The next weeks went wonderfully, but Blaine and Jora couldn’t just be engaged for the rest of their lives.They had to get married. So they decided to sneak into a small village just south of Salem called Huntington to get married. They would have the priest perform the ceremony at the church and then go back to the cottage immediately after for a dinner.
“So it’s decided. Tomorrow at dawn we go to Huntington to request that the priest wed us,” Blaine was telling Jora’s parents as Jora sat behind him squirming with excitement.
“Sounds like a good plan, but be careful and don’t tell him your real names just so we’re sure not to be traced back to Salem. Have you heard the latest witch hunt that’s going on?” Jora’s father told Blaine with some concern.
“Yes, I have. I can’t believe that Abigail is testifying that John Proctor is a witch. He’s the only sane man in that town,” Blaine said with a forced laugh.
The sun was just beginning to take its first yawn when Blaine and Jora arrived at the church. They walked in tentatively to find the priest in the first pew. He stood up and was surprisingly tall and agile. He walked briskly to meet them halfway down the aisle.
“How may I help you?” he asked while placing his hands behind his back and swaying back and forth.
“We’re here to be married,” Blaine said to the priest.
“Well, I would be happy to marry a young couple like you,” the priest said.
About fifteen minutes later they were Mr. And Mrs. Blaine Acopolis. Jora had to be the happiest girl in the entire world. No questions asked. They entered the clearing to a deadly silence. The wind wasn’t blowing and the birds weren’t chirping. Jora could tell that Blaine was beginning to get a little uneasy. Blaine and Jora looked at each other and slowly made their way up to the front door of the cottage that was halfway off its hinges. Blaine nudged Jora and pushed her behind him. His instincts kicked in at the smell of blood making his icy blue eyes glow as he scanned the cottage. The chairs were overturned and the table was broken in half. In the kitchen the cabinets were open and dishes were everywhere. He could feel Jora trembling behind him. They were just at the stairs when they heard a muffled cry. Jora rushed past Blaine before he could grab her. What she saw next would haunt her for the rest of her life.
As she reached the top of the stairs she saw her father on top of her mother in the corner. She had cuts and bruises all over and blood was running from her neck. Terror filled her eyes as she looked up and saw Jora standing there with a look of disbelief on her face. Her mother mouthed the word “run” just as her father turned around and saw Jora, but it wasn’t her father. This man looked like her father but his eyes were glowing red, his teeth were protruding from his mouth, and he licked his lips as a drop of blood hit the floor. Suddenly a surge of energy shot through Jora. She had not recognized any signs that she was a vampire until this moment. Her killer instincts kicked in as she lowered her eyes and readied herself for a blow from her father. He ran at her full speed on all fours, but just when he was about to strike Jora, Blaine came from nowhere punching him so hard that it sent him three feet back. Jora took the split second that he was down to run to her mother’s side. She was barely breathing, her eyes were rolling back into her head, and she could hardly stay conscious. Suddenly one of the nightstands was thrown across the room towards Jora and her mother. Jora instantly flew up in the air, caught the nightstand, and threw it at the wall. It shattered into five different pieces.
“You’re going to die today, son,” Jora’s father said with a look of malice on his face.
“Oh, you think so?” Blaine said with a grin.
“Yes, actually I do, and I’m going to kill your wife too,” George said with a chuckle.
“Not today and not ever,” Blaine said as he readied himself to fight
He was scared to fight against whom everybody knew as the strongest vampire in the area, but with his wife’s and mother-in-law’s life in his hand he found a new strength from within. It was love. George started the brawl. He flew threw the air and kicked Blaine in the chest, knocking him back and off balance for a second. But a second was all it took for George to throw a punch that landed Blaine flat on his butt. Jora stood up without thinking and rushed to Blaine’s side.
“Now it’s gonna be two against one,” Jora said as she balled her hands into fists.
“Okay, whatever makes you feel better,” her father said while laughing at them both.
Jora had had enough of his antics and took the initiative. She flew into the air did a three sixty and kicked him right in his face knocking out three of his teeth. Now he was angry. He touched his lip and then looked at the blood on his finger.
“Now I’m angry, and you know what happens when I’m angry? People die,” he said while spitting out some of the blood in his mouth.
Blaine wasted no time and punched George right in the stomach as blood spurted from his mouth. They started exchanging punches and kicks, and as this was going on Jora was crawling towards the floorboard her mother was pointing to behind the bed. She pried the board up with her fingers and underneath was a sword encrusted with blood-red rubies. She glanced again at her mother as she mouthed the words “head”. She remembered finally the only way to kill a true vampire would be to behead him. At that moment Blaine was on his back and her father was getting ready to snap his neck. It would be the only opportunity. With his head down Jora flew over the bed with the sword raised above her head, and sliced through the air. She closed her eyes as the sword hit something. When she opened them her dress was covered in blood, her father’s body was lying limp on top of Blaine’s, and his head was at her feet. She dropped the sword and pushed the body off of Blaine. He rose slowly holding on to his left side.
“Oh my gosh, what have I done?” Jora asked as a tears rolled down her blood trickled face.
“What you had to do, and nothing else,” Blaine said while taking Jora into his arms.
“My mother,” Jora exclaimed suddenly.
They rushed over to Rebecca’s side, but it was too late. She was slumped over to one side with a pool of blood beneath her. In the blood a word was written. Jora leaned closer and read the word. It was love written in her mother’s blood.
She suddenly came to the realization that her own father had killed her mother, and she had killed her father. Was this a vicious cycle of “love” that could be stopped? Or would Blaine and Jora continue the cycle? Jora caressed her stomach as she whispered the words.
“Things will be different for you. We’ll make sure of that.”