Chapter 29 - Ashes of the Past
Evelyn fell to her knees on the damp grass, pressing a hand to her bleeding shoulder. The manic light in her eyes flickered, replaced for the first time by sheer, unadulterated shock. She looked at her own blood, then looked up at Leah in the window, as if unable to comprehend that a mere mortal had dared to wound her.
Beside David, Julian began to stir, dragging himself forward on his elbows. "Mother..." he groaned, reaching out toward Evelyn with absolute devotion. "Mother, get in the car... I can still drive..."
Evelyn didn't even look at him. She slapped Julian’s outstretched hand away with venomous disgust.
"Useless," Evelyn spat at her firstborn son. "You had one task, Julian. One simple task. And you couldn't even subdue one man."
Julian’s face crumpled. The ferocious monster who had broken through a house and fought like a demon was instantly reduced to a crushed, weeping child by three words from his mother’s mouth.
Headlights suddenly exploded through the tree line.
Two county sheriff cruisers and an unmarked black SUV tore up the gravel driveway, tires throwing rocks and dust into the air. Spotlights swung across the lawn, pinning Evelyn, Julian, and David in blinding beams of white light.
*POLICE! DON'T MOVE! SHOW ME YOUR HANDS!*
Megaphones blared. Doors slammed open. Armed tactical officers spilled onto the grass with assault rifles raised.
Julian collapsed entirely, pressing his face into the dirt, weeping silently as zip-ties were violently wrenched around his wrists.
David didn't move. He kept his body wrapped around Maya until he felt gentle hands lifting him.
"We’ve got you, sir. We’ve got the baby. She’s okay. She’s unhurt." A female paramedic knelt beside him, wrapping Maya in a warm foil blanket.
David watched as two state troopers pinned Evelyn to the ground. Even as her face was shoved into the wet grass and handcuffs were ratcheted around her wrists, her eyes never left David’s face.
She didn't scream. She didn't curse. She just stared at him with that terrifying, possessive smile.
"You can't change your blood, David," she whispered, loud enough for him to hear through the chaotic clamor of radios and sirens. "I’m in your veins. I’m in her veins. You will see me every time she looks in the mirror."
David closed his eyes and turned away. He didn't say a single word. He refused to give her the satisfaction of an answer.
Paramedics rushed Leah down the stairs on a gurney, stabilizing her broken arm. When their eyes met across the lawn, Leah reached out with her uninjured hand. David took it, gripping her fingers with everything he had left.
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They were alive. Maya was safe. The fortress had held, even if the walls had bled.
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