BITTEN (Book #3 of the Vampire Legends) (15 page)

Rachel looked at Uncle Drew and then back at Matilda. She didn’t know what to say. She felt awful. She had no idea this was happening, and if she had, she would have stopped him from going, or at the very least she would have gone with him.

“He loves you so much,” Matilda said, “And this is how you repay him? By leaving him? He would have never done that to you. EVER!”

“I have to go find him. Where is the tablet?” Rachel asked quickly.

“It’s unknown. Some people say it’s located at the top of a mountain on the coast of Maine but others deny that. Nobody has come in contact with the tablet in hundreds of years, so we can’t say for sure,” Uncle Drew said in a soft raspy voice.

Uncle Drew turned around and walked over to his desk and picked up a scroll and handed it to Rachel. As she untied the light blue ribbon that held the scroll together, she thought at first Uncle Drew was handing her a map.

But as the page unfolded she could see Benji’s handwriting appear. It was a note, written to her in beautiful calligraphy. She began to read:

My Dearest Rachel,

A part of me feels you will come back to me so I write this in the hopes that you will. If you are holding this now, that means you have returned and that you love me as much as I love you. I know it was hard for you being turned into a vampire, and I can’t blame you for your human faults, but if you decide to join me, you will know that there is more to the vampire life than you think. Yes, centuries stretch forever, but so can our love.

I can’t wait for you here anymore, my love. My destiny calls elsewhere. I don’t know if I shall ever be able to return, but if I don’t you should know that you hold my heart in your hands for eternity.

Yours Eternally,

Benji

Rachel burst into tears as she finished reading the letter and rolled it back up. She clutched the letter close to her hear as the tears streamed down her face. Then, she looked up at Uncle Drew and Matilda and said, “I have to go, now! I have to find Benji. I’m going to the mountain. Is that where he was headed?”

“I believe it was,” Uncle Drew said. “More precisely, the Cliffs of Thor.”

“You can’t go, though, you are not prepared to go to war,” Matilda said firmly.

“I have to, you don’t understand. I have to go find him,” Rachel pleaded, wiping away her tears.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, but I can’t stop you,” Matilda said with a worried voice.

“Rachel, you are a very brave girl,” Uncle Drew said as he walked over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “You have proven yourself to me today, and I can see you have a strong will about you. It will serve you well in battle.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said. “That means a lot.”

“You have my permission to leave the castle. You may go find Benji. I wish you luck,” Uncle Drew said.

Matilda looked at Uncle Drew with questioning eyes and said, “I wish you luck, too! I still don’t think it’s safe for you to go alone, but if you feel you must go, I bid you farewell.”

“You will go with her,” Uncle Drew demanded. “You are family now. You must go and protect her.”

“Me?” Matilda asked. “You want me to go risk my life?”

“You have been contained within these walls for centuries, it will do you good to get some fresh air and fight for your people if necessary. You will be fine. Now, Go!” Uncle Drew said as he hugged her.

As she walked outside and was about to take flight, she felt nervous about this mission, but knew for the sake of her love, she had to go. She wanted to go, but she knew it could be very dangerous and even worse, she may never find Benji.

The two girls looked at each other and within seconds they were flying high above, into the darkening sky.

Chapter Seventeen

The flight felt terribly long and exhausting for Rachel. It felt like it was taking hours to get to Maine, and she wished she could fly faster. She hoped that once she got to the Cliffs of Thor, she would find Benji. She longed to see him and to hold him again. The thought of never seeing him again ate her up inside.

“You want to stop for a rest?” Matilda asked, looking over at Rachel.

“No, I’m fine. I can’t stop now. I have to get there,” Rachel said, feeling exhausted.

“You look weak. Are you sure you don’t want to stop for a minute?” Matilda asked again.

“It’s not an option. I have to get to him. He’s in danger. I feel it in my bones,” Rachel said.

“Ok,” Matilda said. “We are almost there, about another fifty miles and we will be up the coast. You can do it!”

