“Has it really been that long? Hmm, it only seems like yesterday I was meeting Mr Van Helsing, and gifting his family with the power of a vampire.”
“What did you do to Angelique?”
I had to know. How did all our blood together turn her into a human? I had never heard of such a spell, and clearly Angelique thought it was for something else. Could it have been something else?
“A long time ago, I met a girl who begged for my help, to destroy the ones who had wronged her in the most inhumane way, and I offered her great power in exchange for loyalty. Provided she stuck to the rules of nature and did not interfere with the Van Helsing line. But once she turned your mother, I was awoken again to fix the balance.”
“But how are you, my mother?”
Darius spoke up, and Serena again refused to make eye contact with him, and I felt the shame through the bond. I took hold of his hand in response, squeezing it gently to reassure him. Something I never thought I’d do but once we shared our energy, our strength I was also blasted with his true feelings for me. He had been in my shadow since I was called, protecting me, and ever so slowly developing his feelings for me.
“I am cursed with rebirth, every one hundred years I am forced to come back, and right the wrongs I committed during my time as Elizabeth Grey.”
“Does that mean you will one day come here to destroy the Van Helsings?” Darius asked before I had a chance.
“No, as long as the balance is kept. Vampires and werewolves aren’t meant for this world, and it is Hayley and her line's job to remove them.”
“What about me? I am part vampire.”
“You were meant to be, to help Hayley and her duty.”
There was so much information to digest, so much to take in and my mind felt fuzzy from it all. Here was the woman who created my line, the one who brought Darius into the world, she had just made the woman who had destroyed so many lives in this city turn into dust, and she was acting as if it was only a Tuesday, as if it were nothing.
“Darius, I apologise that you haven’t had a mother or the life you were meant to have, but I only had one job and that was to give birth to you.”
She paused, waving her hands over the three of us and any wound, cuts, or pain I had been feeling was removed, healed. A wash of calm fell over me and a sudden happiness.
“Can you turn my mother human?”
“No, she isn’t meant to be here. She deserves her rest. I will allow you a few moments to say goodbye if you wish, and then she will be gone.”
Jacqueline stepped from behind the pillar, her hands still cuffed and when she did start to move forward towards me, I shifted back into Darius.
“I said my goodbyes when she died. That isn’t my mother anymore.”
With a nod, Serena uttered a few words, and slowly Jacqueline disappeared into dust and was gone. A small pinch wrapped around my heart as the pain resurfaced from her death and as much as I wanted to cry, I refused.
I wasn’t used to all my emotions being on show and knew Darius would feel all of these feelings. Standing then with Jackson at my side, he wrapped me into a tight hug, kissing me on the cheek as if we had not seen each other in months.
“I tried to come to you, I don’t know how many of ours escaped but many are dead.”
He began to sound teary, and I hugged him tightly. It wasn’t his fault any of this happened, it was just the world we lived in, the world I was destined to protect and with Darius and him at my side, I would be able to do that.
“We should bury Eric; he doesn’t deserve to be left here and I’d like us to leave here and never return.”
“I will carry him.”
Darius left my hand, and I felt the sudden cold as he let go and watched as he lifted Eric’s body up and headed towards the door. Looking at Serena as if he had many more questions but changed his mind and left the room, leaving Jackson and I with her.
“Wait, were you the one who attacked me in the city a week or two ago? And what about my necklace?”
I asked Serena, she looked at me confused but didn’t give anything away.
“No, I wasn’t,” She paused, as if she were to expand on the subject but then changed her mind. “Your necklace? I’m not sure, I remember Angelique ordering someone to take it from you when you were drugged, but I do not know.”
“Was it not used for the spell? My mother wrote it was to be kept away from Angelique.”
“I’m afraid your mother may have been telling you lies.” She pressed her hand against my cheek, and I didn’t feel myself wanting to move away.