Alice's love

Chapter twelve

The gold blade was yanked from my shoulder and dragging a trail of blood with it. I yelled in pain and grabbed my shoulder. The hunter going for the kill, with my other arm I jabbed my elbow into face knocking him back onto the floor before I landed my boot into his neck with a snap. I turned back to the scene of hunters and vampires battling. 

I stumbled and searched desperately for Lillian. Once Martin's cult began the attack, Lillian managed to yank her arm away and flee. But I needed to get to her before the hunter who was sent to find her. I ran back around the house and towards the trees searching for her scent. I smelled human blood but it wasn't hers. At least not just hers. Lillian screamed and I went towards the sound. I saw a hunter dragging her back with him towards the house while Lillian kicked and fought for her life. I ran right into the hunter and slammed him into a tree with a hard thud. He gasped for air and blood began to fill her mouth. I must have punctured his lungs. The hunter slumped to the ground and I put Lilian's arms around me before running back to the house. I stopped at the back door and brought her in.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"A little roughed up but I'll be fine" she replied.
"I need you to hide upstairs and stay there" I said in a hurry. I could hear the fighting outside and I needed to be out there. Lillian nodded and ran up the stairs and into Caleb's bedroom.

I ran outside from the back and towards the fighting. Only to see that Sean and Sebastian were left out of the hunters. But I was wrong. In a split second a hunter's last dying breathe was taking his knife and jabbing it into Olivia's neck. The neck had completely gone through it, almost decapitating her. We all ran to her side as she choked and gagged for air.
"She's not gonna make it" Isabella whispered. Olivia was suffering, her body was convulsing as it fought for its survival. Without thinking I grabbed a knife left on the side of a hunter and plunged it into her heart. She looked at me and grinned slightly before her body finally stopped moving.
"What did you do that for?!!!" Caleb yelled trying to come at me but Fabio grabbed him.
"She was suffering" I replied.
"But you didn't even try to save her!!" He yelled back.
"Caleb! She's right, that wound wouldn't have healed and her death could have taken hours" Xander said. I just looked at Olivia and closed her eyes. Xander grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. He then noticed my wound on my shoulder.
"Alice are you alright?" Xander went towards my wound but I flinched away since it still was hurting.
"I'll be fine"
"They're gone" Julian said. We all looked towards where we left Sean and Sebastian except they were no longer there.
"We'll find them" Xander said. We all stayed quiet around Olivia's body. At the moment, I couldn't help but wonder. Do vampires deserve to go to heaven? Or does our soul go once we turn and then our minds join when we die as a vampire? I've never been to church really or read a bible. But I only wonder if Beth and Theo found peace. And now Olivia.

Here we are again. Burying another friend. Even though Olivia and I weren't very close and she really hated me when I first got here. But I'd like to think that today we became allies. Since we were burying her sooner than we buried Theo, her hair had yet to turn completely white. It actually looked really beautiful. She was always beautiful but her persona towards others could have used work. I wonder why she was like that. I never got to find out her story of how she got here and why she was always so bitter.

I watched as Julian and Freddie lowered her body into the ground. Xander came to my side and wrapped his fingers with mine.
"She's 53" he said. I turned to him in shock.
"She looks my age" I said.
"She was turned by Fabio, she's originally some of the first members of Nix Saltus when Fabio took over." Xander said.
"Why did Fabio take over?" I asked.
"His cult was murdered but they were still trying to grow their numbers so it was only 8 of them at the time. It was another cult, for whatever reason Fabio has yet to tell me why." It seems like it was almost on purpose that he was left alive. I wonder if I could bring it up to Fabio and read his thoughts. Even though I refuse to use my power for my own use, but not being curious has never been my strong suit.

After a shower and tending to my wound, I headed back downstairs. Everyone was talking at the kitchen table, as I walked down the stairs, I was then able to see that I wasn't the only one wounded. Xander insisted I wear a sling, I felt stupid but it did help.

I was able to see that Julian had a wrap around his hand, Isabella had a long scar down her cheek that was slowly healing. Fabio had a scar as well going down his leg. I didn't see Xander. I sat down next to the Julian and Caleb. But Caleb refused to look at me. Fabio was discussing a plan to find Sebastian and Sean. I began to wonder why Xander wasn't here listening to this. Just then a tap at my shoulder made me turn around and I saw Eva. She kept quiet but motioned her head to follow her.

I got up and followed her outside to the porch. That's when I saw Xander laying on the couch with his arm draped over his head. His jacket was draped over the armrest and I noticed his bloody shirt. I ran to his side.
"Oh my god Xander!" I yelled. Xander lifted his head and looked confused at seeing me then gave Eva a nasty look. I went to lift his shirt and he flinched. I stopped but proceeded with caution and he didn't fight me. I slowly lifted his shirt, the blood was coming from his left side. It was a huge punctured hole that was still gushing blood.
"Why hasn't it closed?" I looked to Eva.
"I think there's a piece left in there" she said with concern.
"Well we got to get it out!" I was panicking, he was obviously in pain.
"He won't let me touch it" she folded her arms. I looked to Xander who just rolled his eyes.
"Xander you got to let me get it out" I said sternly. He didn't protest. Eva handed me a pair of pliers.

The wound was very messy and I was trying to not puke or pass out so I just tried to imagine I was in anatomy class dissecting a dead cat. I mean technically so is Xander. I leaned over him to get a closer look into the wound. The sun reflected on the gold fragment allowing me to see exactly where it was. I hesitated at first to stick the pliers into him until I looked up to him with his saw his eyes closed and jaw clenched. He was in pain. I wanted to end his suffering. Without warning I stuck the pliers in and Xander gave out a load groan, his whole body was tense. I felt the pliers hit something hard, I opened them and pinched onto it, only hoping I wasn't yanking out any flesh with it. I pulled the pliers out and Xander's whole body jumped but then he relaxed and gave out a long hard sigh. The pliers held the gold piece.

Everyone saw as Eva held the door open and I had Xander's arm resting around my neck for support as I brought him in.
"Where do you want to sit?" I asked Xander.
"Can you take me upstairs?" He asked.
"Let me help" Julian said. He took Xander's other arm and we gradually made our way up the stairs. Xander insisted to be taken to the bathroom.
"Thanks Julian, I think I can handle him from here" I smirked. Xander wasn't as amused.

I began to remove Xander's clothes and took the most precaution taking off his shirt. But it was difficult with a wounded arm. The puncture hole was healing but it still caused him pain. I went to touch it and Xander caught my arm. I looked at him and he was sternly staring at me while he gripped my right wrist. Then he pulled me and his lips landed on mine. At first I was shocked but relaxed into his arms and returned his kiss. After a few seconds I pulled back and looked at him, he refused to open his eyes.
"Xander, look at me" I touched his face gently. He took a deep breathe and opened his eyes to reveal tears forming. It pulled at my heart to see the man I loved completely vulnerable in a way I've never seen him.
"Tell me" I said softly.
"I'm at my wits, Alice.... I don't think you realize how much you mean to me, I can not lose you. I will not lose you." He was stern about his words. Yet all I wanted to do was cry and have him hold me. I wasn't the only one feeling so much love in my heart. Xander's heart was just as full. I couldn't believe it but my love for Xander might have fixed the man I knew as broken.

Xander was so broken and hidden from the world not too long ago. But loving him was the best thing I could have done and he loved me just as much.
"I love you Xander"