Dark Love

by Olivia M. Howe

  "All I know for sure is that it's going to be a blood bath out there, no matter what we do or what plan we decide on," Julian adds in.

  "You're exactly right, Julian. That's why we can inject the Brother's with Nina's healing blood. Then, they'll be vulnerable and we'll be able to finish them off," William suggests.

  "We aren't even sure what Nina's blood is capable of. That's like going out there blind," Lilah says.

  "We don't have any other choice," William clarifies.

  "Genius," Andrew agrees.

  "William's got my vote," Julian says.

  "I agree," Abel says.

  "Me too," Lilah and Ella say at the same time. They look at each other and laugh quietly.

  "I'm in," Alex says.

  All eyes are now on Andrew and I. They're all waiting patiently for us to announce our answers. "It sounds like a good plan. We'll have to get down all the little details though." Andrew says.

  Now everyone is just waiting on me to approve. My vote is definitely the most important one. "Let's do it," I confirm.

  "Yes!" Julian yells. "Let's kill these useless scums!"

  "Lilah, start taking some of Nina's blood. Make sure you get enough to inject into all of the Brothers," William asks.

  Everyone is getting all wound up and ready to kill the Sulivic brothers. I'm just praying for everyone's safety.

  * * * *

  "Why did you cut your leg?" Andrew is focusing on my eyes and waits for my answer. I knew he would question me sooner or later about that topic. I guess he decided sooner rather then later.

  "Some days I want to just give up on my life and put all of this misery to an end." Tears start to form in my eyes. I don't want to cry. I just want to lay here with Andrew in his warm, comfortable bed, cuddled up in his arms. "Sometimes I just want to be a coward and take the easy way out."

  "I used to feel that way. When I first became a vampire my life felt like hell. It was like I was trapped and there was no way for me to escape. I got so fed up of feeling that agonizing pain, the pain that was hidden inside of me. No one could see it or truly understand how I was feeling," Andrew confesses.

  "How did you get over it?" I ask.

  "I never truly have. I just learn to embrace it," Andrew pauses and silent fills the air. "One day I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I didn't want to drown myself in pain and sadness any longer. I just said, "Enough is enough" and decided to embrace my new life as a vampire, a good vampire," Andrew admits.

  "I held a razor blade to the vein on my wrist eariler." I show him the faded imprint of the blade. "I was being a fool, a fool that's in a lot of pain. I'm a coward to even consider to leave this world that easily," I pause and let the tears escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks. "If my mom seen this she would instantly send me back to the hospital."

  "Your secrets are always safe with me, Nina. Just please don't hurt your beautiful body. Don't leave anymore scars," Andrew says with ease.

  "No one can save me or take the pain away. How can I fight and conquer this war with myself? I can't win. It just seems so impossibe and so out of reach."

  Andrew kisses my forehead and is making a circular motion on my back. He stares at me and glides his fingers over my lips. "I have hope and faith that you'll win this battle. You just can't give up on yourself. I will be there every step of the way, fighting the demon of depression away. I will not give up on you. I'm here now and I promise that I will not give up on you, so please don't give up on me or yourself." I feel the warm tears streaming down the skin on my face. "We're going to win because losing isn't a possibility."

  CHAPTER 24

  Execute

  Dear Diary,

  Sometimes you come across situations in life and you have to make the right decisions. Even though the right decision may be the hardest one to pursue, that's how life works.

  In my situation, if I don't give myself up to the Sulivic Brothers then they will either turn my sister into a vampire or kill her and her death would be on my hands. If I do give myself up to the clan then they will spare my sister and let her go home unharmed, but they will end up killing me because of who I am and the healing blood that runs through my veins.

  The wrong decision would be letting my sister die or turn into a vampire. The right decision is giving myself up to die for my sister to live. Do you see why the right decision is the hardest one to pursue? I decided to put my trust and faith into the hands of my one true love and the rest of the vampires. We all came up with a pretty good plan to save Caroline and save me. Well, William actually planned it, but I like having some credit. It's a solid plan and now we just have to execute it perfectly. If we make any mistakes, the whole plan will completely fall apart and we'll be screwed.

