Owen didn’t seem to be bothered by the arrival of the vampires as he stood in front of us, watching the axe Mandy held as he realized this was where the pain was coming from. He didn’t jump onto Luke to maul him as he had the woman from earlier or how he had reacted to us. It wasn’t until Luke went to Mandy’s side and reached out to touch her that Owen reacted.

His snarling growl of warning as he stepped in front of us could easily have been mistaken as a protective stance but as Luke hissed at him and he growled back, I saw it for what it really was.

They were both predators.

Luke was not a threat until he wanted what was his and the hairy arm swung out, knocking Luke across the yard. The muscular body leapt towards him where he landed roaring as it did so we could see the saliva by the kitchen light fly onto Luke. I couldn’t help but laugh at how disgusting that must have been and Mandy quickly opened the door of the car, using the distraction Luke provided wisely unlike me who laughed.

I quickly shut up as Mandy screamed, Curtis’s limp body fell from the car and getting up I didn’t have time to get myself together before Dominik grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards so I stumbled towards him.

“Let her go!” Mandy shoved Curtis the rest of the way from the car, raising her axe she was ready to swing at him.

“Leave Amanda. You can walk out of this unharmed” Dominik offered as I stopped struggling beside him. He wasn’t letting go and his grip was making my arm ache.

“No”

“Mandy, get in the car. Go to Cam ok?” There was no point in keeping up my strong façade. I was scared, I was tired and I had enough of hurting. Hot tears ran down my face, I had forgot the cold up until that point and involuntarily shivered.

“No!” She screamed, the yelp coming from Owen had us all looking to the fight we had forgotten about as Luke managed to drop the werewolf and in snapping its neck, the body returned to that of Owen but the cracking of his bones changing had me gasping and Mandy sobbing at the prospect that Luke had just killed him. It wasn’t his fault he was a werewolf, despite threatening our lives, he didn’t deserve to die. “Owen!”

Mandy and I both went to run forward at the same time only I was held back.

“Didn’t kill him, relax” Dominik whispered and shoved me into the car, ignoring the fact I tripped on Curtis who was still unconscious beside it. “Get in or before you can even think of running, she’s dead”

Mandy was at Owens side and an exhausted Luke was leaning over, resting his hands on his knees he had a nasty gash on his forehead and he was struggling to get his breath back. Ours eyes met as I closed the door and I looked away as Dominik climbed in beside me and started the car. Mandy got up and moved to run to the car but Luke was quick to hold her back and I left my parents home for what could be the last time and I never got to say goodbye.

“That’s probably the first sensible thing you’ve done since you’ve been with me” Dominik teased, turning onto the main street the shops were all closed with no one on the streets I could even attempt to find some kind of help with.

“Go to hell” I snapped, leaning against the window I tried to find some kind of way out but all I could think of was this it? Was I spending what could be my last minutes or hours on this earth focusing only on the end?

We pulled up at the riverside; it was on the other side of the town and a popular spot in summer for picnics and swimming. The large rocks that lined one section of the bend were perfect for jumping off or laying on to sunbake. I hadn’t been here for years, just over three to be exact.

“Come on” Dominik got out and going to open my door I hesitated realizing he had left the keys in the ignition. Before I could move to climb into the drivers side my door was opened and he extended his hand smirking.

He left them there on purpose.

 Sighing I got out, shoving past him I stood shivered in the cold. Streetlights lit up the path that wound through the grassed area as if it was expecting visitors yet I knew there would be no one around for miles and he started towards the path, expecting me to follow. I didn’t have much choice. Maybe if I went along with it, what ever it was, I might have a chance and my steps were slow and heavy behind him as I wrapped my arms around my chest in a bid to fight off the cold.

“What are you thinking about?” We had gone down by the waters edge; for the most part it was still flowing and I don’t ever remember it completely freezing over with the winter.

“The river and why it never seems to freeze” He stopped, looking at me amused.

“That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” Nodding I kept walking along the path and he walked on beside me. Looking down I watched my feet as I walked, one step after the other and the wet sheen to the pavement reminded me of the scar on his chest, the one I gave him.

“Why did you scar? Luke told me blood is rejuvenating and when you’re injured you just need to feed to recover”

“Luke tells you a lot doesn’t he?”

“Enough” Not even close but Dominik didn’t need to know just how lacking in real information most of what Luke told me was. The majority of it was thanks to him never actually getting around to fill in the blanks.

“It never got to heal properly”

“Why?”

“The fucking thing splintered and I couldn’t get it all out,” He growled and I instantly regretted asking. “You missed my heart by the way but nice shot”

“Thanks” He looked down at me annoyed but he half smiled and despite the topic of conversation I returned it, bumping into his side almost playfully breaking the tension. How many times had we walked along this path, as friends then lovers? Constantly chatting about anything and nothing, laughing as we were with friends. Just two people who were happy.

“Ry…” I stopped quickly, swallowing nervously. “Nik, I’m sorry about doing that”

“You were scared” He shrugged, looking almost awkward with the change of conversation and I stopped walking. He looked back at me frowning and I saw the start of a way out. He had asked me, now I had to do the same.

