Hey there, thank you for reading Chloe's adventures! Only one chapter after this one and the trilogy is over. I would have never finished if it hadn't been for all the love you've shown Chloe and her story, so thank you and I hope you've enjoyed reading <3  

Three hundred soldiers fought by our side. Only forty survived. Ten vamplings fought by our side. Only Pamela lived, but mostly because she escaped right when the battle started.

Of two hundred cultists, approximately fifty survived, according to William. Once they found out Vilmus was dead, they ran through the northern exit for the tunnels. Everyone was too exhausted to catch them.

Ari was still alive, or at least Thomas saw him alive right before the battle ended.

William lost an arm, but apparently he could attach it back to his body. Thomas almost died three times. Ian was still in a salvia-divinorum-induced coma. Tina and Sheila were alright. They spent the entire fight guarding the main entrance and taking cultists out one by one.

For the past fifteen hours, I haven't left my room.

An ugly, gnawing feeling crept through my veins.

Yes, we won. No, I did not regret killing Vilmus for one single moment. But something about the victory didn't feel right.

The vampires we hunted down were misguided and blinded to who Vilmus truly was. They thought he was a peacemaker, a saviour of our kind, a god-like figure who could do no wrong.

The human part of me understood that we did the right thing by ridding the world of his existence. He was an egocentric, power-hungry tyrant. In the long run, he'd do more damage than good.

The vampire part of me, however, couldn't stop thinking about what he had said.

We gave the military the knowledge that could lead to our destruction willingly.

We were so focused on killing Vilmus and the cultists that we didn't even think what we were doing might have been a bad move.

Yesterday, we've killed one hundred and fifty members of our kind. And our numbers were already declining. Humans managed to kill one hundred and fifty members of our kind and we gave them the weapons to do it.

I turned in my sheets and stared at the alarm clock on my nightstand. 8PM. Next to the alarm clock, an unopened envelope rested. I didn't open it. I didn't dare.

Darkness devoured my room, the twilight outside couldn't penetrate the blinds pulled over my windows.

Someone knocked on my door.

"Chloe?" Sheila's voice reached me. "Are you okay in there?"

"Yes." I murmured.

"Do you think it's time to come out?" She asked. "Come on, we're celebrating."

"I'll be there." I scrambled out of my sheets and put on jeans and my black hoodie.

Sounds of laughter and music reached from downstairs. Perhaps they mourned yesterday, I wasn't there to see it. I opened the door, revealing concerned Sheila on the other end. Her curly hair was in a bun on the top of her head and she had a white bodysuit on, which made her look like an absolute goddess.

She frowned, "You're not looking very festive."

"Not feeling very festive." I shrugged and closed the door behind me.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "We won!"

"Nothing." My smile felt fake and tight. "I'm just sad it had to come to this."

Sheila wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I breathed in her perfume and hugged her back. We've been through so much together, yet I wondered how long it would take to feel like she completely understood me.

She was a vampire now, but I was a vampire longer.

The human part of me still existed, but only in terms of emotions and nostalgia. I was a vampire through and through. She still danced on the line between two worlds.

She couldn't understand we just lost one hundred and fifty members of our kind at the hands of a human army.

"Chloe..." She whispered in my ear before she moved away from me. "I'm so sorry."

I glanced up at her, "What for?"

"For behaving like a stupid bitch." She sighed. "I should have told you I wanted to become a vampire. Hell, I should have reached out sooner."

"It's fine." I brushed it off. "You've got an eternity to make it up to me. "

"Come on." Her smile looked strained. "We have to get downstairs, because Thomas and Tina are a bottle of whiskey away from starting a giant orgy."

A weak laugh fell off my lips, "What?"

"You'll see for yourself." She grinned and turned away from me.

We descended to the living room. Music blasted from the speakers. Caiden and Angie were drinking on the kitchen counter, William stared wide-eyed at what transpired in front of him, his hand in a cast. Tina and Thomas were playing poker, both kneeling on the brand new fluffy carpet, spilling whiskey all over it.

