Ageless

by Cege Smith

  If Violet had thought that Pamela was stunning, she paled in comparison to the tall woman standing almost toe to toe with Jeremiah in the foyer. The woman who could only be Elysa had hair that was white blond and pulled back into a high ponytail that accentuated her high cheekbones. Violet could see even from that distance that Elysa’s eyes were brilliant ice-cold blue. She wore a skin-tight leather bustier and matching leather pants that hugged her voluptuous curves and made Violet feel like she hadn’t even hit puberty yet. Spiked black heels completed Elysa’s outfit and gave her just enough height that her eyes were in line with Jeremiah’s.

  Although Violet couldn’t see Jeremiah’s face clearly, she could see by his stance that he was tense.

  “It’s been a long time, Elysa.” His voice was low but held the commanding tone that Violet was coming to recognize.

  “Too long,” Elysa said with a catty smile. Violet could hear them as clearly as if she was standing right next to them. “I understand you’ve acquired a new toy, Jeremiah. It’s just like you to not want to share with the rest of us.”

  Violet was shocked. She was pretty sure that that woman was pouting. What kind of person made a grand, unwelcome entrance, and then acted like a sullen child in front of so many people? Jonah had made it sound like Elysa was a badass, but all Violet saw so far was just a woman acting out trying to get attention.

  “Elysa, you could have called if you were interested in a meeting,” Jeremiah said. His tone was cold and formal. “As you can see, I have guests at the moment.”

  Elysa threw back her head and laughed. Her ponytail swished in the air against her back. Then her gaze returned to Jeremiah and Violet saw the first glimmer of what Jonah had been talking about. Elysa looked ready to pounce.

  “A meeting? Oh, Jeremiah. How you live in the past. It won’t be too long before you are requesting a meeting with me,” Elysa said. Her voice was steel wrapped in velvet. Her eyes skimmed the crowd, and Violet felt the moment Elysa’s ice-blue eyes landed on her. She stiffened and felt Jonah slip an arm around her. “Ah. I can see why she would have grabbed your attention. So if the rumors are true, she’s a Ward, isn’t she? How comforting for you.”

  “I think it’s time for you to leave, Elysa,” Jeremiah said. “I would be happy to discuss the terms of Coven Rataway’s peace treaty at another time. But this is not the time or the place.”

  “You know I’m always game for a good party,” Elysa said, and then smiled widely. “But if you insist, I will go.” She started to turn and then spun back, no doubt for full dramatic effect. “Two things though. First, if you think for one second my coven is going to sign a peace treaty with yours and be under the Montrose thumb, you are quite mistaken. Secondly, I will be taking the Ward descendant with me.”

  Everyone in the room gasped, and Jonah’s arm tightened around her waist as the words sunk in. Violet’s mind was racing. Two warring vampire factions were going to start fighting. Over her. It seemed completely surreal.

  “Violet will not be going anywhere with you.” It sounded like Jeremiah was chewing on rocks. “She is a guest in my home and will remain so for the time being.”

  Elysa laughed again, but this time it was a hard chuckle. “Always so arrogant, Jeremiah. So you are saying that you have permission to keep her here?”

  “Violet is my guest,” Jeremiah repeated.

  Elysa cocked her hip forward and rested her elbow there as she clicked one of her fingernails against her teeth. “Well, if that’s the case, you don’t mind if I ask her then, do you? I mean, I’m sure everyone here would like to hear for themselves that this girl has actually agreed to be part of your cause, right?”

  The trap had been set neatly. Violet felt all eyes swing back on her, and she felt helpless. To admit that she was being held against her will would mean that this vengeful woman could take her. To admit that she was there willingly ensured that she would be committed to helping whatever crazy plot that Jeremiah had concocted.

  “Jonah,” Jeremiah called out, although he didn’t turn around. “Bring Ms. Ward to meet Elysa.”

  Violet looked at Jonah and saw he wore a grim expression. No doubt he had reached the same conclusion she had, and now everyone’s fate seemed to rest in her hands. She didn’t want that responsibility. She just wanted to go home, which seemed further away than ever.

