A Shade of Vampire 16: An End of Night (14 page)

W
hen Mona
and I arrived back at the black witches’ island, nobody was outside. We headed straight to the castle, walked through the entrance hall and found everyone had gathered in the kitchen. They all looked toward us as we entered.

“Well?” Kiev asked, Magnus’ face lighting up.

“I set him free,” Mona said.

“Good,” he replied. “And… Do you have any idea when I will turn back into myself?”

A smile crossed Mona’s lips. She exchanged a glance with my mother. “I, um… I think we can probably expect within a few days. I pulled a hair from his head, you see.”

“How are Ibrahim and Corrine progressing?” I asked.

“They are down there now, still working,” my father replied.

“Do you know how long they will be?” I asked.

“Hopefully not much more than ten minutes. They have made quite a lot of progress already, or so they say. None of us have been down there. But Corrine has come back up to keep us updated.”

I looked toward the open trap door and moved toward it, poking my head down. I caught sight of the gate. Landis and Ashley stood next to it, and all of the humans were already down there. Most of them were resting against the wall, looking exhausted. I noted that those who were injured had not been treated yet. Ibrahim and Corrine had been in a hurry to start work on clearing out a trail. None of the injuries looked fatal, so I hoped that they would be all right. We would find some time to treat them once we reached the other side.

Someone touched my back, and I turned to see Caleb.

“Come with me,” he whispered into my ear.

Before I could respond, he twined his fingers with mine and pulled me through the exit of the kitchen, out of view from everyone.

Placing his hands either side of my waist, he pressed me back gently against the wall. His lips met mine. He reached his hands up to my cheeks, caressing them as he kissed me tenderly.

When he drew away, he was staring at me intently, his dark hair touching the sides of his face. His seriousness amused me.

“What was that about?” I asked.

He gave me a small smile. “Since when do I need a reason to kiss my bride?”

My bride.
The words made my spine tingle.

I reached my arms around his neck and pulled him down for another long, slow kiss. “Since never,” I whispered.

His cool lips began trailing down my neck, soothing my irritated skin.

Our moment was interrupted by Micah. “Come on, you love birds,” he growled. “Ibrahim and Corrine are finished earlier than expected.”

I was annoyed at the interruption, but I was also relieved that we could finally get away from this place. I detached myself from Caleb and we followed Micah back into the kitchen. Everyone was already beginning to pile down into the dungeon. Caleb was the last to enter the dungeon. He shut the trap door behind him.

“I wonder if this will be the last time that anyone sets foot in this place,” I said.

Caleb shrugged.

“I’ll go down first,” my father said, nearing the edge of the gate.

“Corrine definitely said that it was safe to go through now?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “I suggest you all send the humans down after me, and the rest of you follow after them.”

With that, my father leapt through. I turned to the humans—mostly young women—lined up along the wall.

I smiled kindly. “Come on, guys.”

“Where are you taking us?” one of them asked, her voice nervous.

“Back home. You’re all from California, aren’t you?” That seemed to be where the black witches had been targeting the most intensely—at least, according to the news.

“I am,” she said.

“What about the rest of you?” I asked, addressing the others.

“Yes,” they all confirmed.

“That certainly makes things easier for us,” my mother said.

“What is that thing?” several of the girls asked as they neared the starry crater.

“It’s a… uh…”
How do I even explain?
“It’s a tunnel that will take you back home,” was the best and fastest way I could think to answer them.

Several more questions were asked, but we didn’t have time to answer them.

The girl who had volunteered to step toward first stared down at the seemingly endless abyss.

“Won’t I die if I jump down there?”

“You’ll be fine,” I said. “My father is waiting for you at the other end.”

“Okay,” she said, though she sounded anything but okay.

Closing her eyes, she leaped through, her screams trailing behind her as she catapulted downward. I admired her bravery. To be so trusting of a complete stranger… Then again, they were desperate.

“Who’s next?” my mother called.

Another girl inched forward and took the leap. One after another, we finished piling in the humans before the rest of us lined up to jump through. Caleb and I hung back. Holding hands, we dropped through together.

Before the roof of the dungeon could disappear completely, I glanced up at it for the last time.

So long, creepy castle.

O
n reaching
the end of the tunnel, Caleb and I landed on the floor. I managed to land on all fours so as to avoid injuring my back. I’d learned that from experience.

Caleb was already standing by the time I looked at him. He reached out a hand and helped me up. Everyone else was also standing. The humans looked shaken, but they seemed to be okay. Even the injured ones whom we’d had to pick up and drop through seemed to have landed without too much added injury.

