Chapter 342) Darkened Skies

I’ve come to realize that the thing in life that’s important, the reason we’re all here, is to love and do well for each other.Impatient people are like bees; they kill themselves in stinging others.

~ George Eliot

Glimmerbrook
Leeora Levesque's home

Chase, Colton, Cesare and Caelan stood staring at Leeora, who looked surprisingly unfazed by the 4 vampires in her home.

“Well, like I told you, gentlemen, SHE came to ME. SHE came HERE, asking for something to drive her man out of his mind with, said she tried all the usual things, and nothing did the trick so she was hoping I could give her something to get her hubby’s juices flowing on overdrive. I don’t judge, they may both still be very young, but have known each other for a long time, and I know from experience that a pregnancy can up the desire in us ladies, but sometimes the idea of bedroom activities with their pregnant woman scares a man stiff – or actually the exact opposite of stiff – some men just have some deep inhibitions about having intercourse with a pregnant woman and just can’t get over it, so I made her something simple, yet very effective to give to her man to help with all that. That is the beginning and end of my involvement, gentlemen.” Leeora smiled, it was easy for anyone to get lost in her coppery warmth and blinding beauty, carefully groomed to distract from the fact that she seemed very confident and not worried at all by the impressive quartet before her, who probably would have put fear into most other people, especially knowing they all were vampires. Any vampire was, by definition, dangerous. Lethal.

There was a good reason for her nonchalance, she was a very powerful witch herself, underestimating her would be a terrible mistake. Even for vampires. Witches and vampires alike often were stunningly beautiful, a trait sometimes obtained in occult ways, it made a very powerful tool to distract others, especially mortals, from their true nature. Beauty truly could be blinding to many, until it was too late for them.

“What’s wrong with you?! Nobody needs help spicing things up in the bedroom when they are in their mid-twenties and newlyweds! Spicing it up is also a very liberal description for something that drove a vampire so crazy for unbridled passion and lust that he lost control ended up turning a pregnant girl! MY little girl! You couldn’t see that coming?! My poor daughter and unborn grandson’s lives are now at stake – because of you and your stupid spells and potions!” Colton roared at Leeora, who remained unfazed, barely raising one eyebrow at his outburst.

“Me?! You are blaming ME, Colton?! YOU want to blame ME for the vindictiveness of your own daughter? Hahaha … Oh, that’s just extra-rich! Aren’t you positively cute and precious? Ha! My dear darling Colton, lucky for you, you are still easy on the eye, for you most certainly aren’t very smart. Look, as a mother to three grown children myself, I know it would be hard to believe as the proud daddy that your little girl came to me and LIED through her teeth! I didn’t even know I was making it to be given to a vampire, since you frequently conveniently only ever remember that I am related to some of you when you need something from me, like you do now. For all I knew, Connor was a mortal. Well, guess he isn’t, so what? So Connor lost it a little too much and now Keira’s turning. Big whoop. And even I know those two well enough to know that was coming anyway, one way or another. For as long as I have known Keira she wanted to be fanged, for reasons well beyond me. And it’s nothing they both wouldn’t be used to. One fanged, both fanged, neither fanged, who can keep up with all that drama you keep creating? Aren’t vampires supposed to be the sophisticated among all of us occult? All that sounds more like trailer trash problems to me.” Leeora remained cool as a cucumber.

“Watch your tone!” Caelan growled, a frightening sight, even to most seasoned vampires, yet Leeora remained completely unaffected.

“Me? Now why would I do that? This is MY home, in MY town. YOU are but guests here, so maybe YOU all should behave accordingly and remember your manners. YOU all came here filled with accusations. Once more you were wrong about me. But you have blame to place, so naturally the secret daughter, the illegitimate bastard child gets pulled from the almost forgotten dusty attic box. Should be used to it by now, shouldn’t I, daddy dearest?”

Caelan looked furious, he now stepped closer to his illegitimate daughter with late witch Seraphina, they stared at each other for a moment.

“You disappoint me! You are turning more and more into your mother!” he growled.

Suddenly movement came into him as he spat out at Leeora’s feet before he slapped her. Not with all his might, barely a very light touch only, meant symbolically, only enough to get his displeasure across.

