Chapter 17
However, as the days passed, he began to realize something wasn’t quite right with Aislyn either. At first, he had thought it was just the pregnancy. She was becoming more and more lethargic. Her skin was even more pale than usual, and her eyes had dark rings beneath them. He insisted she spend her days in bed, even though she argued, saying she was fine and had much to do around the house. He won out, however, and she continued to rest. Even with more sleep, she didn’t improve, and when she broke into a fever, Aaron panicked. He checked her entire body for any signs of infection. She insisted she was fine—that she had not interacted with any of the Dark Ones. She would recover fully with more rest.
Aaron ran into town to find a midwife. By the time he returned, Aislyn was hardly even lucid. The woman checked her over and assured him that if she drank an herbal remedy, she would be fine in a day or two. She believed it was only the pregnancy wearing her down.
The next morning, he was greeted by her sparkling green eyes. The herbs seemed to have done the trick, but though she appeared to be on the mend, Aaron insisted she stay in bed. He had lost much time in the field and went out to see what he could get accomplished that morning, knowing he’d return to her side just as soon as possible.
Not five minutes after he began to work on the trench he was digging, Kian was at his side. “Aaron, I’ve been needing to talk to you,” he said, the concern in his voice causing it to shake. “It’s Shannon. It’s bad, Aaron.”
“I’m sorry, Kian,” Aaron replied, stopping his work to give his full attention to his friend. Kian had approached him, concerned about his wife, and Aaron had ignored him, so wound up in his own happiness he hadn’t bothered to take any interest at all in his friend’s situation. “How is she?”
“I wasn’t certain at first, Aaron, but now I am. She’s definitely turned.”
Aaron was shocked. He dropped the hoe. “What do you mean? How do you know?”
“Last night, I caught her creeping back in. She’s not herself. Not at all. She doesn’t eat. She looks—different. Her eyes are… gray. With black circles beneath them. Her skin is cold. I… I know it’s not my Shannon, Aaron. And I fear she must be going out at night to feed, that she’s killing other villagers.”
“My God,” Aaron mumbled, unable to think about how his friend must feel. “I’m so sorry, Kian.”
“That’s not all. Whenever I’m around her, I have this feeling in my stomach, like it’s full of butterflies. I think that’s my way of reacting to her… as a Hunter. It’s an internal warning of sorts, I think.”
Aaron nodded. He imagined there must be some sort of a reaction whenever the enemy was nearby. “What are you planning to do?” he asked.
Clearing his throat, Kian reached into the back of his trousers and produced a wooden stake, shaped like a cross, about two feet by one foot. The tip appeared to be cast in silver. “I believe I have no choice but to use this.”
“A wooden stake?” Aaron questioned. “Where did you get that?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve heard it’s the most humane way to end them, that they hardly feel it. I believe it would be easiest if it were done while she is sleeping, before she wakes to feed.”
Nodding, Aaron said, “This cannot have been an easy decision for you, my friend.”
“No, it hasn’t been,” Kian agreed.
“You know I will support you however I can,” Aaron assured him.
“Good,” Kian replied. “Because I need you to do it for me.”
“Do it for you?” Aaron echoed. “What is that? You want me to drive a stake through your wife’s heart?”
“Yes,” Kian said. “There’s no way I can do it myself.”
“What makes you think I can?” Aaron asked. “I’ve known Shannon for years. What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not wrong,” Kian replied. “You have to trust me. Please, Aaron. There’s no one else I trust to do this. You have to.”
“Listen, Kian, I haven’t told you this, but Aislyn is with child,” Aaron began, cautiously. “She hasn’t been feeling well lately. I’m not sure I’m up to this right now.”
“Aaron,” Kian said, placing his hand on Aaron’s shoulder, “if you were in my position, what would you do?”
Aaron refused to even consider the possibility of changing places with Kian. Discovering that Aislyn had been turned, contemplating destroying her? He could never…. He could never.
“Please? Come over tonight, around midnight. She should be sleeping by then, and she won’t be up and ready to feed for a few more hours. I need you to do this for me.”
Without another word, Aaron slowly nodded his head. The thought of driving a wooden stake through the heart of a woman he’d known longer than he could remember, especially when he had no firsthand knowledge that she was anything other than the Shannon he’d always known, was more than he cared to think about, and as Kian patted him on the shoulder and turned to go, he determined to concentrate on the field and put Shannon out of his mind.
“Oh, and Aaron?” Kian called as he crossed onto his land. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful news.”
Aaron called out his thanks, but he could tell by the tone of Kian’s voice his words were just an effort to be polite. How could he blame his friend for feeling anything but morose on such a day? Perhaps he would find love and joy again someday, though Aaron couldn’t imagine how that would be possible. If anything ever happened to Aislyn, he wouldn’t ever be able to go on. He’d already decided that when she was old and gray, and left this world for the next, he’d ask Kian to finish him as well. If Aislyn were not in this world, he would not want to be either.
