Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Final Decision

Anaya’s P.O.V:

“Anna?”

I lifted my lashes to watch Lance enter the room. His face was set in a frown causing lines to appear on his forehead. Even so, he looked stunning. Black jeans and a blue t-shirt with long sleeves, it threw the gold of his eyes into sharp focus. His hair fell messily on his forehead, indicating that he had been running his hands through them a lot.

“Hey…” I whispered, too tired to sit up.

Lance crossed the distance from the doorway to our bed in a few long strides. He sat beside me and took my hand in his, his long fingers wrapping around my wrist to measure my pulse. “How are you feeling? Your pulse seems stronger.”

“Better. I should’ve called, I’m sorry. You came back early for me.” The sun was still shining, which means he couldn’t have been gone that long. And with the present situation in his office, the new Reefwood hotel having just being inaugurated, he hardly had time to spare.

“No, it’s alright. I wanted to see you.” He leaned forward and placed his lips on mine. It was a short kiss, over before I could savor it properly. “We have guests.”

“Guests?” I frowned. “I should get ready-“

“No.” Lance halted me from sitting up. “It’s my brother and his wife. They’re here to see you.”

“To see me?” I was surprised. I’ve never heard Lance or Ace mention any brothers or any other family members other than Miaka. Why were his brother and his wife suddenly here to see me? Wait, by brother did he mean the bonds they shared through Miaka?

However, before I could ask him anything, Lance was already calling their names. “Erick! Alina! You guys can come in.”

A second later, a man and woman entered the room through the open door hand in hand. The man had blonde hair and electric blue eyes and he wore a black V-neck sweater with washed out blue jeans. The woman beside him, his wife, had gorgeous long brunette hair that reached her hips in glorious waves. She had beautiful leafy green eyes and she wore a matching green knee-length sweater paired with black leggings. They were both extremely good looking and they looked perfect together. The man, Erick, walked up to Lance and stood beside him while the woman came over to the other side of the bed and sat opposite to Lance on the bed.

“Hi, Anaya!” She said cheerfully. “I’m Alina Stayton, Erick’s wife. Can I call you Anna?”

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled back at her. She had one of those infectious smiles that you couldn’t help but return. “I’m sorry for not getting up, I just…”

“It’s alright, Anna. You don’t have to explain.” Alina placed a hand to my shoulder to tell me all was fine. “It’s a miracle that you’ve come back from the Shadowland alive.” She looked at Lancelot and then to me. “You both have. I haven’t been an immortal that long, but so far, we’ve never heard of anyone coming out of there alive.”

“Maybe it’s because she was human?” Erick suggested as he looked at Lance. “People who’re sent to Shadowland are always immortal prisoners. This was the first time a human had stayed there for so long. You and Miaka were hardly there for a few seconds and it drew the attention of hundreds of shadow-worlders. Maybe whatever is in there doesn’t crave humans as they crave immortals?”

“I think you’re right, Erick. But no one’s going back there to get solid proof.” Lance shuddered. “Just thinking about those filthy beings gives me the creeps.”

“But, they’re not all bad.” I said in a small voice and immediately, all three pairs of eyes were on me.

“How can you be so sure?” Alina asked me gently.

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to remember what I saw despite the darkness. “Remember how we saw several red eyes inside Shadowland just before we escaped?” I asked Lance upon opening my eyes.

“Yes,” Lance frowned, remembering them as well. “What about them?”

“Well, not all of them had red eyes.” I told him. “There was a point in time right after I entered when I was surrounded by a lot of red eyes, but then there was this being that came out of nowhere and stood in front f me. At first, I thought he was going to kill me, but instead, he killed the rest of those beings. But the strangest thing about him was that he had amethyst eyes. Well…not exactly amethyst, but a mix of amethyst, gray and blue. It was the most…unique color I’ve ever seen.”

“Wait, he?” Erick asked. “How did you know its gender?”

“It spoke to me. I heard him say ‘run’ just before he started fighting the others.” I told them, shuddering as I faintly recalled the voice. Even though it had been creepy as the rest of them, there was something in that voice that had sounded almost human. I wonder if he was alright. Had he survived the battle?

“Alright,” Alina spoke, drawing our attention to her. “Let’s just decide that what happens in Shadowland stays in Shadowland. We have bigger matters to discuss with you right now.”

“And that’s our cue.” Erick told us as Lance got up from the bed and joined him.

“Where are you going?” I asked Lance.

“We’ll be right outside the room. Alina has some things to explain to you.” He said. “Call if you need anything.” With that, both the men went out of the door and locked it behind them.

“So,” Alina turned to me. “Now that we have some privacy, we can get down to business. But first, we need to discuss your mortality.”

“My mortality? Why?” I asked.

Alina simply smiled at me and right in front of my eyes, I saw her upper canines elongate slightly, until they were long enough that it pressed against the gums of her lower jaw.

“Vampire?” I asked, but it was already clear what she was.

Her teeth retracted back just the way they’d lengthened and then Alina nodded her head. “Lance called us here today because he thought I’d be the best person to explain the whole thing to you, although my preference would’ve been Miaka because despite her age, the girl’s the best at handling any kind of situation.” Alina shrugged. “But since I’m here, I want to ask you something very important.”

“Sure.” I told her. “You can ask me anything you want to.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Then tell me, if you had a chance to be with Lance, would you take it-“

“Of course I will!” I answered immediately.

“Anna, please listen carefully before you answer.” Alina pleaded. “Incubi cannot transform humans into immortals like most of us can. So, if you desire to be with Lancelot, you’ll have to be changed by us, either a vampire or any other immortal who’ll be able to transform you. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

I did, all too well. “I’ll be a different species. And any children born to us will be a hybrid. Highly unstable and dangerous and will be immediately sent for execution.”

Alina nodded grimly. “Are you willing to make that sacrifice?”

Am I willing to stay with Lance forever even if it means sacrificing children? Or do I get old and die while Lance lives on and finds happiness with someone else? There really wasn’t much of a choice. And even though I knew I might be doing something selfish, I couldn’t help myself for answering, “Yes.”