The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga) (12 page)

Now came the tricky part,
I didn’t know what I was going to do if this door wouldn’t open because I didn’t know if I could manage to climb back down. Looking up to your goal and the skies was one thing but looking down to the earth and possible death was quite another.

I walked over to the double glass doors that prevented any view of the room beyond thanks to the ice like frosting and I held my breath as my hand raised. Well this was it, no going back now. I closed my eyes and reached out until I felt the cool glass beneath my palm. When I heard the whoosh and felt the air of them opening hit my face, I smiled. When opening my eyes I was welcomed with a lightning bolt of emotions.

“I’m home.” I said as I walked through the open doorway. The sight and smell of the place filled every pore in my body and I felt my body start to hum inside. It was the same feeling I had when touching Leivic. It was as if my body was craving all things supernatural and being here now was the most comforted I had felt in a long time. I even felt the pain fade in my hand and I tested my fingers but there was nothing. I didn’t know how it was possible but the building itself was healing me and I thought that if I hadn’t had a job to do, I would have moved in here and never left.

I walked further into the room and hear
d the door close behind me. It looked so strange knowing no-one had been here and as I walked round I looked right at the bar without it’s bar man. I could never get used to the fact that Karmun wasn’t here anymore. One of the other waitresses had taken over the duty until a replacement could be found, but I would feel a little pinch in my chest whenever I saw it. But as I moved past it, that was nothing compared to the feeling that stabbed me at seeing the Top table.

I felt like I was walking in thick mud with every difficult step I took towards my past. I came to stand opposite to where Draven sat and I was hit with the memory of last Halloween when I stood here c
hallenging Draven with my bravery. That was the night I met Malphas and then only a few months later he tried to kill me. How my life had changed since that night and the thought brought tears to my eyes.

The room was mostly hidden in the e
mpty shadows and it felt like the ghosts of those who once used to spend their nights here were all that were left. Seats lay waiting for their usual customers to come back. Metal works of art that were once considered beautiful were left to hang like forgotten cars at a scrap yard. It had left the mysterious lure behind and had been replaced by something sad and depressing. The room was once a haven of supernatural energy that seeped from every stone in the building, now all that was left was an empty shell where life once blossomed. It felt like this room was a mirror image of myself and the empathy I felt was enough to have me shaking.

I walked round running my hand along the back of the seats as I went
, until I came to the only one that mattered. I pulled the heavy weight back and I looked down at the space where the man himself used to sit. There, with my eyes adjusting to the light, I caught sight of something and just as I was about to pick it up and take a seat, a voice from behind me made me stop.

“What do you think you are doing?!” I jumped at the sound and whipped round to face the trouble I was in. After all, I had just broken in to a lock
ed building. I was just getting ready to explain myself when the figure stepped from these forgotten shadows.

My mouth dropped open but no words came out. I mean what could I say…was I dreaming? Did I have to climb that damn ivy again!? This could not be happening… could it?

“Keira?” He said my name and it pulled me from the dream and dipped me straight back to this reality and what I found there was both unbelievable and beautiful. That perfect voice, that strong frame and that Angelic face. I said the only thing I could manage through the fog of emotions,

“Vincent?”  

Chapter 12

The Key is in the Missing Kiss

“Keira!” Vincent said my name and that’s when I let all emotion take over. I ran
over to him and flung myself into his arms. He caught me and for the first time since that dreadful day, all was taken from me, I could truly breathe.

“Oh
, Keira.” He said as he held me to him and I soaked up the contact like a starved woman. He cradled my head to his chest using the full length of his forearm. His elbow was by my shoulder blade and his palm secured me, as his other arm held my back, as though he never wanted to let go. It was only when he started making soothing sounds as he looked down at me and making small comforting circles with his hand at my back, that I realised I was sobbing.

I had wrapped my arms around his waist like I would never let go and I don’t know how long we stood locked together
, but he only eased his hold of me when my tears ceased. He allowed me to pull back and look up at him. His eyes held too many deep thoughts to catch just one, but when he smiled down at me, it was nearly my undoing. He gently used both his thumbs to wipe the remains of my tears away and I stuttered for breath.

“Do you feel better?” He asked me and I blushed at how I had behaved.

“Well, this is a better colour on you, that’s for sure.” He said brushing a single fingertip down the length of my rose tinted cheeks.

“Vincent…I…”

“Hush now, I know you have questions Keira, but let us first sit, you look exhausted…come.” He said as he took my hand in his and strong pale fingers tapped against my hand for me to look up at him. Once I did, I saw a flash of pain in his crystal blue eyes that turned them darker for a second. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but he just smiled at me before he pulled me along. It surprised me when we didn’t sit up in the VIP and it hurt me when we didn’t go to the back through the doors to what was still his home. It was like I wasn’t welcome in that part of his life anymore.

