I'm sorry for the delay. I had a sinus cold this weekend, which I'm still recovering from.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."

- Kenji Miyazawa

___

Mikhail looked down upon Parn, as though he were contemplating his words. Izzy couldn't read anything on his face.

Then he spoke. "How many people have you killed?"

Serenity stiffened in Izzy's arms, and Izzy tightened her hold on her sister. Everyone was looking at Parn now, wondering what his answer would be.

"Can't you remember how many people you killed?" someone asked sardonically.

"Silence," Mikhail announced coldly.

It was still a long time before Parn answered. He swallowed thickly and looked at the floor. "…Thirteen."

"Thirteen?" Mikhail repeated.

Parn nodded.

"What were the circumstances of these deaths?"

Parn flinched. The question obviously made him uncomfortable. Izzy realized that whatever he would say would be incredibly unpleasant. She'd already lived through his trauma, and it'd been horrible. Could she stand this?!

"I can mute his words for you, if necessary," Marach offered her.

"No." Izzy shook her head. "Serenity lived through far more deeds. I can handle just hearing about it."

"My first," Parn croaked out uncomfortably. "Was a seventeen-year-old girl. S-She…the vampires had kidnapped her, and I…"

"But they starved you!" Serenity screamed. "You had no choice!"

"You will be quiet, Serenity," Mikhail commanded her. The authority behind his presence and voice was undeniable; and Serenity did silence. He looked back at Parn. "That is one. Who were your next victims?"

"A-After I…we raided an elderly couple's home. There was just the two of them, a-and their cat."

"And?"

"A group of four American backpackers camping out at the base of the mountain."

Mikhail pressed him to detail each person he killed. Parn did so, though it looked like it pained him to do so. Izzy looked at the warriors surrounding them and was very surprised. They seemed stunned, not for the number of people Parn killed, but for the fact that he remembered all of his victims.

"He was whole that whole time." Izzy felt her throat tighten and she closed her eyes. "Not once did he lose sight of himself, even with his soul gone. He knows each of his victims, and…oh, Marach! I can feel his pain!"

"Me too, dragă." Marach slid an arm around her shoulders. He looked at the warriors warily. Many of these men and women did suffer throughout their lives and would show very little sympathy for one who'd given into the darkness, when they hadn't. But he hoped they could feel just a measure of this pain tormenting Parn. It might give them mercy towards him.

Or it might mean nothing.

Once Parn was done explaining, Mikhail spoke again, "I have seen your memories, Parn, and while your trials under the imprisonment of vampires and mages are indeed horrible, I'm going to be hard-press to feel sympathy. You had many options before you other than giving up your soul. You could've shut your body down and gone to sleep. Sleeping the sleep of our people would've made you unaware of further harm done to you. Lucian and Gabriel did such a method and were asleep for centuries. Another thing you could've done is fight. But you didn't. You gave into the pressure almost immediately and you allowed yourself to be deluded and manipulated. You see, Parn, our most common vampires are Carpathians who are too high-strong on their own abilities, or too weak to make any decisions for themselves. Which category do you think you fall in?"

Izzy swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. No…they had no pity for Parn. They looked upon this man, this former vampire, and he disgusted them. Now she was terrified, and unsure of what might happen.

Parn didn't react very much to Mikhail's words. "I have nothing to say."

"No defense or explanation?" Mikhail asked.

"There is nothing for me to say, Prince. I turned on you and damned my lifemate. All of this happened because I wasn't strong enough."

"It all happened because nobody helped you!" Serenity screamed. She pulled away from Izzy and stood her ground, glaring at the warriors surrounding them. "You all look down upon us! You all think you're so much better than Parn is because you found lifemates in time! But where were ANY of you, huh?! This all happened right here on this mountain! And yet none of you could hear his cries for help?! None of you cared about his existence until he finally turned, and then you decide to do something for him—a death warrant!"

"Serenity," Mikhail said sagely. "I am the anchor of my people. I have been trying very, very hard to save as many of them as I can. But you have to understand I'm not omnipotent. I have not shared blood with Parn, and neither have most of the people in this room. Hearing a distress call, especially buried underground, is quite difficult for an unbound one."

"That's only a convenient excuse!" Serenity hissed. The warriors reacted to her blatant disrespect to Mikhail, but he remained unmoving. "All of you are full of nothing but excuses!"

"Serenity," Mikhail repeated. "You will be quiet and allow me to conduct this trial."

Despite her anger, Serenity did quiet down. Izzy took hold of her sister again and pulled her back.

