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I turned back to the lump on the ground that I knew was Isaac’s body. Not Isaac but Isaac’s body. Isaac was dead and I was never going to see him again. He was never going to smile, or sing, or say my name ever again. He never got the chance to live to find happiness all because he died fighting for me. I bent down and pulled back the tarp.
I gasped and put my hand to my mouth. Danny was right; I did not need to see this. This body on the ground, dead, lifeless, was not my Isaac. This was nothing but his shell. The real Isaac was gone. This lifeless being staring at me with cloudy blue eyes was not Isaac. I turned my head to see what his last sight had been and saw that it had indeed been me. I had thought he was looking at me as the life left his eyes and I had been correct. His gaze was fixed on the floor to ceiling windows in the sunroom where I had been standing. A small smile was on his dead lips. I brushed his hair back from his face.
“Oh, Isaac,” I sobbed, “You were always too good for me. I never deserved to have you as a friend. I don’t know what you ever saw in me,” I sobbed as my tears trickled from my face and fell onto his cold body like a waterfall. “How did everything turn out like this?” I said and felt Danny and Gabriel’s hands come down one on each of my shoulders.
Just when I thought that I had gotten everything that I wanted I lost it all. I had thought that I was finally going to have both Jonathon and Isaac in their rightful places. Jonathon my husband and Isaac my best friend but fate had other plans for us.
“I’m sorry, Isaac,” I said and kissed his forehead. “You’ll never know how much,” I sobbed. I covered him back up and Danny pulled me to my feet and hugged me to his chest.
“I’m sorry, Kylie, I know he was your friend,” said Danny.
I couldn’t say anything so I just clung to his chest and wept. I cried for Isaac, for me, Jonathon, all of the dead, everyone. I had never seen so much carnage before. I breathed deeply trying to get my emotions in check.
“Are you ready to see Selena?” asked Gabriel, softly.
I nodded my head, “Yes,” I said and my voice cracked.
They led me farther into the yard to a completely burnt cropping of trees. I internally braced myself for the unknown scene waiting for me.
Danny motioned and I sucked in my breath. There was Selena. Well, what was left of her, anyway. The sight before me was unbelievable. Selena’s body had burned and blackened but it was still unmistakably her body lying before us. All that was left was a black and crumbling skeleton, some lingering crispy shards of her clothing, and her long black hair. For some reason her long straight black hair had been left completely unblemished by the inferno. An antique looking locket lay against her skeletal chest. It hung on a long golden chain and was oval shaped. It had the name Dulac carved into its surface with what looked like a family crest. The crest was of two ravens and some other symbol that I couldn’t see. Their beady eyes stared at me as if they were mocking me. I couldn’t believe that the woman who had caused us all so many problems had been reduced to nothing but a pile of bones. Before my eyes her body slowly disintegrated into nothing but ashes.
“Danny?” I asked.
“Yeah?” he said stepping forward.
“What about her shield? I thought nothing could penetrate it?”
Danny sighed, “That’s what we all thought. We’ll have to ask Jonathon whenever he wakes up. Until then it’s just as much a mystery to us as it is to you.”
Hearing Jonathon’s name I felt the desperate need to see him. I needed to be with him. I had to be sure he was okay. I had to be there to comfort him when he woke up. I had to be there to feed him my blood when he woke up. It had been a while since we had done the bloodletting and that had been the only time besides the time Jonathon did it to save my life. We both had tried to control our urges so as not to become addicted but it has been difficult and to do it again, now, would only intensify the urge. But it had to be done. Jonathon would be extremely weak when he woke up and he would need my blood to stimulate him. I hoped that this would be the last time we would be forced to have to save each other by drinking our blood. I hoped this would be the last time we would ever have to face a life or death situation. I hoped we would be able to finally have our own little piece of happiness. We have been through so much in such a short amount of time. We have both faced so much death that I feel we deserved to be happy. All I want is to spend the rest of my life with Jonathon but sometimes I feel like I’m asking a lot in doing that. I’m starting to think that there are forces out there trying to tear us apart. But Selena was one vampire and we were able to defeat her and together I know we can do anything. We have proved that we are strong. Together we are unstoppable. Even if I am only a human I know that I am strong. Maybe not physically but mentally.
I stood and turned away from Selena’s body with a new resolve. I wiped my face only smearing more dirt and ash across it. The fire in the yard was still burning and I saw Diana trying to douse it with her magical water.
Danny and Gabriel looked at me. I straightened my spine and strode through the yard towards the house. I could hear Danny and Gabriel’s feet crunching on the ashes that once were grass. I held my head high and walked into the house with the remaining dignity that I possessed.
I would not look back at the death littering the yard. I would move forward. I had to. I couldn’t dwell on death and sadness anymore. I had had enough of that to last me a lifetime. I needed to find my happiness, and I had in Jonathon, in order to move on. I would give myself time to grieve, yes, but after that I had to go on with my life. In order to honor those that died for me I have to live every day to the fullest potential. I can’t cower in a corner somewhere and cry, no, I have to embrace every day like the gift that it is. I have to leave the past where it belongs, in the past, and look forward towards the future.
Inside vampires and humans sat huddled together. I never thought I would ever see so much camaraderie from the Coven members and vampires. Isobel was lying on one of the couches in the living room. Her eyes were closed and her parents were standing over her crying. I thought she was dead until I saw Amelia kneel down and start to tend to her head wound.
Balthazar was sitting by the fireplace. His hand had knitted itself back together but I saw that his normally pale, unblemished, skin was an angry red. He kept flexing his hand and wincing.
A Coven member held a bag of ice to his head. He was covered in blood and scrapes. His left eye was swollen shut and I saw that he had a few teeth missing.
It was amazing how one person, one vampire, had caused so many injuries. But I guessed it wasn’t really her but her power that had caused the damages. The fight would have been so much easier had she not been a shield. And to think that Aleksei had turned against his own people, his Coven, was unbelievable.
I turned away from all the injuries and sadness and began the trek upstairs. I could see Danny and Gabriel following me out of my peripheral vision. I stopped and turned to face them.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to check on me. I’m not going to fall over from shock. I’m stronger than that.”
Danny shook his head, “Kylie, you’ve been through a lot. Why don’t you want people to look after you? We only want to help.”
I motioned to the room around us, “Danny, all of these people need your help more than me. I just want to go sit with Jonathon until he wakes up. I want to be there for him for a change. I’m fine, really. If I need something I’ll let you know, okay?”
“Kylie-,” started Danny before Gabriel grabbed his arm.
“Look, she’s fine and she’s right. There are a lot of people here who need our help more. Come on let’s go,” said Gabriel motioning back to the living room.
Danny shrugged, “Fine,” he said and the looked at me and raised a finger, “but if you need anything come get me.”