"All in!" Tina shouted and put a couple of chips in the middle of the coffee table.

Thomas laughed, "Are you kidding me? You're out of money!"

"Then," She hooked the hem of her black shirt, "I'm going to bet my clothes."

"Fine." Thomas put his chips in the middle. "I call."

"Hi, Chloe!" Tina shouted once she saw me. "Wanna join?"

"No, thanks." I chuckled. "You might want to take it to the bedroom, though."

"We're fine here." Thomas murmured, "Your shirt, missy."

Tina rolled her eyes and took off her shirt.

Thomas tore his gaze off Tina's boobs and looked at me, "Hey, Chloe, thanks for saving the world."

Have I saved the world? Or have I doomed it? Was there a world where vampires and humans coexisted or would humans never be safe as long as we lived? Would this victory come to bite us on the ass with a vengeance?

My smile felt tight and tense, "My pleasure."

"How are you feeling?" William asked.

I looked at him and offered a tight smile, "I've been better. You?"

He lifted the hand in the cast, "I've been better."

"Chloe." Caiden called me, his gaze falling on the floor. "I'm sorry, we're still here. We were going to leave but Sheila commanded me to stay and-"

"It's fine." I shook my head. "You can stay as long as you want."

"Careful there!" Thomas jumped in, listening to our conversation. "If anyone stays here, they pay rent. Seriously, our utility bills doubled up when Sheila joined this household."

"Hey!" Sheila pouted. "You have no idea what it's like to take care of my hair!"

I ignored them and faced Caiden again.

"You came." I said.

Caiden still stared at the floor, "You called."

"You risked your life." I took in a sharp breath. "I thought someone else would be able to reach Thomas or William before me because the signal in the tunnels was too shitty-"

"Chloe." Caiden looked at me. "You needed help, so I came."

I exhaled, "They could have killed you."

"I owed you one." Caiden shrugged. "God knows you've saved my life too many times to count."

"That's not the same." I shook my head. "I was the one who endangered you first."

Caiden put his hand on my arm and pulled me aside, away from the wandering ears. Thomas and Tina were too busy trying to get each other's clothes off anyway, and Sheila and William only had eyes for each other. I felt bad for Angie, though, she stood in the corner and glanced at us every now and then.

Caiden crossed his hands on his back, his gaze on the floor.

"I don't think I've ever told you how much you meant to me." He said.

Surprise jolted through me, "Cai..."

"Everything that happened..." He took in a sharp breath. "I needed it. Before you became a vampire, I was a sulking, depressed kid without a real goal or purpose, stuck in the past."

My eyes widened.

"I know I've blamed you for everything too many times." He continued. "And for that I'm sorry, because it was never your fault. It was me and my inability to handle change. I know I've said some things that hurt you, but I was delusional and scared. I know this might sound weird, but I'm glad you are what you are."

My lips spread into a smile against my will.

"Thank you." I breathed in. "I haven't realised how much it would mean coming from you."

"I'm really proud of you, Chloe." Caiden looked at me. "You've come such a long way since high school."

"Thank God." I laughed and wiped the stray tear falling down my cheek. "You and Angie can stay here as long as you want. And you know, if there's ever a war, we have a bulletproof room."

"Noted." Caiden grinned. "Thank you."

"Hey, I'm gonna go rest." I turned to the group. "I'm really not feeling my best."

Sheila looked at me, her eyes full of sympathy, "Of course. We'll be here."

I waved my goodbyes, but no one really looked at me. Tina and Thomas were by now both half-naked and William tried to pull Sheila into the corner to talk to her.

Leaving them all alone, I scurried back into my room.

The heavy feeling still sat on my chest, despite the laughter, music and happiness that filled my mansion. I squatted in front of my closet and pulled out a leather bag.

This time, I was the one who needed to get away.

Perhaps they were all fine with their place in the world, but I felt drained and confused. I needed to be alone for a while, away from this group. So, I packed a couple of dresses, jeans and shirts, took the money from the safe at the bottom of my closet, and took out my phone to book a plane ticket.

"Aren't you at least going to say goodbye?"