“Through here,” my father said, pointing to the open trap door in the ceiling above us. A staircase led up to it, and beyond was a round hole that Ibrahim and Corrine had carved through the rubble. A ladder made of rope dangled through it, its bottom touching the top of the stairs. My father climbed up first, and then indicated that we follow. Again, we helped humans up, and those humans who couldn’t climb due to injuries hung onto the backs of vampires.

To say that Micah had some trouble getting through was an understatement. Aside from the fact that wolves were hardly equipped to climb vertically up a rope ladder, his body was just so wide. It was a struggle for even Ibrahim and Corrine to levitate him through the hole, but with much complaining from Micah, they managed it eventually.

Climbing up through the hole with Caleb, I was struck instantly by the temperature. I’d been expecting to be hit by a wave of cold. Instead a mild breeze wafted toward us. Reaching the top, we found ourselves standing among the sprawling ruins of the castle, beyond which the trees were no longer coated with a sheet of white. For as far as I could see, there were gorgeous forests. The fresh smell of pine filled the air, and I even heard the chirping of early-morning birds.

“The curse has lifted,” Caleb said quietly as he took in the scene along with me.

I had not been able to appreciate the beauty of the island before, because it had all looked the same. But now, with life finally bursting through after God knew how many decades, or even centuries, I realized just how breathtaking this place was.

The landscape was beginning to brighten from the first signs of the sun approaching beneath the horizon. I could only imagine how stunning this place would look in full sunshine.

Who would’ve thought…

I breathed in deeply, relishing the fresh warm air. Caleb’s arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer. I rested my head against his chest as we continued admiring the island that had once been a prison to both of us.

Although this island had held many horrors for me, it would always hold a special place in my heart. It’d been where the seeds of my feelings for Caleb had first developed. I remembered how he’d kept me locked in that apartment, refusing to let me out or even speak to me. Thinking back on it now, I smiled, finding humor in the situation.

I nestled my head closer against my fiancé and raised my gaze to his face. His expression was calm, peaceful. Sensing me watching him, he grazed his lips over my forehead.

Perhaps one day, Caleb and I will return to this island with our children, stand in this very spot, and recount our story to them like old fogeys.

N
ow that we
were back in the human realm, Corrine and Ibrahim took time to treat all those humans who were injured. I was beginning to feel tense at how much time they were taking. It wouldn’t be long now until the sun rose, and made things much more difficult for our vampires.

“How much longer?” my father asked, sharing my tenseness.

“Just give us one more minute,” Corrine said. “This is the last girl I’m treating. The rest are fine to walk and can be treated in a hospital when they return.”

It ended up taking her five more minutes, but eventually, all the humans were able to stand, which was the most important thing for now.

“All right,” Ibrahim said, looking over everyone. “Form a circle and make sure you’re all touching.”

“You know we need to head to California?” my mother asked, looking toward Ibrahim and Corrine.

“Yes,” Corrine said. “Any beach along California will do… We just need to get in touch with the police and they will take things from there.”

We all formed a circle and the witches transported us to a quiet beach. Relief spread across the humans’ faces.

“Hey,” one of the girls piped up. “My house is just round the corner from here.”

“You can return home if you want,” my mother said, “if you’re sure you’ll be okay.”

The girl nodded eagerly. “I’ve no idea who the heck you people are—or if I can even call you people—but thank you for saving us,” she gushed, and turned on her heel, hurrying away toward the road.

“If anyone else recognizes the area you are also free to go,” my mother said.

Nobody else responded.

“Okay,” Corrine said. “The rest of you will be left with the police. They’ll take care of you.”

“Mom, Dad, do either of you recognize this area?” I asked.

They looked around, then shook their heads. “Our house wasn’t near here,” my mother replied.

“So if we don’t know the location of any police station,” I said, “we’ll have to find a telephone.”

“Rose, Sofia and I can escort them,” my father said. “There’s no need for all of us to come. The rest of you just wait here for us.” He glanced toward the horizon. “We’ll be as quick as possible.”

With that, the three of us set off with the humans toward the road. There were hardly any cars around at this early hour.

“If any of you spot a phone booth, let us know,” my mother said.

We walked along the sidewalk for the next ten minutes. Our pace was frustratingly slow. I just wasn’t used to traveling at regular human speed any more.

Finally, one of the girls called out. “Look, there’s one on the other side.”

We crossed the road and approached the booth. My father picked up the phone, dialed 911 and turned to my mother and me as he held the phone to his ear.

“Check the name of this road,” he said.

My mother and I stepped away, located a signpost and noted the name.

After the call had connected, we gave my father the details he needed. Less than a minute later, he was done talking and replaced the phone.

