Tears of the Fallen Ch. 23

The heat intensified until it was all around her. "Anakatrine...I'm afraid." She couldn't see the Queen anymore, she couldn't drag her eyes open or stop the dizziness from enveloping her.

"Anakatrine..."

"Reasa...Oh god, Reasa!" Liam's tears were covering her face, her body protesting as he rocked her against him ignoring the irate bellows from the doctor at her side.

"Liam, let her go..."

"No..." she murmured, forcing her eyes to open, to see her mate's beautiful face above her, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks. She didn't want him to let her go, she wanted to be in his arms forever. "I dreamed of the vampire queen," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "She was so beautiful, Liam. So kind and loving. She helped me find my soul...she helped me..." Her words trailed off, her body needing the rest, her mind so tired all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Oh my god...do you see that?" Mallen's stammer had everyone turning to look at him in surprise. He was pointing at Reasa, at the gaping wound on her leg. "She's healing herself..."

Caleb turned to Rhianna, shooting her a puzzled glance. She was pale and looked exhausted, but she was smiling so widely he knew she'd been up to something. He'd known something was happening when she'd told him to hold her and not to let go no matter what happened. Nothing had appeared to be happening so he'd been a but perplexed by her request but he'd done as she asked. "Annie?"

She yawned, snuggling against his chest as Liam dragged his gaze from his mate to look at them. "Thereasa saved her three souls. Her penance is over." Her lavender gaze connected with the Vârcolac, a happy smile gracing her face. "Anakatrine returned Reasa's immortality, Liam. She will heal herself in good time now, though it would probably be more comfortable if she wasn't left lying on the forest floor while she did."

A hush fell over the clearing, all eyes staring at them. "Do you mean it, Annie?" Liam whispered, hope in his voice. "Reasa is a vampire once more?"

Her smile widened if that was possible and she rose to her feet with Caleb at her side. "She is a vampire once more," she agreed placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take her home now, Liam. Cassia, take Pietro home too. There has been enough drama this night. Let's care for those we can and find a way to help those we can't."

Caleb gathered her to his side, knowing her thoughts were travelling back to Europe and to what could have happened to her brother and his mate. The rest of the pack wasn't aware of that turn of events as yet, and it appeared they would try to limit that knowledge to those who needed to know for the time being.

"Back to Rafe's?" he asked, and she shook her head as she looked at her brother. The Alpha's attention was on his pack at the moment, and the ones he could do something to help.

"Tomorrow," she answered, her heart heavy as her eyes turned to stare off into the distance. "Be safe," she whispered for only Caleb to hear. "Be safe, brother of my heart. Your work here is not yet done."

*****

"Will you mate with me, Reasa?"

How could she deny her fierce male when he looked at her with such adoration on his face? As soon as her body had healed he had loved her with no holds barred, and it had been even more exquisite than their first time together. He hadn't needed to be gentle because she was human. He had been lustful and strong, demanding and tender at the same time. Now they lay together joined, welcoming the dawn's first rays through their open window, her glorious male was asking to join with her forever.

Reaching up a hand, she brushed aside his long, auburn locks, drinking in his beauty and wondering how she had ever deserved to know such happiness. Anakatrine's words whispered through her mind and she pushed away the last lingering self-doubt that she had. She deserved this because she had earned it, with every tear that had been wrung from her soul.

"I have walked through fire to be with you, Liam Eriksson. I have known my greatest weaknesses and shame, and I have known my greatest strengths and compassion. I am honoured to be yours for eternity. Yes, I will mate with you."

The joy on his face brought tears to her eyes, and she let them flow as he moved inside her body, his lips plundering hers, his body worshiping her with his love. Now that she was free from the past, there was hope for this future with her redheaded Vârcolac, and she was taking it while it was on offer. Nothing and no one would deny her.

"Liam...my beautiful Liam...I love you so much." The words were ripped from her soul as her body soared in ecstasy, and her fangs sank into the side of his neck to nourish her second lust.

