Arianna listened to Molina near the room. As the door opened, Arianna wanted to open her eyes. She could smell the same scent she had smelled on her grandfather on the man that was with Molina.
“You found me,” the older gentleman said, laughing as he entered. “Seems your skills are as good as normal,” he added sitting beside Devin. “I didn’t expect to find you guys all on the train today.”
‘He’s lying,’ Arianna said to Turner.
“I thought you were at school,” he added.
‘More lies,’ she said. ‘Who is he?’
‘Paul Seeger, head of the Seeger family,’ Turner replied. ‘One of few dearg-duls that like to cause problems for your grandfather. He often times starts trouble, which he leaves for Lord Randolph to clean up. Of all the dearg-dul clans, he’s always the one voicing dissent to every choice your grandfather makes.’
‘He smells like grandfather,’ Arianna added. ‘Sour.’
‘But he is nowhere near as powerful,’ Tuner explained. ‘He’s probably hoping to set his son up with you so that he can finally get the power he wants.’
‘Too bad grandfather said he would rather marry me himself than give me to any of the purebreds alive,’ Arianna added. ‘He’s already received proposals and threw them out.’
Turner chuckled accidentally causing everyone to look at him.
“And this sleeping beauty must be Miss Arianna,” Paul said examining Arianna like a prized specimen. “So peaceful.”
‘If he comes near me, I’ll bite him,’ Arianna threatened. ‘Arrrgh.’ Turner chuckled more and tried to cover it with a laugh.
“It seems you found yourself quite a good position.” Paul was staring at Turner, who kept laughing.
“I suppose, but she can be such a handful,” he added, as Arianna pinched him.
“You would talk that way about the heir to the Randolph name, and your new charge?” Paul replied.
“Why not? At least I don’t lie every time I open my mouth,” Turner added. The man sat down across from him, glaring, but Turner didn’t even flinch.
“You’re just a wolf. What would you know about being able to tell if someone was lying?” Paul replied.
Devin smiled. He enjoyed seeing Lord Seeger, the famed ‘stone man’ who never got angry, but he knew things had to be calmed down for Arianna’s safety.
“Ari,” Devin said kneeling beside her. “Can you please go to sleep now for real?”
Arianna opened her eyes and looked at Devin. “But I’m not tired,” she complained. Arianna looked over Devin’s shoulder at the older man. His keen eyes bore holes into her as he stared. She could feel the delight he was feeling from just being near her. Devin turned her face back towards him.
“Please,” Devin added.
“Fine,” she replied laying her head back against Turner’s chest. Arianna looked up at Turner as he placed his hand over her other ear.
‘Don’t worry,’ he added. ‘We will protect you.’
Arianna smiled as she drifted off to sleep.
NINETEEN
The wind on the windows sounded different as Arianna opened her eyes. Arianna woke to find herself no longer in the train but in the rear seat of a car as it hurried toward the Randolph estate. Devin and Turner were talking together facing her.
“That was great,” Turner added. “Did you see his face as I carried Arianna out into the sunlight, and he had to sit in the train?”
“I couldn’t tell if he doubted we would take her into sunlight, or that it wouldn’t matter,” Devin added with a chuckle. Arianna could see the pain shoot over Devin’s face as he began coughing. Concerned, she reached for his hand but was too dizzy to make contact.
“Are you finally awake?” Turner asked, as the car pulled into the driveway. Arianna nodded.
“Are you okay?” she asked Devin. Arianna touched his skin. It felt cold, but he nodded his head yes.
Arianna, Devin, and Turner exited in front of Randolph Manor. Arianna hurried to follow Devin and Turner. They weaved their way between staff through the long hallways. As they approached Lord Randolph’s study, Arianna began to worry slightly about Turner as well. She could still smell the scent of her own blood on Turner’s breath. Without knocking, Devin opened the door.
“Uncle,” he called into the dimly-lit room.
Lord Randolph placed his papers down behind the large grand desk. Looking at Devin, Lord Randolph only needed a moment before hurrying to the young man.
