Amy
"Congratulations, Bloodkeeper. I had to come and see your accomplishments with my own eyes. In only six weeks you managed to do what I never could, to unite vampires and humans."
Amy stood paralyzed as Rheya entered the box, acting like if she owned the place. She gritted her teeth in anger. How could she be so innocent to believe she was truly gone? Especially upon the perfect scenario she had created for her comeback. One where Rheya could murder thousands of humans and vampires in order to obtain more power. Peace was never her goal. The First Vampire always had a greater purpose in mind, to become a Goddess with powers that could overcome anything, even death.
"Rheya..." she finally spoke. "Get out of here. Now!"
She ignored her, sweeping around the room and observing each one of her friends. She paused at Lysimachus, cocking her head confused.
"Curious..." Rheya furrowed her brows. "How could you survive Demetrius' blood? You were supposed to be dead."
"I guess I had to stay around and watch your downfall," Kamilah's brother answered, "bitch."
The First Vampire replied with a sarcastic smirk before keep moving, watching carefully all her surroundings.
"What are you doing here, Rheya?" Kamilah asked, frowning her face.
"Leave those people out of whatever you're planning," Adrian added. "If you've got anything to deal with us, we can solve it somewhere else."
This time they didn't have a plan, or even a weapon to use against Rheya, but Amy didn't feel intimidated. She felt angry, thirsty for revenge. She could feel that power burning at the depths of her soul, ready to unleash all its strength and defeat that woman once for all.
She walked to the glass, pointed to the crowd and spoke:
"This is how you create peace, Rheya. Not by putting a species above the other, making them believe they're superior. Or by starting an endless cycle of bloodshed and violence. Tonight we both win, humans and vampires."
"You're wrong, Amy," Rheya approached and stood by her side, touching the glass windows. Her eyes were shining red as fresh blood. "Humans started this war, when they killed Demetrius and took my daughter from me."
"You still can change it, you know? You can end this cycle. We can live in peace," Amy tried to reason with her, counting that inside the dark shell, a little bit of humanity remained intact. "Rheya, I'm your granddaughter. I'm a part of Iola and... a part of you."
Rheya grinned and looked at her. Amy gazed deeply into her eyes, diving into them. For the first time she could feel it. The link they shared. The part of Rheya that was running in her veins. The part that screamed for power.
In that moment everything stopped. There was no music or chanting coming from the crowd. All her ears could detected were all those heartbeats... thousands of them. The blood being pumped from their hearts and flowing inside their veins. Their lives... so weak and so fragile. And they all belonged to her.
"Don't fight it," the First Vampire said, "embrace the blood, Amy. Join me and together we can build an era of true peace and reign as the goddesses we are."
"N-No!" Amy resisted those thoughts. "I'm not like you. I won't..."
"Too bad, darling. I don't need you anyways."
Rheya lifted up her arms, ready to take and absorb all those lives. The visions quickly returned to Amy's memory. She needed to act before it was too late. Without thinking twice, she pulled the entire group into a memory void. The only place where Rheya's powers were limited and she was restrained.
"What do you think you're doing?" Rheya angered, noticing the invisible chains holding her down. "So clever, but it's a matter of time until we have to go back to the real world."
"But right now we're in my world, bitch. You'll stay and watch."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was searching for you through my Bloodkeeper abilities the other day and I discovered the truth..." Amy walked behind Rheya, and though she was much taller, she seemed completely vulnerable and small in that moment. "What happened to Iola, Rheya?"
"The Sons Of Ares kidnapped her, making me believe she was dead," some hateful tears filled the First Vampire's eyes. "Depriving me from seeing my own daughter to grow up!"
"You never saw her again?"
"No."
"Are you sure? Because I found this inside your memories, something you can't quite remember..."
All of them were taken to a port city in Ancient Greece, where an adult version of Iola walked on the streets in company of her husband and daughter.
"When she turned out to be completely ordinary, the Sons Of Ares simply raised her as one of their own. She lived. She aged. She had a family on her own, until..."
