Purgatorial

Nina's POV

Serena was enchanting a thin bracelet I'd bought this morning at a cheap jewelry store. I was sitting across from her with a book about herbs, plants and their magical properties. I wanted to know more about Magic and anything magical, plus, I needed the distraction. Serena hadn't been thrilled by my hovering minutes earlier. So far, I'd read about soothing herbs—like Anise. You could put it under your pillow to keep nightmares away. If you extracted Ague root's oil and sprinkled it over someone or yourself, Demons wouldn't be able to touch you without getting burned.

I got caught on a drawing of round berries, painted dark as night over the yellowing pages of Sabine's book. To the drawing's right it read: BELLADONNA

"If Belladonna berries are crushed on a new moon night, they make the most lethal of poisons. However, they will only reveal their deathly properties if they are mixed with either hair, fingernails, saliva or blood from the victim"

My eyes lifted with a sudden flare, it wasn't healthy that I got all hyped for a potential lethal weapon, but I really wanted to rid the world of some unpleasant people—who weren't even human. Heck, I still didn't know what the frack Cain was supposed to be.

"Does Belladonna work on everyone?"

Serena broke silence only after ten minutes, finished anchoring the glamor to the bracelet. She cracked her neck while rotating her shoulders, unfolding her legs and stretching like a cat. Her skin was still marred by scars, it wasn't just her neck, either. Her back looked like she'd taken the burn of an epic explosion and stabbed by every shrapnel shard. I hadn't seen it until yesterday when she asked—rather bravely—for me to put some Burdock sap on her shoulders.

"Belladonna? Sure."

"No, I mean… other than humans. Does it work?"

Serena's full lips smiled grimly.

"Nina, Belladonna is deadly to humans without its berries being crushed on a new moon. We don't go through all that work to kill humans or anyone without a way of healing themselves." Oh. So… Serena's face sharpened as if she'd caught on, "You're wondering if we could use it on Cain, aren't you?"

I liked her more and more every minute.

"Yeppers,"

Her mouth switched into a wry grin that quickly faded, leaving a frown in its wake.

"It's a good question and definitely worth a shot. Cain's got Power, it heals him. Belladonna consumes Power, though. I've never used it, but my mother told me what happens when someone's unlucky enough to ingest the mix. It's not a fast death. First, it tricks the body with hallucinations like terrible fevers, strokes and other things. The mix stays in the body burning away Power. The more Power someone has, the longer their death will drag on. Belladonna uses up Power like its fuel, once it's all gone, the creature can't heal itself anymore and finally their airways close up and they die choking. The problem with a Belladonna potion is getting something of Cain's—with his DNA—and getting him to drink the mix, of course."

"We could inject him with it." I said, remembering it was exactly what Uriel had pulled with Phillip.

"That would work," she grimaced. "But getting close to him wouldn't be easy... Maybe if... If Lucifer was here..." But he wasn't. And I had no idea how to reach him. It wasn't like he carried around a cell phone—Romeo might have one, but it wasn't like I'd asked for it between us meeting him and him betraying us.

Sighing, I turned a few more pages growing antsy and… I froze. I flicked back two pages coming face to face with a huge title: Love Potions

That wasn't the exciting part—below, was a counter acting potion! I hadn't really been thinking about anyone other than Henry, Cameron or Phill—Dawn's problem had faded into the black so completely… I was so winning the worst best friend award.

"Can anyone make a potion?"

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

"It depends. With the Hibiscus I needed to extract its magical property with my Magic. Some potions have instructions like Belladonna, if you follow them, it'll be fine. Why?"

"Cain fed a love potion to Dawn—a friend of ours from back home." Back home. It hit me hard in the chest that San Diego hadn't been home in a long time, not even this house. I rubbed my sore neck. "I found a counter potion here—" I turned the book around excitedly, tapping my finger on the page's bottom. "Can anyone do one?"

"Yeah, the only instructions are the order in which you mix the ingredients."

