by Emma Shade
“Leslie,” Blake pleaded with his hands up and palms out, “don’t do this. You know how I feel about Lily.”
“You care so much for her that you gave up everything!” she screamed. “You left me to deal with our crazy family and this insane position!”
“No,” Blake said calmly, “I left because I didn’t believe in slaughtering innocent people anymore. Long before Lily was in the picture.”
“That’s right,” she barked, and spat at Blake’s feet, “you would rather side with the bloodsuckers than to protect our own family. You left high and dry, leaving me to deal with the fallout!”
Blake snorted. “Leslie, it was your choice to take over. Not mine. Don’t peg that shit on me.”
“It is your fault! All of this is your fault. And you’re going to pay for it,” she promised, slowly sliding the knife-edge across my skin.
More blood dribbled out, but not enough to cause serious harm. Still, I whimpered as my heart thundered in my ears. I wanted to act out. Fight back against her assault. But I was helpless. With one quick movement she could end my life, spilling my blood in front of the people who loved me.
Blake’s eyes held mine as he said, “I could stop you right now, Leslie.”
She let out an evil laugh. “No, you can’t. I’ve got complete control and I’m done playing games. You’re the only one to blame for this! Conjurers are the ultimate power, and you walked away! For her,” she cried and shook me, forcing the blade to slash against my skin.
More blood flowed down my neck. One more swipe and I was done for. The knife was mere millimeters away from my artery as it was.
She screeched, “You can’t do anything to stop me, Blake! Lily’s not normal! She’s a freak! A freak that doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as us!”
In that moment, I realized that Blake’s sister was nothing like him. They were as different as black and white. Sure, Blake smarted off about vampires from time to time, but he’d never been so cold and calculating. Leslie was downright insane
That’s when I saw it. Blake’s change in character. He sighed, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, “Lily, I love you. Don’t you ever forget that.”
My heart lunged and my breath caught in my throat. I croaked out, “Blake, whatever you are going to do, don’t. Please.”
“Aw, how sweet,” Leslie mocked. Then, loud enough for everyone to hear, she whispered in my ear, “I want you to see Blake as I take your life. Watch his face as your blood spills on the ground.”
“Leslie, I reinstate my title as royalty,” Blake blurted, halting Leslie in her tracks.
There was a collective gasp from Ashton, Sam, Paige, and Alistair. As though Blake’s voice had carried across the parking lot, the Enforcers stopped fighting. The game had been changed and Leslie was no longer in charge of them.
My world crumbled beneath me. In a heroic act, Blake tossed aside his freedom to save my life. He was going against everything he believed in. It was the goodbye I sensed before the fight. There was no way the king of conjurers would ever be able to associate with us again. He knew it too. Blake truly loved me, even though I halted his advances. And he proved it by sacrificing his independence for mine.
The blade stopped moving, and Leslie inhaled sharply. She gasped, “You can’t do that.”
“Yes I can, and you know it. Give me the knife, Leslie,” he ordered and held out his hand.
“You realize what you’re doing? You can never associate with these people again,” she said, straining for control.
Blake’s eyes found mine again and the sadness filled their depths. “I know. But I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it for Lily and the people I care about.”
Leslie gaped like a fish. Then asked, “And what if I go ahead and kill her?”
Blake shrugged. “Then I’ll let Ashton and the rest of my friends drain you dry.”
Leslie swallowed, the sound of her gulp loud in my ear. “You’re going to punish me anyway,” she reasoned.
“Death or sound punishment, Leslie,” Blake offered, holding his palms out like he weighed something in them.
She let go and shoved me away from her. I fell to the ground on my hands and knees.
Blake helped me to my feet, enfolded me in his arms, and just held me for a moment. I wrapped my hands around his waist and inhaled his scent. He smelled like after it rained. Like ozone and amber.
His chest rumbled as he ordered, “Take her into custody. Now.”
Leslie’s protests echoed as they must have hauled her away.
I muttered against his chest, “Why did you do that? Why are you giving up everything?”
