Bring Me to Life（Time Walkers 1）(34)

Vincent grinned as he took his sword. “Babe, my chances of surviving tonight just got bigger.”

She scowled at him when a knock sounded through the apartment.

Vincent set the sword on the floor, propped up by the refrigerator. “Come on.” He wrapped his hand around hers, and led her into the living room. He kept her behind him as he looked out the peephole. He pulled the door open and stepped back.

All three Argent brothers walked in followed by Zerek. They were grinning like fools.

“So,” Caleb said. “When are you going to learn how to bake cookies?”

Bryna snorted at him. “I have to finish high school first. I don’t have time to bake.”

“Pity,” Caleb said with a wink. “So, I am guessing that guy not looking too happy on the couch needs to sign you over to your—” He laughed. “To Vincent.”

“To my what?” she demanded.

Caleb winked. “Husband. I can say it now without risking my soul. Felix thought the best way to get the two of you through the awkward stage was to just have you married. It takes care of what the two of you already want, and the whole legal minor problem goes away. But we can take care of those formalities after tonight’s battle, but you, my dear, still need to be caught by vampires if we want history to remain as close as possible to what it had been.”

“No,” Vincent snapped. “You’re bat-shit crazy if you think she’s getting anywhere near a vampire without me.”

“Excuse me,” Uncle Ron said. “But can I go before we start talking about vampires?”

“Right,” Zerek said. He walked over to Ron and motioned for him to stand up. “Give me your hand.”

Ron cringed, but gave the big man his hand. Zerek pulled out a knife, and slashed open Ron’s index finger. He produced a paper out of thin air and set it on the coffee table. “Sign it.”

“What does it say?”

“It takes any right you have to Bryna away forever. Of course, if you don’t want to sign it, I’m happy to give you to Wraith. Might I remind you that your little display of stupid today got him killed and ended in Bryna being needlessly tortured for ten years.”

Ron’s eyes went wide with a look of disbelief. “Sure.” He scrawled his name in blood at the bottom of the page, and then ran out of the apartment.

Caleb closed the door behind him. “That’s handled.” He looked at Bryna. “Your mother was more than happy to sign a page for you, but she wanted me to tell you to visit her when you’re feeling up to it.”

“Of course,” she whispered. Her mother wouldn’t be in the mental facility yet. She shook out the memories of things that would never happen in this time line. “Just as soon as I know it’s safe to do so.”

Caleb nodded. “Great.”

Zerek cleared his throat. “These kids need this apartment for a while longer, so why don’t we take this party somewhere else while we plan a battle.”

*

Vincent’s brain hurt. He had teenage hormones flooding his system. He was about three inches too short, and his muscle mass wasn’t nearly what it should be. He got he was still growing at almost eighteen, but this wasn’t what he’d signed up for when he decided to save himself. Horny teen was not a place he wanted to revisit, but here he was, looking at Bryna in one of those sundresses she’d loved so much with a matching ribbon in her hair, and no shoes. Funny how this dreary little apartment always seemed a million times brighter when she was in it. He shook it off and shot a glare at Caleb. “She’s not going anywhere near a vampire alone.”

“I didn’t say that she was, just that she needed to be captured by them again. I can’t help it if you let them catch you, too, but it’s necessary not only for history’s sake, but also so they take you to that field so innocent humans don’t get caught up in it.”

Vincent thought for a moment, came up with his plan, and then nodded. “We’ll go to the field, like we’re planning a good make-out session. You four can take cover and keep watch. When the vampires show up. I’ll kill them, and the night will be over with me still alive. Can I flash at this age?”

“You sure can, buddy,” Caleb said with a laugh. “After tonight, you’ll be hooked up as one of us. We do get paid for the work we do, and you’re owed two hundred years back pay. But I’d recommend both of you stay in school and graduate, here if possible. We like to appear as human as we can. Instead of work at the garage, you will have training. We’ll get you beefed back up in no time.”