I beamed at her already jumping to my feet and running up to our shared bedroom. A soft laugh followed me and I had to admit, I smiled. Serena wasn't a jokester; she was pretty darn serious. I couldn't figure out if this was how she always was or if recent events contributed to that. Those thoughts were lost once I got hold of my cell, phoning Vanessa in the same breathing second. It rung about four times before a sweet-sounding squeal echoed my name:

"Nina!"

My smile tipped into a grin. It was good to hear her voice after this last week. I bit my lip, aware of my failure as a friend. Sometimes it was still strange to have people in my life that were so close to me—I'd spent so long alone with my secrets, afraid to even tell my family, especially Mom.

Clearing my throat, I began my lame-ass apology, trying not to worry her about Cameron or Phillip. Vanessa wanted to prowl around the issue and she would've done it forever if I hadn't mentioned why I was calling.

"I found an anti-love potion!" I whispered frenetic.

V all but stopped hassling me with questions about dark-Phillip.

"You did?" Her voice was relief itself. I could imagine her shoulders slumping like a weight had rolled off her. "Nina... That's amazing!"

"It gets better. Serena says anyone can do it. You can do it! You just have to pay attention and mix the ingredients in the right order—get a pen and paper to write it down." She breathed something like 'just a second' and there was unzipping—probably her backpack, it was a school day—and then she was back. "Okay, here's what you'll need to get: Dill oil, Styrax leaves and a drop of Dawn's blood..."

"Ah, okay."

"Sorry," I said, meaning it. Knowing how afraid she was of ever losing control. "I would do it if I could..."

"No," V answered easily. "I'm glad it's me. Dawn's been my best friend since kindergarten. I haven't really been there for her since I turned—I should've been. I should have told her about me... I mean, that girl's got the weirdest obsession over aliens and slash flicks. She would've handled it—us, being well, us." V was right, not just about Dawn's far-out belief in aliens. About her accepting us.

"Well, you won't have to tell her anymore. Cain made sure she knew." I hoped she didn't feel too betrayed once she was cured. "Okay, you'll need to follow this order: put the oil in a pot. Next, drop the Styrax leaves in and last, Dawn's blood. Make sure you boil it for thirty minutes, then take out the leaves and force it down her throat if you have to."

There was a flimsy laugh on the other end, "I don't think it'll come to me force-feeding her. She's been doing well for the most part, she acts a little dreamy-eyed and draws stupid hearts on her notebook—argh. I want to punch that weirdo for this."

"Believe me, with Lucifer on his track he'll be getting punched." I left out the part where Cain had wiped the floor with Lucas. "When she's back to normal, she'll... She'll remember Zeke—her feelings for him. It'll be rough, V."

"I hadn't thought about that," Vanessa sighed into the receiver suddenly very tired. "It's been horrible around here, Nina. With Zeke's death and Sam's suicide attempt everyone's gone depressed. There's whispers about you, Cam and Phill—about you guys taking off."

Before any of this craziness became my life I would've cared about people talking behind my back, making up lies, whispering and spreading rumors. I'd had that at my old school here in San Diego. I'd had it at Haven Hills thanks to Sam and Daren. But now? All I felt was nothing. Those people who trashed me got to live their little human lives happily, in the dark, probably with their families intact. Some of us didn't get that luxury, we were caught in a mess because of our blood heritage—whatever stones they threw at me and others like me were insignificant compared to the imminent threat of death.

"It's done!" Serena called from the living room. Her voice croaked. I mentally chastised her, I told her not to yell...

"Nina? You there?"

"Huh, yeah... I have to go, V. Call me after you fix Dawn." I was already retracing my steps when I hung up. "What did I say about you yelling?"

Serena rolled her eyes, a smile stretching her lips all the same. She held out the bracelet, I took it, turning it over, eying it closely. I tried to spot any difference... There wasn't any. It was still the same wiry bracelet from before.

"This is supposed to make me invisible?"

