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Charlotte&039;s heart ha around her Was Aiden really standing before her? She knew this day had been coht it would be quite so soon Everything see so violently, it was almost painful She could feel her own pulse all the way down in her fingertips

Aiden rushed toward her Once again, everything wasso slowly As she felt the chill of his flesh wrap around her body, she looked to see Valek with one fist clutching Nikolai by the collar of his shirt, the other stretched out, reaching for her He looked beautiful and blurry against the heavy fall of snow, an i white She finally felt that fa the enoro, she wished she could take it all back

"It see," Aiden groith his lips pressed against her ear His teeth grazed her earlobe and she wondered distantly if he&039;d also developed fangs A shot of fear darted down her spine Breathing became more difficult than ever as she found it harder to keep her knees locked

"Aiden," she whispered back with all of the strength she couldSo take me Do whatever it is you want to do, but please don&039;t hurt hih was almost a bark in her ear and she flinched at the sound of it "However, there is soht there?" Aiden&039;s extended index claw indicated Nikolai, restrained and panting against Valek, who had hiainst hi Aiden Nikolai&039;s life for Charlotte&039;s Tit for tat, though she kneas going to win "That boy is like you Hureat deal of power-abilities he had far before I got to hiene inside hiic" Aiden&039;s words sounded alien in her ear She didn&039;t recognize this person He wasn&039;t even the saiether different-as if he&039;d gone randson"

Charlotte&039;s breath hitched in her throat as her heart dropped to her bowels But how could that be?

"Lies!" Valek spewed at Aiden "You are feeding her lies!"

Even from her distance, and the blurriness of her vision, she could see Valek&039;s eyes wash red before new blood tears of his own began to fall

Aiden&039;s chuckle rumbled low in her ear "Am I, Valek? Charlotte knows about the wife you used to have, doesn&039;t she?" Charlotte io and the contents of her stomach started to ascend "You remember your hued to before you abandoned her for a new life with Francis?" Aiden spat his name as if it were the name of the most lethal poison "Francis turned you, and you faked your death to explain your odd disappearance from her life"

How does Aiden know all of this?

"It is all here" He held up a rolled parchiven to Nikolai by the Parliaruesome detail in explanation for what he is A certificate of belonging An induction into our world so he ht finally understand why he is what he is" He explained in a valiant speech as though he were un the true villain "And then you watched fro before your eyes And in your last, desperate attempt to save her life, you failed Got carried away, didn&039;t you?"

What was he talking about? Valek roared his anguished response

"You didn&039;t know she was pregnant when you tried to change her, did you, Valek?"

"Yes, I did!" Valek wailed, his tears staining the snow beneath hiround, sca away from him Charlotte felt sick, like she wanted to collapse, but Aiden kept her pressed steadfast to his chest "I didn&039;t care I just didn&039;t want to live in a world without her!"

"What happened when you tried to save her, Valek?" Aiden continued to prod with feigned politeness, his head cocked to one side Charlotte could hear the arin in his words

"I was too new I didn&039;t kno strong I would be I tried," Valek ed to choke up He looked desperately and finally to Charlotte as if he&039;d just admitted the darkest secret of his lifeti he needs to do to become complete To finally realize who he really is" Aiden&039;s tone dropped a few octaves as he drew closer to his point "Nikolai, the time has come to take your first hu your fae Do what needs to be done" With that, he tossed Charlotte forward, sending her to her hands and knees into the snow

She landed, the wet and cold sending a stinging pain up her aro to her, because she heard Aiden send a whirling ball of fire forward, and a screech She glanced up frootten maimed

"If anyone attempts to help her, you, too, will perish Valek, this is your punishment and my solace Charlotte will finally know peace, so try not to be too anguished over this" Aiden chuckled again

Nikolai got to his feet, lethargically leaning to one side as he gazed down at Charlotte Even in his casual stance, he looked threatening They regarded each other for a few longto take her eyes off hie So this was his angle An eye for an eye Because of so to take her life She distantly wondered if Valek really was responsible for killing his family How could she have not seen this before? He was curious when they&039;d first stumbled upon hi him to be the only one to hear what she was about to say Don&039;t you dare try and save me this tih to finally defeat Aiden once and for all It&039;s ht the only way I kno I love you

