Knowing that I must still play the role of repentance I respond with respect, “Yes master. If you may be so kind, though, I would like to clean up; a shower and clean clothing would be appreciated.”
“I have a shower in my office, and Marci has already laid out clothing for you. Of course there will be guards, as I still don’t trust you to not attempt an escape.”
“Of course, I understand. When will I be allowed to return home to my apartment?”
“I may allow you later today, but I will send someone to take you, as I expect to know where you are residing. I have also got you a cell phone so that I may contact you at all times; you also can assume there is a tracking device in it. I insist on knowing where you are and what you are doing at all times. You are now mine.”
“Yes, of course.” I begin thinking of ways to evade him; he mustn’t know when I go to see my family…he can never find out they are my family. “May I clean up now?”
“Yes, follow me. When you are done you may join us in the main area of the club.”
Drake shows me to his office and I recognize the woman, Marci, as the same one that helped to control Danika the night she was to initiate. I nod and excuse myself to the washroom. The walls are made from a frosted glass and, like the office area, the entire washroom is white. Various hygiene products from cologne, deodorant and mouthwash are all meticulously placed upon a round mirror on the counter. There are various scents all in mini travel size containers. I assume these are for the various guests Drake may have that use the area. A large white towel is hanging next to the glass encased shower, and I notice a dressing table has a pair of jeans and a V-neck shirt, shorts, and socks all placed perfectly in the center. Under the stool of the table rests a pair of sketchers, and a black leather jacket hangs to the side.
Marci follows me. “These are for your use; please feel free to use the products and clothing available to make yourself presentable for the master.”
“Thank you.” She returns to the main office and shuts the door behind her. Through the frosted glass I notice her sitting on the sofa across from the washroom and watching my every move. I hear Drake excuse himself and leave the room.
Looking in the mirror I see only slight bruising remaining on my face and the swelling nearly gone. The large amount of blood I had is returning my rapid healing and it is almost complete. I feel myself returning to my normal state of mind, and the realization of what I just did sinks in. I just killed two innocent people; memories of Ashley come rushing through my head and my heart. I turn the shower on and hop in, hoping to push my thoughts and feelings aside. I must get focused again; I need to learn what the Cerberus have planned for Danika and the rest of my family.
***
The club is jammed packed tonight…lots of mortals here too. I am still finding it difficult to resist them, so I go up to the bar and order a shot, knowing that I can’t handle a tap. If I start drinking from someone again I won’t stop. It’s taking every ounce of will power I have to resist them tonight. I notice Cyrus walking towards me.
“Cyrus, it’s good to be back in the land of the living and ever after.”
“Well, I must say Cas, I hope you have learned your lesson and you won’t defy us again.”
“Of course, I will be honorable and follow you. Please accept my apologies.”
“You have paid your dues; but if it ever happens again, you will not be given a second chance. I will destroy you myself.”
“Of course, I would expect nothing less from you.”
“Now enjoy yourself tonight; we will be watching you.” He turns on his heel and walks away.
I mingle with the other members of the club, doing my best to avoid excessive contact with the mortals. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turn to see Isaac. He looks different; a disguise, but still him.
In a near whisper I greet him. “Isaac, how are you brother?”
“Good, now that I know you’re okay.”
“What are you doing here? It’s not safe for you. No one else is with you are they?”
“No, just me and Eliza here. We thought it would be more believable if I brought a minion.”
I look over his shoulder and notice the young, tall woman I met only a few times while back with my family last month. “You have to be careful here.”
“It’s okay, Isaac claimed me as his alone at the door, and Ebony and I did a protection spell before I left. Even if they wanted to get me, they wouldn’t be able to.”
I nod with understanding. “Well, I may be allowed to go to my apartment tonight. They are watching me, so you best be on your way. I’m okay now. I’ll contact the family soon.”
“We just had to know you’re okay. It’s been a month.”
“I was under the club until only today, and I will explain everything soon. Thank you for your concern, but please, I don’t want anything to happen to you. You must leave now. I promise I’ll be in contact soon.” I walk past the two as I don’t want to raise suspicions if I am caught talking to a new club goer for too long.
As I work the crowd I notice Isaac and Eliza hit the dance floor for a bit and the bar for a drink before they leave. I continue to mingle as I sense Drake and Cyrus watching me, and I’ve already identified their spy’s or guards.
***
Finally arriving at my apartment after I was released from Club VC, I head straight to my journal; I must destroy all my notes. Taking a garbage can I begin to rip the pages from the book, once I find a pack of matches in my junk drawer. Striking the match, the swooshing of the flames and the smell from the burning stick remind me of times camping with the rest of the Pierce family. I toss the match in the can and watch all my notes and memories go up in flames. I know this must be done; with the Cerberus leaders watching me so closely I have to assume that they now know where I live, and that they will have someone search my apartment. I need to remove and destroy anything and everything that ties me to the Pierce family. My vampire family is on the Cerberus’s radar now; after the fight and losing so many of their new members, Drake and Cyrus are out for revenge. Drake stumbled upon Danika when he was scouting the magical powers of the area. He knew then he wanted her to be his queen. I know this fight isn’t over and they will be back for Danika and for my family. I go through my place with great speed, gathering anything that I can destroy, and throw it into the fire; the belongings I wish to keep can be taken to my family’s house. I need to figure out a way to escape the guards Drake sent with me; maybe I can somehow sneak out the back if no one is out there watching me. This might take some time to plan, but I will get to the house and fill my family in.
