Page 17 of Red (Everdark Tales #1)

Perfection.

An utter and absolute bliss.

It’s already past the sunset, and we should start to get going. But this feels too good.

Savoring this moment fully, I keep my eyes closed while she lays in my arms, dreaming. Her body, although tiny in comparison, ideally molded to my own. And I can’t believe even a day has passed by without me having her. I’d wait twice as long, knowing it’s her in the end, however.

My everything.

Then, out of the blue, I smell it—the most gut-wrenching stench that has ever walked this earth.

I try to be gentle as I wake her up, hating to ruin her rest that she very much deserves now. But I’m in full panic mode.

She looks at me only half-awake.

“Something is wrong,” I tell her, jumping on my back paws. As she rubs the sleep from her eyes, I already hand her some clothes. “Julia, we are in a rush.”

She then gets up in a hurry, and slips her sweatpants on, asking, “Alex, what is it?”

“A vampire. I don’t recognize the smell so I’m assuming it’s not a friend.”

She’s mid pulling her sweater over her head when the glass breaks violently, and the chilly wind gushes into the room from the outside.

Dean’s voice shoots through the air like a thunder, “Did you two miss me?”

I yank Julia’s arm and toss her on my back as I rush through the broken sliding door.

He’s tracking right behind us. And since I’m just a tiniest bit slower with her as a passenger, he’s easily able to keep up.

He tackles me from behind, making me hit the ground. Julia rolls over, and he goes for her instantly.

When I raise up, he already has her with her back pressed against his chest, wrists crossed together behind in his hold, chin high up as he grips her jaw with his opposite hand.

She only stares at me with wide, teary eyes, terrified but also trusting. I automatically take a step forward to get to her.

“Easy, boy!” Dean commands, looking at me while bringing his face closer to hers.

I freeze, raising my hands. “Let her go.”

“Hmm, she does smell incredible.” His nose wanders down the side of her elongated neck as he squeezes her lower jaw harder. “You haven’t claimed her yet.”

“Let. Her. Go.” I growl to him. At the same time, I send out a telepathic distress call to my brother. But I know he can’t get here on time.

It’s just me and him—with his hunter skills in his brand new, almost indestructible body.

“You like to watch, don’t you, Alexander? Shall we put on a little show for you?” He licks her skin, ignoring her cries and my snarls. Then, he whispers by her ear, “You’ve been playing me for weeks, you fucking bitch. Since you’re only interested in monsters, maybe now you will pay attention to me.”

“What’s your endgame here, huh?” I divert. “You can’t reproduce anymore.”

“I can still fuck, though.”

“You can’t harm her.”

“Me harming her? No, I wanted to have a life with her. But she’s made her bed. Now, she will be passed around like the whore she is. Not until I break her in first, though.”

I roar, getting ready to jump him.

“Bad doggie!” He laughs so full of himself as if sure of his victory already.

Buying us more time to come up with some strategy, I continue the subject. “You’re useless to them in this form. They’ll eliminate you once they discover what you’ve become.”

“They already know,” he replies too fast.

“Then why did you come alone?”

“The backup is on the way.”

“No, I don’t think it is, Dean. In fact, I’m convinced they don’t even know what the fuck you’re up to. Nor do I believe they were aware you’ve been dead for the past 24 hours, buried deep underground. This little stunt you pulled is not compliant with the orders. You see, we study your kind just as much, if not more, as you people do mine. We know exactly how you operate. You can’t fool me. You certainly can’t win with me alone, either.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Still holding onto Julia with one hand, he pulls out a gun, and without wasting any time, starts shooting. He misses a few rounds as I keep dodging, but I do eventually get hit. First, in the arm, then in the upper thigh.

I stop in pain.

Silver.

“Oh, I’m so going to enjoy this,” he says.

Julia screams and kicks, desperately trying to free herself from his grasp.

“Stay still.” Dean compels her, releasing her from under his clasp.

