The Light of the World (23 page)

In one of the windows I see the girl who was
with Wyatt at the church and the parking lot of Subway. She is
dressed in a hunter green dress that I can't help but hate. It's
too formal and eighties prom. She has long white gloves on and a
martini in her hand. Her pretty blonde hair is in tendrils around
her face and tucked up in a bun. Her face is content.

She smiles at a man next to her and removes her
glove to show him her ring. It’s an engagement ring. Wyatt walks up
and kisses her on the cheek. My stomach hurts when I see him. The
man shakes his hand and I realize the fool I have been.

My heart feels like it's fallen out of my chest.
My chest is hollow. It feels like it's open and bleeding. I can't
get my breath. I remember his arms around me and his lips on mine.
The dangerous look he got in his eye when we made out, like he was
about to lose control. I have a montage moment and everything
hurts.

I spend too long thinking about the things he
said and the way he acted and how I was convinced, somewhere deep
down, that he loved me. Even if he swore he didn’t.

I let myself love him.

I let him make a fool out of me, again.

When I look up again, I see him looking out the
window. He senses me. I know he does. I slide up against the tree
tightly.

The tree hides me, but that doesn’t stop his
eyes from seeking me out. He feels me, just as I feel him. I see
the people next to him try to talk to him. It looks like he brushes
them off. He points to the huge balcony out back. He walks out
under the guise of getting some night air, no doubt. But really he
is looking for me.

The back door opens just as I assume it will. He
walks out onto the terrace alone. He places his drink down and
scans the forest. My heart is beating out of my chest.

He turns and walks to the wide staircase. I take
it as my chance to run. I bolt into the forest. I run hard for the
car. These are the same trees as the last time I ran from him.

I can hear his feet in the trees. I hear
something breaking branches. I beeline for the car. My feet dig in
and push.

"Rayne!" He's close.

I run hard.

"MONA! START THE CAR!" I feel like the Ikea
commercial.

I hear Mona start the car. She is sitting
waiting for me with her head out the window. As long as she doesn’t
put the car in gear the stupid running lights stay off. I pray she
doesn’t put it into drive and give her location away.

I feel his hand grab for me. I push harder. He
tackles me to the ground and pins me.

"What are you doing?" He holds me on the
ground.

I kick at him and push him off me.

He looks stunned. I laugh. He wasn’t prepared
for me to fight back with any skill.

His face is fierce. "What are you doing here?
You want me to take you in?"

I laugh.

He shoves me with his hands and I fly back.
Apparently he's also been holding back. This might get interesting.
Ellie has memories of other Van Helsing's and their mad skills.

He pushes me again, "You want me to take you in?
You want to be chained to the wall again? That’s what they’ll do to
you."

I watch the anger in his eyes. I back hand him
before he expects it, "Fuck you."

He wipes the blood away from his lip. He looks
at it and raises his eyebrows, "You want this?"

"I owed you that one and you fucking know
it."

He laughs bitterly, "I told you I was
sorry."

I meet his grin with my own but mine is full of
pain, "And I told you it will always be one more sorry Wyatt. I
can't forgive the things you’ve done to me."

He glares at me, "And what? I should forgive
what you are? I have to forgive what you are?"

I have a flaw. It's annoying.

I cry when I'm angry.

Tears flood my eyes and I'm bawling like a baby
instantly. "You want to know why I'm here? I wanted to see you.
Asshole. I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you once, before I
put us on opposite teams for good. I know you plan on betraying me
and killing me for the light of the world."

He grips his hair, "Rayne I'm on your side. I
don’t know how else to tell you this. I've rescued you, paid for
you, saved you numerous times. What more do you need?" He points to
the house and whispers harshly, "I told them that’s what I would
do. That wasn’t my plan." He looks exasperated.

I see red, "That woman in there is wearing your
engagement ring. You're engaged. You're not on my side. You never
were." Tears are pouring from my face. I see it softens him. He
straightens his dinner jacket and tries to hide the shame on his
face.