Sounds of slaughter started to be heard, screams of panic and cries for mercy were heard across the streets. The group spotted a familiar figure holding a blade, not sparing a single life that stood his way.
"Die!" Gaius snarled. "Die for the Goddess!"
The flashback appeared so real and close some of her friends drew their weapons, thinking they were being seen and would have to face that man one more time in their lives.
Meanwhile, Iola turned to her husband, pushing their daughter into his arms...
"We need to get onto a ship! Now!"
The three of them rushed for a merchant vessel. Ajax, Iola's husband, was first, hoisting up their daughter, Minerva. A hand grabbed Iola from behind, preventing her from joining her family in safety.
"And where do you think you're going?" The figure was Rheya herself.
"No," Iola tried to plead for her life, "wait, I-"
Before she could even finish, her head was slammed into a wall, crushing it. Blood spilled in the group's direction. Someone let out a horrified scream. In front of them, Iola was lying dead on the ground.
"Pathetic human," Rheya said, before resuming the slaughtering.
Back to the real world, the First Vampire was on her knees completely destroyed.
"No!" She screamed, while she began to sob. "I killed her. My little girl. My baby. I killed her."
"You did," Amy told. "And all these centuries you blamed it on humans, generating so much hate, so much violence."
"Everything I did... everyone I hurt... all of it was a lie. It was me. All along. The monster. The killer. The abomination."
The others stared at the scene in silence, completely shocked.
"Amy," Kamilah threw her one of her daggers, "end this. Kill her now."
Amy grabbed Rheya's hair and pressed the blade against her throat. She could feel through their connection, in that moment she was hurt, broken and scared. There was nothing left inside of the First Vampire, except for a desire of ending her own life.
"Rheya, I'm sorry. You can't change the past and erase all you've done, but... I promise to honor your legacy. There will be peace among humans and vampires, but no lives will be lost in this process, not anymore."
"I still..." Rheya panted hard, barely breathing between her sobs. "I still can bring her back! I still can fix this!"
In a flash, she used her psychic powers to throw Amy across the room with the dagger buried in her stomach. The others immediately reacted. Kamilah lunged forward, only to be hit by a fire blast that sent her flying across the room. Adrian grabbed Rheya from behind attempting to hold her, she entered his mind, causing an intense pain that made him collapse.
"No," Lysimachus threw one of his daggers, preventing her from absorbing Adrian's life. The blade hit the First Vampire's shoulder. She scowled and jerked her hand, trying to force him on his knees. However, it didn't work.
"Demetrius... he's protecting you. How dare he?!"
"Even Demetrius grew tired of your bitchcraft," Katherine stepped forward, whirling her sai.
"Your useless little mortal..." before Rheya could made any moves against her, a ring on Katherine's finger blasted an intense light that involved her as a shield. The Nighthunter successfully stabbed her in the chest.
It didn't affect her much. Rheya pulled out the sai, wincing in pain. She approached the glass again, lifting up her arms and ready to collect all those lives in trade of power.
"I need to stop her," Amy crawled, trying to reach her. She was still weak from the blood loss, yet she managed to stand on her feet. "Rheya... stop..."
"You're not worthy of my genes. Once again, I failed on my creation!" Rheya kicked her legs, making her fall on the ground again. Using the sai removed from her chest, she pointed it to Amy's throat. "Good riddance, granddaughter."
Like a blur moving through the room, somebody managed to tackle Rheya, getting her away from Amy. She lifted up her eyes in time to see...
"You!" The First Vampire grabbed Lily by the neck.
"No!" Amy yelled and tried to hit Rheya with a psychic blast, but she had no strength. She watched as the First Vampire buried the sai directly into Lily's heart. The girl glanced Amy one last time with a small smile on her face, before her body converted into ash.
"Weak as an insect. Her life barely served for my purpose."
Rheya laughed and turned around, ready to return to her mission.
Amy kneeled down, her hands covered by Lily's ashes. Her eyes filled with tears and she started to tremble. In that moment there was no pain or weakness. Something else had ignited inside her. Something ancient, powerful... and terrible. She felt like she was consumed by an intense fire. The wound in her chest healed immediately as the new source of power took over her body. A power deeply moved by anger and loss.