"Simply put, yes. All I did was cast a glamour on it and as long as someone wears it, they won't be seen. Glamors are illusions. They make you see something that's not true or, in this case, it'll hide someone in plain sight." Okay, that sounded pretty cool. Only one way to test it... I slipped it on, looking at Serena's face. Her eyes were gazing at me. I moved to the side, her eyes didn't follow. I moved again—this time walking to stand behind her. "Good to know it works. I haven't cast glamors in a while."

I touched her shoulder only to have her jumping. I shimmied the bracelet with a grin.

"I guess we're ready."

Serena fingered her hair, sighing.

"This is sounding more and more like a bad idea."

I sat on the couch, smile tinged by both cockiness and adrenaline.

"Risky plans are kind of our thing. Besides, I learned from the best." I just hoped our luck hadn't run out before this one was through.

***

Serena and I were parked two blocks away from the old theater. We were holed up in an Opel I'd bought yesterday—thanks to my parents will and insurance money, I had plenty of that. What I needed now, was balls to put on the enchanted bracelet, walk out and go inside a place where Mad Phillip was, plus Vampires trapped somewhere and maybe a nutso Archangel bitch.

No biggie. I could totally get through this alive. Yep.

"I can go with you—"

"No."

Serena braced an arm on the wheel, squinting at me because of the harsh sunlight washing over the dashboard.

"I'm not a baby. You don't need to look out for me, I can do that myself."

After some awesome displays of Magic, I damned well knew Serena was more than capable of holding her own. She was already risking her life by being the get-away driver. Just being here—close to Phillip. I wasn't going to put her in harm's way for Cam's life.

"This isn't about that—you have to stay. If something goes wrong inside, I need someone out here." I pursed my lips. It wouldn't come to that, everything would go smooth as water over polished stone. Get in, free Cameron, get out. "Plus, you need to keep the engine running."

Her face was so stoic once she glanced from me to the windshield, it was comical. It was a miracle I didn't burst with laughter—it would've been very anticlimactic.

"Somehow, I think their supernatural enhanced speed can outrun an Opel. Any car, really."

"Yep, but we still need to get away and we don't have that kind of speed. And nothing will go wrong."

"Were you always such an optimist?"

"No. I spent too long around Phillip and Dawn. Their optimism is contagious." Her eyes crinkled with a barely there grin. "Alright," I drew a big breath. Letting it out seconds later, feeling confident. "Let's get this show on the run." Slipping on the bracelet, I mock-waved at Serena knowing she couldn't see me anymore.

I hurried down the streets, dodging people coming straight at me. If anyone bumped "air" things could get weird, the last thing we needed was humans thinking they were insane or that ghosts were real. A lady, leading a stroller, came out of nowhere. I jumped off the sidewalk—eyes going larger than life. I ran across the crosswalk, out of breath. Avoiding being steamrolled by a shiny white car—check. I could already see City Hall. The old building next to it was my target, though. The same I'd seen outside my body. I wiped my forehead with a hand, I was sweating a little.

It wasn't all heat.

My stomach was knotting up. No turning back, I chanted, edging closer to City Hall, casing out the most secluded place to get inside the building beside it. I flattened myself against a concrete wall, edging around, going for the outback alley. No people. I ran to the old backdoor—darn. An old rusted chain and lock were keeping it shut. I looked around for anything that could help busting a lock. The only things I saw were cans and dirty papers tossed on the ground next to a filled up dumpster.

Backdoor was a no-no.

I took quick steps toward one of the windows. My fingers dug firmly into the old bloated wood plank. It made a creaking sound each time I pulled. I tipped my body back further and further, gritting my teeth once it finally cracked. With a last oomph, I ended sprawled on my back, a piece of wood in my hands. I tossed it, getting back up. The space was wide enough for me to slink in—I hauled myself over the windowsill, making a face when my hands met a dusty floor and crawled in, cringing when I saw tiny, dark oval shaped stuff on the ground. Ew, those were so not raisons.

