I didn't want to harm her, but I knew this was the only way to force that thing to manifest, to confront it head-on and demand it show its true face.
"Dragos, what are you doing?" she choked out, trying to free herself.
"I'm sorry, baby" I muttered, my tone lightening for a short moment, before hardening once more. "Reveal yourself!" I commanded again.
Suddenly, as if in defense, the entity resurfaced, taking control of Dawn, and I released my grip on her neck.
"I can't believe the foolish girl tried to take her own life." The entity spoke, releasing a chuckle. "She has no idea I..."
It stopped talking and glanced down at Azrael's skull in my hands. "Either way, that's one less vampire on Earth"
"This is your fault" I spoke through my teeth.
"You summoned me just to say that?" It replied humorously.
"No, I summoned you to warn you,"
Slowly, I rose, towering over her. "You've caused enough pain and suffering. If you ever dare to harm Dawn again… if you ever even think about shifting and endangering the lives of those she loves, I will find a way to destroy you"
The entity smirked. "Destroy me? I don't think you have any idea what you're dealing with, Dragos. It is not up to you to destroy me. I am a part of her, bound to her soul. You cannot separate us so easily."
I said nothing at first, letting my aura do the talking, and I saw the entity recoil a bit in fear, feeling my presence.
"You think you're untouchable," I said, my voice clipped due to the anger radiating from it. "That just because you're tied to her, you're beyond my reach. But listen very carefully" I crouched down, looking her in the face. "I will find a way to separate you from her, no matter what it takes."
I glared fiercely at the entity. "So if you value your pathetic existence, you'll stay buried in whatever hell you slithered out of. Because if you so much as whisper in her mind again, I will make sure there is nothing left of you to haunt her."
The entity stilled. Then, without another word, it shrank back, retreating into the depths of Dawn's consciousness like the coward it was. As she slumped forward, I caught her, holding her close.
"I've got you," I whispered against her hair. "I'm sorry, I should've warned you before doing that, but it was the only way to summon it"
Dawn looked like she was about to say something but she looked away, nodding slowly.
"Forgive me," I said again.
She forced a smile "It's fine, Dragos. Were you able to talk to it? And what did it say?"
"I warned it"
Dawn didn't question me any further.
I stood up quietly, and with a heavy heart, still holding Azrael's skull.
Taking one last glance at the scene where my brother's death had taken place, I turned and walked towards Rafael's car I had driven there, while Dawn entered mine. I'd come back for Azrael's later.
As I drove home, a question consistently probed on my mind.
How and what on earth would I tell Mother?
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(WEEKS AFTER)
I stood at Azrael's grave, staring at the epitaph and feeling so much anger. So much pain, towards him.
Why hadn't he stopped to think things through? Why had he rushed headlong into danger? But then I realized that if my brother had indeed stopped to think things through, I'd be staring at Dawn's name on the gravestone instead.
Not that both deaths weren't of equal importance, I'd have just preferred if either of them stopped to think for a second.... stopped to consider the impact of their actions not only on those around them but also themselves.
My mother hadn't taken the news of his death so well. No one had. We were all shaken to the core. And to make matters worse, the absence of a body to bury, having only his skull, made the grief even more unbearable.
I lowered myself to the grass beside the grave, feeling a hole in my chest.
Azrael was far from perfect, but he was still my brother, and I loved him even if I hadn't admitted it out loud in a long time.
He'd dedicated his entire life to being by my side, even when I harboured hatred towards him for most of our lives—justifiably so.
But he had changed. He had become a better person, so, why did he have to die?
I was now the last of my bloodline. The last Vlad. As the seriousness and tragedy of that fact bothered me, my mother joined me on the grass, resting her head on my shoulder. We stared at the gravestone together.
"I don't know how to do this without him," I admitted, breaking the silence. "All my life he's been by my side"
My mother placed a hand on my knee to comfort me. "I feel the same way. He was like Andrei... so much like him."
I tensed, filled with remorse as I remembered the many times I'd been disrespectful and mean to him. "I was so unkind to him, Mother. It should've been me who died" My head hung low in sorrow.
She shook her head "No, Dragos. Don't say that"
I looked at her "Azrael sacrificed himself to save Dawn, Mum. He... changed. He truly changed and he died. Why did he have to die?"
My mother's eyes welled up with tears and her voice broke into a whisper as she replied, "I don't know"
We sat together in silence for a while before my mother spoke again.
"I need some time alone," She said. The pain was apparent in her voice. "I have to clear my head. Staying here, surrounded by his absence, it's too much."
I nodded slowly in understanding. "Okay"
"Come with me," she said softly, but I shook my head.
Unlike my mother, who sought escape from the memories that haunted her, I wanted to stay, to feel closer to my brother.
"No, mother. I will remain here, but I can't let you go alone"
"I'll be fine," she reassured me, but her eyes betrayed her uncertainty, and I wasn't going to risk losing her too.
"No. At least take Rafael with you," I insisted.
My mother nodded and rose from the grass. "Okay, I'll ask him"
"Where will you go?" I asked, looking up at her.
"I'm not certain yet. But I'll let you know"
"How soon would you leave?"
"Later today"
I rose and hugged her tightly. "Promise me you'll be fine, mother. You're all I have left"
She pulled back to look at me, her eyes watering with tears "I will"
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Later in the day, I was in my room resting. Things between Dawn and I had gotten a little strained ever since the day of Azrael's death. I couldn't get past the anger and hurt I felt towards her for attempting to take her own life. It felt like a personal betrayal and the pain of that was like a wound in my heart.
I struggled to understand why she would make such a drastic decision, especially when I'd seen her hours before and she had seemed to be doing alright.
It felt like my heart had been ripped out and I wondered if she had ever stopped to think about the impact.
I understood that she was depressed, and the circumstances leading up to this point had been very traumatic, especially for her. The series of events would have taken a toll on anyone's mental health, so, I could understand the desperation that drove her to consider it, but I couldn't get why she would actually go through with it.
She had me. I was her partner in every sense. She had my mother, who loved her. She had a whole network of people who cared for her, who wanted to help her heal.
And yet, she chose to leave us behind, because of the fear of harming us during the unleashing or shift— something that we could've made plans to tackle.
We could have faced that fear together.
There were other ways to prevent or avoid that as a family, other options to explore. She didn't have to take her own life.
I felt useless. Like, I'd failed her in an important way.
If she still felt driven to take her own life, then it meant I hadn't done enough for her, that my presence in her life wasn't enough to save her from herself.
The thought of losing her was unbearable, and I didn't know what I'd have done if she had died... the sins I'd have committed.
Dawn slipped into my room quietly, remaining at the door. We hadn't spoken about the 'why' since that fateful day, and the silence between us was heavy.
"Raf just told me your mum's leaving for somewhere in South Asia, and he's going with her"
I just nodded, my gaze avoiding hers as I slipped back under the covers.
She sighed, then started to approach me, hesitant at first. "Dragos, please... talk to me just..." she pulled back the covers to expose my face, her voice cracking with sadness. "... talk to me"