“You should have gone straight to the infirmary,” he said, catching Devin as he fell to his knees.
“I’m fine,” Devin replied, steadying himself on Lord Randolph.
“What did you do?” Lord Randolph asked, escorting Devin to a chair. Arianna had never seen her grandfather be so nice to someone before.
“I thought I’d be fine until we made it back here, but we had some unexpected guests,” Devin explained. “We left them on the train to get back here before them. Paul Seeger and his son Michael are on their way to visit and discuss matters with you.”
Lord Randolph strained a smile. “That old fox thinks he can corner me into handing away my granddaughter now, does he?” Devin nodded.
“I tried to explain to him that you were not interested in taking proposals, but he didn’t seem to care,” Devin replied. “We left them at the train. I thought you might want to see Arianna safe in her apartment before he arrived.”
“That’s for sure,” Lord Randolph replied. “Arianna, take Turner with you, and return to your apartment.”
“What’s going on?” she asked, looking from Devin to her grandfather.
“Don’t worry about Devin; I’ll take him down to the infirmary,” Lord Randolph replied.
“But why is he sick?” Arianna asked. Before she had fallen asleep, Devin seemed to be perfectly healthy.
“This is what happens, when he uses up too much blood,” Lord Randolph replied as Devin’s cheeks became red. Obviously, Devin wasn’t about to tell Arianna the blunt truth.
“So, this is my fault?” Arianna asked.
“No, he would have been fine getting home if it was just you feeding,” Lord Randolph added. “But he used some of my blood. Humans can drink night human blood and gain extraordinary powers. But to do so, the night human blood feeds on his own blood. Since he was already low on blood from feeding you, he shouldn’t have used my blood on top of it.”
“What choice did I have?” Devin tried to defend himself. “We know his intent.”
Lord Randolph nodded, but he didn’t elaborate further. “Turner, your things have been moved from your dorm room to the apartment. Once you get upstairs, Mori will set the security, so don’t leave your apartment until Devin or I come for you.” Turner nodded. “Jackson, Nixon,” Lord Randolph called into the hallway. “We will be in complete lockdown mode.” Both men nodded also. Arianna wanted to ask more questions, but her grandfather hugged her and turned her around to leave the room.
“What’s going on?” Arianna asked, as they walked into her apartment.
“She’s in, Mori,” Nixon said into his headphone. “Don’t try to leave here, please.” Nixon said, as he shut the door behind him.
Arianna listened as the sound of grinding metal brought her attention to the windows, where they were slowly being covered. Outside the front door, she could hear the same metal noise grinding.
“We’re locked in a box,” she commented, walking to the stairs that led to her grandfather’s apartment, only to find the entrance was also covered with a metal plate. Arianna listened through the barriers. The clicking of heels and shuffling of feet told her everyone was working as normal. Arianna sat in the living room and waited.
“It seems so. I’m going to get some sleep,” Turner said, turning to walk away. Pausing, he turned back. “Are you tired?” Arianna replied with a head shake. She continued to sit and listen to the house around her. “If you get tired or hungry, just come wake me up. Don’t worry about everything so much. Devin will be fine
.” Arianna nodded as she continued to search the house for him.
Listening through the entire house Arianna heard Paul and Michael Seeger finally show up. Her grandfather greeted them as he would an old friend though Arianna knew differently from his emotions.
“Please come this come this way to the dining room. After such a long trip, you must be hungry,” Lord Randolph said, as they began to walk down the hallway.
“Will your granddaughter be joining us?” Paul asked.
“She was still tired from her exciting weekend, choosing a custodian and all,” Lord Randolph added with a smirk.
“And what a good choice. The Winter boy is from such a prestigious family. You must be proud,” Paul added. Arianna listened as his heartbeat changed. He was lying again. Arianna heard the moving of chairs as they all sat down at the table. “So, out of all the proposals she must have received, her first choice was Turner?”
