The Story of Amara Kuran | Mariah Bryant

Book One, Chapter Twenty-Five

My Michelangelo

My instinct was to kill him, but something stopped me. The Higher Being. I froze Shiki, forming a block in his mind. This time I allowed neither Shiki nor Senri through. He fell to the ground.

One of the men's hands tore through my body. I screamed in agony. Then I made the man recoil his arms and made all of the rest of them back off and let me go. I was so torn I could not think straight. Kain quickly made his way to me. The men all erupted in flames.

Tears streamed down my face. I stood stock still for a few seconds, just crying silently while Kain held men off. I felt Kaname notice what was going on and I knew he was trying to reach me, but it was too late.

A horrible scream erupted from my mouth, strong enough to make my head fly back. It was not a scream made in my larynx. It was a scream made in my soul. My eyes closed, my fists clenched, my feed braced. Wind whipped about so violently that it took my hair from its holder and shook it from its braiding, and yet it did not touch our army. Clouds formed overhead and lightning struck. The Earth shook. One by one, even those who fled began suffering the same fate Shiki had that night, only this time I did not skip over turning their hearts to ashes. They were both imploding and exploding. They were both frostbitten and burning. Their muscles constricted and their bones grew. Their flesh ripped apart and dripped from their bodies. The liquid inside of them was squeezed out through all available holes. They were screaming like a drowning maniac. They were choking on their blood; I left their lungs intact. Their hair was lifting itself out by its roots. Their eyes were pushing themselves out. Their joints unhinged themselves. Their blood vessels were protruding from their skin in places. Their nerves tore through their skin.

I did not think about who deserved it and who did not. The Higher Being guided my abilities like a mother duck guides her ducklings across a pond.

I am not sure to this day how long it lasted. No amount of time could release the pain I felt. After all of the enemy stopped screaming, there was only my scream and the things it produced. It would not stop. I wished so badly for it to kill me.

As before, Kaname eventually wrapped his arms around me from behind. This time, however, it would not calm me. Our army stared at the beauty and horror. Yuki hugged me, too. Zero also approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. He looked touched enough to cry. Ichijo ran to me, crying along with Aido. Kain was grim. Ruka, Rima, and Seiren also walked slowly toward the girl whose scream carried on even then. These things I only vaguely sensed. Then Kaien hugged me from the side and kissed my cheek.

"Shh, shh." he said, but was unable to say anything else.

That broke my scream into screaming sobs. I fell to my knees. The clouds gave way to rain. The wind slowly died down. The Earth rumbled only comfortingly. My hands went limp at my sides.

Kaname paused, unable to think of anything that would help his sister. He just stroked my hair. I guessed that it was dawning on him that he had no reason to hate me. I had known Yuki would not be harmed. I had known she would prove to be an incredible vampyre hunter. I had known Mike would take the fall. This was the pain I had foreseen. I told my brother these things with my mind. I chanted them. It was all I could do.

Oh, Amara, he thought over and over. I am so, so sorry.

It seemed that I would never stop sobbing. I would not open my eyes. I was so weak. If I saw Mike's body, I might have died.

Mike was gone. He had left. He was dead. He could never come back. The door to the dead was closed to me. Even I would never see him again. I had taken that man from his loving family and I had gotten him killed! He had fought beside me, and I had let him die! I was such a baby that I could not control Shiki – he was standing right in front of me and I knew I would not be able to break Mike free, so why had I not done it sooner! Oh, what was worse: I had known he would be used as a decoy against me and I had sent him to school anyhow! I was so wrong. I thought it would be best that way; that I would be able to slice into the heart of the army if I was invited to the limo as I was. I just . . . Shiki killed him. He was gone. It was my fault. It was because I was alive. Just like my parents. Michelangelo Thomson died just like my parents, for the same reason they died. Only that we were surrounded by two armies this time. That was the only difference. Again, I was rendered useless to watch him die. That was the same. It was the same. My Michelangelo was dead.

I could not believe it.

I wanted to die, too.

Kaname sighed and pursed his lips, pulling his eyebrows close together in thought. He shook his head. Then he lifted my hair aside and whispered really quietly in my ear. "Bite him."

My heart was dead, and it felt like someone had shot me when he said that. "What?" I squeaked. In his condition, Mike's body would surely reject the change. At the very least, I was too late!

Kaname nodded once. He stood. Slowly, everyone else around me stood and backed away, clearing a path between Mike and me.

