by J. E Hanson
Ian points, “You should turn into a full vampire, Jeannie. You would be able to fly also.”
Rosalie twists her face, “What if her baby takes on human traits? There is still a good chance that her baby will still have a pulse. She should not live on forever just to leave her child to die. That would be so unfair to their baby. Jeannie is better off remaining a mortal,” Rosalie is incredibly blunt today.
“Here is the difference between Jeannie, and her baby. Her baby may be an immortal instead. Which means if Jeannie dies, then her baby will get to live on for all eternity. Can you imagine her baby watching Jeannie age, or what if Jeannie dies giving birth to her baby? Will he let her die? Will he turn her into a vampire? If he refuses to turn her, then their baby will never know Jeannie. I mean… shit happens all the time.”
Christian happens to walk in the foyer, and he overhears the tail end of their conversation. He stops in the center of the foyer, and he gives me a look of terror. Joey and Gabriel are walking in, right behind Chris, “I would not even worry about it right now, man. They are all acting really hormonal right now,” Gabriel tries to reassure Chris.
“DO NOT call us hormonal! I believe this topic needs some more discussion! Suppose Jeannie does die during childbirth, will he turn her? What if he does turn her, and she turns into a hungry newborn? Who will protect their baby from her? I have heard stories about newborn vampires after their transformations,” Rosalie ponders the weirdest questions.
Ember slams the ornaments down, “How could you think of such a cruel thing? No matter what condition she is in, she is still mom to their baby! There is nothing more powerful than a love from a mother! You are so morbid to believe that Chris would ever allow anything to happen to their baby!”
The fight between them ensues. Joey turns, and he faces Christian, “I apologize for the rudeness of my wife. She is normally not like this. The pregnancy and the latest bombing, has put her on edge.”
Christian is upset. I know what he is already thinking right now. Ian finally stands between all three of us, “First of all Rosalie, you seriously need to chill the fuck out right now! Second, you are fighting about something WAY in the future! With all the current medical advances, I am a million percent sure that Alexander and Zane will keep Jeannie in her human form. Which is the first thing we try to do. If something happens to Jeannie, I am sure Chris will reevaluate the situation, and then he will make the best decision for all of us. Third, there are strict laws against eating—or feeding off children and babies. Even in my newborn years, I have never killed a baby—or a child. I love kids! You should know this firsthand, Rosalie! I had eleven older sisters as a mortal. They had tons of babies, and I spoiled all of them. Yes, we are monsters, but we still have our own minds. We can still think for ourselves. Chris and Jeannie should know that I would protect their child at all costs. Fourth, there are strict protocols for newborn vampires to keep them separated until they are able to show restraint over their abilities. Finally, I believe that Jeannie will be fine, as a newborn vampire. For Pete’s sake, she is already drinking blood! She is already keeping her fangs well under control. If we had issues with her, she would have already tried to eat all of you. Which clearly shows me, she has complete self-control. She shows more confidence, unlike your lack of faith in your own cousin.”
Rosalie begins to sniffle. Joey immediately walks over to hold her, “I know you never meant any of that. Chris, Alex, and the rest of the BIB took excellent care of you, when you were a small child. They are not the enemy here. I am sorry for what happened to you, and your parents. But, Reno and Khan were the ones who killed them. I know you are still struggling with your fear of leaving our baby alone, but our baby has tons of people here who will keep our baby safe. That shit will not happen to our baby.”
Rosalie sobs in his arms, “I am so sorry Jeannie, and I never meant it! I am petrified right now! I honestly never meant anything by it!”
The BIB stand in the foyer with looks of fear in their eyes. I briefly close my eyes, as I remember the gentle and soothing tone of my father. I remember how he was usually the voice of reason in a sea of insanity. I casually walk over to Ember and Rosalie. Rosalie closes her eyes embracing for impact. She believes I will smack her. Instead, I wrap my arms around her, “It will be okay, and I forgive you. I understand your fears, because I have them too. The worst has already happened to all of us. We all have lost people, who we held dear to us. We lost our parents in this shitty situation. This is when we need to lean on each other even more. We are all cousins, so we will have to stick together. I can promise you one thing though… if one day I turn into a full vampire; I will gladly hunt my sister down. She will be my number one target, as a newborn vampire, and not my true family. There is nothing to fear. You will all remain safe here.”
Rosalie sobs in my arms, and Ember cries too. Ember places herself in our embrace, “I really hate Ava! I bet she was there when my parents were murdered!”
Ember brings me to a startling revelation. I remember walking in on my parents to find their mutilated bodies on the kitchen floor. The only way in which Reno could enter is if… “OH, NO! OH, HELL NO! FUCK NO! HOW COULD SHE DO THAT TO ME?
“What is wrong, baby?” Christian asks while alarmed.
Chapter 18
The girls stop sobbing, and they cock their heads at me, “What is wrong Jeannie?”
I am turning green, but not from morning sickness. I bolt to the bathroom to throw up. How could Ava do such a deplorable act?
Christian leans over me, and he continues to hold my hair back, “What are you thinking?”