“Oh no, I didn’t give her any of the proposals. Turner goes to school with her. It seems he proposed himself over the weekend,” Lord Randolph explained. “I don’t think she should be bothered with such things right now. She only just turned. She has plenty of time to make decisions about such a large commitment.”
“That is true. She does have plenty of time,” Paul added.
As the meal finished, Lord Randolph stood and finally asked the question Arianna wanted to know. “What brings you here so early? The council meeting isn’t for another two weeks.”
“I’ve been thinking of enrolling Michael here in school,” Paul lied. “I think it would give him the opportunity to broaden his learning, since we spend so much focus on purebred teachings.”
“Then, you are not here to propose a merging of our two families?” Lord Randolph added.
“Shouldn’t we leave that to the kids?” Paul added. “Although, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea,” he said, finally telling the truth.
“Actually, I don’t think Arianna should marry anyone for at least ten or sixteen years. She will have enough pressure learning everything she needs to know to run the clans.” The anger was building in her grandfather.
“I agree completely, but you have to remember, you won’t be around forever. And there are always traditions to keep. Wouldn’t you rather know she’s going to be taken care of?” Paul added.
“She has her PPU and Turner. They will make sure she’s happy. Also, I don’t think her father’s family will let her be unhappy, even if I’m not here.” Lord Randolph was on the brink of snapping at his guests.
“About that, you’ve never said who her father is. Rumor has it, he isn’t a dearg-dul,” Paul added, trying his luck to get an answer. He had watched with his own PPU as Arianna was carried out of the train into the sunlight without a problem.
“Well, he isn’t much of anything anymore,” Lord Randolph replied.
Paul waited, but there was no explanation. “Well, we should head to bed. It was a long trip down, and we had so much to discuss with Devin. Thank you for the wonderful meal.” Arianna listened to Paul and his son talking quietly as they walked away down the hallway.
The rustling in the adjacent room caught Arianna’s attention. She knew immediately who it was. Shuffling into the room, pulling something on wheels, Devin joined Lord Randolph.
“Seems he’s being a bit more cautious than I expected,” Lord Randolph said to Devin. “You must have given him a stern lecture.”
“I just told him the truth. Maybe a bit bluntly,” Devin replied. Arianna could sense the humor in Devin’s voice. Though he his heartbeat was weak, he was better than when she had left him downstairs. “Are they still talking nicely?” Devin asked.
“They are out of range of my hearing,” Lord Randolph replied. “As are we.”
Arianna turned her attention back to Paul and Michael. Still talking in hushed tones, the conversation had changed.
“You should have said more,” Paul scolded Michael. “You need to sound as if you are really interested in her.”
“Why? Don’t you just want to get her blood?” Michael asked.
“Stupid child,” he replied, slapping Michael. “Don’t you see how Lord Randolph is playing? He’s neither allowing anyone near her, nor is he going to make her marry anyone. The old man has finally lost it. He’s letting a sixteen-year-old make decisions about her own life. How stupid can he get? It’ll be so much easier to convince her to like you than it would be to get his permission.” Michael didn’t reply.
Arianna caught herself yawning as she listened. She was using too much blood by listening at such lengths, but it was now a little clearer as to why they were being so cautious. As the metal panel between the rooms began to move, Arianna quickly turned to find Molina walking up the staircase with Lord Randolph close behind.
“Still awake?” he asked nicely, as if the dinner had just been a great evening between friends.
“I slept most of the way home, and have been sleeping most of the past two days. How much sleep can one person get?” she asked. She carefully assessed her grandfather, trying to see a hint of the frustration she just heard.
“Quite a lot until you get used to your new life,” Molina replied. “Is Turner asleep now?”
“Yes,” Arianna replied. Lord Randolph didn’t seem worried at the least.
“Don’t wake him until you are all ready to leave,” Lord Randolph added.
“Leave?” Arianna questioned.
