Darkness Falls

I pursed my lips tightly. I didn't want to tell him, or anybody else about my recent change of heart. They could look at me like I was weak, and wouldn't unite under a common enemy. Unfortunately, I needed to be honest with everyone or they would never trust me. After all, I wouldn't trust myself either. I pointed at Michael. "Because of him." I replied. My voice was shaky from emotions.

Michael looked confused and backed away slowly.

I looked at Colton. "By falling in love with Michael, I turned on my emotions after turning them off for decades. It was a gradual process, but I have changed and regret everything I have ever done and every soul I have harmed. I wish I could take everything back, but I can't." I told him.

Colton was still pissed off. "Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now!" He demanded.

I sighed, and reached for a piece of wood in the fireplace, and broke it off, creating a wooden stake and threw it at Colton's feet. "Because you can't kill me with the gun. A wooden stake, decapitation and sunlight are the only way to kill full-blood vampires. If you want to kill me then do it. I deserve death a thousand fold for every transgression I have committed. I deserve to burn for eternity a hundred times over. But, killing me can never bring your mother back, and it won't change the danger we are all in." I replied.

Colton looked down at the stake, seething with rage. He picked it up, and clenched it tight enough to make his knuckles white. He ran at me, and aimed it directly at my heart. He screamed right before he impaled it into my chest.

I made no effort to stop him, but Michael did. He ran closer to me, but Colton pointed the gun at him so he stopped dead in his tracks. I gasped for air, and was in tremendous agony. The stake was scraping against my heart, and the slightest twitch could plunge it into my heart and kill me.

I held a trembling hand out and gently took a hold of his. "If you're going to kill me please listen to me. I am truly sorry for what I have done to you. The afflictions that have overcome you, and the tragedies and attacks that have followed I sincerely feel remorse for." I told him. I let go of his hand, at peace if he decided to take my life.

Suddenly Colton stiffened up and his eyes darted to the right. "I don't care, she deserves it!" He shouted.

I looked to his right, knowing that Annabelle was trying to talk him down.

Colton sighed and removed the stake, and threw it to the ground. He then fell to the floor, on his knees in front of me. We were both eye level with each other. He started weeping. "Why? Why did you kill my mother? She was innocent, and did not deserve it. She was all I had left." He asked in a defeated tone.

I breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't killed me. "Colton, I am so sorry. I was evil, there was no other excuse. I can never even begin to make things right, but I will never stop trying." I told him, trying to comfort him.

Heather stood up, and walked towards us. "Colton, she was not all you had left. I am still here for you." She told him.

Colton shook his head. "How can you possibly be after everything I've done to you? I have lied to you, deceived you and taken advantage of you!" He asked.

Heather squeezed his shoulder. "None of that matters now. I told you I was going to be here for you no matter what." She replied.

Colton didn't say anything else, and stood back up. He looked emotionally drained.

Sarah came over to me, and offered her arm for blood. "You need this, in case something happens. I would rather you take it from me than anybody we fight." She told me.

I wanted to resist but the fire in my throat burned like a flamethrower. I hadn't fed in over a week, and knew I would need it to heal. Right now, there was a gaping hole in my chest where the stake had been. I nodded, taking her arm and bit into it. My hypodermic fangs sank into her artery, spraying her warm blood in my mouth.

Blake looked nervous, as he hadn't seen me feed before. I was having difficulty controlling myself, but I managed to tear myself away from her arm. I clamped down on her artery and bit my own wrist, dropping my blood into the bite marks, healing her. "Thank you." I told her.

Sarah nodded, and sat down beside Blake again.

After my wounds healed, I looked around at the freakshow in front of me, and wondered how the hell we were going to win against an enemy that couldn't be found.

CHAPTER SEVEN - COLTON

Maggie led us down her hallway, and pointed to a room. "This is where you two will stay. There's only three rooms and a basement, but I doubt you want to stay in a torture room." She informed us.

Heather entered the room, but I stayed outside. I decided I needed to apologize to Maggie. I didn't want to, but knew I was over the line. Not only did I almost kill her, but I almost shot Michael as well. I was horrified at what I had just done, but the evil creature inside me wanted nothing but vengeance. I snapped, and was unable to control myself until Annabelle calmed me down.