Chapter 28
Loving Touch
Nathanial and I are able to convince his mom to let me practice my Reiki techniques on her.
“Kids, my tummy has been feeling so funny I am open to trying anything right now. I can’t explain it; I’m not nauseated or in pain, it just feels like something going on. I went to the doctor earlier today and he isn’t sure what is going on either. He did a pregnancy test just to make sure; of course it was negative…I knew I wasn’t. I’ve heard of Reiki before, so why not? I mean what can it harm?”
“Great! I am a very good learner, Mrs. McCord, and I have been taking online classes.” I fib a little. “Just lie down, close your eyes and relax, you might feel some heat radiating from my hands, but it should not be too hot. I may gently touch you but if at any time it becomes uncomfortable just let me know,” I explain.
Mrs. McCord follows my instructions and once she relaxes, I begin to complete the healing process. I can feel the healing; it’s nearing completion. I feel her uterus and ovaries repairing beneath my hands. Since moving to Wenham my ability to heal has been tested to help people I care about more than it has in the last 50 years. On the sofa, Mrs. McCord is nearly asleep when Mr. McCord walks in.
“Hey kids, what are you doing to Nikole?”
“Sophia is just trying a relaxation technique she’s learning to help
mom with her stomach problems,” Nathanial covers for me.
“I think I’m done…she’s sound asleep. Why don’t Nate and I fix dinner, and you can go shower while she rests,” I suggest.
“Nate, you have found yourself one heck of a girl here; I suggest you keep her.” He pats his son on the back as he begins to leave the room.
“Hey Dad,” Nathanial hollers and his dad pauses to look over at his son. “Just want you to know that I have no plans on letting her go.” He wraps his arms around my waist, sending those wonderful firework sensations off within me. His dad smiles and heads straight to the washroom.
“You know, Nate there’s been so much going on we haven’t really enjoyed one another in a while.”
“Is that a proposition?” he kisses my neck.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, your parents are right here. I only meant that we have been preoccupied by so much we haven’t had the chance to just relax and enjoy spending time together. You know all the little things.”
“Yeah I get it–even when we’re alone, there’s still so much on our minds we haven’t been able to just chill.”
“Well, tonight I want you to come back to my place so we can do just that, and maybe a little more,” I wink at the handsome man standing before me.
“But aren’t you still worried about Caspian?”
“Of course, but I have to trust in the information we have and hope he returns soon.” I attempt my tough girl facade.
“I will accept all this, but know that I don’t fully believe you.” Wrapping me in a tight squeeze, Nathanial holds me close. I feel his heart beat against my chest and I melt into his arms.
With a slight touch of his hand Nathanial lifts my chin so that our lips meet. A soft and gentle kiss turns into a deep passionate one. Moving his hands down my back and cupping my butt, he lifts me onto the kitchen counter. Slowly moving his kisses down my neck to my collar bone, it’s difficult to resist, but I withdraw and push him back.
“Nate my love, your parents are right here and I offered to cook. If we don’t stop now, I don’t think either one of us will have the will power to do so. Let’s make dinner and we can enjoy our alone time later tonight.”
He nods and pulls back from me only to take a seat at the table for a moment. I go to the fridge and begin to pull ingredients from the shelves and prepare dinner. Once everything is ready and Mr. McCord comes out of the shower, he wakes Nathanial’s mom and they both join us in the kitchen.
“Are you feeling better Nikole?” he questions.
“Now that you mention it, I am. I think your little trick there worked Sophia…thank you.”
“Anything I can do to help. Your family means so much to me. I’ve been really worried about you.”
“That is very kind of you. I feel like a new woman! I can’t believe how much energy I have, and the funny feeling in my stomach is gone. Now enough fussing over me, let’s enjoy dinner. Thank you for taking care of this for me while I rested Sophia. Your parents have done a great job with you, and I’m very happy Nate has brought you into our lives.”
I’m humbled by her comments; I’m the lucky one to have finally found my other half; to have Nathanial in my life means more to me than anyone could ever imagine. Nathanial and I decide it might also be a good time to discuss the option of working for my family, bringing it up in a manner that make Nathanial’s dad unaware that it is a job created for him. We engage in normal dinner time conversation.
“My family has some major renovations planned, so once my father and Uncle Isaac find a contractor I may need to hang out here a little more if you don’t mind,” I say to begin the conversation.
Nathanial’s father raises his eyebrow with interest. “I can probably help out with that Sophia. I mean, if your family needs a contractor, I can go look at the job and give them a quote. Also if it is something I can’t do, I can recommend someone for them.”