Ignoring the clear disgusting room I found myself in, I looked for a way upstairs. All I managed were two steps. Shivers roamed down my spine as animalistic sounds—actual growling—rumbled from somewhere above. Vampires, my brain provided. Phillip mentioned starving them. How didn't anyone hear them? I scoffed silently, this place was Cain's. It had to be packed with wards, glamors and whatever else Magical protections existed.

The growling kept up and about five minutes later I was glad, because every time I moved the boards sung with old age. I'd ambulated to a large hall and when I made a corner I smacked a hand over my mouth.

Phillip.

He was walking downstairs. He was almost at the foot—and so was I. Legs working on their own, I backed myself into the wall behind me, keeping my mouth shut, trying to keep breathing to a minimum in case he heard.

Phillip's brilliant eyes narrowed and he stopped, half turning to where I was. I pressed my lips so tightly I was afraid they'd start bleeding. He glared on for a second or two before walking out—leaving me. I relaxed, looking up and thanking my lucky stars. I waited about three minutes before deciding to race up to the second floor.

Finally, I whispered inwardly.

I was close, so close I could... All the rooms either didn't have a door or they were hanging off their hinges. Phillip's room had a door—it was the third on my left. Had to be. Going forward, with only my heartbeat as soundtrack, I grabbed the knob, turning it as gently as possible. I pushed it open a little, peaking through the crack to see...

Yes. This was it. I rushed in, shutting the door as I launched myself across the room for the Cube. My hands were shaky, half afraid they'd go through it like last time. So, when they touched base, a sigh rippled from my lips. The Cube weighed very little, which was strange... I still couldn't believe Cam was trapped inside it. Serena explained how to get it open. I needed to press down on the golden circle on its top... I felt it sinking. Then... I turned it twice, clockwise.

Click.

The bottom opened. I saw what looked like colors painted in smoke, dancing out of it. The colors began gathering, twisting together. Before I could say 'jinkies' Cameron's body solidified on the floor, at my feet. The tingles coursed everywhere from my temples to my neck, from my neck to my back and toes. Okay—I officially wanted to scream. Cry. Hug him. Get out of here. Yeah, any of those. I chose to go down on both knees, bending over him, reaching for his face. I tapped it.

"Cam," I whispered. Nothing. I gave him another pat—this one would sting. "Cam,"

His eyelids flickered—his eyes scrunched on reflex. I smiled when midnight eyes glared at the world. Quickly, Cameron jolted—I had to throw myself back so he wouldn't bash into my face.

"Watch it," I grumbled watching him frown confused, breathing at a fast pace. His eyes weren't on mine—it was like he was seeing through me. "What..." The bracelet! I couldn't get it off fast enough, it landed on the floor with a clink.

I knew the second he could see me—his eyes tripled in size, turning from lusterless black stones to glimmering dusk diamonds under a strong desert sun. I moved closer only for him to tilt back. Stopping, my heartbeat picked up watching a glare of distrust mucking up the love and passion I knew reflected in my own gaze.

"It's me," were the first words tumbling out as I remembered what Lucas and Serena told me about the Cube, how the hex worked. "I'm real—this is real. I'm not some hallucination to torture you, Cam. I... Serena and I worked together to find the Cube—" I pointed an accusing finger at the hexed object, lying on the floor beside us. His eyes glided toward it, barely, keeping me under the radar. "She told me about what it does. I'm sorry I took so long, I... I have no idea what happened in there, but this isn't fake."

Cameron took a deep breath propping himself further with his elbows. I backed away a tiny bit so I wouldn't spook him.

"I would never leave you—no matter what. You know that," I licked my lips, taking an unsure breath. I reached up, framing his face softly so that our eyes were fixed. "I found my way to you. If you need time to find your way back to me, I'll wait. But right now, we have to get out of—"

One hand cupped the back of my head firmly, gently, pulling me in. I could never resist his gravity. My head leaned closer, lips tip-toeing towards his, just barely hanging back from touching.

