mental pain. He took her first to the door of the babies’ room, across the hall from Alba and Ivan’s.
“Alba’s in there,” Amy said as she gazed at the other door. “Take me to her first.”
Marcus turned and walked to the other bedroom. Ivan was sitting by the side of the bed holding his wife’s hand.
Amy began to cry again. “She saved me. She saved the babies. I couldn’t save her. I’m so sorry.”
Marcus had put Amy on her feet and Ivan stood, took her into his arms and cried. Amy held on tight. “She told me to tell you she loved you and she would be with you again someday, but now is not your time. She told me she knew this would happen. Ivan, how could she know that?”
Marcus was surprised when Ivan answered.
“I realized something was wrong when Nicolas was leaving. Alba had the sight though her ability was not as powerful as Nicolas’ is. Alba was behaving unlike herself. Even though she could be volatile when carrying a child, her behavior was unusual.” Ivan took a deep breath before he continued. “There was something about you and Alba knew it. I can’t explain what I was thinking, but Nicolas’ words made me realize something was wrong. I tried asking Alba, but she said everything would be all right. She lied.” Ivan continued crying and holding Amy.
Amy finally pushed Ivan gently away and said, “We need to get her cleaned up so your sons can see their mother. Please help me.”
Amy sent for soap and water and both she and Ivan cleansed Alba’s body. Amy gently cleaned her arms and hands. Blood was covering her face and body with more under her fingernails and toenails. It was obvious she had given everything she had to the fight. Despite the damage to her face, you could still see her beauty. Ivan brushed Alba’s hair as tears ran down his cheeks. Ivan’s sons came into the room and joined him at their mother’s side. Amy closed the door behind her as she left.
Marcus was waiting in their room. He was holding Sierra when Amy entered so Amy picked Roland up from the bed and held him close.
“How are you feeling?” Marcus asked
“I’m doing well, but my hunger is almost unbearable. Is that normal?” She asked.
“Yes, but you’re doing better than most.”
“I don’t feel I am. I would never harm Alba’s children. No thirst is strong enough for that. But you are right. I am having trouble with my strength. If I’m thinking about it I’m fine, but as soon as I forget it, something breaks. I hope you didn’t pay too much for the vase on the bedside table.” Amy nodded toward the nightstand where the vase had been. Someone was nice enough to have gathered up the broken pieces.
Marcus gave her a quick smile. It was a sad smile, but he knew he would be happy for her to break many vases as long as she was with him.
“The boys are in with Ivan to say goodbye to Alba. I didn’t think to ask, but was anyone else killed?”
“We lost two. Tanner wasn’t here much and I don’t think you knew him, but we also lost Jacob. I’m sorry.”
Amy tried not to cry again but couldn’t help the tears that trailed down her face. Jacob was one of the wolves, forced to stay with her, as she raged about being left behind when Sinner was killed.
Marcus put Sierra down and removed Roland from Amy’s arms. “I love you. We will get through this.”
She clung to him and let the rest of her tears flow. Marcus called Yvette to take the babies back to their room so the pups could get some sleep. Marcus then arranged for Amy to feed.
Afterwards Amy asked Marcus why he wasn’t feeding her. He explained he was strengthening her bond with the pack. “If they feed you they will heal faster and it will help with their physical and emotional wounds.”
Amy fell asleep with Marcus’ arms wrapped tightly around her. She woke in the early hours of the morning. Marcus began making love to her and Amy quenched her thirst on Marcus for the first time. The ecstasy this gave her was beyond anything she could ever have imagined. They forgot their sadness for those brief moments and then slept again.
When they awoke a few hours later, Amy saw that it was daytime and she would have to remain inside the bedroom. She couldn’t believe how tired she was. After taking a long bath with Marcus they both went back to sleep. They awoke as the sun was going down and Yvette brought the babies in to her. Amy could see they were being well cared for.
When they entered the dining room, Ivan and his sons were there. Dinner was a somber occasion. Ivan told them the funeral was to take place in a few hours. Ivan’s sons stayed by his side. Amy knew they were hurting for their mother but they gave their support to Ivan and kept their grief in check. It was a day of mourning for the entire pack; they would hold all three funerals at the same time.
Amy never asked what happened to Victoria or Mary’s bodies. She didn’t want to think about it. Even with her craving for blood it didn’t change her abhorrence at the thought of someone being eaten. She would be happy if she could remove Victoria’s head again though. She could picture tearing her apart limb by limb. Her swift death was too good for her.
Sierra and Roland were brought downstairs after dinner and they had both changed to their rarely seen human forms. Ivan explained it was because they were upset and the more defenseless human form allowed them more coddling. Amy and Marcus held them and spoke softly as they rubbed their backs to soothe them.
The babies fell asleep a short while later and Ivan had them taken back upstairs.
“I want them to sleep soundly until the funeral. They need to say goodbye to their mother even if they don’t remember it
. They will be told as they grow older that they were part of her farewell.
Amy was glad Ivan was at least functioning enough to have these thoughts. She could see he was holding himself together by a thread. The boys were strong for Ivan but their grief was evident. How would any of them survive Alba’s loss? Amy couldn’t begin to imagine it.
Fang Chronicles: Amy's Story Page 41