Chapter 219
Rachel broke off into sobs. Katelina struggled to find words that would stop this from happening. What would she do if this were the other way around? What if Jorick had died and she was left as an immortal with a broken heart? To know that the echoing ages lay ahead; dark, sunless night after dark sunless night, each one as empty and devoid of happiness as the one before-
There was nothing she could do. Even if she ran in the house and told Joseff, Rachel would just do it later. Jorick had once said of Oren that he couldn't keep him alive by sheer will power, and he was right. Each person held their own life in their hands, and you couldn't make them keep it if they wanted to be rid of it.
Tears dripped down her face, but she nodded. Rachel smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, honey. You don't know what it means to me."
She turned her face to the east, where a pale band of light began. The light grew. With every second that ticked past, Katelina grew sicker inside.
The sky glowed in a thousand shimmering colors. Red, gold, and purple ran together like a watercolor painting. Rachel lifted her face and breathed in the peace that morning brought with it. "That's beautiful isn't it?"
Katelina managed to choke out a simple "Yes."
"I'm so glad. I wish Kale could have seen it, but I guess he probably can now, can't he?"
Katelina nodded, trying to fight back her natural desire. She wanted to run inside and get Jorick and make him fix this. Even now, after she'd agreed, she was still trying to think of a way to save them both. But there was no way.
The very rim of the sun popped up, visible above the trees as a glowing ball of red fire. Rachel stifled a cry and instinctively lifted a hand to shade her face. She quickly dropped it and climbed to her feet, as if trying to meet the sun on equal terms. "It's gonna be all right. It's all gonna be okay."
The sun climbed, agonizingly slow. Rachel cried out as her skin began to smoke and Katelina instinctively threw herself back into the snow, her injured arm held out in front of her as though to block reality out. Rachel swallowed down her pain and gave a strange, soft laugh. Then she turned her blistering face to Katelina. "Thank you." Before Katelina could think of a reply, she turned back towards the glowing orb.
Katelina wanted to look away, but some twisted, evil part of her mind made her watch. Rachel flinched and then whimpered as the blisters swelled and burst, running blood. She staggered backwards from the pain as her skin burned, turning from red to black.
"No," Katelina whispered in horror. "This is wrong!" Her words turned to a shriek, "This is wrong!"
Rachel's legs buckled and she fell to all fours. "No," she hissed between clenched teeth. "Wrong is living without him."
She threw back her head and screamed. Katelina stayed frozen in place. She couldn't move, couldn't think. She could only stare helplessly as Rachel fell to the ground and rolled up in a ball. Her clothes caught fire and burned, the flames pale in the sun's light. She writhed in the snow, shrieking in agony. The writhing turned to thrashing as her skin turned a deep, shiny black and started to crack. The pale flames danced along it, slowly dying as they ran out of anything to burn.
Joseff's voice rang out from the house, a ragged scream of agony. "Rachel!"
Katelina tore her eyes away from the dying vampiress to see him at the backdoor. With one hand thrown up to shield his face, he tried to run outside. Someone held him back.
"Rachel! No!"
Joseff struggled but Jorick shouted over him, "There's nothing you can do! It's too late! You'll only get yourself killed!"
Joseff howled, "No! No!" Jorick managed to wrestle him back inside. He turned towards Katelina, the sun full upon his face. Jorick met her eyes briefly then darted inside and slammed the door. In that look, Katelina realized that he'd known what Rachel was planning to do all along.
Rachel fell silent and lay still. Katelina wanted to leap to her feet and run to the house and hide. Then Rachel moved her hand. The skin cracked and crumbled as she reached for Katelina. Her black fingers stretched impossibly for some final comfort.
Bile rose in her throat, but Katelina crawled towards her, and held her hand out. The blackened fingers closed loosely around it. The skin flaked away to powder with the contact. Katelina gagged.
Rachel's eyes rolled in her ruined face, violet orbs that slowly shriveled. She looked at Katelina and held her gaze before she dropped her eyelids and whispered for a final time, "Kale."
The burned hand dropped to the ground and her body burst into real flames. Katelina leapt away. She couldn't take any more.
She crawled one handed through the snow towards the house. Her wet clothes stuck to her skin. Her body shook uncontrollably and her injured hand made each lurching movement a fight. Tears blurred the world into a brilliant white smear. Her insides heaved and boiled and she had to stop and throw up.
The back door opened and Jorick shouted out to her, "Katelina!" She looked up through her tears and saw a blurry smear of black that had a hand extended. "Come on!"
The sight of him gave her a final burst of strength and she stood and ran to him. She dashed inside and flung herself into his arms. He kicked the door shut and quickly dragged her away from the windows and towards the safety of the basement.
They reached the stairs when her strength gave out and she sagged against him. He pulled the basement door shut and leaned against the cool wall. His arms tightened around her as if he was trying to press her inside of himself.
"Oh Jorick!" She sobbed against his chest. "Oh God! Oh God! Why?" She choked. "Why?"
He drew a deep, steadying breath and buried his face in her hair. "I don't know," he whispered softly. "I don't know."