This was it The final ainst her sternuht out of her mouth She needed to keep herself steady, brace herself for death Slowly, she tried to remain undetected as she reached for the letter opener sheathed in the tie of her dress Maybe she couldn&039;t kill off Aiden, and h to save herself, but she&039;d at least die knowing she&039;d tried-that she&039;d fought She steadied her breathing and dropped her gaze, waiting for Nikolai toshe heard, followed by several tiny gasps Charlotte looked up to see silver tears glistening off Sarah&039;s pale cheeks, but that wasn&039;t where the sound had co and back to the most unfamiliar face Nikolai stood valiantly with his arms folded across his chest

"What did you say to rowl behind where she knelt

She inhaled very slowly, re frozen in her place just in case

"No, Aiden!" Nikolai growled back, tossing his ar to kill Charlotte because of some screwed-up, deep-seated feud you have!"

Oh, no Shut up You are so going to die!

"You told me we&039;d find him," Nikolai pointed to Valek, who by noas a shredded-to-pieces-shell-of-a- the lives ofawake fro," he hter an entire family of people That is absolutely wasteful and murderous"

"Except fora war druht, Valek? My family was expendable!"

"That was different, Aiden! You and your family are an evident threat to our lives!"

"This just doesn&039;t seened up for anyed apathetically

Where did this kid find his tenacity? Charlotte thought with her eyebrow quirked

"I&039;e," he held up air quotes with the last word, "is really , anyway"

By now, Aiden was positively fu becoer, as they were alh! I ae of desperation in his voice "I ahtful ruler of this whole, da now, his voice shaky In that brief moment, Charlotte heard her friend, the Elf she used to know, the needy schoolboy as used to getting what he wanted, somewhere very deep inside Aiden "I&039;ll kill her ht before all of you, so you never question ed at her before she could think, grabbing her by the longest tendrils of her hair and yanking her back against his chest His handso that her throat was exposed In a brief moment, she peered at Valek, who shifted forward in an attempt to save her, but Aiden halted him with a fiery blast froh it threatened to singe his overcoat

No! Please don&039;t help me!

Aiden reared up Just before he struck her throat, she plunged the letter opener into her own chest, followed by a louder chorus of gasps and cries She clutched the hilt of it, the feeling of theand al out, salient, over the pain She recognized it as peace Finally, there was peace And she had succeeded in her plan being undetected, because Aiden&039;s new fangs sank into her as well, taking froorously It was not the slow, sensual onslaught she was used to fro of revenge

This was a different sort of desire All he wanted to do was kill her, and kill her quickly Her appendages started to go nuly It was perfect-the cardinal rule of a Vampire was never to drink fro fro it fro directly into her heart The snow beneath her was turning a brilliant red In no tiet very sick or die hi

"Charlotte!" she heard Valek wail "What have you done?"

As if on cue, Aiden pulled hiainst the trunk of the tree nearest hiered He clawed at his throat as he looked up in anguish to the sky, grainy cries slipping fro Valek&039;s words, "What have you done? You taste soputrid" He tried to spit

Charlotte gazed up toward Valek, whose wide eyes revealed that he had just become privy to her plan There was even a tiny strain of a under the sheer horror

"You taste so rotten" He choked and hacked, but to no avail He&039;d already consumed too much of her

Charlotte&039;s joints were stiff and heavy She could hardly feel the chill of the snow beneath her legs anymore, so numb now So this was death She&039;d never expected it to be so easy, like a thick blanket being draped over you Once again, she recognized the feeling of peace She must have dozed for a few seconds, because when she opened her eyes again, Sarah was next to her, holding her up-cradling her Though her vision was still blurry, she could see the anguish painted on her best friend&039;s face She wanted to tell her not to worry-to stop crying, but her jaw stayed wired, too heavy tothere?" Sarah howled desperately at soe her!" Her voice was cracked and broken as she pleaded her final argu in front of her His ar her into his lap, cradling her gently Her head lolled to one side, leaning on his shoulder He hushed her quietly as he smoothed the hair by her ear and hummed her familiar childhood lullaby Charlotte discovered that she could e to smile

"That&039;s it, baby," he crooned to her, "you did very well, one away, though Disappeared He will not last long"

Valek, am I a hero?

"You&039;ve always been my hero, Lottie Always"

"Valek!" Sarah continued to sob "Change her, please!"