The Violet Line (10 page)

“
I thought you were dead. You gripped me so tightly and I felt myself getting hot and then you just slumped over my shoulder. Jade, you weren’t breathing or anything and your body went ice cold. I thought I had lost you. Don’t you ever dare do that to me; you have to live. No matter what happens, you have to live. Do you understand me?” His voice was urgent and his normally calm melodic voice held a slight note of panic.

“
It’s ok, Sam; as long as we’re together everything will be ok. I promise to be careful. We’re stronger together and I won’t let them hurt you.” My eyes began to close as I lay safely snuggled up on Sam’s lap in his arms. As I drifted into sleep, I thought I heard Sam whisper against my hair but I couldn’t make out his words. Blackness and peaceful sleep claimed me then and I slipped into it willingly, clinging tightly to Sam.

Chapter Nine

Sam held Jade tightly against his body but she was sleeping so deeply that he knew nothing would wake her. He lifted her gently and placed her on the bed. Covering her up with the duvet, he watched her sleep; she looked so peaceful and fragile. He wanted to be around always to protect her but he knew he couldn’t. He was more dangerous if he stayed with her and he wouldn’t let Oskaar’s visions come true. Slipping silently from the bed, he pulled his bloody
shirt back on. Glancing through the curtains, the sky looked a deep gun powder grey; there was no chance of any light seeping through. Just in case, he slipped his heavy leather coat on; this would almost certainly protect him from the sun and if he stayed in the shadows, he would be fine. He hurried out the door; he wanted to be back before Jade woke. He hoped to spend some time with her before he had to carry out his duty, but first he had someone to visit. Following the shadows, Sam slipped through the wet streets virtually undetected; he moved so quickly human eyes would not have been able to track his whereabouts.

Reaching the warehouses, Sam followed the smell of blood. Graham was not known for his discretion and could always be found among the warehouses by following the coppery smell. Sam slipped through the partially opened door and could make out the shadowy figure of Graham as he paced along the back of the building. Graham was a rogue vampire, slightly mad; it was thought that he had taken too many cocktails of chemicals that had messed with his brain. He had been a chemist in life and now that he was a vampire, he had become a vampire chemist. Vamps went to him if they wanted a quick high or a fast death. Sam knew which one he was looking for.

Graham paced back and forth at the back wall of the building, mostly hidden by the tall boxes that lined the area. Sam could see that as he paced, he muttered to himself; over and over, repeating the same things.

“
Hello, Graham, interested in a customer?” Sam’s voice rang out loud and clear before he reached Graham. His clothes were dirty and dishevelled and his hair hung limply around his angular face. He was still handsome in his vampirish way, but Sam thought he needed a bath.

Graham spun around. He immediately stopped muttering and observed Sam as he approached.

“
How can I help you, Samuel?”

“
Well, I need a bottle of the fastest acting poison you have, specifically for a vampire, of course.” Sam added the vampire point simply so there could be no mistake. Graham observed him through half opened eyes.

“
It’ll be a shame to lose you.” The comment didn’t faze Sam the way he had expected it.

“
No, you won’t care; nobody will. So are you interested or not, Graham?” Sam spun the lie out for safety’s sake; he didn’t want the council getting any information from Graham about Jade.

“
Sure, why not.” He turned away and lifted a bottle off a shelf along the back wall. “Fast, eh? Well, this should do the trick; fastest one I have. Not too messy either; just burns out all your insides. Takes roughly a minute to tear through you. You know, it has to overcome the vampire healing part; quite painful, mind. Are you sure about this, Samuel?” His voice slithered over Sam’s name.

“
I’m more than sure,” Sam answered, handing him two rolled up fifty euro notes. He slipped the small bottle into his top pocket and started to walk away from Graham.

“
She’s not worth it, you know,” Graham’s voice and statement startled Sam, causing him to falter mid step.

Without turning around, Sam whispered into the warehouse, “No, she’s worth far more than just my measly life.” And with that, he slipped back outside into the rain and the grey skies.