“CAELAN!” his father Cesare reprimanded him, and with a sharp inhale of air, Caelan shook his head and just disappeared.

For a fleeting moment Leeora glared at the others, then smiled again.

“Oh, right, sure, blame the witch for being a witch – and for everything else while you are at it. As usual. How pitifully predictable and lazily convenient. Just like your kind and the mortals have been doing for millennia. It’s always the witches’ fault. Fine, so let’s get it over with. Who’s next? Or are we gonna skip all that and take it straight to burning me at the stake? Fact is that I didn’t do anything wrong. I helped a girl out. That’s all. If you want to place blame, blame Keira. She is the one with ulterior motives, not me. For all I knew all I was doing was helping her get a good lay in; God knows being pregnant can be rough, so a nice relaxing roll in the hay certainly helped brighten some of my pregnant days more than once. I had nothing to do with the rest! If you want to avoid such miscommunications in future, maybe remember I exist too and let me know you are unturning or returning or whatever the hell you guys are up to all the time!”

“We didn’t do anything, Leeora, it wasn’t intentional, this is happening on its own! We found out the hard way that you cannot permanently unturn natural born vampires. I would know, I was one of the first it happened to as was Cole. We are all turning back, one by one and were just as surprised as you are now.” Chase told her.

“Oh? And it didn’t cross your mind that this revelation would be good information to have for me as well, considering I am married to a former naturally born vampire and we have a daughter together who was born a vampire and who is now a mother of two herself? No? You all just thought we’d find out the hard way eventually? Thanks much. What else is new? Well then, I am almost glad you are here now once more trying to blame a witch for your misfortune, at least this way I found out about all this before the fact. How lovely – not. Can’t wait to break those wonderful news to my darling Artemus and our sweet Ophelia then. Artemus has been studying to ascent into witchcraft, guess that was a waste of time then, since you can’t be both, vamp and witch, and while one is a choice, sounds like the other is a true curse, huh?” Leeora’s tone remained polite but had a distinct sarcastic undertone.

“My apologies, Leeora, you are absolutely correct. I will personally speak to your husband Artemus and your lovely daughter Ophelia about this phenomenon, seeing how they will rejoin my coven again soon. It was indeed an unfortunate oversight on my part and I will take more care in the future to keep you looped in.”

“Yeah, I bet you will, grandfather, but pardon me for not holding my breath for it, seeing how I – unlike others here present – unfortunately do need oxygen.” Leeora’s tone still had the same polite, yet sarcastic tone, now laced with clear disbelief.

“Okay, I know I am biased here, since Connor is my son, but I happen to know for a fact that they didn’t have any issues in the bedroom, Connor actually told me a week or so ago that sex is one of the things that help Keira with her rough pregnancy issues so they have been very active of late if only to help her cope. Leeora was lied to, Keira had an agenda, and she knew very well that being turned while pregnant is forbidden and dangerous, either she didn’t want to wait to become a vampire again or didn’t have faith that she would even get the authorization, she knew Connor may talk a big game but would never actually just turn her against Cesare’s will, so she came here to get this potion from Leeora, hoping it would cause Connor to loose control and turn her if she drove him crazy enough. We all know how much she always wanted to be a vampire, ever since she was a little girl it had bothered her that she was born mortal, we all know how she lost her shit when the government decided all turned mortals had to be unturned again. It all sounds like something Keira would do, act first, think later. It checks out with me.” Chase said.

“That is MY daughter, Chase, who may or may not live, and my grandson! All because YOUR son turned her while pregnant, and that witch made the drugs for him to lose his mind enough to do it. You cannot all be serious and try to blame my girl for this mess! She may die, Chase my baby and her baby may DIE!” Colton ranted panicked at his best friend.

“Yes, I know that, Cole, but bending the truth doesn’t change anything either. Keira’s like a daughter to me as well, I helped raise her, just like you helped raise Connor and you should know he would NEVER do this if his mind wasn’t clouded by something. I know you know! We have to prove it wasn’t Connor just acting recklessly, or you KNOW he would be severely punished or even exiled for that!” Chase ranted back.