Then, Mikhail dropped a bombshell. "Why do you think we should spare you, Parn?"

Anger rose through the warriors at this suggestion. Parn for his part looked absolutely stunned, and it took a long moment for him to respond. "I…I don't think that."

"Is that so?"

"Y-Yes, my Prince. I don't think you should spare me. I have betrayed the Carpathian race. I have murdered innocent people. And, what I have done to Serenity…" he looked her briefly before focusing on Mikhail again. "I have not spoken the ritual words to her. We are unbounded because I am prepared for justice against me."

"He hasn't bounded them?" Marach wondered. Izzy could feel the shock in his voice.

"What does it mean?" Izzy asked.

"He…might be hoping it won't hurt Serenity as much if he's killed while they're unbounded."

Izzy held onto her sister tighter. Serenity's heartbeat had accelerated and hadn't calmed down. "Please…they can't kill him, can they Izzy?"

"…I don't know," Izzy said quietly. She didn't know how she could comfort her sister in this. The other warriors seemed equally uncertain of Parn's fate. They'd expected him to bind Serenity to him to try and use as leverage against them. But he hadn't, and his motives and actions towards redemptions were puzzling them all.

Mikhail spoke once more, silencing the skepticism and shock throughout the room. "What about the people you killed, Parn? What of their families? How will you rectify the great travesty committed against them if you die?"

Parn once again seemed surprised by this question, and it took him a long time to answer. "My death will serve as justice for my crimes. As for my victims…I-I can tell you whom they are, and you can—"

"No."

Everyone stiffened at this sharp word, but Mikhail pressed on. "Healing the suffering of your victims is not my responsibility, Parn. It is solely your responsibility. Here is the judgment I sentence over you."

"Judgment?!" Serenity screamed. "Don't you have a jury?! Where are your deliberations?! You just wanted to kill him from the start! What was the point of this whole trial if you were only going to kill him in the end?!"

Mikhail ignored her, only raising a hand over Parn. "Here is your judgment; you will go out into the world, Parn, and you will find the families of all the people you killed. You will tell them what you did to them, and you will feel their grief and anger. Then you will wipe their memories clean and allow them to move on in peace. Then, you will return here to the Carpathian Mountains."

"Where I will die," Parn finished softly.

"Where you will report for your exile."

Parn's head shot up. The warriors were visibly stunned and angry at this proclamation, and Serenity stiffened. Izzy and Marach were equally shocked and relieved. Did this mean Mikhail was going to spare Parn?

"E-Exile?" Parn asked.

"You have betrayed me," Mikhail said harshly. "And you have endangered our kind with your antics. However, fate has selected you for salvation. Fate guided to you two women who have given you healing blood, which has altered your body as had the darkness did. More so, your soul has been restored to your body. These are all feats deemed impossible by our kind. I have lived many years, Parn, and I have never seen anything like what has happened to you. I feel." He paused as angry voices rose all around him. "I feel that this has happened for a reason, and I will not allow the sacrifice these two sisters and Marach have endured to save you to go to waste. Look at your lifemate, Parn."

Parn turned to look at Serenity. "I have seen firsthand what your selfishness has done to her. She had a perfectly peaceful life that has become forever distorted, and it's your fault. You have a duty to her as her lifemate, and you failed in that duty. You have failed her, Parn, and that is your grievous crime."

"He hasn't—" Serenity began.

"But, they spoke the truth Parn. In order to right every wrong you committed against her, you have to live. But I won't allow you to simply live, Parn. You are a traitor, and you will be handled like one." Mikhail spread an arm wide across the room. "Before you leave on your journey of redemption, you will exchange blood with every warrior here. And I mean every warrior, Parn. You will establish a blood connection will us all, so we will all hear you if you are in distress. However, we will all sense if you give up your soul or turn on us again, and we can assure you in this event your life will be taken. Understood?"

"Y-Yes," Parn stammered. "I completely understand. But…my exile—"

"When you return," Mikhail said. "You will hereby be required to live here on the Carpathian Mountains. You will not be allowed to leave, ever, and you will report to either myself or Gregori about your activities. Daily."

"W-Wait!" Izzy cried out. She let Serenity go and step forward. "If you confine Parn here, then Serenity will have to stay here as well!"

"They aren't bound together in the ritual," Mikhail said. "So it will be Serenity's choice whether or not she will stay by Parn's side."

"But of course she will! But she has obligations back home! She's a doctor for God's sakes! She works in a hospital! And what about our family and friends?! If Parn is confined here, then Serenity can't leave either!"

