Becoming the Cheetah

36 - The Flame has gone out

Blood was everywhere. Flame's blood. It had splattered the walls and was pooling around his body which lay next to his bed with a silver sword protruding from it. Near the door lay a pile of dead vampires. Flame had put up a good fight.

I was horrified by this scene but it burned into my brain and now I see it in my sleep. It seemed all too similar to the scene of my parents' death. Always people that I loved... 

Tears poured down my face like never before. Flame was dead. How could this happen? I swore I would make every vampire pay for this. They will never be forgiven. Slowly I stepped over the dead bodies of the vampires to get to Flame and I could hear the pitter-patter my tears dropping onto the floor.

When I reached Flame's body I pulled the cursed sword from him then dropped to my knees. I hugged his dead body and cried into it. It was so limp in my arms. Cold and lifeless. My poor Flame.

"WHY!!!!" I screamed through my tears. Why must the world punish me like this? Wasn't taking my parents from me enough?

Flame's green eyes stared lifelessly at me. I closed them for him then continued to hug him. Pain like no other flared in my chest. Heartbreak of a severe kind is my guess. I want the pain to kill me so I could just stay here with him until I die too. We would be together then. And I could forgive him.

"Oh no..." I heard someone say sometime later after the sun had set.

I turned my head, the salty crusty feeling of dried tears stung my face. It was Kara. Standing in the doorway. She too looked as if she had been crying.

"They're all dead," I whispered.

"Not all," She said softly but I could feel the anger in her voice.

"What do you mean?" 

"The Alpha isn't here," she answered and walked over to me.

"He's the one person I wanted to be killed!" I screamed.

"Me too," she whispered and sat beside me, looking grimly at Flame.

"You know," She said quietly, "I could always give my life to save his."

I started to cry again, "I can't ask you to do that. I need you."

She hugged me and I hugged back. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours not knowing what to say to each other. I knew she really liked Griffin maybe even loved him and now he along with Flame was dead.

I noticed Flame was still wearing the necklace the Alpha gave him. I hated the alpha but I felt like I could use these necklaces for a different purpose.

I reached forward and undid the clasp of the necklace.

***

We buried all their bodies and I sat beside Flame's grave with the locket of the necklace between my fingers. Caressing its hard, cool surface.

"Flame, I've actually lost count of the number of times you have saved my life. When you walked into that classroom and sat beside me not listening to anyone else I knew I had a friend. But you became more than a friend and I was a mate to you. It must have hurt you so much when I left you. I yelled at you and hated you," a tear ran down my face, "And now you're dead, you're gone from my world. The last time I saw you I yelled at you but I hope that you know I loved you then just as much as you loved me. You wrote me that note. I hope you're listening because I want you to know I love you Flame. I'll never ever cheat on you. I promise I'll meet you in heaven."