Chapter 16 - When Losing Your Only Child...

“No! Stay with me! Open your eyes!” Thomas had her little body in his arms, shaking her to wake up, removing her restraints, throwing them away.

He bit his wrist and gave her blood, tried the same as he did with her father. He put a lot of blood in her. He didn’t care if she would turn into a creature like him, and froze for eternity, in that little body. His mind had one target, and that was to make her breathe again, at all costs. She was his most precious. He didn’t know why, but she was. He pumped her little chest, to bring her back. Nothing was working. His blood had never failed to give life. This time, it had no power. He took her breathless body to his car and drove to her dad. When he reached there, her dad was waiting in front of the company, under the Red Moon light, rubbing his hands, in distress.

“I did all I could! Nothing worked! Please! Save her! There must be something you can do and wake her up!” Thomas collapsed on his knees, crying, under her father’s teary eyes, not letting go of her.

“She’s gone…. My little baby is gone!” He said, crumbling on the ground, crying in the dark, deadly night, along with Thomas.

“Do something! Do something!” He screamed, begging her father, but the poison he had in him from the demon, made him lose his consciousness, falling on his back, holding Michaela tight.

When he woke up, he was on a table in Michaela’s dad’s lab. Her dad gave him assistance and helped his wounds. “Where is she? Did she wake up?” Were his first questions.

“She’s dead. I couldn’t do anything to save my baby. I died…. I have no reason to live now. You shouldn’t have brought me back to witness my own baby’s death. It’s so painful! I live and my baby doesn’t! I escaped death and my baby was murdered! Where is the justice?! No, I don’t blame you…. I saw your wounds. I know how hard you tried. I thank you for putting yourself in danger for me and my family. You weren’t obliged to do it. I am indebted to you. But I have nothing to give you now for your kindness. The prize is gone….” He said, tearing up, drinking whisky, having her picture in his hand. “What am I supposed to say to her mom, huh? Your baby died? How am I going to announce her this?! I am a poor man right now. I have nothing left….”

“Salvatore…. I…am…sorry…. I…am at fault. Put the blame on me. I failed, not you.” He put his hand on his back, trying to comfort him.

“I know who you really are. Why did you come back?” He inquired, crying, but not rejecting Thomas.

“I was made to come back. Had a vision. Hoped I could change the result but failed. I can’t believe I had no power to make things right. Can I see her, please?” Thomas wanted to check her one more time and try again.

“Go home. Come back tomorrow. You will see her then, in the casket. You can’t do anything to help her now. Save your strength. You’ll need it.” Salvatore gave a clear picture of the situation. Michaela was not going to come back, ever. “I’ll need you with the company, Thomas. You proved your person in front of me. I have no daughter now. No heir. I will die. I need someone to protect the company when I’ll be gone. I trust you as my son, to keep the company alive as long as you live. Being a vampire, it should take it on for centuries. Promise me this. No matter what will happen, in the future, you will protect it, and my family included.” He stared into Thomas’s eyes, waiting for his pledge.

“I promise. Nothing will touch your company after you are gone.” Thomas shook hands with Salvatore and went home.

At home, Thomas went into the shower. He was like a robot. When water hit his body, he felt fire into his pores. He screamed, crying, of losing the little angel. Water was symbol of life, a life he couldn’t save. His wounds recovered on his skin, but inside, he was torn into pieces. Her disappearance was too much for him to take. He never had this state. Yeah, he lost many loyal friends along his life, he was in pain back then, but nothing compared to now. He stayed awake all that night, drinking Jack after Jack.

Drake would knock on his door, asking what happened. Thomas didn’t give him an answer, locking himself inside his room.

He needed time alone, having her image in front of his eyes, with her little white dress, covered in her blood, dead. His heart wasn’t beating anymore. He switched it off, using his vampire side. It was a pain he had to shut off. Otherwise, he didn’t know what he would do.

Drake spent the remainder of the night at his door.

