Our Last Hope

Trying for Normal

Several weeks had passed since the almost wedding, murder debacle. William was still in the wind, there was no sign of him in weeks. The longer he stayed under the radar, the more of a threat he presented. Gregor, the twins and I had been holed up at my parent's estate for our own safety. I had to plead with my father for days until he agreed to this.

Today was going to be a very important day in my healing process. Gregor and I climbed into the Tahoe and tore down the highway towards the cabin.

The twins were safe with my mother and their nannies. The first step to moving on would be to collect the rest of our belongings from the hell cabin and close this chapter for good.

We pulled up to the access road and Gregor flipped on the high beams. I don't know why, but this part of the woods always seemed darker than the rest of the world, it should have been an omen the first time I pulled down this driveway. The trees were quiet, we were definitely alone, I could feel it in my bones.

Gregor backed up to the front door, which would make things easier to load up. He switched off the engine and turned to look at me.

"You ready?"

I let out an exasperated sigh and nodded my head. We hopped out and I fumbled around the inside of my purse for the keys. I was shaking as we approached the door to unlock it, I didn't know if I was ready for this, but there was only one way to find out.

I audibly gasped when I saw the inside of the cabin, it was flipped inside out. All the kitchen cabinets were flown open and the drawers were pulled all the way out, some were even off the tracks. There was a s**t ton of broken glass scattered throughout the first floor. The couch in front of us had several rips and there was foam everywhere. Several of the A-Frame windows were smashed, so you could feel the breeze from the front door.

I was frozen in the doorway until I felt Gregor's hands on my shoulders, he was willing me to take a step further. I nodded my head and walked further into the room. I could feel the crunch of glass under my boot as it shattered.

"We should get started." Gregor whispered into my ear. "The longer we're here, the higher the risk."

I nodded my head and sloughed off my reservations. Get in and get out.

***

It took us just under an hour to gather the necessities, everything else was replaceable. Gregor finished loading the last of the boxes while I did one more walk through. The further I went into the house, the more evil I felt inhabit my bones. The gut wrenching feeling came flooding back and a very harsh and rash decision flinted across my mind.

I walked over to the fireplace and turned on the gas. I reached up to the mantle and grabbed a large match and flicked it across the stone hearth. The spark turned into a small glint of fire and I threw it onto the logs. There was a large 'whoosh' as the flames ignited. I watched them dance for a moment longer before I reached to the side of the fireplace and picked up the lighter fluid.

I felt Gregor's eyes on me from the front door. I switched off my emotions just for a moment, and drizzled the clear, pungent liquid everywhere I could until I ran out. I mindlessly tossed the empty plastic bottle in the middle of the room as I walked back over to the fireplace once more. I plucked one more match from the holder and held it tight until I reached the front door.

I kissed Gregor on the cheek before I spoke in a hushed tone.

"Go wait for me in the truck, I won't be far behind."

He nodded silently and kissed my temple before stepping into the darkness. I reached into my pocket for my key ring and slowly took the cabin key off and chucked it into the house, never to be seen again. I turned to the door frame and stroked the tip of the match across the wood. I took a deep, steadying breath and tossed the tiny flame towards the pool of lighter fluid right in front of the stairs.

They say that fire is a way of resurrection, I was determined to be reborn. I was cleansing my life of the evil that I had endured for far too long. I felt the weight lift off my shoulders as I saw the fire begin to catch the couch. The flames engulfed the room and I knew that it was only a matter of minutes before the entire cabin went up in smoke. I would leave this literal hell behind me, only leaving a pile of ash.

I turned and closed the door behind me as I felt the intense heat lick my back. I walked to the passenger side of the Tahoe and pulled myself up into the seat.

"Ready to go?"

I turned to look at Gregor and smiled.

"Yes please."

We pulled down the mile-long driveway with the remnants of my past burning in the rearview mirror.

We spent most of the drive back in silence. I stared out the window and watched the trees whip past me. As light as I felt, I still couldn't wrap my mind around what to do next. I knew that my parents were happy to have me back at home, but I needed a fresh start. I needed my own place to raise my children and give them the life that they deserve.

"Win?" There was a sense of caution in his voice.

"Mhmm?" I maintained my eye contact with the outside world.

"Can you turn your emotions back on please?"

Oh s**t, I didn't even realize that I still had a closed mind. I turned towards him with a sympathetic smile and nodded my head.

I closed my eyes and let all of my memories flood back. The good and the bad, everything that made me feel. I felt the tightness pull at my chest and I calmed my breathing as my brain resorted through everything that I had blocked out.

I felt my tears prick the back of my eyes as I prepared to open them. They streamed down my cheeks just for a moment before I swiped them away quickly. Gregor reached across the center console and squeezed my hand and we took the exit towards our temporary home.

