When I reopen my eyes I find myself back inside my room; back in my spot lying between Loki and Dominick.
I reach over and touch Loki’s cheek.
He opens his eyes to look at me as a smile spreads across his lips.
“This isn’t real,” I whisper.
Loki chuckles in response. “It’s real, Sweetheart.”
“No, no, it’s not. You’re gone. I watched you die.” I argue.
“Sweetheart, I’m right here. I’m fine.” He replies as he pushes himself up to look down at me. “No one’s going to hurt me, not now, not ever.”
I close my eyes and curse this dream.
My mind was cruel to be playing these kinds of tricks on me.
“Sweetheart…?” Loki whispers softly as he strokes his knuckles across my cheek. “You probably had a bad dream, that’s all.”
I shake my head. “This is a dream, Loki. None of this is real.”
Reopening my eyes, I look up at him. “I wish this was real. I would give anything to have you back. I need you right now.”
“But I’m here.” He replies before pulling me into his arms.
I whimper softly as tears fill my eyes.
This was right where I wanted to be, but sadly I would never get the chance to be in his arms again. I would never feel the comfort that only he could give me.
Don’t get me wrong, Dominick and Kane were great, but they didn’t know me the way that Loki had. He had seen me at my best and worst, especially after I had just changed.
No one would ever be able to replace Loki.
“Don’t cry, Sweetheart.” Loki sighs softly.
He reaches up to wipe away my tears, and I lean into his touch while a soft heartbreaking sob falls from my lips.
“You’re breaking my heart.” He whispers.
“I miss you so much.” I cry. “My heart hasn’t stopped aching. I don’t think it will ever stop.”
After a moment Loki presses his lips against my forehead. “No matter what, I will always be with you. You’ll never be able to get rid of me that easily.”
He places his hand over my heart as he continues. “I’ll always be in here.”
I nod and then snuggle against his side. “Just hold me, Loki.”
“I’ll hold you forever if that’s what you want.” He insists.
His words nearly rip me in two.
Closing my eyes, I cry softly into his chest as he holds onto me tightly. I knew the second that I woke up that his death would cut through me deeper than I had allowed it to before.
I had held my emotions at bay, but I couldn’t any longer.
If I didn’t mourn him, it would destroy me from the inside out.
23-Reality
“Do you think it worked?” Kane questions Dominick softly.
They weren’t far from me, but I felt worlds away from them. I felt completely disconnected from this reality. Even though I was waking up part of me was still stuck in my dream world with Loki.
“I think it did. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain right now.” Dominick sighs.
“Why hasn’t she woken up then?” Nix pushes.
“I honestly don’t know. There’s a lot going on in her mind right now though. That might be why it’s taking her so long.” Dominick replies.
“Give her some time, guys. She’s been through a lot these last few days. It’s been traumatic.” Tinsley chimes in.
The guys grunt in response before the room grows silent.
“Are we going to ignore the fact that she keeps crying out for Loki?” Kane whispers, breaking the silence.
“What are we supposed to do, Kane?” Dominick breathes out. “He’s gone. Nothing can bring him back, not now, not ever.”
I let out a soft whimper at his harsh words.
They were honest though.
It still didn’t ease the pain that I was still feeling.
Living in a world without Loki was something that I didn’t want to go back to.
“Don’t even think like that.” Dominick suddenly growls out. “I swear to god if you give up now I will never forgive you.”
“What’s going on?” Nix questions as his warm hand slips into my cold one.
“She doesn’t want to wake up,” Dominick answers simply.
“Can she hear us?” Tinsley asks.
“I believe so,” Dominick replies.
After a moment Tinsley speaks again. “I swear, Ava, if you don’t wake up soon I will kick your ass. You’ve got three super hot guys here by your side, waiting for you.”
She laughs and then leans in closer, causing her breathe to fan over my ear. “I’m completely jealous, Ava. You better come back and put smiles on these guys’ faces. They look so sad right now.”
“They need you.” She adds.
She was right of course; it would be selfish if I didn’t come back to them.
Before I have the chance to open my eyes something causes the building to shake violently while loud booms echo through the walls.
“What the hell?” Dominick snarls.
Seconds later loud sirens begin ringing out.
“We’re under attack again,” Nix shouts. “We need to get everyone down to the basement before they blow a hole in the building. The sun is at its highest right now, and it will kill everyone in seconds.”
“I’ve got Ava.” Dominick states before continuing on. “Tinsley, you need to find Matt and Nick. Get them downstairs as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll go with her.” Kane insists.
“Be careful. You might last longer in the sun, but you won’t last forever.” Nix warns.
Kane grunts in response.
I open my eyes just in time to watch him run out of the room with Tinsley following close behind.
“There’s our girl.” Dominick sighs as he gazes down at me.
“What’s going on?” I whisper hoarsely.
“It seems that the people following your father have come for their revenge,” Dominick states while scrubbing his hand over his face.