I stop throwing up, and I wipe off my mouth. I run out of the bathroom, and then I run upstairs to our new bedroom. My old laptop quickly turns on, as I automatically search for anything on Ava. I know she has a laptop of her own in Kentucky. Christian walks in our bedroom to see what I am up to now.
“I have to find Ava’s laptop! I need to return to Kentucky, and find it!”
Christian places his arms around my waist, “You will not travel tonight! There are blizzard warnings in that part of the United States! Please tell me what you are thinking.”
“Can vampires enter any house?”
Christian shakes his head, “No, that is physically impossible. You need permission from someone in the house in order to cross the threshold. Why are you asking me this?”
I stare at him, “Who owned the property while my parents were still alive?”
Christian stares blankly at me, “Your father owned the house; however; anyone related to the owner can grant vampires permission to cross the threshold. What does this have to do with you?”
This new information causes me to jump up and down, “I need to return to Kentucky. Khan shot off his mouth about brutally murdering my parents along with Reno. Someone inside my house had to have granted them access to cross the threshold. I know I never gave them permission to cross the threshold. Which only leaves three other people who could have let them in. What I am trying to announce is that I refuse to believe for a minute my mom and dad would give them permission to come in. My mom was also a vampire hybrid, so she could not be glammed to let them inside our house. My dad was a fairy hybrid, so he could not be glammed either. Which only leaves one person, but it seems too easy for her to let them in. I bet the house that Ava dated Julius for a while too.”
His appears just as shocked, and he is just as upset as I am. To think someone related to me could brutally murder her own parents
Joey overhears our conversation, “We will take the FOL, and we will help Jeannie search for clues. If this holds any water, they will be able to issue an order on Ava. The Board of Meropis still are discussing the reception fiasco. If we find crucial evidence, then this could tip the scales in our favor.”
Gabriel joins all of us, “We want to help you out. This may help us out in the end. He has ended a few existences.”
Rosalie dries her tears, “Do you have a picture of your house,
Jeannie?”
I pull up the pictures of the old ivory frame farmhouse in which is still in my name. I estimate the time has to be five o’clock in the evening. Which is still too risky for any of the vampires to join us.
Christian hands me the pills, “I wish you would wait until tomorrow. Please keep out of the light. I have no idea how badly you will burn now.”
I step inside my closet to cover any visible skin. The weather should be cold in Kentucky. Sophia hands me a puce cloak with a hood. I pick up a pair of slate gloves to keep my hands hidden. An ebony scarf clings to my neck. I quickly peck Christian goodbye. I avoid taking his daytime pills. Rosalie and Ember study a picture of my old bedroom.
I point to Christian, “My bedroom is the only room with the tinted windows to keep the sun out.”
Christian sneaks in one last kiss, “Keep your phone on at all times, and please be extremely careful. I love you.”
I glance at their worried faces, “I love you too. We will return before you know it.” Ian hands me a couple of guns.
Rosalie and Ember grab each arm, and then they snap their fingers. We make it inside my old bedroom in less than a minute. I am impressed with how my old bedroom is still intact. There are no signs of a fight—or anything in disarray. I take out my guns just in case rogues show up. I open my bedroom door, and I sniff the air. The air has a musty stench to it now. My fangs descend for the first time since my honeymoon. Rosalie glances at me nervously. Joey knocks on the front door, but I am unable to answer it, due to the sun. Ember shuts all the doors. We carefully walk inside the living room together. Ember unlocks the front door. I step back inside the hallway long enough for the men to enter. After I return to my old bedroom, they quickly check the other rooms. I cautiously point, “If none of you mind, can someone please pull the shades down in this room?”
My brand new grandfather nods at me. He walks inside the room, in which used to belong to Ava. He pulls the shades down for me. I walk inside her room. My grandfather lights up the lamps with a snap of his fingers. I embark on a search for anything that belongs to Ava. I flip her mattress over to find one of her old diaries. It passes over to Rosalie. I found a sealed envelope, and then I hand it to Rosalie.
“May I help you search?” Ember asks. I nod yes.
Rosalie even checks the bedroom, which belonged to my parents, and their office. “I found a box with sealed envelopes. Her laptop is not here.” Ember informs me.
I glance underneath her bed, and I am about to give up, but there is a small rip in her mattress. My hand carefully reaches inside it to find a stack of letters. Rosalie takes all the letters, and she places them in the bag for me.
Ember walks in, “Jeannie, are you aware that your father has a safe hidden behind a family portrait in the living room?”
This new revelation startles me. I follow her to the living room. I notice my grandfather is eyeing the safe, “I was about to ask if you knew the combination, but since you never knew about this safe, then it is pointless.”
Joey pulls his shades back, “Lucky for me, I know how to unlock safes.”
He closes his eyes, and he snaps his fingers. The safe pops open to reveal stacks of cash sitting on top of one another. He reaches in, and he takes out a note, “This is addressed to you, Jeannie. You might want to read this.”
I quickly open the letter. The handwriting belongs to my dad. I chose to read it aloud.
