Space Enough to Grow

I glared at Kellin's unconscious body with more hatred than I ever have before in my immortal life. It was his fault we were here. He decided to betray everyone. He was working with the enemy. I can't believe I ever called him a friend before because right now, I hate him. I hate him so much I want to rip his fucking heart out and force it down his throat.

But I couldn't, I need him to be alive a little bit longer to get information out of him. Chris has the Arcane spirit inside of him and as far as I'm concerned, there's no way to get it out. It has been trapped in it's box for centuries after some very powerful witches were able to trap it. How they got the box is beyond me. It's forbidden to use on anyone because if it's set loose, it could wreak havoc. And now it's out it's box and inside Chris.

Kellin was our only connection to Ashley. And he was going to answer every question. But first, we needed to hear from Devin.

With that thought, I made sure Kellin's restraints were tight enough to where he wouldn't be able to break free and I left the room. I went downstairs to where everyone was sitting, everyone but Kade. He was up in the room where Alexander was sleeping. After Alan was able to calm him down, Kade escaped to the bedroom and kept himself locked away. I wanted so desperately to check on him but I knew he needed some time to his self. He just lost the love of life...he just needed time to himself.

I walked into the living room where everyone was trying to grasp onto what little hope they had left. With Chris being gone...we don't know what step to take next.

"Austin...what are we going to do?" Ricky asked me from his seat next to Angelo. It was like he read my mind. I shrugged and shook my head. My eyes were puffy from the tears and I felt like I was getting a headache, which was weird because that's not possible for vampires.

"I don't know...but first..we need to know why Devin was kidnapped..."I turned to Devin who nodded to me. He still looked tired and worn out but he had his color back and his eyes weren't as sunken in.

"I was onto Kellin..that's why they took me. His behavior was strange...We were good friends before and I would invite him to hang out a lot. But recently when we would hang out, he would constantly ask things about Chris. It struck me as odd to be honest. He never ever cared for Chris that much but lately he was just so interested in Chris" As Devin was talking, Alan stood up so that I could sit and he sat comfortably on my lap. I wrapped my arms tight around him, feeling the need to have him close to me.

"We were out for lunch while Angelo was with Chris and the guys running errands. Kellin had gotten a call and he grabbed his phone quick. But I was able to see the name on the caller ID. I pretended not to and just waited for a few seconds while he was a few feet away. I don't like being nosy but I listened in on the conversation. It didn't take much for me to be convinced that he was up to something...I heard him say "We're getting closer now. He'll be ours soon and it will be time..'.." We were all silent as Devin shared this information with us. So that's why he was taken. He was getting too close to the truth. Kellin knew that he was onto him and in order to keep the secret safe, he had to get rid of Devin.

"How did they catch you?" Alan asked and Devin let out a long sigh.

"I followed Kellin while he was on his way to see Ashley and I confronted him. I demanded to know what he was up to. He tried to act stupid but he knew that he was caught. So instead of wasting my time on him, I told him I was telling Chris about him and that he was planning something. But on my way to Chris's house, they ambushed me and that's how I was taken. I shouldn't have went by myself but it wouldn't have made a difference, there were too many of them" Devin ended his story there and I sat back in my seat.

"So..you knew too much and they started to panic. They had no other option" I summed it all up and Devin nodded before leaning into Angelo. But Ryan spoke up this time.

"So what? We know that they were after the baby. But how does that help anything?? They are still out there planning to take Alexander from us and planning to hurt anyone else in their way! Chris is gone. The spirit is inside of him and he's gone. The only person who had the willpower to do anything is gone. How the hell is knowing that going to help us in any way shape or form!?!" Although I didn't want to admit it, Ryan was right. Knowing this information didn't help us at all.

"Devin..is there anything else you remember..anything at all?" Alan pressed on further and Devin's face changed into a thinking face.

"I don't remember much because I was tired most of the time...but something did strike me as odd. They kept mentioning someone. They never said his name but they always talked as if he was the main one. Like they were serving him. But like I said, they were careful to never say a name around me. " That got me thinking hard about this. This may be bigger than what we originally thought.

"So there's a third party then???...Well...let's go find out who it is..."



"Wakey wakey sunshine" I said sadistically as I through cold water on Kellin's face. Immediately he jumped up from his slumber with a loud yelp. Alan, Aaron, Ricky, Ryan and Shayley were with me as the interrogation began. I grabbed a chair and sat in front of him.

"What the hell man?!?!" Kellin shouted at me and I slapped him across his face. He whimpered as blood dripped from the cut my slap caused on his face.

"This isn't the talking part. This is the listening part so fucking listen" I snapped at him. He stared at me with wide eyes as the cut on his face began to heal.

"You're going to tell me who you're working for. And don't you dare say Ashley because she's just as much as a pawn as you are. Now here's the talking part. Fucking Speak" I glared deep into his eyes and waited. He stared at me with debating eyes...I could see that he was weighing the options.

"I can't tell you..If I do..he'll kill me" He finally answered after what seemed like forever.

"If you don't tell us, we'll for sure kill you. You don't have a lot of options here. Either we kill you or this mystery person kills you" I answered him and he chuckled. But his chuckle sounded hopeless. He looked to the side as if he was staring off into space.

