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“It’s not?” he asked with an arched eyebrow, a playful look in his eyes.
“I mean, it’s going to be that good again, but it’s not going to be like this. We won’t be able to just disappear and do this whenever we want. We won’t have a whole castle to ourselves.”
“No, we won’t, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, this child of ours is going to have a wolf inside it and it’s only natural for a wolf to grow up inside a pack. I wouldn’t want to deny that for them. Besides, I think I’ve spent enough of my life alone. It’s time to try something different, and your pack isn’t so bad. I just hope they’re going to welcome me now that I’m back to being a vampire.”
“I’m sure I can talk them around. I think they’re going to want some assurances that no more vampires are going to emerge though. Nobody should have to live in fear all their lives.”
“I suppose they will,” Cassius said. He had a thoughtful look on his face and I wondered what he was planning, but for now I didn’t ask. It was enough for me to know that I was with the man I loved, and that our future was going to be tied together. It may not have been exactly the way I wanted things to shake out, but I was still with him, and we were still going to have a baby together. And being in the pack wasn’t going to be such a bad thing. I would make sure that our child had a better time of it than I did, of course.
Chapter Twenty One
Cassius
Willow and I stood in the portal room. I remembered the spell to get back to her pack. That was etched into my heart. I stood at the window, looking out upon this world for the final time.
“I have spent years thinking about this moment, but I wasn’t sure it would actually arrive,” I said.
“Are you sure you want to leave? If it’s going to be too difficult…”
I turned away from the grey sky outside and shook my head. “Don’t be silly. I have spent too much time in this world. It was a prison for me, and it is time for something new. There are too many bad memories here.”
“But some good ones too,” she said, as she took my hand.
I smiled at her and kissed her. “Yes, definitely some good ones. But it is time to make some good ones elsewhere, good ones where we don’t need to be encumbered by the past.”
“It is a bit of a shame to see a lot of that knowledge disappear though. I know you’ve salvaged some of it, but there’s a lot of history within these walls.”
“Some history needs to be forgotten, I think, and people seem to be getting on alright without it. Besides, the only history we need to think about is the one we are going to create together. I’m ready to go, if you are?”
Willow nodded.
We stood at the edge of the pool. I spoke the words to activate the spell, and the pool shimmered with arcane energy. There was just one thing left to do now before we left. I looked to the roof and spoke another spell. As a vampire my connection to this castle had been restored, and there was one destructive spell that was supposed to be used only in the most dire of emergencies, when the castle had been overrun by enemies and there was no hope of vampires emerging victorious.
I spoke the words with a heavy heart, knowing what it meant. For better or worse this place had been my home far longer than anything else. Most of it had been alone, true, but it was still an important part of my history. I had also fallen in love here, and I would not have had the life I had now if it wasn’t for Willow and I having this sanctuary where we could be alone. But, like everything else, it needed to have an ending. It could not stand forever. It had taken me too long to learn this lesson.
The old walls began to shake and crumble. Dust was shaken loose from between the stones, and it felt as though thunder emerged from the very heart of the castle. This fortress that had stood for thousands of years would now be destroyed by the last vampire king, and the stones would fall down and block the tombs below. It would be rubble, and soon enough this dying world would take its last breath and everything would be gone completely, and my last act here was an act of destruction. Willow and I stepped through the portal as the castle collapsed, falling into ruin, and I knew there was no going back.
*
We emerged in a clearing, surrounded by chests of books, some relics, and my tomb.
Peter and Brandon came rushing up to us, hugging Willow tightly.
“What happened? We tried to get through, but every time it was as though something was pushing us back. When you didn’t return we thought the worst,” Peter said, not letting go of Willow. Brandon then looked at me.
“You’ve looked better,” he said dryly.
I pursed my lips and nodded. “It’s all over now,” I said. “Amara has been dealt with, and I destroyed the castle. I just brought a few mementoes with me,” I added, looking at the things we had sent through the portal before us.
“I was wondering what these were,” Brandon said. My gaze was drawn towards the tomb, knowing that one day my fate was going to be sealed within it. There was nothing I could to escape that now. I had promised Willow that I would leave this life for her. I had already invited death to me, and he would make sure he was there to fulfil my promise when the day came. There was a sense of relief in my soul. I suppose much of the anguish came from worrying about when it was going to happen, but now that I had actually made the decision it seemed more natural, and it wasn’t something that I had to let consume me.
He ordered some wolves to come and help us carry these things back. I warned them to be careful with the tomb. More time had passed here than had back in the other world. Willow was welcomed back with open arms, and while some people were a little wary of me given my appearance, they had not forgotten the sacrifice I had made in leaving with Amara so that a battle could be avoided. My reputation was finally being healed.
We headed to our small house. I knew that something was going to have to be done about this, but then we walked passed it. I was confused. Peter then led us to his house. I thought this was going to be a little crowded, before Peter revealed that he was going to swap houses with us. He said that we were going to need the bigger space, and he said that Jessie would be happy for us to have this place as well. He and Willow apologized to each other, and I assumed that there had been some arguments about whether she should come and rescue me or not. I can’t imagine Peter would have approved of it, especially not when she was carrying a child. Frankly I didn’t know if I approved of it as well, but I was hardly going to argue the point now. I was just glad to be back with her. They seemed to be on better terms now though, and were not eager to fall into an argument again.
Eventually they moved off. Willow and I were in our new home. A vampire was going to make his future among a pack of wolves. It was a strange story, perhaps the strangest one ever told, and I had never thought I would end up here. But, I would not change it for the world. I was with the woman I loved, and that meant everything to me. After so many years of being alone I was finally settled and now that Amara had been dealt with I did not have to worry about a thing again… other than being a good father.
Hmm.