"Rheya," she ordered. "Stop."
Kamilah
"A-Amy..." Kamilah clutched the spot where Rheya hit her with a fire blast. Her chest hurt intensely. She opened her mouth to speak, noticing her wife was completely out of herself. Her eyes were glowing like two fireballs, exactly like Adrian when he took an excessive dose of his serum. "AMY!"
She couldn't hear Kamilah's voice or even notice her presence. Her mind had succumbed to those powers completely.
"She was my best friend," Amy walked in Rheya's direction. "How could you?!"
"Do you understand now, Bloodkeeper?" Rheya said. "How does it feel to lose someone you loved so dearly? Don't you desire enough power to bring her back? Wouldn't you trade all those mortals' lives for your friend's?"
"HOW COULD YOU?!" Amy screamed loud and powerful enough to make the entire box shake. The impact sent Rheya flying against the wall. The girl grabbed her by the neck, exactly like she did to Lily. "I could make it fast and painless as possible but for all you've done, all the pain you caused... you deserve to suffer."
Kamilah couldn't tell exactly what was going on, but she seemed to have entered Rheya's mind causing an excruciating pain inside her skull. The First Vampire attempted to fight for her life, but Amy's influence had weakened her.
"Farewell, Rheya," using her psychic powers, Amy moved Kamilah's dagger back to her hands before slicing her head off her shoulders. In a few seconds, the legendary vampire became nothing but ash. Like Lily, or any other vampires she murdered before. Everyone in the room exchanged glances, trying to process what had just happened.
"It's over," Adrian was the first one to speak. "She's dead. The First Vampire is dead."
"And so is Lily," Jax lamented.
However, Kamilah still could feel her essence, her power lingering in the air seeking for the next host. A body that could accept and embrace all its darkness. Suddenly she saw as it began to surround Amy's body and slowly get absorbed.
"No," Kamilah muttered, forcing herself to her feet. "Amy, y-you did it, my love. You defeated her. Rheya is gone."
There was no answer. Amy approached the glass windows, staring down at the crowd again. This time, her look was hard and completely cold.
"I can do this," she said, staring down at her hands. "I have the power to control, to manipulate, to shape... and the power to create."
The girl waved her hand, making a flower blossom in the middle of the room sparkling with beauty. She fixed her eyes on it, fascinated.
"I can make life! I can bring Lily back. I just... I need more power..."
"Amy, sweetheart," Katherine interrupted. "You're starting to sound exactly like her."
"You don't understand," Amy told her. "I can bring back what you've lost. Katherine, I can bring Ava back to you."
"Amy," Lysimachus shouted, attempting to get her attention. "You don't want to do this. This is unnatural!"
"You... you don't understand. None of you!"
The way Amy spoke those last few words showed how angry she felt about them all. She turned back to the crowd extending her hands, ready to mimic Rheya and draw in all the lives of the thousands of humans below.
"Amy, no!" Kamilah yelled. "Stop. This isn't you!"
"This has always been me, Kamilah," Amy gripped tightly on the dagger she still held. "You just couldn't see it before, because you were blinded by what you call 'love'."
"No, love never blinded me. Actually it made me see clear. Amy, when I met you I could finally find myself again. I could get back what I had long lost. I realized I'm worthy of redemption, love and happiness. We are."
"You once told me love was only a chemical reaction."
"I was wrong and you showed me. Because you have the most beautiful heart I've ever known."
Kamilah closed her eyes and reached out, touching her shoulder. Without any fear Amy would injury her. She knew the real Amy, her Amy was still in there. She wouldn't be capable of hurting her. Ever.
"Come back to me, Amy," she smiled. "I love you. Now we can finally have that future we always dreamed of."
She hesitated for a moment, before a single tear ran across her cheek. Kamilah slowly involved her wife in a tight embrace and she started crying against her shoulder. That dark energy rushed out her body, vanishing in the air.
"This is okay..." upon her wife's desperate sobs, Kamilah couldn't hold her own tears. "Everything will be okay..."
