60. VANYA: THE END

“Stay with me, Vanya. Please don’t leave me.”

***

“We’re almost there. Just a little bit more.”

***

“Do you hear that, sweets? They’re coming. Just a little longer, can you do that for me? Hold on for me. We need you, sweets. Don’t leave us. Just hold on.”

***

There was no beeping filling my ears. No annoying machines attached to every possible inch of my body. I had an IV—two IV’S attached to me. Everything was silent which made me feel like I was along, but I knew I wasn’t. I felt the comforting weight of another hand on mine.
I wasn’t dead. I wasn’t alone.
But I was in pain. The constant throbbing of my shoulder and the feeling of fire ants crawling all over my body was pulling me from my sleep. I didn’t want to wake up because in my dreams everything was still okay. In my dreams Obsidian was smiling at me and Ezra had accepted them. In my dreams Devrim was no longer pissed at me for saying what I had.
In my dreams everything was perfect.
But dreams only lasted so long before reality penetrated it. It only lasted so long before everything crumbled and you had to face the real world.
A soft sigh reached my ears, followed by the sound of a chair creaking. The weight on my hand disappeared, making emptiness fill me.
I had fucked up and now I was all alone.
“I know you’re awake, my sugarplum. Your heartbeat increased.”
I hesitated, but slowly opened my eyes, expecting the bright light of the hospital room to greet me, but the room was dim. I blinked and then turned my head to look at Ezra sitting in the chair next to my bed.
“Hi,” I croaked.
He chuckled. “Hello.”
I swallowed. He looked so different from the man I had gotten used to being around. His hair was messy and his skin pale. The lights of humour had died down in his eyes, leaving them looking blank.
“Do you want some water?”
I licked my lips, surprised to find them as smooth and not chapped. “P-please.”
Ezra stood and turned slightly. When he turned back again he was holding a small white cup. He hesitated and then moved closer.
“I don’t have any straws so I’m going to lift you up a little.”
“Okay.”
He blinked at me. “It’s going to hurt a bit.”
When I only continued to stare at him, Ezra sighed and slipped a hand under the back of my neck. I bit my lip as pain shot up my abdomen the moment he started to lift my upper body.
“Wait, I’ll move your pillows up a bit.”
When he was done, he lowered me back against them and then pressed the rim of the cup against my lips. I took three sips before he moved the cup away and placed it back down from wherever he had picked it up from.
“The doctor said that you need to take things slow. It’s been a few weeks since your body—”
“How many weeks?” I interrupted.
His eyes darted around the room. “Almost six weeks.”
“I’m in the hospital?”
“No.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed and carefully took hold of my hand. “You were because you had surgery, but we moved you to the main house as soon as we could.”
“O-Obsidian? Where’s he?”
Ezra’s eyes darkened. “I don’t know and I don’t really give a fuck.”
Shock washed through me. What had happened between them while I was unconscious?
“Devrim?”
“He’s taking care of—” he stopped, eyes snapping up to mine and then darting away. “He’s busy.”
“With?”
“I’ll go tell the doctor that you’re awake.”
He stood and hurried over to the door. Pain shot through my chest and tears started to burn my eyes. He hated me. I knew it was going to ruin our relationship if the truth ever came out.
Ezra was gone before I could find my voice to call him back.
No doctor showed up and Ezra didn’t return.
I stared at the ceiling as I tried to fill in the blanks. If they hated me, why was I at the main house and not still in the hospital? What was Ezra going to say before he stopped? What was Devrim doing? Where was Obsidian?
My eyes snapped over to the door when it opened. A gasp fell from my lips when Betsy suddenly entered the room with Ezra right behind her. Betsy gave him one glance over her shoulder before she rushed to the bed.
I didn’t care about the pain it caused to move. I sat up and threw my arms around her the moment she was close enough. A sob fell from my lips when she hugged me back.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” Ezra muttered before he left again.
After I managed to calm down and stop crying, and two more sips of water. I started questioning Betsy. She was hesitant to answer but in the end she told me everything. How the man knocked her out and when she woke up locked inside the boot of a car. Her hands and legs had been tied so she couldn’t escape, but the man came back hours later, wearing a Halloween mask. Betsy explained how he locked her up in the garden shed at the hall that was used for the ball, and how one of the pride members found her.
“I was so worried about you,” I whispered.
She gave my hand a squeeze and smiled at me. “When they told me that you were missing. . .” She trailed off and shook her head. “I’m happy that they found you and that you’re okay. I’m talking to a therapist to deal with it, you know? I’ll give you her number. Once they release you, you sound make an appointment.”
“I’m okay Betsy.”
“Are you really? You were almost killed. Have you seen the news yet? It’s hell out there with your father in jail and—”
“My father’s in jail?” I questioned.
She nodded. “He was the one behind everything. Your father paid that man to kill those girls and make it look like the hybrids had done it. Of course he tried to warn the man off from harming you—or so he says. I knew it was going to happen.” She shook her head. “When it came out that your mother had an affair with one of them, he acted like nothing was wrong. He denied everything and weeks later your mother’s found dead and he marries again. I tell you dear, there’s something seriously wrong with that man.”
What else she said fell on deaf ears. Her word about my father and mother kept repeating over and over in my head. My mother had an affair with a cat-shifter. Was it with Devrim? It would explain why he had photos of her in his office.
“Betsy,” I interrupted her with a forced smile. “I’m tired. Maybe we could talk another time?”
“Oh of course, dear.” She stood and tugged the sheets around my body. “You remind me of your mother. She was so happy with that hybrid of hers. I know that she’s looking down at you now and smiling because she knows that you’re happy with your men like she was.”
“T-thank you.”
It wasn’t long after she left when Ezra entered the room again. He didn’t move any closer not did her utter a word. All he did was silently watching me. It took me a few minutes to find my voice.
“Is it true?”
He nodded.
“My father was behind all of this?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true about my mother?”
Ezra licked his lips. “Yes. You’re mother was in a. . .relationship with one of the pride members. They were happy but then your father found out. We suspected that he might have been the one to kill her or ordered her death, but we found no evidence.”
My eyes dropped. I couldn’t believe it. How could I not remember it?
“They told me she died in a car accident.”
“Yes, it’s what he told everyone.” He paused. “Do you want me to get the doctor to give you something for the pain?”
I shook my head. “You know about the cameras my father wanted me to plant?”
“Yes.” My eyes snapped up to his. “But I know that you didn’t do it. I know that you were never thinking of planting them.”
“Do you hate me?” My voice cracked.
Ezra was next to me in seconds, gently pulling me against his chest and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Never. I would never hate you.”
“And t-the others?”
“Never, sugarplum.” He pulled back and gave me a small smile. “But I can’t help but think that you don’t want to be here with us. A part of me understands your need for wanting to leave but the other part doesn’t want to let you go.”
“Ezra—”
“We can’t leave the island, Vanya. It’s too dangerous for us to go anywhere else. We can’t show you the world or take you on any human trips or dates.” He reached up and cupped my cheek. “I—”
His words were cut off when the door was suddenly thrown open and Obsidian stormed inside. He froze when our eyes locked. I noticed the way his big body trembled and the fact that he wasn't so steady on his feet.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ezra hissed.
“Vanya,” Obsidian rasped as he took a step forward. “Sweets.”

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***Hey guys just wanted to take the time to thank you all for your constant support and understanding when I fail to update as I promised. I do read your comments but unfortunately I can't reply (my network is having trouble keeping their promises). When it's fixed I'll start replying. Thank you all again and I really, really appreciate you reading my books. P.S THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE BOOK ;)