“Dearest Jeanne,
I am writing you this letter just in case you find the family safe. I have done many terrible things in my life, which were not so great. I am sure you know by now what you are. I searched for my birth parents. I found my birth mother. She is a lovely woman, who told me all about my birth father. I know this will sound crazy, but my biological dad is a fairy prince. His name is Oberon McCloud Jr. My birth mom Maria admitted his identity to me, and she gave me old pictures of them together. My birth father never ages, unless he wants to. Jeannie, more importantly, they fell in love. The only thing separating them is the fact she is human, and he is immortal. They could never be together, because he is royalty. This makes all my heirs princesses to the throne should something happen. Wait, there is more. Your mom carries a secret of her own too. Your teeth are really your fangs. You are a very important vampire hybrid. I hope you are sitting down for this. You are a double princess from that side. Your mom and I thought it was best to keep you protected, by never revealing this to you until now. We wanted to give you the best upbringing without involving politics. We wanted you to have a normal life. Please don’t be angry with us. Believe me, the last thing I would ever want to do, is hurt you. In this safe, you will find one million dollars. I put the money in here, so you can run as far as you can. I want to warn you about your sister, Ava. There has been something going on with her for the past year. She has been sneaking out of the house late at night. I want to admit something else too. That car she got for her sixteenth birthday is not from us. We lied to you about it just to protect you. I think she is dating a vampire, because she smells, as if she has been with one. We do not have significant knowledge of whom as of yet, but we hope, he is one of the good vampires. I know I am the last person you want to trust right now, because of my indiscretion. I know you will probably never believe me, but someone put something in my drink the night Ava was conceived. I only loved your mother, nobody else. I never knew about Ava until after she was born. The woman tried to blackmail me. Which is when I came clean to your mother. Your mother in return, agreed to adopt Ava from her for money. Your mom thought she was doing the right thing by keeping both sisters together. She was already pregnant with you, by the time Ava came. I know your mom has said, and she has done things to hurt your feelings. She just wanted Ava to feel loved. I left you all this money for I fear something may happen to us in the future. We want you to take this money and run! Please take care of yourself, and know that we are always with you. We love you, Jeannie.
Love Always,
Dad”
I gasp at the note, “I knew it! I have no idea if I should cry, be angry—or happy? I know they want me to run with this money, but I think I will be okay. I am lost with what to do with all this money now.”
Rosalie snaps another duffel bag into view. We begin to fill up the duffle bag with all this cash.
“You could put it aside, as college tuition for your baby,” Ember suggests.
Gabriel helps me out, “That is an excellent idea, Ember. That is what I would do with it also. You have the help of Christian for whenever you need it. It would be pointless to place this money in his checking account.”
We bag up the rest of the money in the duffle bag. With bitter disappointment, I am unable to find her laptop, and this makes me think that she at one point recognized it. I struggle to remember if her laptop was here during her so-called ‘abduction,’ or if she found it after she turned. If she returned for it after she became a vampire, then that tells me she helped murder our parents. The thought sends a cold chill throughout my spine.
Joey stares at his watch, “We need to move! You have ten minutes, before some of the vampires wake up. The states are struggling with rampant serial killers. I believe the serial killers are rogues on a rampage. We need to move girls!”
I check the office one last time, to find my baby book and photo albums. I bag everything. Joey closes the safe, and then he readjusts the family portrait. Gabriel takes a few bags for me. Ember snaps bags to the castle for me too. I found a few more items, which I may need in the future.
“We need to hurry! We have three minutes left!” Rosalie points franticly at her watch.
I grab the bags with the laptops, which were still there. Joey snaps us back to the castle with a minute to spare. We land inside the library. Christian stands there waiting for me. I can tell he has been worrying. We place all the bags on the table. Christian walks over to me, and he clutches me to his chest, “Are we finished now?”
I flash him an expression of disappointment
, “I really doubt that I accomplished anything, but my dad left me something.”
I open the duffle bag, and I show Chris. Ian walks over, and he leans in to see what we see, “Oh shit chick! That is a lot!”
Chris studies me, “You need to hide this elsewhere. I recommend that you keep it for emergencies.”
I remember borrowing money from him, “I still owe you for paying my entire college tuition.”
Christian scoffs, “You only owe me your love for eternity, and that is good enough for me. I believe we already discussed money from the beginning. And besides, I already wrote it off as a business expense, since you are still technically working for me.”
I will not argue with him over money. It is really none of my business either, but I wait for his opinion, “What should I do with this money?”
Christian zips up the bag, “I will take care of this right now. I will keep it in a place, which only you will know.”
He walks out of the library to stash the money. I have a logical idea where he puts the excess cash for emergency purposes. I know he will no longer stick it in a bank with my name on it. The last time he did that, my sister was able to pretend to be me. She stole all the cash right from underneath my nose.
Ian cocks his head, “How did you find that amount of cash?”
“My dad left the cash for me in case of an emergency. Here is the letter,” I held out the letter to him, but Christian returns, and he takes it from me.
Christian begins to read the letter to everyone in the room. After hearing the letter for a second time, my new grandfather storms out of the room really upset. Rosalie chases right after him.
