Everlasting Bond

by Christine M. Besze

  Katrina just nodded in agreement. Her body was still recovering from the temptation and she couldn’t bring herself to speak. It took everything in her not to grab him and pull him back to her. Instead, she watched him turn the car’s ignition and pull back onto the road.

  Listening to the wind howling through the broken window, Katrina searched through the shadows for any sign of her brother. It proved to be difficult. The roads were dark. She couldn’t make out anything except blackness.

  “They’re off this road, not much further,” Cole said.

  Katrina nodded, but then gasped. A strange smell invaded her nose. Pinching her fingers against her nose, she held her breath and cringed at the burnt rubbery odor. Soon the odor became so powerful, Katrina had to cover her face with her shirt.

  “What’s that smell?”

  “Look over there.” Cole pointed in the direction of a large hail of black smoke and turned off onto the unpaved road. Ahead of them an oblong shaped figure smoldered in a tower of amber flames. It lit up the whole field. The closer they got the more the fire came into view. The molten features of what was once their truck burned like lava. Katrina immediately looked around for her brother.

  Off in the distance against the safety of the trees, Jake and Andrew were sitting on the ground. Cole veered off to the left and Katrina wasted no time. She threw her door open and rushed over to her brother.

  “Jake!” Katrina frantically checked him over. To her surprise he only had minor scrapes, nothing major.

  “I’m fine.” He gently pushed her hands away.

  “I can see that.” She turned to look around and that’s when she caught a glimpse of Andrew. He was much worse off then Jake. His face was bloody and his clothes were torn.

  “How about you?” Cole asked Andrew.

  “Just great. But they owe me a new shirt.”

  “I’m sure you have plenty,” Cole arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Not this expensive.”

  “If you’re done joking, can someone tell me what happened?” Katrina demanded.

  “It was a test,” Cole said.

  “A test for what?” Jake asked.

  “A test to see how easily they could get to the both of you, before—” Cole didn’t finish his sentence.

  Katrina gave Cole a blank stare, confusion written all over her face. Andrew stepped forward and looked straight at her. “You didn’t tell her yet. Did you?”

  “There wasn’t time! I was about to when you called for me,” Cole turned to him and shouted back.

  “Well, she needs to know now!”

  “Get off my back, Andreas! She’s had enough for one night.”

  “Andreas?” Katrina interrupted.

  “Ouch. You don’t even remember my real name. Now, that hurts, Caroline.” Andrew gave her a menacing grin. Before she could respond, he turned his attention back to Cole, “We’re out of time. Farkas saw her, which means the others will be coming for both of them, and soon.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Cole snapped, his irritation growing.

  “Maybe. Or maybe you’ve been just a little preoccupied with helping her get her memory back?” As Andrew nodded his head in her direction, Katrina felt embarrassment consume her and she looked down at the ground. The tension in the air thickened, as Cole and Andrew’s tempers started to flare.

  Katrina forcing her head back up and demanded an answer. “Will someone tell me what the hell you two are talking about?”

  “Caroline, trust me. It’s nothing you need to be concerned with right now.”

  “Nikolas!”

  “Shut up, Andreas! I’ll tell her in time.”

  “We’re out of time! Or are you just hoping they get to her first, so you don’t have to?”

  Both of their eyes burned a deep cobalt. Katrina knew the exact moment the anger finally overtook Cole. From deep within his throat he let out a loud snarl and leaped towards his cousin. He was like an angry panther striking its enemy, as he went for Andrew’s throat. Instinctively, Andrew countered Cole’s challenge. He went for Cole’s jugular. The two became locked in a heated struggle, mid-air. Katrina and Jake stood by helpless. They were forced to watch and wait on the sideline.

  Cole angrily thrust Andrew into the trunk of one of the trees lining the grassy meadow. The thunderous noise echoed through the desolate field. Katrina flinched in sympathy for the tree, as Andrew’s rock solid body ripped it out by its roots and knocked it to the ground. With his cat like reflexes, Andrew was up and fully recovered in no time. Charging towards Cole, he reminded Katrina of an angry bull ready to turn and pounce on the matador.

