Chapter 18

Part 4: Zach

I walked in on Katie passing out. I ran over to her and grabbed her. She was already passed out when I got to her. I decided that I would bring her home. I had to get her as far away from Jenna and the Patron as possible.

 

I brought her home a week ago. She hasn’t left her room since. I was downstairs in her kitchen getting her some water when her dad came in. “How’s she doing?”

 

“She’s doing as expected.”

 

“What’s that mean?”

 

I shook my head. “It means not good. When a vampire has their humanity off, it’s a time in our lives that we don’t enjoy. We kill more. We cause more pain to those we love. With her. She didn’t even have to feed to kill. And she’s so sensitive that it all secretly hurt her. When we turn on our humanity, all the feelings that we have been trying to burry come rushing back. She’s staying in her room because at any given moment she can decide to turn it off again. I’m trying to help her not do that.” He nodded. “Since you are here though, I did have one question to ask you.”

 

“Go ahead.” He gave me a confused look. I have wanted to ask him this for a while now.

 

I took a deep breath. “Okay. I was wondering, and I know I’m being old fashioned, if I would have your blessing to ask Katie to marry me?” I looked at him to see the expression on his face. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

 

“I mean I would love to call you my son-in-law.” He smiled and hugged me. “But you’re not going to ask her now are you?”

 

I laughed. “No now would be a bad time to ask her. I’ll ask her when everything calms down.” He nodded. I left and went up to see how Katie was doing.

 

I knocked on her door and started to slowly open it. “Katie?” When I got into the room she was pacing back and forth mumbling to herself. “Katie, what are you doing?”

 

She just continued to pace back and forth. She was mumbling something like “I’m so sorry.” I knew all too well that she was hallucinating the voices in her head of those that she killed. I know all too well what that feels like.

 

I walked over to her and put down the water that I got her on her bedside table. I wrapped my arms around her. “Katie, listen to me. They aren’t really here. The voices are just figments of your imagination. You have to block them out.”

 

“I can’t.” She buried her face into my chest. “There are so many voices.”

 

“I know. I know the pain is unimaginable. You have to shut it out. You have to find something that will help you get through the voices. They aren’t really yelling. The only voice here is mine and yours.”

 

“Zach, they are all yelling at me for help. I can’t help them.”

 

“Katie, breathe. You have to block them out.” She took a deep breath and seemed to relax.

 

“They’re gone.” She looked up at me. “How did you know that was going to work?”

 

“You forget. I’ve lost my humanity a couple times. I know the voices overbear everything that your mind is trying to tell you. How are your wrists?” Her wrists were burned almost to the bone because of Jenna. We’ve been keeping an eye on them.

 

“They feel a little better.” I grabbed her hands to take a closer look at them. The flesh had healed nicely. The blisters were still extremely red.

 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

 

“You can’t blame yourself. By the time you realized that Jenna had figured me out. I had probably been tied up for more than an hour.” I nodded. But it didn’t change the fact that I feel responsible for it.

 

“Katie, how are you feeling?” I asked her. I knew the Patron wanted to talk with her when she was feeling ready. I would never feel ready for her to talk to the Patron. I have tried so hard for her to stay as far away from the Patron’s reach as possible.

 

“I’m feeling good. Why?” She was confused.

 

I sighed. “I have been told to bring you to talk to the Patron when you gained your strength back.”

 

“Why does the Patron want to talk to me?”

 

I tried to keep her clam. “Katie, you have a power that no one understands. Jenna probably told them about how you freed yourself from the ropes. They probably just want to talk to you to find out if you know any more about your own power than they do. I promise, I will stay with you for as much of it as I can.”

“What do you mean? You can’t stay with me the whole time.”

 

I shook my head. “The Patron have an unspoken rule that if you have been asked to see them, that you see them alone. They don’t like outsiders listening in on their politics. I will stay with you through the hardest part. That’s their guard.” I didn’t get into too much detail about Rose. Rose was a gifted vampire just like Katie. She has been a part of the Patron since my run in with them. She can be very aggravating. And I might also think that because I dated her before she came to the Patron.

 

Katie, nodded. “Then let’s go.” I smiled and kissed her.

 

“Let’s go.”