Daniel had let her know that he was getting ready to leave as well, hoping to avoid the Friday morning Chicago traffic. She figured since it was so early in the morning, she could go and pay Patricia a visit and get that out of the way. One thing to cross off of her list of things to do for the weekend.
Todd began to stir awake at around eight o’clock in the morning, and was surprised to find himself in a completely quiet house. It was unusual for Davenport Manor to be so silent given the number of residents there were. After he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and changed out of his pajamas, he went out to the hallway and called, “Hello?”
He waited, but no one responded. He knew he wasn’t completely alone, at least on the property itself. There most likely weren’t any guards inside the house, but they were certainly surrounding it since he was alone. He knew that Emma would not have taken any chances by leaving him unguarded if she went somewhere.
Before heading downstairs for breakfast, he grabbed his phone to check it. There was a text from Kelly saying she was on the plane and that she would let him know when she landed. Then, there was a second text from her saying that she had landed. He must’ve been dead to the world when he got those. Then there was a text from Emma saying that she had ran to Barrington to pick up some blood and visit with Patricia. She also proceeded to let him know that Daniel had left to spend the weekend downtown, which meant that he was by himself for a while. He realized that this was the first time ever that he was completely alone in the Manor.
Right then he understood why Emma always had people in the house; it was incredibly big and lonely when you were alone. It seemed like the less people there were, the bigger it was. He went downstairs to the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table, staring out the back window. At that moment, her text dawned on him…he was going to be alone with her all weekend. His stomach did a little flip-flop, which he actually felt bad about. He didn’t want butterflies because he was going to be alone with her; he had a girlfriend. However, he couldn’t deny it to himself, he was looking forward to it and whatever might happen.
Just as he was putting his bowl in the dishwasher, he saw Emma’s car drive past the window. His stomach did yet another flip-flop, which he cursed himself for. He was trying to relax because he knew that she would hear his heart rate thumping rapidly before she even got in the house. He did a little shake to chill out, and went to the back door to hold it open for her. She was carrying a case of blood, which was no doubt heavy. Being a gentleman, he offered to carry it for her, even though she was far stronger than he was. While she appreciated the gesture, she politely declined as she walked into the kitchen.
“Did you get my text?” She asked as she put the jugs away in the hidden refrigerator.
“I did! I woke up to an empty house, it was weird! I don’t think I’ve ever been alone here before.”
“It’s weird, right?” She said as she shut the refrigerator door and sat on one of the stools around the island.
“So, what are your plans this weekend?” He asked, wondering if temptation would be easy to find.
She gave him the rundown of all the things she had planned to do and how she already got one errand out of the way. He explained that he needed to study the script and familiarize himself with the character he would be playing.
“But, I’m obviously not going to be studying the entire time,” he pointed out the obvious. “Do you maybe want to hang out for a bit and do some catching up?”
“That would be great,” she responded enthusiastically. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, you mentioned that you were going to go horseback riding. Mind if I join you?”
Emma thought that that sounded like a great idea. And, quite honestly, how much trouble could they get into by going on a horseback ride? It’s not like they’re immediately next to each other, it’s not a date, and it’s just something to do outdoors. Todd had thought the same thing; it wasn’t like they were going out somewhere together nor were they staying in. If they sat down to watch a movie together; that could be a potentially dangerous situation. Regardless of how bad he wanted Emma, he was not a cheater. When someone trusted him, he did his best to earn it. He knew Kelly was trying her hardest to trust him around his ex-girlfriend, so he was doing everything in his power to fight the butterflies in his stomach. They were just two friends hanging out. Right.
They planned to head out to the stables around noon. Until then, he decided to give Kelly a call and see how her flight was. He apologized for not noticing her texts until he woke up; noting that he was completely dead to the world and barely remembered her leaving in the morning. He debated on telling her about his plans to go out riding with Emma, but decided that it might not be the best idea. Why add to her worry when there was nothing to worry about? Plus, Kelly thought that Daniel was there too, so he just left it alone. He didn’t feel like he was being untruthful, he just didn’t feel the need to tell her and get her worked up. And the more he thought about it, the more he hated having to tiptoe around her. It was like walking on eggshells as to not to upset her.
At around noon, Todd went downstairs and saw Emma lounging on the sofa in the parlor and reading a book called, Cemetery Tours.
“I always pegged you as an Anne Rice or Charlaine Harris, vampire-type reader,” he said as he joined her in the parlor.
“Hey, I’m open to all genres!” She laughed as she bookmarked her page and set her book down on the end table. “It also depends on my mood. If I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll read some of the classics like Jane Austen. When I’m feeling feisty, I like diving into the vampire novels and seeing what authors come up with about us.”
“Do you ever get mad when it seems that they get you all wrong?”
“Not in the least! I think it’s pretty awesome how people kind of embrace us through novels and movies, even though some have the wrong idea about us. Who knows, maybe the more people that accept us as a genre, the more that would accept us in real life.”