  Andrew grabbed Cole by his shirt and sent him crashing down onto the roof of the Camaro. The car never had a chance. Cole’s iron built body tore through it like it was an aluminum can. The roof buckled within seconds under the immense pressure. Sounds of bending metal and shattering glass ricocheted throughout the field, bouncing off the distant mountains. Katrina and Jake flinched.

  Then a giant explosion erupted and debris from the truck devoured the air. Katrina crouched down and shielded herself. Pieces of metal scraped against her skin. Her arm burned with each cut. Then things went eerily silent.

  After a few moments, Katrina opened her eyes and found Cole and Andrew frozen where they stood. Andrew’s face was horrified and looking behind her.

  “NO!” Andrew and Cole both ran towards her.

  Katrina turned and saw the same look on Jake’s pain filled face. Then she saw it. At first, they were small dribbles drizzling to the ground. Soon the blood was seeping into bigger puddles around his feet. The big metal rod-protruding out from his frail chest had punctured right through him.

  “JAKE!” Katrina screamed till her lungs ran out of air. She couldn’t believe what was happening. She rushed to Jake’s side just before he collapsed to the ground. Dropping to her knees, she almost fell onto Andrew, who was already there and holding Jake in his arms. “Jake, look at me,” she grabbed his hand. “Stay with me. You hear me!” Katrina broke down, looking at her brothers ailing face. The light that sparkled with life in his eyes was slowly starting to fade. Tears trickled down Katrina’s cheeks as she frantically searched for something, anything that could save her brother, but it was no use.

  “Hold on.” Andrew was on the verge of panic. “Don’t you leave me!” He looked up at Cole. “What are we going to do? We can’t lose him!”

  “We need to get him to a hospital!” Katrina shouted, not waiting for Cole to answer.

  “There’s no time!” Andrew snapped. “He’s losing too much blood!”

  “We have to do something.” Katrina sobbed until her throat ached, fighting the sharp pain developing in her chest.

  “There’s a way to save him, but we need to move fast before it’s too late,” Cole’s low voice said, from behind her.

  Katrina looked up and could see the agony in his eyes as he brought up the option. It took Katrina a moment to realize what he meant. “No! No way!” she shook her head. “You can’t. You’re not making a meal out of my brother!”

  “It’s the only way. He’ll die before he even makes it to a hospital,” Andrew pleaded, as he gently caressed Jake’s cheek. Tears were running down his face.

  She didn’t want to lose her brother, but the thought of him becoming something else frightened her more. Feeling him faintly squeeze her hand, Katrina looked down at his failing body.

  “Kat—” Jake gasped, “let—let them.”

  “No!”

  “Please—” Jake didn’t have the strength to finish his sentence.

  “But, you won’t be Jake,” she pleaded with him. “You’ll be something else.”

  “No,” Andrew tried to assure her through his tears. “No. He’ll still be your brother. He’ll remember everything. More importantly he’ll still be here.”

  “Jake are-are you sure?”

  “I love him, K—”

  Katrina’s heart ached, as Jake attempted to explai
n. He was becoming weak fast and she knew she didn’t have a choice. Jake had made his decision.

  “Please. We’re running out of time,” Cole urged.

  Katrina fought back her tears and stood back. “Do it quickly.” Watching Andrew gently caressing her brother’s frail body, she hoped she made the right decision.

  Andrew kissed Jake’s cheek. “This might hurt a little.” He pulled the metal piece from Jake's bloodied chest. Even in his weakened state, Jake let out a blood curdling scream.

  Katrina turned away and shuddered in fear. It was an image she knew she wouldn’t forget anytime soon. Watching Andrew pull out the large shard of metal from her brother, made her stomach turn. She heard the hollow sound of it against the ground and her body began to sway. For a moment, she thought she was going to lose it. She braced her hand against the dirt and tried to steady her breathing to keep herself from falling over.