He pressed a kiss to my hair, and said, “Because I love you. Even if I can’t have you in my life, I won’t ever allow another conjurer to hurt you. Ever.”
“I love you too, Blake. Even if it wasn’t the way you wanted me to, I did. I’m going to miss you like crazy.”
Blake pulled me away and smiled. “You act like this is goodbye forever.”
“Isn’t it?”
He shook his head, and murmured, “No, it’s not. I’ll see you again. It may not be for months, or even years, but I’m not going to give up our friendship. But do me a favor?”
I nodded, swallowing back the lump in my throat. He leaned forward and breathed in my ear, “I’ve given up my happiness for yours, Lily. Ashton loves you. And even though it kills me inside, be with him. He’ll make you happy, Lily.”
Attempting to blink back tears, I sniffled. The lump in my throat ached and my heart physically pained me. After all the worrying over breaking Blake’s heart, he stepped up and made the decision for me. As if he knew he’d never have the connection Ashton and I had. Blake offered a pained smile and wiped the tears with his thumb.
Ashton hadn’t protested Blake’s embrace once. Nobody had. I sensed Ashton and Alistair’s disbelief floating on the air. And Sam’s sadness because he was losing his friend today.
“What am I going to do without you?” I whispered. Tears welling up again.
“Live,” he said, and kissed me softly on the lips.
Willing this to be a dream, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed my face into his chest, and squeezed my eyes closed. But, I wasn’t going to wake up and everything be imaginary. This was real. Blake was now the king over the conjurers. And I was half vampire. I was losing whatever connection Blake and I had, even if it was friendship.
Another car pulled into the parking lot, and we all swiveled our heads in the direction of Carlotta’s blue Lexus.
Blake removed himself from my arms with a sigh.
My heart soared at seeing my friend again. Her and her husband, Jeffery, had left town for a while now. And it looks like they arrived just in time to help me through the most difficult thing I’ve faced yet. Losing Blake.
Except Jeffery was the only one who exited the vehicle and headed our way. Carlotta wasn’t here, which was odd, and the car was void of any other passengers.
The vampire Contingent and Enforcers stopped in their tracks and watched him pass.
When he paused in front of me and Blake, I asked, “Where’s Carlotta?”
His mouth edged up into an unnerving grin, his eyes void of any emotions. “She’s taking a vacation.”
I blinked, confused by his vacant stare. “What do you mean?”
“We had a little disagreement,” he said with a shrug.
I think all of us were taken aback. Carlotta and Jeffery were inseparable. If you found one, the other wasn’t far behind. It was as if Jeffery was a completely different person standing in front of us. Not the warm and friendly one I knew, but a wacked out version.
“Are you on drugs?” Ashton questioned, his eyebrow raised.
“Drugs? No,” Jeffery replied, eyes darting between us.
Ashton frowned, and was sure he was just as confused as the rest of us.
“Jeffery,” I said, tilting my head to the side, “why would Carlotta take a vacati
on? You guys are attached at the hip. And besides, I was hoping she’d be here to lend an ear. And drink some of that fabulous wine again. We’re long overdue for a girl’s night after all this.”
“Carlotta didn’t agree with my choices, and we got into an argument.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t kill her, because I love her. So she’s tucked away, safe and sound.”
I gaped at him, and squeaked out, “Kill her?”
The unnerving smile was back, and Jeffery said, “You guys really don’t know, do you?”
“Jeffery, have you lost your mind?” Ashton barked. “What in the hell is going on?”
Ward edged closer to us, eyes narrowed. Jeffery turned toward him, and nodded in greeting. How did Jeffery know Ward?
“Abaddon, you son of a bitch,” Ward growled, swinging his sword around in warning. “How dare you show up here after playing me a fool?”
Oh. My. God. Jeffery was the informant. He was who they called Abaddon.
Ashton’s friend, and mine, was the one who followed my movements and gave away my locations. The betrayal of his actions was horrendous. Poor Carlotta. I imagined she flipped out and that was the reason for her sudden disappearance. I didn’t know which was scarier, that Jeffery was the evil mastermind behind everything, or that Carlotta was God knows where, most likely in some dungeon and tortured.