The next morning, Thomas opened the door, making Drake lose balance, and fall on his back. He fell asleep at some point. “Prepare my car. I have to go somewhere, alone.” He ordered.

“Where are you going? What happened? Let me help you, Thomas.” said Drake, deeply concerned of his Master’s reactions. Thomas looked bad. He had a gloomy face, his eyes opaque. A state he never saw at him. Yeah, he had seen him injured and suffering from those, but this time it was something different, something profound. He couldn’t put his finger on what had caused that.

“Now!” He yelled at Drake with bloody eyes.

“OK! I’m going.” Drake followed the order.

Thomas came outside to take his car and go. “Don’t follow me, or else….” He sent bloody glares to Drake.

“Let me go with you. I can sense it’s a nasty one.” pleaded Drake, keeping his hand on the car’s door.

“Let go. Don’t get involved in this. That’s an order!” He was getting in the car, driving to see Michaela for the last time.

At the company, everything seemed quiet, though it was a working day. He had expected people attending funerals. There was no soul in there, except Salvatore, who was waiting for him.

“How are you?” He asked him. Salvatore was as white as a sheet of paper.

“How can a father be when losing his only child? Let’s go inside. I gave a free day to everyone. I’m not letting anyone find out I have no heir anymore. I need to cover it up. There are sharks that lurk around, ready to take me over. I’m not letting that happen. In the name of my baby, I’ll fight everyone who did this to my family!” He screamed between his teeth, taking Thomas inside.

Thomas thought Salvatore went crazy because of the pain. It was his way of dealing with the tragedy. He played along and followed him to see the angel.

Salvatore took him to a secret wing of the company. His eyeball was the key to enter each place. He was scanned six times until they reached the room where Michaela was in.

She was exposed in a white casket with white lilies on her, cornered by four big candles, that lighted the room bright.

Thomas put his hands on her casket. She looked as a sleeping angel. She had a small tiara on her head and dressed in a white, princess little dress. He checked her vitals. No pulse. He checked her breath. Nothing. The entire trip to the company, he had prayed it was only a nightmare, and things would change in the morning. He would see her alive and well. He was living the nightmare and dreaming of the impossible. She was dead. He clenched his hands on the casket, leaving his head down, controlling himself to not scream his pain, with his eyes closed, and a contracted jawline.

“White lilies where her favorite. She loved Cinderella. She said she wanted a dress like her when she will marry.” He explained, looking at his daughter with loving eyes. “You can’t come where I will bury her. I lied to her mom that I sent her to a boarding school. I need time to solve things, before clearing everything up. I must keep it a secret. Hope you will be able to understand and support me in this. It’s my last request to you.”

“You can bury her on my land, at Mirval Mansion.” Thomas offered him a safe place for her to sleep her eternity there, without changing his stance, scanning the little one.

“I can’t do that. I have already decided the place, Thomas. Please. Help me keep everything a secret. When I will die, my lawyer will give you all the legal documents to make you owner of the company and protect it with all you have. Last night, while you were unconscious, I made the digital copy of your eyes, to open everything in the company. I gave you permission to all company grounds, and branches, as new owner. You have access everywhere now.” He threw the deal he could make in return to his assistance.

“I owe you this. I will keep my promise and will protect the secret. I have one condition though.” He faced Salvatore.

“Name it.” Salvatore was ready to accept everything, his eyes revealed that.

“When you will die, I want to receive the place where you buried her. I would like to visit her. You are her father, I don’t know how this will sound to you, but I love her, I love this little angel. Can’t explain why, but I do. So, promise me this one thing, and I will grant you whatever you ask of me.” He touched her cold face with his fingers, wanting to hug her, but letting it go.

“I promise. I see you really have feelings for her. Then, I will give you more than that when the time comes.” Salvatore smiled, looking at Thomas.

“No need for anything else. It’s enough for me. That’s all I ask.” His heart was heavy. Looking at Michaela wasn’t helping him get over it. On the contrary, it inflicted pain, repeatedly.

“I agree.” Salvatore said without delay.