Savage sounds awakened Hannah, like a predator killing a defenseless animal. She pried her eyes open, blinked against the darkness. Her vision was blurred and she tried to focus on a blade of dried grass, her hand. Slowly the images came into focus. But her head throbbed. She dared not raise her head. She was slumped over, grass and dirt pressed into her cheek. The sounds penetrated her confusion and she glanced beyond her own hand.
Only a few feet away, she saw a woman with long black hair straddling Josef's waist, her mouth at his neck. Josef was defenseless, lying on his back, his arms splayed outward as if he had no strength or will to defend himself. Maybe he was already dead. Hannah could hear the crunching of bone, the chomping of teeth, ripping of flesh.
Hannah squeezed her eyes shut, so tight the muscles twitched with fatigue, and she tried to block the sounds. The top of her head rested against something hard and rough, and peering outward through barely slit eyelids, she guessed it was the edge of a grave marker.
Without moving, she listened and squinted through eyelashes until she located Akiva who stood nearby, not watching but not flinching at the grotesque sounds. He looked bored, his gaze scanning the cemetery, his features placid, his stance relaxed. Hannah remained still, pretending to be deadâ¦or something similar, praying she wasn't going to be next.
Rising up from Josef, Camille gave a bloody smile. “Want more for yourself, Akiva?”
“Save the rest. Do you have a vessel?”
“In my bag.”
Akiva walked a few steps over to a leather bag, tossed back the flap, and dug inside until he pulled out a round flat object. With a flick of his wrist, a cup emerged, and he handed it to Camille.
“Would you like me to do the honor?”
“She's mine. I will take care of Hannah.” Then he turned in her direction, closing the steps without seeming to even take a step.
She snapped her eyes closed and held her breath, listening to his footsteps move toward her. Her heart felt like it would burst through her chest and take off running. But she waited, remembering once watching a rabbit, still and quiet, its eyes blinking as she approached, and just as she got close, it bolted.
That was her plan now. And so she waited, keeping her eyes closed, her body as relaxed as possible.
Akiva knelt beside her. He was quiet. If he could see her heart, which bounded inside her chest like a frightened rabbit on the run, he would know the truth, but she prayed he could not. She prayed,
Lord, help me. Help me.
“Is she awake yet?” the woman's voice came to her.
Then a warm hand touched her arm and something caressed her face in such a loving, gentle way she began to shake. “Hannah?”
She jerked upright, shoved Akiva backwards, and scrambled to her feet. Her vision wavered, the world around her tilted. But she ran, stumbling, scuttling across the frozen ground. It felt as if she ran through thick mud, her legs stiff, her feet dragging. She tossed a look over her shoulder, but Akiva was not there. Camille stood over Josef. Hannah's stride stretched longer until she plowed right into a solid wall: Akiva's chest.
“Let me go!” She backed away.
But his hand clamped on her arms. “Not this time, Hannah.”
She let her legs collapse under her, tried to fall out of his grasp, but he held her steady. “No! This isn't what I want. You saidâ”
“It's no longer your choice.” With one hand he held her in place as if his hand was an iron band. With his other, he cupped her face in a gentling, soothing caress, following the curve down toward her neck. “Why should your choice affect me, decide my fate? So I will make the choice for you, the way it was made for me. You will understand then.”
She bucked, but his hand on her throat tightened. She felt her muscles contract, and her bones trembled. She stilled, afraid to move.
Then the woman was there, standing beside her, stroking her
kapp
, her shoulders, her back. It was the woman with the long black hair, who had been to the bakery and the orchestra. “Easy, love. Be still for Camille now. Akiva has been practicing. He will not go too far. He will not let his hunger get out of control. He will stop before it is too late.”
Akiva glared at her, then softened his features as he focused again on Hannah. “Easy now, breathe easy. I will not hurt you. And soon it will be over. You will only feel a bit of discomfort. I will be gentle and go easy. I must draw out your blood. Then when I tell you to drink, you mustâ”
“No!” she spat the word in his face. “No.”
“Hannah, you can make this easy or difficult. Pleaseâ”
“I reckon,” a male voice came out of the dark, “she chooses to make it more difficult.”
“Levi!” Hannah recognized his voice. Her gaze went wild searching and straining until settling on him.