“Well, I for one accept you in real life! The real thing is so much better than what’s described in the book,” he confidently said as he patted the couch cushion.
She shrugged her shoulders, batted her eyelashes, and cocked her head, “Aw, thank you!”
They headed out to the stables, walking down the path that led them out to the field. It was relaxing for once; just Todd and Emma, old friends, walking together in solitude in chatting. There was no one there to interrupt, no one there to get jealous, no one there to fight off! No wars, no enemies, just the two of them enjoying a nice, spring day. Since Kelly had moved into the Manor, Emma never really got to hang out with Todd one-on-one anymore. And when they did, it was just passing by in the hallways. They didn’t actually make a point to do something together.
“I’m glad we’re able to do this,” she said while giving him a nudge. “It’s been too long since you and I hung out together.”
“I agree, I’ve missed this,” he stated. “The last time we really got to hang out together like this was when we were still dating. Even though you were my girlfriend, you are also one of my best friends and so much fun to be with.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” she beamed as she pulled her raven hair back into a ponytail.
She pulled open the door to the stable and they went to the tackle room to get their saddles and bridle. Todd had learned so much from living at the Manor, one being how to care for horses. He had since bought one for himself and named him Gabriel. All of the horses had their heads poking out of their stalls, waiting to be greeted. Emma’s horse, Phantom was especially excited to see her. Gabriel lowered his head toward Todd, waiting for a pet on the nose and a scratch behind the ear. They each spoke with their horses, in private conversations, and expressed how much they loved them. It was a mutual feeling between the animals and the people.
Once they led Phantom and Gabriel out of their stalls and had them ready to go, they
hopped on to their saddles, said goodbye to the other horses, and went on their way. Nothing could describe how good it felt to be back in the saddle again for both Todd and Emma. Instead of guiding the horses where they wanted to go, they let the horses lead the way themselves. They had no destination in particular and time wasn’t of the essence at that point in the day.
Phantom and Gabriel started trotting until they realized that they were in control. They began to gallop through the field before making their way toward the woods. The horses found the pathway that they were familiar with, and followed it into the dense forest. Once they got some of their energy out of their system, Todd and Emma slowed them down to a walk so that they could enjoy the ride without having to work so hard to stay on.
Under the shade of the trees, the breeze made it cooler than the actual temperature outside. Todd briefly let go of the reins and untied his hoodie from his waist. He didn’t care that he looked like a goofball wearing it that way; he was prepared darn it! Plus, Emma had seen him at his worst; he was comfortable enough with her that he didn’t care about fashion sense.
“So, I have a question for you,” Todd started. “Let’s just say hypothetically Kelly and I break up…then what? Does she stay in the house? Go somewhere else? Or get released?” The last part made him think she was serving a prison sentence.
Hypothetically, sure, Emma thought to herself. “If it ever comes to that, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Of course, I have thought about it in advance because I always like to be prepared for things. So, I highly doubt she would want to stay here under the same roof as you. Unless she’s a stalker, which then she probably would.”
“Nice,” he shook his head at her sarcasm.
“The other idea I had was to send her off to one of the other Kings or Queen. Because, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want a living weapon as a defense. The third option I thought of was to release her to wherever she wanted to go and to assign guards to her for the rest of her life.”
“Guards for the rest of her life? Would they even want to do that?”
“You have to remember, a human lifespan isn’t very long to us,” she said, with a bit of melancholy in her tone. She was perfectly aware that her time was extremely limited with Todd, just as it had been with Daniel. “Why do you ask? Trouble in paradise?” She teased with a wink.
He gave her a sideways look as they rode next to each other. “Oh, like you haven’t heard our arguments. I’m getting to the point where I can’t take the jealousy and the insecurity.”
Emma nodded without responding, understanding how he was feeling.
“I guess I got a little spoiled when I was with you. You are always so self-confident and sure of yourself, it was nice being with a strong, empowered woman…even if you weren’t exactly alive.”
“I’ll just go ahead and take that as a compliment,” she chuckled. “Although, in Kelly’s defense, I have had years and years of practice in self-confidence. Plus, I’m an entirely different species; power is in our nature.”
“It’s just…Kelly is so young, much younger than any girl I have ever dated. But, when I met her at the premiere, she was so cute and bubbly, and it was something new. You and I had just broken up and I feel like I jumped to the first person that showed interest in me. And then when I met her again here at the Manor, and learned that she was a living weapon like I was…I felt like it was a sign that we were meant to be together.”
Emma was focused and listened closely as he spilled his feelings to her; not offering advice, just lending an ear.
“And I kind of felt like I owed it to her since she had aided in finding me when I was taken by Declan,” Todd added.
“So part of the reason that you’re with Kelly is because you feel like you owe it to her?” Emma asked with confusion, trying to understand his point.
“No…I don’t know…it’s complicated,” he rubbed his forehead. “The girl dropped everything for me, gave up everything she knew for me, did whatever she had to do to save me. So, I felt kind of obligated because of her devotion.”
