Charlie’s POV

Loren was on his knees in front of me, staring up into the barrel of my gun. I never thought I would live to do this to this pathetic excuse for a Jenzi.
“Are bạn going to kill me, Charles?” Loren laughed.
My finger itched on the trigger. I wanted to kill him, right here right now.
“Hunters!” Loren shouted. “Assemble!”
Out of nowhere, Shadow Hunters appeared. They grabbed my arms, their hands cold and dragged me away from Loren. One of them pulled the gun from my hand and threw it on the floor. It slid away from me and stopped at the entrance. Loren stood up and dusted off his trousers.
“I can’t believe bạn had me kneeling on the floor,” Loren đã đưa ý kiến to me. “These are tailor made, Charles, very expensive.”
I glared at him and tried to fight the Shadow Hunters but I knew it was pointless. These creatures had unfathomable strength that not even Emmett could break out of.
“Now, where’s my son?”
“He isn’t your son anymore, Loren,” I said. “He disowned bạn weeks ago. bạn sent him out to kill an innocent girl. Do bạn think he would be able to see your perspective of that mission forever?”
“You turned my own son against me!” Loren screeched. He slapped me with the back of his hand.
“You turned your own son against you!” I shouted back at him. “You and your twisted plans! Killing innocent girls, torturing your own race and then genocide of the human race!”
“Mitchell was with me on those plans! bạn brainwashed him!”
“I showed him the truth, Loren! What effects bạn as dictator had! bạn couldn’t expect him to live with all the murders bạn were committing.”
“Justified murders.” Loren had a crazy look in his eyes. “Every single one of them.”
“Someone sits on your chair and bạn have him hanged,” I said. “Hardly justified.”
The crazy look in Loren’s eyes intensified.
“I understand why bạn would murder me, Loren,” I said. “But my daughter? She’s seventeen and didn’t even know bạn existed until bạn sent your son to kill her.”
“She isn’t dead yet, Charles,” Loren smiled. “But she soon will be. My nephew is seeing to her death as we speak.”
“Your nephew Zachariah,” I said, thoughtfully. “I know him. Blonde guy with a wife and kid. He’s on my side too. He wouldn’t risk his wife and son’s life to stay here with you.”
“You’re lying!” Loren hissed.
“How can bạn be so sure? You’re family is turning against you, Loren. Can’t bạn see it? It isn’t that hard to persuade them to tham gia me.”
“Mitchell may have been fooled bởi bạn but Zachariah will stay in this lâu đài with me.”
“Uncle, I’m leaving.”
I turned and saw Zachariah standing in the doorway. He was standing tall and defiant, hiển thị Loren he couldn’t be ordered about.
“What was that, Zachariah?” Loren said, narrowing his eyes at him. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I’m leaving,” Zachariah đã đưa ý kiến loudly. “I am taking Loretta and Kyo and leaving this lâu đài to start up a proper life. I can subject Kyo to you’re evil ways anymore.”
Zachariah nodded once to me and then left. I heard a little voice shout ‘Way to go, Dad!”
“WHAT HAVE bạn DONE?” Loren screamed madly in my face.
“This is all your doing,” I replied simply.
Loren went crazy. He started punching and kicking every part of me. It didn’t hurt as Loren was quite old but it he did hit hard enough to leave marks.
“Drop him,” he đã đưa ý kiến to the Shadow Hunters. He was panting with all that exercise and madness. The Shadow Hunters released their cold grip on me. I was still standing. No old man could take me down. That was before he stabbed me. It was unexpected, I hadn’t even seen the dagger in his hand. I didn’t see it until it was sticking out of me. I stared down at it, my eyes wide. I could see the blood already beginning to seep out. Loren smiled evilly at me and twisted the dagger inside me, probably shredding all my insides. I cried out in pain and fell to my knees. I tried to pull the dagger out but the Shadow Hunters held my arms back.
“How does it feel?” Loren said, softly. “Knowing bạn are about to die with no escape from it. Mitchell isn’t here, your Azdi Những người bạn aren’t her. But worst of all, your daughter isn’t here to witness it. What a shame.”
I glared up at him, amidst all the pain. He crouched down to my level.
“What will save bạn now, Charles?” He whispered.
“I will.”
Kayla stood in the doorway, my gun in her hand. Edward was behind her, with Emmett and Jasper. She walked towards us the gun pointing at Loren.
“Stand up,” she said. “Get away from my Dad.”
Loren stood up slowly eyeing the gun warily.
“You order those Shadow Hunters to grab me and I will put a bullet through your brain faster than they can move. Got it?”
Loren nodded.
“Edward, help Charlie,” she said. She didn’t look at Edward but kept her eyes on the enemy. Edward was in front of me before I could blink.
“I don’t think there’s anything I can do for you, Charlie,” Edward said, sadly. “I haven’t got the equipment to save you. You’ll die of blood loss soon.”
“I know that,” I groaned in pain. “Do bạn think I’m stupid?”
I was still being held bởi the Shadow Hunters and right now I thanked them for holding me. Without them I’d be on the floor.
“What’s she planning to do?”
“Kill Loren and save you,” Edward answered. “We were standing outside listening. We didn’t expect bạn to be stabbed.”
“Neither did I.”
I screwed up my eyes as the pain intensified.
“I’ll take out the dagger to make it easier,” Edward said. He pulled out the dagger in one fast movement. It did ease the pain slightly but it only let the blood out quicker.
“Edward? Is he going to be ok?” Kayla called over.
“Lie!” I hissed.
Edward looked from me to Kayla.
“He’ll be fine,” he called back, disguising his thoughts. “But we have to leave now.”
She nodded but I could see she didn’t believe it.
“I want someone here that could help my father,” she spoke with authority in her voice. “Now, Loren.”
“Why would I want to help him?” he spat.
“If bạn don’t I’ll kill you.”
“You wouldn’t kill me,” Loren laughed. “You don’t have the bottle to do it.”
I knew Kayla wouldn’t be able to kill Loren. She was too pure. Yes, she had almost killed me but that had been her anger, her rage. She couldn’t just pick up a gun and shoot someone.
“Charlie, where’s Mitchell?” Edward asked me. “If we can get him here he can get bạn to Carlisle. You’ll survive.”
“Mitchell is securing the castle. He’s dealing with all the guards so they will follow his orders. This is a big lâu đài Edward.”
“Then only a miracle can save you.”