Sam let himself back into the apartment. He hung his coat up in the wardrobe and made his way over to the bed. Jade slept on as he paused to look down at her. She didn’t stir as he slid back onto the bed beside her. He picked her up and pulled her into his lap. She stirred slightly as he moved her, moaning softly in her sleep as she nestled closer to his body. Grabbing the duvet, he dragged it around both of them; he didn’t want her to get cold as she slept.

She always looked so beautiful when she slumbered peacefully; no worries to cause her to frown. He ran his thumb along her forehead, smoothing gently over her soft skin. Leaning close to her, he breathed in the soft feminine smell that was all her own. He would know her anywhere and love her always. He treasured this time he was able to spend with her; for soon, he thought, I won’t be able to lay eyes on her again. Kissing the top of her head, he cradled her close and drank in her scent.

Closing his eyes, he pictured Jade happy and safe. He imagined the way she laughed. She has a beautiful laugh, he thought. He remembered the time he had tickled her on the sofa; she had cried from laughing so hard. Her laugh; it reminded him of the bubbling of a stream. It seemed to start slowly deep in her stomach and work its way up her throat, bubbling along before erupting from her mouth in high pitched giggles and deep, mirth filled laughs. He hadn’t realised she was ticklish until that moment; he had accidently brushed against her side as he had gone to hug her and she had shivered and giggled. He had started then and she had begged him to stop, but she just laughed so much. He smiled at the memory.

Holding her tightly, he remembered nights he had returned from the hunt to find her spread across the bed, book in hand with the bedside lamp still throwing shadows and light around the room. She always fell asleep when she tried to wait up for him. He remembered the first kiss they shared. It had been so nerve wracking, but when their lips met, it had felt so natural; he felt that this is where he had always belonged and didn’t know it until that moment. He had held her face gently in his hands as their mouths had met. He had run his tongue along her lips and she had opened to him. The kiss had deepened and their passion ignited. Even to this day, that passion had not gone out. He wanted to always hold her, touch her, caress her soft skin. He felt his heart and soul were missing when they were not together. What he planned to do today would be the hardest thing he would ever do.

They sat like this for hours. The day passed and Sam was content to simply sit holding his beloved tight and reminiscing about the time they had spent together. What little time he had with her had been the happiest he had ever known.

Chapter Ten

Swimming towards the surface of my consciousness my mind struggled to remember what had happened. I had been so tired after healing Sam. Sam was back! My eyes flew open and I found myself still sitting in his arms. Gazing up at him happiness flooded through me. His eyes were closed but I knew he wasn’t asleep, just thinking deeply. Shifting slightly in his grasp made him open his eyes. He looked down at me and smiled. I felt so safe here in his arms; I really wanted to be nowhere else. We stayed wrapped up in each other. I was surrounded by the safety and the smell of my Sam. Eventually Sam broke our shared silence.

“
Jade, there is something else I have to tell you.” His voice sounded odd, but I didn’t take too much notice; I just simply looked at him. Lifting me from his lap, he sat me on the middle of the bed and got up. Staring into Sam’s eyes as he looked at me, I could feel there was something very wrong. He’d been too quiet.

Fear and panic filled my gut as I thought perhaps he had come back simply to dump me. I had a feeling that whatever he was going to say was going to be awful and I couldn’t think of anything worse than him telling me he didn’t want me anymore. I loved Sam with every fibre of my being. When I was near him, I felt alive. If he left me when he had just come back to me, it would kill me. Sam began to noiselessly pace the wooden floor of my bedroom. He avoided looking at me and I could feel my fear beginning to claw its way up my throat. I thought that at any second it might claw its way out of my mouth and land on the bed, rolling around and screaming in panic. I watched as every so often he would stop to push his hands through his hair. I couldn’t take it anymore; all his pacing and silent brooding was making it worse. Jumping from the bed and grabbing him by the forearm, I pulled him around to look at me.

