“No, I’m old and strong. That kind of break doesn’t affect me the way that it did to you.” Dominick reassures.
“Dom…” I choke out with a sob.
“I have to move him, but his body is going to disappear as soon as I place him on the floor,” Dominick announces.
I close my eyes as my tears escape and roll down my cheeks before splashing down to the floor.
“Babe, I really need to get you out of here.” Dominick stresses. “Loki would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
I nod and then bite my lip as I reopen my eyes. I look up at Loki and then raise my hand to stroke my fingers through his hair one last time.
A whimper falls from my lips as I close my eyes again.
After a few moments, Dominick lifts Loki’s body with a grunt. Seconds later he lifts me into his arms.
I wrap my arms around his neck and break down. Sobs fall from my lips as he maneuvers us through the remains of the club.
Fresh air hits my face as we make it outside.
“Nick, did you find Matt and Tinsley?” Dominick asks.
“I found them. Matt already took Tinsley home. They were outside when the bombs went off.” Nick answers.
“Good. Did you guys find any survivors?” Dominick then questions.
“No. No one else made it out.” Nick replies reluctantly.
Dominick curses.
After a few moments of silence, he speaks again. “Tim, you need to join the others at the Academy. Nick, you’re coming with me back to the school. I have to get her somewhere safe.”
Without another word, Dominick begins walking.
18-The Aftermath
“What’s going on?” Kane asks abruptly as Dominick carries me into his room.
“Loki is dead. The humans attacked the club. Hardly anyone made it out alive.” Dominick explains quickly. “I need you to watch over her while I take care of a few things.”
“She’s safe with me,” Kane replies.
“Where’s Nix?” Dominick questions next.
“I’m right here,” Nix answers before asking his own question. “What happened?”
“Loki is gone, Nix. The club was attacked.” Kane answers him.
I whimper and bury my face into Dominick’s chest.
“Can you two please keep her from completely falling apart?” Dominick sighs roughly.
“We’ve got her,” Nix replies before he strokes his thumb across my cheek to wipe away the tears streaming down my face.
“Babe, I need to leave you for a few minutes,” Dominick states gently.
I respond by holding onto him tighter.
He sighs. “I’m not going to be in any danger. I just need to speak with the teachers here, so we’re all on the same page. I wouldn’t leave you to run into danger.”
I look up at him. “I still don’t want to let you go.”
“It will only be for a few minutes, okay.” He promises.
I nod and then bite my lip as I reluctantly loosen my grasp on him. Nix holds his arms out to me, and I allow him to pull me away from Dominick.
Dominick only hesitates for a moment before he rushes off, leaving me behind with Nix and Kane.
“I wonder what happened.” Kane breathes out.
“Whatever it is, it’s bad.” Nix sighs before he looks down at me in his arms. “Are you alright, Ava? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
I shake my head. “No, Loki kept me safe.”
Before anyone can say another word, Tinsley bursts into the room with Nick and Matt at her heels. She ignores Nix and pulls me into her arms as she cries.
“I thought we lost you.” She whimpers as she holds onto me tightly.
“It was Jake, Tins. Jake attacked us.” I sob. “Jake killed Loki.”
She pulls back to search my eyes. “Loki is gone?”
I nod as more tears stream down my cheeks. “He’s gone.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Hunnie.” She replies before pulling me close again.
“Who’s Jake?” Nix questions after a few moments.
“He was Ava’s boyfriend before she was turned. They were engaged for a short time.” Tinsley answers for me as she leans back again.
I wipe my face and then move over to the side of the bed where Kane was sitting on the edge. I sit and then lean my head against his shoulder.
“Sweetheart, is there anything that I can do to make you feel better?” He whispers while wrapping his arm around me.
“Not really.” I breathe out.
“Why don’t you lay down with me for a little bit?” He then suggests.
I nod in agreement and then lay down. He lies down beside me and then pulls me snuggly against his body while I close my eyes.
His warmth causes me to drift off slightly.
“Where is Dominick at?” Tinsley whispers. “She needs him here.”
“He’s taking care of some stuff,” Nix replies. “He’ll be back as soon as he can. He’s got a lot of influence out there, and right now the town needs him more than Ava does.”
“What happens now?” Tinsley asks next.
“I honestly don’t know.” Nix sighs. “This might be a random attack, or it might be something larger. Only time will tell, but for now, we need to keep ourselves safe.”
After a few moments of silence, Matt speaks. “We should go and see if anyone needs help. More than likely they’ll have everyone in town evacuate here or to the Academy.”
“I don’t want to leave her, Matt,” Tinsley whispers.
“She’ll be fine with Kane and me.” Nix insists.
“Alright, but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Tinsley replies.
Moments later the door opens and then shuts with a soft click. With that, I begin drifting off into a deeper sleep.
****
Dominick’s voice wakes me slightly from my sleep.
“How long has she been asleep?” He questions.