“I can’t move!” She panics. “Alex, why can’t I move!”

“Shut the fuck up!” He snaps. “I’ll deal with you after.”

Only a little whimper leaves her mouth as she stares at me with horror in her eyes, unable to speak and motionless.

I get irrational as I charge at him. But Dean instantly shoots my chest, and pain sears my entire body as I fall to my knees.

Never in my life have I felt this helpless.

I hear Julia’s muffled sobs, and I look at her, mouthing how sorry I am. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and it physically hurts me to see how distraught she is.

“Don’t cry, babe,” Dean says to her. “I’m the hero in this story.”

“A hero?” I mock. “Look at yourself! You’ve turned into a thing you hate the most.”

“You are the thing that I hate the most—the devil spawn!”

“That’s rich coming from a blood sucker. Your god must be truly proud of you.”

“Don’t worry about that, I haven’t fed.” He grins, flashing his fangs. “This is for the greater good. But I’ll never become an abomination like yourself! They say, sometimes it takes a monster to fight a monster. And I will destroy you. With your entire cursed bloodline right after that.”

“Thanks for this clarification. I’m so happy you got your moment to shine before I kill you. Again.”

There’s nothing else I can do but try to fight. I stand up, my knees weak and pain insufferable yet she is above all that.

“Alright, playtime is over.” He points the gun between my eyes.

“NO!” Julia cries out, somehow fighting off the mind control—presumably, because Dean hasn’t drunk any blood yet, though it’s not of importance.

She rushes to stop him, but he’s obviously faster. Using his uncalibrated power, he pushes her away with such force that she flies a few feet in the air and hits the nearby tree trunk with a noticeable cracking sound. She then falls limp to the ground.

As Julia is bleeding out rapidly, the smell distracts him just long enough for me to pounce. The inferno of rage flaming within me causes the silver-related burn to dissipate.

He stands no chance.

I mutilate his body, tearing apart each limb separately, leaving his head for last so that way he can feel the pain till the very last second.

“Now you can’t fuck,” I tell him as I rip his manhood off and stuff it inside his mouth to quiet down his screams.

Before I finish with him, I use my claws to disembowel him, watching his intestines spill down at my paws. “I should’ve done this the first time I murdered you.”

He tries to muffle something through pain but only chokes on his own dick and blood.

I look him dead in his crimson eyes. “If she doesn’t make it, I’ll find a way to bring you back and ensure you suffer in agony for the eternity you’ve condemned yourself to. And believe me, each passing second, you’ll beg for your biblical hell to swallow you,” I say right before I sever his head from the carcass that’s left of him.

Using this much of energy on him, the silver now affects me more and it feels like I’m ignited.

However, I don’t care about anything but her.

I crawl to Julia only to discover it’s much worse than I’ve thought.

I try to wake her, but she’s fading fast. Her face so pale, almost transparent looking, her lips turning blue, and I can see just the whites of her eyes when prying her lids open.

My hands carefully slip under her body as I bring her closer to my chest. Her head falls back abnormally, confirming she’s suffered a serious neck fracture. Too much blood is pooling in her curls after head trauma, and I’m now convinced her brain must be swelling from the impact.

There’s absolutely no hope that she could survive this.

Her heart is barely beating in her sunken chest. But it’s still beating.

I only hope our bond is strong enough for this as I bite into her neck. This time I don’t lick the mark. I wait for her to look at me. To tell me it’s only a bad dream.

It never happens.

Then, her heartbeat stops.

If I could cry I would be weeping. But all I can do is howl at the moon.

My body is set on fire, yet there’s no greater pain than losing her.

I failed her.

As much as I want to blame Dean, I should have known better. The fault is my own. I don’t even want vengeance. What’s the point in that? It won’t bring her back.

Before her there was only darkness, and the darkness comes back now to consume me.

I feel nothing.

As numbness washes over me, I find peace knowing I’ll soon join her.

Maybe dying together was always our fate.