The next few days were spent drawing up plans with Liliana. She also dedicated that time to train me some more so I could become better fluent in the powers I had learned. Even though we had the perfect escape route planned out for Debby, it was all about waiting for the perfect moment to execute it. That was what I was most scared about it. I couldn't come to terms what would happen to Debby if something went wrong once we decided to put it into motion.
I sat on the edge of my bed with the notebook in my left hand while I gnawed on the nail of my right thumb. My eyes darted around the page while I focused on the floor plan. I felt Keith take his place next to me and he gently placed a hand against my back. "Hey," he spoke softly, reaching to grab the notebook, but I pulled it away from him. "Rebecca.."
"We keep waiting for the right moment to have Debby escape. But, when exactly is that moment? What do we have to wait for?" I asked, feeling irritated and exhausted. I looked over at him, but he didn't meet my gaze. He kept his eyes on the notebook. Eventually, he sighed and leaned his head back.
"Rebecca, I'm not entirely sure. You know as well as us that it is reckless to rush into these things. Debby will be saved, but it's only a matter of time."
"Then, I'll create the opportunity."
"How so?"
"I don't have it entirely planned out, so I can't tell you just yet." The truth was, I didn't want to tell Keith what I had in mind. If I told him, he would be opposed to it and so would Kaleb. And I could not have them going against me, because my plan wouldn't work that way.
Before Keith could attempt to pry the information out of me, we both perked up. We sensed Zach and his goons were outside. As much as I despised seeing him, I was anxiously waiting for him to return like he had promised. Keith immediately stood up, but before I could get on my feet, he placed his hand on my shoulder to stop me.
"Wait here."
"No. I'm not going to hide from him," I responded in annoyance. I shoved his hand away and pushed past him, storming out of the room. Keith followed closely behind and Kaleb joined him right after. They both were with me as I exited the house to meet Zach. I instantly felt disgust as soon as I laid my eyes on Zach. He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and an egotistical smirk plastered on his face.
I wondered what Zach was thinking. If only I could read his mind, I would be able to stay one step ahead of him. I looked to my right, and I saw Liliana standing a short distance from me. She shook her head at me. "I know what you're about to do. You cannot," she told me and her voice rang in my eardrums. I ignored her as I continued to approach Zach.
He waited until I was a few feet from him before speaking. "I came back like I promised. So, what's the choice?" Zach tilted his head, watching me closely, focusing in on my next move. I turned back to take a glance on Keith and Kaleb before returning my attention to Zach.
"I'll go," I stated. Zach's face instantly lit up at the sound of my words.
"Rebecca!" Keith raised his voice and the brothers both rushed forward to grab me. I fought them off and they backed away. "You can't go."
"Don't." Kaleb sounded disappointed and sad. Their emotions they were displaying was almost enough to convince me to change my mind. I didn't want to hurt them, but ultimately, it was my decision.
"However, I won't leave unless you give us Debby first. Once Debby is safe and wound up with us, then you can have me," I informed Zach and he let out a chuckle.
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
"What about yours? How do I know that she's still alive?" Even though I knew Debby was alive, I couldn't walk into this exchange blindly. There was a chance that Zach could kill Debby on the way here. All I truly wanted was for her to get here alive and well. "And don't act dumb. You know me. You knew who I was before this. I stayed true to myself, but I can't say the same for you."
Zach started laughing while he shook his head slowly. "I suppose you're not wrong." He took a pause and stared at me for a moment, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. He kept the smirk on his face, but he eyes grew slightly dark. "We'll be back tonight with Debby, so in the meantime, say your goodbyes." With that, he and his goons departed leaving us three standing there.
"Rebecca, you can't be serious, right? Are you bluffing? Because if you don't go through with this, the war will begin," Keith explained and I held my hand up, signaling for him to stop talking. I kept my back facing them. I didn't have the courage to look at their faces.
"No, I am not bluffing. I know what would insinuate if I were to back out. I take being the Vampire Queen seriously, but whether I am or not, I owe it to Debby. So, I'm sorry for being selfish, but I need to do this." Tears dripped from my eyes and when I glanced up, I saw Liliana in front of me with a sorrowful smile on her lips.
She held her hand out, in attempt to wipe my tears, but all I felt was a cold air brush against my cheek. "It's a shame, my child. For you to come this far, only to throw this much progress away."
"You told me to embrace the human-like qualities. And I am. To hold these many memories, and to sacrifice, those are the human-like qualities that I am embrace. I can't be the Queen and look out for the entirety of vampires, if I can't even do that with my own friend. If I fail her.. I fail myself, and those around me." I spilled more tears as I gazed at her. She let out a sigh as she pulled her hand away.