A surge of adrenaline ran through Rachel’s body. Her wings spread further as she gained a speed that she’d never had before. She could see the small houses and trees below flying by as she breezed through the air with Matilda. The cool wind hit her face and the crisp smell of autumn filled her lungs with every breath.

She could begin to smell the salty ocean air as they approached Maine. She knew they were close now and that it would only be a matter of minutes until they reached the cliffs. A great sense of accomplishment filled Rachel, yet she knew her work had not yet begun. Flying here would be the easiest part, she thought to herself. Now, all she could think about was finding Benji and saving him.

As she reached the Cliffs of Thor, she looked down with worry. The cliffs were huge and covered with tall green grass and jagged, protruding rocks. She could see yellow wild flowers growing among the grass, and a pack of wolves roaming around. The cliffs were expansive.

“Look!” Matilda shouted and pointed towards the top of the cliffs. “There he is!”

“Where? I can’t see him?” Rachel said.

“Down there, do you see that stone castle? He’s standing right next to it. I’m sure that’s him,” Matilda said.

Rachel looked down at the stone ruin and looked for Benji. She spotted him standing there, still, facing the door of the castle.

“Benji!” Rachel yelled from above. “Benji! I’m coming!”

He didn’t look up. She figured he didn’t hear her.

“Why is he standing at that ruin?” Rachel asked.

“He must have found the tablet,” Matilda said. “He must know it’s inside somewhere.”

Rachel smiled and looked up at Matilda.

Then she spotted them in the distance. Hundreds of vampires flying towards Benji. They looked like a black mob and she could see Violet in the front. They were going at warp speed right towards Benji.

“They’re all going to kill Benji!” Rachel said, pointing towards the mob. “We’re not going to make it in time!”

Matilda looked over at the mob and quickly said, “I have an idea. I’ll cut them off and distract them from Benji. You fly to him and warn him. It’s your job to save him now.”

“But, you’ll get killed. It’s too dangerous for you,” Rachel said fearfully.

“If I don’t intercept them, Benji will surely get killed and we will risk losing the tablet,” Matilda said.

“But you could get hurt!” Rachel said with a worried tone.

“You have to go, now! I can’t stop them; I can only distract them for a few minutes. You go and warn Benji. Save him, hurry!” Matilda cried as she flew off towards the mob of blackness.

Rachel swooped down quickly in the opposite direction towards Benji, flying quickly to his aid. She could see him standing there, oblivious to what was happening above. Part of her was surprised that he didn’t sense danger in the air, but she figured he was focused on the tablet and retrieving it for his coven.

Over her shoulder she could see Matilda creating a diversion between Benji and the black mob. They spotted her, and now made a sharp turn to go after her. She had done it; she’d distracted them from Benji. Now she only had a few minutes before they’d turn back and go after him.

She swooped down and landed next to Benji. He jumped, startled, and looked over at her.

“Rachel? What are you doing here?” Benji said, smiling.

“I came to save you,” Rachel said. “We don’t have much time. They’re coming after you.”

“Who?” Benji said.

Rachel pointed towards the sky and said, “Look!”

Benji’s eyes opened wide as he saw the mob of vampires flying around above him.

“Why did you come here? It’s too dangerous for you,” Benji said.

“I had to see you. I need you,” Rachel said.

He reached out and embraced her in a long hug. She slowly pulled back.

“I missed you,” Benji said, looking into her eyes and stroking her face.

“I missed you, too!” Rachel said. “I’m sorry I left. I shouldn’t have.”

“You had to. I understand,” Benji said, smiling down at her. “You had to realize for yourself.”

“But I did, and I’m back now. I want to be with you. I will never leave you again,” Rachel said.

The two looked at each other and kissed, passionately for a minute and then Benji said, “Quick, follow me!”

He pushed open the door to the castle and they walked in. Rachel felt scared in there as she looked around at the crumbling ruin. She knew with any step it could come crumbling down on top of them. She walked carefully behind Benji as he crept over to the far wall of the castle and stood there, knocking on the stones.

“What are you doing?” Rachel asked in a whisper.

“Shh!” Benji said. “I’m listening.”

