Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  She put her hand on his face, “It’s the way it is. Aidan needs me, I have to go.” Daniel was clearly confused as to why she had to go. He knew of Aidan and who he was in regards to Emma, but had never met him.

  “Should I go, too?” Zachariah calmly asked.

  “No, it’s just me and the others that he is summoning. But, if I need you I’ll call. I want to ask you to watch over things here, okay?”

  “Alright, but I’ll at least drive you to the airport,” he replied while picking up her suitcase.

  When they got downstairs Emma walked back into the parlor to tell everyone goodbye for a few days. “A good friend of mine has a family emergency; I need to go to Glasgow for a few days for some moral support,” she told the crowd.

  Todd got up off the couch and briskly walked over to Emma. She smiled at him sweetly as he approached—she knew she would miss his face.

  “How long will you be gone for, love?” he asked.

  “Probably just a few days. I’ll give Daniel a call and let him know when I plan to return. Tell you what, why don’t you give me your cell number, I’ll text you, too.”

  Todd’s heart did a little skip, she was taking his number! He gave her his number while she punched it into her phone and saved it. He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair, which made Zachariah shifty.

  She gave his arm a squeeze and waved goodbye to everyone else in the room. Daniel walked with them to the door and they stopped before walking out. She turned to him and he gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “I love you, Emma.”

  “I love you, too Dan. See you in a few days.” She gave him another hug before she and Zachariah walked out the door.

  During the hour-long car ride to the airport, Zachariah and Emma held hands while he drove.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” He asked.

  “It’s not that I don’t want you to, he only summoned me.”

  “Or you just want to be alone with Aidan.” He bluntly replied.

  She turned to look at him with incredulous eyes. Slowly shaking her head, her voice turned dark, “I do not need your permission to be with Aidan if I so choose. And you know exactly how it feels to be pulled to your maker no matter how much you try to resist it.”

  He remained silent because he knew she had just won that brief argument. He did know the pull one had towards their maker; you’d drop anything for them, you physically desired them if you weren’t related and were the gender you preferred, you loved them more than anything in the world…you’d kill for them. Unfortunately for the one that was turned, those feelings were not reciprocated from their maker. If a maker chose, they could leave you high and dry and not give a damn about it. However, a maker could develop feelings for their offspring as well. Zachariah was one of the lucky ones as Emma had loved him before she turned him; love was the very reason why she turned him over a century ago. He knew good and well how fortunate he was to have her as his maker even though his silent heart crumbled to bits time and time again.

  He had met Aidan once when he was still a new vampire and several times after that. He was from the ancient Celtic time and was at least 2,000 years old. He was 6’2” with deep brown hair and muscular, a remnant of his human self. He had been turned when he was 43 years old, so his handsome face was frozen as a middle-aged man. He was bold and brave, like most men were during his time. He was once barbaric, but had softened over his years while roaming every corner of the Earth. He just so happened to be the Vampire King of Europe and reigned over all the countries in that region. He was known to be powerful and to be feared, but was also fair to his undead subjects and humans alike.

  “You know I adore you, Zachariah. Please try not to be jealous. I’m sure any one of those pretty actresses would be glad to get you off while I’m gone.”

  He smirked and fully intended to take advantage of that while his maker and lover was away.

  He dropped her off at the airport where she boarded her flight bound to Scotland. During her overnight flight, she spent most of the time staring out the window into the darkness of the Atlantic Ocean. While most of the passengers on board were sleeping, she was able to see out into the night sky. Every constellation could be seen and she was able to faintly see sea life swimming in the ocean below with her excellent vision. She thought of Aidan and how she hadn’t seen him in several years. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him if he’d have her. Sexual desire was the nature of the beast for their kind.

  She also thought of Todd; sweet, kind-hearted, and completely oblivious to his surroundings at her home, Davenport Manor. She thought about if she was going to tell him her secret and if she did, how would she do it? She knew he wanted her, she’d hear it in his heartbeat every time he saw her. And she had to admit, she wanted him, too. It had been over a hundred years since she had sex with a human…not since Zachariah. He was the only human she had ever slept with. But, Emma had become slightly arrogant over the years, now thinking that sex with a human was boring and nearly pointless. It definitely wasn’t as exciting as fucking a fellow vampire. Zachariah had certainly improved since she turned him.

  Her flight landed the following morning and after she picked up her luggage, she used her sense of smell, not her eyes, to find Aidan. He was nearby; she knew his scent distinctly even after all these years. And there, standing next to a vintage Rolls Royce with a hired driver, was Aidan O’Shea. He was just as gorgeous as she remembered him to be and she instantly had the urge to climb him, wrap her legs around him, and ride him right here in plain view.

  She walked up to the car and they met eyes for the first time in years. The driver casually got out of the car and picked up her luggage to place in the trunk of the car. Aidan and Emma still hadn’t spoken.

  He swiftly moved forward and forcefully took her waist, pulling her against him. He towered over her small frame by over a foot, but their faces were inches apart. She could feel his breath on her mouth as he looked for the words to say.

