Chapter 20

When I woke up, I was back in my room. Zach was sitting on the bed next to me. He looked like he had been there for a while without any sleep. “Hey, how are you doing?”

 

Everything was a little fuzzy. “What happened?”

 

“Jenna knocked you into the wall and you had a lot of bleeding. You passed out. You’ve been out for about a week.”

 

“A week!” I started to freak out and get out of bed.

 

“Katie! Don’t worry. You have to get your strength up. The Patron saw everything that they needed to see. Everything is going to be fine.”

 

“What about Jenna?”

 

“I don’t know what they did about her. If she becomes a problem, we will worry about it when the time comes. Right now, I’m worried about you.”

 

“There’s one thing that you haven’t explained.” I looked at him. I needed him to explain the whole Nicolas is his father thing.

 

He sighed. “Nicolas.”

 

“I thought your father died when you were only 10.”

 

“He did. That’s when he turned. I didn’t even know he turned until I had my trial with the Patron all those years ago. It wasn’t a secret that I was keeping from you. It was something that I just didn’t want to talk about because I don’t think I can forgive him for doing what he did to me. He abandoned me to become a vampire and then he punished me in the worse way possible.”

 

I sighed. “I’m sorry. I thought you were hiding him from me for some reason.”

 

“I was. I was hiding you from him because he was a horrible father and I didn’t want him to experience something so amazing as you. He has no right to me as a father. He lost it when he faked his death.” I smiled. He laughed. “Are you strong enough to come with me somewhere?”

 

I gave him a confused look. “What are you planning?”

 

“It’s a surprise. Are you feeling up to it?” I laughed, nodded and got out of bed.

 

He drove his car without telling me where he was going. I kept asking him but he wouldn’t tell me. We drove into my mom’s old neighborhood. “What are we doing here?”

 

Zach just smiled and parked the car about a mile away from my mom’s old house and got out. I followed him out of the car. “Zach what are we doing here?”

 

“Do you remember the first day we met?” He didn’t really look at me. He was looking at the house. He was smiling.

 

I was confused. “Yea, it was the first day of Freshman year about a year ago. You asked me if you could sit with me at lunch. Then you gave me your number so I wouldn’t have such as bad of a weekend with my mom then I normally would.”

 

“And then that weekend you texted me to invite me to your mom’s party for her boyfriend.”

 

“Yea, when you said yes, I almost died. I had the biggest crush on you.”

He laughed. “So I came over and your mom was being well your mom. So I asked if you wanted to get out and go for a walk.”

 

“I remember. We walked down the street.”

 

“And we got to about here and I asked you a question. Do you remember what that question was?”

 

“You asked me if I knew what would make the night even better.”

 

“And then?”

 

I was confused on where he was going with this trip down memory lane. “You kissed me for the first time. But why are we taking this trip down memory lane Zach?”

 

He smiled. “It seems like forever ago doesn’t it?”

 

“I know. It feels like a different life.”

 

“Well, for you it technically was.” He laughed. “But this was the spot that even though you didn’t know that I was a vampire yet, I knew that I would do anything in my power to protect you and love you forever. This was the spot that I first realized that you were meant for me. That I would never find someone as beautiful, amazing, funny, and kind as you.”

 

“Zach..”

 

“I’m not finished. This was the spot that, even though I didn’t know it at the time, I realized that I wanted to spend forever with you.” He got down on one knee and pulled out a small box.

 

“Zach what are you doing?”

 

“Katlyn Elizabeth Smith, would you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?” I was speechless. I didn’t think that he was going to do this. Not with everything that is happening.

 

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a lovely scene!” A voice from above said. Zach and I both looked up and there was a man standing on the roof of the nearest house. He had short, spiked up, blonde, hair and was paler than anyone that I have ever seen. And I’m saying that as a vampire.

 

“Marco? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in prison until you rot to death.” Zach said.

 

“Zach, who is this?”

 

“Katie, don’t let him convince you of anything. Marco committed the first real crime of vampires. He massacred thousands and thousands of people which is why we have to stay hidden from the rest of the world.”

 

“Okay, you’re only telling the story from your father’s and everyone else’s perspective.” Marco said as he jumped down to get closer to us.

 

“What other perspective is there? You were the one who almost convinced me to get in even more trouble with the Patron by trying to over throw them.” Zach said and put himself in front of me to protect me.

 

“Calm down Zach, I just want to see her power!”

 

“Absolutely not! You’re not getting anywhere near her.”

 

“And you think the Patron won’t get near her. You know the Patron better than most people and you know that they are notorious for breaking promises. They want Katie, to be a weapon and they will get her to be a weapon. You have to join me and get others to fight alongside with me.”

 

Zach looked at him. “And what if I don’t agree with you? I mean you are a psychopath.”

 

“Yes, but you do agree with me because you know more than any one that I’m a psychopath that’s also right.” He just looked at Zach.

 

“If I go with you, Katie doesn’t get touched.”

 

“Not a finger will be laid on her pretty little head.” Marco said and his smile was the scariest smile on the face of the planet. Something about Marco made me think that it wasn’t safe for Zach to go with him.

 

“Fine I’ll go with you.” Zach said. And my heart dropped. He just proposed and now he’s leaving. “Marco, I need a day to say goodbye to Katie, and my family.”

 

He nodded. “Go right ahead but if you aren’t at the town boarder in 48 hours then I will find you.” Zach nodded. Marco looked at me and smiled. “See you around beautiful.”