Oh, I could not look at him! How beautiful he was. How trusting his eyes were. His face was frozen that way, like at the last moment he realized what was going on and had decided he trusted me. But the wounds I had allowed to be bestowed upon him! A small knife still stuck out from his heart. Blood was still oozing from his other eight stab wounds that burdened his chest and stomach. I vaguely remembered Shiki's hand, blurring as it inflicted that awful pain on my love.

Then I found that I was kneeling right next to him, crying softly over his body, easing the knife from his heart. After I sat it aside, I titled his head gently. Yes, I would try.

I lowered my face to his neck and opened my mouth. This went against what I had always worked for. I did it anyway. I pierced his flesh with my fangs. Hard. I then pulled back.

There was no change. I cried out. Without warning I held him against me, my tears staining his shirt. It was the same thing he had been wearing when Kaname and I dropped him and Yuki off at the school. He was so cold! My lovely Michelangelo. I would miss him so. I would die without him.

It had been Mike that pulled me to America and then, eventually, to stay in Charlottesville. It seemed like such a small city when I thought about it. It was so dwarfed when compared to all that I had seen.

"Oh, my Michelangelo, I love you." I whispered to him. My eyes closed, I knew we were dreaming together once more.

That was when I heard it. It was like fireworks. It was like the sound of the giant Transformers from the movies. It was the most amazing sound ever made. It was Mike's heart thump loudly once from inside his wounded chest. I opened my eyes to see that his wounds were already healing. The one that was the pathway to his heart was now completely closed.

"Thank you," My sobs were now sobs of joy. Was my Michelangelo really coming back to me?

He moaned softly, tears springing into his eyes. He blinked a couple of times, and his hands went to clutch his chest. As consciousness returned to him, he became more and more aware of the pain that now engulfed him. He whimpered and moaned, clutching his chest, sucking in air. I smiled, caressing his cheek. Yes, he was coming back.

His eyes were wide now, staring up at me. He suppressed his noises, though it hurt horribly. He was quiet, watching me. "Wha . . . what happened?" he breathed, frowning.

"Shiki tried to kill you, Mike, but I bit you. Is that alright?"

"I'm turning into a vampyre?"

"Yes. Your transformation will not hurt for very long, I promise."

It was too much for him to speak at this point. He settled for taking in the people around us. He was quite awed. He laughed lightly. "It was a scene."

"Yes." I laughed, too. "I blew everyone up again."

"For me? Man, I wish I had seen it."

"You may see it, yet." I winked at him. I was just so happy he was back. "Oh, Mike!" I hugged him, closing my eyes.

He hugged me back. "Everything's fine now. There is no need to cry."

"It's not fine. You died, and . . . and I love you."

Mike laughed then. Supporting his own weight, he pushed me back a little so that he could see my face. "I was scared for the longest time I would never hear you say that, and here you have said it twice."

"Why?"

"I'm not . . . spectacular. I'm a fan, not a racer. I didn't think you would ever turn me."

"Silly, of course you are. You are incredible. And I might have turned you eventually, if you had wanted me to. I think it unfair for someone to change species without a say so."

Mike laughed. "I was so hesitant. I don't understand why. I knew all along I would follow you to the ends of the Earth, but I never knew whether I'd be the pack mule or . . . more than that. I guess I was just waiting for an answer from you."

"I was giving you a chance, providing options. I did not realize that you thought you were less than me. Mike: you are my reason for living. I am not a superhero, and though I may be the moon you are the sun. You are my reason for doing anything about Shiki at all. You are the reason I went to Charlottesville, and you are the reason I stayed and did not run: I wanted to have a chance to live beyond the senate. I wanted there to be more options than just what I saw in the future."

Mike was smiling, staring into my eyes. I guess we both realized that there was nothing more to say. While I was not ready for marriage in this crazy, uncertain world, Mike would always be there. All of the questions had been answered. As we stared at one another, everything began to seem . . . happy.

Get it over with, Kaname thought at me teasingly.

Bending one knee to get better leverage, Mike kissed me. It was not like he was conveying a message or even pouring his heart out. It was like he was telling me he would wait until I was ready, and he would be carrying me the entire way. His lips were tender and sweet and kind, with a tinge of passion.

I knew he was not under my spell then. He was completely in control of his own will. It was simply that . . . between us, there was true love. That was really all that was certain. We were there for each other.