“Do you love me?”

“I loved you”

“And now?”

The way he said loved my hopes and glimmer of way out disappearing and I had no doubt he could hear the way my heart was racing. But he didn’t answer, muttering something I couldn’t hear under his breath he started walking fast and foolishly I followed. In all honesty I wanted to hear the answer, more than sending him on a guilt trip to give the human its freedom and I realized to late where we had actually ended up walking to.

The tree sat tall and proud by the bend in the river with its longer branches reaching like an arm over the water and on the lower branches a rope dangled motionless by the bank. No one fought to hold it now. Young bodies didn’t fly through the air savoring that moment of defying gravity before hitting the water below. No laughter sounded from the banks, the chatter of pointless conversations was silent from the other branches and the colorful picnic blankets and towels that covered the grassy hill the tree were non-existent.

But despite what was lacking as we stepped over the tree roots that rose from the ground like the dead, it stared back at us as clear as the half moon hung in the sky above. The initials of two young people in love scared the bark, forever immortal like the few hundred of others that had been dotted all over the tree by generations before.

Dominik stared at it silently, his face expressionless as his eyes glazed over and hesitantly, as if the letters etched in that love heart on the wood were poison I reached out and felt around the edge remembering it all as if it had happened yesterday. I had only been seventeen, so young and so stupid.

I didn’t know why he came here and words left me as to what to say.

He still cared.

He still loved.

He had to.

Back in his apartment he had told me he didn’t know what he was going to do with me. Kill me, change me or let me simply live and trying to find some clue as to where his was going I turned back to face him.

His face softened, the thin line of his mouth relaxed and that casual confident smile appeared. I couldn’t help but stare at him, studying each part of that face I used to be able to read like a book for something more, something that would tell me it was going to be ok but it wasn’t there.

“Do you remember how much time was spent here?” He asked, his voice distant and that slight twang of an accent that had been present when he said his real name reappeared. His eyes stared at the heart, LD 4 RM 4 EVER.

Still unable to form words I nodded.

“It is almost laughable that four hundred years after being given the gift of immortality, I wanted to be nothing more than some nineteen year old human. I killed the last person who told me I should not be as arrogant to think that I could live how I did and be unaffected by the living yet here, I found myself feeling a greater rush than taking life had ever provided” He paused, looking behind him as if expecting someone and looking back I couldn’t see the car park or any other light that would be a sign someone was near.

 “From living?” I had no confidence left and my voice was as weak as I felt.

“Loving” He pushed me against the tree so our bodies were flat against each other. Did this mean he wasn’t going to kill me? He rested his forehead against mine, the cold leaving my body with heat coming from deep within as my heart went even faster in a nervous anticipation. “I lived over four hundred years before a little girl made me truly question my existence, before I knew how I could be loved and she has since made me realize with the gift of a permanent reminder just what I need to do”

“And that is?” I asked breathlessly, looking wide eyed into his eyes that darkened before changing to that of the vampire as Dominik’s face gave way to the monster within him.

“Live another four hundred more without her making me question myself like the one who made me did” I gasped, knowing exactly what that meant. "So tell me little girl, are you scared of dying?"

How stupid was I to think that I could truly matter him? What kind of person would kill what they loved? But I was trapped in the same fantasy, he was not the nineteen year old human. He was a vampire and in this reality, what did one human life really matter?

“Don’t kill me, you’ll regret it. It’ll be four hundred years regretting you killed the girl you love” I didn’t want to beg but as he kissed my neck I was willing to do it.

I was scared of dying.

“Loved. I won’t make that mistake again” He scoffed. My scream was shrill and short lived as that pain shot through my neck, into my shoulder and up to my brain like a trail of electricity and each nerve ending screamed in protest at the assault.

“Let her go!” As the pressure against me was released my shaking hands went to my neck, feeling the wet thickness of my blood nausea swelled in my stomach and wasn’t helped seeing his mouth stained red.

“Don’t. Move” He warned me while Luke’s steps were getting closer and louder but it didn’t help as Dominik moved my hand, licking the marks of his teeth that had not been able to go deep enough to actually rip the flesh away, or maybe he wouldn’t. Apart from the pain, last time he had done that it was all a blur and he had healed it up without a scar or sign it even happened. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be like last time. As he stepped away I sunk to the damp base of the tree, holding my neck I couldn’t cry, I could barely think and frozen in time watched Luke charge at him.

They were talking but I could only hear it as if listening through a glass on the wall, their bodies blurring as my eyes watered from not blinking and it was then I saw something land by me, but more importantly I felt the vibration of its thud by my foot. Swallowing hurt, I could taste blood at the back of my throat as nausea now burnt up from my stomach but in doing so I got back the ability to blink and looking down was a blade, a sword? My mouth opened in realization – an axe.

My neck throbbed but for what ever reason it seemed to have stopped bleeding, clearly or I’d probably be dead already and trembling I grabbed the weapon bringing it close against my huddled body.