"She is like me. You are…you. It won't ever work
between us. That doesn’t change the fact I want to help you."

I laugh and cry, "The funny thing is I actually
have a husband. I completely forgot about him. So don’t you worry
about me. I don’t need someone like you on my side anyway."

His eyes burn, "Husband?" He looks hurt. I savor
the look. If I could wrap up that look and snack on it later, I
would.

"Constantine Basarab. Maybe you've heard of
him." I know he has.

His eyes flare, "What?" His look becomes more
delicious and pained. I want to roll around and kick my feet when I
see it.

I nod and wipe away my tears, "We married a
longtime ago. Ask your mom about it. She was there. I know what she
is and I know what you want. I remember everything." I probably
should have held that back, but I've always sucked at poker. "I
know you were tricking me and planning on killing me for the light
of the world."

I hear voices in the woods behind him.

He takes a step toward me, I take one back. He
smiles his cocky grin, "You didn’t think that me and you had a
future did you? Something like you, with someone like me. Yeah, I
have a fiancé. Yeah, I used you. We're at war Rayne. It isn’t ever
going to be fair between us. Why do you think I handfasted with
you? I knew I'd be able to feel you. Track you. That’s my job."

"Does she know your job involved making out with
me? Does she know you can track me? I don’t think she does. I think
you never told her that. Because she never noticed you looking out
the windows when you felt me just now? She never came with you to
hunt me down?"

"Come with me." He puts a hand out, "Come gently
and I won't hurt you."

I laugh, "You can't hurt me. You don’t matter to
me."

The voices get closer. I can hear them calling
him.

He pounces for me, but I leap out of the way and
somersault. I jump up and run for the car before he's even off the
ground. My legs are done but I force them to work. I run for the
road, past the car. Mona sees me and drives to where I'm running. I
run along the road. When she drives up and holds the car door open.
I jump in. I kneel on the seat and look back at him with the door
still open and wave.

He's standing on the road huffing and puffing.
Looking sexy in his suit. I climb in and close the door.

I wipe my face. I want to smile and laugh but I
can't. It's all hitting me like an avalanche of emotions.

"You okay? Did he hurt you?"

I try to shake my head but it betrays me. I ugly
cry. I lose all control and become a sobbing monster.

"He's engaged."

She looks confused, "What?"

"Engaged. Called me a thing. A thing. Not worthy
of him."

She swings the car around and punches it. I'm
thrown against the window. The car skids and straightens out. He
leaps out of the way as she swerves for him. She swings the car
around again and punches it again. I hear and feel a thump. The car
jerks from the hit. She stops the car and jumps out.
"A THING. FUCK YOU WYATT. YOU'RE THE THING. YOU'RE A SMARMY
BASTARD. YOU'RE ENGAGED?" He's on the ground on his back. She is
kicking and hitting.

He winces and moans but she lays the boots to
him without pause. I jump out of the car and drag her in. The
people coming for him are almost to us. I throw her in the driver's
seat again and run around to my side. I'm barely in when she
punches the gas again. She drives forward and slams on the brakes.
She puts it in reverse. She looks insane. She backs up and hits him
with the car again.

"STOP YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!"

She grins, "He can't die. He already told me
that. Besides you shouldn’t care." She throws it into drive and
skids away.

He's lying on the ground looking unconscious and
we leave him there. I feel sick with guilt. I feel sick leaving
him. I feel sick because I'm a pathetic loser where boys are
concerned.

Mona was right. Classes feel like the dullest
thing I've ever done in my life. I find them to easy now. I speak
the languages I'm studying. Ellie spoke German, Russian, French,
Latin, Romanian, and Spanish. Her memories and mine are merging
more everyday. I remember how to speak the languages.

I have a hard time sometimes differentiating
with her life and mine. She loves and hates Constantine, the same
way I love and hate Wyatt. It's like having my heart broken
twice.

I leave Spanish and walk down the outdoor
corridor. I feel something and glance up. My skin crawls. I know
something isn’t right. My stomach twinges.

He's here.

