It shouldn’t have made her happy. She knew that. Mallory knew that she should not rejoice in someone else’s pain or suffering, but when it came to Balthazar, she was going to feel all of those emotions. He had taken away her son’s security, and she was not going to be able to forgive herself. One way or another, she was going to find a way to make him pay.
Mallory tried to get up and winced when her head started blaring.
“Why do I feel like this?”
“You’re probably going to have some side effects from whatever they put in the dart. I wish I could tell you more. I can promise you that thirty different people have run through this house in the last couple of weeks. We were all so worried about you. I don’t think I’ve ever been so worried in all of my life.”
“I’m sorry that I scared you.”
“Stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong.”
Mallory wasn’t so sure about it. If she wouldn’t have been listening to her emotions, instead of her head, she never would have revealed herself to Vincent. She should have never gone back to the Academy to begin with. That was the last place she should’ve gone. It was all her fault because she had wanted to be close to Vincent. He had this hold over her. She didn’t know she would ever be able to forgive herself. How could she, knowing that it could have been so much worse?
“I’m sorry to say this, but I never should have brought Ethen here. I knew what would happen. I knew that Balthazar was out to get me. Poking my head out, even for a few minutes, for me was dangerous. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
“And who am I supposed to blame?”
“Balthazar. Once we find him, we can get back to the new life we were starting together. I look in your eyes, I know you’re not going to be able to go on with anything until it’s done. So, we will take care of him so that we can get back to our family.”
Mallory could feel the intensity coming out of him. He was kissing her, assuring her, awakening her fully. She closed her eyes and melted down into the bed. He always made her feel better and this time was no different.
***
It didn't take all that long for them to get their hands on the whereabouts of Balthazar. While he may have been wanting to keep a low profile, the man had absolutely no clue how to live a life that wasn't completely full of fringe benefits that made him stand out.
Of all the things that they thought would bring them back to Balthazar, it was actually an expensive French wine that he couldn't seem to live without. It was information that Mallory had come up with. She had been around him for quite some time, and she knew that he would try to find it wherever it was.
They tracked down the few people that carried it in the country and before too long, they got a match. It was surprising that it happened so quickly, but within a month’s time, Mallory and Vincent were on their way. They were both ready to close that particular chapter of their life.
Balthazar was holed up in a small apartment. The building probably housed twenty people with six units, but the biggest one on the top was where he was hiding.
When Mallory saw what sort of living conditions he was in, fast food wrappers everywhere, and the distinct smell of wet dog and urine, she actually felt bad for him. It wasn't that long ago that he had made her do the very same thing, running away and trying her best to not get caught. He took away her chance at a normal life and they’d done the same to him. It was poetic, yet it was sad as well.
Mallory knew that Balthazar wasn't going to make it. There was an exact moment, an exact time, where he realized the same thing that she did. This was the last day for Balthazar and with it, he wanted to use that time to try to get into her head, telling Mallory that he had done all kinds of horrible things to her son. She didn't believe that he had been tortured, Ethen certainly didn't have any mark and didn't say anything, but just the idea of it made her lose it.
Before she could really think about what she was doing, it was Mallory that had shifted and burned Balthazar to ash. The whole apartment building quickly caught on fire, and only when she realized what she had done, did she even try to help the people that lived there.
One way or another, Mallory was happy. Balthazar was dead, and she was finally able to breathe easy again.
Chapter 22
“I think you should let me take it from here.”
Mallory was back to human form and Vincent had a strange look in his eyes. He was probably wondering what she was fully capable of. Mallory couldn't even say if she knew. She pretty much figured she was capable of anything, if it had something to do with Ethen. She had no qualms about burning down the world if she had to.
“Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“If you can't remember after this, then you’re probably just not listening.”
He chuckled, but he was still a little bit uneasy. For some reason, that made her laugh more than anything else.
They went back to London from Romania where Balthazar had been hiding. There was a lot to be done, lots that Vincent had to take care of, but the one thing that had been on the back of his mind for most of his life, had finally come to an end. He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to feel about it.
The couple did a lot of traveling with Ethen. Vincent took a long sabbatical from work, and they spent that time getting to know each other. There was so much that he had missed and he was convinced that he just had to stay in the moment and catch up. It was literally the only thing that mattered anymore.
As more time went by, they finally stopped traveling to settle down. Part of that reason was because Mallory got the good news that she was expecting another baby. There had been some talk about getting married, but Mallory had just waved it off. She was not ready for that kind of commitment. He was, but getting her to agree, was something different altogether.