I looked at Maggie, uncertain of how I was going to do it. Ultimately, I just decided to be honest. "Thank you for accepting us in, and giving us a place to stay. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness for what I pulled earlier. I wasn't thinking straight, and I should never have done that." I told her.

Maggie nodded. "I accept your apology. The only question is whether you accept mine or not." She replied.

I did not want to forgive her. She nearly killed Annabelle, put a death curse on my mother that killed her, and turned me into a monster. But, these were desperate times and I needed all of the help I could get. I nodded. "I forgive you. Neither one of us were ourselves when we did what we did." I told her.

Maggie pursed her lips and shook her head. "That's just the thing- I was myself. I was a monster that wanted to bring pain and suffering to anybody I possibly could. I didn't care about you, or that your mother was completely innocent. For that I am truly sorry. Being with Michael has made me a better person, and has helped me regain my humanity after being shut off for a very long time." Maggie told me.

I looked at Heather as she was looking around the room.

"Do you truly feel for her?" Maggie asked, interrupting my train of thought.

I looked back at Maggie, hesitant to answer.

"Don't lie. Tell her the truth. I'm at peace with it." Annabelle whispered in my ear.

I nodded. "Yes. The even more unbelievable thing is that she decided to stay after everything." I replied.

Maggie nodded, peeking in at Heather. "We'll make sure that nothing happens to her, or Sarah. They will have to go through the rest of us to get to them. I'll leave you in peace." She told us, and walked away. She led Blake and Sarah to their room.

I went into the room and closed the door. No doubt Heather had questions, but we were in a house full of supernatural creatures with superhuman hearing. Nothing that we discussed was going to be secret. I sat on the bed, ready for her to grill me.

Heather looked like she was conflicted, somewhere between heartbroken and angry. She sat on the bed beside me. "I have so many questions to ask, and no idea where to start. I feel like I don't even know you. Everything that I knew about you was a lie or a cover-up. How could you do this to me? Be honest, you can't break my heart anymore than you already have." She told me.

I nodded and sighed. "Everything I told you was true, but I did leave some things out. This secret has been slowly killing me, and I'm glad to share it. When we first met, I didn't want to go out with you. My mother pushed me to do it, and Annabelle thought it would be good to keep up the appearance of a relationship. At least, that's what she told me at first." I confessed.

Heather was silent and had an emotionless face.

I felt like shit and couldn't bear to look at her. "After the coma, something changed. I felt an electrifying connection to you. Feelings I had suppressed because of a compulsion spell were lifted, and I began to fall in love with you. Annabelle told me that she wanted me to be happy, regardless of who it was with. The truth is I love both of you sincerely." I told her truthfully.

Heather was still silent.

I sighed. "Heather, I don't deserve your love, compassion or forgiveness. I just want you to know how sorry I am for doing these things to you. I used to think that Maggie was the biggest monster I have ever met, but now a monster is all I see when I look in the mirror." I told her.

Heather nodded and closed her eyes, wiping tears.

I wanted to reach out and touch her but she was disgusted by me right now. "If you want to leave me I would understand. I would never try to stop you." I said, on the verge of tears myself. I waited for her inevitable rejection of me.

Heather was silent for several minutes. "Aren't you supposed to fight for what you love?" She asked.

I nodded. "You are the only person I care about whose heart still beats. I would lay down my life to keep you safe." I replied.

Heather placed her hand on mine. "I forgive you." She told me.

A wave of emotions rocked me to my core. I had fully expected her to walk away from me. "I can't tell you how much that means to me." I told her, looking into her eyes.

Heather sighed, wiped tears from her eyes and smiled. "You're lucky she's a ghost, that's the only reason I'm okay with it." Heather told me.

I laughed, looking at Annabelle who was also smiling.

"Thank you for telling the truth." Annabelle told me.

