I ran head on into the darkness and head on into a trap. Hands grabbed me and dragged me away. I tried to scream but I was so far away from anybody or anything, there was no one to hear my calls for help. Two big burly men pulled me towards a wooden structure, an old wooden frame of a barn. Edvard stood in the middle of it looking very smug. His two accomplices pulled me into the barn where a large wooden steak protruded out the ground surrounded by logs and kindling. Edvard now wearing an eye patch greeted me,

“Do you like the new look?” He asked indicating to the eye patch.

“You look ridiculous.” I replied.

“I look better than your boyfriend.” Edvard bit back.

“What have you done to him?”

“Beaten, battered, and tortured him.”

“Where is he?”

Edvard laughed quietly to himself and snapped his fingers at one of the thugs who disappeared off. Edvard then causally sauntered up to me and ran his cold clammy hand over my cheek. The thug had to restrain me as I struggled to avoid Edvard’s touch. He smiled and grabbed jaw and leaned down into face,

“You know Ebony, I can still taste you from this morning.” He said with sick perverted pleasure.

He stepped back and yelled out, “Are you done?”

The thug responded with a positive grunt and Edvard stepped aside unblocking my view. Dante was tied to the great wooden stake, unconscious and covered in blood and bruises. His injuries were horrific. Tears were burning in my eyes.

“What have you done to him?” I cried.

Edvard studied my face and became enraged by my tears for Dante. He angrily grabbed my shoudlers and shook me,

“You don’t even realise how wounded I am inside. His flesh wounds are nothing to the pain I am suffering inside,” Edvard yelled. “I am going to do what is necessary to rid this evil out from our lives.”

“What the hell are you talking about you crazy psycho!”

Edvard stepped back releasing my shoulders. He took a calm breath in and smiled.

“Now the great vampire Prince has been robbed of all powers thanks to this cruel mortal magic-less world, he is now unable to heal or to fight. So now my dear sister I want to show you how cruel I can be,” Edvard pressed his cold hand against my face and peered into my eyes, “I want to watch those beautiful eyes as I take the torch to wood that surrounds Dante’s feet and set it alight and you’re your beloved alive. I want you to hear his every scream and cry until he draws his last breath so that you are reminded of your own mortality here in this realm and realise there is no one else for you except me.”

“You sick bastard!” I screamed struggling against the two thugs that held me.

“Ebony?” Dante voice was barely a whisper.

Edvard stepped back allowing me full view of Dante tied to the wooden steak surrounded by piles of wood. Dante looked squinted at me blearily through his black eyes, a faint smile shone through.

“You came for me?” He said in a sort of happy disbelief.

I choked back a sob and replied, “Oh course I came back for you, you useless vampire.”

“Ebony, I’m sorry, I thought Edvard was a friend.”

“It’s okay, Dante, it’s my fault I should of told you.”

Dante feebly shook his head, “No, I promised that I would protect you-”

Edvard rolled his eyes back and sighed irritably interrupting Dante, “Well, little vampire Prince- you failed. Ebony is mine.”

Dante’s gaze drifted from me to Edvard, blood and sweat was dripping from his face and his breathing was shallow and laboured, “I promised her that I would protect her to my very last breathe.”

“So?” Edvard snapped.

“I’m still breathing.” Dante replied.

In way in which I didn’t understand Dante moved his body in such a way that something popped, a joint dislocating. Edvard’s eyes widened as Dante slipped a hand free from the ropes and quickly unbound himself from the stake. One of the two thugs ran forward and Dante greeted him with a heavy blow to the head with a thick log he had picked off the ground. Edvard ordered the thug holding me to get back, “I’ll deal with this!” He yelled.

I was dragged back, but had the sense to use this moment of chaos as an opportunity to esacape. Looking out over the Loch I could see the mermaid’s eyes glinting in the moonlight, bobbing her head softly in the waves. She was hunting. Jabbing my elbow hard into the thugs stomach I bolted forward towards the foreshore of the Loch. The thug stumbled back winded but staggered after me. I ran to the Loch and stepped into the freezing surf arms wide open. The mermaid’s head dipped underwater. The water enveloped me and my skin screamed out with cold. The thug foolishly followed me into the water and seconds later was dragged under by an unseen force. I waded out running towards the wooden building to aid Dante but then suddenly bright yellow and orange engulfed the old barn. I screamed Dante’s name and ran blindly towards the inferno. Smoke and ash pounded my face and I could see Dante’s unconscious body laid on the ground.