Cesare interfered now.

“Gentlemen, please desist. I agree with Chase. It’s not Leeora’s fault, nor Connor’s. Keira has a history of making rash decisions by the seat of her pants. Leeora, pray tell, what exactly did you give Keira?”

“Oh, nothing fancy, very harmless, just some herbs that increase the stamina and the sexual drive in men while lowering the thresholds holding them back normally. Really not harmful and the effects only last a couple hours maybe. Between you and me, I have used it myself plenty of times and my darling Artemus is still none the wiser. He has fun, I have my fun and that’s all there is to it. I myself used it while pregnant. Twice. Now, obviously my husband had long chosen the way of the witches and left his fanged life behind, so I had no idea it would make vampires extra-bitey.”

“Well, so now that we got to the bottom of it all, all we can do is damage control. I can honestly say in all the centuries I have now lived I have seen my fair share of unbelievable and unlikely events; this odd scenario is a first even for me. Leeora, thank you kindly for confirming the little flask we found was indeed prepared by you, I sincerely apologize for your father’s behavior, I will punish him severely for hitting you, and we shall now leave you to do your things again, while we return to the castle to try and figure out what to do.”

“No problem and don’t worry about it. Dad barely touched me and truth be told, there are few things he could do to me that would hurt more than being separated from a dad you love only because of what we both are. I know it’s not his fault, but it didn’t make it hurt any less being snuck in and out of your castle on a few rare occasions, having to hide if someone showed up unannounced. I know dad was just frustrated and I also know I remind him a lot of my late mother, which always plays tricks on his mind. Leave him be. If it had really bothered me, trust me, you all would not have been able to miss it. I am not a damsel in distress, not ever. But I do appreciate the gesture, almost as if we were indeed family, grandfather.” Leeora’s tone was laced with backhanded accusations and the bitterness of never really belonging, which had overshadowed her youth, but ultimately made her stronger and fiercer.

Cesare nodded but chose to let the complaint go uncommented. Cesare loved his feisty and fiery granddaughter, just as his son Caelan loved his firstborn daughter, he had been a very involved father to the best of his abilities, but the more powerful of a witch Leeora became, the higher she managed to rise in the ranks of her kind, the more complicated their relationship became as well. A conflict of interests. All throughout history had witches and vampires and werewolves and mortals feuded and tried to eradicate each other as a species, all of which still held true to this day, the current truce was delicate and instable, which made their relationship rocky at best and there was nobody truly to blame for it. Victims of circumstances.

Leeora added an extra-level of complexity to it when some decades ago she fell in love with and married a renegade vampire, the type her father normally hunted and killed, but Artemus Levesque became a true father to Leeora’s child from a first marriage, he gave up his freedom and fiendish ways of the renegade life and joined Cesare’s vampire coven, then had two more children with Leeora, one a witcher like his mother, the other a vampire like her father. Artemus’ presence and vampiric powers protected Leeora from several attempts on her life while she was ascending to become the leader of the witches, and he made her more willing to work with the vampires to upkeep said shaky peace between the species, and he eventually chose to get un-turned and started learning the ways of the witches.

Complexity all the way around, especially if you also add that when Leeora was a teen, she had an intense crush on Colton Hargrave, long before he even met his current wife, they dated for a little while but she was too intense for Colton so he broke up with Leeora, which left her bitter. It wasn’t until a few years ago that she and Colton could even uphold a real conversation without it ending in a bitter fight.

“I’ll go and be with my son. Connor is a complete mental wreck right now. He may be 27 years old, but he needs his dad now and Patches had to stay with the younger kids.” Chase said.

“I will come with you and make sure he knows that nobody holds him responsible. Poor kid. He really got it rough of late.” Cesare agreed.

“Connor has it rough?! It’s my daughter and grandson who are laid-up in a coffin in your castle right now, fighting for their lives and we are throwing pity parties for Connor? Sorry, I rather go to the castle and sit with Keira!” Colton snarled, then vanished.

Chase’s facial expression darkened, Colton was his best friend, so Cesare pat his back.