She could feel his life essence filling her body... both his blood and his seed claiming her. It made her heart thud wildly, it beating racing as his teeth sank into her collarbone and he claimed her as his mate. Nothing had felt so good, and she doubted anything ever would. Nothing could ever compare to this perfect moment of being claimed by her magnificent mate, and now she was a vampire once more, it would be a memory that would never pale.

They danced together in their rhythm of love, true mates joining in a perfect moment of bliss. he gave her his strength and she gave him hers. They were one heart beating, one breath echoing in the early morning air.

"I love you, my sweet, sweet Thereasa. Now and forever," Liam whispered the words with tears of joy in his eyes, complete for the very first time in his life. It hadn't been an easy journey, but he would have walked through endless trials to win his mate's love. She was worth every single tear he'd shed, every single missed heart beat when he thought he had lost her. He was probably going to be a tad overprotective for a little while until the terror of seeing her lying in the forest so lifeless diminished, but he expected she would understand that.

"Thank you for not giving up on me, Liam. For believing in me when I doubted myself. Fate blessed me when it chose you for my mate. I will do my utmost to be everything you ever dreamed of."

"Silly," he chuckled, kissing the side of her neck as he gathered her close. "You already are and always were, Thereasa. With you I am complete and I can't wait to spend the rest of my existence with you. Thank you for trying to kill me."

"Liam!" She groaned as he brought that up, shame running through her at the mere mention of it. She tried to hide her face but he wouldn't allow her to, tilted her chin up so their eyes could meet.

"Do not hide from the past, love. It is what brought you into my life and what helped us learn that the Vârcolac were immune to the toxin. In a roundabout way, it was also what pointed towards the antidote for Amort too. It happened and it's unescapable, but we can look to the good that came of it and not to the misguided thoughts that created the situation."

"You have a novel way of looking at things, my mate," she sighed, a half-smile curving her lips. "I will try to see things from your perspective. I guess old habits die hard sometimes."

He rolled over on top of her once more, his body hardening as he rubbed against her. "I could always think of novel ways to re-educate you when you have a lapse..." He gave her his best leer and she burst out laughing.

"I'd hold that thought if I were you. If my newly reacquired senses are correct, I think we may have some early morning visitors."

"What the hell? Who would be calling at this time of the morning? It's barely dawn..." Liam's grumble came to a halt as he scented their visitors, his gaze swinging away from the bedroom door and back to his mate. "Are you okay with this?"

Reasa sat up reaching for a dressing gown and sliding it on. "I think I need this, Liam. We need to know if this is going to work."

The soft tap on the door interrupted them, and Liam shrugged into a pair of silk PJ bottoms as it swung open.

"Hope you two are decent," Cassia called out a bare second before her head peeked around the door. She was smiling and looked slightly tousled, but her body language was completely relaxed. "Sorry for the early hour but Pietro was being a complete pain. He insisted we come over to see how Reasa was."

It was all the woman in question could do not to gasp in astonishment as the door opened wider and the other couple entered. Pietro's mismatched gaze went immediately to hers, and she wondered what he was thinking behind the carefully neutral expression on his face.

"Liam...would you and Cassia mind?"

Her mate shot her a perturbed glance, but she smiled at him to reassure him. With a pointed look at Pietro who smiled innocently, Liam allowed himself to be escorted from the room by Cassia.

"He won't harm her..." she heard the blonde Vârcolac say as the door closed behind them and she was left alone with Pietro, who remained where he had stopped in the room.

"Are you well?" he asked, when the silence lengthened.

Reasa nodded, unsure what to say to the vampire who had almost died twice because of her actions. In her mind she could still hear his voice in the forest, but she didn't dare hope that he had come to repeat those words.

"You were human. You knew that shot would have been fatal. Why did you do it, Thereasa?" There was honest confusion in his voice, a need for understanding in his eyes.

"I couldn't allow you to die because of my actions," she answered, fighting to keep her voice from shaking from the wealth of emotions that were suddenly building up within her. "I erred in Europe and you suffered something so horrific that no one should ever have had to suffer. Whether or not it was I who administered the Amort was a moot point. I was in charge of that mission and you almost lost your life because of my mistake. I could not allow that to happen a second time."