“They’re coming for you,” he said, looking around at the humans.

They positively beamed.

“Rose, Sofia,” he said, “We’ll wait on the other side of the road, behind those bushes, until the police arrive—just to make sure they get picked up okay.”

“Good idea,” I said. There was no point in waiting here in full view of the police or they’d just entangle us in questions.

“Where do you live?” one of the girls asked, eyeing my father.

The three of us exchanged glances. “Not in California,” was all the answer she received from him.

We said goodbye to the humans and then ducked down behind the bushes on the opposite sidewalk. We didn’t have to wait long. The police arrived within ten minutes. I could hear the police asking them who had brought them here. The humans replied that they didn’t even know who we were and that we had just left. We were grateful that they didn’t point out our location in the bushes.

The police piled them into police cars and after ten minutes of fussing about, they drove away, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

My father placed an arm around me and my mother. He planted a kiss on each of our heads before saying, “Now it’s time for us to go home.”

T
he familiar sight
of The Shade’s Port sent a warm feeling rushing through me.

We’re home.

I could breathe freely for what felt like the first time since leaving our island. After all that had happened this past year, I swore to never take this place for granted again.

It being still early in the morning, most people would likely be asleep.

“Corrine, Ibrahim,” my father said, his voice quiet. “Why don’t you treat those among us who need it before turning in for the night?”

“Who needs medical attention?” Corrine asked, looking around each of us.

I looked down at my own chest. It was still red, but it wasn’t really bothering me anymore. I supposed that it was best to get treated just in case it developed into something worse.

Most of the vampires chose to do without help, saying that they would be fine and their bodies would heal themselves after some nourishment. Kiev seemed to be the most seriously injured of the vampires, but Mona said that she would be able to treat him at home. In the end, it was just me, Micah, my grandfather, and Ashley who went to see Corrine and Ibrahim. Caleb accompanied me as we headed to their home.

I waited in line for my turn, and then lay down on Corrine’s kitchen table, which she had turned into a treatment bed. She applied a cold compress to my chest and shoulders that stung momentarily.

“Nothing serious,” she said.

After five minutes, she allowed me to sit up. I looked down at my skin. It was tinged slightly pink, but otherwise it was pretty close to its usual color.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Caleb, how about you?” she asked. “You don’t need any help?”

“I will be all right,” he said. “The injuries I sustained have mostly healed themselves already.”

“All right. The two of you should go and get some rest,” she said, even as she yawned.

Caleb and I left the Sanctuary and began making our way through the forest. As we neared the Residences, we came across my parents standing with Vivienne and Xavier in the middle of the path.

I ran up and flung my arms around my aunt.

“Rose!” she said, hugging me back tightly. I felt the bump in her stomach.

Then I hugged my uncle.

“Your parents have just been telling us about your adventures,” Vivienne said, smiling.

Adventures. Huh. That’s one way to put it.

“Let’s return to our apartment,” my mother said, “where we can all sit comfortably and catch up.”

Although I was exhausted, and my body wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep, I was too curious to find out what had been happening around the island since we had been gone. So Caleb and I joined them in returning to my parents’ penthouse. We all gathered in the living room, taking seats on the sofa.

We spent the next three hours recounting everything from our visit to the Blood Keep to our battle with the black witches. Once we had told all there was to tell, my father asked, “How have things been around here?”

“Suspiciously peaceful,” Xavier said. “There is nothing much to report at all.”

“What about the dragons?” I asked, still anxious about our newly arrived residents.

“They’ve kept to themselves mostly,” Vivienne said. “At least, none of them have come to see us. But I’ve heard through the grapevine—from Becky, that is—that they have all chosen girls now… except for the prince.”

“Huh?” I jolted in my seat. “Theon still hasn’t chosen a girl?”

Vivienne shook her head. “Nope.”

“But… the main purpose of their stay was to find a partner for him, to continue their royal lineage. The other dragons’ finding mates was supposed to be secondary.”

Vivienne shrugged. “I’m not sure why he hasn’t hooked up with anyone. Becky didn’t seem to know either.”

I wondered what this meant for us. If the prince saw nobody fit for him here, would they all leave?

“Don’t worry about it now, honey,” my mother said, squeezing my knee. “We’ll find out what the situation is soon enough.”

We talked for about an hour more, by which point I was no longer able to keep my eyelids open. They began to droop without me even realizing it. Caleb scooped me up in his strong arms and moved toward the door.

“Excuse us,” he said.

“Good night,” my family called after us as we left the apartment.

More like good morning,
I thought groggily, before falling asleep in Caleb’s arms.