"As I said, it will solely be her choice—"

"And I choose to stay," Serenity interjected softly.

Izzy felt her stomach twist up inside and she looked at her sister painfully. "Serenity, you don't belong here! You already have a life back home! You're an American! You don't know how to speak Romanian, or Carpathian, or—don't look at me like that!" Izzy shouted at Serenity's near-pity look. "You can't just shut out that whole you built for yourself and move here!"

"Izzy." Serenity walked over to her sister and cupped her face in her hands. "It's okay. I know you're concerned about me, but if this is what needs to be done, then I accept it. I don't want to leave Parn's side. I don't want him to be alone ever again. If I leave him to his punishment alone and selfishly go home, I'm the same as Cassander."

"But it wasn't your fault he turned!"

"I heard his cries for help and I ignored them." Serenity adverted her eyes. "I shouted accusations at everyone, but truthfully I'm no better than them."

"You didn't know—"

"That doesn't excuse me. Please, Izzy. Let me be with him."

"But…" tears filled Izzy's eyes and she looked away. "What about our parents? Do you have any idea how worried they are?! It's going to be hard enough for them to accept us as Carpathians, but to know that you can never come home?! It'll rip them apart!"

"I know." Tears filled Serenity's eyes as well, even as she looked determined. "I know, and I'm being selfish by following my heart and sacrificing the life I know. But I want to be with him, Izzy. I love him, and I won't want him to ever suffer again. Please…accept my decision."

Izzy didn't want to. Everything was now in ruin. All she'd wanted to do was help her sister, and bring her home in one piece. Now look at the both of them. Neither of them was human anymore. They couldn't bask in the sunlight or get drunk off of ouzo. And now Serenity couldn't even go home? Where so many people were worrying over her?

Izzy pulled away and walked away from her sister. Marach was quickly by her side and hugging her tightly. "It's all right, iubita mea. We'll work something out."

She wanted to believe him, but it didn't seem possible now. How was she going to explain any of this to her parents?!

One of the warriors spoke up. "Mikhail, are we to understand that you're sparing this traitor?"

"Yes," Mikhail said abruptly.

"He is vampire!" another shouted. "He has committed many crimes! What's to stop him from killing again?! How do we know he's not deceiving us with this "remorse"?!"

"Because his lifemate is here."

Nobody could argue this point, but it didn't quell the anger. "You haven't forgiven us for daring to question you over Razvan," Tariq seethed. "But you pardon this traitor who truly HAS defied you and murdered people?!"

"I have not pardoned him. I am making him pay for his crimes, Tariq. What would all have me do? Kill him with his soul restored to his body? Kill him when we've seen the trauma of a half-life done to his lifemate? Are we going to condemn Serenity to this fate once more?"

"So we spare this monster to appease this one woman?!" Andre shouted.

"We spare him because this is an example!" Mikhail shouted. His voice reverberated the chamber and everyone quickly silence. "We've had no hope so far in stopping the turnings! All we could do is look for women and invade their lives in order to save our ranks! But look at this feat! We have a warrior who turned vampire, and was able to find salvation once more through healing blood and the love his lifemate! Do ANY of you know what this means?! All hope is definitely not lost, and redemption is STILL possible for a lost soul! Shea has enough blood samples from both women to make a potion able to stop the influence of a vampire! If we experiment further, we could save more lost souls this way!"

Serenity ran over to Parn and threw her arms around him. She began crying uncontrollably in relief into the back of his neck. But Parn still remained kneeling on the floor, staring stunned at Mikhail.

And nobody had a retort for Mikhail's proclamation, other than Gregori. "When our enemies find out we spared Parn, the vampires will converge upon us expecting salvation."

"We will take it as it comes," Mikhail said. "If their souls are savable—which most of them I doubt can be—then we will try to help them. But if they come for us, it will give us opportunity to dispose more vampires.

"You are dismissed, Parn. But I expect you to leave on your journey of redemption soon."

Parn sat still for another long moment before he bowed again. "I can't thank you for this, Mikhail, because I feel I deserve to die. But I will follow your orders in this."

"See that you do," Mikhail retorted coldly. He suddenly waved to Izzy and Marach. "You two are next. Step forward."

Marach grabbed Izzy by her arm as they stepped forward. Serenity helped Parn to his feet and pulled him back, but she rushed over to Izzy's side and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Take care. They can't kill you two. They just can't!"

Izzy hugged her tightly. "I love you, sis." But there wasn't much more they could do as they came under the scrutiny of Mikhail, and the other warriors.