  Chin up, she allowed Jonah to lead her across the dance floor. All too soon, she stood facing Elysa up close. She could smell cloves and mint, and the effect of being in such close proximity to her rankled Violet’s nerves. She had misjudged her. Elysa may be a woman scorned, but she was a woman on a vendetta. Violet felt the warmth of the two men on either side of her. They had scared her with their ancient folklore. But with as much as they had thrown at her, she was drawn to them whether she liked it or not.

  “Aren’t you just cute as a button?” Elysa said with narrowed eyes as she looked her up and down.

  “My name is Violet. Violet Swanson Ward,” Violet said. She was proud that her voice didn’t waver once. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  “Well, Violet, we’re all dying to know, what brings you to the Montrose home? How long are you planning to stay?” Elysa asked, acting as if they were old girlfriends. Violet wanted to throw something at her.

  The moment of truth had arrived. Although she didn’t know the consequences of her answer yet, the words felt right. “My family has a long history with the Montrose coven, as I’m sure you are aware. I will be staying as long as Jeremiah needs my assistance.”

  She saw the shoulders of both men next to her relax ever so slightly. She smiled triumphantly. But it faltered when she saw Elysa’s own smile in return. A smile that said she had something up her sleeve.

  “How old are you, Violet?” Elysa asked too casually.

  “I’ll be eighteen in three days,” Violet said. The words were still ringing in the air as the front doors opened, revealing two figures standing just outside. She gasped. Her grandparents entered the room and walked to Elysa’s side.

  “Jeremiah, I believe you’ve met Nicholas and Riveka Swanson. Nicholas’s grandfather changed their name from Ward when they migrated to the States. They are Violet’s grandparents,” Elysa said.

  “Violet, we were so worried about you,” her grandmother said as she crossed the few feet between them and pulled Violet into her arms for a tight hug.

  Riveka had never hugged Violet before, not even on the day of her parents’ funeral. The gesture was so awkward and foreign that Violet didn’t know what to do. She caught her grandfather’s gaze over her grandmother’s shoulder. He had a strong look of disapproval on his face. That look pierced her heart. Whereas her grandmother had always been cold and distant, her grandfather had always been warm and kind.

  “Jeremiah, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Nicholas and Riveka were quite distressed to find out that their only granddaughter had been spirited away by the Montrose Coven. Seems to me that regardless of what you say, relations have not been quite so friendly between the Wards and Montroses as you would lead everyone to believe. So I kindly offered my services to help them retrieve her.”

  “She has already told you that she is staying,” Jeremiah growled.

  Elysa wagged a finger under his nose. “She had also admitted that she is still a minor, subject to the will of her guardians. It would be bad for everyone here if the Swansons decided to call the police and some of your other…unmentionables…come to light during an investigation, now wouldn’t it?”

  The bombs just kept dropping. Violet realized that her grandparents knew much more about her past and lineage than they had ever let on. She wondered if her parents knew, and then she wondered if they knew about the glowing symbol and her supposed role in uncovering the Fountain of Youth.

  Jonah looked stricken and as Violet swung to face Jeremiah, she saw that he wore a look of thunderous anger. But Violet understood that Elysa had tied up the loose ends neatly. He couldn’t do or say anything withou
t jeopardizing his coven. Riveka took the opportunity to pull her across the floor so that she stood between her grandparents. Violet looked back and forth between the brothers. They looked helpless. She didn’t know what to do.

  “Well now, isn’t this wonderful. A family reunited. I am sure I can speak for Nicholas and Riveka when I say... stay away from Violet.” Elysa’s voice had gone hard. Then her face broke into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Always a pleasure, Jeremiah. Nice to see you too, Jonah.” Elysa winked at Jonah.

  As her grandmother dragged her out the door, Violet looked over her shoulder. Margo had moved to Jonah’s side and put her hand on his arm. She looked like she was going to cry. But it was the alarm in Jeremiah’s eyes that made her wonder if she was being saved, or going straight to hell.