“Really?” I act surprised. “I know my family would be so grateful. Are you sure you have time to come look and don’t mind? We have been here less than a year and still don’t know all the places to go and people to talk to when we are in need of service.”
“Not a problem; things are a little slow for me right now, so I have the time to help out. It’s perfect. Maybe I can stop by tomorrow and talk with them.”
“I’ll let them know tonight that you’ll be there in the morning…thank you so much.”
I can’t believe how easy that was; I’ll let my family know when I get home a little later. Today has been such a great day; I can’t imagine anything making it any better.
***
Nathanial parks out front of the house and walks around the car to open my door for me; he really is a gentleman. Even after several months of dating, he still treats me like the very first day we met. We walk up the marble stairs to the veranda and through the large double doors of my house. This house still amazes me–this grand foyer and the large split spiral stair case is magnificent. Nathanial and I both hear laughs and talking from the family room, and hand in hand we go to see what all the commotion is about.
Sitting there on the sofa is Caspian and the rest of the family gathered around him.
“Oh my God, you’re back!” I run over and hug my brother. “Why didn’t you guys call me? I would have been home sooner.
“Calm down little girl, I just got here,” Caspian teases.
Nathanial and I take a seat and we all inquire about what has happened in the past month. The next several hours are spent rehashing what Caspian has gone through at the hands of the Cerberus. He still has no new information, and I can’t believe the torture he’s endured to protect us. From what he’s saying there are no plans, as of yet, of retaliation on the Cerberus’ part, so I guess we can relax a little. Caspian will remain within the Cerberus’ inner circle until we can make a plan to take them down. Elijah will contact the Renata again and try to come up with a plan; otherwise, we just have to be prepared at all times. For tonight, we can celebrate Caspian coming back to us again. I have to admit I was a little concerned that he wouldn’t come back again. Thank God he did; we need him as part of this family unit. Now we are one step closer to being complete.
“They have a tail on me. I had to sneak over here, and even though I don’t think they saw me leave, I ran through the woods and made some evasive moves to lose anyone who could have been on my tail.”
“So what are you going to do now?” Constance asks.
“I have to go back. I don’t have much information and I need to gather more Intel about what their plans are. We need to stop the Cerberus, and we can’t do it without the inside scoop of what they have planned. I think they might want to return here for Danika, but this is the kind of thing I can find out from the inside, if I prove I am worthy to them.”
“Are you kidding me? After the torture you endured you want to go back to them?” I jump up.
Nathanial grabs me, pulling me back down into his lap. “I know you don’t like this sweetie, but Caspian is right; we need to have more information to stop them. This is the best way to prevent more mortals from being Embraced.”
Slumping down in his lap I concede, knowing they are right…even if I don’t like it.
Chapter 29
School’s Out
It’s hard to believe we have finished out the school year here in Wenham. We haven’t had any more incidents with the Cerberus, which is a good thing. We kinda expected Drake to come back to the school for Danika, but now that it’s the last day and we haven’t seen him, we can’t help but wonder if he believes she is still on the run from her family, from us. Caspian hasn’t heard anything about her either. They have allowed him closer into the Cerberus organization, if you can call it that. The Renata has requested that we keep them informed on the whereabouts and doings of the cult, but we’ve had nothing to report.
Alexander, Matilda, Danika and I walked through the doors ten months ago; Danika and I were at each other’s throats,
and I resented her for everything. Today we walk in not only friends but sisters, and I’m grateful that I had to come to this school. This is where I met the man of my dreams; my soul mate, and I couldn’t ask for more. Danika has brought so much to our family…it is because of her that we have found a place we can call home, friends that we can trust, more people we consider like family, and our brother was brought back to us. This has been one of those full circle moments for me.
The students of Wenham High are congregated in the hallway signing yearbooks, and wishing others well. Many of the seniors will be off to college in the fall.
“Hey, Sophia, will you sign my yearbook for me?” A little brunette asks.
I recognize her from the New Year’s party, but can’t remember her name. We have had such a crazy year I didn’t really didn’t get to know many of the students. Maybe next year I can get to know them better, actually give them a chance.
“Sure.” I respond with a smile and write the typical thanks for a great year in her book.
Ebony, Matt and Nathanial show up a few minutes after us, and we all clean out our lockers, sign a few more year books, and prepare for the big water fight–seniors against the rest of the school. They are more than outnumbered, but I’ve heard this is a tradition to see the seniors off. I think it will be so much fun, but I may have to peg Mel with a good balloon or ten. Our little close knit group of friends volunteered to make and set up the water balloons; others are filling water guns and large buckets of water for dunking others into. A few of us have thought about tossing a couple of the teachers in there. The school is also providing a large picnic/barbeque lunch for the entire student body. This kind of thing doesn’t happen in the big city.
“Hey sweetie, are you gonna be mad and kick my butt if I throw you in the dunk tank?” Nathanial nudges me.
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