Moon, Bitten

Chapter Thirty-Four

         Kate awoke and blinked hazily up at the ceiling fan suspended above her. And she watched as dust particles drifted in lazy descent from each span of blade, and for a time she merely stared – mesmerized by a lasting vision of a beautiful white realm.

         She couldn't have imagined it – or had she? She clung to the vision of the little boy – her little boy. She knew in her heart he had belonged to her. The child she had lost.

         He had been there, nearly in arms length, only to lose him again. That residual thought unleashed a vast tide of grief for the child she would never have and hold was gone from her once more.

         Kate stifled a sob as she vividly recalled the countless bodies of her family. Generations upon generations standing in union – waiting for her. And at the forefront had been her parents – and her son. And she had been cruelly wrenched from them – from Heaven.

         She blinked again, this time in awareness to the four walls of her bedroom and suddenly everything came rushing back in frightening realization.

         A vampire had attacked her. Her heart turned over in fear at remembrance of its sharp fangs as it tore into her throat, its talons ripping savagely into her flesh. There had been so much pain – unbearable pain.

         "Kate – " a voice called gently, drawing her gaze to the doorway.

         Julie stood within its frame, her cerulean eyes hopeful and glimmering with tears as she stepped into the room.

         "Why am I not dead?" Kate demanded coarsely, "What's happened to me?" fear laced her voice.

         Julie whitened beneath the dim lighting of the room and paused mid-step, "Is that what you want? To be dead?" she asked incredulously.

         For a time, they shared a gaze but Kate's filmy eyes peered straight through Julie, to a small boy. And she blinked, breaking the fixation with the breaching of tears. Her hands curled into the sheets beneath her as her chin quivered, "Y-you don't know what I s-saw."

         Julie closed the space that distanced them and the mattress dipped with her weight. Her friend seized her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Tell me." She pleaded softly.

         She turned her head and peered into the opposite wall as she inhaled deeply to suppress another round of tears, "I s-saw my son."

         Julie's tangible gasp rendered the air and her fingers tightened, "Oh, Kate."

         Haunting green eyes clashed with cerulean blue, "I think it was Heaven." Tears trickled down her cheeks, "The pain was gone." She sniffled, "And I saw my family ... my parents, my son!"

         She wrenched her hand free of Julie's and pressed her face into her palms – and wept.

**********************************

         Ronan jolted awake, bolting upright as his hand abstractedly grasped the back of the couch where someone had carefully deposited him.

        For a moment he sat there riveted – afraid to believe that perhaps his ears had deceived him. He dared not breathe but seconds ticked unmercifully by and it came again – another heart-wrenching cry, one that drove like a serrated blade to his heart.

        It couldn't be. His thoughts reeled with that beautiful yet broken sound.

        He leapt from the couch and that momentum sent the room spinning uncontrollably. As he staggered, strong hands readily steadied him.