  CHAPTER TEN

  They had a limousine all to themselves. When they walked down the massive stone steps out of the Montrose mansion, there were two limousines waiting for them. Elysa commandeered the first one, and Violet climbed into the second one after her grandparents and watched the massive house disappear into the darkness as they pulled away down the long driveway.

  She sat facing her grandparents, wondering what else could possibly happen to throw a wrench into the carefully crafted visage that she thought was her life. She was still trying to figure out exactly what had happened over the last thirty minutes. She kept seeing Jeremiah’s face in her mind, and found she wanted to cry. But she held all of that inside and sat silent.

  Riveka had pulled out a compact mirror and was powdering her nose. Her grandfather was staring out the window. Neither one seemed to be at all fazed that they had intruded on a vampire party and swiped Violet out from under the vampires’ noses.

  They hadn’t spoken to her since getting in the car. Violet crossed her arms. The more she thought about it the madder she got, but she knew that she had to play the next few minutes closely. She was out of practice in dealing with Riveka.

  Finally, her grandmother looked at her over the top of her compact. “I thought we’d raised you with better sense, Violet. Really.” Her grandmother pursed her lips and then put on a bit of lipstick. Riveka was in her sixties but could easily have passed for fifty. She was always concerned about how she looked.

  Violet’s mouth fell open. “You think I had anything to do with this?” she sputtered. “I was kidnapped and woke up in the middle of a bunch of vampires.”

  Her grandmother snapped the compact closed, causing Violet to jump. “Your innocent tone doesn’t fool me, Violet. Did I not just witness you throwing yourself at the feet of Jeremiah Montrose? Our family has been plagued for years by their kind; always sniffing around looking for some clue about that silly legend. Every generation that bears a female in the bloodline, he tries to worm himself into her affections. That’s why I was so thankful to have a son, and so unhappy when he had a daughter. Thank goodness that we were able to get there before anything really untoward could have happened.”

  Violet’s face flushed and she was thankful that the car’s interior was dimly lit. She digested her grandmother’s words. She was mortified that Riveka had finally admitted what Violet knew all along when it came to her grandmother: she hadn’t been wanted. Violet knew her family was small, and that she came from a long line of sons. Riveka’s words made her suddenly doubt what Jeremiah told her. She had let him completely charm her. She wanted to kick herself for not being more careful.

  “They told me crazy things,” Violet said.

  “Oh, I’m sure they told you just enough of the truth to make you believe them. Vampires are crafty that way, especially ones that have been around as long as Jeremiah and Jonah Montrose,” her grandmother said. She looked at Violet with pity in her eyes.

  After Violet’s parents were killed in the car accident when she was fourteen, she had been sent to live with her father’s parents, her only living relatives. Violet had only met Nicholas and Riveka a handful of times in her entire life before that and each time had been awkward and strange. Riveka always looked at Violet like she was a little bug that she needed to examine. There was no warmth in the relationship. Nicholas always treated Violet kindly, at least until Riveka found out.

  Violet had cried for days after arriving in their home, but only behind closed doors. Her grandmother ruled the household with an iron first, and signs of weakness like grief simply weren’t tolerated. She had been sent to three different prep schools before Bayersfield, and the explanation had always been vague and offhanded. Violet started to put the pieces together now.

  “You knew,” she said warily. “You knew that they were looking for me, and that’s why you kept moving me around to different schools.”

  Her grandmother sighed heavily and looked at her grandfather, who appeared to have nodded off. Violet wasn’t surprised. Her grandfather did everything her grandmother said without question. As much as Violet adored him, she hated that he had no backbone.

  “This isn’t a responsibility I signed up for, you know. But regardless, as a member of what was the Ward family, by marriage or by blood, it is my duty to protect you from forces that you don’t understand that will try to sway you to an evil path.”

  “You appear to be pretty cozy with one of those forces of evil,” Violet retorted.

  Her grandmother’s face darkened. “Elysa has sworn to protect our family from harm at the hands of the Montrose Coven. Thank goodness she reached out to me or we would never have known where to find you. She hasn’t tried to use or compel us to her side. Unlike that man that you seem to have developed an affection for.”

