Epilogue:
Selena
Water gurgled through the ancient stones as rain beat down on the world. Varick and I were in the ruin on The Sanctuary grounds; me sat with an umbrella, perched on a rock with my legs pulled to my chest whilst Varick stood beneath the circular gap in the ancient roof, head tilted to the sky. He looked like a painting, arms stretched wide, completely still as he experienced the rush of raindrops on his skin, soaking him to the bone.
“You'll get sick,” I warned, but couldn't fight the smile on my lips.
“The fact I can even get sick makes me oddly happy,” he replied and my smile grew.
Slipping from the rock, I hurried to his side, raising the umbrella above both our heads. “You have to look after yourself. You're not Immortal anymore.”
He trailed an icy thumb down my cheek, reminding me of the first time he'd touched me. He shivered as I slid my arms around him, his white shirt turning transparent from the rain.
He was stronger even after a week of physiotherapy, able to walk without support. I suspected pure stubbornness alone had brought him along this far. He resented Jameson propping him up, the cane my father had given him to walk, the way I steadied him when his legs grew weak. He had been strong for so many years that he was fighting his frailty with a fierceness equal to his old Vampire self.
As for everything else, he hadn't really changed. But he had a lightness about him now. No more craving blood or hiding in the shadows. No more fear of hurting me, or of feeling inadequate. Not that any of that would have stopped me staying with him before. He could have been a leprechaun for all I cared and I'd still love him until the end of time.
Varick's weakness had restricted him in how much time he could spend outdoors. Mostly, he spent his days in Brendan's gym, whilst I watched, assisted when I could, but I knew this was something he wanted to do alone. My helping him only made him feel weaker and I had to respect that. So I settled on encouraging him, watched his progress, cheered him on, but I never told him to take a break or have a day off. If he wanted to, he would. And I could see in his eyes his absolute drive to be fit again. Capable of running, swimming in the sea, roaming across the island to explore. We'd talked about it a lot; our future plans. From the little things to the large. When he was well enough, we'd head back to England, spend some time together alone, visit my mother and figure out a way to explain my reappearance.
Brendan had assured me we could stay in The Sanctuary for as long as wanted. Forever, if we liked. Every day there felt more like home. Our friends were our family. Most of the residents had been through hell and back, including all the new ones who'd arrived from Øyafrelse. Decon was amongst those to survive, plus a handful of the strippers from The Fortress. But despite the circumstances we'd all endured to find our way here, I finally had a home that wasn't broken. A place where nothing but peace greeted me in its corridors, even in the darkest of rooms. Here, I was safe. And I never wanted that to change.
“Selena!” my father's voice sailed from the manor.
I led Varick out of the ruin and we walked arm in arm across the soaked lawn, keeping close beneath the umbrella. The smell of food sailed from the house and Varick's stomach growled. He'd eaten his way through loads of meals since his return to humanity. The first thing he'd asked for was pineapple and I'd watched him devour the slices with so much vigour that I'd immediately ordered more from the kitchen and devoured some myself. He'd eaten it every day since. He adored fruit. Cheese was second, then pizza, pasta and anything deep-fried. Many of the foods he tried hadn't even been available to him in his previous life. But after three days of stuffing his face, Jameson had pointed out that he was going to get fat before he got fit, and Varick had immediately reduced his portion sizes.
The only thing he didn't eat, was meat. He'd had enough blood to last him a lifetime, he'd said. And I'd decided to join him in his newfound vegetarianism. I liked the idea. Our future would hold as little death as possible.
Despite Brendan's work on the cure, he was holding off on offering a solution to the other Vs. I knew Cass was desperate to have what Varick had. She watched him appreciate life with undisguised jealously. And though I tried to assure her Brendan would soon find the best way to induce the cure, even I was nervous of her trying it out. If a Vampire had to die to once again live, the risk was too high with my best friend. What if it didn't work a second time? Or we were missing a crucial factor that had led to Varick's cure? It was too big of a risk, and though Cass probably would have taken it, not me, Jameson or any of our friends would let her.
Brendan was holding the door open for us as we approached. He was smiling, but nerves flickered in his gaze. “While you were at the games, I sent Darrell and Nirena to England...” He opened the door wider and we stepped inside. I closed the umbrella, shaking it out before placing it to dry in a rack. My wrist was long-since healed. Varick had insisted I drink Cass's blood the day he'd been resurrected, even though it had been the last thing on my mind.
“Oh?” I questioned my father as he led Varick and I in the direction of his office.
“Yes, I thought it was time I started making amends for the past...” He said no more, quickening his pace as he reached the door to his office. He turned to me with a sad but hopeful sort of smile. “Nirena had to Charm her, to keep her calm, to help her understand-” He pushed the door open and there she was. My mother. Skinnier and smaller than I remembered, her hazel hair pulled into a hap-hazard ponytail. Her eyes were ringed with heavy circles, but contained in them was utter joy.
“Selena!” She ran to me, enveloping me in her arms. How long had I been taller than her? She was so small, so fragile. I felt the rub of her bony shoulders against mine.
I glanced at Brendan over her head and he smiled, pride and regret filling his eyes.
“I'm so sorry, Mum.” I gripped her tighter as she pressed her cheek to mine. Tears welled, my heart hurt with how much I'd missed her.
“You have nothing to apologise for. It's me who's sorry. For all those years I let that terrible man hurt my baby, for not running away when we had the chance-”
“A fault that weighs on my shoulders, too,” Brendan said, shifting closer, his eyes never straying from my mother. Did he love her still? I hoped so. I hoped there was a glimmer of a possibility for their future. But so much time had passed, and so much had happened, that I couldn't be sure if their love could be rekindled now.
“You weren't to know,” Mum said to him, pulling away from my arms with a sniff. “I was a coward- weak-” She held a hand to her forehead in shame.
Brendan tentatively slid an arm around her shoulders. “It wasn't your fault. He was a Siren. And anyway there's still plenty of time to set things right.”
“Yes, and I will, I promise,” my mother answered.
Love swelled inside me and I realised that this was the difference between us and people like the Helsings, the spectators. Everyone had shades of darkness in them, tones of light, but it was our decisions that mattered. Whether we chose to act out of love, or out of hate. Whether we took pleasure in power, or if we were able to surrender to our so-called weaknesses of kindness and compassion. That was where I saw true strength. It was why I admired Varick so wholly. Because he proved that no matter what demons lived inside you, no matter what past haunted you, or how far buried beneath it all you were, the person you became was always your choice.
Varick moved behind me, extending a hand to my mum. She took it, glancing from me to him with a curious look.
“This is Varick,” I said quietly, a blush crawling into my cheeks.
Introducing him by his name didn't quite seem enough to encompass what he really was. Pirate...Vampire...Monster...Saviour...Man.
But none of those things were worth mentioning. Because the only thing he was that truly mattered, was mine.