  Andrew doesn't know about my back up plan. If things don't work out the way we planned it, I'm going to just give myself up. Sticking with the right choice is always the best, but the hardest. I planned this the second I agreed to letting everyone try to help. Andrew completely disagrees with me giving myself up so easily without a fight and thinks we can find a way out of this mess, but we might not have another option. It might just have to happen.

  Love, Nina

  * * * *

  William's on the phone with Lucian, right now, trying to put all of the business in motion. William's trying to convince Lucian to pick a convenient meeting spot. We want somewhere familiar, a place we know how to get out of quickly if we need too, if it comes down to that.

  Andrew and I are having some alone time. All we're doing is cuddling and staring up at the ceiling. I keep picturing different scenarios playing through my head. I die in some of them and sometimes there's a happy ending. "Stop stressing yourself out, my love," Andrew senses.

  "How did you know?" I ask.

  "I can feel you tensing up. Just calm down, sweetheart."

  "I just have all of these racing thoughts going through my head. What if this happens and what if that happens." I try to block these thoughts out of my head, but they sneak their way back in.

  "Think about this moment, right now." He's right, that's a good thought. I actually love that thought. Thinking of Andrew always makes me feel better. Laying next to him right now is making me feel even better. His arms around me makes me smile.

  "I love you," I announce as I kiss his lips softly. "Always and forever."

  "Always and forever, my one and only love."

  I feel Andrew's concentration center on something else. He must be listening in on the others talking. "William?" I ask with no patience.

  Andrew nods his head and takes a deep breath in. "Ready?"

  I jump up and run out to the living room. I need to know what Lucian said. I need to know the verdict. "What happened?" I'm the first to talk.

  "We're meeting Lucian by the lake he found you and Sydney at," William says.

  "When?" Andrew asks inpatiently. I see that I'm not the only one that needs to work on their patience skills.

  "We have an hour to be there." An hour? I thought he would at least give us another day or at least a few hours before we have to meet him. I wish all of this wasn't happening so quickly. I don't even have time to stop and think. At least Lynns will be home within an hour or so. That makes things easier for me, but this might be my last hour to live.

  "We don't have much time at all. Lilah, Julian, Abel, and Ella, you four go your separate ways, now. Stick to the plan. Make sure you are far enough away that the clan can't catch your scent and make sure you're close enough so you can hear what is being said." I have to admit, Andrew looks really hot while he's standing there like a leader and taking charge. God, he's sexy, dark, and dangerous. "William, Alex, and Nina, we're sticking together."

  We all leave the Madsen residence and stick to what Andrew just demanded. I only have one last request. "Can we stop by my house? Maybe I can get a glimpse of my mom through the window?"

  Andrew nods his head, "Of course, darling."

  * * * *

 
; We arrive outside of my house. The kitchen light is on and I see the figure of my mother through the foggy window. The night sky helps so my mother can't see me, but I can see her. I roll down my window and just stare at her beautiful face. What if this is the last time I ever see her? What if I won't smell the scent of paint and flowers clinging in her hair? "Andrew, promise me something," I ask as I hold the tears from making their escape route down my face.

  "Anything, love?"

  "Promise me that if anything happens to me, you'll take care of my mother." The tears are making my eye sight blurry. I'm determined to stay strong and not let them out. It's easier said than done.

  "Nothing is going to happen, Nina," Andrew states.

  "Just promise me, Andrew!" I yell out of sadness, not out of anger. I want him to do what's right by my mother. I want him to stay by her side through her good and bad times. I need someone to take care of her and look after her because if something happens to me, she will fall into a deep depression and might not ever recover.

  "I promise, Nina." I believe him. I'm glad I can trust him with my life and with my family. He's my only hope for my family if things go wrong tonight.

