Chapter 24
Kara laid there for a moment breathing hard, she sat up and looked down at her stomach, there was a nasty looking gash along her side but it was just a graze, it hurt like a bitch but it wouldn't stop her, with a pounding head and a painful side she stood, using the wall for support, her mind spun for a moment before she took two deep breaths
She couldn't let them take Lena away again
A power flooded through her again and she stood tall, moving to the stairs
She glanced down the steps to be sure the two Luthor men were gone, from the sound of it they and their men were in the mansion, but were at the front, obviously trying to keep back the wave of townsfolk storming their land
As quietly as she could she crept down and made her way out of the back door, her eyes searching the dark moonlit plantation fields, smoke billowed from the front of the property, making Kara's eyes sting but she spotted movement to the west, she sprinted through the tobacco fields and soon enough she could hear muffled screams
She ignored the pain coursing through her entire body, breathing through her gritted teeth, feeling that surge of power from within her, she said a silent plea to the spirits to help her
"LENA!" she called out
She burst through the last line of tobacco plants on the property, skidding to a halt, seeing Lillian dragging Lena towards the edge of the woods, they were alone, Lena could barely walk, her legs continuing to give out as her mother forced her along, her whimpers of pain reaching Kara's ears
Her grip tightened on her dagger as she moved into the clearing
"LET HER GO!" she called out
Lillian's shoulders tensed up as she turned to face the blonde, utter loathing in her eyes, her teeth clenched like a wolf as it snarled, it was clear that Lex got his crazed anger from her, though she tried to hide it
"Why do you continue to be a thorn in my side" she growled
"It's not you I'm coming for" Kara countered
"You cannot have her, she is my daughter, my property" to emphasis her point she tugged Lena closer towards her "You cannot win this"
"I will never stop coming for her" Kara stated, her breathing hard from her exertion "No matter where you try and take her, I will be there, she deserves to be loved"
She could see Lena trying to lift her head, her long hair covering her features
Lillian's next words were cut off by a loud explosion from behind Kara that shook the very ground they stood on and rattled around her chest, the dark fields were suddenly illuminated by an orange glow
Kara glanced over her shoulder to see the Luthor mansion up in flames, smoke billowed up into the starry sky, from the now gaping hole in the roof, debris falling into the flames
the blonde pulled her eyes away from the blaze, not wanting her back to the matriarch Luthor, but Lillian's cold eyes stared up at the mansion, they were wide and reflected the flames
Kara readied herself for whatever Lillian did next but the older woman just continued to stare speechlessly at her home, her grip loosened on Lena and she collapsed, Lillian slowly began to move forward, eyes still locked on the growing blaze, she passed Kara like she wasn't even there, muttering something about her fortune and name
Kara began backing up to where Lena was on her hands and knees, she was still cautious encase this was some sort of trick, she stretched out her hand, searching for Lena as she continued to watch Lillian make her way towards the blaze, like a moth being drawn to the light, totally transfixed
A hand gripped hers tightly, Kara finally turned away from Lillian and the manor and knelt down so she could look Lena in the eyes, a pale green gaze met hers, not vibrant like they had once been but the moment Lena saw her they lit up, sparkling like the stars above them
Kara's heart broke a little as she took in sunken cheeks, broken lips and dark rings that circled Lena's beautiful eyes, the blonde had been gone for too long, how could she have let this happen
"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner" Kara whispered as she stroked Lena's tangled hair from her face, her chest clenching at the marks of abuse that ran along her jaw, like she had been struck multiple times, some of the bruising older than others
"You're alive" was all Lena could say, she caressed Kara's face softy with trembling hands, the blonde caught one of her hands and pressed a gently kiss into the palm, her eyes catching a glimpse of something just below the cuff of Lena's sleeve, the raven haired woman instantly tried to pull her hand away but Kara caught it again, using her free hand to carefully push the sleeve up Lena's forearm,
Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision before she blinked them away, a horrible sensation in the pit of her stomach
Partially healing tears crossed Lena's pale wrist, like she had gouged herself with a blunt instrument
"I thought you were dead" Lena said in a small voice, she dropped her eyes to the ground in shame
Kara didn't know what to think, she herself had said she didn't want to live in a world without Lena but to actually see the attempt that Lena had taken had her heart shattering
"I'm right here" Kara said after a long silence, pulling her into a soft embrace, the blonde slightly worried about breaking her "I'm still not sure entirely how but I'm here, I came back to you"
Lena arms wrapped around the blonde, her weakened body holding her close
"I should have died but I -" Kara couldn't find the words "It sounds crazy-
"I love you" Lena croaked out
Kara pulled back enough so she could look into Lena's tear filled eyes
A large goofy grin spread across the blonde's features, the pain fading from her body as she pulled Lena into her, their lips meeting softly, making her already racing heart beat even faster
She pulled back a little, so their foreheads were still touching
Her mouth opening to respond, to tell Lena everything she felt
But something changed in Lena's eyes as fear and panic filled those green orbs, looking pass Kara, before the blonde could even turn to follow her gaze, Lena was pushing her with what little strength she had, the pair of them falling flat to the ground as a shot rang out, the dirt beside them where Kara had just been exploding from the force of a bullet impacting
"How many times do I have to kill you"
A very bloodied and soot covered Lex stumbled into view, he was limping as he cocked his gun again, his aim unsteady due to his injuries
"NO!" Lena had pushed herself off of Kara and leapt towards her brother with surprising speed, pushing his gun with her hand, the shot flying past Kara's head, she could feel the wind from it
"LENA!" she called out as she scrambled to her feet to aid the raven haired woman as she grappled with her brother
But it was too late as a third shot rang out, the blonde skidded to a halt as she watched both of the Luthor children freeze, the gun hidden between the two of them, everything seemed to move in slow motion as the siblings looked at one another, confusion on Lex's features as he glanced down to the gun between them then back up to his sister gaze
Kara took a cautionary step forward her arms reaching out for Lena who started to stumble backwards towards her, the blonde could feel her world shattering as she caught Lena before she could collapse, she eased her to the floor, frantically looking over her body to find the bullet wound, she could see blood on the dress but Lena just shook her head, looking at her brother
Kara looked up to Lex as well, she hadn't noticed the blood spreading across his black suit, he began to cough, the red liquid dripping from his mouth as his hands went to his stomach, he stared down at his sister, shock still covering his features
He dropped to his knees, before his cold eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground, unmoving
Kara pulled her gaze away from him to look back down at Lena, pale with shock but unharmed from the ordeal with her brother, the blonde who was still cradling the other woman to her placed a gentle hand upon her cheek, turning Lena's face away from her brother's dead body, the raven haired woman buried her face into the shoulder of the blonde's pelted vest
Kara couldn't believe her eyes, Lex's body lying in the dirt, lifeless, while the once large and grand Luthor mansion crumbled in on itself in the background, the flames rising high into the night sky, the shouting had faded and so had the gunshots, she figured the Luthor's hired men had jumped ship as soon as they saw their pay go up in smoke
The land fell silent, as Kara kept her arms wrapped around Lena, her head still buried into the blonde's chest, she wasn't moving but her fist still had a firm grasp on Kara's clothing
Kara ran a hand gently over Lena's dark hair, she pressed a soft kiss against her head
"Let's get you out of here" she whispered into her hair