Gregor slowed his speed as we turned down the main compound road. The familiar crunch and feel of the gravel was oddly comforting. Gregor rolled down the driver's window as we approached the large, wrought iron gate. A familiar man peered into the window, "Good afternoon Mr. Bright, Ms. Harrington."

I leaned forward a bit in the passenger seat and smiled at him. "Hi Terry, any suspicious activity today?"

Terry has known me since I came home from the hospital, "No ma'am, just the usual suspects." There was some humor in his voice as he looked Gregor up and down. Gregor shook his head and then stared straight through the window. I gave Terry a small smile and he signaled for the guy in the tower to open the gates.

"Have a great day Terry!" I called out the window as we started rolling past the gates. I patted Gregor's forearm as he rolled up the window. Apparently, he wasn't in the mood for that today.

I was quick to jump down to the ground once Gregor put the Tahoe in park. Within minutes, a couple of our staff members met us outside to help unload the truck. I probably would have made more sense to keep it loaded, but I haven't told mom and dad that we weren't staying much longer. We didn't even have a place to lay our heads yet. I grabbed a couple tote bags from the back seat and Gregor grabbed a small stack of boxes.

"Where do you want to put the boxes baby?"

"We'll just put them in the study off of the main staircase for now. It's not stuff that we need right this second anyway."

They all followed me passed the main doors to the small office on the main level. The house was oddly quiet, I knew that dad was most likely in his office but mama was always flittering about preparing for something. I turned up my hearing as I set the bags on the large mahogany desk in the center of the room. Even with my internal volume turned up, I couldn't hear a sound.

Gregor set the boxes down beside the book shelf and suddenly froze and nodded his head.

"Your father wants to see us."

***

Dad was sitting behind his desk flipping through a large folder when we entered.

"Hey daddy." He looked up from his papers and smiled.

"Hi sweet heart, I'm glad you guys made it back safe and sound."

Gregor and I took the seats in front of the desk.

"So, what's up?" Daddy condensed all the papers together and sealed them back into the folder. He slipped his glasses off his nose and placed them on the center of his desk.

"Oh not much, I just wanted to go over some things with you, is that's alright?"

I sat up a little straighter, I didn't get the sense that any of this was going to be high profile, but if dad needed me for something I would do it in a heartbeat.

"Sure daddy, what can I help with?"

Dad reached into the top desk drawer and pulled out a legal planner and unzipped the sides. When he opened it, I saw a long list of bullet pointed topics.

"First on the list is your new responsibilities for being our treaty advisor. I will be holding a meeting with the council tomorrow evening after dinner. Your mother is making it more of an event, she decided to invite a small group of young adults that are ready to be matched. As I understand it, it's a "coming out party" of some kind?" I nodded my head. If there was a medal for the most parties thrown, mama would win the gold.

I nodded along as daddy went through the rest of the list. Some of the other items included our new infrastructure, along with the various new job titles that went along with them.

"That brings me to my next point." Daddy continued on as his view shifted towards Gregor. "As you know, we are revamping our defenses, thanks to the surplus of extra members to our coven in the last couple weeks. I would like to extend a job offer to you, Gregor. You are one of the best combat soldiers that I have ever seen. I was curious to know if you would fulfill the role of Combat Sergeant going forward. I need you to impart your training to our new recruits. We have had a number of eager, young vampires volunteer for our forces and I need someone like you to whip them into shape."

"It would be my honor, sir." Daddy seemed pleased with Gregor's response. He nodded his head and then exchanged a glance between us. "Great! Moving on. We need to discuss where you two would like to reside now that our boundaries have been extended. Of course, your mother and I would like you to stay within a certain radius, but the choice is up to you."

A soft smile spread across dad's lips as he saw our wheels turning. "There are several vacant properties on the outskirts of the estate that we would reserve for you to look at. If none of those suit your needs, then we would discuss building something from the ground up. We have several newly appointed officials that we would like to house on the property as soon as possible, so unfortunately, there would be a strict timeline. I could arrange several showings for later today if that works for you?"

Gregor and I exchanged glances before turning back towards dad.

"Of course, dad we completely understand. Go ahead and arrange what needs to be done and we will be ready when you are." Daddy nodded at my response before closing his binder and folding his hands in front of him.

"Well then, that's all I have for you for now."

***

I eventually found the twins in the playroom on the second level. Ashley and Becky were on the floor playing with my babies when I walked into the room. Henry and Lilly turned to the sound of the door and their eyes lit up when they saw me. Lilly was quick to pull her knees up and started crawling in my direction. I met her halfway and scooped her up before sitting down next to Henry on the colorful rug in the center of the room. He crawled into my lap and I held them close to my chest and kissed the top of their heads. I turned to their nannies and dismissed them. I needed some much needed alone time with my children.

"Just holler when you need us." Ashley called just before shutting the door behind her.

