by Tish Thawer
Everyone's shocked reactions floated through the air. Once again I'd forgotten that Terrance had admitted to being in love with Loraine. It made perfect sense though. Love was a human emotion: one that kept the light in our souls alive. That light must be the key factor in beating back the demon infection. Love...I guess it really does conquer all.
"I don't think it's enough to have the demon blood clear out of your system alone. I think you have to have that spark of love still touching your soul in order to be brought back to the light," Evie finished.
Terrance smiled at Rose, and she smiled back. I'm sure it was still awkward to know that someone other than her father had been in love with her mom. But it seemed to be a good thing in the end. Loraine's influence really did touch everyone she was around, and I hoped right now she was using her ability to keep Jeremy safe.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Explain
(Jeremy)
Seeing Rose had been wonderful and terrible at the same time. I was so happy she was safe, but after everything she'd told me, I was left so confused; I just didn't know what to do.
According to her, I'd been sleeping with the woman who killed Loraine, and my little girl and I were both demons. I would have never believed her story except that she knew about the red sparks that flared in my eyes whenever I got angry. I'd known all along that something strange was happening, but admitting I was a demon was a pretty big pill to swallow.
I cancelled my business meetings and headed back towards Masen. I had to confront Meredith about all of this, even if it was going to be the death of me. At this point I truly didn't care whether I lived or died. How could I? I was so disgusted with myself for falling in love with the woman who killed my wife. I knew Rose was going to be fine on her own, so really...what did it matter how any of this turned out for me?
I thought about the best way to approach the subject with Meredith all the way home, but when I reached our house, I didn't have to ponder any longer. There was a blue Ford truck parked in our driveway, so I decided to leave the car on the street and snuck my way into the house through the back door.
I immediately heard noises coming from the garage. When I opened the door just a crack I was hit with a coppery smell that made my stomach roll. It was blood. I was sure of it. As quietly as I could, I inched the door open to get a better look.
Suddenly I wished I was at The Rising Pit with my daughter and her vampire friends, because what I saw had me scared to death. Meredith was standing behind a man with her teeth sunk deep into his neck. Blood was gushing from the wound and down the front of his shirt. His eyes were wide with shock as she continued to gulp down his blood.
I was frozen in place, unable to breathe or move. If this was what being a demon meant, I wanted nothing to do with it. And I certainly wanted nothing to do with her. When I couldn't stand to look any longer, I started to retreat as silently as I could. Apparently I wasn't silent enough, because the door flew open and Meredith stood in front of me, blood dripping down her mouth onto the tiled kitchen floor.
"Jeremy!" She quickly wiped the blood from her mouth using the sleeve of her shirt. "What are you doing home? Oh my god, please Jeremy, let me explain. I can explain everything."
Here I stood, scared to death, but it sounded like Meredith was just as terrified as I was.
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I know everything, and I'm leaving."
"No. Please don't go. You have to let me explain." Tears were actually running down her face.
"Explain what? Explain that we're demons and you kept it from me? Explain that you killed my wife in order to be with me? Explain that you purposely ran my daughter off so you could have me all to yourself? What the fuck is there left to explain, Meredith?" I was sure my eyes were pure red, and I didn't care. I let the anger build, for once not worrying about what happened when it did.
"Yes, I've lied to you. I knew from the moment I met you that you were a demon. I was so thrilled to have finally found someone like me that I did the unthinkable. I never expected to fall in love with you, but once I had, I couldn't live without you." She had fallen to her knees and tears continued to stream down her face.
"I love you so much and I'm so sorry for everything I've done, but Jeremy, please. You can't leave me."
"Watch me." I began to storm upstairs to gather my things when she said the one thing that stopped me in my tracks.
"Please, Jeremy. You don't understand. You can't leave me...I'm pregnant."
* * * * *
(Meredith)
Earlier today, after Jeremy left for yet another business trip, I called Damien to invite him over. I wanted to know exactly how the rest of his evening had gone once he'd left the meeting with his cousins. I hadn't heard any suspicious new reports other than that of a missing woman, so I was optimistic they hadn't gone off on a killing spree after all.
It was now one o'clock in the afternoon and I heard Damien's truck pull up to the house.
I invited him in and we sat down to enjoy the small lunch I'd prepared for us. "So, how did last night go? Any problems with your cousins?"
"No. No problems at all."
I was a little suspicious of his answer as he wouldn't look me in the eye, but kept his head bent towards his plate. "So, no side effects or problems with aggression?"
He picked up his sandwich and took a bite, shaking his head as he mumbled, "Nope."
I wasn't buying this. "Alright. What really happened? You're never this quiet when it comes to the effects the blood, so spill. What aren't you telling me?"
I knew I'd busted him when his shoulders dropped and he let out a long sigh. Dammit. My morning had been going so well, and I didn't want anything to ruin it now. I was going to be pissed if I had to go clean up some horrible mess of dead bodies somewhere.
"We didn't do anything wrong, I swear. We just went to an old warehouse and tested out everyone's strength. Raúl was able to bend the chair at the meeting but none of the others got to demonstrate their new abilities, so we just ran some tests of our own."
