The Most Special Chosen (Exalted Bloodlines Book 1)

by Rachel De La Fuente

  “He needs to act like he deserves it. And from my point of view, you weren’t exactly mother of the year, yesterday.”

  “Elysabeth Vance! No me hables con esa voz, muchachita.” Shit. Do NOT piss off mom.

  “Sorry,” I mutter.

  “You owe your father an apology.”

  “Mom! There is no way in hell I’m going to apologize after what he did yesterday. He was wrong on way too many levels.”

  “You are in the wrong as well, Mija,” she says calmly.

  “But—”

  “No, you know it’s true. Two wrongs do not make a right.”

  I know I won’t win this argument. “Yes, Mom.”

  “Good, now, I do understand why you did what you did yesterday. I know your father is being completely unreasonable,” I’m surprised by her acknowledgement. “But he’s trying to protect you, in his own way.”

  “Protect me? Mom, what he did was inexcusable! Do you have any idea how bad I felt having to break up with Damien for no reason? Even worse, over the phone! Do you know how much this hurts?”

  “I know, Mija. I’ll try to think of something.” She sounds sympathetic.

  “Like you did last night?” I throw out.

  She sighs. I know I’m putting her in an awkward position, but I’ve always had a terrible temper, and it seems to take forever to cool down after a fight with my father. “Elysabeth, I do not want to argue with you. Why don’t you come for dinner? We can all talk.”

  “Today?” I ask in disbelief. “You expect me to sit in the same room with him and pretend that everything is hunky dory?”

  “In the end, it’s your decision.” Her tone of voice makes it obvious she thinks I’m making the wrong one.

  “I just . . . I can’t.” I sigh, she already knows how I’m feeling. Fights are all too common. My father and I butt heads a lot. Although I think this one takes it to a whole other level. “I really can’t. I’ll talk to you later, Mom. Love you.”

  “Good-bye, Lys. I love you, too.”

  ***

  At nine, someone knocks on the door. Who would be visiting this early? I open the door to Damien who looks like he didn’t sleep a wink last night.

  “Damien? What are you doing here? You know I can’t see you. Who knows what my father has in place to keep you away. He could have one of the neighbors watching.”

  “But Elysabeth, please,” he begs. “I could not sleep last night after being unable to reach you by phone. I had to come see you. There must be something I can do.” He reaches for me and it breaks my heart to step away from him.

  “I wish there was,” I say, my eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sorry, Damien. But I can’t give up my education and my life. Maybe once I can support myself—”

  “Lys?” Shawn comes to the door looking quizzical, at least until he sees Damien. “Oh, hi, Damien. What are you doing here?” I’m pleasantly surprised he’s not antagonistic.

  “I have come to ask Elysabeth if there is anything I can do to make her father reconsider.” He sounds desperate.

  “Good luck with that,” Shawn mutters. “I’ve never seen that happen. You have a better shot of changing her mom’s mind. But why are we outside?”

  “Knowing my father, he’ll have a neighbor watching.” I gesture to the surrounding houses. “I can’t risk inviting him in.”

  We stand there awkwardly for a moment before Shawn gets an evil gleam in his eye. “Damien, you have to leave.”

  Damien nods, resigned. “I understand. Elysabeth,” he takes my hand before I can pull away. “I vow to you, I will a way to change your father’s mind. I will not rest until I do.”

  “Oh Damien,” I say, shaking my head sadly, “you’d better rest; it’ll be a long time.”

  “No, Damien, you don’t understand,” Shawn cuts in. “Leave, and go four streets over, to Marshall, and park. No one there knows us. Walk over to the 7-11 and I’ll pick you up there. You’ll have to lay down in the back seat so no one sees you, but when I get back, I’ll pull into the garage like I always do. No one will think anything of it.”

  A glimmer of hope takes hold in my heart, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to squeal and hug Shawn. “Thanks, Shawnie. Now Damien, you have to go.” I step back and close the door in his face, in the hope that anyone watching will think I’ve had a hard time convincing him to leave.