Instead he led me down
the main staircase into the lower part of the club, where I had only seen him twice before. The first was all that time ago when the Dravens first entered my life that night. The next was when he came to pry me from scratching my cousin’s eyes out, but I never thought it was to be again in this situation. It was as if he was almost getting ready to escort me out of Afterlife for good.

I let myself be led down the stairs and closer to the entrance. When I saw those heavy carved doors I pulled back on his hand and gave him my plea,

“Please don’t…don’t make me go…please.” I said as he turned to me and I saw that same pain flicker through his pale blue eyes like a navy coloured lightning bolt. I had never seen Vincent’s eyes do this before and worst of all I didn’t know what it meant. He didn’t reply but just held his arm out to a small seating area. There were four red velvet chairs against black lacquered painted wood, with a heavy iron round table in the centre. He positioned me at one of the chairs and pushed gently at my shoulders until I complied and sat. He towered over me as he took every inch of me in, before he turned to take the seat opposite me.

“I know I should be walking you out
of that door Keira, but I will be condemning myself to a world of hurt if I do, so be damned the consequences.” He said spitting out the words like they tasted foul.

“Oh no, not you too
.” I said knowing all too well what those words meant. When he raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me I elaborated.

“Before he died, he ordered you not to speak to me…didn’t he?” I said in a voice close to cracking at the idea. That same pa
in sliced through him and I realised just how much his brother’s death affected him. Just the words had him grinding his teeth and the colour in eyes swirling like the storm was coming in.

“Dominic’s death was not anything you were ever supposed to go through Keira, but it has been decided by those more powerful than I. If I could have changed things then I would have given my own soul to do so. I want you to know I never wanted this, not for you or for my b
rother, but the…” He looked as though he couldn’t continue, like he was first trying to swallow the lead before his next words could emerge, so I finished it off for him.

“The fates had other ideas
.” I said softly and Vincent’s response surprised me. He stood quickly and threw the iron table out of the way. It flipped too many times for my eyes to catch but it travelled the width of the room before crashing into the stage area. I jumped at the sound and looked at Vincent as he lost his temper for the very first time in my company.

“Damn the fates
, Keira! Damn them for involving you and damn them for taking my brother to the place he is! He is dead alright and in a place I cannot reach him, even as I have tried to swim though the madness of his cell, even he himself has thrown away the key and given up on ever being with the one he loves. So I say Fuck the fates and their very reason for this death! They took him from me just as they have taken him from you and even if I could deny my brother’s wishes, how can I deny my King’s?!” He shouted and his voice boomed around the room in the echoed anger I felt. It was the first time Vincent really scared me and I watched as his bare arms started to glow with the power he was keeping locked down. Thick corded muscles tensed and I saw the blue glow race through his veins as the Angel in him screamed out at the injustice.

At that point I knew how he felt, the pain that lanced through him and what was left of my heart, it broke for him. I sucked in a staggered breath that seemed to break through his anger. I watched as his chest rose and fell through his tight faded Harley Davidson T-shirt as he tried to calm himself further. He sighed as he looked down at me and closed his eyes before taking a few deep breaths. He then ran a frustrated hand through his tight curls that were cut short and then stormed ba
ck over to me to once again taking his seat opposite me. 

“I apologise
.” He said in a voice that had not completely turned back to the softly spoken Vincent that I was used to.

“Keira
, look at me.”

“I am so sorry
, Vincent…so…sorry…” I said not being able to give him what he asked for as I knew as soon as I looked into those eyes of his, I would crumble at the pain I found there, one that was so foreign to see.

Then I saw his hand snatch out to grip the centre of my chair in between my legs and I watched as the muscles on his forearm twitch
ed as he pulled me to him. The sound of the chair’s legs scraping along the slate floor bounced around the room like a charged current. I couldn’t look up but saw his legs spread wide as I came closer to him and he only stopped pulling me once I was seated in between his legs. He must have been able to hear my heavy swallow.

“Look. At. Me. Keira
.” His voice was now nothing short of commanding and this was a completely different Vincent who now faced me, one that had me close to whimpering at his feet. I felt him grip my chin, first lightly and then more firmly as he lifted my face to his. There I met icy blue eyes ringed with navy and almost glowing with their intensity. He looked for a moment like he wanted to devour me whole and I couldn’t have been sure that I would have been able to say no.

“You need to listen to me now. I want you to move on with your life. You deserve so much more and now you have a real chance at finding a happiness that was destined for you. The
Gods want you Keira, but even they cannot make you do something you do not wish to do. Even our Chosen one gets a chance at free will, and this, it seems, is your chance and my advice for you…take it Keira. By the Gods take it!” I stared at him in disbelief.