"You're crazy," he whispered, his voice washing over my skin like fine silk.

"I learned from you."

His nose tip glided over my right cheekbone, softly. Hands slipped from his face to his broad shoulders, they held on tight just to prove he wasn't a dream. My whole being called out for his.

"Two crazy people in love with each other..." Cameron chuckled lowly with a charm only he seemed to possess—at the most inconvenient of occasions. We needed to go... "Two twisted wrongs make a twisted right?"

A lip corner tilted at the dark humor. I wanted to show him just how right he made me... but this was the worst place for that. I patted his shoulders twice, pushing him off with determination. Cameron didn't complain—though his eyes grew darker with need—he picked himself off the ground at his neph-speed, pulling me along. A little dizzy, I shook my head. Cam was already bending, gathering both my bracelet and the Cube. He held up the round trinket questioningly.

"Courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Witch?" He was making jokes. Part of me got down on its knees and thanked every saint. He was buying into this whole thing quickly, too—maybe the hex hadn't been able to fake our bond? I nodded, "Great. Where are we?" He surveyed the room, nose wrinkling. "If it's a hotel the maid's fired."

"Not a hotel. An abandoned theater. We should've left, like, five minutes ago." Phillip could come back any minute. "What?" I asked softly. Cameron's face was twisted in a massive frown.

"I can hear something... It sounds like snarling. But... kind of human-like. Like humans possessed or..."

"Vampires?" I finished off. His surprised look got a bitter smile. "Yeah, I heard Phillip and Uriel talking. They're starving them as punishment for not aligning themselves with—"
All I saw was Cam's head turn toward the door. He lifted his arm at neck-breaking speed—hand pointing point-blank at the doorframe. I only got it happened after a burst of electricity cracked the door. Wood splinters flew everywhere. A whoosh later, Cam was outside punching someone with so much force the theater shook.

Good thing California was used to earthquakes.

First, I thought it was Phillip—okay, before that, my brain got stuck on the level of ferocity Cam was dishing out. I couldn't remember him ever being so… alert. I ran outside just in time to see Cameron throwing a familiar bitch Angel against an already busted wall. Uriel went straight through it, ending up in another room. Cam showed no signs of stopping, wasting no time going through the sizeable hole.

"Cam!" I yelled. I wanted to see Uriel dead and gone for everything she'd done against Phillip, him, Serena and the Nephilim race, but this wasn't the time…

"Get out," was his yelled answer. "Leave! I'll find you in a minute." Nothing about that voice screamed fear or cockiness, just cold hearted vendetta. There would be no changing his mind.

Through the hole they'd punched, I saw the other room brighten with blue light. It zapped from one corner to another, charging the air. A blood curdling scream joined in. I edged back a step… My body jumped when a hand slithered over my mouth and another along my waist, pinning me into a hard body.

"Don't you know? Curiosity killed the cat." I writhed in the hold, kicking my legs as I was hefted up, pressed tighter against Phillip. "Looks like big brother's busy now. What do you think? Is he going to make it fast or slow?" I gagged against the hot palm, trying to sink my teeth into some skin. "I didn't catch that. Well, no worries. Either way, he's going to kill her—I know. I can feel it inside him. He's so absorbed in it… I don't think he'll mind me feeding you to a couple of starved Vamps."

What?

I screamed. My yells were muffled by his hot palm. Phillip lifted me off my feet easily, carrying me down the hall. I kicked out, twisting my head—he pressed his hand harder, to the point where I couldn't move my lips. Phillip shushed me, smiling lips close to my ear. The room didn't have a door. They were being kept inside because of a spell, for sure. Three Vampires were inside a barren room—two males and a female. Scratch marks adorned the floors along with tarnished blood bags, torn wallpaper peeled off walls.

The blond male tilted his head giving us a hellish looksee of his eyes—they were all pupil. He was famished. Same as the others. They all got up, like a pack of wolves sniffing at a wounded prey after weeks of starvation.