Heather saw what I was looking at, and had a look of wonder come over her face. "Is she here now?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yes, she is always with me. Sometimes not physically, but I try to give her as much freedom as possible." I replied. I stretched my hand out, and intertwined my fingers with Annabelle. "Stretch out your other hand in front of you." I told her.

Heather complied, and placed her hand palm-up in front of her. Annabelle then touched her hand, to which Heather jumped in surprise. She slowly reached out her hand, and did it again. This time, she didn't pull away when Annabelle touched her.

Heather looked back at me. "This is incredible. I still am having a hard time believing what I'm feeling." She said, smiling. Her look turned more hesitant. "In the future if we-you know, do our thing, will she be watching us?" She asked nervously.

I nodded. "Even if she dematerialized and returned to my body, she could still see everything my eyes see. She's able to recall things in my memory that I have forgotten, talk to me and inform me of things that happen while I'm unconscious." I replied.

Heather raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's something I'll have to get used to I guess. It's kind of a dumb question, but are ghosts capable of making love?" She asked.

I giggled and looked at Annabelle. "I'll put it this way. She is very capable of interacting with me on a physical level." I replied.

Heather's eyes grew wide with shock. "Umm, okay! Forget I asked. Well I only have one rule then. No bringing her out when I have my time with you, to watch or otherwise. If you accept that, I can accept our very unorthodox relationship." She told me.

I nodded. "Sounds good." I replied.

Heather looked at her phone and yawned. "Let's get some sleep. It's past four in the morning." She told me.

I nodded, and got in bed under the covers with Heather. Within a few minutes, Heather and I were both asleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT - BLAKE

I closed the door behind us and stripped down to my underwear. "Well, this night has been an absolute shitshow. We go from killing people trying to kill us, to trying to kill each other. How the hell is this supposed to work if none of us trust each other?" I asked. I looked down at my stomach, which was still in severe pain. The wound on my leg was extremely tender but was healing faster.

I could feel the silver coursing through my veins, burning me as it touched every part of my body. I was in a weakened state, but still more powerful than a human. Even when I lost control and tried to turn, my body wouldn't let me. My body tried to shape shift, and the act nearly drained me. I had no idea how long the silver would stay in my body, but the wait was agonizing in multiple ways.

Sarah looked at me sympathetically and gently placed a hand on my stomach. "We are alive, after incredible odds. That is all that matters. We must learn to trust them, just as they must learn to trust us. Without it, we will never be able to fully cooperate together." She told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "That's easier said than done. The people we're fighting know all of our weaknesses, and know exactly how to take us down. We are more than human, but humans have the edge right now. How are we supposed to fight that?" I asked.

Sarah wanted to remain positive, like the person she normally is. But, I could tell this day had taken its toll on her. She looked weary, exhausted and defeated, as did we all. "I don't know. But, we have to think of something, because the Coalition has a game plan and we have nothing." She replied.

I nodded, sighing. I sat down on the bed, deep in thought. I touched the bullet hole, and winced in pain.

Sarah stripped off all of her clothes, and got into bed, but did not get under the covers. Instead, she faced me and just stared into my eyes. She had a troubled look on her face, like she was thinking about something she didn't want to think about.

I laid down beside her, looking into her eyes. "What is it?" I asked.

Sarah sighed. "I almost lost you today. I love you, more than you could imagine. I don't know what I would do without you. You came into my life so fast, and I fell head over heels for you. Almost like it was destiny. All I could think about on the way here was how I couldn't bear living without you." Sarah told me, a tear running down her face.

I cupped her face in my hands. "I love you more than life itself. I don't know what I would do without you either. When I was in the woods, you were the only thing on my mind the entire time. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. In the end, I think you are right about it being destiny. You are my entire world." I told her.

Sarah smiled, then leaned in to kiss me. She then kissed my neck, causing a different fire to ignite in me. She ran her fingers up my chest, sending goosebumps up my spine. She then climbed on top of me, attempting to be gentle.

I sighed, and kissed her forehead. "I don't think I can make love to you right now. We don't know if I can transmit lycanthropy to you from sex. Not only that, but I am not exactly in the best shape right now." I told her.

Sarah looked disappointed, but nodded. "I'm sorry." She told me.