"She killed her. She killed Lily, Kamilah! And I didn't have time to say goodbye or to say how much I loved her. She saved me, even when I treated her so badly."
"Lily knew it. This is why she did it."
The others gathered around them, huddling together exhausted and destroyed from the fight.
"What do we do now?" Amy asked.
"We go home," Kamilah answered, kissing her forehead.
Lysimachus
A few days passed since Lily's death and Rheya's defeat. For the crowd present at the concert, a minor accident happened at one of the VIP boxes. They didn't know about the battle or even about the deaths. Humans and vampires were still in peace. However, for some of them the world seemed to have stopped.
Lysimachus stared at the mirror while finishing to get dressed. He hadn't sleep in days. The adrenaline, the memories of that night made his body unable to get any rest. His dreams were often disturbed by Rheya's presence in the air, just seeking for another opportunity to rise again. Something told him that wouldn't be the last they'd see of the First Vampire.
"I hate funerals," Katherine spoke as she entered the room, wearing a black dress.
"So do I," he said. "Listen, I know this brings you some painful memories. You don't have to go if you don't want to."
"It's okay. I want to be there for Amy, as she has been helping me a lot. Besides, I've been in her shoes. I know how she's feeling."
She squeezed his hand, trying to bring some comfort. Lysimachus turned around and kissed her cheek. Together, they went to Kamilah's penthouse. His sister was alone in the living room, contemplating the streets through the window.
"Hey, sister," Lysimachus squeezed her shoulder. "How are things going?"
"Still the same," Kamilah told. "She's locked inside the bedroom, refuses to leave or even speak to me. I can't get through her. And there's those powers... I fear her emotions will bring them back to surface at any moment. I feel I'm losing her, brother."
Since Lily's death, Amy had been severely depressed. She wouldn't speak to anyone about her grief, refusing to eat or even leave the bedroom. As they opened the door, they found Amy sitting on the bed holding the urn that contained Lily's ashes. She barely noticed their presence until they approached.
"Hello, sweetheart," Katherine sat down by her side, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. "How are you?"
"It hurts so much," the tears Amy had been fighting so hard against started to run across her cheeks. "I feel like a part of my soul has been ripped off."
"I know. It will take a while to feel better, probably will never fully heal. But Amy, you don't wanna get into this hole. You have an amazing wife and friends who love you. Most of all, you're strong."
"Yeah," Lysimachus joined them at the bed, "besides, that was what Lily wanted the most. She wanted you to live and be happy."
"Was it? I mean, I'll never know. I-I... I didn't even had a chance to have a final conversation with her. I pushed her away for all these last few weeks."
He sighed. Rheya wasn't the only presence he could feel. Lily was still around, for some reason. From his brief knowledge about his new found powers, she still had something pending that prevented her from moving on.
"What if... what if there's a way for you to say goodbye? If we unite both of our powers, it's possible you can see her one last time."
"Really?" Amy's tearful eyes finally met his, a hint of hope shining on her green irises. "Can we do that?"
"We can try."
Katherine gave him a small and supportive smile, indicating she was leaving the room to grant them some privacy. Lysimachus took a deep breath and held both of Amy's hands firmly.
"Okay..." he told. "First thing, we need to connect our minds."
"Got it," for such a skilled psychic as Amy, that was the easiest thing to do.
Once he felt they were in sync, Lysimachus channeled the powers that came from Demetrius blood. The air suddenly got colder and a heavy wind wrapped around them, taking them both to another level of the mindscape, one that had grounds in the Realm Of Death. When they opened their eyes, both of them were standing in some kind of forest with a dense fog that prevented them to see much further.
"Do you think she's here?" Amy asked, examining her surrounding for any clues.
"I don't know," Lysimachus answered. That place was absolutely creepy and he had no idea of who they could run into by accident. "Do not move. Let's just... focus on her."
"Okay. Come on, Lil. I just wanted to say goodbye."
They both closed their eyes, thinking of Lily and their purpose in there.