I dragged Dante away from the flaming carnage. Despite being in the midst of burning building his body was stone cold. Edvard was nowhere in sight. I scanned the horizon but could see nothing. Pulling Dante away to a safe distance I knelt beside him. My warm hands framed his battered and bloody face.

“Dante,” I said softly, “Open your eyes.”

Dante’s eyes twitched and one eye opened. Tears began to stream down my face, he looked so pale.

“I’m sorry,” He mouthed, “He run away before I could kill him.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“It does, I had to kill him to protect you.”

“You’ll just have to try again next time.”

“I don’t think there is going to be a next time.” Dante said weakly.

A horrible numbness gripped hold of my heart. Dante was struggling to stay with me. He lifted his hand up to my face and brushed away the tears.

“After you left I swore that when we were reunited I would never do anything to make you cry.” Dante said.

“Dante, please stay with me, don’t leave me.”

“I use to say, ‘next time it will be different, next time I will show her I love her’. Did you know that Ebony? How much I love you?”

“Stop talking nonsense. You need to rest and heal yourself.”

“Immortals do not exist within the mortal world.”

“Dante, tell me how to help you? Please.”

“It’s too late. I’m sorry, run. Get away from here before he comes back.”

I shook my head, “I’m not leaving you.”

“I cannot heal in this world, Ebony.”

“Well maybe a doctor could help, I could call an ambulance…” My voice trailed off as I looked around at the empty landscape.

I looked back down at Dante who was still smiling at me. He laced his hand in mine and brought it to his lips. “I have never loved anybody so fiercely or so entirely as you. I know you’ve doubted me but please believe me when I tell you I will love you and carrying on loving you even when the last breathe leaves this body and am I nothing more than a faint whisper on the wind- I will love you.”

“No, Dante.” I said urgently, framing his face with my hands, “Stay with me. Don’t leave.”

He mouthed ‘sorry’ before he lost consciousness.

A moment passed where I stared down at Dante’s body, my hand still entwined with his. As each moment passed an awful feeling from deep inside me built up as I realized he would not ever open his eyes again. Dante was gone. Running my hand through his hair with trembling fingers I rested my head against his chest. I was completely paralyzed with grief, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. It felt like my soul in that very moment had shattered.

“I’m not ready to let you go.” I whispered, “Please come back.”

My back began to tingle and itch like ants were crawling under my skin and I sat back on my knees feeling peculiar. The itching turned into pain and suddenly skin was stretching and bones crunching, I inhaled sharply and muffled a scream as I collapsed against Dante’s chest as my back ripped open and my black wings exploded out. I gasped in agony as each wing extended slowly.

“Dante I will not leave you here. Don’t tell me that you can’t heal yourself. Look at my wings for god sake, Dante please.” I cried.

I shook him again and again, begging him to open his eyes. In frustration I balled my fist up and hit him on the chest, yelling, “Wake up!”

Tiny fragments of light almost like sparkles burst from beneath my fist and flew gracefully up into the air glowing a beautiful bright white light. I had never seen anything like it before and I watched each glittering sparkle fall softly against Dante and turn a deep blue as it touched his skin. The skin then started to knit together and the grey pallor of his skin disappeared. Tears of hope now filled my eyes.

“Dante, breathe. Please.” I pleaded.

His chest heaved upwards and air rushed into his lungs and Dante opened his eyes. Coughing he rolled to his side. I got to my feet and dragged him up, the smoke and fire was becoming unbearable. Looping my arm around his waist I supported him and led him away from the fire. When we had reached a safe distance we both dropped to the ground.

“Dante,” I gushed, “Are you okay?”

Dante opened his eyes and looked back up at me, “Your wings, they are so beautiful.” He murmured.