"I gave them those blood bags a couple of days ago, I don't think it quenched their thirst." Golden eyes wide, I shook my head. Phillip don't do this, I yelled inside my brain, I know this isn't you, don't— "It's snack time guys."

I got a three second window between the moment Phillip lowered me, loosened his hold and prepared to toss me inside. I stretched out my left foot, hooking it behind his leg and kicked—unbalancing him. Phillip's hands latched onto my forearms on impulse, I rocked my whole body weight forward, tipping us both into the Vampire den.

We ended up spread-eagled in the middle of the room with three Vampires circling us, their eyes shifting between me and Cameron's twin. Run, my survival instinct urged, get up and leave while you can. Phillip was quicker to get up, he didn't get very far, though. The two male Vamps lunged with a hungry snarl, fangs at their full length, glinting, right before they sunk into the golden skin of Phillip's neck. He burned the blond one quickly, pushing him off violently. The Vampire bounced off a wall, a blistering hand-print marring his chest. The other male took the opportunity to deepen the hold on his prey's neck…

The female Vampire looked torn—jumping me or joining her friend? I could see the struggle in her eyes, she didn't want to attack me… These Vampires were in this situation because they'd turned down Cain, they weren't bad. But Phillip… Phillip had been the one showing face, starving them…

Her mind was made up. Phillip bared his teeth as she plunged sharp teeth into his right shoulder. I reached into my boot, grabbing the Azure Dagger's hilt… I winced, glaring down at my left ankle.

It was sprained.

Phillip elbowed the male Vampire munching on his neck, knocking him away enough to thrust his hand into the guy's chest and rip out his heart. The Vampire stumbled back before collapsing into a heap, skin graying.

The Vampire chick went straight for his neck next, biting hard. Phillip grabbed her by the shoulder igniting her clothes on fire. It failed. The Vampire he'd shrugged off zoomed to them, digging his fangs into Phillip's arm. Blood rushed down his skin, coating the grey T-shirt. I was in a stunned daze, half out of pain and half out of growing dread. They were drinking too much. If they kept it up they would...

Draining us is one way to kill us. Cameron's words from so long ago shouted at me.

I shifted my bad foot, blinking as I winced. I looked up at Phillip again when he groaned in pain—his eyes…! They were… they were losing that fluorescent glow. That's when I got all sorts of flashbacks. I remembered the boy in the hall. The first time I'd seen him, I remembered thinking... how beautiful his eyes were. Pulsing with life, the most stunning blue ever. I remembered the boyish smile with his trade-mark dimples. His hair sticking everywhere. The charming drawl in his voice and his lazy sexiness. I remembered him being the reason for Henry being alive.

I have to move, I thought.

I couldn't watch as the boy I'd ever felt safe with, the first person I'd felt I could trust—that I had trusted—fell to his knees screaming so loudly it echoed on, carrying miles away.

"Phillip..." I whispered. My fingers curled, splinters digging underneath my nails. Faster, I urged the healing. Phillip moaned in horrible pain. The Vampires seemed to like it because they tore in deeper. "Please," I said as a prayer, closing my eyes. Phillip didn't deserve this. He wasn't himself, but he was... Jesus, he was Cameron's brother. My friend. My best friend. I didn't him to... "Phillip... Phillip!"

I was met with gurgles. Animalistic sounds as flesh was torn apart. Another inch. And another. I shut my eyes tighter. How long would it take...? I wiggled my foot, the stinging pain had dialed down. I clenched my teeth hard. Faster, please, faster...

With a cry, I jumped up, flinging myself at the blond Vampire's back. I stabbed the Dagger into his neck without a moment's hesitation. He flayed for a minute or two before collapsing onto his side, convulsing. He wasn't dead—not yet. Kicking his side with all the strength I could muster, I tore it out and plunged it into his chest. The Vampire gave a straining last breath as his skin grayed. In all the commotion, Phillip managed to land a nice punch on the female, knocking her unconscious. Even though every nerve ending in my body screamed to stay away, I hurried to catch Phillip who was tipping backward like a spineless eel.