“It’s a father’s worry talking, Chase, he will come around and realize this is hard on everyone involved, and that it is YOUR grandson as well, Chase, just as it is my great-great-grandson, so naturally I am deeply concerned myself for the wellbeing of mother and child. Give Colton time, a father’s worry sometimes clouds his mind. I will come with you, as I shall wish to speak to Connor. Speaking of a father’s worries, please fear not Chase, Connor’s innocence has been more than sufficiently established, he will face no punishment. I wish to tell him that myself, as well as leave him with some words of encouragement. I have sound reason to believe that Keira and her baby will pull through, but it all I can divulge to you about this and only to lighten your worry. What I do not know is whether or not the baby will be vampire or mortal, but that is truly the least of all our worries. At least until he might add yet to the current number of the vampire population I have to disclose to the other occult and mortal rulers at the next meeting.” Cesare told Chase, nodded at Leeora and only black clouds remained in their wake.

Windenburg Isle
Esmée Cameron's home

His hand like an iron clamp on her upper arm, he pulled her into the downstairs bathroom and slammed the door shut behind them, before shoving her against the window, keeping her in place.

“Why did you not tell me?!” he hissed.

“Tell you what? That my pregnant sister and her husband would drop by for a surprise visit tonight? Do I look like an oracle to you? Which part of surprise do you not get?! If this is you trying to be kinky with them just a wall apart, I’ll tell you now, keep your pants on and your junk holstered! This house is a shoebox they can hear us and that’s just not happening!” she whisper-yelled back at him.

“Not in the mood for fucking! He is a fang! There is a fang in this house! WHY?!” he responded in kind.

“Oh jeeze! Connell is your big problem? I didn’t think you of all people would get your panties in such a bunch over a vampire, tough guy. Yes, he is one, and yes, he is very much an acquired taste, I am not the biggest fan of the vamp thing either, but he’s harmless. He won’t touch any of us, he can control his urges. He’s part of some important VIP vamp family and their leader made this rule decades ago that no vamp can touch a Cameron or something to that tune. Spouses and such are included.”

“I am not your spouse!”

“I KNOW that. But if I tell him you and I …”

“You will do NO SUCH THING! Not a word! Never mention me.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? You are overreacting!”

“With me? What is wrong with YOU that you don’t mind your sister married to, and procreating with, a living corpse who dines on human blood!? The vamps don’t fucking follow rules, are incapable of human emotions. They are DEAD and dangerous, literally! Your sister is fucking and having kids with a dead man! We all would benefit from a stake through his heart. You don’t bring that into your home! Don’t you know the rule that once you allow a fang access, they can always just enter?! Don’t you get what that means?! You could become dinner one of these days, maybe even realize you no longer have a mirror image but fangs instead one day!” Michael shouted at her.

“ENOUGH! Do not – I repeat – do NOT ever tell me who and what my family is! Connell doesn’t break and enter, he has emotions and he looks VERY much alive to me! He loves Emmy and I have seen him CRY holding his daughter!”

“He probably cried for disappointment realizing that baby is a mortal! They despise mortals, maybe the only emotion they may be capable of, we’re below them, just food to them, two-legged blood-cows, they can milk for food. Mortals are not family to them! You are out of your mind letting that into your home!”

“And you’re an asshole and nothing more than a human-sized vibrator! I don’t know why I even bother with you. I have to keep you a secret, you are rude and crude and rough, except unlike a vibrator you are never really there when I REALLY need you!”

“That’s what you wanted. No strings. That’s how you like it, keep anything out of your life that could tie you down or interfere with your work. Don’t give me that family-bullshit! You had a baby you couldn’t shit out fast enough to hand to her daddy and be rid of, you have no room in your life for a relationship, neither do I, face it sugar, we couldn’t be more perfect for each other. But not if you have vampires in your life. If that’s the way you wanna live, this is where we part ways. For good!”

“Connell isn’t in MY life, but my sister’s. And don’t make me choose between my family and you. Won’t end well for you.”

“Unless the family is wearing diapers, huh? I don’t want kids any more than you do, for very different reasons though, but if it were to happen, I would never abandon them. That baby you dumped on the sperm donor to deal with is your family too, you sexy little hypocrite.”