  “I’m sorry. The next part’s not so bad. I promise,” she heard Andrew assure Jake.

  “What’s wrong?” Cole asked, as he knelt down beside Katrina.

  “I don’t know,” Katrina shook her head. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “Why don’t you come with me to get some air? It might help.” Cole’s hand gently tugged on her shoulders.

  Katrina hesitated. She was afraid for her brother. It was hard for her to leave him like this and not know if she would ever see him again. She couldn’t imagine life without him. It had been the two of them since childhood.

  “Please?” Cole pleaded.

  Katrina nodded. “Okay.” She felt his arctic limbs tenderly help her to feet. She walked off in a slight daze. They didn’t stop until Jake’s wheezing gasps for air were far behind her. She came to, only to see the immense cloud covering of trees surrounding her. Soon, she felt Cole stop.

  “Let’s sit here until you feel better.” Cole helped Katrina sit against a tree trunk. Images of her dying brother lying on the blood-soaked ground replayed in her head, as they sat in awkward silence.

  “What’s going to happen to him?” she asked, finally feeling better. “I mean, is he going to be okay?”

  “He’s going to be fine. Better than fine, actually. He’s going to be one of us.” It was obvious he meant that to be uplifting, but all it did was make her cry. Cole stopped walking and furrowed his brow.

  “What is it?” She wiped at her tears.

  “I need to tell you something. I was trying to tell you earlier, but I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

  She turned to face him and felt her anxiety grow. “Tell me now.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and hesitated a slight second before he answered her. “Before you died, we were running away to—” Cole let his voice trail off.

  “To what?”

  “To be together, forever.”

  “What?” She put her hand to her mouth in shock.

  “Don’t you see? It’s the only way to keep you safe. I love you and I won’t lose you again.”

  “What do you mean, ‘it’s the only way’?”

  “As long as you’re human, they’ll keep coming for you. Hunting you down is their greatest conquest. They won’t stop, until you’re either one of them—or dead!”

  “Why? Why do they want me so bad?” Tears were starting to stream down her face.

  “Because once you’re turned, your power grows.”

  “You keep talking about these ‘powers’ I don’t even have!” Katrina shouted. Her frustration was boiling over.

  “You have them. They’re just waiting for you to remember how to use them.”

  “What if I can’t?” She looked into his eyes, afraid.

  “You need to try.” Taking her face in his hands, Cole pleaded with her. “Please, for us?”

  Cole gently pressed his cool lips to hers and Katrina's body quivered. The warm urges resurfaced making her head spin. Her heart melted at his slightest touch. It took all her strength to keep her emotions under control, as she pulled away from his tender sweet lips.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say you’ll try.” One of his fingers traced over her cheek.

  “But you’re asking me to give up everything.”

  “No. I’m asking you to runaway and have a future with me. We can have a lifetime together.”

  “I wish it was that simple.”

  “It can be.”

  “You want to turn me into a monster!” Her lips trembled as she spoke.

  Cole let go of her and stepped back. “Is that what you think I am?”

  Damn it! Take foot and insert into my big mouth! “No. That’s not what I meant. I just mean I—” She struggled for the right words. “I’m scared of losing myself.”

  “You won’t.”

  “I wished I could believe you.” Her tears built up again blurring her vision.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Cole wrapped his arms around her. He bent down to kiss her, but they were interrupted. They both turned around and Katrina’s heart sank. Andrew was carrying her brothers limp body towards them.

  “Jake! What the hell happened?” Katrina snapped. Her pain turning into anger, as she ran towards her brother’s lifeless body. “You said he’d be fine.”

  “And he will be,” Andrew assured her. “He just needs some rest while his body transitions.”

  Still looking at her unconscious brother, Katrina couldn’t speak. Her stomach turned, as everything started to take its toll on her. She had almost been killed by a werewolf and now she was faced with the fact she might have lost her brother. It was more than she could handle. Her head started to spin and black spots started creeping into her vision. Sounds became distant and foggy.