I held Henry and Lilly close to my heart and softly cried as my guilt took over. I felt like the worst mother in the world. I haven't held them like this in quite some time. With the constant threat of danger, I felt like I was always missing out. They deserved so much more than what I was giving them. They both started cooing against my chest as I stroked their backs and slowly rocked them in my lap. Lilly looked up at me and reached for the side of my face. Her tiny hand landed on my cheek and I felt a rush of energy through my bones before my mind was clouded with a vision.

I hadn't moved from where I was sitting but instead of Henry and Lilly sitting in my lap, there was a new baby in my arms. I felt compelled to look down and gaze upon this new life. It was a beautiful baby boy, with bright blonde tuffs of hair on top of his head. I heard pitter patter behind me and suddenly felt two sets of tiny arms wrapped around my neck. The sound of carefree giggles filled the surrounding air and it was infectious. I felt several kisses on my cheeks before the two of them ran around and plopped down in front of me. Even though it was just a vision, they looked so much older now. I felt at peace sitting there with my three beautiful children surrounding me. I sent up a silent prayer for it to stay like this. This vision would now become my happy place.

I sat and played with the twins for an hour or so before I got a link from Gregor. Dad had arranged a couple showings for us. We would have to meet our real estate agent within the hour. I called for the nannies just as the little yawns started, it was most definitely nap time. I kissed their heads and placed them in their cribs and only left once Becky and Ashley came back.

"I will only be gone for a couple hours, I'm hoping to be back by the time they get up."

Ashley nodded quickly before I turned to leave.

***

Gregor and I pulled up in front of the first house. It was an impressive size with lots of land surrounding it. The whole plot was easily 20 acres, if not more. I hopped out of the truck and studied the house. It was a gorgeous white farmhouse with a huge wrap-around porch and impressive eaves. I couldn't help but imagine it decked out in white Christmas lights and wreathes on the double entry doors. It felt homey, it was exactly what I had always imagined for raising my family. There was plenty of room for the kids to run around as Gregor and I sat on the front porch watching them play until the sun went down. I subconsciously smiled as I pictured our lives here. I felt his eyes on me as I was lost in my fantasy world.

"I take it that you like this one?"

I broke my fixation on the house and nodded enthusiastically at him. Dad had mentioned that he knew a sorceress that would lay a protection spell around the boundaries, so only the permitted would know that we were here. Not that we needed that. This house is far enough out that we would be hard to find. I felt a sense of peace as the scenery began to sink in. This wasn't just a house, it was our new life. We had made our decision even before we had seen the inside.

Our agent, Dakota pulled up a few minutes later to give us the official tour. I was all smiles as we walked up the front steps to the threshold. I eagerly waited for Dakota to unlock the doors so we could see the inside. She opened the French doors and revealed a large entryway with two sets of stairs, flanking each side of the room. I let my eyes wander up to the ceiling and landed on the rustic chandelier above our heads. There was a loft area above us where the two sets of stairs met. I could imagine Lilly walking down these princess worthy stairs on her wedding day. I followed Dakota's gestures back down to either side of where we stood. To the left of us was a formal dining room, complete with a grand table, perfect for birthdays and holidays alike. To the right was a smaller sized room that would be perfect for my office.

One of my impending duties would be to host meetings for prospects and set up meet and greets every summer when mating season came around. There was a bay window that let in lots of natural light and the room was adorned with luxurious crown molding and a crystal chandelier in the center of the room.

Dakota took us straight through the dining room that connected directly to the gorgeous farmhouse kitchen. The whole backside of the house was outlined with floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the vast field, perfect for planting the new harvest. The kitchen had all updated appliances and a large apron sink that was stationed directly in front of the East-facing view. A large island sat in the center of the room with 5 bar stools and a built-in dishwasher and microwave drawer. In the far right corner of the room was a quaint breakfast nook, complete with bench seating. This first floor alone had more than enough space for our growing family. I was ready to sign the papers and make this place our home.

Dakota showed us the upstairs, where there were plenty of bedrooms with their own bathrooms, Gregor could have his own office and we still had two extra guest rooms.

When we were done with the tour, we reconvened back in the kitchen. Gregor and I sat on a the bar stools while Dakota stood across the island from us.

"So, what do we think? If this one doesn't suit you guys, we have several other houses that we can take a look at."

Gregor and I exchanged looks. After a second, I saw him nod his head with a smile.

I turned back to Dakota, "There is no need to see the others, I think that this one is perfect!"

Dakota smiled, "I'm so glad that you guys approve of this one. I had a feeling that you would fall in love. Excuse me for just a moment and I will go grab the paperwork from my car."

Gregor pulled me towards his chest and kissed my forehead.

"Are you sure you're happy with this one?"

"I love this house. The longer I sit in this kitchen, the less I want to go back to the main house."

