Aaron continued. “ I should have understood that, that was precisely what had happened. But I was too foolish, or too emotionally distraught to believe it. I thanked God for giving me my wife back. We went on about our lives, completely entrenched in our marital bliss, me ignoring all of the signs that this creature was not my wife, she pretending everything was as it should be, until I caught her sneaking back into our home one night. The next morning, I stumbled upon a mourning party burying the remains of a small child. There was no doubt in my mind then that Aislyn was no longer the person I had married.
"I was tempted to go to Kian, even though I hadn't talked to him for weeks, hoping he might help me in the same way that I had helped him. However, I realized that, if I let him destroy Aislyn, I would never be able to forgive him, the same way that he could not absolve me from claiming Shannon's life. Thus, I determined I had to do it myself.
"At the time, I had no idea whether or not my unborn child would be affected by the Vampiric state of the mother. The dilemma delayed me for days as I pondered whether or not I could await the child's birth before destroying my wife. However, each time I passed that tiny cross by the side of the road, I was reminded that there were other children who may lose their lives while I waited. Of course, I know now that the second my wife was infected, so was my daughter. I found out later that Aislyn was carrying a baby girl.
"Faced with an unspeakable task before me, I resolved to do what I must. So, one night, in the early evening, before Aislyn would rise to sneak out and feed, I approached our marital bed, silver stake in hand. I prayed that I would be able to drive it into her heart before she awoke. However, I was not so lucky. As I was about to bring the stake down, she opened her eyes, and looking at me with a puzzled expression in her now clearly gray eyes, she asked, 'Aaron, whatever are you doing darling?' I apologized. I told her I had no choice, that I knew what she was, what she had done. She denied it. She denied it to the very end. And she would have convinced me, too, if she could have found a way to keep those terrible fangs from giving her away. The more upset she became, the sharper her teeth grew until I knew, if I didn't strike just then, she would push me out of the way and escape into the night. And so, closing my eyes, I plunged the stake into her heart, expecting the same blood-curdling screech as Shannon had let loose. But she was completely silent. The only sound she made was the small exhale of her last breath as it escaped her exquisite lips.
"That left me wondering if, perhaps, I had made a mistake--maybe she wasn't really a Vampire. I instantly checked her teeth to find perfectly formed fangs, which made me feel only slightly better. Frantically, I searched her body, looking for some sign that she had been infected by a Vampire. Then, I found it, the tiniest of scratches on her ankle. I knew it had to be the entrance point because it was a strange shade of purplish-black, unlike any other scratch I had ever seen."
"But, why didn't she turn to ash?" Cadence asked, confusion momentarily bringing her out of the trance his story had her under.
He nodded. "She did, a few moments later. To this day, I have no idea why it took so long. Likewise, as Aislyn's body turned to ash, within the debris lay my perfect, sweet, angelic baby daughter. At five months gestation, she had soft black hair on the top of her head, the tiniest fingers and toes. She was...the most beautiful sight I had ever laid eyes on. " Tears were streaming down his face now, and it took a moment before he could continue. "And then she, too, turned to ash. So, I knew. If she had been untouched, that would not have happened. I almost felt like God was telling me I had done the right thing--that He was saying He had heard my cries and the gift of a few lingering seconds with the body of my wife and my child were His way of acknowledging my pain."
Cadence was sobbing at this point. She pulled a few tissues out of the box on the coffee table, which were a necessity after the few weeks she had, had, and tossed the box across the room in his general direction. "Oh, my God, Aaron!" she said, hoping his story was over.
The box of tissues landed on the ground near his chair, but he did not need them now. After a few moments he had regained his composure. As heartbreaking as his story was, it had been 169 years, and though he had only told the story one other time since the events had transpired, he had somehow managed to find some absolution.
After several minutes, Cadence finally found a way to bring her emotions back under control. "So," she started, a catch in her voice causing her to pause, "you think that, if I don't take care of Jack myself, I'll never forgive the person who does it?"
Surprisingly, "No," Aaron said, his voice now back to normal. "I'm saying, if you don't take care of Jack, you'll never forgive yourself. Kian wasn't mad at me; he was mad at himself."
Cadence considered his statement. Though she had regained her self-control, a few stray tears continued to flow from her eyes. He stood and walked over to where she was sitting in the corner of the couch, sitting down next to her. She didn't move, didn't look at him. When he placed his hand on her shoulder, she didn't pull back, though instinctively she wanted to. "Just think about it, Cadence," he said quietly.