  Shawn leaves about ten minutes later. I’m waiting at the door to the garage when he returns.

  Damien closes the space between us and pulls me to him. I breathe in deep, enjoying his scent. “I thought I’d never get to do this again,” I say, happy tears pooling in my eyes.

  He tilts my head up to look me in the eyes. “I would never give you up so easily, Elysabeth. You are worth fighting for.” With a hand on my cheek, he kisses me softly, sweetly, and the ache I’ve had since I called him disappears.

  He deepens the kiss, setting fire to my blood, and telling me he’s missed me as much as I’ve missed him.

  “Come on, you guys, is that really necessary?” Shawn says. From his tone of voice, I’d bet he’s rolling his eyes, too.

  I turn to give Shawn a big hug. “Thank you, Shawn. Thank you so much!” My voice is thick with emotion.

  He squeezes me gently. “You’re welcome, Lys. Anytime.”

  “Elysabeth,” Damien says gently, “please explain to me what is happening. Why was your father upset by my gift?” I don’t really want to go into it, feeling like my father’s reaction somehow devalues the gift, but I have to tell him.

  I sigh. “Let’s go into the living room. You too, Shawn. If we’re going to figure this out, three heads are better than two.” Although he looks surprised, Shawn follows us into the living room and settles into his favorite green armchair. Both he and Damien look at me expectantly.

  “He was sure . . . you were . . . trying . . . to . . . buy me.” The words come out slowly, hesitant. I don’t know what he’ll think.

  “I . . . see.” The words are forced and I can easily imagine him clenching his jaw. It takes almost half an hour to tell them the whole story, and by the end of it, I’m crying freely again. I hate that I cry when I’m angry.

  “Elysabeth, it does not much bother me that your father thinks ill of me. He does not know me well. However, he should know that you would not succumb to such things. You are his daughter. How can he not have faith in you?” Damien asks in disbelief.

  I shrug, having wondered similar things myself.

  Damien looks pensive for a few moments. “Do you think it would help if I simply apologize?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. Shawn, what do you think?”

  He considers it for a moment. “It can’t possibly hurt, right?”

  “What is your parents’ phone number, Elysabeth?” I give him the number. “Please be silent. I will put him on speaker so you may give me your advice when we are done.”

  “Okay.”

  My mom answers the phone. “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Vance?”

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “Hello, Ma’am, this is Damien Delanciennes.”

  “Oh, hello, Damien.” I can hear the surprise in her voice.

  “I understand your husband was not pleased by my Christmas gift to your daughter. I would like to speak with him to remedy the situation.”

  “Oh!” She’s flustered. “Well, let me tell him,” she raises her voice and calls to my father. “George!”

  “Yes?” Very faintly.

  “You have a call!”

  A few moments pause, then, “Got it! Hello?”

  “Hello, Mr. Vance, this is Damien Delanciennes.”

  “Oh, you. What do you want? Why are you calling? How did you get this number?” My father’s voice hardens with each question. I can tell he readying himself for a fight.

  “Sir, when Elysabeth called me yesterday, she mentioned you were upset by the gift I gave her. I have not been able to reach her by phone since, and she made m
e leave when I attempted to visit her. I have called to see if there is any way to remedy this situation. I most certainly did not mean to give offense with my present, and I wish to continue seeing your daughter.”

  “No, I don’t care what you say, I don’t want her seeing a . . . a scoundrel like you. The gift you gave her says quite a lot about what’s on your mind. I don’t want you going anywhere near my daughter!”

  Damien stays calm, despite my father’s harsh growl. “But Sir, I meant nothing untoward by it. I merely wished to give her a gift she would enjoy. You have my word it was simply a gift. No strings attached.”

  “No, I don’t want to hear excuses; you are no longer welcome within my home. And stay away from my daughter!”

  “Sir, please,” Damien entreats. “Won’t you reconsider?”

