Chapter 210

Roatan, Honduras, 2014

There was no talking Elizabeth Henry out of something, once she’d set her mind to it. Unfortunately, what she had her mind set on at the moment would be the last thing she ever set her mind on. Christian’s mother was ready to die.
When Dr. Morrow had called him and told him he should come down and see her one last time, he’d hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go. He most certainly did want to see his mother, give her a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and see her off to what he hoped would be a pleasant afterlife with his father. It was just… she wanted to kill herself on the same day that there was an Eidolon Festival, an important one, and Christian desperately wanted to go to that, too.
Eidolon Festivals were essentially parties Vampires were allowed to have once a year. Most of the time, they weren’t held in the United States, and LIGHTS teams elsewhere around the globe handled policing them. There wouldn’t be any interference on the part of the Goodies, as Elizabeth used to call the Hunters and Guardians, unless an innocent’s life was at stake and he or she hadn’t given consent. It was all quite complicated, and it had been years since Christian had attended one at all, and never under Aaron’s leadership, which should prove interesting. But more than that, a special person was supposed to attend, and Christian wanted to be there to meet her--if she showed up.
It was Janette and Jordan Findley’s granddaughter, Cadence Findley. Rumors had been circulating for years that she would have potential, should she choose to Transform. Some thought she would have more power than most, that she would be some sort of super Hunter because of her bloodlines. If that were true, and she started the Transformation process that night for some reason, Christian wanted to be one of the first LIGHTS members she met. It made sense to align himself with her early on. History had proven that Hunter Leaders and Guardian Leaders tended to marry if they were of opposite sexes, so if she was to be the next Hunter Leader, and he wanted to replace Aaron, he needed to be her chosen one.
Beyond that, he’d also heard rumors that one of the oldest, most vile Vampires on the planet was already planning on attempting to take Cadence out so as to prevent any sort of rise to power from the nineteen-year-old. Of course, he’d shared that information with Aaron, and he was sure the Guardian Leader wouldn’t let that happen, no matter what rules he had to bend or break, but being there to help make sure Cadence was safe was also something he would’ve chosen to do if his mother wasn’t being so stubborn. She’d picked that night because it was his father’s birthday--a stupid reason in his opinion. He couldn’t remember for sure, but he didn’t think there would be any memory of birthdays or other human occasions once one was dead, so it wasn’t as if she’d be arriving in time to celebrate.
There was no talking her out of it, though, so Christian would have to miss the Eidolon Festival. It was a pity. He’d gone out of his way to see what this Cadence Findley looked like, and she was a beauty. Long brown hair, chocolatey brown eyes, perfect skin, a nice figure, and a nice pair of knockers. With his luck, she would’ve already fallen head over heels for that bastard Guardian Leader of theirs before he even had a chance to meet her.
Christian arrived in Roatan via one of Jordan’s flying machines, a type of vehicle he’d been utilizing since a few days after the Wright Brothers crashed on Kitty Hawk, and made his way to Dr. Morrow’s office. The sun was bright, the ocean blue, and the sand warm. It was a perfect day, like most days were on this lovely little island. It was a perfect day to die.
Dr. Morrow greeted him and they had a pleasant exchange as they made their way back to a room in the furthest hallway from the entrance of the building. Christian walked in to see his mother reclining on a settee, wearing one of her favorite dresses from when he was a child. Her hair was up in a bun, and she wore a peaceful smile.
She sat up when he walked into the room. Christian wrapped his arms around her, and Elizabeth squeezed him tightly. “You came.” She kissed his cheek.
“Of course I came.” He kissed her back. “Did you think I’d let you do this alone?”
“I wouldn’t be alone,” she reminded him, gesturing at Dr. Morrow and a few of his associates, as well as a woman in a flowing, colorful gown and Thomas. They were all assembled at the other end of the room.
Christian greeted them and noted tears in many of her friends’ eyes, particularly Thomas. He had wondered if perhaps there was more to their relationship than his mother had disclosed over the years, since his father had died, but he’d never asked. He wasn’t about to now. Christian stepped back but returned his attention to his mother. He hadn’t been expecting it to be like this, exactly. He’d expected to stay with her a day or two, maybe catch up on old times, and then, go through with it. Of course, he realized that wouldn’t correspond with her chosen date, but the fact that he’d been whisked from the airport right to this room was… shocking.
“Let me tell you how this will work,” Dr. Morrow said in his calm voice. Some may think he was a monster for allowing this sort of thing in his practice, but everyone who knew him recognized he was actually an angel of mercy. His first wish was to allow their kind to become human and die of natural causes as Janette Findley had done. Since Elizabeth couldn’t do that, there still being no serum that allowed Guardians to become human again, what he had come up with was much more peaceful than the other ways Guardians had arranged to be offed over the centuries. Most of them involved firing squads, being pushed to their death off of cliffs, or stabbed by their Hunter friends or hired Hunters who would put an end to them for a fee. The way Elizabeth would go would be much more peaceful and dignified.
Dr. Morrow gestured to a series of syringes on a table near Elizabeth’s head. As the doctor explained, he was reminded of the new Transformation process that had been perfected not long ago.
“First, Elizabeth will be given a medication that will make her drowsy and numb any pain she may feel from the next two injections. We don’t believe these shots are generally painful, but it’s better to take the necessary precautions. Then, Helene, a friend of your mothers who is a Hunter and has accepted Elizabeth’s request to be her special angel, will administer the next two shots that, when combined in her bloodstream, will cause Elizabeth’s heart to slow and then stop beating.”
Christian nodded. He didn’t really need the explanation the way some people with less medical experience might need it, but it was calming to know what to expect.
“Do you have any questions of me?” the doctor asked.
“No,” Christian assured him. “Thank you. And thank you Helene.” The woman, the one in the flowing skirt with tears in her eyes, nodded. “I appreciate all of you being here.”
His mother had already conveyed she wanted no memorial or anything of that nature, that she’d like to be cremated and have her ashes spread across the beach. Christian could accept that. There was no sense in holding on to something one had already lost.
“Elizabeth, do you have any questions?” Dr. Morrow asked, clasping her hand gently.
She shook her head. “No. Thank you, Doctor. And thank you, my friends. I love all of you.” Then, she turned her head to Christian and smiled. “I love you, my son. I am so proud of the man you have become, for all of the contributions you have made. I pray you find love, peace, and happiness in your lifetime, and that one day, we will meet again.”
He’d let her hold on to her dream of seeing him again one day, even though he was confident it would never happen. Christian bent and kissed her cheek again, eyes misting. “I love you, Mama.” There was no point in giving messages to her to deliver on the other side. He knew, once she got there, she wouldn’t even remember he existed. It was better that way.
He kept her hand in his as Helene came over and began the process. With the first injection, Elizabeth began to sing a lullaby she’d sang to him when he was a baby.
“Over the hills and far away,” she sang. “Over the hills and a long way off, the wind shall blow my top knot off.”
As she sang, he was reminded of being a small boy, running his fingers through that same hair that made up her top knot when she wore her hair as she did right now. The others joined in and sang along. By the time the second shot had been administered, Elizabeth’s eyes were closed, and her mouth was hardly moving. After the final injection, it was only a matter of minutes until her voice fell out completely, and her grip on Christian’s hand loosened.
For only the third time in his life, Christian found himself wiping away tears at the loss of someone he loved. When Dr. Morrow quietly called the time of death, he leaned down, kissed her forehead, and then turned and walked out of the office.