  “My Emma...” He cradled her head with his large hand, examining her face that he hadn’t seen in so long. He grasped her hair into his fist and pressed her face against his as he kissed her. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she grabbed his wavy, light brown hair, slicked back with gel and intertwined herself with him.

  He pulled her into the backseat of the car where they continued to physically greet each other. Her hands frantically roamed all over his torso, focusing on his chest, that muscular chest that she hadn’t touched in so long. His sturdy shoulders caused his muscles to ripple with every movement of his arms. She moved her mouth away from his lips and down the side of his neck. She slowly tilted her head back, extended her fangs, and bit him in the crook between his neck and shoulder. He moaned with the sensation, squirming in his seat.

  They continued to grope and kiss each other until they reached his home, barely prying apart to get out of the car. She wrapped her legs around him and he hitched his hands under her ass and carried her into the house. She alternated between kissing, sucking, and biting his neck until they reached his bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind him and she planted her feet firmly on the floor

  “Is this a favorite shirt of yours?” she asked.

  “No, why?” Aidan responded, looking down at his black, long-sleeve fitted shirt.

  She grabbed it and tore it off in one fell swoop, grabbed the waist of his black slacks, and raised an eyebrow.

  “Eh, I’ll take these off—I’m actually fond of this pair.” He playfully laughed.

  He quickly removed his pants, and ripped her clothes off just as fast as she did to him. They stood, lightly touching each other, savoring every inch of the other’s body. She dropped down to her knees, grabbed hold of his solid penis, and took him into her mouth. For the lucky recipient that receives oral sex from a vampire—they have no gag reflex. She took him all the way in, sucking and twirling her tongue all around him. He held either side of her head, guiding h
er to his perfect pleasure. Right as he was nearing his climax, he began to groan loudly, his cock fully engorged. She pulled back, not allowing him to come. He looked down at her and a low, rumbling growl escaped from his chest.

  She stood up, grabbed him by the arms, picked him up, and threw him up to the ceiling. She followed him up with a graceful pounce and straddled him, her hair hanging down from gravity. She guided him into her and thrusted herself up and down in a ferocious rhythm. He bent his legs, grabbed her soft, wide hips, and matched her thrusting, pounding into her.

  They slowed, but kept up the hard pounding, making each one count. She watched his face, felt his cock completely swollen inside of her, and knew he was about to lose it. She squeezed herself around him, tightening all of her pelvic muscles, and sent him over the edge. Feeling him come, watching his face, and hearing his yell caused her to climax immediately after him. She screamed and every muscle in her body shivered in response to him.

  They glided back down to the floor, not even causing a thump when they hit. Now, he was on top of her, still inside. The raging and pent-up passion had been sated and he kissed her gently on her mouth.

  “My Emma…I’ve missed you.”

  She kissed him back and whispered, “I’ve missed you, too. Please let us not go this long without seeing each other again.”

  After savoring one another’s presence for some time, they got up off of the floor and got dressed. She had to get a new outfit from her suitcase since her traveling clothes had been destroyed by Aidan’s impatience. She brushed her hair while he washed his own blood off his neck from where she bit him. The wound itself had healed moments after she had done so. She followed him into his living room and sat down while he went into one of the bedrooms and returned with two young women.

  “Do you still favor O-Neg?” He asked, gesturing to the one on his right.

  “Of course,” she replied, glad to have a drink straight from the vein for once.

  Aidan was a bit more traditional when it came to being a vampire. He was no longer barbaric like he was in his younger days and had regained most of his humanity back. However, he believed that humans were a food source and that nothing was more fulfilling than drinking straight from the vein. He often kept human blood supplies at his home, charming them to live there and willingly donate. He often picked people who had nothing to lose, no one important they would leave behind. In a twisted way, he felt that he was rescuing these people from a worse fate on the street and in a way, he was right. At least being live-in donors they would have food, shelter, and a relative amount of safety. They only price they had to pay was to let Aidan feed on them. He never killed them, but eventually he would get bored and let them go, searching for new donors.

  “Alright love,” he said after they had their fill and he sent away their donors. “Tell me, are you well? Happy? Do you have any more offspring?”

  “I am quite content with how my life is going. I still only have Zachariah as my offspring and no plans to make any more for now.”

  “How is Daniel doing?”

  “He is doing well considering the circumstances,” she answered as she glared at him with a raised eyebrow. “He went into a downward spiral for a while there, but Zachariah and I were just barely able to keep his head above water. He recently turned twenty-one.”

  “You seem very attached to this family member, more so than the rest.”

  “He is incredible; I love him like he is my own brother. Out of every generation of my human family, he is the one who I have ever been closest with. I don’t even want to think about how painful it will be when he dies,” she sullenly said while staring down at her hands.

  “I warned you when you were turned to just leave your family, that it would be the easiest way. Instead, you chose to stay and suffer each time you have to say your final goodbye to them. I told you not to get attached to humans unless you planned on turning them.”

  She chortled under her breath, “I know. That’s how Zachariah got turned. I fear he will forever hold resent for what I did to him. But, we loved each other for several years, when he got sick I couldn’t bear to let him go. That’s when he learned what I was.”