  “No, I won’t.” I sit silently, with tears pooling in my eyes. I often think it would be easier if I hated my father. Then his unreasonable behavior and harsh words wouldn’t hurt so much. He always speaks first, without considering what he’s saying. Then he refuses to see that he’s wrong.

  “Elysabeth?” he looks directly at me, his concern obvious.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  I blink back my tears as I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no. You know what happened when I tried pushing back. He’s being absolutely unreasonable. Shawn, do you—” My phone ringing stops me. It’s my mom. I put my finger to my lips to keep Damien quiet as I answer.

  “Lys?”

  “Yes, Mom?”

  “Damien is a remarkable young man. He just called to apologize to your father.” She sounds oddly pleased.

  “Doubt that went well.”

  “No, it didn’t, but it’s the thought that counts.”

  “Why is he reacting like this, Mom? It’s absolutely ridiculous. Even for him.”

  “You see, Mija,” she says reluctantly, “your father can’t see that not all men are the same.”

  “Are you telling me that my father used to be like he’s accusing Damien of being?”

  “I didn’t say that.” She speaks far too quickly. I sigh as I start to understand some of the problem.

  “Any idea what else we can do?”

  “Not right now, Mija. He’ll come around eventually. Perhaps if you apologized for your outburst it will happen faster.”

  “Sure, Mom. And pigs are flying by my window right now.”

  “Lys!” I can tell my mom’s trying not to laugh.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Mom. Maybe we can have lunch together tomorrow.”

  “That sounds good, Lys. Cuidate bien.” I end the call and set my phone aside. I have to think of a way to work this out.

  “Elysabeth, why don’t we visit your parents. Conversations in person are more impactful than ones over the phone.”

  Shawn and I both stare at Damien like he’s grown a second head. “Are you crazy? My father would slaughter you if he saw us together right now. And me too.”

  “Elysabeth, really,” Damien says with a grin. “He is your father; he would do no such thing.”

  “I don’t know about that,” says Shawn. “You’re underestimating him. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past him to call the cops, at least.”

  “Truly?” Damien sounds almost shocked. Shawn nods.

  “So, guys, what are we going to do? We can’t keep sneaking Damien in here, and I can’t be seen with him outside the house.”

  “Win the lottery?”

  “Shawn, even if I could, how will that help?”

  “Well, the main problem is that you need money,” Shawn says plainly. “If you won the lottery, you wouldn’t have to worry about your dad cutting you off.”

  “If the lottery weren’t so hard to win, the idea has merit. Any other ideas to suddenly get independently wealthy?”

  “Elysabeth, I can help you,” Damien offers quietly.

  I’m surprised by his suggestion. “Damien, while I appreciate the offer, I couldn’t possibly let you do that. If things don’t work out between us, I’d feel awful that you’d spent money supporting me, and it would take me ages to pay back.”

  “Please, Elysabeth, if the alternative is to end our relationship, I will gladly help you in whatever way I can.”

  His sincerity is obvious, and I don’t know what to make of it. “Damien, we’ve only been together a month and a half. Why are you so willing to do this?”

  “Because I feel complete when I am with you.” He says it so straightforward. “Our relationship is unlike any I have ever had. I do not wish to throw that away when I can easily hold onto it.”

  I catch Shawn’s eyes over Damien’s shoulder. His single raised eyebrow and cocked head tell me that he realizes Damien isn’t telling us everything. But while Shawn is obviously bothered by it, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. Now would be a great time for some input from my intuition.

  Trust him.

  Whoa! That’s the first time it’s worked on command. Trust him, huh? Okay, but only conditionally. “Damien, thank you. Let’s wait to see how my father acts over the next few days. If he hasn’t relented by Saturday, we’ll go visit and see if we can convince him in person. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go with your plan.”

  “Thank you, Elysabeth. I believe that is fair. Shawn, what are your thoughts?”

  Shawn’s eyes shoot wide, and his eyebrows are lost in his hairline. “Me? You want my opinion?” I’m saddened by his disbelief. Does he think we don’t value him?

  “Of course,” answers Damien, looking serious. “You know Mr. Vance far better than I do. What do you think of our plan?”