"Oh God," I whispered softly as I helped him lie down. Phillip's throat was torn on its left side. Blood poured heavily from the bite marks, they... they were in more than one place. His arm was in a better shape, oozing through only one bite. This was much, much worse than when Cameron got bitten to save me. I could tell just by looking at him. His skin was losing its healthy tan fast.

I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down. It was followed by a strangled moan. My wide gaze shot to his face. Happiness exploded in my chest. The strong glow in his eyes was gone almost completely, it happened so fast I thought I was imagining it. A soft gurgle escaped as his body convulsed from pain.

"N...Nin.." One hand shot to his cheek and another pressed hard over his bleeding neck, Phillip didn't avoid any touch. His eyes were so focused on mine, so serious. Serious but tender.

"Don't talk. It'll make it worse, you need to heal. We'll talk after you're healed."

A sad look jumped across his face.

"...no..." he whispered. "I...have...I..." the cough he let out shook his entire frame. Blood seeped harder through the neck wound. My molars ground together. No. "No... time..."

"Don't say that," I shook my head, forcing a smile. I wanted to show him I believed in him. "You can survive this. It's fine, you'll be fine. Your blood will heal you. You'll be okay."

He gave a grimace that was meant to be a reassuring smile. There wasn't a trace of malice in his eyes, a shred of hate for me inside him. He was back… From some far corner of my mind, I heard Lucas saying the only way to cure him would be to bleed him.

He was dying from the cure.

"You...you're..." he forced getting cut-off by a choke. No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. I wasn't going to let him die. Not him. "I'm sorry... for everything… I didn't—I didn't want to do those things..." Phillip's voice decreased as his breaths became shallower. My thumb moved on its own as a tear slipped from the corner of his left eye. "...you've gotta tell... tell Cam...tell him... I love him."

I choked on a breath, "Tell him yourself."

"... I... can't." he winced, offering a short lived grin. His teeth were tainted with blood.

"Yes you can," a tremble started in my bottom lip. "You promised me, remember? You promised—in the Valley of Shadows. You said you'd be careful! You promised I wouldn't lose you, Phillip."

A spark of recognition flamed in his flickering eyes. A stab of regret gripped him. His features twisted painfully into a scowl.

"... I am... so sorry..." Phillip wheezed, voice lower. I had to lean in to hear. "... never wanted to... hurt you... I—I love you. I really did... like you, you know...? When we... we started... dating." Another tear slipped over the side of his cheek. He didn't seem to notice. A tear rolled down my face, falling onto his lips after reaching my chin. "Cam... Cam loved you more... I—I knew it. Before he... he did."

I nodded lowering my forehead to his. I wanted to say I knew he'd liked me, that I'd really liked him, too. The words were just... stuck. More tears came in their place. A pain was lit in my chest. Like a hundred knifes were stabbing me, again and again without taking a break. Every blow sharpened the biting coldness spreading throughout my veins.

Phillip's breaths were coming slower, in wet gasps. They caressed my cheek from time to time, outpaced. Blood was pooled at his mouth corners, the veins on his temples were bulging. I shifted the hand over his neck wound. I shut my eyes quickly as Phillip winced, his body locking up from hurt. I lifted my head to check on the knocked out Vampire.

A shiver coursed Phillip's body. I swallowed thickly looking down. He'd never shivered because... because Phillip was never cold. Forcing open his lashes, he stared up with tiredness. I caressed his cheek softly, blinking to stanch tears. Phillip was cold. He... he wouldn't last long. He'd lost too much blood. Angel blood made him different from humans. Now he'd lost that.

It was ironic, that in his last moments, Phillip became what he'd always wanted to be. Normal. Human.