“You mother fucker,” Ashton hissed, dangerously calm. “I trusted you. I was your friend, and this is how you repay me?”
Jeffery swung his eyes towards Ashton, and added, “I wasn’t alone in this. Jeremy Morrow tracked her cell phone and relayed the information I needed. He’s been off the radar for a while now, so I assume you took care of him for me? So I don’t have to?”
“Why? Why did you do this?” I asked, hand wiping my throat for the first time and crusted blood rubbed against my fingers.
“Why? Power. Money. And to finally gain the upper hand. I should have been the leader over the vampires, not Ashton. I was well on my way, working on moving up in the ranks with Carlotta at my side, and then you showed up, Lily. You won over the hearts of everyone, including my wife. You and Paige changed her mind about conjurers. I couldn’t have that, now could I? So, my only decision was to start a war,” he said, and gestured towards Ward’s Contingent members and the Enforcers, “and to have them all try to kill you.”
“You’re weak, Jeffery,” Paige thundered. “You couldn’t do your own dirty work so you dragged us all through hell for power? A powerful leader would take matters into his own hands. But you...you friended us all and betrayed people who actually cared about you. Including your wife.”
“I’m not weak,” Jeffery growled, and made a move towards Paige.
But Alistair stepped in front of her, and hissed at him with fangs. Like an animal. He narrowed his eyes, and cautioned, “Don’t you touch her, you worthless piece of shit.”
Ward stood behind Jeffery, as though he waited to strike him down, but was waiting on us to figure everything out. Maybe he was gaining information as well.
Jeffery, unthreatened by us, swerved his hands to gesture out our surroundings. “It worked didn’t it?”
Blake stepped forward, and announced, “Well, because you acted against the conjurers as treason, I will take charge and pull the power rank.”
Jeffery scoffed, “And what is it to you?”
“Well, now that I took back my position,” Blake said, and hesitated to draw out the tension, “as the royal sovereign of the conjurers, I can do whatever the hell I see fit.”
Jeffery flinched, and slightly paled. “You lie.”
Blake laughed, and announced, “You know the conjurer that cursed the first vampire? That was my great-grandmother. She didn’t die that day, but lived a long life filled with hatred. For vampires like you, Jeffery.”
Another collective gasp filled our group, and I gaped at Blake in surprise.
He ignored us for now, and watched Jeffery with contempt.
Ashton’s wrath rent the air with its dense tanginess, so thick I was able to taste it. I wasn’t sure if it was aimed at Blake or Jeffery. At this point it might be both.
“It doesn’t matter, Blake,” Jeffery said. “Everyone knows who Lily is now. After all, I’m the one who mailed Con’s letter. I’m the one who sent Con and Stacy after her.”
And for the second time that night, my world crumbled. All of the hell and torture I endured was due to the acts of a supposed friend. A man, who from the beginning, was out to cause me pain and suffering. All because I friended his wife and ruined his hunt for power.
“You’re the reason I was tortured by Conrad Steele? You pretended to be this loving and caring person, when actually you were after me from the beginning? You senseless two-faced asshole!” I fumed. I jumped to scratch his eyes out, but Ashton put out an arm to stop me.
Ashton stepped forward, rage evident on his expression. “You’re dead to me, Jeffery. As of this moment, I announce a death warrant on your head. I’m sure Blake would agree on his side of things as well.”
“You can’t do that,” Jeffery sneered.
Jeffery was delusional. He apparently thought he was immune to repercussions from his hand in this nightmare.
“I can and I will,” Ashton promised, his nostrils flaring from anger.
Blake smirked, and said, “I enact the same punishment. Death will be a welcome respite compared to what I’d love to do with you.”
All at once, the consequences of his actions finally sunk in. He knew he’d never make it out alive. Jeffery paled, reeled back, and made a run for it. He only sprinted about five steps before he froze, drifted about a foot in the air, and clawed at his throat.