I hug my coat and try to walk with the other
students. Stay with my herd. Mona and I have rules on how to
survive everyday and Willow's guard holds. I am in my full power
and it still holds. Once I enter the building, nothing intent on
harming me can see me or feel me. It's my only saving grace.

I hurry to the building but I can sense him. I
turn. He's leaning against a tree. He isn’t smiling. He's always
angry when he sees me. I flip him off and turn away. He smiles at
that.

"Rayne." He calls me. I pick up my pace.

"Rayne wait up."

His hand is on me, spinning me to face him. I
give a threatening suck. I know he knows what it is. Sucking him
tastes like dandelions but it's worth it.

He puts his hand sup, "Not here to cause a
problem. I just want a truce. For now."

My eyes can't help but notice the lack of a ring
on his wedding hand. No wedding yet.

He sees my eyes and looks further annoyed,
"How's the husband?"

I smile, "Awesome. Best husband ever."

He winces.

I cross my arms. I'm ready for him. "He stays at
his house, pays my tuition and bills and gives me money and lets me
keep his Mercedes convertible. It's a good gig."

His bitter look lifts. He looks almost hopeful.
"You aren’t together?"

I shake my head, "No. I barely know him."

He is in pain. He can't hide it.

I like his pain. "It's funny, I am different. I
know I am. But I'm still the same person I always was. I'm the one
that never lied about who they were or acted like they were someone
else. I never tricked you into liking me. You just liked me on your
own, for who I was. Am. Ironic huh?"

He looks upset. "You have a pretty important job
Rayne. You have to die to save the world. I'd say you're not
exactly the same as you were when we met."

I flinch, "And you ARE exactly the same."

His jaw is set. His eyes are full of regret,
"You have to die. You know that."

I chuckle, "There is another way. I intend to do
everything in my power to make the other way work for me. I know my
mother will die for me. I just have to convince my father."

His mouth lifts, "You have to find him
first."

His cocky smile pisses me off. "No I don’t.
He'll come for me. When he does I'll be ready."

He is beautiful. I step forward and press my
lips against his. I take advantage of the fact the greens are
covered in people and give him my best kiss ever. He doesn’t fight.
He devours me as always. I slide my fingers up into his hair. I
pull slightly. I remember liking the feeling of pulling hair and
having mine pulled. I kiss him with the years of experience Ellie
has.

I kiss the side of his face and duck my head
into his throat. I lick along his jugular and whisper, "Willow was
right wasn’t she? The minute she met you she saw it? You loved me.
You still do. But I'm not ever going to be yours Wyatt. Does that
bother you? Other men have had what you have tried so hard to get?
I gave it to them without even the slightest bit of thought or
effort. Have a nice life Wyatt, with the wife you let mommy pick
out." I kiss his cheek softly and turn away from him.

"You're right. Rayne you're right about it.
About it all. Is that what you want to hear? Is that enough for you
stop tormenting the fuck out of me constantly?"

I turn back and smile harshly. His dark blue
eyes break my heart a little bit. "Well it changes nothing. Being
right and not being together is the same as being wrong. What does
it matter?" I blow him a kiss, "And no. I like tormenting you. A
lot." He laughs bitterly and follows me. I know when I enter the
building I vanish, to him.

I'm shaking but I'm free in a sense. I have
returned the smack he gave me in the beginning. I have taken back
the power he held over me. The power of the knowledge that he loved
me all along and that I wasn’t alone in it. His mother saw it. His
uncle saw it. Willow saw it. I saw it.

I still see it.

But I don’t care anymore. I am free of him
because I don’t care. My life is complex enough without him tugging
at my heartstrings and then marrying some girl because his family
likes her and approves.

Mona is in our room with books everywhere.

She scowls at me as I close the door, "I missed
so much."

I collapse on the bed, "I know. God. And I have
to go out tonight. If I don’t do the mini sips at the bar I get too
hungry and end up eating a whole person."

She grimaces, but looks back at the books and
her laptop.

My phone rings.

I answer, "Willow?"