“She’s been out for a while. Every so often she whispers for Loki.” Kane answers softly as his hand tenderly strokes through my hair.
“I know how she feels.” Dominick sighs roughly.
“What’s going on out there?” Nix chimes in.
“Everything is calming down. It appears that this was an isolated incident. One of my guys caught one of the humans who decided to run away.” Dominick replies.
“What were they after?” Kane whispers.
“They were following her ex-boyfriend. I guess he wanted revenge and to kill Ava.” Dominick breathes out. “He truly believed that Ava was possessed by a demon.”
“They are crazy. I can’t believe they’re teaching these people this stuff.” Nix growls out.
I open my eyes and look up at Kane before turning my attention towards Dominick and Nix. “My father pushed this to happen, I can guarantee it.”
“You can’t tell me stuff like that, Ava.” Nix breathes out. “If he’s behind some sort of group I have to let the Academy know. They will have to contact the proper authorities.”
“What would happen to my father?” I ask.
“It depends on if he’s behind this attack.” Nix answers. “A lot of good people were killed, and their families want justice.”
“Babe, they would change him and then chain him in the sunlight to burn, or they would lock him up to be used for blood. Either way wouldn’t be pretty.” Dominick stresses.
“My father doesn’t deserve that. They're just scared.” I sigh.
After a few moments of silence, I speak again. “Is there any way that I could help figure out who was truly behind this attack?”
“There might be, but it’s going to be dangerous,” Dominick replies.
“You’ll have to go back to your hometown.” He adds.
“I’ll do whatever it takes. I owe Loki some sort of justice even if it means stopping my father from getting someone else hurt or killed.” I reply.
Dominick nods and then turns his attention towards Nix. “Can you hold
the Academy for a bit while I take her back?”
“I can try, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to. That kid is an open book, and they’ll get all the information they need eventually.” Nix replies.
“We’ll leave as soon as dawn comes,” Dominick announces.
“I’m coming with you,” Kane states sternly.
“I wouldn’t expect you not to.” Dominick snorts.
“I could get us there sooner. I can be out in the daylight, and the school has a van that’s darkened to transport vampires during the day.” Tobias states suddenly as he walks into the room. “Plus, I know exactly where we’re going.”
“That works for us,” Dominick replies while Kane and I nod.
“We’ll leave in twenty minutes then.” Tobias states before leaving the room as quickly as he had come in.
“I should go too.” Nix breathes out. “Whatever you guys do make sure you’re careful and keep Ava safe.”
“We won’t do anything stupid,” Kane promises.
Nix nods and then gives me a sad smile before he exits the room.
I sit up and then move to sit on the edge of the bed. I close my eyes and then slowly place my feet on the floor.
“Sweetheart…?” Dominick breathes out.
“I’m going to be alright, Dom. I just need to eat something and gather some of my stuff together before we leave.” I reply as I stand up while reopening my eyes.
He nods and then holds his hand out towards me. “I’ll walk with you.”
I take his hand and then turn to look back at Kane.
“You guys go. I’ve got a few things to get and then I’ll meet you upstairs.” He insists.
Without another word, Dominick leads me through the door and then down the halls. We slowly make our way upstairs before stopping at my door.
“Are you ready for this?” Dominick asks gently.
I knew what he was hinting at. The second we opened my door we would be surrounded by Loki’s scent. It was going to be difficult, but I had to keep myself from falling apart any more than I already had.
“No, but I’ll have to go in there one day. It will be easier now rather than later.” I answer.
Dominick nods before he reaches for the handle.
As he opens the door slowly, I hold my breath.
We walk in together before I move over to my dresser in the corner of the room. I open a drawer and then stare into it absently.
“Babe…” Dominick whispers with emotion clogging his voice.
I close my eyes for a moment, unable to utter a word. If I said anything now, it would only come out with a sob.
My heart was breaking in two.
Without warning, Dominick releases a painful cry. I turn and watch as he falls to his knees while red tears stream down his cheeks.
I rush to hold him as he cries uncontrollably.
It was easy to forget that Dominick had lost more than I had. He had lost his maker, his best friend, and his brother. Loki and Dominick had shared a long life together.
Matt rushes into the room and then stops as I look up at him.
He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “Do you want me to get Tinsley?”
I shake my head and then turn my attention back to Dominick as he continues to break down in my arms.
After a few moments, I look back up at Matt. “Could you grab us some blood?”
He nods and then quickly leaves the room.
“It hurts.” Dominick cries.
“I know it does. My heart is aching more than I ever thought that it could.” I reply softly.
“At least we had one really great night together,” I whisper. “He knew just how much we loved him. That’s what matters the most.”
Dominick nods and then laughs sadly. “He really did love you. He never looked at someone the way that he did with you, Ava.”
“Loki helped me open my eyes to what love really was,” I reply with a sad smile.
“He also made you, and that’s something I will always be grateful for,” I add.
Dominick smiles and then presses his lips against my forehead. After a few moments, he pulls back and then pushes himself to stand up.
