At the same time both men realized when and where he had said those near exact words before and they both stiffened at the memory.
With a curse and a twitching mustache, Robert muttered under his breath and threw Develyn a white towel.
Unfurling it with a snap, Develyn glared at him. “Thank you. Oh, and do turn the lamps back off, would ya, old man?” he said, knowing full well Robbie had turn them on just to be spiteful.
Clearly resenting being ordered about in Emily’s house, Robert mumbled a curse under his breath, but turned them off before he collected the untouched glass of milk from the table and took it back to the kitchen.
When Develyn was finished, he tossed the towel over the sofa arm and combed his fingers through his damp hair. Turning back to the mantel, he studied the photographs.
All the snapshots were of typical milestones acknowledged by Naturals and in each, Emily was smiling. A brilliant smile that lit up her beautiful face and shone in her stunning blue eyes as she stared into the camera. In one, a younger Emily was standing between her parents at her high-school graduation. In another, she standing next to her Cousin Erin and Chad at their wedding. In another, she again was standing with her parents and the rest of her family as they encircled her Aunt Mere and Uncle Steven at their 35th wedding anniversary celebration. And in the last, she was holding their son while standing before a beautiful stained-glass window of a sanctuary. In it, her smile just as radiant as in the others, but sadly, missing from her eyes.
A loud hiss erupted from behind him and when he turned, he saw a large, long-haired white cat with enormous blue eyes. Its back was arched highly and its tail was sticking straight up. Awkwardly, it backed away from him and then ran from the room.
As soon as it disappeared from view, Emily, cradling little David in her arms, entered. She had dressed in jeans and a black turtleneck, but still wore her robe over them. Her face was pale and drawn. Her brow was furrowed and her usually full lips were pressed thinly together.
When their eyes met, Emily’s steps faltered, but with a steadying breath, she continued. She rounded the end of the sofa farthest from him and took a set in the chair. Raising her eyes to his, she softly demanded, “Well, what is it that you wanted to tell me, Develyn?”
For a moment, Develyn stood frozen. His heart was pounding madly, his stomach churned sickly, and his hands were sweating profusely. He had forgotten how strong the connection between a Marked Natural and its vampire could be at times. Especially when the Natural was an extra sensitive, like Emily. He was feeling all her emotions, but it was her thoughts, of hate and resentment toward him, roaring in his head that was rendering him completely incapacitated. He couldn’t think clearly, let alone speak. He had to close her mind from his. He had to break that mental bond with her again.
And with a moment’s hesitation, he did it.
As his mind cleared and the physical symptoms dissipated, he was in full control. Clasping his hands behind his back, he bowed dramatically before addressing her. “If you do not mind, my dear, I would rather we were alone for this little discussion of ours.”
Robert had returned from the kitchen and now stood behind her. He patted her shoulder gently before narrowing his eyes on Develyn, and through clenched teeth said, “Ah, stop toyin’ with her, you cold-hearted bastard! Just say what’ve ya come to say and leave her be!”
Develyn stiffened. His fists clenched behind his back. His blood boiled in his veins. The old man had been a thorn in his side for decades, but when David was alive, there had been, for his sake, a certain degree of mutual civility between them. However, now that David was gone, clearly Robbie didn’t feel the need to keep up with the pretense, not even for Emily’s sake. But then again, both he and Emily hated him equally, so they probably figured why pretend otherwise.
Resisting the urge to snap Robbie’s neck, Develyn relented one final time for Emily’s sake.
Dropping his arms to his sides, he forced a smile and turned his attention to her saying, “As you wish, then.”
After a moment, he sighed and began to speak. “That morning, Emily, you had asked me why you and I had tried to explain myself, but you were in such a state, really no condition to–”
“No!” Emily gasped when she realized where Develyn was headed. She didn’t want to relive the most horrible moments of her life. Not again. And especially not in front of him.
As hysteria rose in her chest, she rose to her feet and David, sensing her agitation, stirred and began to cry. “No,” she repeated with a frantic shake of her head. “I don’t want to hear this! Any of it,” she cried over him.
The sound of his son crying struck an unfamiliar, yet instinctual cord with Develyn. He wanted to go to him and hold and comfort him as a father should, but he knew he couldn’t. Although he was still plenty warm from the girl’s blood and he desperately wanted to hold his son, just once, he knew it would be easier to walk away if he didn’t.
Quickly becoming frustrated, he ran his hand over his face and back through his hair. “It is not a matter of wanting to hear it, Emily,” he began tensely, “but rather something you must learn and come to understand.”
Tears sprang to hers and she shook her head again.
“Damn it, woman!” he roared, planting his hands on his hips. “Just listen to me a moment!”
Develyn’s raised voice startled David and the baby began screaming at the top of his lungs.
Scowling at Develyn, Robert came around the chair and stepped protectively in front of Emily. “Lower yer damn voice,” he grated, “or don’t’cha care your scarin’ your poor little nephew.”