Kayla’s POV

Charlie was dying. I knew that, Edward knew that, Charlie knew that. Edward had lied to me to spare me any hurt but it was kind of obvious Charlie wasn’t going to live. He was pale and breathing heavily, there was thêm blood on the outside of him than inside, not to mention the gaping hole in his chest. I wanted to help him but I didn’t know how. Shouldn’t Charlie have any healing abilities like me? Couldn’t he heal wounds?
“Edward, can’t he heal his wounds?”
“I can only heal other people,” Charlie grunted.
What a fat lot of use that was.
“Edward, bite him!” I shouted. “Change him!”
“No!” Charlie shouted. “I will not become a vampire.”
I looked over at my dying father.
“You’re dying, Dad,” I cried. “I can let bạn die!”
I saw Loren di chuyển out of the corner of my eye. I saw metal glinting in the light and I pulled the trigger without realising what I was doing. Loren fell slowly, his eyes full of surprise. A single hole in his forehead. A dagger dropped from his hand and clanged on the stone floor. When Loren hit the ground so did Charlie. The Shadow Hunters were no longer under Loren’s rule so they were free.
I stared at Loren, his eyes still open, but they were unseeing eyes, unblinking. I dropped the gun like it had leprosy and backed away from Loren’s dead body. I walked backwards into Jasper.
“Calm down,” Jasper whispered into my ear. “Stay calm. It’s ok. We’re here.”
Calmness came upon me but that still didn’t stop the little thoughts in my head. I took a deep breath and forced them to the back of my mind. I had to help Charlie.
I ran to him and he was lying on the floor. His eyes closed and his breathing shallow. His chest only rose every so often, not at regular intervals. His tim, trái tim was beating but it was slow and weak.
I was going to lose him.