I would not give up so easily.

Owen taught me better than this. I owed it to Mandy and my parents to try harder.

Looking up Dominik had Luke on the ground and the once dormant rope that hung out over the lake was back towards land and it was at the end of this that Dominik had Luke’s arms tied together before wrapping it over his chest and done, he let him go.

“You can watch her die Lucas, another memory to add to your collection of women you couldn’t save” Dominik didn’t sound like himself; he didn’t sound like Ryan either. His voice was bitter, spiteful yet desperate.

He was loosing control.

“No Dominik, I tried. I can use that to help me fight the demons on my back but you? You will be plagued with guilt from your actions until you walk into the flames begging for death” Luke spat back and Dominik punched him hard in the stomach making him gasp and fall, unable to fight the tension in the rope he slid down towards the bank of the river.

“I doubt that Lucas. For it to both me, I’d have to care”

I groaned standing and instantly he looked back to see me taking a step forward.

“I told you not to move”

“I told you to go to hell, guess we cant follow orders” I challenged and he came striding over, not expecting me to bring the axe out from behind my back and take a swing. He dodged it nimbly but as he moved again I saw him touch his side, cringing slightly and instead of aiming high I went low. Adrenaline made me stronger, faking confidence this was it.

A life for a life.

He went to grab me and I took another swipe, his frustrations were growing making him blind to the obvious and I managed to get the edge of his arm, a small slice not deep but enough to enrage him further. I was playing with fire, again, and didn’t want to be the one getting burned.

Not tonight.

He managed to get the axe out of my hands and I went in to kick him back but thinking he was one step ahead of me he went to block it but I stopped instead and punched him as hard as I could in the jaw and raising his arms from his side I kicked out sending him backwards with a groan. I was tired, my legs aching from the cold and fumbling to pick up the axe I got it just in time to swing, closing my eyes I made the movement swift and hard, his scream of agony making me cringe as I knew I had hit him.

Opening my eyes I didn’t get to see the damage as Luke yelled my name and I was crushed down against the earth. Looking up the red line took center stage from the ripped fabric of his shirt. I had been to low and not close enough but his chest was sliced open, not deep enough to stop him or kill him and that was my final move.

“Lulu, I will always remember you. Thank you for all you have done but I am ready to leave these last few years behind me. Maybe one day we will meet again” The kiss was hard, forceful and his fang cut the edge of my lip as he didn’t hold back and finishing what he started.

I never passed out this time, the scream changing to a groan to shortened breaths and as he finished I fought the black spots and sleep that called. While still conscious, I was numb. All feeling had left me, whether from the cold or the end, which I knew was coming.

He had all but drained me.

Our eyes met, the regret clear all over his face. He could say what he wanted, do what ever he pleased but I knew the truth.

He still cared.

He still loved.

He walked away and Luke’s shouts somehow managed to force me to turn my head which felt to big and heavy to do such a motion. He promised he was going to save me, change me. He tried to reassure me this wasn’t the end all the while he was wriggling, growling, trying to free himself in a useless frenzy. In some ways, I was glad Luke was here and I couldn’t help but wish I had known him longer and a flood of sentimental thoughts and regrets came to mind and where did that leave me exactly?

One vampire had left me for dead, the other wanted me changed but was unable to do so and as the shadow of death was hovering in the corner of my vision and I knew he was there for me, waiting and watching knowing just like I did that my luck had finally run out.

“Luke, does it hurt to die?” I hoped he understood what I asked, I wanted the reassurance not of being bought back but that going would easy. Would there be a white light to guide me on to heaven or would I go to hell for my sins. I had killed people, vampires but technically they were still living. I don’t know what God judges you on in the end but whatever the consequences of my life’s actions, I would accept it all.

“Not as much as it does to live,” He muttered bitterly, the growl to his words coming from the vampire and he finally stopped attempting to move.

“Why don’t you end it then?” I managed to stutter out between ragged breaths. The effort to breath was like trying fighting a snake coiled around my chest and if I stopped the fight, it would be over I could hear his answer. He had his dark moments; never glamorizing what he was and never letting me forget that everyone human was going to die. It’s why vampires never really bonded to humans, why keep putting yourself through that constant pain of loosing what you care about? Then again Luke had lost some of his vampire family too so either way you’re destined to failure.

“I want to see the rest of the Harry Potter movies” He joked finally giving up on escaping his ties and offering me a smile. My eyelids fluttered closed, as I couldn’t keep the muscles in my neck strong enough to look in his direction or return the gesture and my head rolled to the side as if removed my body with the natural slope of the ground. “Lucy! Wake up! Lucy!!”

My mouth hung open, the last remnants of saliva pooling in the corner as finally death left its place and approached, bringing with it a comforting sense of peace. I felt the icy fingertip go over my eyelids, closing them for the last time as my jaw was closed into place and the feeling of urgency, that I had some where else I needed to be beckoned like an old friend.

Luke was right, again.

Dying didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as what living did.