He was standing just inside the fence line of the cemetery, standing there bold and confident and unafraid.
Her heart tripped over itself in relief. He'd come for her. But then fear raised its ugly head.
How could Levi fight Akiva and win?
Something flapped in the corner of her eye, and Hannah turned to see Roc wrapping a leather strap tight around his fist, the other end secured around Camille's wrist. Camille hissed and lunged at Roc, but as he stepped out of her reach another strap looped over her head and caught about her slim throat. Levi held that end, and the two men pulled the straps taut, trapping Camille between them. Her beautiful face contorted, transformed, as she snarled and hissed, tugging and wrenching her arm sideways to get loose, but the tautness of the strap restrained her. Roc moved in a slow circle, guiding Camille away from Hannah, but his gaze, along with a handgun, remained aimed at Akiva. “Let go of her.”
But Akiva's arm looped over Hannah's head, and he spun her around, pulled her back against his torso, his arm braced across her chest. She stared at Levi and Roc. She felt calmer than she ever would have imagined. She knew what she had to do. And she spoke directly to Levi, hoping he could see what was in her heart.
“You must go, Levi. It is too late for me. I have made my choice.” She turned toward Akiva and wrapped her arms around his neck.
But she heard Levi holler, “No. I'm not leaving you, Hannah. He won't take you.”
Looking deeply into Akiva's dark eyes, she whispered, “Let Levi live, and I will go with you. I will do anything you ask. Just please⦔ Her voice broke. “Let him live.”
The warmth that she had once seen in the depths of Akiva's eyes was now cold and barren of emotion. He sneered. “That's all it took then? What if I no longer want you?”
“You can't lie to yourself, Jacob. This is what you came for. And I will be yours for eternity.”
Akiva laughed an exultant crowing sound. He grabbed Hannah's arm and spun her around to face Levi and all she was about to lose one last time. “You heard her, Levi. She is mine. I have won. You can take Camille.” He jerked his chin toward the struggling vampire who bucked and fought the straps. It took all of Levi's and Roc's strength to hold on to her and keep her solidly between them. “You can have her.”
Then all at once there was a movement from Roc, his arm whipped outward, throwing something, which spun through the air. It smacked Camille in the center of her chest and sunk deep, only a thick knobby end of a stake protruded. Camille's black eyes went wide, then her gaze dropped toward her chest. Her arms lifted an inch or two but then fell back to her sides and her knees gave way. “Akiva,” she spoke slowly, her gaze seeking him in a frenzied search, “help me.”
Akiva backed away, tugging and dragging Hannah along with him.
“Akiva?” Panic arced Camille's voice.
“Now, for you⦔ Still holding the leather strap, which restrained Camille, Roc stepped toward Akiva. “You cannot disappear while holding onto Hannah. So I will let you go if you will release her now.”
“I don't believe you.”
“Know this though.” Roc's gaze was hard and intense. “No matter where you go, I
will
come after you. I will not rest until you are destroyed.”
A soft, unconcerned chuckle rumbled out of Akiva as Camille seemed to be sinking and crumpling on the ground, losing strength. Nearby, Josef lay face up, neck ravaged, a gaping hole in the side. His gaze stared blankly up toward the dark sky.
“She is mine,” Akiva said, and he pulled her back against him, keeping a firm hold of her, making her a shield in front of him. “You heard her. Nothing will change that.”
“Her choice changes everything, Jacob.” Levi stepped toward what once was his brother. “She has a choice. Just as you did.”
“I had no choice!”
“Levi,” Hannah begged, “go.” Sadness welled up in her throat. She couldn't speak the words but mouthed, “I love you.”
“You love me.” Akiva whipped her around to face him again. His gaze flicked from her to Levi and Roc then back again. “Kiss me.”
“Hannah!” Levi yelled.
But without hesitation, she raised up on tiptoe and pressed her cold lips to Akiva's. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to block out the image of Josef's blood on Akiva's mouth. She kissed Akiva, trying to remember him as he once was and knowing that this kiss might determine Levi's fate. She would kiss Akiva and go on kissing him to protect her beloved.
Suddenly, Akiva jerked her away from himself, glared at her, searching her face. She was breathing hard. Fear made her heart skitter. But she met his stare with her own determination. “Do you love me?”