For the briefest of moments, Develyn thought about telling them the truth about the baby. That little David was not his nephew, but rather, his son! That because his daily routine and regular feedings from Willings, his system worked more naturally than David’s and it was he, and not David, that had fathered Emily’s child that night. But no! He had already decided he could not reveal that secret. He could not destroy her like that. It was best that she believe little David was the son of the good one. The Saintly one.
With a nod, Develyn raised his hands apologetically.
Emily tried to shush and comfort David, but in her current state, it didn’t work and he continued to fuss and cry.
Robert suggested that he take the baby into the next room and as they left, Develyn’s eyes followed David desperately. Committing the last image of his son, with his face red and puckered angrily and his little mouth opened wide, emitting the loudest of wails, to memory.
CHAPTER TEN
Develyn’s Tale
Within moments, the sound of the crying was muffled with the closing of a door. Now that they were alone, Develyn looked back to Emily and as he watched her pace anxiously, he regretted losing his temper. “Emily, please,” he began gently, “sit down and listen to me. Since I’m sure David told you most of our history, my side of the tale is a simple one. One that won’t take long to recount. If you would allow me a just few moments of your time, I’ll say my piece and leave.”
Emily stopped her pacing and studied him skeptically for a moment. Again, she knew she really didn’t have a choice in the matter and she wished he stopped acting as if she did. Clutching the collar of her robe closed, she went to the chair and perched herself on the edge. Her woefully wide eyes met his briefly, before turning toward window and blinking against a flash of lightning.
Develyn wanted to demand her attention, but decided it was probably for the best. Given the nature of the things he was about to impart, it would certainly be easier for him if she wasn’t glaring at him.
Turning his back to her, he stared into the flames. Crossing his arms over his chest, he took a deep breath and began to speak. “I’m sure it comes as no surprise that, even as boy, David was good. Through and through. After our parents’ deaths, we three children were sent to live with wealthy relatives in London. That first week’s end there was to be a grand garden party, one to s
how us poor orphaned children off to our aunt and uncle’s friends, as if we were new stock in their stables,” he said, sounding unmistakably bitter.
“However, the night before the party, I snuck outside and yes, merely out spite, I cut every rose bloom from its stem. When I boasted to David about it, he was, of course, horrified and went to Auntie Gemma and confessed that it was he who had committed the heinous act that had left the poor Gardner overcome that morning. That day David took twenty lashes from the Head Groomsman’s strap for me. And it was that day I realized he was the good one and I, the evil . . . ” His voice trailed off, and for a moment, the faint sounds of David’s crying and thunder overhead filled the silence.
With a clearing of his throat, he continued, “There would be many times after when David, unable to dissuade me from my course of destruction, would intervene on my behalf. And how did repay him for all his selfless sacrifices? Well, to make a long story, short,” he began, looking up at the photo of David on the mantel. “I Turned him into a hideous creature he despised being. All because of my treachery, my stupidity, my cowardice, I condemned my brother to a hellish existence from which he endured for over a century! One from which he could never escape. Not on his own that is,” he said, again slipping into silence and dropping his eyes back to the flames.
“We were apart for many years because we both hated me for what I had done, but once we reconciled, I began searching for the one that would set him free. And that, unfortunately my dear, is where you came in,” he said, pausing momentarily.
“The first time I saw you was in a photograph on your friend’s MySpace page. Your beauty was undeniable, but I needed to know what kind of person you were and so I contacted her and inquired. Suffice it to say, Cara Wagner was no friend of yours. She was jealous of you. Of your beauty and your genuine gentle nature. And she did not hesitate to divulge everything you had innocently shared with her, to me. She told me all about your family, your friends, your work, your life even the ugly details of your ex-husband’s infidelities with his secretary. And although I am certain she would have gladly done it for a fraction of the cost, I offered her five thousand dollars to ensure you arrived at The Gathering that night,” he admitted, hating the sound of her outraged gasp.
“I am sorry, my dear,” he was quick to add, “but after learning all I had about you, I knew you were the one. I knew there would be a connection, more than mere love at-first-sight, between you and David. The immediate and strong connection between the two of you would be something rare. Something that would simply defy rhyme or reason. I knew you would recognize the goodness in him, and he, in you. And like two halves of one soul finally finding each other, there would be no keeping you apart. I had counted on it.”
His breath caught and for several moments he was silent. When he spoke again, his voice thick and it came out hoarsely. “So you see, my dear, you were an important means to a more important end.”
‘A necessary end that had to come to pass before I was free to kill Valaree Von Wahran.’ he wanted to add.
Develyn wished he could explain that once David was at peace, he went after Valaree, just as he had vowed to do long ago. He had spent the last year chasing the devil’s whore around the globe and when he finally caught up with her, it was she, who had seen in a vision that Emily had a child. His child.
At first, he had thought it was Valaree’s pathetic attempt to spare her life, but it hadn’t worked. It merely delayed her death.
***************
Valaree licked the blood from her split lip, courtesy of Develyn’s fist, just before it healed and disappeared. With an ugly smirk that twisted her beautiful face, she said, “So I see violence against vomen no longer sickens you. Good for you, dear.”
