“You’re the best,” she says with a smile, and walks away without another word.
A shiver works its way from the top of my head down to my toes. The air even feels different the moment she steps back out of the shop and onto the street outside.
I turn back to the lab, to the cot that rests in one corner.
Kai jerks as I look at my watch. One hour almost exactly.
His left foot twitches.
And the next moment, he violently bolts up from the cot.
His brilliant yellow eyes search the space, and land on me.
“Exactly an hour,” I say with a smile. “How do you feel?”
Taking a moment to calm his breathing and let his heart slow, he gathers himself. He stretches his neck, tipping his head from one side to the other, stretching his arms out. “Good, actually. Fine. No violent side effects, like last time.”
I smile, that familiar feeling of wicked accomplishment curling on my lips. One of the greatest feelings in the world, when my creations finally come to perfection, ready for use.
“I think we’re there,” I say.
He smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You ready?” I ask hesitantly.
He studies the ground for a moment, and I can see all the thoughts and implications rolling through his head. But finally, he nods. “Yeah,” he says, looking up at me. “Let’s go.”
I try to smile for him, but I’m not very good at faking something like this.
Together, just as we used to, we lock up Oleander Apothecary together. And we begin the walk back to my home.
I expected something to change after Jonathan tried to expose all vampire kind. I thought Cyrus would enact some kind of new law. I expected something big and explosive after he and his followers were all killed.
But the rules were only reinforced to all the Houses.
The creation of any Bitten is punishable by death. If you come across any Bitten, you are supposed to kill them.
In the end, what more could he really do? Born will always get caught up in blood lust, taking too much, creating more Bitten. The Bitten will always exist, so long as the Born drink blood.
So as we finish the walk down my block, as we go up the stairs, into the building, and then up the stairs to my condo and walk through the door, Kai kicks his shoes off. He heads toward the couch. He lies down.
“You’re finally getting what you wanted,” Kai says. But even as he does, I hear the soft tone in his voice. The one that says he doesn’t really mean what he’s saying.
I shake my head still. “This isn’t what I wanted,” I say. “I just wanted everyone to be safe.”
He nods, though he just stares up at the ceiling instead of looking at me.
He feels like he’s failed. For the past seven months, he’s obsessively been looking for Bitten to help and cure. But when Jonathan went and betrayed us all, he stopped.
There are always unseen consequences to our actions, even when we’re only trying to do good.
So Kai has finally decided that it’s time for him to move on.
To get his life back.
Just a few months ago, when I asked him to let me cure him, I was met with a violent no. Being a Bitten had become a part of his identity.
It always will be.
But there are chapters in our lives. Doors that close.
And Kai has finally come to the point where he is ready to move on. And find a new one to open.
I pull one of the silver cords from around my neck. I kneel beside Kai, pulling the cap off, exposing the needle.
“I’m really proud of you,” I say. “You’re always fighting for good. You’re going to change this world, Kai Ioane.”
He finally does look at me and brushes his knuckles over my cheek. “I’m only following you, manulele toa.”
I smile, and his gaze goes back up to the ceiling. “Do it now,” he says.
And I don’t make him wait any longer. I prick the needle into his skin, and release the cure into his veins.
A great howl escapes his lips and all of his muscles tense, curling him up into a ball for just a moment.
Raging, violent pain rips through his veins for a solid sixty seconds.
I back away from the couch, away from any of those heavily muscled arms that might swing my way by accident. I stand across the room, my heart breaking for my friend.
We’ve been broken, bent out of shape for a long time now. Because we’ve always wanted different things, saw different futures.
But in twenty-four hours, he’ll be human again. And I think that will change things.
Maybe then we can go back to being real friends.
Finally, sixty seconds burns out, and Kai collapses into the couch, unconscious.
When he wakes up, his eyes will never glow yellow again.
Turning, I leave him to sleep it off on the couch, and head upstairs.
Lexington is nowhere to be seen upstairs, so I head into the laundry room and ascend the stairs and through the door.
“What are you two doing out here?” I coo when I spot them on the edge of the roof, their backs turned to me. “It’s freezing.”
“It’s the only warm day this week,” Lexington says, turning back to me. In his arms, he holds Aster, bundled up in this adorable snowsuit that completely drowns the two month old. It was a gift from Julie. “We thought we’d get some vitamin D while we could.”
I smile, pulling my coat closer around me, and walk across the rooftop garden toward them. The second Aster sees me, she waves her arms wildly, a huge grin sprouting on her face.
“I think someone missed mommy,” Lexington says as I reach for her.
“But she always has so much fun with Daddy while I’m at work,” I say in total baby talk to her.
We’re complete saps these days. Total and utter mommy/daddy nut heads, who talk like babies, always have some kind of spit up stains on at least one item of clothing, and I never seem to catch up on enough sleep, even though I have an immortal husband who needs very little sleep of his own.
Nursing has its challenges.
But as I take Aster in my arms, turning her so that she can look back at Daddy, he boops her tiny nose, and she smiles. Every second is worth it.