“We need to go.” Nix stresses.
Dominick nods and then scoops me up into his arms while Nix grabs a handful of blood bags that had been sitting on a table near the bed that I had been lying on.
Without a word Nix and Dominick rush out into the hallway.
I wrap my arms tightly around Dominick’s neck as he weaves between others who were running down the halls.
“Follow me; we’ll never get downstairs in time.” Nix pants out before he turns down an empty hall.
We run down the hall until Nix suddenly skids to a stop next to a set of stairs.
He presses on the wall in a few places before a section gives under his touch.
A smile spreads across his lips as he opens the door. “This is our way out. It will take us under the town and directly over to the Academy. We’ll be safer there.”
No one says another word as we enter the dark and narrow passage.
We stop abruptly as the building above us shakes and groans.
“Are they trying to bring the whole place down?” Nix whispers absently.
“I don’t know, but I’d rather not find out. The last thing we need is to be buried under a ton of rubble.” Dominick replies.
“What about everyone back in the school? Will they be alright?” I fire off with growing worry.
It wouldn’t be fair for us to escape while they were left to be crushed.
“They’ll be fine. There are rooms under the schools that are reinforced to stand up to an attack like this. The rooms will have more than enough space and supplies to keep everyone safe for a few weeks.” Nix reassures.
“Hopefully it won’t take that long to regain the upper hand in this situation.” Dominick replies.
Nix nods in response before we begin moving down a set of stairs.
Within a few minutes, we find ourselves in front of a dark door.
Nix opens it and then walks out first before Dominick carries me i
nto the madness.
Armed men were running back and forth; each of them were focused and quite the opposite of how everyone had been back at the school.
“We’ve been trained for this.” Nix answers my unspoken question.
He waves us to follow him.
Not a single person gives us a second thought as Nix leads us through the building and then up a flight of stairs before stopping at a closed door.
“This is my room. We can stay in here until things calm down.” Nix states.
“Are you sure it’s going to be safe?” I stress.
“It will be. There’s no way anyone could get past those men running around down there. The second they step over the boundary outside they will be shot and killed.” Nix reassures.
Nix opens the door and then flips on a light to reveal a small room with a large bed with dark brown bedding neatly made on it.
Without hesitating Dominick carries me to the bed before placing me down.
Before anyone can say a word, someone appears in the doorway.
“Nix, we need you downstairs now. The generals want everyone who’s not a vampire to gather so we can attack the humans before they bring the school down.” The man pants out.
“I’ll be down in a few minutes. I have to get these two settled in first.” Nix replies.
The man nods and then rushes off.
Nix places the blood bags in his arms down on the end of the bed before glancing towards Dominick.
“I’m going to have to help them.” He sighs.
“Go, I’ll stay here with Ava. I won’t leave her side.” Dominick replies.
“Whatever you do don’t leave this room. The doors downstairs will be left open. This building isn’t exactly equipped like the school to keep the sun’s rays from hurting vampires.” Nix warns.
Dominick grunts in response while nodding his head in understanding.
After a moment Nix sits down on the edge of the bed beside me before leaning down. He presses his lips against my forehead while I grab his hand in mine.
When he pulls back, I tighten my grip. I didn’t want to let him go.
I didn’t want to lose him like I had lost Loki.
“I’ll be fine.” He promises.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I reply sternly.
“I wouldn’t dare.” He replies with a smile.
I nod and then reluctantly release my hold on him.
He leans in to kiss my forehead once more, but I grab his face in my hands before guiding his lips to mine. I close my eyes and kiss him with every ounce of strength I can muster.
Once I’m finished, I allow Nix to pull away.
Dominick chuckles lightly in the background while Nix and I gaze into each other’s eyes. There were so many unspoken emotions being shared between us.
“I’ll be back soon.” He whispers.
“You better be,” I reply softly.
He nods and then stands before glancing back at Dominick.
“Be careful,” Dominick demands.
Nix nods and then slowly moves to the door. He glances back at me one last time before leaving.
“I think you’ve finally broken him.” Dominick snorts as he moves to sit down on the edge of the bed.
He grabs a blood bag before holding it towards me.
I wordlessly take it and then place it against my lips.
After a moment I pull it away as I sigh softly.
“What’s wrong?” Dom pushes.
“I’m worried about Tinsley and Kane. How do we know that they’re safe?” I reply.
“We don’t, but I’m sure they’ll be smart. Kane was trained by the Academy, remember. He’s prepared for situations like this.” Dominick replies gently.
“That’s not going to stop me from worrying about them.” I reply with a light laugh.
A comfortable silence surrounds us before I speak again. “I dreamt about Loki. It nearly broke my heart to talk to him again.”
“I kind of figured that you did. You kept calling out for him while you were asleep.” Dominick breathes out.
“He’s the reason I didn’t want to wake up,” I admit.
“I know,” Dominick whispers as he looks down at his hands.