  “Do you resent me?” He asked.

  “No! I would do anything for you—although that is probably because you’re my maker. I know Zachariah feels the same for me.”

  He paused for a moment and looked her in the eyes, “I am so proud of what you’ve become. I made a good choice when I made you; you’re sensitive, yet stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

  She beamed at him, so happy that her maker was so accepting of her and the choices she made.

  “Where is Mackenzie?” Emma asked, realizing that the house was incredibly empty for once.

  Mackenzie Campbell was another creation of Aidan’s who lived with him as his second-in-command. She was turned by him in her hometown of Paisley, Scotland where she was a young widow that worked as a weaver. Aidan saw strength within her; a woman who worked hard and was no holds barred when it came to speaking her mind. She was fiercely loyal and trustworthy to those around her. She was a ferocious fighter when she was needed for battle and Aidan couldn’t have picked a better second-in-command to his kingdom of Europe.

  “I sent her to run errands for me to prepare for the others’ arrival. I wanted a day to have you all to myself,” he replied in his thick Scottish accent with a sly grin.

  “Well, I’m all yours,” she purred.

  “You tempting little vixen,” he said with amusement. “We’ll get no work done if you keep that up. Now, let’s get down to business, the others will be here to join us this evening.”

  Chapter 5

  Todd was having a restless night and could barely sleep, constantly tossing and turning. The house just felt empty without Emma there. He looked forward to seeing her every day, passing her in the hallway, seeing her in the parlor and having flirtatious conversations. Before he met her, he was purely content with the thought of living at Davenport Manor for the next three months. But, now that he knew Emma, she was the reason for being here, not the Manor’s atmosphere.

  He looked at his clock and it was 4:30 in the morning, still dark outside. He laid awake with maddening thoughts racing through his head, eyes open and staring up at the black ceiling. He thought about what kind of history she and Zachariah had and it unsettled him knowing that he lived here at the Manor. Which bedroom was his—he didn’t remember anyone saying which room was Zach’s and never saw a headshot in the hallway, although he hadn’t actually looked for it. He made a mental note to casually look in the morning.

  He laid there and thought of Emma’s beautiful, flawless face, her gorgeous green eyes, and those perfect red lips. He thought of his drunken words to her the other night when he said his bedroom door was always open for her and rubbed his forehead. But, then he thought of her response, “I’ll keep that in mind…trust me, this is taking all the willpower I have.” She wanted him, too…she was just fighting it for whatever reason. Was she thinking of him while she was away? Did she miss him as much as he missed her? His brain was spiraling into a frustrating array of thoughts.

  He knew one sure way to fall asleep and get rid of the deliberations in his head. He reached over to the end table and pulled out a tissue. He closed his eyes, slid his hand under the sheet, down the length of his torso, and into his pajama pants. He took hold of his now stiffening member and imagined Emma walking through his bedroom door, taking him up on his offer. She was wearing a black, satin nightgown and her nipples protruded from underneath. She slowly crawled onto the bed starting at his feet, slithering up towards his head. Her eyes were no longer cheerful; instead they were seducing and longing for him. Her long, black hair glided alongside her, dragging on the bed. She reached his face, studied him for a moment, and kissed him slow, but hard.

  She was straddling him and he could feel her warmth hovering right above his cock, which he was now stroking slowly, teasing himself. She lo
wered herself onto him, taking his entire length into her with numerous small pushes, going deeper each time. Once she had his entirety inside her, she sat up and began to ride him slowly with her hands on his chest. He pushed himself upwards to meet her rhythm, breathing heavily now. His hand was now stroking himself ferociously, faster and harder until he began to reach his point of no return. She bucked herself on him, pleasuring herself and throwing her head back and screaming as she had a merciless orgasm all around him. Todd had his tissue in his left hand and reached his climax using the carnal thoughts racing through his head. He stayed as quiet as he could, muffling a moan trying to escape from his throat.

  He laid his head back on his pillow, still panting, and looked up at the ceiling once more. He wadded up the tissue and threw it on the floor, reminding himself to pick it up in the morning. He threw his arm over his face, slowing his breathing and thinking about what an incredible fantasy that was. He had to have her. He had to make it real. With that, he felt himself getting drowsy and fell into an instant slumber.

  Todd awoke four hours later to his screaming alarm clock. They were filming outside again this morning, so he wanted to get showered and eat some breakfast before he had to see the makeup crew. He checked his phone and saw a text from an unknown, but local Illinois number. It read:

  “Hi Todd, this is Emma. So save my number into your phone! All is well here in Scotland. I just wanted to say that I miss your face. ;-)”

  He immediately saved her number into his phone and read over her message a few times, smiling to himself. He tried to think of something to write.

  “Good morning Emma, thanks for the text. Seems pretty empty here without you around. I miss your beautiful face, too. I want to talk to you when you get back.”

  He looked it over once more and his thumb hovered over the ‘send’ button. He held his breath for a moment and hit it. Now he would have to figure out just what he wanted to say when he saw her! His phone dinged with a new text and he anxiously looked at his phone.