"Marach and Isabel," Mikhail began. "You two are lifemates, bound by the laws of each other. However, you both are bound by the laws of your people. Isabel, you are a new Carpathian and thus new to our culture. But you cannot deny that we are your people now. You are not human anymore, and you cannot think of yourself in these terms."

"…Yes," Izzy said, feeling uncomfortable. She held onto Marach tighter. She didn't like the constant reminder that she couldn't have the life she was use to. Marach was making this sacrifice very worth it, but it still pained her that her right of choice had been robbed from her.

But I have Neve to thank for that, not these people, she reminded herself.

"Marach." Mikhail addressed him. "You were born Carpathian and are over seven hundred years old. You don't need schooling in the ways of our people because you know the codes. Or rather, you should know. When I give an order, I expect it to be followed. I pronounced a death sentence upon Parn. You were right in killing his brother Cassander and the other vampires in this group, but you hesitated with Parn. And this was not the first time you hesitated. There were other instances that you had the opportunity to take care of Parn, but you allowed your connection to your lifemate to override your judgment and my authority."

Marach bowed deeply. "I understand, Prince."

"Do either of you have anything to say to these charges?"

Izzy bit her lip and dug her fingers into Marach's arm, but she knew she had to speak her mind. "I may be a Carpathian, but my duty to my family comes first and foremost. I love Serenity, and all I've wanted out of any of this was keep her alive. I believed that killing Parn would save her, but then I saw them together. I saw something in Parn, and…I decided that her happiness and well-being mattered more to me than your orders. And I'm not saying this to disrespect you, Mikhail. I'll always be grateful to all of you for everything you've done for us. But Serenity is my sister, and I knew what she wanted. And it all worked out in the end."

Marach looked at his lifemate, proud that she could stand up for what she believed in, but he knew the Prince better. He couldn't speak so brazenly to his leader. "My Prince," he began. "I love my lifemate. And I love Serenity as my sisar. I had nothing before these two entered my life; no family and no friends. I didn't stray as Parn did and I stayed the course and held on. But…maybe even from the beginning, I saw something different in Parn from other vampires. I saw the potential for salvation, and I decided to act upon it. I have no excuse for my betrayal, but I know I believe in my lifemate. And I believe we made the right choice."

Silence followed both proclamations. Serenity held onto Parn's hand and kept her eyes on Izzy. Izzy and Marach simply stared at Mikhail.

Mikhail seemed to contemplate their fates more closely than Parn's. Then he folded his arms over his broad chest. "True, you both were successful in saving a soul. But you both did defy me."

"I will not shoulder my blame onto others," Marach said. "But many warriors present have equally defied you, including the Dark One." He tried not to notice Gregori's dark look as he continued. "I will accept my punishment fairly, but I cannot forget the sins of the others here, that they were not punished for or tried for."

"…This is true," Mikhail said. "That none of us are perfect. But you didn't defy me because others did. You did it to save a vampire, so there must be ramifications."

They both held their breath.

"I want you both to swear full allegiance to me, and to lend unconditional cooperation to pending investigations into Neve and Xavier."

They both gaped at him as voices rose in anger. Izzy almost thought it was a joke. Allegiance? Support in investigations? That was all that was required of them for their punishment? Izzy felt like she could've died of shock or relief. They weren't going to die!

"It would be easy for me to pronounce death sentence upon you both when I do so upon vampires," Mikhail said. "But you didn't betray me to hurt me. And it is as Parn said; you both are a bonded couple, and our numbers are slim. I don't care if my enemies look down upon me for sparing you, because I see more value in you for living. As for the rest of you." He surveyed the whole room. "You are all here for your faith in me and in our people. You questioned me when I spared Razvan, and I asked you then to not question me again. All I ask now is for your faith in these two couples. And to have hope, for what we have seen in Parn's miracle, and in the miracle these two women have given us."

Izzy wanted to cry. Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around Marach. It felt like a horrible pressing weight had been lifted up off her. It was over! It was truly over!

"Yes, iubita mea," Marach whispered to her. "It is finally over and we may rest easy for this time."

Izzy let him go and spun around to face Mikhail. "Thank you so much for this Mikhail! And…Prince…" she hurried forward and bowed. "I'll swear my allegiance right now!"

Mikhail smiled slightly. "That would be fine."

"Serenity." Parn took Serenity's hands tightly in his. "Do you truly want to stay with me, even though my life will forever be constricted?"

Serenity sniffled, but nodded quickly. "There's no other place I belong."