“Dom…” I breathe out. “Promise me that I won’t lose you like I did him.”
“I can’t promise you that, Sweetheart.” He replies before standing up abruptly. “I have a lot of enemies even without the humans. Not everyone respects me.”
I open my mouth to say something, but he shakes his head while turning his back towards me.
“We’ll talk about this later. I don’t want to get into it right now, okay.” He states as he turns back around to face me.
I sigh and then place the bag of blood against my lips to keep myself from pushing the conversation any further.
As I drink Dominick grabs a bag before placing it to his own lips. He scrunches his nose and closes his eyes as he bites into it.
I watch him drink and then grab another bag once I’m finished with my first.
Once most of the bags are gone, Dominick sits down on the other side of the bed before laying down flat on his back.
He raises his arm over his eyes and then sighs softly.
“Dom…” I whisper.
“Not now, Sweetheart. I need to rest for a little bit.” He replies.
I sigh and then roll onto my side to watch the door.
After a few minutes, Dominick becomes quiet. I glance back over my shoulder to make sure that he was completely unconscious.
I didn’t want him stopping me.
As soon as I’m certain that he’s not going to wake up I slowly rise to sit on the edge of the bed. I then stand up.
My body aches as I move my arms and legs.
It was obvious that my body was still healing after the poison.
Quietly, I make my way to the door before glancing back at Dominick one last time. Without a sound, I exit the room and then run downstairs and back towards the door that Nix had led us through.
I didn’t want to sneak around, but I had to find Kane and Tinsley. I couldn’t stand not knowing where they were.
Plus, I was afraid of what Dominick was going to say to me once he woke up.
I had a terrible feeling that he was going to start pushing me away.
His intentions were well-meaning but not what was best for either of us. I wasn’t about to let him go without one hell of a fight.
No one says a word as I open the door and then disappear inside.
I hesitate for only a brief moment before moving forward.
No matter what, I was going to find my best friend and Kane. Nothing was going to stand between my family and me.
I would never sit back and lose another person I loved without fighting.
The second I step into the school’s hallway, I’m forced to join in the fight against the humans.
Without thought, I set my vampire side free.
It was the only way I would survive this long enough to find the others.
The world around me grows dark as she takes complete control.
To Be Continued…
Other Books by: Raven K. Asher
(The Story of Alexis Rose)
“Barely Alive” Book 1
“Running Scared” Book 2
“Dead End” Book 3
(The Angels Evermore Series)
“Hidden” Book 1
“Captured” Book 2
“Sacrifice” Book 3
(Among the Dead Trilogy)
“Alone” Book 1
“Escape” Book 2
“Home” Book 3
(The Onyx Wolves Series)
“Bound” Book 1
“Broken” Book 2
“Betrayed” Book 3
(Eden One Series)
“Crash and Burn” Book 1
“A New World” Book 2
“Torn in Two” Book 3
“In the End” Book 4
(
The Chosen Series)
“The Chosen” Book 1
“The Rebels” Book 2
(Life’s a Fairytale Collection)
“Wolf”
“Snow”
(The Vampires of Linbridge)
“Bitten” Book 1
“Erik” Book 1.5
“Blood” Book 2
“Ivan” Book 2.5
“Eternal” Book 3
(The Winter Fae)
“A Touch of Frost” Book 1
(Love and Blood Series)
“Midnight Moon” Book 1
(The Dragons of Willow Creek)
“Fly Away” Book 1
(Singles)
“Losing Levi”
“Stolen” (When Worlds Collide and Stars Align)
“When Tomorrow Never Comes”
“Damage Me”
“Colton Clark” (A “Damage Me” Novella)
“Crash”
About the Author
Raven K. Asher is the author of Barely Alive, Running Scared, and Dead End, the three books in her series, The Story of Alexis Rose. She is also the author of sci-fi series Eden One and The Onyx Wolves series. In addition she has written singles such as Losing Levi and When Tomorrow Never Comes. Raven was born and raised near a small town in Northern Ohio. Soon after graduating high school she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she lived for five years before moving back to her hometown in Ohio. Soon after moving back she met and married her wonderful husband. They now have two wonderful little girls. Raven works as a stay at home mom and raises Pygmy Goats and chickens as a hobby. She has always had a love for writing and has now made a lifelong dream of becoming a writer a reality. When she isn’t reading, taking care of her pets and kids she is diligently writing the many stories trapped inside of her head. Raven’s passions are for romance and horror, but she additionally enjoys sci-fi and fantasy stories. Her favorite stories to write are her post-apocalyptic tales.
Thank you for Reading.
Raven invites you to please leave a review, giving your thoughts and reactions to this story.
The greatest support you can give to any independent author is to leave them a review, so if you could take a moment of your time to leave a review on the site where this book was purchased it would be greatly appreciated.
Midnight Moon (Love and Blood Series Book 1) Page 17