When they opened their eyes again, the forest had disappeared, giving space to a completely blank space. Lily was standing in the middle, wearing the same clothes from the night of her death. She opened a grin as soon as she saw them.
"Lily!" Crying, Amy ran straight to her best friend's arms. Lysimachus watched from distance.
"Amy!" Lily also broke down in tears. "Girl, you did it. You defeated Rheya. You're the boss now, baby!"
"But... you died. You died to protect me, even after I was so mean to you."
"I understand. In your place, I'd be probably be mad too. Trust me, I'd never do anything to separate you and Kamilah. You guys are OTP."
"Do you..." Amy took a deep breath to recompose herself. "Do you forgive me?"
"You don't even have to ask," Lily wiped off some tears from her face. "But you gotta promise me one thing okay?"
"Anything."
"First of all, you need training. For your own safety and for all those around you. You have a great potential inside you, Amy, but you need to use it correctly. Then, be happy. Live your life with Kamilah at fullest. And if someday you two have kids, make sure to tell them about their aunt Lily."
Amy let out a laugh followed by some sobs.
"Of course," she hugged Lily again. "I'll make you proud, Lil. And I'll honor you, for the rest of my life. You'll be my best friend forever."
"Forever," Lily grabbed both of Amy's hands squeezing them tightly.
The scenario started to fade, suggesting they didn't have much time longer. Lysimachus gave the girls a signal.
"I love you, Lil. Goodb-"
"No, not a 'goodbye'. It's an 'I see you soon'."
"See you soon."
With Lily's last words of "I love you too", both of them got pulled back to reality.
"Oh man," Lysimachus fought a few tears himself. "That was intense."
"Thank you so much," Amy embraced him. "It was all I needed."
"You're welcome. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, only if we can have this massive party with lots of gaming later. In Lily's honor."
"Sure! We can arrange that."
Katherine and Kamilah were waiting at the living room. Amy greeted them with a smile, looking a lot better than before.
Before they left for Lily's funeral, Lysimachus' spoke in private to his girlfriend:
"So when you will say goodbye? It worked for Amy. Removed a burden from her shoulders."
"Someday," Katherine sighed. "Someday I'll be ready. I let you know."
Kamilah
"No," Kamilah spoke over the phone, rolling her eyes, "I do not wish to model for your new line of hair products."
Amy quietly watched her from the couch. Lily's death had a great impact in her life. She was no longer that usual upbeat and optimistic young woman. Like, Kamilah she decided to stay away from the spotlights and social media for some time. Together they decided it was the best for her protection and for her mental health in that moment.
With the consent of her parents, Kamilah took Amy to her hometown. Being away from New York's never-stopping action and find some peace and quietness could be helpful to restore her mood. They'd be staying on the family's lake house for a few days.
"Oh, #Kamilahshair is also trending on Twitter. Again." Amy's father announced, making the female vampire almost drop her coffee.
"Excuse me?!"
"Your hair is becoming quite famous," Amy said as she sat by her side on the couch. "It's not exclusive for me to worship anymore."
"You know every part of me is exclusively yours, my love," Kamilah placed a kiss on her lips.
From the kitchen, Amy's mother cleared her throat, interrupting the moment. Though she was more tolerant, she still wouldn't accept any affection displays in her house.
"You two are almost as popular as the Twilight couple," Kamilah's father in law continued with his jokes. She learned where her wife had inherited her sense of humor from. "There are fandoms dedicated to your ship, thousands of fanfiction too."
"I don't understand any of these terms, Mr. Parker, but I suppose it's a good thing?"
"Come here to check it out."
Kamilah approached the man, who showed some of the work of their online fans. Some were very pleasant to read but some...
"Oh," Kamilah blushed in embarrassment. "This is... very detailed. And accurate."
"Okay," Mr. Parker closed the browser. "This is more information than I wanted to read."
"Guys!" Amy finally broke into a laugh. Kamilah closed her eyes savoring that moment. It was so good to hear that sound after so many days of silence and tears. "Stop, please."
After finishing breakfast, they returned to the lake house where Kamilah took the moment to appreciate the view in front of her.
