Loving Merritt Forever

29

Him

I had just settled into my rest chamber, the mornings after Merritt's shift already too bright for me to risk. Spring was coming. I had transferred the task of watching her to Joy. Making sure she got home safe. I was eagerly awaiting the text from Merritt, the one she would send when she had arrived home safe, and I could go and join her warm body in her bed while she napped after her long shift.

I was unprepared to hear the emergency alert notification on the phone instead. Joy's safety app on her phone. The alert indicating Joy had fallen while on the job, and didn't get back up or turn the alert off as a false alarm. I panicked. True panic like I hadn't felt in more than a lifetime. Merritt was in danger, and I was trapped until sundown. More than ten hours away, unless I could get something lightproof, and a driver to take me to where she was.

I started to call Asher, over and over until he picked up. "Someone has taken Merritt." I didn't know if it was true yet, but something had happened and until someone answered Joy's phone I was stuck. I quickly filled Asher in on the alert, how Joy wasn't answering. Dread flowing in my veins. I shared the pin from where Joy had fallen to Asher, telling him to get there, find Joy, help her and find Merritt.

I activated every contact I had, including a reclusive wolf I knew who was an expert in cybercrimes, I had him start looking for Merritt, her brother or David in security cameras around town. Her brother was behind this, one way or another I knew he was. I sent over all the information I had on David, on Verity, on places they might go, trying to think of what they would be planning.

I had a message come in, a hit on the surveillance, Verity's flashy looking cheap car was spotted heading out of the city, on the highway leading towards David's family's cottage on the lake. I immediately texted Asher the address, telling him to get there as soon as possible, they had almost two hours of a head start now. Far too much time had passed between the alert, and having a vector to head towards.

I left the rest chamber, I wouldn't be resting today. Instead I started to suck back some of the stored blood bags, and prepared a kit ready to fly towards my girl the moment the sun wouldn't scorch me to ashes. David's family had a modern cottage on a lake more than five hours outside the city by car. Hopefully they were heading there, and would be driving most of the day. I was going to have the fucking helioptor charter on standby until the sunset. I would get to her as soon as I could. I hoped Asher could save her. I didn't want to meet her demon yet. I loved Merritt, soft and sweet. I wanted her to choose forever with me.

I had only tasted her blood once. I wanted at least one more taste before it changed.

I had fed her a generous portion of blood last night, she was healthy, but if they did kill her, she would turn. I was sure of it. I considered praying on it for the first time since I became a demon. If Merritt died and didn't rise I would join her in death. I didn't want eternity without her. I didn't want anything without Merritt.

There was always a chance she wouldn't rise. It happened sometimes. A vision of her cold and grey, dead and gone. Flashed in my mind. No. I wouldn't even think it. She wouldn't be gone. Not my Merritt. Asher was doing everything he could, I had done everything I could. She wouldn't be gone. Even if she died today, she would rise.

I still didn't want her to die. Not now. She had no idea right now, but Asher's child was in her womb, I wanted her to be a mother. To watch her love a small baby, turning her and raising the baby as a family of four. Her, her child, Asher, and me. A dream I had never spoken, but once I had smelled the change in her, I had craved it. I wanted the world to have more Merritt, a little part of her still living in the next generation.

All my dreams were being taken away. I was pragmatic after so long alive. Merritt's brother was going to kill her to try and save himself. I didn't know how, but I knew she was in danger and that the child that had barely flickered to life inside her wasn't going to last the day. This was a secret I would carry to my own true death. Asher and Merritt were soft, knowing they could have had a child together would devastate them. Especially Asher. He had already lost so much.