"…Then…" Parn leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. "Te avio päläfertiilam. Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam…"

Izzy looked over her shoulder. Parn was speaking the ritual words to Serenity, and right in front of everyone. Her throat tightened. If he did this…then Serenity truly wouldn't ever be able to return home!

"It is her choice, Isabel," Marach told her gently, though he came over to her side. "Serenity is an adult, and her head is clearer than it's been for a long time. I trust that this is what she wants, and Parn isn't coercing her."

It didn't seem like that to Izzy, either. But…she couldn't be entirely happy about it. Serenity would be stuck here in Romania with Parn. And they…Izzy wanted to go back to the United States. Now she would have to do it without her sister…

But this was what Serenity wanted. And she couldn't interfere.

___

Marach didn't realize the pleasure a human bed truly gave him until he shared one with his lifemate. To awake from his sleep and to feel her body curled against his filled him with great fulfillment…and need. That he would never get enough of her was common in the lifemate bond, but he knew his need for her now had little to do with the bond.

They were alive. Serenity would be safe now, even if it meant that Parn would have to be by her side. Neve was gone, and so were her allies. And Mikhail…he forgave them.

He nuzzled Izzy's hair, pressing soft kisses to her cheek as he thought away her clothing. He thought away his clothing moments later and was soon easing her awake on a tidal wave of sensations. She awoke from her dream world burning for Marach, with the subtle realization that it'd been a long time since they'd made love to one another. Now that the danger and stress to them had passed, they could focus on what they had.

Marach nibbled on the lobe of her ear and kneaded her breasts with his hands as he drove into her, unable to wait. Izzy cried out and lunged against him, unable to grasp sense from the sheer bliss of it all. He ran his tongue over her collarbone, down to the swell of her breast, unable to fight temptation as he sank his teeth deep, drinking of her hot, burning blood. Izzy only felt the sting of the bite for an instant, and was once again swept up in the momentum of it all.

He didn't take a lot of blood. Only enough to satisfy the craving. He sealed the pinpricks, but wasted no time in drawing her head forward so that she may taste of him. Izzy could feel his heartbeat beneath her lips and the thought of drinking blood suddenly didn't seem so unpleasant. She could feel her teeth length and sharpened and she sunk them in deep, feeling the rich blood coat her tongue and flush down her throat.

In the aftermath they lay together, curled as they'd been just minutes before in sleep. Marach was pleased and ever so content. He pressed his face into her scalp and inhaled her scent. "I love you, iubita mea."

"So you keep telling me," she answered dryly, but breathlessly.

Marach smiled into her hair. "You're supposed to answer in kind, Isabel."

"Am I now?"

"But you had no problem telling me you loved me before we faced certain death."

Izzy blushed, but she couldn't deny it. She had thought Mikhail would show no mercy. The words seemed to have jumped out of her right out of the blue. Still…it'd felt good to say it, even if this was an overbearing man. She turned so she could bury her face into his chest. "……I love you too," she mumbled.

It was enough for Marach. He laughed and hugged her tightly to him. "We have peace now, dragă. It unfortunately may not last, because we are a persecuted race. But we have saved Serenity! And we did it without damning her to her half-life!"

This however took some of the joy out of Izzy. "She is bound to Parn now."

"…Yes, this is true."

"I…I would've preferred it if she stayed human. If she could've gone back to her old life. I don't think she realizes just how much her life has changed. She's just honeymooning with Parn…"

"I understand, iubita mea, and I share your sentiments. I feel she could've had a productive life had she stayed human. But these are about the choices Serenity has made as well. She chose to save Parn at the near-cost of her own life. And she's chosen to stay by his side, even if it means she can't ever go home again." He felt something odd…something familiar brush over his senses, but he ignored it for the time being.

Izzy swallowed thickly. "I-I'm just terrified she'll live to regret this. This might hurt her relationship with Parn in the long run…"

Marach knew this was a possibility, but he wanted to stay positive. And he wanted Izzy to be positive as well. "Lifemates share everyone, Isabel. We are not like human married couples. I know your every thought and feeling, as you do me. We are in synch, as are Parn and Serenity. It is impossible for us to be sick of each other, just the same as it's impossible for us to be without each other. Have faith in your sister. Everything will work out." The odd feeling returned, but now Marach couldn't ignore it. Briefly, he examined the root of the feeling…and mentally recoiled. It can't be…

"I…wait." Izzy sat up slowly, disentangling herself from Marach. "I sense something familiar."

"Not just familiar, dragă." Marach gave her a sideways glance. "Your parents have arrived in the region."

___

Thank you for your patronage. The next chapter is the finale, so I hope you stay tuned.