  “She said that you’ve met Jeremiah before?” Violet was angry but curious. There was so much about her past and her family history that she didn’t know. “Don’t you think that you could have told me something about this before now?”

  “You were on a need-to-know basis, Violet, and you didn’t need to know. And yes, I have met Jeremiah before. Shortly after your grandfather and I got married, a handsome man appeared on our doorstep asking to speak to Nicholas. Nicholas never told me about his family’s sordid history, believing, rightly so, that I would think that he was crazy. Vampires, warlocks, hmmf!” her grandmother scoffed. Then she continued. “While we waited in the foyer for Nicholas to come downstairs, the man congratulated me on my pregnancy. I was shocked! I hadn’t even told Nicholas yet, and I had no idea how the stranger knew. He was utterly charming. When Nicholas came downstairs, he turned so pale. Then he commanded that the man leave. The man tried to convince Nicholas to talk to him, but Nicholas was adamant. He pulled me away from the man, which scared me even more. I didn’t know how much danger I was in.”

  Violet had rocked forward in her seat. It was strange to hear of someone meeting Jeremiah so many years before she had been born.

  “The man finally left, but Nicholas was beside himself when he realized that I had so naively invited him inside our house. He told me everything about the Ward family history, and how that man, Jeremiah, continued to stalk them even after all of those years. Nicholas was terrified thinking that Jeremiah would could back and try to harm me to get him to cooperate. We moved to another town hoping to hide from him.”

  “Did he come back?” Violet asked, deeply entrenched in the story.

  “Not for many years,” Riveka said. “It was right before your father’s eighteenth birthday. He was over at a friend’s house and Nicholas was out of town on business. I was arriving home just after dusk, and there he was, standing on the sidewalk in front of our house. He looked exactly the same, and even though I knew now what he was, I still couldn’t believe my eyes. I wanted to turn and run away, but I was going to be damned if I was going to let anyone, even a vampire, make me flee from my own home.”

  Violet had no doubt that her grandmother was fearless. Riveka could give any vampire, including Jeremiah, a run for his money. “What did you do?”

  “I ignored him. Walked right past him. Then he did one of those vampire moves.” At this, Riveka
scowled. “And then he was in front of me again, blocking the doorway.”

  “What did he want?” Violet said. Her heart had started to thump against her chest.

  “He told me that he just wanted to talk to me, but I told him I had nothing to say to him. Then he asked me a silly question.”

  “What?”

  “He asked me if I had noticed anything strange about Brandon. Anything that might mark him as peculiar, or different.”

  Violet felt warm. She had a feeling that she knew what Jeremiah had been asking. He wanted to know if her father had any of the same signs that she herself was exhibiting.

  “Of course I told him that my son was a normal, breathing, human being and that my family would have nothing to do with him and his schemes.”

  “And then what?” Violet asked.

  Riveka sniffed. “Then, nothing. I never saw him again until I found him standing next to my granddaughter.”

  Violet shifted in her seat. Her grandmother had never approved of anything that she had done. She had gotten straight A’s in school, never misbehaved, never gave them any pause that she was trying to do everything right, and still she disappointed her. She thought that she should be used to the feeling of failing in Riveka’s eyes, but it stung just the same.

  “How was I supposed to know any of this?” Violet demanded. She was tired of shrinking beneath Riveka’s glares. She wasn’t going to accept the blame for what happened. “If you knew that it was possible that a strange vampire would approach me some day and feed me some wild story about how I could help cure the legendary vampire blood thirst that may have been something that you would have mentioned to me.”

  “I thought I had more time,” Riveka said. It wasn’t an apology, but Violet thought she heard a bit of remorse in her grandmother’s voice.

  “Why? Why did you think you had more time?”

  “Violet, really. Lower your voice, please, you’ll wake your grandfather,” Riveka said with a shake of her head. “You may not believe this, Violet, but my family is the most important thing to me. I wanted you to grow up without the knowledge that such dark things existed in the world, at least for as long as possible. So I moved you around to different schools and tried to keep you out of their line of sight.”