  * * * *

  When we arrive at the lake, it isn't the way I remember it from last time. When I came here with Sydney it was a beautiful place that smelled of flowers and happiness.The sounds of the birds chirping in the sky and the sounds the frogs were making from their lily pads in the lake disappeared. Now, all I'm hearing is the crackling twigs that echoed off the trees as I move my feet through the forest. The smell that fills the air is dirty and doesn't smell sweet any more. Long branches hang down above me. Shadows fill the spaces in the forest. My heart is racing. It feels like I'm in a scary movie waiting for the terrifying man to jump out and grab me from behind. As the thought crosses my mind, I grab Andrew's arm and squeeze tightly. "You're safe with me," Andrew mutters.

  A figure starts to move in the distance. It's like that night on the beach with Andrew. The figure starts to move in closer. My mouth starts to get dry and my heart is about to beat out of my body. As the figure gets closer, I'm trying to let the moon be my source of light so I can see his face.

  The intensity is killing my nerves. I know it's Lucian. Why can't he run over here and scare the crap out of me like the rest of the vampires do? Instead he has to make a grand entrance. If this was a movie, the taunting and frightening music would be playing in the background right about now.

  The moon's light hits the figure's pale face. He has a look of pure evil inside of him. It's hideous. He definitely doesn't look like he has a soul. Hades still has it, I'm sure of that because this man, this vampire, whatever the hell he is, looks like the devil disguised as a vampire, pure deception and out to rule the world population.

  "Lucian," William greeted. "Where's Caroline? I want to see her."

  "William, it's very nice to see you again too," Lucian comments and laughs at his own joke, even though it isn't funny.

  "I didn't come here to make small talk. I want the girl." William stands tall and in charge.

  "I see you finally found a sense of humor over the years," Lucian laughs. "You don't make the demands. Remember that!" He yells. I jump back behind Andrew. Lucian even sounds like a devil.

  "Just tell me where she is!" William demands.

  "Let me see the famous Nina first and then I will show you the human." Lucian's authority won over ours. I walk out into the open, close enough that he could see me, but I stay right by Andrew's side, still holding onto his arm for dear life. Lucian starts shaking his head as he's walking closer to me. "It's very difficult for me to accept the fact that I can't smell your blood or drink it. I wonder how it tastes." Andrew pushes me behind him and gets in a stance like he's ready to attack if Lucian tries anything or comes any closer. "How can you do it, Andrew? Isn't it so tempting to find out how the healer tastes?"

  "Not at all," Andrew growls.

  "The poor vampire is in love with a healer. Pathetic," Lucian growls back.

  "Enough with the bullshit!" William yells. "I want to see the human, now!"

  "You're in love with a human girl? That's pathetic too."

  "Now!" William yells as loud as he can. It echos off of the trees and through the forest.

  Lucian runs over and is in his face immediately, but to my surprise he starts talking in a very calm voice. "William, you could say you know me very well, couldn't you?"

  "I used too," William states.

  "You should know it's safe to say that I'm far from a fool," Lucian growls one loud growl in William's face. "Did you really think I wouldn't be able to smell Ambrogio and Selene's kids'? I can smell them from 60 miles away, you moron! You should know better than to upset me!" Lucian starts to yell and get drastically ill-tempered.

  William throws Lucian into the forest. Lucian ends up flying right into a giant tree that must have been there for 40 years, but Lucian breaks it completely down with his fall. Before I know it, Lucian is on his feet and running toward William. He grabs William by the neck, chokes him, and holds him high against the tree by his neck. "The other Brothers are getting rid of Ambrogio and Selene's kids' as we speak."

  "Where's Caroline," Andrew asks while he's holding me behind his back and protecting me with his body.

  Lucian lets out a laugh. "She's with Gavin, but she's not the same person she was before. Well, she won't be." The minute the words come out of his mouth, William switches to angry beast and attacks Lucian with all of his might. They go flying across the forest, just missing the lake.