  “Caroline?” she heard Cole shout, but she couldn’t answer. She tried to focus, but she couldn’t. Her body was growing numb and it was like she wasn’t really there. And then just like that, everything went black.

  Chapter 10

  “Caroline, wake up,” she heard a familiar voice whisper. Katrina slowly opened her eyes and found Cole’s staring back at her. Confusion hit her and she couldn't move. Her memory was slightly foggy.

  Glancing around, she scrunched her eyebrows. She had no idea where she was. The room was larger than an average bedroom and it was actually a lot bigger than her mother's master. It looked more like a hotel room suite than a bedroom. Large, over-flowing, metallic gray drapes adorned two French doors, which she assumed led out to a patio. “What happened?”

  “You passed out. I brought you to my room.”

  “Your room!” She sat up and regretted it as soon as she did. A wave of dizziness hit her like a brick. Oh.” She held her hand to her head for support. The sudden change in position was too much for her.

  Cole put his hand on her shoulder and sat up with her. “You’ve been through a lot tonight; you should lie back down and take it easy.”

  She wanted to, but her thoughts immediately went to Jake. “Where’s my brother?”

  “He’s with Andreas.” When Katrina gave him a blank stare he continued, “He loves Elias. He won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “Who?” Katrina asked, but before Cole could answer she figured out who he meant. “Jake.”

  Cole nodded. “You can see him if you like?”

  “I’d like that.” Katrina was careful this time when she sat up and scooted off the bed.

  It took her a moment to steady herself. Cole was right next to her waiting, patiently. When she finally got her footing somewhat stable, Cole took her by the hand and led her down the hall to Andrew’s room.

  They stopped in front of the door and Katrina was overcome with butterflies. She wasn’t sure what she would find on the other side of that door and it was scaring the hell out of her.

  Cole opened the door and Katrina’s heart felt like it had been squeezed through a vise. Under the navy bedding, was Jake. He was lying so still. If it wasn't for the sound of his shallow breaths, she would have thought he was
dead.

  Katrina held her breathe and walked over to the bed. With every step her anticipation grew. It wasn’t until she saw his face that she sighed in relief. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but so far he looked like the same Jake she had always known.

  “Is he—?” she turned to Cole, but let her voice falter.

  “Not yet.”

  “I told you he’d be fine,” Andrew’s voice interrupted, as he suddenly appeared on the bed next to Jake.

  “When will he wake up?”

  “There’s no way to know for sure. Each person reacts differently,” Andrew said. Katrina suddenly felt nauseous and her body started to tremble.

  “Maybe you should take it easy?” Cole wrapped his hands around her.

  “I’ll be all right. I just need a drink.” She took a deep breath and tried to shake the feeling away.

  “I’ll get you some water.” Cole went to lead her away, when she stopped. She wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her brother.

  “He’s going to be fine,” Cole assured her. “I promise.”

  Katrina hesitated a brief second. She gave Jake one last look, then nodded her head and followed Cole down stairs. They were heading into the kitchen, when they ran into Alaric.

  “Hello, Caroline. How’s your cast holding up?”

  “Hi.” Katrina held up her arm. “It’s still here.”

  “Is the itching getting to you, yet?”

  “A little. It’s just mostly uncomfortable.”

  He wrinkled his eyebrows and extended his hand out. “May I?”

  “Sure.” Katrina held out her cast.

  “Everything looks fine. But, why don’t you follow me and I’ll see if I can adjust it.”

  “I’ll get your water and meet you in there.” Cole went ahead of her and disappeared into the kitchen.

  She followed Dr. Aldrich down the hall and into his home office. It was a very tidy room for a home office. Much like the inside of his office building, everything was neat and tidy. There was a smaller version of the same Mahogany desk inside his office placed off in the center corner of the oversized room. A few paintings were meticulously hung about on the walls. One of them stood out to Katrina among the rest. She was intrigued as she stood in front of it. They were four of the most gorgeous looking people Katrina had ever seen.