All the heartache I endured as a girl. All the abandonment I felt from my own parents. All the strict rules Lula enforced. The overprotectiveness of Ian.
The trials I endured locked in a basement, and the terror I felt for months after.
It’s all worth it, because it’s taught me so much.
I think I value things differently than most. I can’t ever take advantage of a single moment.
And as I lean into my husband, taking a kiss as I cradle our daughter in my arms, I know I’d endure all the hard parts again, just to get back to where I am right here, in this moment.
“Dad!” Aster yells from the kitchen. “Where my shoes?”
I dart into her room, searching around the room that she has seriously torn apart. The kid is like a tornado. Hurricane offspring.
“Please tell me they’re up there,” Elle yells from downstairs. I hear her digging around downstairs, searching for them. “I found her slip-ons, but she has to have her boots.”
“Got ‘em!” I yell triumphantly as I find them hiding under Mr. Giggles, the enormous rabbit she got for Easter. Two seconds later, I’m down those stairs, tossing her up in the air as she screeches in laughter. It’s a piercing thing, one that could make your ears bleed.
One I’m sure every one of the neighbors can hear.
She’s so loud.
Good thing she’s cute.
“Daddy saves the day, once again!” Elle declares excitedly as she wrestles Aster’s boots onto her feet, which is a trick.
“Super daddy!” I bellow dramatically before blowing a rude sound into her belly. Elle just laughs, and opens the door, shooing us out, so we aren’t late.
We cut through town, heading toward the th
eater, and we get to our seats just as the previews start.
This is my life now. Having gone from losing every one of my family members, to sitting around getting lazy and entitled in the House of Allaway, to fighting battles against Bitten, carrying around massive scars.
To watching the latest princess movie, while a tiny little girl’s hand absentmindedly plays with the buttons on my coat.
And the wife at my side, who looks over at me, smiling wide and happy.
The movie starts, and I steal a look at her, studying her profile in the glowing light of the screen.
Two and a half years. Two and a half years she’s been my wife.
Nearly four since I saw her with new eyes.
Nine since I saved her from Markov as a human girl.
She’s twenty-five now.
A year older than I was when I died and Resurrected, but don’t ever bring that up to her, or you get the wrath of Elle.
I smile, noticing the tiny changes in her these past two years. They’re fractional, but there, evidence of her human nature.
“You’re staring,” she whispers, leaning in to me. But she takes my hand, leaning her head on my shoulder.
“Who wouldn’t stare?” I say jokingly, because that’s what I do. But I mean every word.
Aster suddenly bats at Elle’s hand, and she lets go with a quiet laugh.
Aster is very greedy when it comes to daddy time.
I lean over, pressing a kiss into her blonde hair, and she beams up at me with that gapped tooth grin. Right before pushing a finger against her lips, shushing me very loudly.
I smile and shake my head, looking back at the screen.
Five minutes into the movie, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Careful not to blind everyone in the theater from the screen, I pull it out, looking at the caller ID.
Henry Conrath.
I’m sure confusion crosses my face, because I don’t know that Henry has ever once called me. But I hit the ignore button and slip it back into my pocket.
Only five seconds later, he calls again.
Elle meets my eyes, confusion and worry creeping into her expression.
“You better go answer,” she whispers. Because she knows something must be up, too.
Nodding, I stand, and Elle darts to grab Aster when she moves to try and follow me out. Sliding past other watchers who give me annoyed looks, I dart down the stairs and out the doors into the blindingly bright hall.
“Henry?” I ask, not masking my confusion and surprise.
“Hello, Lexington, how are you doing today?” he asks in his unidentifiable accent.
“Uh, fine,” I say, heading toward the end of the hall, where there are no people who will overhear our likely to turn strange conversation. “Is everything okay?”
“Things are fine,” he says. And his words sound echoey, like he’s in a cave. “In fact they’re fantastic. Things have been nice and quiet as of late. And I think that’s something we can all appreciate.”
“For sure,” I say, watching a couple who walks toward me, but they turn into the theater on the left. “Is there something I can help you with?”
He chuckles softly. “No, thank you. But I believe there is something I might be able to help you with. If you’re interested.”
My brows furrow. I’m getting a little more annoyed and confused by the minute. “I’m listening.”
Henry never was one to just be straightforward.
“I’d like you to come down to Silent Bend for a day or two,” he says. I listen hard for any background voices, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, but there isn’t anyone. “This isn’t a proposal you make over the phone. I’ve booked you a flight for this afternoon. It leaves in three hours if you’d like to hear what I have to offer.”
“Henry, I-”
“I think you know it’s not always safe to talk when you assume it will be,” Henry cuts me off. “Please, consider coming.”
“I-” But Henry hangs up and my phone beeps that the call has ended.
I look at the phone, my brows furrowing deeper.
Why does he have to be so damn cryptic all the time?
Drama queen.
I quietly slip back into the theater. Elle looks up at me expectantly, Aster on her lap as some cartoons dance and sing on the screen. I lean in, quietly explaining the strange phone call to her.
“Any ideas what he might be talking about?” she asks. And I see worry in her eyes.