Dakota came in holding a large stack of papers. It looked like my physics textbook from high school. It took about an hour or so to get through the whole stack, but by the end of it, we had a house to call our home.

***WILL'S POV***

I have been on the run for almost a month now. I have no where to go, I was a moving target, at least in this region. When I eventually stopped moving, I would be a sitting duck after too long. My only choice was to go North. I would never stop running.

I used the Appalachian Trail as my main route. It was the perfect way to cloak my every move. I traveled at night and only stopped to feed. I felt myself changing, and not for the good. The more distance I put between me and the Coven, the more guilt circled my subconscious. I hated who I had become this past year. I was beginning to fear that there would be no redemption for me. I would be doomed to live my life as an outlaw until I was killed or captured. Once that happened, I would most likely end it myself. For some reason, I still felt a compulsion to turn back and pay for my sins. My body wouldn't allow me to turn back, it would keep me moving even though my mind was stuck in the past.

I had spent most of the night running. I didn't know how far I had gotten in tonight's stretch. I had planned on running all night, but I suddenly stopped when I saw a small fire in the distance. I opened my senses so I didn't have to get too close. The scent was not human, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. It was surprisingly familiar, but I couldn't place it. I tried once more. It was werewolf. I zeroed my hearing in. There was a hushed conversation happening around a campfire nearby, the voices sounded concerned. I tried to enhance my hearing even more but could only make out every other word.

"And you're sure that the Hybrid changed its course?"

"I'm sure, he was last seen in Charleston. Leaving a trail of bodies in its wake."

"How are you so sure that these bodies were killed by the beast?"

" Their bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. Vampires are heartless, but they don't destroy their victims' bodies. These deaths were more vicious, more ravenous. These were not mercy killings."

I felt my mouth go dry. Last we spoke to the Werewolf chief, They had mentioned that the hybrid was moving South. Why the sudden change in direction? I searched my subconscious, hoping that a random answer would appear. The only thing that I could think of was the twins. Twins were rare in the vampire community, they were seen as an anomaly. I knew that they were different from the moment I held them. I sensed more supernatural strength in Lilly, Henry was lacking in magical strength. It would take my boy longer to hone in on his skills. I know that I was a monster towards Edwina, but I would do anything to protect my children. I know that I hadn't done a good job at showing it. Before I go back to my impending doom, I had to talk to the wolves, I needed more information before I put myself at risk.

***EDWINA'S POV***

Mom and dad were ecstatic that we had found the house that we loved. Gregor and I decided to wait to move in until after tonight's festivities. This would be a great opportunity for me to introduce myself to the young vampires looking to be mated. I felt a fierce responsibility to each of them to ensure their happiness.

Once the babies were fed and tucked in for the night, I focused on getting ready. The last of my bruises and scares had dissipated, the last reminders of the life that I was leaving behind. The emotional pain was still present, that wouldn't go away until I ripped William's heart from his chest myself. For now, I will take what I can get to find peace.

I snuck out of the twins' nursery once they were asleep and tip-toed down the hall towards my own bedroom. I knew that Gregor was with my father, they were both taking this new change very seriously. They were more determined than ever to give our community a better way of life.

I was surprised to find a new garment bag laid across my bed with a unopened box of shoes beside it. I decided to unwrap my new gifts after I had a full face on and my hair was once again presentable. I had spent most of the day running around beside mama, preparing for tonight. I desperately needed a shower and a light buffing.

The steam filled the bathroom as I stepped out of the shower. I unfolded the top of my towel and wiped down the vanity mirror. I made quick work with my makeup and lightly diffused my hair. I wanted to wear it up for the first time in a while. I had spent far too long, hiding my neck and chest. I twisted the front sections of my hair back into a low pristine bun and left a few pieces to hang around my face. I precisely placed my eyelashes and allowed them to dry before applying my mascara.

I walked out into my bedroom and headed straight for my new gifts on the bed. I was breathless when I finally unzipped the garment bag and revealed a lush, crimson red gown. The fabric was soft velvet and was luxurious to touch. I unhooked the hanger and held it up in front of me. The off-the shoulder straps would be extremely flattering, along with the crisscross panels under the bust. There was a small slit down the left side of the dress, which would help me walk with ease. I was giddy with excitement at the anticipation of my new role.

I dressed quickly, just in time for Gregor to meet me in the hallway. He looked very sharp in his freshly pressed suit. Complete with a crisp bow tie and pocket square. Gregor had styled his hair on his part and gelled back the rest, he looked clean cut and it made my lower pelvic floor clench. His smile was in full control of his face, it showed off his dimples even more. It was nice to see him happy and stress free. I prayed that it stayed that way for a while. I was tired of worrying, I was sick of living in fear. At least we had tonight, to put everything aside and to just have a good time. Tomorrow we will get back to reality once more.