“Yes, Akiva. Whatever you want. Whateverâ”
“You lie!” He shouted the words.
And she flinched and braced herself to be flung aside again or ravaged like Josef had been. Whatever happened, she deserved it.
He yanked her against his chest, his breath hot against her neck. “I will always love you, Hannah. Always.” Then he pressed his open mouth against her neck. She felt him draw her flesh into his mouth as he sucked hard, then the grazing of his tooth against her skin. She squeezed her eyes closed and waited.
“Take her!”
Her eyelids burst open at Akiva's scream. He shoved her forward and she spun around, stumbling and falling forward until Levi caught her in his arms. Her face pressed against his chest, she clung to the solidness of him.
A shot rang out, the sound reverberating off the stars. But when she turned to see if Akiva was falling to the ground as Camille had done, she blinked, because Akiva, Jacob, was gone. And this time, she knew she would never see him again.
A bullet was buried in a grave marker three rows behind where he had stood.
Levi held Hannah as if he would never let her go. He ran his hands over her, convincing himself that she was in one piece and safe. Her arms embraced him. He felt her shaking and he chafed her arms, trying to warm her. But she stilled his movements and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
But a noise behind her brought Levi back to the situation at hand, and his gaze shifted from Hannah to Roc, who stood over the female vampire. She laid flat on her back, one leg twisted beneath her. She wasn't dead yet. But she didn't look far from it.
“Take Hannah home.” Roc gave a nod in the direction of the road, the direction he hoped Levi would take. “Really go now.”
The vampire's breathing shallowed, her limbs awry as if she no longer cared or no longer could straighten them. Moonlight fell across her pale features. She kicked out with one foot but without force, without strength.
“I can't leave you alone with this,” Levi said. “What must we do now?”
“What will you do with her?” Hannah asked, still safely inside the circle of Levi's arms.
Roc knelt beside the woman vampire, just out of her reach, and she attempted to grab hold of him, to claw at him, but her movement was pathetically slow. “The old priest was right,” Roc said, his voice slow, just as his acceptance had been. The wooden stake stood straight up, emerging out of her chest like an angry fist. “The myth is true.”
She snarled, revealing a tooth still stained with Josef's blood. “You are a fool. You cannot stop us.”
“Maybe we can. We'll take it one vampire at a time.”
“Some myths are true, some aren't.” Her words sounded disjointed, breathy. “Why should we make it easy?”
“It might take time to sort through the myths, but we will.” He glanced over his shoulder at Levi. “Go, Levi. Get out of here. Neither you nor Hannah needs to see this. I will wait for a buddy of mine to come. We will dispose of her.”
“What about Akiva?” Levi asked.
“He will get a few hours start. But then I will continue the chase.” He rubbed his tired face. “This is now my duty.”
“Your destiny.” Levi voiced what Roc couldn't seem to consider. “Will Akiva come forâ¦?”
Roc shook his head. “No, I do not think he will. He will run and hide.”
Levi moved a few steps away, still holding on to Hannah, and knelt beside Josef. His chest constricted at the sight of his friend's pale, still face. He laid a hand on Josef's chest. It was silent. No heartbeat, no breath. Levi couldn't speak for a long moment. “What about Josef? What should I do?”
“I will get the body taken care of for burial,” Roc said. “No one has to know how he died. We will say it was a buggy accident.”
“Another lie,” Levi whispered.
At Hannah's soft sob, Levi stood and wrapped an arm about her shoulders. She buried her face against his chest. He looked at the
Englisher
. “He was married to Hannah's sister.”
“I'm sorry.” Roc's mouth compressed into a thin line. “Really I am. I was too late.” He looked down at the ground and rolled a rock over with the sole of his boot. “Too late in a lot of ways.”
“We will tell Rachel.” Levi squeezed Hannah's shoulder. “We will go there now. I don't know why he was out so late at night. It is not like Josef.”
“Bad timing all around.”
“How can I face Rachel?” Hannah pressed her hand to her mouth. Her whole body shook and trembled like a leaf in the wind, but she was anchored securely against Levi. “How can I tell herâ¦?”
“This isn't your fault,” Roc said, but his words fell flat.