I shrug. “No clue. I mean, a proposal he didn’t want possibly overheard, and he seemed to be in a pretty big hurry about it.”
Elle looks at me, the wheels turning in her head.
But I don’t see how I can just ignore the conversation.
“You’d better get going,” she says. “You’ll need to pack before your flight.”
I shake my head. Everything in me is saying this is too weird, too fast. “What about Aster? You’ve got the shop the rest of the week.”
“Michael can take her,” Elle says, her adorable Southern accent growing stronger, just like it always does when she’s a little stressed. “And I’ll get Casey to take the afternoons.”
I don’t love this. Henry is…difficult to deal with sometimes. And he always brings annoying mystery and drama with him.
But he’s got me on the hook. I’m curious to hear what he’s talking about.
Hopefully curiosity doesn’t kill the cat.
“You sure?” I ask. “I hate the idea of leaving you girls.”
Elle smiles, placing a hand on my cheek. “You know I can handle things. And if I need help there’s always Michael, and the entire House.”
I bite the inside of my lip, mulling it over for a minute. She’s right. Elle has always been able to take care of herself. And now she has an entire House at her command. She is the mother of their rightful House leader, after all.
Cyrus said they have to jump if she says so.
“Alright,” I relent. I lean in and kiss Aster’s head, who doesn’t look my way as she watches the movie. “I’ll call and let you know how long I’ll be gone once I get to Silent Bend.”
Elle leans in and kisses me, and for a moment, I change my mind. Screw Henry’s cryptic request. I’d much rather stay here with my beautiful wife.
“You go,” she says quietly. “We’ll be here when you get back.”
A quick goodbye that is pretty damn painful, and I slip back out of the theater. I leave the car for Elle, and instead, dart through the city on foot, so fast I’m invisible. No more than a blur written off as a trick of the light.
An hour later, I’m packed, and a taxi drops me off at the airport. Through security, through the terminals, and I arrive just as my flight begins boarding. The first class seat Henry booked me makes me a little suspicious, but I recline back, and try not to overthink everything for the next five hours.
It’s pitch black by the time I touch down in Jackson. Shouldering my carry on, I weave my way through the airport and head to the pick up area where Henry texted he would be waiting for me.
As promised, I find a jet-black Lamborghini waiting at the curb.
Ducking in, I once more marvel at the amount of money he has, tucked away, somehow always magically replenishing itself.
“I hope you had a pleasant flight,” Henry says as he pulls away from the curb the second I close the door.
“Yeah, thanks,” I say as I’m thrown back against the seat. He drives at an alarming speed, only slowing down slightly over the speed bumps. “The first class upgrade wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it.”
“Luxuries are necessities on occasion,” he says as he clears the pick up area and zooms for the exit to the airport.
“What’s the hurry, Henry?” I ask in alarm as he swerves around another car, narrowly avoiding smashing into their back end.
“What, you don’t like my driving?” he responds with a smirk and a glance in my direction.
“Guess there’s no fear of body-maiming acc
idents when you’re a death-defying immortal.” I cringe back in my seat as we swerve again, narrowly missing yet another unsuspecting vehicle.
Henry chuckles, smiling as he darts through the dark night. He cuts to the freeway, and he steps on the gas, pushing our speed past the one hundred mile per hour mark.
My grip on the handle above my right ear tightens.
“So you got me to leave my family and get down here in a matter of hours,” I say when he doesn’t offer answers immediately. “What’s with the short notice and urgency?”
Henry does at least use his blinker as he changes lanes, weaving in and out of cars.
“Because Alivia and Ian and the rest of the house are in Las Vegas, meeting with the leaders there,” he answers. “They’re discussing some issue with a coven in Texas. It’s right on the territory border and they’re deciding whose problem it is.”
“Ah,” I say, nodding. Even though my stomach clenches. So much for peace in all the American Houses. Couldn’t have lasted long.
“So for the next thirty-six hours, it is just myself at the House, and it’s been long enough since Cyrus has been gone that I finally dare offer you the proposition I’ve considered the past three years.”
“You’re just talking in circles, Henry,” I point out, the annoyance building inside of me. It’s uncurling the snake that lives inside of me, the one I’ve grown so good at quelling the past six or so years. “Just spit it out.”
Henry looks over at me, and he just studies me so long that I start getting nervous that he isn’t looking at the road. But he is a vampire, and I know there’s no chance he’s going to crash.
“I can cure you,” he states. “I can make you human again.”
I just stare back at Henry. The words, their meaning. None of it is connecting. None of it makes sense.
“You’re aware that I’ve created a number of scientific things related to vampires, the Born and the Bitten,” Henry moves on when I only answer him with confused silence. “With my past history with King Cyrus, I knew that one day he would take things too far. One day he would tip forever into the psychotic, demented tyrant that shows its head every now and then, never to return to someone who could rule us all.”
Henry’s grip on the steering wheel tightens, so does his jaw. “So in my lab, I created a cure. A reversal. For any kind of vampirism, first for the Bitten. And then the Born.”