Develyn sat straddling her hips, his shins unnecessarily pinning her paralyzed arms to the floor. Her long red hair billowed about her head and the sleeve of her white blouse had torn away from the shoulder during their scuffle. “Oh, no, it still does, just not when it comes to you. In fact,” he said, producing the dagger from behind his back. “I’ve enjoyed causing you every bit of pain I have tonight and I do so look forward to killing you.”
Her green eyes flashed angrily and her nostrils flared. “But vhat about little Benjamin? You vere so concerned vith him vonce, vhat about his soul? If you kill me, you know vhat vill happen to him.”
It was Develyn’s turn to smirk. “Something tells me that he and the others are going to be just fine. You see, I do believe you’ve been lying to all of us all these years. I believe when I plunge this dagger into your heart,” he began, pressing the tip into her chest just enough to produce a puddle of blood, “you will burst into a flame and die a horrible screaming death befitting the likes of you, but nothing will happen to the rest of us.”
Her eyes flickered with fear, but she bravely countered, “If you believe that, then vhy did you vait until David was dead to come for me.”
Develyn shrugged nonchalantly. “Just to be sure. But now that he is gone and I no longer care what happens to me, there is no reason to wait another moment, is there?” he said, positioning himself to sink the blade in.
Her eyes widened with terror. “Yes, there is!” she cried, “there is von tiny reason you might vant to vait. Your son,” she gushed, before he plunged the knife in. “That’s right. You have a son, Develyn. The voman you deceived and had your vay vith, she conceived your child and gave birth to him only veeks ago. Vouldn’t you like to see your son at least once before you die,” she taunted smugly.
As her words sunk in, Develyn felt as if the room began to spin. He and Emily’s one time together produced a child?! Emily had given birth to his son?! God in heaven! If this were true, then it changed everything!
Collecting himself, he sunk the dagger blade into the wooden floor beside her head and said, “Well, I suppose, I shall be making a trip to America then. However, this is not, by any means, going to spare your miserable existence, Valaree.”
At the sight of the little silver capped bottle, he produced from his inside coat pocket, Valaree began screaming. She bellowed and cursed at him in her native tongue. Her legs and arms were still paralyzed, but her head thrashed back and forth violently.
Grabbing her face, Develyn squeezed her cheeks hard, forcing her jaw open and poured the holy water between her lips.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Deja’ vu and Redemption
Emily didn’t want to hear one word Develyn had to say, but the moment he started speaking, the painfully familiar tone and manner of his speech drew her attention. And when she looked him, a dark silhouette against the orange flames, she was struck with a sense of deja’ vu.
Although Develyn related his story quickly, matter-of-factly, without any real inflection, she could see his face, illuminated by the flames and reflected clearly in the mirror above the fireplace. And for the first time she saw Develyn Blackwell for what he really was. Not a cold, selfish, evil monster, but a guilt-ridden, grief-stricken, repentant man.
As he was speaking his face twisted with emotion. At times, his lips pressed together in anger, his eyes closed in shame or his brow furrowed with grief. It was clear to her that Develyn had blamed himself for his brother’s fate and spent over a century desperately trying to make it right the only way he knew how. The only way the Curse allowed.
Tears filled Emily’s eyes as David’s face appeared in her mind and his voice sounded in her head. “My humanity is the very reason why I lament what I once was and despise what I have become. The actual curse she spoke over them was that they could not, lest they send their souls straight to hell, end their tormented existence themselves. Nor could it be done by a stranger. You see, the bitter twist of it was, it had to be done by the one who really loved them. You must understand, I have been cursed and there is no cure. No magical potion to concoct and drink it away. No ancient ritual to perform to change it. There is only one way out of this existence of mine and it is as I have already explained it. I
would outlive you and be forced to live without you for centuries! And that, is something I cannot, I will not endure.”
The sob that had been building in her throat finally erupted and Emily began to cry. Only this time it wasn’t for her son or herself. This time it was for Develyn. He was David’s brother. His twin, for God’s sake! They had shared a womb. The same blood flowed through their veins. The face Develyn saw whenever he looked into a mirror, was his brother’s. Of course he loved his brother! She had known and loved David for only a brief amount of time, the equivalent to less than a single day! But Develyn had known and loved him longer than a natural lifetime. How could she have been so stupid, so selfish, so arrogant to believe she was the only one who loved David?! The only one who grieved his death.
In an instant, all the times Emily had wished Develyn dead, prayed for his death, or imagined killing him herself, washed over her like cold dark waves of an angry sea and Emily felt sick to her stomach. How could she have harbored such evil in her heart? God forgive her. She had been wrong in doing so. Wrong for hating Develyn for doing the only thing that delivered David, the love of her live, his brother, from his suffering.
Develyn heard Emily begin to sob and it was like a knife to his heart. He wished he could pull her into his arms and apologize for all the misery he had caused her, but he knew it would be in vain. Emily didn’t want to hear his voice, let alone, feel his touch, and so all he could was comfort her the only way he knew how.
With considerable effort, he swallowed the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that threatened him. With practiced flippancy, he said, “Do take heart, my dear. After this night, I promise, I shall never darken your door again.”
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