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She stared at me, shocked.

“He’s a vampire, Ruby. Do you know what that means?”

“I think I know more about it than you do,” I said to her.

She blinked, surprised at my tone, but I wanted her to face facts.

“He didn’t have to come down there to get us, but he did. Risking his own life to save us. I know you hate vampires, but I hate broccoli and I know sometimes you have to stomach it.”

“What?”

I had to laugh. “Ok, so bad example but Luc is good for me, is what I’m saying and I want you to see that. If you can’t, keep your opinion to yourself.”

“But what about your life? Your future?”

I shrugged. “I am just happy we got out of Buzzard Creek. Aren’t you?”

My mother had to concede this. “Of course.I thought…well, we were stuck there forever.”

I leaned forward and touched her hand. “If you want, we could go down to Cape Falls after the war is over?”

She sighed. “Are the wars ever over?”

“I think this one might be.”

She thought about it. “Let’s talk later, I’m feeling a bit tired.”

I’d noticed that and I thought the excitement of the past few days had worn her out. I walked her to her room and bid her good night. Then I took a shower and got into bed and waited for Luc, completely naked.

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up at some point in the night as he came into the room and slid into bed next to me.

“I thought you’d never come,” I muttered as he moved in to kiss me. The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of the curtains in the night breeze. The moonlight cut through the darkness, casting pale light across Luc’s face. He pulled back and I could see the steady intensity in his gaze, making my pulse quicken. Luc tilted my chin up and kissed me again. It was slow at first, deliberate. His lips pressed against mine with a kind of restraint that didn’t last long. Soon, the kiss deepened, and I felt myself overcome by feelings of love and tenderness. I wanted to be closer to him, to feel every inch of him.

His hands moved over my body with increasing purpose. My own fingers ran over his chest, tracing the lines of muscle under his skin. Luc kissed along my neck, his lips lingering just below my ear before moving lower. I felt a tightening in my groin as his hands ran over my back. I arched into him as his hands slid down my sides, pulling me closer.

It was tender and loving and we didn’t speak, there was only the sound of our breathing and the rustle of the sheets as we moved together. We fit together easily, our bodies finding a rhythm that felt natural. When he entered me I shuddered in delight, pulling him deeper into me, wanting to melt into him. I clung to him as we climaxed, never wanting to let go of him.

When it was over, we lay tangled in silence. Luc’s arm was draped over my waist as I rested my head against his chest. His breathing was steady now, and I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into this perfect moment. There was no need to speak; our bodies had said everything there was to say.

I must have fallen asleep again because a short while later, I woke up as Luc was getting out of bed.

“You’re leaving?”

“I must…I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

I sat up in the bed.

“Where are you going?”

He pulled on his shirt and I could see him contemplating what to tell me.

“I want to know,” I said.

“Ok,” he said, telling me how they were dropping a bomb on the Sunside Swamp in a few hours and he wanted to be present at the launch. It would end the war and bring peace.

His words sunk in and I realized that many people I had known would be killed. Perhaps everyone I’d ever known. I thought about friends that I’d had, people I’d met who I’d been friendly with. Not everyone was abusive or horrible. I thought about Shelley and hoped she’d make it, wondered where Grace was and if she would survive.

I swallowed hard.