Esmée slapped Michael so hard, his head was thrown to the side, she pushed him off her and left the bathroom, running right into none other than Connell.

With quick vampire reflexes he caught her, cushioning the impact, holding on to her but very differently than Michael just had, gentler, barely touching her, when his facial expression changed, his nostrils moving as if noticing a terrible scent, stiffening, letting out what could only be described as an infernal growl, deep, guttural and dangerous, his purple eyes seemed red for a moment, before returning to normal.

Connell took his hands of her, stepped past her, almost as if shielding her, she turned and saw Michael, equally as tense, could have sworn his eyes were briefly glowing yellow, both men measuring each other up.

“How did HE get in your house?” Connell asked, his voice deep, dark, threatening and commanding, leaving no room for lies or stalling.

“He was here before you and Emmy came over. We’ve been seeing each other. Casually. Romantically.” Ezzy told the truth.

“How long? You and him?”

“6 or 7 months, maybe longer. Started before Aryelle was born.”

“This has to stop now. Do not see him again. And you – LEAVE – now, while you still can. That gracious offer will expire very soon.”

“Connell!” Esmée exclaimed. What was wrong with her brother-in-law?! He barely ever spoke, let alone make claims in someone else’s home.

“Do you even know what you invited into your home?” Connell asked dryly.

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH, FANG! Esmée doesn’t take orders from DEAD people!” Michael now growled.

“Michael – stop! I can handle Connell myself! You both need to remember that this is MY home. You are both GUESTS in it!”

“You haven’t told her. You are using her. No surprise there.” Connell continued to address Michael directly.

“Don’t mess with me, vamp and don’t pretend you know anything about me. Won’t become you, and that is my gracious advice to you. I am not just any old pack member. I am an Alpha. An Apex. Keep that in mind before you decide what your next move is gonna be. My only and final warning.”

“Oh, doggy doggy doggy, I am not just any old vamp either. I am Connell, son of Caelan, grandson of Cesare, of House Vannucci.” Connell’s voice was deep, hardly recognizable.

“Ugh, fuck my luck, out of all the chicks I picked the one with connection to the goddamn Vannuccis. You have no idea what your sister dragged into that family you are so proud of, Ezzy. Fine, I tend to choose my battles and plan my wars, this is NOT worth my time, I can’t barely breathe for stench of decaying corpse and stale old blood, so you have fun playing house together. Family – ha! What a travesty! Count me out. “

“Smart choice.” Connell added emotionless.

Ezzy couldn’t believe her eyes when with a growl and like a flash, the spot where Michael had just stood was now vacant and the front door was falling shut.

“Connell, what was that” came Emmy’s voice from behind them.

“Angel-love … how long have you been standing there?” Connell’s voice changed significantly to a much softer tone, worried, so much so that Ezzy could barely believe the difference. The way he now kissed his wife’s forehead and ran his finger across her cheek with a tender smile made her jealous. He was dead and cold, a fucking vampire and could be like that, so gentle and sweet, why couldn’t Michael treat her this way? All he ever wanted was … well … THAT wasn’t exactly bad either, but a little more affection couldn’t hurt.

“Long enough. Answer me, baby. The truth, please.” Emmy said, and to Ezzy’s surprise, Connell nodded, but turned to her with a question instead.

“Esmée, how serious has this been? Can you verify you are not pregnant by him?”

“Excuse me?! Are you literally shitting me right now, Connell?! I am not discussing my personal stuff with you! None of your business! Unbelievable! Who do you think you are?!”

In a split second, Ezzy found herself pinned to a wall yet again by a man, she shrieked almost simultaneously as Emmy did, it was Connell this time and she saw his purple eyes turn bright red right in front of her this time. Feeling the iciness radiating from him, everything about him felt different from a mortal man, and the eyes now changing color, plus knowing there were fangs inches from her, all that frightened her. Oh yeah, he was a vampire and definitely dangerous. So much for why Michael can’t be like him. He was like that, EXACTLY like this.

“Connell! Let go of her right NOW!” Emmy’s voice sounded angry, as she was pulling on him, and while Ezzy had felt the sheer strength Connell possessed, making it clear that if a vampire attacked, no mortal would have a prayer, he relaxed and let his wife pull himself off Ezzy like a toddler.

