Chapter Twenty-Two

The Ultimate Ending

They laid in bed together, his arms wrapped around her from behind after hours of love making. Clutched in her hands was a letter that she read over and over.

"I know how to kill Kalona." Zoey whispered in a tone that wasn't quite her.

"How?" Loren asked and then took the letter from Zoey that was from their old friend.

Zoey snuggled closer to her fiancé and sighed. Now they had to plot. It was like being a spy. There's never time for romance. It wasn't until she heard the crash as she realized what was happening. She couldn't move nor could she see. All she could hear was growling and Loren screaming for her. Suddenly the world went black and the night was never ending.

…

Pain was all she felt when she awoke. It was as if she had been hit with a metal pan on her head or maybe it was her knee or her stomach. She tried to move her arm to rub the aches but found that she couldn't move her limbs for they were restrained. She parted her lips and found that her mouth was unbearably dry. She was thirsty for blood.

"Finally, you're awake." A chilling voice chuckled and then Zoey felt a hand on her thigh.

"Don't touch me." Zoey spat as Kalona tried to fondle her.

"Don't be like that, A-ya." Kalona purred as he licked her neck.

"Stop that!" Zoey growled as she snapped her jaw towards him, trying to bite him.

Of course she was helpless and Kalona was free. He crashed his lips to hers and straddled.

"Get off of me! How dare you!" Zoey screamed but that didn't stop Kalona from letting his hands roam without permission across her body.

"You know you want this." Kalona moaned in her ear.

"I do not want this." Zoey corrected. "What I do want is to return to my fiancé and for you to get the Hell out of my life."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Love."

"And ever why not?"

"Because your mine."

Zoey gulped and shut her eyes tight as Kalona undressed her. A tear trickled down her cheek. She felt utterly helpless.

…

Loren burst into Erik's room not caring that he broke the door.

"Erik!" He screamed.

"What the heck?" Erik leapt from his bed quite confused by the raging man in his room.

Loren stormed over to him and grasped Erik by his collar.

"Kalona knocked me out and stole Zoey! She's in trouble! You were close with him, where would he go?"

"Capri." Erik panted. He was afraid for Zoey.

Erik had told Kalona goodbye long ago. Now Zoey was in danger.

"I'll go with you. He'll trust me." Erik gasped when Loren released him.

"Fine. But she's mine. Don't take this as an opportunity to whisk her away on a stallion. She's my fiancé."

Erik nodded in understanding. He had dropped his pursuit of Zoey a long time ago.

"We'll have to kill him." Loren mused out loud.

"You can't. He's immortal."

"There's a loop hole for everything and it's quite literal for this little shit."

Erik couldn't help but laugh. At one time these two had hated each other but the one thing they hated more than each other was Kalona. A common enemy was all they needed to bring the two forces together.

…

Zoey was dizzy. She lay naked and panting on the bed in the room Kalona had locked her in. Everything hurt. She had been invaded. Kalona crossed the line and he was happy. Tears streamed down her face but she was too tired to wipe them away or clear her blurry vision. She found herself clutching the sheets of the bed as if they were her lifeline. She wanted to wake up and this all be a nightmare. She wanted to roll over and find Loren lying faithfully beside her. But she knew if she did roll over she would not only be in further pain physically but she would ache due to the fact that this was all real.

Her head was pounding. Her mind was rushing with unpleasant thoughts. She cried for Nyx in her mind. She pleaded for rescue and if rescue would never come she would plead for death. Hours passed or what felt like hours for there was nothing in the room to indicate the passing of time. She moaned when she heard the knock on the door.

"A-ya." The wicked voice chimed.

Zoey went still. If she fought he would hurt her but she would not comply either. The door opened and Zoey's breath caught in her throat. She felt the bed shift and she wanted to scream. Kalona's devilish hand pulled back the sheets from her body and grazed her skin.

"A-ya, say something."

She refused and continued to focus on the wall.

He leaned over her and saw her eyes were open.

"Look at me."

She glanced at him and then went back to staring at the wall.

"A-ya." He sounded annoyed.

She didn't look at him again.

"Don't be so stubborn."

She didn't respond.

He gripped her hip and dug his nails in. This only caused tears to fall from her eyes.

"Don't cry."

"Then go away." Zoey hissed as his hands dared to go lower.

"Love." He groaned.

"Don't call me that. I am not your love and you are not mine. My love is my fiancé, Loren Blake. You raped me and still have the nerve to touch me. You are wicked, Kalona. No wonder you are damned. Leave me alone!"

Kalona grabbed her and pinned her below him.

"Don't speak to me like that!"

Zoey kicked him where it hurt and sprung free. She charged for the door and made a break for the hallway. Kalona, of course, was not far behind her.

"Don't you run from me!" Kalona growled.

It was then Zoey heard a burst and her name being called.

"Zoey!" It was Loren.

She threw herself into his arms and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Loren was shocked. She wore nothing by a bed sheet. Then he saw the tears in her eyes and he knew everything. He didn't need their imprint to know what had happened. He wrapped one arm around her and stood so that he was in front of her. In his hand he held a rope that he then gave to Erik. Zoey was so disoriented that she didn't seem to care that Erik was here and didn't question why he was helping Loren.

"Sh. Love, everything is going to be ok." Loren whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Erik stepped forward with the noose of the earth and leapt at Kalona. Loren forced Zoey's face into his chest so that she wouldn't see the noose tighten and Kalona fall. Finally the night was silent.

…

One year later…

"Are you ready?" Grandma Redbird.

"Yea. I hope so." Zoey said breathlessly as she stared at the doors closed before her.

Grandma Redbird stepped in beside Zoey and took her arm. She would be walking her granddaughter down the isle. The doors opened and the processions began. Zoey took the first step and then she saw all the faces, but the fear subsided when she looked forward and saw Erik, Loren's best man. Then Zoey's eyes fell on Loren who was staring adoring at her. A breathtaking smile was stretched across his face. That was all the motivation she needed to continue forward.

…

"Do you, Zoey, take Loren to be your husband?" The council member asked.

Zoey's eyes were tearing but she couldn't stop smiling.

"I do." Zoey chimed.

"And do you, Loren, take Zoey to be your wife?"

"I do." Loren answered, crying as well.

"By the power invested me by the state of Oklahoma I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Loren took Zoey in his arms and kissed her full on the mouth. He lifted her off the ground as he kissed her. Finally they were getting their happy ending that they had always been longing for.

...

So maybe the trouble with Erik wasn't that he was a nuisance. Him, like everyone else, even Kalona, and even A-ya, wanted to be loved. Maybe the trouble with him was that he didn't know where his place was, but as he danced with his girlfriend, Venus, he knew that the trouble wasn't love. The trouble was the difference between loving your best friend and loving the love of his life. He looked over when he heard Zoey laughing. She smiled and waved at him and he smiled and gave her a thumbs up. So in end, just like Zoey had always said, everything turned out ok. He had his best friend back. He threw his head back and laughed and then tugged Venus closer to him.

So that's the end folks. Sorry it took so long and sorry it's short. I know, I know, I could have done more. But really I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I had to draw it to a close. Thank you everyone who went along for the ride with me on this story. In the future I might do an M story that is Loren and Zoey a few years in the future with children and such. Neferet would be involved. Right now I'm focusing on my novel, my twilight story and my Kalona x Zoey story. Well thanks for the fun.

-Lauren