The Everlasting

Thirty

"I can't make out any of this." Rose threw her hands up.

Eli had pulled out any books that would help her translate Balthazar's scrolls and books, but there wasn't much on this ancient language.

"Wouldn't it be in English or maybe a language you would be able to understand?"

"Balthazar knows . . . knew to be careful. Any language I know, Katrina is likely to know."

"A security measure."

"Yes," Eli agreed. "If Katrina was to kill him, the knowledge would die with him."

"That way, Katrina would never know what he knew."

"And neither would we," Eli said quietly beside her.

Silence surrounded them, and Rose wrapped her arms around herself.

"What changed?" Rose whispered.

"What?"

"When you told me about Katrina and . . . us, you made it very clear that the curse brought us together. I could understand then why you kept leaving, why you kept pushing me away. But then, you were in my apartment, asking me to trust you, and it shattered everything I thought you would do."

"You thought I would leave again."

"You had every reason to, and I wouldn't blame you. There's nothing holding you here."

"There's you."

"There's the curse," Rose amended. "It would always pull you back."

He took her hand. "You would always pull me back."

Rose didn't reply.

He kissed her hand. "I could've left, and I should've, but I've learned that running doesn't stop it. I'm only prolonging the inevitable. I've decided that this lifetime would be your last. I will end this, Rose."

"We will end this."

                                                                                   _______

Eli watched her as she slept. Everything about her called to him. He never wanted to let her go, but he knew that if he didn't stop Katrina, he would have to.

He placed a kiss on her head before sliding from beneath the blankets. He pulled on a pair of jeans and headed downstairs, ready to continue to try to decipher Balthazar's records.

As he alighted from the last step, he stopped, his whole body tensing.

"What're you doing here?" Eli growled.

Katrina leaned against the breakfast bar, examining her nails.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Eli didn't answer. He was barely containing his anger.

"I see," she responded. She actually had the nerve to look surprised, as if she were truly upset.

"It was too bad you had to drag Balthazar into this. But then again, his kind and my own have never really got along."

"You sadistic bitch! When will it be over for you? When will you understand that you can't win? No matter what you do to us, no matter how much you punish her, punish me, I will always choose her."

Katrina was quiet, but he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes. He braced himself for what was surely about to be, for lack of a better term, a shit storm.