“What is she talking about, Alyiah?” my grandfather demanded, rising from his chair in the corner. His gaze went to Chandler, and then back to Alyiah. “I am assuming she is not referring to the sister who is standing in this room?” When Alyiah didn’t respond, he stepped closer to me, slamming his hand on the back of the couch. “Enough of your secrets and lies, daughter. You will tell us the truth, now!”
“Papa,” I whispered, regret filling me, “Maybe we should just let it go. We can talk about it later.”
“No! She has done nothing but lie to us since before you were born, Blayke. First about that vampire she was seeing behind our backs, then about you and who your birth father is. When you were gone, she lied about why she refused to do her duty as a Jackson, hunting rogue vampires. Do you know how many innocent lives were taken because of her refusal to protect the people of this town and the surrounding ones?” His eyes darkened in anger as he glared at his daughter. “And now this! Whatever this is! I’m tired of it! You will show your mother and me some respect, Alyiah! I want to know what else you are keeping from us, and I want to know now!”
Eben crossed the room to stand beside me, close enough so that our arms touched, and I realized it was his way of lending me his support. He was letting me know that he had my back, no matter what happened. Asher slowly came to his feet on the other side of me, effectively blocking me in between the two of them. He looked at me, a silent question in his eyes, then glanced at Eben. I suddenly felt guilty, because Eben knew what was going on, but none of the others did, including Asher. I should have told them.
A soft cry left Alyiah’s lips, before she collapsed in a chair beside the entryway. She covered her face with her hands, harsh sobs shaking her small frame. “What have I done?” she rasped, over and over again. “What have I done?”
My grandmother crossed the room and knelt beside Alyiah, placing a gentle hand on her back. “I don’t know what’s going on, my child, but you need to know that your father and I will always love you, no matter what. We will be here for you, and support you.”
Alyiah raised her head, looking from her mother to me. Holding her trembling fingers against her mouth, her eyes wide with fear, she shook her head. “Not after you hear the truth, you won’t.”
“If you think that, then you don’t know us very well,” my grandfather said gruffly. “We have always loved you, Alyiah. That will not change. I am just tired of being lied to. I want the truth. I think we deserve it.”
Alyiah wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and nodded, her gaze lowering to the floor. “Everything I said before was true,” she whispered. “Blayke’s father is Alexander Christoph, prince of the vampires. It all happened the way I told you. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew there could be…issues…when the baby was born. I knew there was a chance that she could be a natural born vampire, like her father. Alex and I talked about it, and we came up with a plan.”
“Go on,” grandfather ordered, when Alyiah paused. “What was this plan?”
“If it turned out that our daughter was human, she would stay with me. I would raise her, but he would be allowed to see her off and on. He would not be able to actually meet her, because that would be too dangerous, but I would take her to our special meeting place and he could see her from afar.”
“The clearing,” I said softly.
“Yes,” Alyiah agreed, the grip on her arms so tight now that her knuckles were white.
“And if my granddaughter was born a vampire?” There was a dangerous glint in my grandfather’s eyes. He was furious, and it flowed off him in waves. I had never seen him look so angry before.
It took a moment for Alyiah to respond, but finally she admitted, “The night that I went into labor, I made sure you and mother were out of the house. I called in a mid-wife that I trusted would keep quiet if what I feared might happen did. Alex was there. If our daughter was born a vampire, he was to take her and hide her from not only our family, but also from his.”
“What?” my grandmother exclaimed, rising to her feet and backing away from Alyiah. “Why would you do that, Alyiah? Why wouldn’t Alex claim her and raise her as his own?”
Alyiah’s eyes met mine as she whispered, “Because he knew if his parents ever found out that he had a child with a huntress, that they would kill not only the baby, but they would also come after me. Hiding her was the only way.”
“Then we could have raised her!”
“She was a vampire, mother,” Alyiah said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You know our community would never have accepted her.”
“What do you mean she was a vampire?” my grandmother whispered, her eyes widening in horror as she took another step back. “What did you do, Alyiah?”
Alyiah’s gaze went from her parents to me, a look of pure agony crossing her features as she cried raggedly, “There were two babies, Mama. Two precious, beautiful baby girls. One with dark hair, one with light. They were identical otherwise, except for…” Alyiah stopped, sobs racking her body.
“Except one had fangs, and one didn’t,” I finished quietly. “She chose to keep me, to raise me as her own, but they gave my twin sister away.” Taking the picture from my pocket, I handed it to my grandfather. “Her name is Bellame.”
He accepted the photo from me with trembling fingers, holding it close, studying it as he lightly traced a finger down the side of my sister’s face. That was the first time I saw my grandfather cry. He handed the picture to my grandmother silently, turning to leave the room without another word. She stared at the photo for a moment before looking over at Alyiah. “You should have told us, Alyiah.”
“What would you have done, Mama?” Alyiah cried. “She was a vampire! What could you have done?”
“We could have loved her,” Grandmother replied softly, before handing the picture back to me. “She may have been a vampire, but she was also a Jackson.”
“Mama, I didn’t have a choice,” Alyiah whispered brokenly. “There are so many people out there who would never have accepted her. They would have tried to kill her.”