"Then why say anything?? Just kill me then Austin. But I'm not saying anything. Because if your're bluffing, Ash will come and get me before you know it. Then you'll wish you killed me then" Shayley scoffed behind me and moved closer to Kellin.

"You actually think Ash cares about you??? She doesn't give a damn about you. She won't come looking for you. If you knew her at all, you would have never even gotten involved with her" Kellin shrugged Shayley off and kept looking at the side. He wasn't going to tell us so I decided a different approach.

"What do they want with Chris?? If they wanted him out the way, they could have just killed him. But why go as far as the Arcane?" I decided on asking and Kellin smirked, slowly turning his head towards me.

"Imagine having one of the most powerful vampires bowing at your feet...you know what the arcane does Austin..it strips you of who you are. You turn into clay..clay to be molded. They can turn him into anything they want him to be. Ashley will turn him against you and they will have winning side. You're all fucked if you even go near Chris. That was the whole point. Chris is a threat, a very powerful and dangerous threat. Without his emotions in the way, he'll become the most deadly weapon" Kellin started laughing and it pissed me off a little bit. Chris isn't some fucking super weapon or a toy. He's a person and my best fucking friend. I wanted to rip him to shreds but I still needed him alive. So I kept my cool.

"How did you know about the attack?" Alan asked him and he smiled at Alan. I had been wondering this too...Kellin smiled at me as well and didn't answer for a few seconds.

"Just a feeling I had.." He decided on saying and I narrowed my eyes.

"No. You had the explosive preset, Ashley came to the house knowing that we were there. And the countless bodyguards? No. You didn't just have a feeling...how did you know..?" My voice was low and harsh. I couldn't stop glaring at him..I wanted him dead right now.

"My lips are sealed.."

"How the fuck did you know?"

"Not telling you old Austie boy..." Then I just snapped...

I snarled at him before launching myself at him. I tackled him hard and we crashed to the ground, the chair breaking to pieces beneath him. I grabbed him tight by the neck and held him to the ground while Ryan kicked a piece of broken chair my way. I grabbed the wooden shard and aimed it at his heart. Kellin's eyes went totally wide at that point.

"How the fuck did you know!?!? If you don't tell me right now I will fucking kill you!!!!" I screamed at him.

Instead of cowering in fear and spilling his guts, he only smirked at me. And then he did something I never thought he'd do...

Kellins hands broke free from the ropes that binded them and he grabbed my hand..

I expected him to attack me but instead he yanked my hand forward, the stake plunging deep into his heart. Everyone in the room gasped and I stared at him wide eyed..no longer angry but surprised...

Kellin coughed up a little blood and soon his eyes started to white over..his skin turning a grayish black color.

But he was still smiling at me...

"G-g-good luck...f-f-find the truth now..."He whispered before his head fell to the side and I heard him take in his last breath...He was dead...Our only source of information was gone..

I stood up slowly and stared down at Kellin's body for a few moments...It seemed like it was over but it wasn't over. Not over by a long shot. Chris may be out of the picture but we can't give up. Not now or ever. We still have to fight. And we'll find a way...We have to find a way...



After getting rid of Kellin's body..I called everyone into the living room. Including Kade. I was able to get him to come out. He was very reluctant but decided to hear what I have to say. He looked so...terrible and it broke my heart seeing him that way.

They were all gathered now and waiting anxiously. I looked at everyone, took a deep breath and spoke.

"I know Chris being gone is hard...it's hard on all of us. Because unlike us, he had the strength and the willpower to do anything he wanted to. He was the brains of the operation and the determination of us all. And I know it feels hopeless with him being gone..." Mentioning Chris brought a dark feel to the room and I saw Kade look away from me.

"But it's not ending here. Not on my watch. Over my dead fucking body will I let anything happen to my family. Or let anything happen to my best friends son and lover. I'm not letting anything happen to Elizabeth Rose! It's not ending here because I fucking say it's not ending!" There was a new rise of determination within me. I could feel it and I wasn't letting that feeling go...I felt like Chris for a moment.

"Chris is gone but we know more than we did before. We know that someone is operating behind the curtain. Using people to do their dirty work. We find them, we take them down and we protect the children. I say it like it's easy but it's not. It's going to be hard. It's going to hard and rough. This is going to put us all to the test but I'm not backing down because it gets tough. It's not what Chris would do and it's not what he wants us to do..."

"We will find a way to protect the children and we will fucking find a way to get Chris back. This is not the end because we won't let it be the end. They think that got us beat because we lost our friend...but they're wrong. We will emerge stronger than ever and we will take back what was taken from us. We will not fucking run from this because that's what they want!" I could see that my determination was starting to affect everyone because the sadness was being erased from their faces...new hope was being formed.

"We will succeed...I know we will succeed...because I'm the closest to Chris we have. I know how he thinks...I know what moves he will make...I know his battle plans and his strategies...I know we will fucking win this because this is my game now. We aren't playing their game now. They're playing mine..." I looked into each of their eyes and made a promise...a promise to bring Chris home..and a promise to keep these precious children safe...this was on me. I was taking on the role of Chris. This is my house now.

I turned and walked over to the window, placing my fist on the window as the room filled with silence...I closed my eyes for a minute and took a long deep breath.

I reopened my eyes and I could feel the veins growing from my eye sockets, pulsing excitedly.

"I will not stop until I bring Chris home and make these kids safe...I'm taking over now..."