“How dare you!? Are you nuts?! You can’t do that! You scared her!” Emmy complained at him.

“I am sorry, my beautiful. Apologies to you as well, Esmée, but what you have been doing is incredibly dangerous – to all of us. You ask me who I think I am, well, you know very well who and what I am, but you have no idea about him, and THAT alone should cause you worry and tell you my warnings are not idle. You cannot fraternize with that kind. His kind. Don’t see him again, not even once. I don’t know what his plan may be, but I know his kind are desperate to multiply, he may be trying to do that with you the regular way, as those born supernatural are almost always more powerful than those turned. You HAVE TO listen to me. Look at me. Look right here, right into my eyes. Do not see …” Connell’s voice had become a monotonous blur to Ezzy, but stopped when Emmy gave him a hard nudge, making his head snap to her with a mild hiss.

“Do NOT do that, Connell! I can’t believe you’d try that with me right next to you! You promised to never do that to me or family!” Emmy commanded unusually assertive.

“What are you both talking about? You are scaring me.” Esmée admitted.

“He was about to compel you, it’s a vampire thing, they can control our minds and make us tell them things we don’t want to or make us do things, but we don’t do that, do we, Connell? Especially not to family!” Emmy stated, sounding more like his mother rather than his wife, Connell sighed, then addressed her sister instead.

“You should be scared, Ezzy, but not of me! I follow a strict and rigid code, well – most of the time – but that Michael and his kind don’t. Promise to stay away from him. For your own sake, but also that of your family, and me. If not for me, then for Emmy and your nieces.” Connell demanded.

Ignoring the amazement of how her angelic, sweet sister could so easily stop someone like Connell, which Ezzy had no doubt could be incredibly dangerous, Ezzy looked at Connell’s once more purple eyes, gorgeous eyes, unusual ones, which their first daughter, Jaymie, had inherited making her a gorgeous infant like no other. Ezzy couldn’t help but think that Connell would be such a droolworthy hunk if he weren’t a vamp. That just didn’t do it for Ezzy. Yikes.

“Why? What do you care who I fraternize with and why do you think he’s dangerous? You are more dangerous than anyone I can think of and yet, you are in my house, and I like to think that’s safe. He’s never met any of my family and had you both not come over unannounced, he still wouldn’t have. He never hurt me, well, at least not like that. We both seem to enjoy certain things a bit on the rougher side, but other than that he never once seemed dangerous to me, not any more than any person has potential to. All he wants to do is … well … stuff with me, we never once spoke about family, except me mentioning it’s important to me and that I wasn’t keeping my baby, since I was pregnant when he and I first met. He didn’t even know about you, Connell, I never mention that to anybody who doesn’t already know. He somehow figured it out tonight and flipped out just like you have, but I am still failing to see why exactly.”

Emmy spoke up in his stead.

“Oh – I think I know why. Connell, is he a vamp too? Like one of those rogues or divergents you and your dad track down?” Emmy tried to coax more information from Connell, who was clearly unwilling to share, but Esmée interjected.

“No, Emmy, he is not! I would have noticed by now! Michael is warm and goes in the sun. Like sits in it, tans shirtless and enjoys being outdoors a lot, I know that, as I have seen it. Never seen Connell do that.” Ezzy told her sister.

Connell spoke up.
“Nor will you ever. He’s a lycanthrope. A werewolf. Dangerous to your kind and mine. One bite while they are transformed can kill a vampire, it’s toxic to us, and obviously vampires can and will kill anything that could be dangerous to them. Needless to say, our kinds have been at odds with each other for centuries. They were believed to be nearly extinct, the few that still were around weren’t of much concern to us, until we had reports of increased activity around Moonwood Mill. The witchfolk have big problems with them as well, as with us, three ever-feuding species, however, there currently is a peace treaty in place with the witchfolk because of my half-sister Leeora, a witch and my father’s illegitimate child, making her partial to us vamps, she is also one of their leaders, and very recently married a vampire. However, she and her kind are doing nothing about the Lycans, so when 3 of our scouts sent to track the wolves were killed by them not long ago, my father and I left traces of those missing mortal PBP Studio executives around the werewolves’ main stomping grounds, purposely discoverable, then we tipped the authorities off, keeping the wolves occupied with police and FBI snooping around as payback. Like us, they hide in plain sight, but authorities poking around the home turf is bad. In other words, they are getting stronger, they are now pissed off at us as they at the very least suspect it was us, which puts us at the edge of a war. That is all I can tell you.”