Caleb was enjoying this way too much, but Vincent had to admit it felt good. He was alive, and while he hadn’t noticed it when he was dead, there was a difference. Bryna’s skin felt softer, her scent more alluring, and there were a million little things about his body and the world around him that had been absent for far too long.

And Bryna.

She was looking at him like he’d hung the moon and stars and like he could do anything. And he would. She was going to get that happy ever after with him. Nothing was going to kill him so it could happen. He padded over to her, and just wrapped an arm around her. He wanted to be afraid—hell, he should be afraid—but he couldn’t. He knew how tonight was going to go down. Nothing was going make him hesitate to save her. He looked at the clock on the DVD player. They had some time before they had to face Draven. “Hey, can you guys give us a few?”

“Sure,” Gregori said. “We’ll just make ourselves at home while you two use the bedroom.”

Vincent snorted, but scooped Bryna up and carried her into their room. They needed time to just be them, how they were, and reconnect in a way he was worried they might never be able to do again. He set her on the bed, and then went back to the door to close it. He turned to just look at her.

She giggled a nervous sound. “What?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying to acclimate. They are making it difficult. How are you holding up?”

She shrugged with one shoulder. “I’m not sure this is real. For so long I’ve wanted to do this, and now we are—it’s surreal.”

He sat on the bed next to her and looked down at his feet. “Yep. I’m not going to die this time.”

She slipped onto his lap and tucked her head under his chin. “What if you do? What if it’s your time like it was my time in the future?”

His hand shook as he stroked her hair. “I won’t die because we don’t have any other choice. You’re not dying. I refuse to let you go back to that horrible life.”

She turned, straddling over his lap and held his face in her hands. “But what if Felix was wrong? What if I was wrong? I know what I want, but I learned a long time ago I very rarely get what I want.”

“I have a human pulse, now. I just do it before Draven ever gets close to me. Maybe I can take out that bastard this time, so he’s not a problem for us in ten years.”

“I want to believe that, but I’m scared.”

He touched his lips to the corner of her mouth. “But I have my sword. We can pulse. We have those four gorillas in the other room who are dying for you to learn how to bake oatmeal raisin cookies. They have been to the future where I survived. If something happens, then we just keep Groundhog Daying this until we make it through the night. I’m not losing you again. Too much of what makes me who I am died when I lost you.” He brushed away one of her tears with the pad of his thumb. “You always bring me to life. Don’t stop now. Please don’t give up on me now.”

She wrapped her arms around him. “I can’t lose you again.”

“I know.” He got a pain behind his ears, and realized he’d had this same pain on the day he died. He stood up with Bryna in his arms. “We have to—”

“—go” she finished for him. “Howlers.”

He set her on the floor, and grabbed her arm before rushing out of the room. Zerek tossed him his sword. “Flash to that field. Now. We’ll take care of the howlers.”

Vincent curled around Bryna. “Think of me.” Then he flashed.

“Well, well,” Draven’s voice said when they appeared in the field where Vincent died.

“Fuck you,” Vincent said on reflex.

Draven laughed. “Just because you can flash doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

Vincent carefully uncurled himself from Bryna and moved her behind him. He gripped his sword. He could only see and feel Draven. To expend the energy for a pulse now would be stupid. His backup was at his apartment protecting the other residents from howlers. Fuck. “I’ve already killed you once. It was really easy.”

Draven’s eyes widened, and then his eyes narrowed. “You lie. Only the girl has ever been able to kill me.”

“Suit yourself,” Vincent said. He backed up, bringing Bryna with him. He still had all his previous training in his head, but that went with a different body. “You kill her, and you sign your death warrant.”

“Or I take her, and I control you.” Draven said. “Come, boy, give me the girl.”

“Over my cold, dead body,” Vincent said.

Bryna sucked in a breath and then darted out in front of him. “Take me,” she said. “You want to get close to the bitch who can kill you. Come on.” She put her hand out to him. “Let’s dance.”