Phew. That was a relief. I could handle boys being boys, but if they started leaving a trail of bodies, I'd be putting an end to Damien and his cousins really fast. "Alright. No more tests without me being there. And definitely no feeding on the side. I think last night went really well, and doling out the blood in small amounts seems to be the way to go."
Even though he nodded his head and smiled in agreement, the look in his eyes had me wondering if I already had a problem with my second in command. If he was feeding on the side, that meant he could soon be as strong as me, and that was something I couldn't allow. "When's the last time you had any blood?"
"Last night at the party. Same as the others," he responded.
I squinted and tried to focus on his pulse to see if it was racing, which was a telltale sign of lying. And of course...it was. "Why are you lying to me?" I flew from the chair and had my hands around his throat a second later. I drug him out into the garage and threw him across it. He slammed into the metal cabinet, putting a dent in it. Shit. How would I explain that to Jeremy?
"What the fuck, Meredith? Why does it matter if I have a little sip on the side once in a while? Are you worried I'll become more powerful than you?"
I knew in that moment I'd have to end Damien. Not only was he not following my directions, but it was obvious by his statement that he was planning to overthrow me. "You'll never be as powerful as I am. Especially now that I'm pregnant with Jeremy's child."
It was true. I was officially pregnant. I really had been glowing and feeling more powerful, so I'd taken a test just this morning and confirmed the reason why. I was having Jeremy's baby.
The howl Damien let out as he stood up from the garage floor was loud enough to shake the walls. "No! No fucking way will I let you carry that lame-ass demon's baby. What the fuck do you see in him, Meredith? He doesn't even know who he is. I'll kill him the second I see him and then
you and I can be together like we should be. Two powerful demons together, ruling as one."
"I'll kill him the second I see him" were the only words ringing in my ears as I flew across the garage and landed behind Damien. I struck so fast that he had no idea what was happening. In the next second, I'd buried my teeth deep into his neck and began to drink him dry. I wouldn't have to worry about a mind bond being forged because he wouldn't be walking away from this.
No one threatens Jeremy and my happiness and lives to tell about it.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Blood Bond
(Meredith)
As I stood there sucking the blood from Damien's neck, I heard a small noise at the door. I looked up to see Jeremy slowly turning away. Oh God, no!
I ran to the door. "Jeremy!" I wiped the blood from my mouth in a desperate attempt to salvage an appearance of normalcy, then pleaded, "What are you doing home? Oh my god, please Jeremy, let me explain. I can explain everything."
He stood frozen in place for only a moment then said the words that unhinged my heart. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I know everything, and I'm leaving."
"No. Please don't go. You have to let me explain." The tears had started to pour and I fell to the floor as I listened to him yell at me.
"Explain what? Explain that we're demons and you kept it from me? Explain that you killed my wife in order to be with me? Explain that you purposely ran my daughter off so you could have me all to yourself? What the fuck is there left to explain, Meredith?"
I wanted to crawl to him, hold onto him and never let go. But I didn't want to risk him running away before I could explain, so instead, I remained shuddering on the floor.
"Yes, I've lied to you. I knew from the moment I met you that you were a demon. I was so thrilled to have finally found someone like me that I did the unthinkable. I never expected to fall in love with you, but once I had, I couldn't live without you. I love you so much and I'm so sorry for everything I've done, but Jeremy, please. You can't leave me."
"Watch me." He turned to go upstairs and my panic reached its peak.
"Please, Jeremy. You don't understand. You can't leave me...I'm pregnant." I knew it was a long shot he'd give a damn about a demon baby he didn't ask for and probably wouldn't want, but it was my only shot at stopping him from racing upstairs and then straight out of my life.
So while he remained in place with his back to me, I told him about the baby. Then I told him a lie. "I'm pregnant, Jeremy, and once the baby was conceived, it started to draw on the life force of each of us. It's a blood bond they need to survive. If you leave and the baby doesn't have both his parents to draw from...it could die. Please, Jeremy. I know you'll never love me again, but please don't kill our baby by walking away from me now."
I knew he'd have no clue as to whether or not I was telling to truth, but I hoped the idea of hurting an innocent child would be enough of a reason to make him stay. He was such a wonderful man who would never hurt anyone, so I thought I had a good chance at making this work. But as he stood unmoving, still facing away from me, his next words brought that dream to a screeching halt.
"Meredith. You're a demon, a liar, and a murderer. You killed my wife and framed my daughter. How can you possibly think I would give a damn about you and that baby?"
Dammit! He was leaving me with no choice. As he started to turn around, I grabbed the pan from the kitchen counter. Scaling back my strength so I wouldn't kill him, I smacked Jeremy in the head, knocking him unconscious. I just needed some time to think. I loved him with all my heart, and I wasn't ready to give up on my happily ever after just yet.
It didn't take me long to decide what to do. Honestly, it was the only thing I could do if I wanted to keep him here with me, and never have to worry about him leaving again. I dragged him across the kitchen floor and leaned him against the wall, then grabbed a knife from the drawer and used it to nick my wrist. After lightly patting his cheeks, he started to move just enough to indicate he was coming to. That's when I placed my wrist to his mouth and smiled as he began to swallow my blood.
