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Those who have fallen will be restored, and my coven members destroyed. It is over.
I keep at it until the gun runs out of bullets. There is no time to change the magazine. I brandish my sword and cut down three more before they overtake me entirely. Breathing heavily with effort, I try to pull myself from the restraining arms around me. Heavy steps advance from the front of the house.
My wayward son steps from the shadows with a bemused expression. “Now, Father, what kind of welcome is this?”
Emerson has shown up after all.
He takes my sword in his hand and places it on my neck.
“Do it,” I dare him, wanting my death to be faster and clean, rather than the torture I know he is capable of. Unashamed of my fear of undue pain at his hand, I try to goad him into hurrying my end along.
“Oh, not yet. We still need a certain other family member to join us for a proper reunion.” His smile is wicked, and evil gleams in his eyes.
He wants Oz.
Emerson wants to kill us both.
Lelandisgone.Rolandoand a few others from the city left with him taking a variety of weaponry. After they left, Oz told me what is happening. He told me about his brother and what our leader has gone to do. I feel awful for them all. Family isn’t supposed to be fleeting, with the type of animal Emerson is, I can’t blame them for wanting to end him. If he could turn his brother and father against him and do the atrocities that Oz accuses him of, then Leland is doing the entire world a kindness.
I can’t just wait around.
Oz and the others were antsy, and when Oz feels he lacks control of something, he likes to plan.
The study I sat in just yesterday has turned into a war room—planning routes in case they need to aid their family.
I have to get out of here.
Police are bringing a team to Goose Lake later this morning, and I want to watch. Charlee told me it’s depressing, masochistic, reeks of angst, and that she hopes I have a lovely time. Oz, of course, worries but understands that this is important to me. I told him I am leaving to set up early. I want a good spot and to make sure I remain hidden, and I want to get away from all of the stress in the house. He takes my hand, presses it to his face, and says, “I’ll be waiting.”
Of course, he will.
Leland has him pegged all right.
Oz is a genuinely good person, kind, tender, and attentive. Even though he tends to hover, I have seen a rougher and darker side to him, and knowing it exists beneath the surface is exciting. I feel safe with him like I can breathe, and he respects my need for space.
The sun crests over the horizon as multiple vehicles arrive. Most are marked with police or state logos, a couple are unmarked, and my stomach drops.
A maroon-colored S.U.V. is with the group of official vehicles, the front bumper bowing from kissing something quite solid. The rising sun catches the small crystal pendant hanging from the rearview mirror. Light takes advantage of being able to send rainbows dancing and flashing in every direction as it spins from momentum.
Coming to a stop where an officer directs them, a couple emerges from the car, and I get the first, and probably last, look at my parents as a vampire.
Heart aching, I long to go to the kind-faced woman with deep-set wrinkles around her eyes. To see her wide, eye-reaching smile, one more time.
Bearded and unsmiling, my dad stands beside my mom, trying to keep his emotions in check.
I didn’t know they would be here.
Of course, they would come today. They couldn’t stand not knowing if I am truly gone. Though I am presumed dead, until there is a body, they will cling to hope. I pray that they don't hope for too long.
Making sure there is enough tree cover, I creep as close as I dare. Conversations between the police and the dive team as they gather around, sipping coffee, filter through the air. Seeing my mom wrap her arms around my dad after he whispers something in her ear makes me want to cry.
They are hurting.
I am hurting.
Eyes filling with tears, I force myself to choke back a sob.
If it wouldn’t hurt them more in the long run, I would have as normal a life as possible with them. If I thought they would even hurt a little less, thinking I grew apart from them rather than that I am dead, I’d be holding them right now.