“So…you felt like you owed it to her then.” Emma repeated, but not as a question.
“No, I truly did like her! I still do. But…things change.”
They rode silently down the path for several minutes. Todd felt like he was being pulled in two different directions. His head told him to stay with Kelly, but his heart told him that Emma was the one. However, she couldn’t be the one if he continued to age and she didn’t.
After battling his inner turmoil for long enough, he changed the subject, “Tell me a story about your past that I don’t know. One that I haven’t heard before.”
She laughed, “Okay!” She always enjoyed telling him about her life only because he was so interested in history. She enjoyed watching his face as she described the store, moments through her own eyes. Even if she wasn’t a part of the moment itself, she was able to describe events in detail from a witness’s point of view.
“Anything! Something at least from over a hundred years ago.”
“Okay, did I ever tell you that Zachariah and I were on the Titanic?”
Todd’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and he gently pulled back on the reins to stop his horse.
They continue to ride along the path slowly through the forest as Emma recalled her short four days on the RMS Titanic.
“We were on it traveling home from England in 1912. My two nieces, Clara and Madeline, and Clara’s husband Henry had business to conduct in the UK, so Zachariah and I went along to pay a visit to Aidan. Traveling back then wasn’t as easy as it is now, so when you went overseas, it was for an extended period of time.
“We had been there since early March and while Clara, Madeleine, and Henry were in London, Zachariah and I headed north to Scotland and spent our time there. Once it was time to go back home, we met up in Southhampton for our departure on the Titanic.”
“Zachariah and I had our own room while the other three were next door. First class of course, we were still a bit snobbish back then and wouldn’t have dared to travel any different. I think the worst snob out of the five of us was Henry, and he had only married into our family! His family wasn’t nearly as wealthy as we were, but it was enough for us to accept him. However, he strutted around with his nose in the air like he had earned all of the Davenport fortune. He was likable enough and we had several pleasant conversations between us.
“Of course, when he became a part of our family, we charmed him so that he would not disclose our secret. He and Clara were happy, about as happy as you could be back then. His only problem with me was my dominance; he wasn’t used to not being able to tell a woman what to do and have her defy him. Zachariah used to laugh whenever Henry would work himself up into a tizzy due to my disobedience.
“The Titanic was unlike any other ship we had traveled on before. It was luxurious; far more luxurious than any of the ships that had been produced at that time. The grand staircase made me feel as though I was at home and our bedroom was so ornate that I felt like it was mine. The fine furnishings and detailed architecture of each room was as if it was designed by my father himself.
“Clara, Madeline, and Henry could not stop talking about the fine dining room and how exquisite the food was, not like Zachariah and I cared. No…our taste was not for the first class food, but rather for the people that were eating it. We didn’t have access to jugs of blood back then, nor microwaves to heat them up. We drank straight from the vein and wiped each victim’s memory. We always charmed them first to make sure they weren’t a living weapon, told them not to scream, and drank as much as we could without killing them. Then, we would feed them some of our blood to heal their wound and send them along their merry way. It was tricky doing this aboard a boat, no matter how big it was. Madeline had asked why we just didn’t go down to third class to feed, which appalled us, quite frankly. Why would we feed on an unhealthy, third class person when we had well-cared for, healthy, and the blue
st blood to drink right in front of us? A healthy victim is a tasty victim.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the socialization with the high society people aboard that ship. John Astor was content to parade himself as the wealthiest person on the Titanic, but most knew that it was us Davenports that were. We just let him continue to think that…especially as I drank from his neck. One of my favorite people on the ship was Margaret Brown, popular as Molly Brown, but we knew her as Maggie. She was a force to be reckoned with, and I loved her for it. Like me, she was a strong woman and was an absolute joy to converse with. And when it came time for the Titanic to sink into its watery grave, Maggie put other lives before her own. She helped people into those lifeboats and when her lifeboat was not full, she demanded that they row back to look for survivors in the water. I kept in touch with her after the sinking; she was one hell of a person that I had the honor of knowing.
“It was amusing to see people’s reactions when they did not recognize Zachariah’s name. The Davenports were well known, obviously, but who was the Dancy family? We lied and told people that we were married, which helped them accept Zachariah just a bit more. Although, when one of those rich snobs would piss him off, he just fed from them. But, not without scaring the bejesus out of them first. John was the worst to him, and Zachariah was more than happy to attack him every single day aboard that ship. I just wouldn’t allow him to feed on John’s young wife as she was with child at the time. Unfortunately, John did not survive the sinking, but his wife did.
“I remember the ship hitting that iceberg like it happened yesterday. Most people had retired to their rooms for the evening, but not us. Zachariah and I were prowling the first class hallways to find our next victims. We had just spotted an older couple walking toward us from the other end when we felt the jolt. It startled us, even though we are rarely afraid of mortal things. However, once we learned that the ship had been hit and was doomed to sink, our priority was saving Clara, Madeline, and Henry.
Revolutions (Davenport Manor Book 3) Page 17