Anarameha

Chapter 49

Ana and Keoni were the first into the office. Her eyes found the open escape door instantly. Soon the sounds of a woman screaming echoed through.

"Must be Leearin," Keoni murmured.

"Yeah," Ana said as she pushed on the hidden door. "No surprises that he sent her that way. He probably figured that we would have someone waiting at the bottom and sent her there to test it out."

"And then didn't wait around to find out?"

"Maybe he heard us coming. It's not like the troops would have been quiet when they took down those two guards."

"Or maybe this was his plan all along. Did he really think that you wouldn't know where the hidden door was?"

"Or you," Ana responded. "You are the general, my father's top security advisor. Of course, you're going to know every little thing about this place and this room."

Keoni nodded and followed Ana up the stairs. They both ran, sensing the need to hasten. Time was not on their side, and clearly, Pierre had advanced warning of their impending arrival.

Ana stepped out of the staircase to the open air area that was home to the transports. She could see a group of men to one side and the red light of a jet in the distance.

"Are you okay with those men?"

"Yes, but what are you planning?"

"Something fun."

"Something fun is in a bed. I know you're going to do something mad."

She pulled him down, sneaking a kiss.

"Always."

Running to the edge, Ana pulled out her GAR line and shot it out. Before it snapped tight, she unclipped the end and wrapped it around the steel pole.

Ana watched, waiting for it to connect to the jet. The control panel beeped, and Ana smiled as she watched the jet jerk. Leaning down, she pressed the retract button.

"No escape, no matter how hard you try."

The jet began to move backwards. Pierre struggled to get back up onto the jet after almost being thrown off it. He was grateful that he'd clipped himself to the jet with the safety line.

Looking back at the royal residence, Pierre saw two things. One, the men that had been in a group watching something were gone, and he presumed that the lumps on the floor were their dead bodies. And two, he was being watched. Two figures stood near the line, waiting for him to be dragged back.

Pierre knew who they were. One was obviously Ana, and the other was the vampire that he'd dumped on Bran with the expectation that he killed him. It seemed that his inability to kill a vampire had come back to bite him on the ass.

His attempts to remove the line from the jet were pointless. It had driven deep into the jet and Pierre assumed that claws would have opened to hold it in place.

Rather than being reeled into his death, Pierre unclipped the safety line. He tried to open the wings in his flight suit, but the bag was in the way. It was too heavy to carry in one hand and it would be detrimental to the flight suit's capabilities.

Looking below, Pierre knew that it was not a good idea to drop the bag. Too many places that it could land, too many people that would take the credits. Even if he could drop it to a safe point, there was a risk that the bag would split open upon impact and send the credits flying.

There was a decision to be made. What was more important? The credits or escape? Pierre knew that if he was dragged back to that building, he would be thrown in jail for the rest of his life. It was not what he wanted.

Running from the law was not going to be easy, more so if he had to give up his safety net. There was no choice, though. Without the wings, he would plummet.

Huffing, Pierre lifted the strap over his head and wrapped it around the handles of the jet. He knew better than to throw the credits to the ground. Annoying Ana even further was not a good idea.

With the bag safely stowed on the bike, Pierre opened the wings and jumped.

"Well, like that couldn't be predicted," Ana grumbled.

"But what's in the bag? Money or a bomb?"

"It's money. I know the kind of dirtbag he is. Leaves his men behind while running off with all the loot. They either die or get incarcerated while he escapes to a life far away from here."

The jet was slowly dragged back onto the floor. Keoni opened the bag and saw a lot of credits.

"You were right."

"Duh. I'm always right. It's going to be a really long life if you don't figure that out soon."

Keoni looked at Ana with unease.

"Ana, I was talking to Bran about some things. You know how I bit you?"

She nodded, wondering why he was giving her an uneasy but cheesy grin.

"Well, if it was this me that was in that moment rather than the clueless Jiro, I would have known that biting a human without death following is not a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because it turns them into a vampire."

Ana's head nodded slowly as she took that in.

"Right," she said softly. "So, it really is going to be a long life."

Keoni nodded quietly.

"And I can't die now?"

"Well, it is possible but extremely rare."

"No sun."

Keoni shook his head.

"Blood diet."

Ana wondered how any of this would be possible. She was the queen of this city, and the royal family has always been human.

"Are you being serious?"

"Yes. Neither of us knew any better. I had no memory of what it was like to be a vampire that understood everything rather than the drip-fed pieces of information from Bran and you,"

"Never listened when I was taught," Ana interrupted with a sigh.

She didn't get along with the tutor that taught them all things related to vampires.

"So, I guess it's probably a good thing considering that we're together. Did you ever discuss this with my father?"

"Yeah. I think that he planned to talk about it with you and give you the option to become a vampire."

"Huh."

Ana picked up the bag. She held out her free hand, waiting for Keoni to take it.

"So, a vampire, eh? I guess that means that we're stuck with each other then."

Keoni nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist.

It was something that Ana never considered a part of her life with Keoni, which she thought was a little ridiculous. Ana put it down to the infatuation she had. The young woman she was didn't stop to consider the bigger picture of a life with a vampire, but now that she was here, Ana believed it would be okay. She also thought it helped that she was a vampire now as well.

With a sigh, she looked up at Keoni.

"A vampire queen."

"Not the first."

"But for this city, though?"

"Your people will love you all the same. It would seem that they have lived in the hope of a miracle happening, and you're about to give that to them. Don't be afraid, Ana. You're going to be fine."

Ana nodded. She hoped that he was right.

Ana laughed as Keoni lifted her off the floor and began to turn. She was high in his arms, so when he stopped turning her around, Ana leaned down and kissed him. It wasn't the ending that she'd planned, but it was undoubtedly a good one.