Page 53 of Bite Back

DELILAH

The stake arcs through the air with a swooshing sound. I reach out and seize it. My fingers caress the wood, tracing the knots and splinters as I position it in my grasp, wrapping my fingers around the wood.

I lift my arm. Don’t hesitate. I plunge the stake down.

As the tip begins to puncture the skin, I screw my eyes shut.

But that doesn’t stop the sound. The tear of skin.

The crack of ribs. And finally the gurgle of blood when I finally drive the stake home.

Worst of all, the silence afterwards, screaming at me that it’s over, done.

It’s really, truly over.

I stand, legs shaking. I waver back and forth. My breath comes in rapid, shallow gasps. My head feels like it’s swimming. Faint ringing fills my ears, and an acrid taste coats my mouth.

“You did it.” Asher comes up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. Softly, gently.

He doesn’t want me to be trapped. But I bring my arm around his and draw him in tight.

His body rests solid against mine, like an anchor, tying me to reality.

I melt against him, muscles finally relaxing.

I feel light and heavy at the same time, body sore and mind untethered.

But he’s right there. I relish the familiar brush of his beard scratching into my hair and his hands bracketed around my waist.

I don’t know how long we stand there like that, my arms wrapped around his, tangled up in the moment, in each other. Maybe minutes, maybe hours. We stay that way until my breathing slows to match his, my harsh pants turning to quiet breaths.

I did it. It’s over. I’m safe.

I’m home. Maybe I did lose who I was before all of this. But I found the woman I am now. And I like her.

And I found a man I want to build a future with. And I love him.

Asher looks down at me. Beaming. I must have said that last bit aloud.

“I love you too.” He says it once, low and serious, like a vow. And then he repeats it again louder, like he can’t quite believe it.

And with that, he spins me around so we’re chest to chest and tilts my chin up so that his gaze locks with mine. He’ll deny it later I’m sure, but tears well in those warm cinnamon eyes. Dampness spills on my cheeks, and my typically sharp vision blurs.

Before I can wipe my tears, he brings his mouth to mine.

A faint click sounds, and, out of the corner of my eyes, I trace the arc of the lighter.

Yellow and orange flames lick over the corpse, bathing us in a warm glow.

I break away for a moment, watching the flames transform the man I once loved into something unrecognizable.

Silently, I say a goodbye, not to the Luka that was, but to the woman who loved him and the future she imagined.

Slowly, his clothing, his flesh, all the details I knew so well fall away, consumed by the fire.

Then I’m lost to the kiss, just as I am to this man.

His mouth moves against mine, an apology and an affirmation.

His lips are soft yet persistent, every motion, every stroke echoing his declaration.

He loves me. And I love him. I pour all of that in the kiss, hoping I can convey how much I mean what I said.

I cling to the future I want as my past burns behind us.

We sit on a park bench later, feet trailing lines in the nighttime dew.

The remnants of what happened are still there, Luka reduced to a pile of ashes.

The black heap is surprisingly small, the wind already starting to disperse what’s left.

Gently, I take my coat and sweep what remains up into it.

Luka may not deserve the courtesy, but his mother does. I do it for her, not for him.

A new moon pokes out over the treetops, rays of soft silver light peeking over the gleaming glass and stone of the city. A fresh start.

Cheesy, maybe. But true.

“Beautiful.” I turn towards Asher and find him looking not at the skyline but at me. Definitely cheesy. And definitely mine.

I grin. I feel weightless. But also…aimless? I kick a stray rock and watch the gray stone skip across a puddle in the patchy grass.

“Thank you.” I mean it. I killed Luka. But Asher helped me get there, literally and figuratively.

“You didn’t need me.”

“I didn’t.” I pause and clarify. “I didn’t need you to save me. But I need you for this. For now. For after.”

He reaches for my hand, lacing his calloused fingers with mine. I pull his hand to my mouth, tracing the ridges of his knuckles.

“I need you too. Not as a tool, but as a partner. For life, not work.”

I gaze out into the distance, imagining all the possibilities. A shared future. Us. Together. Living in the loft with Praline. Going to Hector’s and laughing alongside Sarah and Kirby. Claude, too.

Still, one thing scratches at the back of my mind. In some respects, it seems silly and small, now that everything is behind us. But I need to get it out there.

“What you said earlier? Do you mean it?”

That you love me.

He turns to face me. The question hangs there between us.

“Yes.” A wicked grin spreads from cheek to cheek. My vision blurs.

“Hey, hey, hey. Look at me. Look at me. I love you.” His voice is gentle, coaxing. So, I do. I lift my gaze to his face and see the love reflected there. “And, as far as I’m concerned, it’s always about you. Today, tomorrow, forever.”

“I love you too.” Tears tumble down my cheeks, wet and hot.

His thumb caresses my face, gently wiping them away.

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to say that again, ever be able to hear that again, after everything.

” It feels so wrong to acknowledge doubt at a moment like this.

But also so right because it’s what’s real and true.

And that’s what I need to say if I want what’s between us to be real and true.

“We’re not our worst moments. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t left their mark.” He’s crying again. I’m crying again. We’re fucking crybabies apparently.

My attention flicks to the crumpled coat holding Luka’s remains.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out.

“I’m sorry. Fuck,” he cuts off and pauses. “Nothing I say seems like enough.”

“Because it’s not what we say. It’s what we do.” The truth of those words hits me as I say them. As much as I want reassurance everything will work out perfectly, only time will tell. Love isn’t just something you say, it’s something you live.

He nods. “Look, we both want to have it all figured out. To skip to the last chapter. But good things take time.”

A laugh leaves me, full throated and joyous. “Good thing I have all the time in the world.”

“Show-off vampire.” But an undercurrent runs through his tone. He doesn’t say vampire the way he once did.

“Would you ever do it?” The question spills out. Maybe this isn’t the time for it. But maybe it is. The time to get it all out there.

“Maybe. I like the idea of spending my life with you.” The answer surprises me. He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “But we’ll wait until we’re ready.” He leans forward and plants a kiss on my nose.

A wash of gratitude rushes over me for this man. Because I love imagining that, dreaming up a future with him. A forever. But I need time. Not time away from him, but time with him. I might know how our story ends, but I want to enjoy the ride.

And if tonight has taught me anything, I have a lot of shit to work on.

It feels better knowing Luka’s gone, but it doesn’t erase what he did.

What I did to get here. I don’t and won’t regret what I did.

But that doesn’t mean it was easy to do or that it will be easy to process.

Maybe I’ll take a page out of Claude’s book, sign up for some therapy.

“It might take awhile.”

“I’ll wait as long as you need, as long as I need.” He grins. “Besides, I’ll make an excellent silver fox.” He poses dramatically, tracing imaginary gray hairs through his hair and along his hairline.

“You would. But I don’t think we’ll wait quite that long.”

“There is one more thing we need to talk about.”

“What?”

He surveys my torn and dirt-smeared clothes, eyes sparkling as they skate up and down my body. “You really need a shower.”