  Shawn’s brows draw low, and he bites his lip, thinking hard. “I think it’s the best option for now,” he finally says.

  ***

  When Saturday rolls around without my father coming to his senses, Damien arrives to pick me up according to plan.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? I’m still worried he’ll kill you.”

  “Elysabeth, this was your idea”

  I sigh. “Just a moment, let me change out of my sweats.” I run upstairs and change into a nice sweater dress and leggings. I decide to wear the boots my father gave me for Christmas to help soften him up. It has nothing to do with the fact that they’re gorgeous. Really.

  As we drive over, Damien relays his game plan. “I will not enter your parents’ house, since your father has forbidden me entrance. I would not wish him to think we are trying to abolish his authority. Perhaps you can let him know that I wish to speak with him?”

  “If I must.”

  Damien laughs at my pout. “You will survive speaking to him.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  When we arrive, I sit in the car a moment gathering my courage. “I’ll be back.” I enter the house quietly, and see my mom sitting in the living room. “Hi, Mom.”

  She jumps up off the sofa and hurries around to hug me. “Elysabeth! Oh, I’m so glad to see you. But, well, I’m surprised to see you.”

  I quickly glance around, and, seeing that my father is nowhere in sight, I whisper, “Damien’s idea.”

  She smiles, pleased. “Oh, I see. You hold on to him, Mija, you’ve found a good one, despite what your father may think. Speaking of him, will you say hello to your father?”

  “I have to. Damien sent me in to get him.”

  “Damien is here?”

  “Outside. He said my father forbade him to come in the house, and he’s trying to respect at least some his wishes.”

  My mom shakes her head. “What a remarkable young man. He could teach you a thing or two.”

  “Mom!”

  She grins. “Your father is in the office.”

  “Okay, Mom. Wish me luck.” She merely smiles as I turn and walk down to the office. I feel like I’m walking to the gallows. With a deep breath, I knock on the door.

  “Come in, Estel.”

  I walk in and shut the door behind me. “Mom’s in t
he living room.”

  His head pops up. “Lys?” He takes in my boots and smiles. I suddenly realize that Damien is right, and that I’ve made the right decision. And mom is right, I should apologize for my behavior. “Are you ready to listen to me now? You’ve been acting immaturely lately.”

  And there go all of my charitable feelings. I shake my head. “Damien’s outside. He asked to speak with you.”

  His eyes narrow. “What the hell is he doing here? I thought I told you to sever all contact with him.”

  “He drove me here—”

  “Elysabeth, you broke your end of our bargain,” he says sternly.

  I barely manage to keep myself from rolling my eyes. “Dad, Damien and I are trying to solve this like mature adults. He wants to speak with you.”

  “He’s going to be waiting a long time. I have work to do.” He turns back to his computer.

  I cross my arms with a huff. “Making playlists isn’t work. Go talk to him.”

  “I already spoke with him on the phone.” He’s being a stubborn child.

  “Dammit, Dad.” He glances up at me, and I let unshed tears collect in my eyes. “If you care about me at all, you’ll go speak with him. Hear him out. Let him explain his side of things to you. Let him make things right. Please.” I don’t bother keeping my voice even. I’m actually fairly pleased when it cracks on the last word.

  He sighs and I know I’ve won this round. “Fine, send him in. But I’m warning you, this had better be good, or you will be handing me your cards and phone.”

  “He said he’d wait for you outside,” I tell him as I wipe my eyes.

  This seems to throw my father for a loop. “Outside, why is he outside?”

  I shrug. “He said he’d wait for you out there. Something about you forbidding him to come in the house.”

  My father shakes his head. “You stay inside, Lys.”

  I nod. I don’t really want to be present for what’s to come. But still, as soon as he’s out the front door, I cozy up to it to listen to the conversation.

  “What are you doing here? I told you to stay away from my daughter and stay away from my house!” My father keeps his voice low, apparently not eager to make a scene in front of the neighbors. Maybe Damien chose well after all.