“How can you say that…how…
?”

“Because it is your only choice. Embrace this chance and regret nothing because I will warn you Keira, regret is not your friend and will do nothing to your soul but grind it down
.” His eyes held me and I tried to pull back from his words. I didn’t need this and he could take his advice back to the heavenly place from which he was born! As he took in my actions I saw his grip tighten on my arm rests. He looked so desperate for me to hear his plea that he was slowly losing his grip of anger.

“And you know this?” Again the colour
in his eyes lashed out like an angry sea at my words.

“Yes Keira, I know this and this is not something I want for someone I care for
.” At this I bit my lip, a motion he followed with his heated stare.

“Someone you care for?” I dared to ask.

“Deeply,”
was his only reply but the purr behind every letter pronounced caused a tingled wave to rack my body.

“I don’t see what you are trying to protect me from Vincent, your brother is gone and you said it yourself that not even you can bring him back…what are you expecting me to do, just forget him and join lonely hearts online, post an ad in the paper and start dating again…
‘cause you know I can’t do that!” I snapped feeling hurt that he could even think I ever could. However, his eyes softened back to clearer blue skies and he cupped my cheek with his palm.

“No, I don’t expect that of you Keira
, but at some point I would like to know someone is taking care of something so precious. But more to the point, why are you here and why would you ever put yourself in danger by doing so?” He said taking my hands in his and turning them over as if seeing the healed scratches that were there but minutes ago. This had me blushing and pulling my hands from his, which he allowed me to do.

“I needed comfort and this place…well it became a part of me too
.” I said not enjoying the feeling explaining myself invoked.

“You don’t understand
!” I said getting up and pushing him away when he tried to stop me.

“No, now you will listen to me!” I snapped as I walked away before turning on my heel abruptly and staring at him.

“You think it is as easy to walk away from this, as easy as just giving up and carrying on?! I mean Christ Vincent, it was easier getting bloody kidnapped, tortured and having some whack job think I was possessed by demons!” I saw him flinch at this but I couldn’t stop what came next.

“It was easier taking a mirrored
shard to my own skin and slicing my life further away with every swipe, than living this life after Draven. The only reason I even take a breath every morning is for the lives I would hurt if I didn’t. Every damn day I think about joining him, I am that miserable, walking this earth without him! I know he is your brother, Vincent and I know you are hurting, but telling me to just move on is like asking you to do the very same!” Once I had finished tears streaked my eyes but not in sadness, but in pain and anger. I was panting and my actions had become stomped feet and fisted hands.

“I under…”

“Oh no, don’t you dare say you understand! How the Hell could you, Vincent?! You still live in a world where you can at least draw comfort from those around you. You still wake to a world surrounded by those comforts! Me...well, I was ripped from those comforts and why, because Draven had some warped idea that it would be better for me…well you know what, screw him and you
and
most of all your sick, warped ideas of me living a better life because I am living in Hell just like he is!”

“
I wake in my own version of it every damn day and every damn day I know it’s because he put me there! So, what do you say now Vincent, still think I should meet a nice guy and settle down?!” I know I was blaming others but I couldn’t help the pent up bitterness that had just been released. I had no other person that I could even talk to about this and now I had finally found one, I just wanted to erupt! And bless his Angelic heart, he just sat there and took it.

Once he knew I had finished
, he stood and I burst into another pitiless sob and ran to him. He caught me and held me to him as I mumbled my sorry into his chest, one still wet from my earlier tears.

“Ssshh, it’s alright, I have you…I have you now
.” He said smoothing back my hair and rubbing my back. After I really didn’t have anything left this time I looked up at him.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Yes you did and you had every right. Dom’s reasons for sending you out in the world were not so you could feel alone, but to give you a new start, foolishly he could not be convinced otherwise. I thought…well…I thought this might happen but not as severely as it has. I didn’t realise…I” He paused and tore his gaze from me as if seeing the answers there.

“What?” He locked his emotions with me then
, with just one look and if his arms hadn’t been holding me up I would have buckled to the ground. I knew his next words would be confirmation to how I had felt since that day.

“I didn’t realise
your soul had become so entwined, so locked in to the beings we are that you would not make it out in the world alone. I should have known, but none of us expected this outcome to be true. We thought the longer without Draven’s essence, the easier it would become, not harder…I feel like we failed you.” He said lowering his forehead to mine and the zing of energy it gave me just confirmed his words to be even more powerful.

“The fates failed me, no other. I cannot blame Draven for dying as much as
I can blame you for going along with wanting the best for me, I just wish that this changes things, but I know you’ll still have to leave me…don’t…y…you?” My last word broke with just the thought and he couldn’t answer me with anything but a nod.