  "Let's go. I can follow Caroline's scent mixed with Gavin's," Andrew doesn't suggest, he demands.

  "Shouldn't you help him?" I ask in fear.

  "There's no time. We have to get Caroline before she's turned!" I jump into Andrew's arms and he starts to run, fast. All I can see is blurry sights of trees and the moon flying past my eyes. It's like I'm watching a video that's on fast forward.

  The blurry images are making me sick to my stomach. "Stop!" I yell. "Stop, now!" Andrew stops and lets me down. Perfect timing because I vomit everywhere. "All right, I'm ready."

  "Wait." Andrew puts his hand out. He starts sniffing and it appears that he might have picked up on someone's scent. My fingers are crossed that it's Caroline's.

  "What is it?" I ask, very inpatient. We didn't have time for me having to pull over and puke, now we don't have time for him to ignore me.

  "What kind of perfume does Caroline wear? Is it," Andrew starts sniffing the open air, "it smells like sweet fruit."

  "That's Caroline!" I shout and jump into his arms. He takes off quickly and I close my eyes this time. I feel the wind rushing through my hair and the cold air filling my nose.

  We stop instantaneously and my head is spinning. I try to walk straight, but Andrew has to catch me. I close my eyes and count to ten. I hope I don't vomit. One, two, three, four, five, please don't throw up, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I open my eyes and the spins have gone away. I see we're at what looks like an abandoned barn. "Is she here?" I ask Andrew. He begins to start smelling around again.

  "She's in there," Andrew says as he rips the door to the barn open. We walk in and my arm instantly goes around Andrew's. I don't like the looks of this place whatsoever.

  I feel myself ripped from Andrew's arms and flying across the room. It must be Gavin. As I fall to the ground, a bunch of boxes catch my fall. Whatever is in them sure isn't too soft. It isn't like falling onto a bunch of beds stacked together, it's more like falling to my death. I feel this throbbing pain shoot up through my back and another pain shooting up my leg. It won't stop. I moan in agony. This really hurts. I try to move, but I can't manage to get myself up. I reach my hand to my leg and I feel something sticking in my thigh. I feel liquid filling my hand. I try to move to see the damage, but my back won't support me. I just lay there, feeling like giving up on myself and letting the pain bring me to my death.

  I hear noises around me, things breaking. Andrew
and Gavin must be fighting. I look beside me and there she is. Caroline's beautiful face blocks my sight. She's laying there on the ground, not moving at all. I try to watch her stomach to see if she's breathing, but she isn't. Oh my God, she must be dead. Hearing those words in my head does something to me. I forget about the pain in my back and the sharp object that's sticking into my thigh. I try to sit up and I feel the pain in my back getting worse. I scoot myself up in a sitting position on the ground. I look at my leg and blood is gushing out every where.

  My survival instincts kick in immediately. I start looking around for a piece of fabric or something I can tie around my wound once I pull this sharp piece of wood out of my leg.

  I find what looks like a woman's scarf lying on the ground. I take a closer look at it and it looks like Caroline's scarf. I reach over with all of my energy and grab for the scarf. I cannot reach it.

  I take a deep breath and scoot over just a little bit. A cry of agony leaves my throat. The pain is getting unbearable.

  I retrieve the long, black and pink scarf that is lying on the ground.

  This is going to be the most painful part, pulling the piece of wood out of my thigh.

  I put my hand on the piece of wood and look up at the ceiling. On three, I'm going to pull as hard as I can. One, two, I take a really big deep breath, three. I yank on the piece of wood as hard as I can and I feel it ripping out of my leg. I stop pulling and take a deep breath. One, two, three. I let out an awful long scream as I pull extremely hard and the wood rips out of my thigh.

  My breathing is getting heavier. The room is starting to spin, and I ignore it. I take Lynns' scarf and tie it around my wound tightly to stop the bleeding. I let out another scream. The pressure is starting to be intolerable. I need to avoid the pain and focus on getting to Caroline. "Get up, Nina," I whisper to myself.