Jalen shifted, appearing to be contemplating the scenario. "What happens when I'm no longer useful to you? Will I meet a similar fate?"
Kumiko seemed shocked by the possibility. "Of course not. You are from noble bloodlines. Despite a few misjudgments..." She cast a glance at Nadya. "...you are everything one would expect from a DuMond. Jalen, you are a perfectly suitable mate. Our children will unite all the provinces under their leadership if we don't manage to."
Jalen hesitated, and then shook his head. "You put such stock in bloodlines, but I don't think I am the mate for you. The DuMond blood isn't as pure as you think. After all, DuMond blood flows in my brother's veins, and he's nothing like our father, or the man my father raised me to be." He jerked his head in Rem's direction as he spoke, leaving no doubt about whom he spoke.
Kumiko looked at Rem, clearly horrified at the revelation. "It can't be."
Jalen continued as though she hadn't spoken. "Rem is not a man like my father. He's a much better one, and I thank Nadya for helping me realize that. Your plan will never work, because I want nothing to do with you, and I don't lust for power the way you do."
"No," shouted Nadya when Kumiko shrieked, slashing the sword across Jalen's throat. She jerked against her bonds, and a reserve of strength she'd just discovered came to her aid. In her fear and anger, she ripped the ropes from the chair. They fell to the ground as she surged forward, lunging at Kumiko. Peripherally, she saw Jalen stagger but not fall. Rather than ease her concern when he didn't fall, the sight of him staggering with weakness fueled her anger.
She reached Kumiko as the vampire swung her sword toward Nadya. Instinctively, she ducked under the blade and up the other side. She wrenched the sword from Kumiko and turned it back toward the other woman. "It's time you left. Get out now, while you can still move."
Kumiko seemed unafraid. She darted to the side, away from the sword. In the process, she scratched Nadya's cheek, flaying her flesh. "You will die, vermin."
All the rage exploded from Nadya, centering in her arm. She thrust the sword forward and up with all her strength, lodging the blade solidly in Kumiko's heart. For a moment, they appeared equally startled, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, stunned that she had stabbed Kumiko. The insane urge to apologize hovered on her tongue, but she remained speechless.
Kumiko looked down at the hilt extending from her chest. She placed a hand on it, almost caressing her family seal. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." Still looking shocked, she backed away from Nadya, toward the balcony. Her gaze shifted to Jalen, making it clear he was the only one in the room whom she considered an equal. "You did this. You and your whore."
Jalen and Rem stood close together, the guards unconscious at their feet, clearly no match for the brothers. They appeared stupefied by the turn of events, and he didn't deny the accusation.
Kumiko stumbled over one of the chairs that had imprisoned Rem and Nadya. She didn't fall, but seemed close to collapsing. Her eyes shifted out of focus, and what little color had been in her face drained away. She limped to the railing, staring at Nadya with unseeing eyes as she braced herself against the metal balustrades. Nadya edged closer, not sure whether she wanted to reach out to Kumiko or shove her over the balcony. She froze when Kumiko started speaking.
"I spent most of my life in my brother's shadow." A shaky smile crumpled as soon as it formed, leaving Kumiko looking lost and more than a little dejected. "My father ignored my existence until he needed me. Once I killed my brother, the Yazura clan had no leader. I was the only remaining heir. That finally got his attention. I endured his disappointment and abuse so that I could rule one day in his stead." She shifted dark, accusing eyes to Jalen. "In the end, he betrayed me. Father never had the confidence that I could rule, so he arranged for me to marry you. Do you know what a bitter pill that was to swallow?"
"Kumiko, come inside." Jalen stepped closer to her. "Perhaps it isn't too late for you to return home and take over the leadership of your family."
Kumiko stroked the blade piercing her heart. "It's much too late. I have lost everything." She glared at Nadya. "You stole everything from me. It should be you..." Her face contorted, and her body went rigid. A convulsion racked her frame, knocking her backward.
Nadya cried out as Kumiko plunged over the railing. As one, the three of them rushed to the edge of the balcony to look down. Sickened, she looked away from the sight of Kumiko impaled on the stake she had intended to use on Nadya and Rem. At that moment, it didn't matter if Kumiko had planned the same fate for Nadya. She pitied the other woman and hoped she'd been dead before the sharpened stake pierced her.
"It's over," said Jalen, turning away. Rem followed suit, wrapping an arm around Nadya to lead her from the room. She was aware of Jalen speaking to guards as they walked down the hallway, but tuned out the conversation. Upon entering their suite, he said, "She was the last opposition to our union."
"I can't pretend I'm sorry she's dead, but that's a terrible way to go." Rem shook his head.
"I killed her." Nadya was numb, uncertain how to process the events that had transpired. She didn't regret her reaction to Kumiko wounding Jalen, but she couldn't be glad that she'd disposed of the other woman either. Her gaze jerked to Jalen's neck.
Nadya reached out to touch the jagged line, finding it mostly healed. "How can that be?"
"Vampires heal quickly." He seemed unbothered by the injury. "Kumiko would have had to sever my head to do away with me. Maybe she miscalculated, or maybe she really didn't want me dead." He cast a seemingly reflex look in the direction of the balcony. "I guess I'll never know."
"I'm just happy you're alive." Nadya embraced Jalen before drawing Rem to her. Pressed between them, she was calm. Relief spread, though couldn't completely obliterate her darker emotions regarding Kumiko's death. She would carry that with her a long time. There had been no other choice, but it would be a while before the other woman's countenance at the moment of her death faded from her memory.
Rem and Jalen would be there for her. She knew that as instinctively as she knew how to breathe. They were the other parts of her soul, and there was nothing to divide them now. "I love you, Rem, Jalen." She snuggled closer and Rem followed.
"I love you too, Nadya." Jalen kissed the top of her head. "Thank you for bringing us together. Unified, we are invincible."
"More than that, we're complete." Rem sounded choked up.
That summed it all up. They completed each other in ways they had only begun to realize. It was wonderful to finally be whole.
Kit Tunstall Kit Tunstall lives in Idaho with her husband, son, and two dogs who think they are humans. Writing, mothering, and college classes keep her busy, but in her (little) free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, walking, and biking.