Wolf's Bane

Aftermath

By the day of the funeral, Sebastian's mark had disappeared. However, they decided not to let anyone know that had been done, so he drew it on with a marker each day. People didn't tend to look too closely at him, so it was sufficient.

Desiree had expected the funeral to be a grand affair, but it was fairly simple. The other Elites gathered around a closed coffin since he'd been burned too badly for anything else. He was laid to rest in the same cemetery as the rest of the Elites, including his parents.

Desiree accompanied Andrew and Sebastian came with them, acting as if it was to assist them. Several times, Desiree had to resist the urge to scream during the service. Everyone spoke kindly of Peter, as if he had been anything other than cruel for the last century. Even so, she bit her tongue. It was no use speaking ill of the dead, after all.

The whole thing seemed particularly unfair, though, since she wasn't able to hold such a service for her father. Andrew had managed to remove his body from Peter's house before anyone discovered it and he helped her perform a small memorial. He'd had him quietly cremated, so no one would hear about it. After all, if anyone suspected what had happened, their secret might be found out. They couldn't risk anyone ever knowing what they'd done.

She reminded herself that she could have the ceremony later. In a few months, she could tell people he had an accident and hold a proper funeral. She just had to make sure everyone believed he died well after Peter.

Over the next several weeks, Andrew helped Desiree adjust to her new abilities. He taught her how to shift and she learned to deal with her heightened senses. However, there was an air of awkwardness between them. He finally saw her as someone separate from Eleanor and she finally knew her feelings were her own. Unfortunately, it seemed his feelings for her were still present while she was in love with Sebastian.

As they ate dinner one night, Desiree announced, "I think I should leave."

He looked at her in confusion. "Leave?"

"My life is no longer at risk if I move out and I think it would be better for both of us," she explained. "Besides, the whole point of removing Sebastian's mark was to free him. He can't really be free here."

"You want to leave with him?"

"Yes." She had more reasons, but she didn't want it to seem like she was sugarcoating anything. "He and I have discussed it. I understand I am breaking the contract early and don't expect any compensation."

"You should expect compensation," he told her. "Your only family is dead because of me. The least I can do is give you the money before you go."

"You don't have to do that."

"I do," he replied. "It might not fix anything, but I can do that much to make amends. It's for him, as well. By rights, he should have inherited half of Peter's estate, but we'll never prove his birthright, so that's not possible."

"You're not obligated to take responsibility for that."

"I owe Peter a debt, so I will repay this one for him," Andrew said. "Please, allow me to do that much."

Desiree couldn't argue with that. "We'll leave in a week if that's alright."

"I will have the money ready by then."

"Will you grant me one last request?"

"I will give you anything you ask," he promised once more.

"Don't let the past hold you back anymore," she said. "You've held onto it for too long. Your friendship with Peter and your love for Eleanor have kept you from finding new happiness. You deserve to be happy, though."

"I find it hard to believe you would say that after what I've done," he admitted.

"It's time to let go of the past. Will you do that for me?"

Andrew was quiet for a moment before offering her a weak smile. "I can deny you nothing, my bride."

Desiree and Sebastian packed their things in her car a week later. They had said their goodbyes to Andrew and the money was deposited in her account. That gave them the freedom to go anywhere they wanted, but they weren't sure where they were going to go. They decided to just drive until they figured something out.

Members of the staff came out to say their farewells. There were hugs and tears, but they finally pulled out of the driveway with Desiree at the wheel. The moon was high in the sky and few cars were on the road. As she drove, Desiree noticed Sebastian staring at himself in the mirror.

"Still not used to it being gone, huh?"

"Not sure I ever will be," he admitted. "Sometimes, I'm afraid I'll look in the mirror and see it's returned."

"It won't," she promised. "It never will."

"Still..."

She frowned. "What you went through was more than anyone should ever have to endure."

"And I'm still afraid," he said. "Also, I know there are others like me still enduring hardships. It's difficult not to think about them."

"Maybe, we can find a way to free them, too," she suggested. "I'm an Elite, now, so I have some power, at least. Given time, we might be able to find a way to dismantle the whole system."

"That's awfully ambitious," he commented.

"I don't like to do things halfway."

"It won't be easy and it will likely take decades if not centuries to accomplish."

"It's okay," Desiree said with a smile. "After all, we have all the time in the world."