“We would have protected her, Alyiah. She’s family. Our granddaughter.”
I watched as my grandmother left the room, her shoulders hunched, a sadness surrounding her. That was when I began to understand that I wasn’t the only one who’d had their life turned upside down because of events in the past. We all had. The choices my father and Alyiah made all those years ago were now coming back to both hurt and haunt us.
Christmas morning was a somber affair. We had breakfast early, and then gathered around the tree to open presents. Everyone was there, including my grandparents and Alyiah, but it was very quiet. I sat on the floor under the window, watching Alyiah. The night before, while I lay in bed, I thought about my birth mother and all that she had been through. How she fell in love with what most would consider the wrong man. How that love destroyed her life, making her give up her only children. How she had lived as an empty shell of herself the past ten years, without my father, my sister, or me. And somewhere in the early morning hours, I had come to understand that every decision she made after meeting Alex, she made out of love. She had given up everything for us, to try and keep us safe. Alyiah made the ultimate sacrifice for me and my sister, and had been suffering in her own private hell because of it ever since.
We all took turns handing out our gifts to each other, and then watched while the gifts were opened before the next person went. I received a beautiful new, bright blue scarf from Chandler, and a matching hat and mittens from Brielle and Dahlia. Then came a bracelet from Asher, with a small dragon charm hanging between two hearts. Eben followed it up with a sapphire dragon figurine that sparkled in the morning light shining through the window. My grandparents framed the tapestry that I brought with me from Blue River, and my father gave me a new pair of boots that I had been admiring at the mall in town for the past three weeks. I looked at the last present I held in my hands, biting my lip nervously when I saw it
was from Alyiah. Slowly I pulled back the wrapping on one end, then on the other. I gasped when I opened the lid to the box I held and peered inside. There, on top of white silk, lay a thick silver necklace, with a large sapphire pendant that had the Jackson emblem on it. “My parents gave that to me when I was your age,” Alyiah said softly. “Now it is yours.”
I traced the pendant lightly, before slowly removing it from the box. My eyes meeting hers, I smiled. “Thank you, Alyiah. It’s beautiful.”
She looked at me in surprise, before nodding and lowering her head. After slipping the necklace into place and clasping it, I stood. It was my turn to hand out my presents. I had chosen to go last on purpose, because I was nervous, but also because it was important to me that the people I cared about knew the significance behind each gift I gave them.
I went to Dahlia first. Kneeling beside her chair, I handed her the present I had chosen for her, and watched as she excitedly tore open the paper. Her eyes widened when she saw her very own book of magic spells. Hesitantly she began to turn the pages, and then she raised her eyes to me. “You got this for me?” she asked in awe, lovingly smoothing a hand over one of the spells inside.
“You told me that your mother was a very powerful sorceress,” I said, smiling gently. “I have no doubt that you will become just as powerful, Dahlia.”
Her chin trembled as she held back her tears. “I will,” she promised. “I will work hard, and when I’m old enough, I will fight with you, Blayke.”
Running a hand lightly down her long braid, I grinned, “I look forward to it.”
When she went back to turning the pages of the spell book, I rose and grabbed Brielle’s present. Handing it to her, I stepped back and waited, praying I had chosen right. She slowly unwrapped it, pausing after peeking inside the box, before a large grin crossed her face. “You were listening,” she whispered, wiping quickly at a tear before reaching into the box and pulling out the large stuffed tiger. It was white with black stripes, and was dressed in a dark leather jacket with a matching leather cap, just like the one her father gave her right before he went missing. They’d shared a love for tigers, and it broke Brielle’s heart when she lost it on the train while traveling to Angel’s Pass.
“I always listen,” I told her, giving her a quick hug before going back to the tree for Eben’s present. I handed it to him nervously, and waited impatiently while he stared at it. Finally, I asked, “Aren’t you going to open it?”
“I’m afraid to,” he admitted quietly, with a small laugh, before slipping the tape free on one side of the box, then the other. It was a small box, and when he opened it a piece of paper fluttered out and fell to the floor. His eyes narrowing, Eben reached down and grabbed it. He stiffened when he read it, his eyes going quickly to mine as he growled, “Is this a joke?”
Shaking my head, I smiled, “No joke, Eben. I was able to get that far. When you are ready, we will continue.”
Eben looked at the paper to reread what I had written.
I was unable to give you the one thing I wanted today, but I will as soon as I can. One thing most people don’t know about me, is that I am very good with computers. I hacked the police files on your sister. It got me as far as to Georgia, but then the trail went cold for them. They may have stopped looking for her, but we won’t, Eben. I promise you, we will find out what happened that night, and where she was taken. I don’t give up, and I will do anything for my family. You, Eben, are family. I promise you, you will have closure.
Blayke
After reading it again, he stood and opened his arms, pulling me close for a hug. “Promise?” he muttered.
“I promise.”
He squeezed me tightly, then let me go and collapsed back down into his chair. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for believing in me,” I said, touching the top of his head lightly before making another trip to the tree. “This one is for you,” I told Asher, handing him the present. He had been the most difficult to shop for, because he still hadn’t opened up to me about what he had been through, and how he came to be at The Manor. It was ironic that he was the one I was most drawn to, but knew the least about.