His eyes pinned her so she couldn't look away, his expression one she couldn't quite make out. "You weren't running to Michael for rescue last night, were you? You were trying to save the lives of your people even though your own immortality had been stripped from you." He paused, taking a few steps closer to the bed. "You knew Michael was here to kill you, didn't you?"

"What is one life when a thousand could possibly be saved?" she asked, her hand touching the cover, inviting him closer. "Would you not have done the same thing, Pietro de la Rios?"

Yes, he would have, if that had been the only option open to him. Staring down at Reasa, he could see that she had honestly believed that had been her only choice, and he felt a kinship with her that he'd never felt before. She was what he knew, a fierce vampire willing to lay down her life for her people. Yes, she had made mistakes and he had paid for some of them, but deep in her heart, she was of his heart and mind. She would die for those under her protection, or those she classed as being hers to protect.

He took the two final steps to the bed, sitting down on the edge, as he kept their gazes locked. "I hated you so much," he ground out, his voice rough with emotion. "You knew that and yet you still threw yourself in front of a bullet meant for me. Do you have any idea how raw it scrapes the inside of your soul to know the person you have hated most in this world would die for you?"

"I will answer that should Michael ever choose to die for me," she replied, a poignant smile on her face because she knew that day would never come. Michael's soul was lost forever and she would rip his head off before she ever allowed him to try to redeem himself in her eyes. She wondered if that was how the vampire watching her felt...if he wished she hadn't acted as she had.

"My soul has been crying out since that day we met in Europe, Thereasa," Pietro whispered. "It has shrieked and raged. It has demanded vengeance and retribution. That agony almost lost me Cassia, and despite mating with her, it still cried out. I didn't think it would ever stop, not as long as you walked this planet. But...last night as I held you, as your blood coated my hands and I listened to your heart slow and felt your breath stutter against my neck...my soul shrieked once more and it had everything to do with you. It cried out No. It wept for the fragile human woman who would give her life for me knowing I hated her. You have no debt left to repay me, Reasa. I forgive you."

The entire time he spoke her tears fell and she didn't try to hide them. Though he cried his own tears and his voice was raw with his emotions, there was such peace on his face. "I'm sorry, Pietro, so very sorry for the hurt I have brought to you." She reached out tentatively, touching the scar on his cheek when he didn't pull away.

He gave a shaky laugh, clearly trying to lighten the moment. "Cassia is very partial to my scars," he admitted with a small smile. "And they freak the vamps out at the Dive which is also a lot of fun."

His expression turned serious once more and he placed his hand over hers and held it to his cheek. "We have both walked different roads, Thereasa. Each of us has been damaged in our own different ways, but we have found something amazing along the way. We have found Cassia and Liam, and we have found a new home where we are welcomed and loved. We have both fallen, but we have risen back up. It's time to put the past behind us and concentrate on the glorious futures we have ahead of us. I am willing to do this. Are you?"

"Yes, oh yes, Pietro, I am so ready for that." On impulse she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly when he enveloped her in his embrace and held her close. "To new beginnings, Reasa."

"To new beginnings, Pietro."

*****

"Do you think I should go up there?" Liam's gaze slid to the kitchen door earning him a snort from his friend.

"I told you, they're fine...for now." Cassia laughed as his head spun around, his expression startled.

"Well there's no telling what Rafe is going to have to say to them both about why they managed to land themselves into their predicament in the first place," she pointed out, though something told her their Alpha was preoccupied elsewhere at the moment. "Seriously, Liam...what Reasa did for Pietro last night, it changed everything."

As if on cue, the dark-haired vampire appeared in the kitchen, smiling as he crossed to Cassia and gave her a resounding kiss. All the tension had left his body and even Liam could see that he was at peace with his soul. If he hadn't seen it he had felt it the instant the other male had entered the kitchen.

Reasa followed him in a few seconds later, sliding into Liam's embrace as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The smile she gave him was beatific and he kissed her, holding her tightly as she laughed at his anxiety.

"Do males ever grow up?" She asked Cassia who was also smiling.

"I'll let you know if mine ever does," the blond wolf quipped back, earning her a harrumph from her mate.