Benji knocked again on a different part of the wall and the noise was different. It was hollow.  He opened the wall and reached deep inside. Within seconds, he pulled out the glowing blue tablet and held it in his hands. He blew on it and dust flew everywhere, making Rachel cough.

“This is it!” Benji said, holding it close to his body. “I found it!”

“What is it?” Rachel asked. “How does it work?”

Benji looked over at her and said, “The Ancient Tablet is the center of the Vampire Legends. For thousands of years, vampires have been searching for it with no avail. The tablet has the power to heal or destroy. It is the most powerful relic on earth,” Benji said, holding the tablet in his hands.

“If the evil vampires get this, there is no limit to the destruction they could do,” Benji said.

“But how can you stop them? We’re outnumbered,” Rachel said.

“We can’t risk them getting it. We have to destroy it!” Benji said.

“Destroy it?” Rachel asked. “What do you mean?”

 “Legend has it that the one who destroys it will be destroyed himself,” Benji said. “I have no choice but to destroy it at this point, even though it will kill me to do so. We have to say goodbye to each other.”

Rachel looked at Benji and let out a wail, “No! You can’t do that! I can’t bear to let that happen.”

She ran over to Benji and flung her arms around him, holding him tight, “You can’t do it. I won’t let you! There has to be another way!?
Something
!?”

Benji lowered his head.

“There is one other way,” he said, reluctantly.

Clearly he didn’t want to say what it was.

“Tell me!” Rachel pleaded.

“If you and I destroy it together, I will live. You would save me,” Benji said, looking up into Rachel’s eyes.

“Yes! I’ll help you! What do I do?” Rachel asked without hesitation.

Benji took a deep breath.

“But it’s not that simple,” he said. “This tablet is also the only force on earth that can change a vampire back to human. If I destroy it by myself, before I do, I can change you back.”

He hesitated.

“But if we destroy it together, it will be gone. You can never be human again.”

He looked at her.

“You could save me,” he said softly. “But you would doom yourself to immortality. To life as our kind. Forever.”

Rachel’s mind spun with the implications. Here was her chance to become human again. She could hardly believe it. Now, she didn’t know what she wanted.

“It is for you to choose,” he said.

Rachel looked at him, looked into his eyes, and remembered all their times together. She remembered that night, at the Ferris wheel, when he saved her; remembered all their dates; remembered his love for her. And she fell in love with those eyes once again, just as much as she had from the first moment she met him. She could not imagine life without him. She would rather be alive forever and be with him, then go back to being a human and lose him.

“I choose you,” she said. “I’m ready to be with you forever.”

His eyes lit up, as she leaned in and kissed him.

“Ok,” he said. “Let’s go.”

The two quickly ran out of the castle and across the cliff toward the edge. As she got there, she looked down and could see the sharp jagged edge of the cliffs below them and the tsunami sized waves crashing against the shore below. Her heart was racing as she looked over at the huge distance between her and the ocean below.

“The only way to destroy the tablet is to jump,” Benji said, looking down at the edge below.

“Jump?” Rachel asked, feeling increasingly frightened. Her body was trembling with fear as she thought about leaping off the cliff. She knew she could potentially die doing this, and she wondered if it was worth it. The waves below looked deadly as they crashed against the side of the cliff. The noise of the waves scared her immensely as she looked down. Each crash was like a stab to her body. She grew numb.

Benji held out his hand for Rachel to grab and says, “Do you trust me?”

Rachel looked into his eyes in silence. Without answering his question, she took his hand with confidence and the two walked towards the edge of the cliff. They stood there, looking out onto the blood red sky for a minute, and then turned and looked at each other.

“I love you,” Benji said.

“I love you, too,” Rachel whispered back gently.

At the same time the two stepped forward and jumped, holding the glowing blue tablet together in their hands.

As Rachel plummeted, the wind racing through her, the ground coming towards her impossibly fast, she held Benji’s hand tight, and in that moment realized that, no matter what happened, they would always be together.

COMING SOON…

Book #4 of the Vampire Legends