CHAPTER FIVE

Stephan and Alex dove for each other, each in a murderous rage.

Alex met him head-on, and they crashed together like a pair of charging rams. They grappled, grabbing onto each other's shoulders. They tore and clawed at each other, and it was a tremendous meeting of strength. Stephan had become bulky over the last hundred years and was almost twice his size, but Alex could feel a strength burning through him beyond what he’d ever known. 

Stephan was fighting for his revenge and Alex was fighting for his family, for his daughter.

Alex could sense Stephan’s hatred, his fury. But he was surprised that he could also, as he turned in, sense something deeper underneath: fear.

 He was shocked to sense that Stephan was afraid.

Of him.

After all these years, Stephan was still scared of him.

After minutes of grappling, Alex got the upper hand. He turned and threw Stephan, and he went flying across the room, slamming into a stone wall.

Stephan stood there, staring back at him, wide-eyed, looking shocked.

He snarled as he charged him again, as if to tackle him. But as he did, Alex jumped straight up into the air and kicked him right beneath his jaw, sending his chin flying back, and sending him landing flat on his back.

Alex then lifted his foot, aiming to crush his throat. At the last second, though, he rolled out of the way, and his foot went into the floor with such force that it put a hole in it.

 For a second, he was stuck. Stephan elbowed him hard in the back, sending him flying across the room, and head-first into the wall.

Alex felt burning pain in his back, and in his head, and momentarily, was dizzy.

Stephan charged him again, this time grabbing a huge desk, bringing it up high, and getting ready to smash Alex over the head with it.

Alex rolled out of the way just in time, sweeping out Stephan's feet as he did, forcing him to fall flat on his face, banging his head into the edge of the desk. He wheeled, tore the metal arm off the desk, raised it, and brought it down hard on the back of Stephan's head.

He rolled several times, across the room, and finally came to a stop on the ground, groaning, barely conscious.

Alex walked over to him slowly, raised the metal bar high, and prepared to plunge it into his chest, and finish him off for good.

Barely conscious, he looked up to him, and grinned an evil grin, blood coming from his mouth.

"Do it," he said.

"You were cowardly to do it years ago!"

"Do it now." Stephan whispered as blood oozed from his mouth and head.

Alex raised it high, and was about to plunge it into his chest—as revenge for everyone he loved dearly—when, at the last second, he heard a voice.

"Daddy?"

Alex spun at the noise, the sound of Aya's words coursing through him.

He saw Aya sitting up in bed, reaching out for him.

Alex spun back, to finish off Stephan, but it was too late.

He was already running for the open window, and with two huge steps, he leapt out.

All Alex could do was watch, as he disappeared into the night sky.

"We'll meet again!" he screamed out, his words echoing through the night sky as he slowly vanished, his body disappearing into the full moon.

Alex dropped his weapon and ran to Aya's side.

He gave her a huge hug, and held her, as he was crying and shaking. He leaned back and brushed the hair out of her face, and kissed her all over her forehead. Her face was a pale blue and it looked much worse than before, and she could feel her burning up.

He knew she didn't have much time left.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Alex said. "I'm so sorry daddy left you.” Aya hugged him again, holding him tight, crying.

"It hurts so bad, daddy. Please, make it go away.”

Alex's heart was breaking.

"I will," Alex said. "It's all going to be okay. I promise.” 

Alex took a deep breath, reached over, unstopped the vial, and held it to his lips. He lifted his head a bit more, and forced his lips open.

As he drank the elixir he felt the power coursing through his veins once more.

He looked at Aya, smiling as tears rolled down his cheek.

"Aya, you have to do something for daddy." He whispered.

He grabbed the silver knife from the floor, slowly drawing a thin line on his forearm.

 "You will have to drink a little from daddy's arm, don't worry honey, it's just a medicine." He whispered as the thin line started to get fat with blood.

"Now drink.." He whispered, raising his hand to her mouth.

Aya slowly shook her head.

"I can't daddy," she whispered. "I don't want you to die."

Aya shook her head firmly.

"No. It's okay. I promise. Everything will be okay.”

Aya shook her head again and again, as her eyes began to close.

Alex shook her by the shoulders.

"Aya, please, listen to daddy. You have to do this. Not just for me. But for mummy, Grandma and Pablo."

Alex knew the time had come, he had to feed his daughter his blood and say the sacred oath, the one that would make her forget about this life and about him.

That was the only way she could live a normal life if she survived.

"o ragazzina." He whispered.

 "Tutto ciò che vedi è falso." He continued.

" Questa vita sarà il tuo passato."

" e non ti ricorderai di nulla."

" Lascio il passato nel passato."

"Daddy?" came the voice from  the bed. "I'm scared. I'm seeing things.” Alex jumped up onto the bed,  he reached over and grabbed Aya’s hand.

“Lo sigillò con il potere di Dio.” 

Alex said aloud, initiating the ritual oath himself.

He watched as the words intoxicated Aya before gently holding her head towards him.

 He then slipped one hand beneath her head and lifted it, forcing her teeth towards his hand.

He repeated it a third time.

As he did, Aya's eyes opened wide again.

"Aya, please!” he pleaded. “Feed on me. you have to survive! you have to live!"

And then finally, as he began to feel his world spin, becoming lighter, he saw Aya open her lips wide. He felt her teeth protract, and with her very last bit of energy, she suddenly leaned forward, plunging her teeth deep into him.

He gritted his teeth as he felt the pain of the teeth puncturing, entering his hand.

As her teeth sank deeper and deeper, Alex felt the room spinning, felt his world turning black.

He started to lose sense of his body, and she could have sworn that he saw Lucy, standing over them all, watching, smiling.

His world slowly, inevitably, turned black, and all he could think of, as he held his daughter tight, was that at least she would survive.

At Least she would live.