"Did anyone see Kothari last night?" Liam suddenly asked, his brow drawing down in a frown. In all the chaos that had happened, he didn't recall seeing the reticent Vârcolac, and for some reason that made him feel uneasy.

"I don't think so, but then I was more interested in the fact my mate was lying in pieces and you were with Reasa. He had to have been there though; a full pack alert had gone out." Even as Cassia spoke, whatever unease had been trickling down Liam's spine was transmitting to her.

"He feels so calm," Liam whispered, his frown deepening. "Too calm..."

"Dara's agitated," Cassia exclaimed, her gaze turning to Pietro. "Something's very wrong...we need to find Dara right now..."

*****

Dara was pissed with a capital P. She couldn't believe she had allowed Kothari to manipulate her as he had the day before. He had deliberately pushed her buttons, being a complete pig and calling her names to get rid of her. She'd fallen for it too, and that was why she was so mad. She was angry at herself and furious at Kothi. He hadn't shown up for the pack alert and when she got her hands on him she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Stomping up to his house, she was pissed that she'd had to walk half a mile too. Why the hell couldn't he live closer to the main compound? That was something else she would give him a piece of her mind about and to hell if it wasn't really his fault. He was a grown man for God's sake. He didn't have to live with his parents. The fact that she still lived with hers was a moot point.

"Kothari, get your ass out here now!" she yelled, standing with her hands on her hips outside his front door. All the lights were on in the house so she knew he was awake. "Kothari, I mean it! If I have to come in there!"

Silence greeted her, an eerie silence that sent a shiver down her spine. Why were all the lights on? That didn't make sense. Neither, did Kothi ignoring a pack alert. Had something happened to him? What if some of the vampires had doubled back and attacked him while the rest of them were concentrated elsewhere?

"Kothi?" Dara walked up the three steps to the door, her breath catching when she saw it was open a fraction. With a hesitant hand she let it swing open, fear clogging her throat as the main living area came into view. Everything was in complete disarray, every piece of furniture smashed into pieces. The curtains were ripped from the windows, jagged holes in the glass on the back wall.

"Kothi? Answer me!" Panic laced her voice as she entered the wrecked room. There was no sign of any blood or body parts, the house just appeared as if a cyclone had taken place inside it.

Dara ran into the kitchen to find it wrecked, fear clogging her throat at the destruction. She didn't stop there, she turned and took the stairs two at a time, the same chaos echoed in every room she checked. There was only one exception, and it appeared odd that it remained so pristine. Gard and Rayne's bedroom remained untouched, the only evidence that someone had been there, a leather bound journal resting on the middle of the bed.

"What did you do, Kothi? What did you do?" Dara whispered the words, as she reached for the journal, opening it up to the first page...

July 8th

Dear Journal,

Mommy told me to write what's wrong with me. That letting it out in some way was better then not at all. Something is wrong with me. I hear mommy & daddy whispering at night when they think I'm sleeping, even with Antie Annie and Uncle Kaleb.

What's wrong with me?

Dara's heart clenched as she read the first entry, the lost cry of a little boy who knew that he was different even when he was so young. It was hard not to feel empathy for that little boy despite the wanton destruction in the house. Something had happened to push Kothi over the edge. Maybe there was some clue to what it was in his journal. She turned more pages trying to find some evidence of what had set him off. Her breath caught as she read, her heart pounding as she stopped at an entry...

DEAR AGONY

YOUR HURT HER, YOU HURT OUR ANGEL!! HOW COULD YOU HURT HER.

YOU HURT HER

YOU HURT HER

WE HURT HER

WE HURT HER...

Dear God, he was talking of himself as two separate entities! He'd even named the other part of himself...Agony. Who had Agony hurt? Why had it distressed Kothari so much? There were no reports about any pack member being hurt. In fact, the only thing that came to mind was when she'd been with Kothi and he'd lost control. Was he talking about her? She leafed back a couple of pages, re-reading some entries about Kothi's Angel. Did he mean her? It appeared to tie together but maybe she was imagining it.

She paged forward to the end of the journal, and promptly ran out of the room and threw up in the hallway. The last two entries...oh sweet Jesus...if he wrote them after destroying the house...