I shook my head. "Don't be. I love your touch. I just don't think right now is the best time." I replied, and explored her body with my hands.

Sarah kissed me one last time, and got off of me. She got underneath the covers, and closed her eyes.

I was tired, but I needed to use the bathroom before I went to bed. I put my pants back on, and stepped outside. I walked towards the master bedroom, seeing the bathroom beside the door. I went in, and did my business. When I stepped out, Maggie was standing right in front of me, scaring me. "Jesus Christ, you scared me! Why the hell are you in front of the bathroom door?" I whispered.

Maggie chuckled. "Well, this is my house. I overheard your conversation with your mate. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I can't help it. I have superhuman hearing, and it's not something I can turn off." She told me.

I folded my arms. "Why are you talking to me about this? It doesn't concern you." I told her.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Well, you are in my house, and in my bed. I personally don't care what you and Sarah, or even Colton and Heather do, as long as you clean up. That's not the point of this conversation, though. I overheard your comment to Sarah about possibly transmitting lycanthropy through sex." She told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "You'd better have a good reason for talking to me about this. What Sarah and I discuss in private stays between us, even if you can hear it." I responded in an annoyed tone.

Maggie nodded. "I do. I have an answer for you. I want you to know that I have studied werewolves for a long time, and I know a great deal about the transmission of the disease. You should know that you are not only contagious at night, but during the day as well. You are never not contagious." She told me.

I was shocked that she had told me that. "So you mean I can transmit it during sex?" I asked.

Maggie shook her head. "I didn't say that. Lycanthropy has to be transmitted to the bloodstream, by either a bite or injection. Sex at any time is perfectly safe between you and Sarah." She informed me.

I was relieved. For too long I had been scared of Sarah contracting Lycanthropy. She had told me that she loved me, and would accept the risk to be with me. I didn't want her to contract it, so I tried to minimize the risk. "Thank you for telling me." I replied.

Maggie nodded. "You're welcome. Although, you still have super strength at night, so it still might not be a good idea. Speaking of night, I will be keeping a watch out tonight. I need you to keep watch during the day. I can smell the silver in your body is almost gone, you will be healed before sunrise." She told me.

I nodded. "I can do that." I replied.

Maggie nodded, then disappeared right in front of my eyes.

I closed my eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief. I had been worried for so long that I could transfer what I had to Sarah. I wouldn't wish lycanthropy on my worst enemy, let alone the woman I loved. It was probably dumb to even risk it if I didn't know in the first place, but Sarah said she knew the risks and would accept anything that happened.

I walked back to the room, and climbed on the bed. Sarah was already fast asleep, so I joined her. As the silver dissipated in my body, sleep managed to overtake me as well. For the first time in a long time, I slept soundly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke to the feeling of painlessness. All silver that once poisoned my body was now gone. I looked down at my stomach, and saw that my wounds were completely healed. There wasn't even any tenderness. I breathed a sigh of relief that the pain was gone.

I looked over at Sarah, who was still fast asleep. I picked her phone up, and checked the time. It was after ten, I had only been asleep for about five hours. That being said, I was well rested. I wrapped my arm around Sarah's chest and kissed her neck.

Sarah stirred slowly, and grinded against me. She then turned around and faced me. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

I smiled. "Much better. The silver left my body, and my wounds are healed." I responded. I considered telling her what Maggie told me, but she would probably think that talking to her about our intimacy was weird.

Sarah grinned mischievously. "Is that so? How about we continue where we left off last night?" She asked. She then leaned in to kiss me, and pulled me on top of her.

I kissed the hollow of her neck, and slowly massaged her breasts. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.

Sarah grinded against my member, already rock hard but still held at bay by the fabric of my underwear. "Well, I don't want someone to walk in on us, so perhaps we should be quick about it." She replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" I asked.

Sarah nodded. "I am sure. Now put it in me." She told me.

I didn't have to be told twice. I stripped off my underwear, and placed my member at her entrance.

Sarah ran her fingers across my muscles. She stared into my eyes longingly. "I love you." She told me in a soft voice.