* * * * *
(Loraine)
I materialized into a room full of vampires and Rose crying in Christian's arms. I ran my hand down her back, trying to comfort her as I was filled with the knowledge of why she was in such pain. "There, there, baby girl. Everything will be alright."
"Are you sure? Is there any way you can go make sure Jeremy will be safe?" I knew Christian was speaking into my mind and was worried that Rose was right. Jeremy could be walking straight to his death. I nodded "yes" and in the next moment disappeared.
At first I was excited because I thought I'd figured out how to go wherever I wanted, but instead, it turned out that Jeremy's anger and fear levels were what had called me to his side once more. When my body reformed, I was in Jeremy and Meredith's townhome.
He was peeking through the door that led from the kitchen into the garage. Suddenly I had a mental picture of everything that was happening on the other side of the door. I'd never wanted anything more in my entire life than to be able to help my husband escape this evil woman.
I hovered over Jeremy as Meredith came bursting into the kitchen, and then in a flurry of blood and tears proceeded to tell Jeremy that she loved him, and that she couldn't lose him now because she was pregnant.
I wasn't sure if ghosts could pass out, but I must've disappeared when my anger took complete control of me. That was the only time my calming ability didn't work...when I was the one who needed it most.
When I finally rematerialized, I found Jeremy sitting on the edge of his bed with Meredith lying next to him. He was holding his cell phone in his hand, and I knew in that second he was preparing to break the news to Rose.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Revelation
(Christian)
After Evie's announcement about love being the necessary ingredient to turn a dark-drifted vampire back to normal, everyone dispersed and went downstairs to feed. Evie still wouldn't risk us accidentally feeding on a demon, so we were stuck with bagged blood for the time being.
As the rest of the gang headed towards the stairs, Evie motioned for me to join her in her office instead. I took Rose's hand and let Evie lead the way.
"I think we're going to have to deliver the true death to Kennedy. With what we know now, if he hasn't drifted back already, I don't think he will."
I knew Evie wanted me to be the one to do it. Even though she still carried the poison of true death, this was her way of letting me take charge of the clan, even if it was just between us.
I didn't want to let her down. "Let's wait until the others are done feeding and we'll go down while they open the club. Rose, you don't have to be there with us. You can wait in our room if you'd like, or stay up here with Dax and the others." I didn't want her bearing witness to any more death than she already had.
"Okay. I'll just stay up here with the others." She squeezed my hand and smiled at me with reassurance in her eyes. She knew I was nervous without me even needing to say so. God, I love her.
We sat in Evie's office and continued to talk about all the recent events while we waited for everyone to re-emerge from the pit: Terrance being in love and drifting back; Balam's and the elders' assumption that creating a hybrid was the answer to our demon problem; Meredith's reasons for creating her army; and everything else that had come up lately.
Finally, we heard the stage lock into place, indicating that everyone was once again upstairs and starting to open the club. Rose stood up, kissed me, hugged me tight, and then walked out of the office without saying another word. I think she was just as nervous about this as I was.
"Are you ready?" Evie asked.
"Yes." And I was. I'd finally started to trust and enjoy my new abilities. I knew without a doubt how to deliver the true death, even though I'd never done it before. I also knew without a doubt that we had no choice. Kenn
edy wasn't going to drift back.
I walked to Evie's bookcase and pushed the button to open the door to her secret entrance into the pit. We remained silent as she followed me down the stairs.
Once we reached the cell, we found Kennedy crouched on the floor finishing off the remainder of his blood bag. I didn't hesitate or try to make conversation. I just flew into the cell and grabbed the vampire by the throat and struck.
As I sank my fangs into Kennedy's neck, I released the poison of true death into his system. I pulled away as the poison began to spread through his veins. As I backed out of the cell to stand next to Evie, I watched as the dark green poison crept across his skin, paralyzing him while turning his body to stone. When I reached her side she said nothing, but instead took my hand as we continued to stare at the green tendrils that were making their way to his heart.
Once the poison reached and solidified his heart, he simply turned to dust. The chains clattered to the ground and Kennedy was gone.
"He didn't suffer, Christian. Once the poison takes hold, it paralyzes them and they don't feel anything." Evie was trying to pull me away from the cell, but I wasn't ready to go just yet.
"I know, Evie. Thank you. But can you please just give me a moment? I'll be up shortly."
She hugged me and left me alone. Or what I thought was alone.
"So, you're officially the new Sire now?" Terrance came sauntering down the hall from the direction of the supply room. I guess not everyone had finished feeding and returned to the club. Damn.
"I suppose the evidence speaks for itself." I pointed to the dust pile that used to be Kennedy. I hoped Evie was right about Terrance, and he no longer retained any connection to Meredith through that fucking mind bond. I really didn't want to have to kill him too.
"That's good. I'm glad. You'll make a great Sire, Christian."
His response caught me off-guard. I thought he'd be an asshole about it, but then I realized this new Terrance must be coming from the calming effect Loraine had on him.