Asher looked at Eben as he accepted his gift from me. “What did she get you, man?”
Eben raised eyes filled with moisture to look at us, and said gruffly, “A promise for the future.”
“I don’t understand,” Brielle murmured, her face buried in the soft fur of her tiger. “What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what you told her,” Eben replied, a slow smiling crossing his face. “She listens.”
“She’s going to help you turn into a wolf?” Chandler guessed, from where she sat by our father.
Eben threw his head back and laughed, his dark green eyes sparkling with joy. “No, although who knows, maybe she will figure that one out, too.”
“Then what?” my grandfather asked.
“She’s going hunting,” Eben said simply.
“For what?” Asher tried again.
“For the truth about my sister.” Eben looked back down at the note he still held, a small smile playing on his lips. “For closure.”
Asher looked back at me, his hands gripping the gift he held tightly. “What is it?” he asked, and I could hear the trepidation in his voice.
“Open it.”
I could see the slight tremble in his fingers as he began to open the present. “It’s heavy.”
“Somewhat,” I agreed, wiping my hands nervously on my jeans. His gift had been hard to find, and had almost not come in time for Christmas. After searching for a week, I had finally broken down and begged my grandfather for help. When he found out what I was looking for, he’d immediately pulled some strings, and the package had arrived just two days ago.
Holding the wooden box on his knees, Asher opened it, staring at what was inside for a long moment before whispering, “How did you know?”
Looking at the beautiful dagger with the bronze hilt that lay in the middle of golden velvet, I smiled tremulously. “I may have accidentally invaded your thoughts one night and saw it,” I admitted. “But I don’t know the story behind it. I just know it meant a lot to you.”
Taking out the dagger, Asher lightly traced the lion’s head on the hilt, and then the topaz gem right below it. “The one I was thinking about belonged to my father. When he passed away, it was supposed to be given to me.” Raising his eyes, Asher grimaced, “As far as I know, my uncle has it now. I doubt I will ever see it again.” Lifting the sheath that was lying in the box, Asher slid the dagger into it. “Thank you, Blayke. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“Grandma spelled it for you,” I said, watching him closely, afraid that I had overstepped my bounds with him. “I really am sorry about how I found out, Asher.”
Asher stood and hooked the sheath to his belt. Opening his arms, he waited until I slipped into them before kissing me gently on my forehead. “It’s okay. Like the others said, you listen. That’s the part that matters.”
“He’s right, Blayke,” my dad said, his voice full of pride. “Listening is one of the most important things you can do, as a friend and as a leader.”
Giving Asher one last hug, I pulled back. “I still have a few more presents to go,” I whispered, getting Dad and Chandler’s gifts from under the tree.
Chandler’s was in a small gift bag with white tissue paper peeking out of the top. She grinned as she accepted the present from me, pulling out the white paper quickly in excitement, then she stopped cold. “No, Blayke,” she whispered. “You can’t give me this.”
“Yes, I can,” I said. “As a matter of fact, I just did.” When she started to protest again, I held up a hand, “Mom would have wanted you to have it, Chandler.”
“But she gave it to you.”
“Not really,” I admitted, leaning down to give her a quick hug. “I begged her for it and she didn’t have a choice. It’s yours, Chandler. Always has been.”
Chandler rea
ched into the bag and pulled out the long, thin gold necklace, with the tiny red rose dangling from it. “You saved it.”
“Something made me put it in my bag that night before going down for dinner,” I said softly. “I don’t know why, but I’m so glad I did.”
“Me, too,” Chandler said, holding the necklace close to her heart. “Me, too. Thank you so much, Blayke. Now I will always have a part of her with me.”
“Always,” I replied, before handing Dad’s present to him.
It didn’t take long for him to unwrap it, and the first smile I had seen in weeks crossed his face. He opened his arms wide and pulled me close. “Thank you, baby girl. I will treasure it always.”
I hugged him close, breathing in his scent, as I murmured, “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too. No matter what, you will always be my little girl.” Leaning back, he lifted the crystal plaque that said ‘Number 1 Dad’ and showed it to Chandler. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s right,” Chandler said, slipping on our mother’s necklace. “You are the best dad anyone could ever ask for, and we are lucky you belong to us.”
I laughed as I grabbed my grandparents’ present and handed it to them. I knew my dad was feeling overwhelmed with losing our mother, and then finding out who my biological father was. After raising me for ten years, the fear of losing me to Alex, even if he was a vampire who hadn’t shown his face since I left, was real and constantly pushing at him. As soon as I saw the plaque, I knew it would be the perfect gift for him. He would always be my father, no matter what happened.
I watched as my grandmother lifted their present out of the large red gift bag I had hidden it in, surrounded by colorful tissue paper. She gasped when she held up a large wooden sign with the Jackson symbol carved into it. “It’s beautiful!”
“Dad helped me make it.”
She looked at me, her eyes wide with surprise. “You made this?”
Blayke Page 14