"Remember the first time you brought me here? I was so frustrated I'd never be able to enjoy this place in your company during the day."
"Yes, then I showed you how fun it still could be at night. By breaking into the neighbors' hot tube."
"I'm feeling a little criminal today," Kamilah raised a suggestive eyebrow at her wife. "Aren't you?"
"Not really," Amy took a moment to answer. "It's Summer. The kids must be around."
They hadn't shared many romantic moments or any intimacy since the fight against Rheya. The girl turned around and headed back to the house. Kamilah could tell by her voice she was about to cry. She decided to follow her.
"Amy, what's happening? Is it because of Lily?"
"It's more serious than that. Those powers... I can sense them calling for me. Everytime I get angry or sad I feel I'll slip out of control and succumb to darkness again."
Kamilah sighed and joined her wife by the window. She tucked Amy's hair behind her ear and kissed her wet cheek.
"If that happens, I'll be by your side, making sure you'll come back."
"No, Kamilah. You don't understand... I could've killed you! In that moment I felt absolutely nothing. I was consumed by anger and hate."
"We can find a solution..." Kamilah spoke softly in her ear. "Together."
"Actually," Amy moved away from her, "we can't. I think we should follow separate ways for a while. It's the best for both of us."
"Amy..."
"Go back to New York, please. I'll stay here."
"Y-You can't be serious. We've been through so much together."
"I know," Amy approached again, holding both of her hands. "But this is something I must go through alone."
Respecting her wish, Kamilah packed her bags and entered the car. There was no goodbye kiss, Amy briefly waved her hand from the porch and returned inside. She thought it'd be better this way.
Kamilah felt like she had been punched in the stomach. In fact, a punch would've hurt less. All the times her enemies attempted to stake her or even extract her heart still didn't hurt that much. She felt crushed. In the end, Rheya had gotten exactly what she wanted.
"I absolutely hate this place," Kamilah complained inside the car, before starting to drive away.
Amy
At night, Amy walked around the woods surrounding the lake house. She needed to clear off her head. Some kids were having a party somewhere nearby, she watched them from a distance. Only a few years back, she used to be one of them. In Summer, the whole family would reunite in the lake house, where she and her cousins threw great parties that gathered people from all over the town.
Those were good times without vampires, evil villains and sociopaths that wanted to take over the world.
"That's it, Amy. How it always meant to be. You brought back the First Vampire, defeated her and brought an era of peace. But... what now?"
Feeling sad and completely lonely, she stopped by the lake. The night made it appear dark and bottomless. She stared at her own reflection in the water.
"Demetrius, if only you could talk to me again. I could really use some advice."
Being without Kamilah was the last thing she wanted. God, she loved that woman so much. She could spend the eternity by her side and she knew she'd never grow tired or bored, Kamilah made it impossible. They had so many plans for the future, so many dreams... now everything seemed so distant again.
Footsteps behind her made her quickly react and turn around.
"Sorry," Katherine spoke. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"What are you doing here?" Amy asked. "Did Kamilah send you? Because I was very clear when I said I didn't want to see anybody."
"She didn't. Last time I saw her she was drowning in some fancy bourbon with Lysimachus. Actually, that may be the best bourbon I tasted in my entire life."
Amy forced a small smile. Of course Kamilah was drinking. Whenever she was too upset or too happy, alcohol was always present. She gave Katherine a sign to follow her inside the house.
"So," she grabbed the only thing she found inside the fridge, two cans of soda, "why are you here?"
"For a job," Katherine opened the can, drinking some of her soda. "You've been helping me to fight my demons, I'll help you to fight yours."
"How? I mean, there's nothing we can do. Rheya is gone, but her powers are eternal, immortal. They'll always linger in the air, seeking for a compatible target."
"We can't destroy it but we can banish it, and trap it inside of some container."
"And how much is it going to cost?" Amy let out a chuckle. "I mean, you always say your time is precious."
"Nothing," Katherine sighed. "Let's make it a girls night thing. Deal?"
"Deal. Where do we start?"
"Find us a container where we can trap Rheya's essence. I'll be outside preparing the ritual."
