"Are you ok?" she demanded as her hands ran over his face and she wiped the blood from his eye and the scratches that marred his cheeks. He could already feel the wounds on his cheeks slowly closing back together. "Jack?"
"I'm fine. It's nothing, really," he assured her as he tried to hold her back in order to get a good look at her. The wound on her chest was already beginning to heal, the ends of her hair were singed and her face was still pink from the fire but he didn't see any burns on her. Even so, fresh anger spurted through him as he pulled her against his chest. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she whispered in his ear. "Why did you cut off his head?"
Jack shuddered as he pressed her closer against him and turned her away from Calvin's remains. "My father survived a stake to the heart." He felt the shock that coursed through her body and caused her hands to tighten on his shoulders. "And though I doubt Calvin could do the same, I wasn't taking any chances with him."
She nodded as she pressed her face into her neck; he felt the hot wave of her tears against his skin. "Oh Jack, William..."
He held her closer as she released a moan. His eyes drifted to Braith as his brother pushed into the crowd. People and vampires scrambled to get out of the way as Calvin's remaining fighters attempted to flee the town. Braith's soldiers regrouped around him as Braith pointed in different directions and issued commands to them.
Jack reluctantly released Hannah as Braith snatched one of Calvin's vampires by the back of his neck and lifted him off the ground. He kept Hannah behind him as he hurried to help Braith. "The survivors are to be hunted down and locked up," Braith said sharply as he thrust the smaller vampire at one of his soldier's. "I'll be in the house at the end of the road. Find me when you've located them all."
"Yes Your Majesty," the man said and carried the kicking and swinging vampire away.
"William..." Daniel started.
"Aria's with him," Braith interrupted briskly.
"He's alive?" Hannah breathed.
"No," Braith told her. "He is most certainly not alive."
***
Hannah stepped into the shadowed foyer of Uncle Abe's house. The house was as silent as a tomb and was enshrouded in the same air of melancholy as a cemetery. Uncle Abe was sitting on the couch with his hands folded between his legs as he leaned forward. Heath hovered nervously by his side. Lucas and Ellen were sitting beside him; tears streamed down Ellen's cheeks as she shook her head at Hannah's questioning look.
"They're in the back bedroom," Uncle Abe told her softly.
Hannah led the way through the narrow halls to the room at the back. Though it was a large room, it seemed much smaller with Xavier and Timber standing guard. It became even smaller when Braith and Jack filtered in to stand on either side of the full size bed.
Aria's eyes were a fiery red color as she rose from the chair that had been set up by William's bedside. "Calvin?" she demanded.
"Dead," Braith told her. Aria nodded before turning her attention back to her brother. "Any change?"
"No, there won't be for a little while now. He can still hear us though." She brushed the hair back from William's forehead as she slid into the seat again. Daniel walked to the other side of the bed and pulled another chair forward. "It's going to be grueling but he'll get through it, otherwise he'll just prove I am the stronger twin."
Braith ran his hand over her hair as he knelt at her side and pressed a kiss against her temple. "You're right, he will get through it."
Hannah kept hold of Jack's hand as he moved to stand beside his brother. Though blood still marred Jack's cheeks, the scratches on his face had already healed. She couldn't tear her gaze away from him, she'd almost lost him and she couldn't get enough of looking at him. She shuddered as she recalled what she'd just seen him do. Braith had tried to hide most of it from her, but even still she'd witnessed just how deep Jack's brutality and desire to protect her was. She thought she should be repulsed by the ruthlessness she'd just witnessed, instead she found herself loving him even more for it.
"Was Calvin the one that did this to him?" Aria demanded.
"No, it was Kane," Hannah answered. "I didn't see him out there with the others, but I didn't see everyone that has been killed or captured. He may be among them."
Aria nodded as she took hold of her brother's hand. It remained stiff and unmoving within her grasp, but she held it firmly. "If he's not out there, we'll find him," Jack promised her. Hannah wrapped her hand around Jack's arm as a shudder racked through him. "William will be ok."
"He will," Hannah said.
Aria's red eyes were forceful as she lifted her head. "I survived, we came from the same womb; he'll survive too."
"I'll get some chairs," Hannah volunteered.
She was reluctant to release Jack but she had a feeling no one was going to be leaving this room for awhile. She glanced out the window as Lucas helped her to gather some chairs. Tubs of water were being rushed up from the lake by vampires in order to put what remained of the fire out. The water would be enough to save the blacksmith shop but the tavern was a crumbled heap of burnt cinders.
Though tears burned her eyes, she knew it could have been much worse. They were all still alive, or at least she was hoping that they would all still be alive when this was over. Turning away from the window, Lucas helped her carry the chairs into the bedroom. Jack gestured his chair away with a flick of his wrist as he remained standing by the foot of the bed.
CHAPTER 25