Page 59 of Red

Sliding his hands under my bloody hoodie, he gently examines my ribcage. “They are most certainly broken. I’m so sorry, baby. I can’t heal the internal damage. But Farah will help you.”

We locate her in the crowd. She’s untangled from the net by now, thankfully in one piece, and Alex calls out for her.

Farah approaches hurriedly with a smile on her face. “Julia, it’s wonderful to see you.”

I try to smile back to her, yet only a grimace shows up on my face.

“Oh, you poor thing, let me see.” She places her palms on my ribs on either side and the ache goes away instantly. She then touches Alex’s chest and the bullets get ejected from his flesh before dropping to the ground. Next, she hugs him, and turns back to me. “I’m so glad he hasyou now. He’s been very lonely.”

“Me, too.” I instinctively grab his hand and link our fingers together. Then, I remind myself that my stepdad was captured. “Greg!”

Alex rushes with me to the squad car wreck. And there he is, unconscious, but unharmed. I hope he was out the entire time.

I keep sobbing. “This is all my fault.”

“Julia, you can’t put that on yourself.” Alex frees him from the handcuffs around his wrists and removes the gag from his mouth.

“How can I be sure it won’t happen again?”

“Not after the massacre that occurred here. With both Nancy and Dean gone, there’s no one left with any personal vendetta.” He calms me.

“I’ll put a protection spell around the house. And keep an eye out for them,” Farrah offers as she walks toward us to make sure Greg doesn’t have any internal damage.

“I appreciate it.” It’s a huge relief. Yet, it’s still not enough to ease my mind completely. “Is there a spell that can erase his memory?”

“A spell? No. Vampires can compel humans to forget, however,” she says. “Penny and Katia are working on the neighbors as we speak.”

“I don’t want him to remember a thing. Infact, I want him to forget about me entirely. Can it be done?” I ask, which Farah confirms. “And same goes for my mother. She deserves to find peace. Everything that has happened to her, I want erased. Including any memory of me.”

“Baby, are you sure? It’s irreversible,” Alex interjects, his eyes full of concern.

“Yes, I want them to be safe and happy.”

Leaning his head against mine, he whispers, “That’s why you’re the one.”

I smile through the tears.

“I’ll take care of it with the girls,” Farah tells us. “You should leave now before he gains his full consciousness back.”

Alex finds my bag in the battleground. “Are you ready?”

I only nod before he helps me onto his back, and rushes North. It’s only a brief moment until we reach our destination.

My heartbeat quickens and a gasp escapes my parted lips as I’m transfixed by the celestial spectacle of the Northern Lights dancing across the heavens right above us. The vibrant hues of emerald and purple ripple across the darkness, seeming to bridge the gap between the earthly and the divine.

With me still on his back, he jumps high up,saying, “Touch it.”

Of course I realize I couldn’t possibly touch it, but I do as told. I stretch my hand out, as if to reach for it, and suddenly, we are upside down, gently falling to the ground.

I land on top of him before I raise and gawk at the image in front of me.

Holy shit!

There’s no moon, stars, or even sun, but the aurora borealis extends over the entire dome of sky, providing enough illumination to brighten my field of vision.

Surrounded by mountains, pine forest, and river, a huge gothic castle stands uphill, with a little village on the outskirts.

My breath catches in my throat. “This is impossible.”

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