Amy searched the bedrooms hoping to find something, but as the house was rarely used in the last few years, there was nothing that could serve. She searched the kitchen's cabinets next, where she grabbed the only thing she thought that was appropriate for the purpose.
"Did you find anything?" Katherine asked while she finished placing some runes in a circle.
"Yes," Amy grinned ear to ear,s what she had in hands. "An empty jar of strawberry jam."
The Nighthunter broke into a laugh.
"Such a decadent ending for a Vampire Goddess, huh?!"
"Exactly. I thought my grandma's cookie jar was still too much for Rheya."
"Great, now give me the jar and stand in the middle of the circle."
Amy did as told. Being the most viable target, Katherine ordered her to attract the powers to herself. The girl bit her lower lip, feeling insecure.
"Are you sure this is safe?" She asked.
"No, it's not. I won't sugarcoat it for you," Katherine replied, bold and direct. "But do you have any other choice?"
She was right. If Amy wanted any chances of having a future by Kamilah's side, her only option was to trap those dark forces forever. She started to think of everything that made her sad, frustrated and especially angry. She remembered Lily. She pretended to desire for those powers to bring her back. She called for them. Suddenly that familiar cold breeze made all al her neck's hair spike up.
"It's here," she warned Katherine. "I can feel it."
"Stay in the circle until I tell you to leave." Katherine focused and started mumbling a few words in an ancient language. Amy could sense it coming closer and closer, starting to wrap around her body like dark tendrils. "Now!"
As Amy left the circle, Katherine switched places with her. The dark fog started to surround her, as if it was scanning for a vulnerability.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm not a viable host. It won't get me."
"That's what you think! Rheya was a mortal when Goddess Phampira granted her those powers. Katherine, get out!"
"Only a little longer."
After a few seconds, Katherine opened the jar and the dark force was immediately drained to the container. She quickly closed it, safely sealing it inside.
"Is it... over?" Amy asked in disbelief.
"I think so," Katherine concluded, examining the jar. "Now we must bury it somewhere no one will find."
"There's some rocks by the other side of the lake. Me and my cousins used to bury stuff there all the time. No one ever found them."
"If you say so."
With a shovel and a flashlight, Amy confirmed all their childhood treasures were still there, inside a deep hole among the rocks. She carefully placed the jar in there and covered the hole again.
Both of the women returned to the lake house, where Amy set up a fire outside. They both sat down in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
"You can come back to New York now," Katherine was the first to speak. "For your relationship's sake and mine too, Lysimachus gets really annoying when he drinks."
"He does," Amy laughed in agreement. However, there was something else that still prevented her from running back to her wife. "I can't go back. We banished Rheya's powers that remained loose on the universe, but I carry some of these powers myself too. Look what I did to the Order Of Dawn soldiers. I can lose control again."
"Oh about that, I have some contacts in Japan. There's this psychic vampire named Kano Yoshimasa, he's kind of a legend. You could appeal to him and ask for help with your powers."
"Really? I mean, Kamilah told me the vampires from Japan are far from friendly."
"Sweetheart," Katherine rolled her eyes, "you're kind of their leader now. Want them or not. They will have to accept you in their territory."
"Would you come with me, as some sort of mediator?"
"Okay but..."
Amy knew what the Nighthunter's face meant.
"I'll pay. I've earned more than enough selling details of my life to that movie."
After driving as fast as she could, Amy used her vampire speed to move faster. She didn't have to care anymore if mortals would notice it. With a smile on her face, she knocked the penthouse's door. Her heart pounding anxiously inside her chest.
When Kamilah opened the door, the first thing she did was pull her for a long and passionate kiss.
"Amy," her wife was kinda shocked by her sudden return. "This was quite a surprise."
"I know," she blushed and smiled. "I've got everything solved. Would you come to Japan with me?"
Kamilah took a moment to answer. She involved Amy in her arms, holding her very close to her chest.
"I'll go wherever you go. I'd follow you into hell itself."
Lysimachus
"I thought we had an actual job here," Katherine complained inside the car. "And I only agreed to come because I know these lands."