“
What’s wrong, Sam? Tell me; is it something else about them? Watching you do this to yourself is killing me. Just tell me; we’ll figure it out!” I could see the anguish in his eyes as he answered me.

“
It’s over, Jade.”

I recoiled as though he had physically slapped me. My heart broke into a million pieces of screaming sorrow; I could feel it littering the cavity of my chest as though someone had thrown confetti everywhere. I remembered the paper I had watched falling into the bin the other day and my thoughts of confetti, but they had been happy times – before all this had happened. I could feel myself crumbling; all of this happened in a matter of seconds. My entire world fell off its axis when he spoke those words.

“
W-what – do – you mean?” I stumbled as he grabbed me by the shoulders to stop me from pitching forward.

“
I don’t want to do this. You must understand this, Jade; I love you. But they’re going to destroy us.”

I suddenly didn’t feel so terrible; I might be able to stop him from doing something stupid after all.

“
I don’t care what they want to try and do. Let them try it; I’m not afraid of them. I can’t lose you; that would destroy me. Sam, please.” My voice came out braver than I was inside but I could feel the conviction within my own heart.

“
Jade, always so brave. I’m not afraid of them either. Your love has made me want to face whatever I have to; even death itself doesn’t daunt me. But I can’t lose you and I won’t let them have you. As long as I can protect you, I will. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if it means that the best thing for you is if I’m not with you anymore.” His words were beginning to really scare me. They had a fatal ring to them, almost as though he was preparing me for the end and that in his own head, he was already gone.

“
I don’t believe this; you know I’m safer with you. We’re stronger together!” I grabbed his face with my hands, pulling his lips towards mine. I felt his breath, cold as it fanned against my fevered face. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him, moulding our bodies together. Our mouths crushed together. The kiss was savage and passion embodied. All the pain and anguish of his words; I allowed it all to pour into our kiss. I pulled him closer still, as though I might breathe him in, become one so we could never be separated. He wouldn’t let the kiss deepen and pulled out of my grip, letting me go so suddenly that I stumbled. He stood with his back to me; his shoulders set stiffly, his body unmoving and rigid.

“
We can’t do this, Jade; it’s too late. It was a mistake for us to become involved with each other. But that’s done and now I’m going to fix it. You won’t see me again.”

“
Wait! Don’t leave me, Sam. Please; I’m in love with you. Does that mean so little to you that you can just walk away from me, from us?”

He turned to face me. Tears glistened on his alabaster skin like diamonds; they rolled down his cheeks, falling and hitting his shirt, leaving little dark stains like the spreading of blood from a broken heart.

“
I won’t destroy you, Jade; I love you too much. That’s why I have to do this. I won’t let them use me to kill you. I can’t; I’ll die first.” His voice cracked and broke over his words.

“
You mean you’re going to kill me if you stay because they said so?” My voice sounded incredulous as I tried to fathom what he had just told me.

“
Yes. If I stay, you will die by my hands and I can’t kill you.”

I stared into the eyes of the man I loved; my would-be killer. I still wanted to be with him. I would always want to be with him, always by his side up to the moment when he would take me in his arms in an embrace of death. I would love him forever. He reached his hand out towards me, tracing my cheek with his thumb as though he could memorise it through touch alone. I pressed my face into the cold embrace of his hand.

“
I won’t let them have you,” he said again stroking my face, pain over flowing from his eyes. “I’ll never let them have you; I’ll die before I let them have you. You’re mine, Jade. My heart, my being; it’s all yours. All that I am, I give to you.”

Leaning into me, his lips brushed mine tenderly. Then he crushed me against him one last time, his lips pressing into mine as though he was trying to melt the two of us into the one person. The force of the emotion almost crippled me and I knew the loss of my happy ending within his embrace. Pulling away from me, his breathing was ragged. Leaning his forehead on mine, he whispered into my mouth, “I love you from now until eternity. Remember that; and when I’m gone, don’t look for me.”