Forbidden (Fallen 2)

For someone that was supposed to be so intent on saving humans from vampires, Aleksei seemed to not care about anyone but himself. He acted more like a vampire than the real vampires did.

The Coven disappeared and came back a moment later with large non-descript black backpacks strapped to their backs, along with various weapons. Some had swords, others had a bow and arrows, some carried stakes strapped to their hips, and the all wore protective vests. They were prepared for an attack or a battle. I couldn’t help but notice how unprotected the vampires looked. But after all they are vampires so I guess they don’t need weapons. Except maybe their teeth and super strength. But I’d still like to wrap Jonathon up in bubble wrap to make sure nothing hurt him. If he got even a scratch on his perfect marble skin I would personally kill whoever had put it there. No one touched my man, no one but me.

We exited the building, this time I didn’t have to hold my breath, I had gotten used to the smell. I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe the place was full of lung killing spores.

The massive garage spread out before us and in the short distance the cars we had arrived in waited for us like obedient dogs. I had been so distracted by the sight of my mother I hadn’t noticed that the garage was full of many large, black, Chevrolet Suburban’s. It didn’t go un-noticed to me that my mother’s Range Rover was gone.

Members of the Coven loaded into the suburban’s. Isaac passed by me, giving my hand a short quick squeeze, he said, “Don’t worry, Ky, we’ll take care of you.” I didn’t miss the glare he sent Jonathon.

“Isaac!” yelled Isobel but she wasn’t looking at him, she was glaring at me. I had never seen so much hate in someone’s eyes, except for maybe Selena’s silver ones. Isaac gave me a small smile and a shrug of his shoulders as if to say, siblings, what can you do about them. I watched him load into the back of a suburban with his sister at his side. It was amazing that they were twins. Sure, they looked alike, but their personalities were completely different. I couldn’t believe they had shared a womb. I sighed, there was no point in wasting my time worrying about Isobel; she didn’t like me and never would.

It irritated me to have to get in the car and ride some more. I had never been much of car rider, even when I was a child I didn’t like it, and to be cooped up in a car for as long as I had been was driving me nuts. I needed some coloring books or a Magna Doodle or something!

I piled myself into the expensive indestructible vehicle. I would be happy when I no longer had to ride in a car for hours on end.

Our stretch of cars was longer this time. The Coven took the front and rear with the car I was in squished in the middle between them and the rest of the vampires. I felt like the president or a king or something with my secret service or royal guard. Gosh, this was beyond ridiculous.

Please, I prayed silently, let Selena die soon, I can’t take much more of this.

Hmm, I thought, maybe I shouldn’t be praying to God for someone to die. That doesn’t seem like a very good thing to be asking for.

The humans, oh God, I was now classifying people by species, drove just as fast as the vampires. It wasn’t long until we crossed the border from Romania into Moldova. Moldova was a small country so it wouldn’t be long until we crossed into Ukraine, and from Ukraine we’d finally cross the border into our destination of Russia.

I didn’t know what was so important about Russia. As far as I could tell, Selena could still get to us in Russia the same as she could get to us in Italy or Romania. But Jonathon seemed to think she wouldn’t cross the border into Russia.

“Trust me, principessa, Sele

na won’t set foot into Russia,” he had said on one occasion when I had questioned him.

I curled against his side, to get comfortable for the long ride, and his body automatically responded to the contours of mine. We were made for each other. Every curve of my body was made to match a curve of his. We were two pieces of connecting puzzle pieces. Soul mates. I was his and he was mine. Mine forever if chose so. Most people would think it was an obvious choice to choose immortality, to choose forever, with the love of your life, of your existence, but could I really give up my humanity. I didn’t think so. Something miraculous would have to happen for me to choose immortality over my humanity. My humanity was too big to give up. I couldn’t give up being myself. If I chose to become a vampire I didn’t know who this new Kylie may be. She, I, might be completely different. But there was always a chance I could stay the same. But I just didn’t believe that. The new Kylie, the vampire Kylie, would desire blood. My favorite foods would no longer be my favorite foods instead there would be only one food that I would be my favorite, blood. Smells would no longer smell the same, things wouldn’t look the same with vampire eyes, and things wouldn’t feel the same. Everything would be completely foreign. I was content staying human, to staying boring, to staying breakable, to staying insignificant, to being me.

I was content to live out my life, as a teenager, as an adult, and as an old woman. I knew all the baggage that came from my decision, especially for Jonathon, if I died then according to the history of vampires he would go crazy. But I didn’t believe that. Jonathon was too good to go crazy. He was a saint. He was my angel. He was good. He was everything.

I snuggled more closely against his side. A single tear slid down my cheek. Could I really risk his soul, his sanity, for my humanity?

I wasn’t sure of my answer.

Did that make me selfish?

I suddenly hated myself more than I hated Selena. I was worse than her. I was the one they should be after, the one they should want to kill, but instead they didn’t recognize the evil inside me. What was wrong with me? I was evil. An evil beyond Selena. An evil beyond all evils. I was willing to live a life that would destroy the one I loved. They should just hang me from a tree already.

Even as I thought all of this it still didn’t change my decision to stay human. That thought made me want to have a big long cry but I couldn’t. If I would suddenly burst into tears that would, of course, cause Jonathon to wonder what was going on. Although, he had probably already picked up on the storm of emotions rolling through my body. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know my decision but I didn’t want to have to remind him because I knew that he still held out hope that I would change my mind and I just couldn’t crush his last shred of hope. I was evil but not that evil.

As if sensing my emotions, which of course he could, he pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. He seemed to sense my reluctance to talk about the hurricane of emotions surging around in my mind and didn’t ask what was wrong. I was glad he didn’t because I wasn’t up for lying.

The road stretched for as far as I could see in the distance. It was endless. Everything lay beyond it. Life, love, betrayal, jealousy, and death.

A jolt rocked through me as I thought those five words. I couldn’t help but feel that we were going to be faced with all of them. I didn’t know when or how but I just knew that they were going to happen. We were headed down a road that leads to life, love, betrayal, jealousy, and death.

My chest caught on the last word. Death. Who would we lose? Or would we lose anyone? Maybe death signified Selena? Or vampirism?

But in my heart I knew that my premonition of death had nothing to do with Selena or being a vampire. No, someone I loved was going to die. I just didn’t know who.

Chapter Eleven: Destination

We stopped for the night in Moldova. There was no fancy hotel that could accommodate so many people and vampires on such short notice, so instead, we found a field and camped out for the night. Jonathon said that I might as well get used to it because when we got to Russia we’d be camping out as well. It would be a miracle if I didn’t freeze to death.

Jonathon said that the reason we would be camping out in Russia was because it would be easier to monitor the grounds than being in a hotel where other humans resided unawares. He said that if Selena showed up, which he declared would not happen, that being in a field that we were familiar with would give us an advantage if a battle broke out. I hoped it didn’t come to a fight and that if it did it would be of our choosing and to our advantage.