"Really?" Lysimachus gave her an ironic look. "Or is it because you wanted to be here? It is an actual job, except that my employee is... not alive."
Lysimachus decided to accept Adrian's offer. In a few weeks when he started his campaign, he'd be taking the lead of Raines Corporation. Before that, he would be traveling Japan along his girlfriend and friends. Besides Amy and Kamilah, Jax agreed to follow them too.
Until then, he decided to enjoy his time by doing a few last jobs as a Nighthunter, together with Katherine. Their final stop was at a small town in New Mexico.
"I haven't visited since I left to New Orleans, about ten years ago."
"Come on," he placed a hand on his girlfriend's knee. "She want you to do this."
They left the car and he handed Katherine some flowers.
"Violets," she smiled, touching the petals. "Ava's favorites."
"Yeah, she was very specific."
Together, they followed into the cemetery. Despite the long years, Katherine still knew the way very well. They stopped at Ava's grave. The emptiness suggested no one had visited in a long time.
"Can you give us some privacy?"
"Sure."
Lysimachus sat down at a near bench, observing as Katherine kneeled down to place the flowers and caressed the picture in the tombstone. Then, she closed her eyes for a few minutes, muttering some words.
"Done," she returned to his side. "I told her how I feel, apologized for the millionth time and even said a prayer."
"Are you religious?" He asked. "I didn't know."
"I used to be, a little. Even if my parents..."
"Would you like to visit them?"
"No, we didn't part in good terms. They wished to never see me again. I'm respecting this wish."
Back to the car, Lysimachus couldn't understand how Katherine's parents could be so cruel and abandon her at the most difficult time of her life. No wonder she was so closed about her past and her feelings.
"It's not enough yet," Katherine broke the silence. "I can feel it. What's next?"
"Let me see," Lysimachus was pensive for a moment, remembering all the things he heard Ava's ghost saying. "There's one thing. I think we'll have the perfect opportunity for that."
They arrived in New York just in time for the party to honor Lily's life and to celebrate their next journey in Japan. Everyone was reunited at the Shadow Den bowling station. A few arcades had been installed, as well as a karaoke machine.
"Hey guys," Amy greeted them excited. "I thought you wouldn't be coming."
"Are you kidding?" Lysimachus messed up her hair. "We wouldn't miss it for anything."
"Can I steal Katherine for a minute?"
"Sure."
As soon as they left, Kamilah approached him bringing a drink. She looked happy and relaxed. Things between she and Amy were finally back to normal.
"So brother, are you ready? Have you ever been in Japan before?"
"Once. I must say I faced some trouble. This woman, Aiko Nakamura, wanted to capture me and throw me inside a dungeon. She said I remembered her of somebody she knew."
"Oh," Kamilah nearly choked with her drink for some reason. "I'm sorry about that."
"Anyways," Lysimachus shrugged. "I hope they're more friendly this time."
"And so do I."
Lysimachus reflected about everything they went through in the last couple of years. He let out a laugh.
"Due to our history, I doubt it. Trouble will always find us everywhere we go."
"Exactly. But as long as we're together everything ends up alright."
"To victory," he extended his glass to his sister. "And to family."
"Always," Kamilah clicked her glass against his.
"A minute of your attention please," Amy's voice, coming from the small improvised stage where the karaoke machine was set, got their attention. "To attend a very special request, I'll be singing Party In The USA. And Katherine will be helping me with this one."
A furious and embarrassed Nighthunter emerged from the middle of the crowd, playfully punching Lysimachus' arm.
"What is that?" She asked. "I know you're involved!"
"You said you'd do anything for Ava to move on," he started pushing her in the stage's direction. "Go. She wanted you to sing again."
"I hate you guys..."
"Welcome to the group, Katherine," Kamilah smiled. "I've been there too."
While the twins watched their significant others to playfully sing and dance at the stage, they exchanged one final glance and a smile. Their journey was far from over but after 2000 years of pain, both of them had finally found peace and love.
Author's Note: It's NOT over yet. Stay tuned!