Ashton, eyes pitch-black, stalked forward and revolved around Jeffery as though he were an insect on display.
Ward strolled closer and lifted his sword, but Ashton held up a hand to stop him in his place. Ward frowned, apparently not happy, but hadn’t protested.
Air heaved in and out of my lungs. I had never witnessed so much fury and revulsion in Ashton’s expression before. Not with Blake. Not even with Conrad Steele. This was different. Jeffery deceived us all. He was the reason I went through hell and back. The reason Sam was now a vampire.
With a flick of Ashton’s finger, Jeffery’s arm broke and he screamed. Snap. His other arm. The unseen force that Ashton manipulated was downright chilling as he moved onto Jeffery’s legs next. Ashton meant to prolong the torture, and Paige, Sam, Blake, and I were in utter shock at the devastation on Jeffery’s body. Without even a single touch from Ashton.
Ashton, once he was done inflicting his pain on Jeffery, turned those black irises on me. I shivered.
“Do you want to do the honors, Liliana?” Ashton asked, gesturing to Jeffery.
I froze, unsure if I could actually murder Jeffery. Yes, he was evil. Yes, he was the reason behind the pain of my recent past, but I wasn’t a killer. After so many deaths plaguing my soul, I just hadn’t had the heart to kill another person. Evil or not.
“I think Sam should do it,” I whispered, and noticed Sam stiffen beside me.
“Lily...” Sam muttered, shaking his head, “I don’t think I can.”
“Fine,” Paige announced, “I’ll do it.”
And before anyone could react, Paige snatched one of Alistair’s weapons from his hand and lifted the razor-sharp sword. With a clean arch of the blade, Jeffery’s head lobbed off his shoulders and hit the ground, blood spraying everyone close to him in the process.
The remaining part of Jeffery’s body slumped to the pavement in a heap as Ashton let lose his invisible hold. We all stood, Ward included, in absolute shock, struggling to process what had just happened.
Paige wiped the bloody blade off on her jeans with two swipes, and passed the sword back to a stunned Alistair. Gesturing to Jeffery’s body, she said, “I feel better now. You guys were taking way too long to finally kill the murderous bastard.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
After Jeffery’
s body was disposed of, and deceased Enforcers and Contingent members were removed to be sent back to their families, we all convened back inside the club covered in blood and gore.
Ashton led me inside with his hand on my lower back, his thumb caressing the skin just below my shirt.
Ward tagged along, his head held high despite his unsure surroundings.
Yet again we sat around the same table we always had when we planned anything. Sam dubbed it the knights of the square table, and then laughed until he cried.
Through Ward and the interrogations with Blake’s sister Leslie, we discovered that Jeffery had been in contact with both sides of the opposing races for years. Apparently his backup plan for his power struggle, my arrival had spurred his plans light-years ahead of itself. Jeffery was sloppy with his tactics, unprepared for my sudden presence. His rash decisions eventually caused his demise.
Unfortunately, not a single person knew of Carlotta’s whereabouts. Her conniving husband had tucked her away in an undisclosed location, and none of us thought to ask Jeffery before Paige executed him. The shock factor of a close friend being involved in something so heinous was to blame for that.
Her disappearance hung over our heads like a dark cloud. Although Carlotta was headstrong and fierce, none of us had any idea what kind of situation she underwent. She might be starving away in a dark, isolated dungeon for all we knew.
With Blake now in power over the conjurers, a sort of truce was settled between him and Ward. On my behalf of course. No such truce was needed between Ashton and Blake, their friendship and Blake’s sacrifice for my safety was enough. Ashton must have known that Blake was never going to put my life in danger if he could help it.
I sat at the table and listened to the conversations around me, soaking them in, however my thoughts revolved around Ashton and Blake. About what this all meant for my emotional state of mind.
Blake and I had an explosive chemistry, our powers mingling with the barest of touches. He was always there for me, never hesitating to stand up for what he believed in. But, he urged me to be with Ashton on more than one occasion. It was as if he knew in the end what would happen. Now, Blake ruled over the conjurers and was leaving soon to take back his crown.