Levi knew both he and Hannah would carry the burden of guilt for the rest of their lives. “I will take you home first, Hannah,” Levi spoke solemnly. “I will get your father, then we will go to Rachel.”
“No. I must be with her. I must help herâ¦if I can.”
Roc stood again and tossed aside a twig, which landed on Camille's leg. She attempted to move it off but acted as if it weighed as much as a log. Then Roc stepped away from the vampire, easing Levi and Hannah away from the area. “You will not see me again. But I want to thank you for your help.”
Levi shook Roc's hand, packing his own thanks into his grip. “You be careful, my friend. We will pray for you.”
“I need all the prayers I can get.” He pulled a knife from a sheath at his waist. “And a few of these should do the trick.”
Headlights cut through the darkness.
“Your friend?” Levi asked.
“Father Roberto.” Roc glanced at Hannah. “Stay safe.”
***
Levi helped Hannah into the buggy, feeling as weak and ill as she looked. He climbed in beside her, took the reins in hand, and released the brake, but he kept one arm around her shoulders, pressing her against his side. He wasn't sure where her trembling ended and his began. “It's over now, Hannah. It is all over.”
“I don't know, Levi. I don't know anything anymore.”
He rested the reins on his thigh. Her pale skin looked even paler in the soft moonlight. Still she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He longed to hold her, to comfort her, but he knew he must wait, because now was not the time. Because when the moment came, they might both fall apartâ¦until they could help piece each other back together. “Then tell me what you do know?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean there are things you know for certain. Things you can hold on to through times like this.” He looked deep into her brown eyes and could see the shock she was in. “You know that the good Lord is lord of all heaven and earth. Even though we have seen evil this night, we know that it is the Lord that reigns over it all. It is written:
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
”
With each word of scripture that Levi spoke, his voice grew stronger and his own countenance flushed with immense feeling. Hannah felt her heart begin to pound, thrilling to the sound of his voice and confidence. She clung to his hand and pressed it against her cheek.
“And what is it that you know, Hannah?” he asked.
She gazed up into the watery blue depths of his eyes. “I know I love you.” Her voice gained strength as did her heart. But did he believe her? Did he take comfort in her love the way his love sheltered and protected her? She felt ashamed at what she had said to Akiva, what she had promised him. Could Levi ever understand her reasons? “Levi,” she said, holding his hand between both of her own. “I didn't mean what I said back there. I lied to Akiva.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you know that?”
His gaze intensified. “I know you risked your life for me. You said what you thought you must to protect me.”
“I did no more than you risked coming after me.”
He cupped her face with his hand. She tilted her head, leaning into his touch, his caress, and closing her eyes. “You know that I love you.
Ja?
”
Tears rushed to the surface at his words, which resonated deep in her soul. “Still, Levi?” Her voice cracked. Her lips trembled. “Even now? After all of thisâ¦after you know what all Iâ”
He pressed a finger to her lips and then silenced her completely with a soft, reverent kiss. “Even always.”
His next kiss was filled with all the passion and hope that she too shared. It would have gone on and on except Levi's horse snorted and stamped its hoof. Levi pulled away only slightly, his face alight with a smile. Then he tucked her against his side, covered her lap with a blanket, and she felt the sheltering of his love wrap around her.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, her
kapp
askew, the long tie falling across his arm, and she knew there were stronger bonds that would hold them together forever, bonds from the past, and bonds that they would one day vow to each other. But there was a precipice between this moment and their future, and it would take a leap to reach the point where they could love each other without reminders or hindrances from this night. “How will we get beyond this?”
“It will not be easy. But we will.” He lifted the reins with one hand, tugging them to the left, and clicked his tongue for the horse to turn around on the narrow road. “Together.” He squeezed her hand. “For scripture says,
He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Sonâ
”
“
âto be the propitiation for our sins
,” she spoke the ancient words with Levi. “
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
”
“For we have both sinned, Hannah, you and I. But God's sacrifice covers our sins, and through His love, through the love we will share, we will get through this.”
“Together,” she whispered, squeezing his hand in return and smiling at him through tears.
Snowflakes began to fall, lightly covering the fields and road. The clippity-clop of hooves echoed in the stillness, reminding them of where they had come from and where they were going, and the faith that had carried them through together. Their love, a real love, a sacrificial love, would see them through, because love always triumphed.