“You are joking, right? This is a big joke. Werewolves? Have you been smoking the good stuff?” Ezzy shook her head, letting out a brief, joyless laughter.

“Ezzy … if Connell says they exist, then I believe him, and you should too. He would never joke about such things and one thing I learned while living at the castle is that there are a lot of things in this world that are inexplicable, but that doesn’t make them not real. I can’t talk about any of it, but I can say that I know the witches are real. I have met his sister. Sorry, half-sister. No tricks there, she’s the real deal, she can do actual magic, I have seen it and I wouldn’t mess with her.”

“What a bunch of BULLSHIT, guys! Come on now. Vampires – okay fine, kinda hard to deny those. But now werewolves and witches and Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland and mermaids and aliens and pixies and elves and tooth fairies – am I forgetting something? Give me a major break. You may have my sister brainwashed to believe all that drivel, but not me! So you don’t like the guy I am sleeping with, your prerogative, but honestly, Connell … ya know?” Ezzy shook her head at him.

He shrugged.
“I wish I could claim otherwise, I wished the wolves weren’t real or the witches. Unfortunately, do I know better and also know it’s not a joking matter. I am not trying to tell you whom to fraternize with, Ezzy, but that guy who was in your house wasn’t a regular man. He is a Lycan. Werewolf. A cursed soul by many names, but one thing remains: They are dangerous, Ezzy, not only to my kind. Their curse binds them to the moon, and at full moon, they are not in control of themselves, not even the strongest ones, they transform, become thirsty for flesh and blood and hunt mindlessly and carelessly. The oldest writs claim that vampirism started as a curse as well, binding us by the sun, making my kind unable to withstand daylight, but unlike the Lycans we evolved greatly, learned to control our urges and most of us have found ways to gain sunlight immunity to certain degrees, so we can walk among your kind undetectable, even though prolonged direct exposure still would be detrimental to any of us, drain us, and turn us into nothing but ashes. The wolves are mostly in denial about what happened to them, some may be able to learn to control their urges and how to turn at will, but few have the incentive. A curse will always come at a price, that’s why it’s a curse, not a blessing. Just like my kind will never be able to fully embrace and tolerate the sun, his kind cannot control what happens during a full moon. I don’t know how to make myself any clearer to you, Ezzy, he is very dangerous. Even to you, and even if he doesn’t want to be. I know you don’t like me much, and I don’t blame you, but you must believe me.” Connell pleaded.

By the time they had left, with more warnings and expressions of concerns, hugs and invitations to stay with them if she felt in danger, Ezzy was alone with her thoughts, riding a crazy rollercoaster in her mind. The seed of doubt had been planted, the wheels in her head were turning hot, but not only about Michael and what he may or may not be, but Michael’s words to her had left a stinger deep in Ezzy’s heart with what he had said about her baby. Ouch.

The doubts weren’t that new, the first dark clouds had come when Rohan had delivered their baby and handed it to her to hold for the very first time. Looking into those innocent eyes, she couldn’t for the life of her recall why she didn’t want the child.

Once back home, and back to work, everything was fine, until for her dad Jamie’s birthday, some weeks later, Rohan had brought Aryelle over. Seeing every family member pour over the baby, her baby, made Esmée doubt every single decision in her life, as had seeing Rohan with her cousin Aria-Grace, smiling, holding hands, so clearly a happy couple – it stung.
She still didn’t want Rohan, even though this shone a very new light on him, but why could she not have what Rohan seemed to have with Aria-Grace – or what Emmy had with Connell – or what their brother Ewan had with Ashley – but with Michael instead? Would he ever come back? Would she want him to? Did he ever think about her when they weren’t together, like she did? Did he miss her at all, did he care about her at all – or was it just the sex?