I stand with him and then sigh while wrapping my arms around his waist.
Matt returns with a familiar face. It was Andrew.
“I ran into Andrew downstairs. I know he’s a friend of Dominick’s so I told him what happened and what you two needed.” Matt explains.
“The school is worried about their blood supply, so I’m all you’ve got right now,” Andrew adds.
“Can this night get any worse?” I grumble.
“It won’t be so bad.” Dominick insists as he rubs the back of his neck. “You can drink first while I wash my face. I need a few moments to myself anyway.”
Without another word, he moves away from me before shutting himself in the bathroom.
I sigh and then turn my full attention towards Matt and Andrew. “I’ve never fed from anyone before other than Jake when I was changed.”
“It’s pretty simple, and Andrew knows what to do,” Matt replies.
Andrew begins moving towards me while I stand frozen in place. I couldn’t help but be hesitant to bite someone especially when I was an emotional mess.
The last thing I needed was to hurt someone.
Before I can do anything, Dominick walks back into the room. He steps up behind Andrew before pushing his head to the side to expose Andrew’s neck.
Dominick looks at me while sinking his fangs into Andrew’s neck.
After a moment he motions for me to join him.
I move closer while he releases his bite. The blood coating his lips causes my fangs to descend. They cut my bottom lip as I stop in front of Andrew.
“You won’t hurt him. I’ll be right here to stop you.” Dominick promises.
I nod and then move closer to Andrew.
Without warning, Andrew pulls me closer to him before threading his hand through my hair. He then pushes my face towards his neck.
I hesitate for only a moment before I bite him.
His blood fills my mouth, and I moan softly as the familiar taste of chocolate washes over my tongue. His blood was intoxicating.
After a few minutes, I push myself away from Andrew.
Dominick watches me proudly before he leans down to heal the marks left on Andrews’s neck.
Andrew sighs before he sways slightly.
“You should stay here for a while, Andy.” Dominick stresses.
Andrew nods. “Yeah, I think I should. She took a little more out of me than I expected.”
Matt suddenly clears his throat. “I’ll keep my eye on him if you want. I know you two have plans to leave town.”
“I would owe you, Matt. Andrew is very valuable to me.” Dominick replies.
“I’ll keep him safe while you’re gone then,” Matt replies.
Dominick nods and then guides Andrew over to the bed before pushing him to lie down. Once Andrew is comfortable, Dominick moves back towards me.
“Loki would have been proud of you.” He whispers softly before raising his hand to cup my cheek. “I’m proud of you. You’re better at feeding than most vampires your age.”
“I didn’t want to hurt him.” I sigh.
“And you won’t hurt anyone as long as you remind yourself that every time you bite someone,” Dom replies.
I nod and then take a step back before moving back over to my dresser.
This time I open the drawers and pull out the clothes that I would need for the next few days just in case we were gone longer than expected.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long to figure out who was behind the attack.
I just really hoped that it wasn’t my father.
Unfortunately, my gut told me that my father was behind it. The thought made me angrier than I had ever been with my parents.
If he had done this, then I would never forgive him.
19-Going Back
“Are you guys comfortable?” Tobias questions as he climbs into the front of the van that we were borrowing to go back to my hometown.
“We’re as comfortable as we’re going to get,” Dominick grumbles.
The sunlight coming through the windows wasn’t enough to hurt us, but it was enough to hurt our eyes, which in turn was causing us to have headaches.
Kane was laying on my left and Dominick was laying on my right. Since there wasn’t much that we could do we intended on sleeping.
“We’ll be there in no time.” Tobias insists before the van’s engine roars to life.
Kane groans while I turn and bury my face in his side.
After a few minutes on the road, Tobias hits a bump causing all three of us to groan out loudly.
“Sorry, guys. I’ll make sure I don’t hit anymore.” Tobias apologizes from his seat.
“This is going to be one hell of a long trip.” Kane breathes out.
“No kidding.” Dominick snorts.
“What are we going to do when we get there?” I ask before continuing without an answer. “My hometown is notorious for running vampires out of town. They despise anyone that isn’t human.”
“We’re going to be smart. I don’t intend to say any more than one night.” Dominick replies.
I nod and then turn to snuggle Dominick.
He wraps his arm around me while sighing roughly. “If we find out that your father is involved you’re going to have to stand back. You can’t stop what has to happen. If you do, you could be deemed a traitor to our kind, and then your life would be in danger.”
“I won’t do anything stupid,” I promise.
“You might not intend to but when being faced with family things can get a little tricky. You have to follow your head in this situation, not your heart.” Dominick stresses.
He had nothing to worry about because I had already prepared myself to face my parents again.
Instead of feeling hurt by them I had embraced my anger. What they had done to me was unforgivable. They should never have disowned me the way that they had.
I was still me after all. I was still their daughter.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to see past their own silly beliefs. They had instantly judged me without even trying.
Midnight Moon (Love and Blood Series Book 1) Page 14