“Yes,” Lord Randolph replied. “Devin said you’re a bit homesick. I didn’t think it through too much when I brought you here. I should have known you would miss your home. So, we figured out a schedule that will hopefully work. When everyone heads to bed here at the manor on Sunday night, you and your team will fly back to Lilly and Dean’s place. You then can stay there Monday through Wednesday before coming back here. I’ve arranged for you to have your classes there as well. There are two private tutors that will teach you at school while your classmates take their normal classes.”
Arianna hugged her grandfather. He had thought of everything.
“Don’t thank me,” he added. “This was Devin’s plan. I just agreed with him.”
“Either way,” Arianna added, hugging him again. “I get to go home.”
TWENTY
Not waiting for the car to stop, Arianna bolted from her ride as it pulled in front of the diner. She walked around back, into the alley, and through the only open door to the diner. She stopped in the kitchen surprised to find Dean cleaning and cutting vegetables so early in the morning. Also surprised to see Arianna, Dean immediately put down everything and hurried over to her.
“Where’s Auntie?” Arianna asked, as he hugged her tight. “Doesn’t she do the morning prep?”
“Not since we returned,” Dean replied, finally putting Arianna down. “What are you doing here, kiddo?”
“Devin talked to Grandpa, and he said I can spend Monday through Wednesday with you and Aunt Lilly, if you still want me,” Arianna quickly added.
“Of course we do,” Dean patted her head like always. “Maybe this will help Lilly.”
“Help her?” Arianna questioned.
“She should be up by now,” he replied. “You better go say hello. If she finds you down here without greeting her, she’ll be mad at me.” Arianna nodded, and ran back out the door to the stairway.
Arianna hurried to climb the stairs to the second floor. She wanted to surprise her aunt. It was only 5:30 in the morning, so she opened the door quietly. Arianna walked into the living room of her old apartment. The light in the kitchen caught her attention. Slowly, she crept into the kitchen doorway. Aunt Lilly sat at the table, still in her pajamas, staring off to the other side of the room. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Arianna asked, concerned, no longer wanting to surprise her.
“Ari?” Lilly replied, turning to Arianna in the doorway. “Is it really you?”
“Who else would it be, silly,” Arianna hurried over and hugged Lil
ly. Lilly relaxed into her arms. “Uncle Dean said if I didn’t get up here now he’d be in trouble.” Lilly grasped Arianna, still unsure if her eyes were correct.
“But you should be with your grandfather,” Lilly responded.
“It’s okay. I get to come home now from Monday to Wednesday. I was getting a bit homesick, and this was the solution,” Arianna replied, wanting to let go, but knowing Lilly would not.
Lilly continued to hold onto Arianna. Her tears gradually turned from sadness to happiness. “You didn’t run away,” Lilly prodded, finally letting Arianna back a few inches.
“No, she didn’t,” Devin replied from the doorway. “She tried to last week, but her uncle keeps pretty good tabs on her.”
Lilly looked over to Devin. “This is really real? She can stay here part of the week, every week?” She questioned Devin as if he had the authority to say no.
“Yes, Lord Randolph only wants to see Arianna happy,” Devin replied. “She can stay here three days a week, as long as we stay with her.” Devin pointed to himself and Turner standing behind him.
“Of course, anything,” Lilly replied.
Arianna yawned, and stretched after her aunt let go of her. “I think I should get a nap in before I go to school.”
“Of course, you flew here just this morning?” Lilly asked, her chipper self slowly returning.
“Yep, on a private plane,” Arianna replied. She knew that everyone flew on the same plane to get to her grandfather’s home the first time, but Arianna wasn’t awake and had no memory of it. Arianna walked to her bedroom door, which was closed. Carefully opening the door, Arianna found her room exactly as she had left it, with her closet empty.
“It’s good to be home,” she said, as she plopped down on her bed. It even smelled like home.
“I didn’t move anything,” Lilly explained from the doorway. “I guess a part of me was hoping you’d come home.” Arianna grinned. “I’m sorry we only have one couch,” Lilly said to the two boys standing behind her. “I hate to make one of you sleep on the floor.”
The Legend of the Blue Eyes Page 16