My fingers stopped hovering over his pale cheek. I glanced at the blood soaking my fingers, then at his neck. My fingers clawed into his arms, tightly enough for my knuckles to turn white. Blue eyes were too dull to show that he understood what I was doing.

"I'm not losing anyone else," I said, voice sturdy. "Definitely not you. I won't let you die, Phillip." His eyes started falling shut once more. "Fight, please. Stay with me." I shook him. His head lolled. "What about Serena? You love her, right? Phillip? You love her!"

Blood trickled down the side of his mouth and chin. Phillip made a weak sound. My heart squeezed and I couldn't think of anything else, this was happening. There was no avoiding it…

"Cam…" I whispered, lost, losing the feel in my fingers. Then much louder, like I was calling him with my last breath, I yelled, "Cameron!"

He was inside the room in mere seconds, like a roaring storm. I could read everything flashing across Cam's face and in that moment, I didn't doubt his love for his brother. The most haunted look clouded him, making him stumble. Something stirred to my right. Cameron only glanced at the remaining Vampire and a shower of electricity fried her on spot, leaving an awful smelling corpse.

He looked lost. Enraged. Sad. Tortured. But none of those things stopped him from coming closer. He kneeled at his brother's side, swallowing. Cam's hands hovered Phillip's bleeding body, unsure what to do, frightful. I'd seen Cameron hurt for various reasons, but I'd never seen him break.

Cam's hands slipped underneath his younger twin's body, hefting him up. He held Phillip's broken body close uncaring of all the blood staining his skin and clothes. His nose didn't even twitch at the smell of copper and death in the air. Sweat clung to Phillip's hairline. Cam stroke the rusty hair away, watching as his twin clung a little longer, driven by his older brother's presence.

"Phillip…" Phillip mumbled intelligible words. He was fading. Cam leaned in to kiss his brother's temple, closing eyes that were filled with denial. "Are you trying to get off easy?" he whispered in a joking voice, a sad smile trembled as Phillip fought to hold on as long as he could. "You don't get to do this… You don't get to die you little punk, we're together in this, remember? We promised. Us against the world—Phill? Hey, don't space out on me. Okay?" Cameron shook his brother slightly, tapping his cheek. Fear took over any hint of dark humor. "Phillip? Little brother? Come on, look at me—look at me!"

But Phillip wouldn't look at him. His eyelashes wouldn't twitch.

Cameron's grip slipped because his hands were slick with blood. A pant left him. It was agonizing to watch as he shook his brother and nothing happened. Agony poured out in a guttural cry. Cameron tucked Phillip's head under his chin, holding him fiercely, eyes shut.

Phillip's body was still; life had melted from his eyes. He was… gone. I didn't know what to do. Should I stay or should I leave? And… what about Uriel? Oh, like I could think about her. Phillip… I bit down to stifle sobs. I couldn't sit there and look at his… dead face. Cameron cradled him, murmuring sweet things his brother wouldn't hear. I could taste regret in Cameron's hushed words.

"I shouldn't have left… I should've have stayed with you. I'm sorry, I didn't know—I didn't know…"

Oh, Cameron… My heart was already in shreds, but it only worsened when a choking sound came from deep inside him. I tore my eyes from the scene trying to give them privacy. All around us were bodies. Dead Vampires—ah, dead Vampire. Wasn't that redundant? I thought delirious. To become a Vampire a human needed to die in the next twenty-four hours of being bitten and once they woke up they needed to feed, like what happened to Vanessa…

I glared silently at Phillip's wounds. Vampire bites. They'd sucked out his blood, ironically, curing him. But they'd done more than that. They'd taken so much blood he hadn't been able to heal—when he died…

Phillip had been human. Oh my God.

"Cameron…" I whispered, biting on my lip. "I think… Phillip was human when he… when he passed away. He couldn't heal anymore…" Cameron tilted his tear streaked face. He was drowning in too much grief to even understand, but I saw he'd cling to any hope of getting his brother back. "If he died as a human… Can't he come back? As… as a Vampire?"