"Perhaps, you are correct. There is not much any of us could do with time as our main concern. Whether I feel conflicted, the decision was made, and all I could do is support your bravery. War may happen any second now, so you must not die."
"Are you talking to Liliana?" Keith asked and he pulled me back. I had forgotten the two brothers were there, and also that they couldn't see Liliana like I could. "What is she saying?"
"I am not allowed to tell you," I lied as I watched Liliana disappear. I turned to face them, tears still flowing down my cheeks. I wasn't sure whether to feel afraid, brave, or ashamed. I wondered if this was what Fate had in store for me. Did Fate know that I would make that choice? Or did I go against Fate's plans? Doubt began to crawl its way up my body, making me consider the latter.
The feeling of loneliness consumed me at an early stage. I hadn't yet left or said goodbye to Keith and Kaleb, but despair washed over me like a tidal wave, sweeping me back to a trench of guilt.
At some point, after we stood in silence for a while, Kaleb walked to a nearby tree and struck his fist against the bark in a fit of anger. With such force, the tree snapped in half and we all watched it tip over, hitting the ground with a loud bang which echoed throughout the woods. Kaleb stood there with the same fist clenched at his side as he stared down at the stump that remained. I couldn't blame him for his reaction, as I was the root cause for his emotions.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on reaching through to their minds. Instead of talking out loud, I'd rather speak with them telepathically, afraid unwanted ears would hear what I had to say next. "Keith. Kaleb. Can you hear my voice?"
"H-How did you—" Keith tried asking, stepping forward to me. My eyes flung open and I immediately shushed him, putting my finger to my lips. I knew I grabbed Kaleb's attention, but he refused to turn back around.
"This is one of the powers I possess as the Vampire Queen. It's safer for me to communicate with you this way. Listen, I know you both are angry at me for this situation. I will not expose myself while I am in enemy territory, but I will get to the bottom of what they're planning next. All I know is that they're trying to create a hybrid species of vampire and werewolf." I did my best to explain to them all of the knowledge I had. Once I told them, Kaleb turned around to face me and he seemed shocked by what I had said.
"How did you find this out?" Keith asked.
"Liliana and I have been discussing things.. We believe that is what they have been attempting to do with Debby. That is why I offered myself up, because if all fails, she would be killed. I'll stop all of this."
"What about us?" Kaleb added and I can hear the sadness ring from his conscious. "How can we protect you? What if something happens to you? How can you be so selfish?!" His eyes began to glow red and his fangs were halfway descended in his mouth. He was absolutely livid. He looked as if he wanted to kill—needed—to kill something or someone. And perhaps he figured out what I was thinking, because a second after, he spun around and sprinted off into the woods, not saying anything.
Keith cleared his throat and grabbed my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. "Don't worry about him, he needs to cool off. I don't entirely disagree with Kaleb, but whatever choice you make, we'll be there to support you. You are our one and only Mate, someone we love with the entirety of our being, and you are someone we will die for. If this is what you must do..then who are we to stand in your way?"
His words truly moved me. They touched a part of my heart that made it twinge with a loving ache. He witnessed my tears that fell from my eyes and he instinctively pulled me into a tight embrace, squeezing me so hard that I could barely breathe. But I didn't mind it one bit. We pulled away from each another just enough to wear our faces aligned and our noses were an inch apart from touching. He gazed into my eyes for a moment, using his hand to cup the side of my face and with his thumb, he gently grazed the top of my cheek.
"Rebecca."
"Hm?"
Keith spoke, his voice soft and quiet, "I love you. I love you so much."
"I love you too."
His hand slid down the side of my face until his thumb was over my chin. He guided my head to him, and his lips brushed against mine. A tingle travelled down my spine, giving me a slight shudder with goosebumps populating over my skin.
From day one, they always made me nervous. I always felt so shy yet so brazen when I was around them. But I liked the feeling of it.
His lips locked with mine and we were pulled into a trance. His hands linked with my waist and I tucked my arms under his, my hands pressing against his back. Our kisses grew deep with passion and my desire increased, hungry for more of his touch. He leaned over, scooping his arm under my butt and he picked me up, and my legs instantly wrapped around his body.
He took us back into the cabin to the bedroom where he dropped me on to the middle of the bed. He took his shirt off and before his hands moved down to his pants, he stared at me for a while, studying my features, taking in every inch of my body.
"Call Kaleb," he said as he unbuttoned his pants.