Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  Drinks in the kitchen were definitely in order later on, Emma couldn’t stand it anymore!

  They spent the entirety of the movie having a one ended conversation and Todd was none-the-wiser. She felt deceitful, but monogamy was never in a vampire’s nature. Unlike other vampires who ran from their human lives, she had remained with her family. That caused her to retain some of her humanity during her two hundred years as a vampire, and caused her to love those around her instead of being indifferent.

  After the movie ended and everyone was picking up their blankets and pillows, Todd asked, “So, do you want to join me in my room for a nightcap?”

  Emma rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock on the wall, “I totally would, but I’m so tired! I’m sorry love, next time?”

  Disappointed, Todd nodded his head and continued to gaze at her. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night in my room…”

  She touched his face and answered, “Me, too. But, it’s all in good time. Goodnight, dear.”

  As everyone started walking up the stairs Emma muttered under her breath, “Vamps, care for a drink in the kitchen? Be there in a minute, have to fake going to bed.”

  She looked back and saw Vivienne and Declan walk in the other direction towards the kitchen while Zachariah gave a short nod and followed their lead. When they got up to their rooms, Emma and Todd stood in the hallway, wrapped around each other in an embrace.

  “You sure you don’t want to come in?” He asked again, hoping she would change her mind.

  “I’m sure. My pillow is calling my name, next time though.” She stood on her tiptoes to reach up for a kiss to which he passionately responded. “Good night, love,” she said as she opened the door to her room and looked back at him.

  She waited a few minutes until she heard him climb into his bed and quietly exited her room. She ran at vampire speed down the hallway so there wouldn’t be a chance of her being seen. She saw Daniel straightening up in the parlor after everyone had gone and invited him to join them in the kitchen for a drink; blood for them, a beer for him.

  By the time they reached the kitchen, Zachariah already had a glass of warmed blood waiting for her on the center island. Daniel reached in to the fridge to grab a beer and pulled up a seat next to Zachariah, who was explaining how great Paris was in the 1920’s. Emma chimed in from time-to-time while recounting their escapades and sexcapades while visiting the City of Light. Vivienne looked on with envy since she was in the prime of her human life in the twenties before she was turned. However, she thought that being a vampire in Paris during that era had to be extraordinary.

  Their lively conversation was interrupted when they heard Todd in his bedroom. He was calling Emma’s name in a panic and clearly running through his room to get out the door. He was banging on her bedroom door and anxiously yelling for her to wake up.

  Daniel had no idea what was going on as they had all stopped talking and went completely silent, listening to the commotion upstairs in the west wing of the Manor.

  “What’s wrong, guys?” He asked, noticing their alarm.

  “Shit! What do I do? I told him I was exhausted and going to bed!” Emma exclaimed while Declan was telling Daniel what they were hearing.

  Vivienne thought quickly and said, “Put your cell phone in your hand, run fast to the top of the stairs, then leisurely walk down the hallway. Tell him your phone was on the couch and you went down to get it so you could charge it overnight.”

  “You’re fucking brilliant, Viv! Thank you!” Emma replied while giving her a swift kiss on the forehead before running out of the kitchen.

  Emma sprinted at lightning speed to the top of the stairs and began walking down the hallway with her phone in her hand. Todd saw her and dashed towards her, his face riddled with alarm.

  Before she could even explain what she was doing out of bed, he spoke up, completely out of breath. “Emma, I saw her again! The ghost, she was in my room. I have no doubt it was Elizabeth Davenport, no doubt whatsoever.”

  “Catch your breath, love,” she said while rubbing his shoulder. “What happened this time?”

  “I was lying there trying to go to sleep and I felt as though I was being watched again. This time she was standing near my bed watching me, but I wasn’t afraid when I saw her. So, I asked her if she was Elizabeth and she nodded yes. I asked her if there was a reason that she is still here and she nodded again. She said that she wants to sleep next to her family. It was like pulling teeth trying to get a straight answer from her.”

  Horrified, Emma knew what she meant. “Did she say why she can’t sleep next to her family?”

  Todd held his breath for a moment and responded, “She pointed towards your room and said, ‘Emma knows. She knows the truth and needs to make it right.’”

  It was the first time in two-hundred years that Emma felt sick to her stomach. Elizabeth wasn’t in the family crypt and she knew it. She was buried like a dog out in the back woods, without dignity, without a proper funeral. Her sister didn’t deserve that and it was a decision made in haste in 1815. Todd was the second person in Emma’s lifetime to ever see Elizabeth’s ghost, the first being John, Daniel’s father. Although, John was always too afraid to speak to her, no matter how much Emma tried to encourage him to do so.

  Now what was Emma to do? Elizabeth couldn’t rest until her body was in the family crypt and Emma telling the truth about her demise.

  “What does that mean, Emma? You know the truth and you need to make it right?” Todd asked, bringing her back from her own thoughts.

  “I don’t know,” Emma said while shaking her head. “Perhaps she meant the original Emma Davenport?”

  At that moment, Todd’s face turned to shock as he took in a startled breath. He was no longer looking at Emma, he was looking directly past her. She turned around to see what was behind her, but all she saw was an empty hallway.

  She looked back at Todd and asked, “What? What is it?”

  “She’s right behind you, you can’t see her?”

  Emma turned around again, but still saw nothing. “No, I don’t see anyone!”

  “She looks very sad and is pointing at you. I think she means you and not the original Emma,” Todd said as her apparition faded away. “Is there something you know?”

  Emma shook her head, pretending to be confused. “No, I don’t know what she means. I’ll have to do some research to try and figure this out.”

  They stood silent in the hallway for a moment before Todd spoke up, “I’m not afraid of her, but I have to admit I’m a little creeped out. I really don’t want to be alone tonight…”

  Whether what he said was true or if he was using the opportunity to convince Emma to stay the night with him, she wasn’t sure. But, she felt she owed him since he was the first person to communicate with Elizabeth in two-hundred years and he was clearly a bit freaked out. “Stay with me in my room,” she said as she took his hand and led him to her room. She knew the other vampires, including Zachariah, in the house heard everything that had happened. She knew he heard the cue not to come to her room tonight.

  Chapter 9

  Todd had never been in Emma’s room before—it was beautiful and very feminine. There were plenty of deep pink and gold accents adorning the walls and décor. Her four-post bed was as large as his and covered in gold accent pillows. Over her fireplace hung a large painted portrait of the original Emma Davenport; the resemblance between the two were still uncanny to Todd.

  She lit a small fire in the fireplace and turned on some music, just to give a bit of background noise. Bruno Mars’ Young Girls played softy through the speakers that were hung up in the corners of the ceiling. Emma laughed internally at the irony of the title since Todd thought she was ten years younger than he was, but she was far from it. Todd looked around the room at the pictures adorning the walls and on her dresser. He noted that there were several of her and Zachariah, smiling and laughing, on vacations, at home, and at movie premieres. There
were several of Daniel as well, clearly revealing the brother/sister love they shared.

  Emma came to stand next to him and pick up a picture off of her dresser. “This was from the first Ticking Through Time premiere,” she said as she showed it to him. “Daniel was just twelve years old here.” In the picture were Daniel, his parents, and Emma; all laughing and sharing a monumental evening together.

  Todd smiled, “He’s so young here! And you haven’t aged a bit, you look exactly the same!”

  She dramatically flipped her hair from her shoulders and laughed, “Why thank you, good sir!”

  He set the picture back down and turned to her. “Elizabeth’s ghost has got me shaken up,” he began. “When’s she’s present, I’m not afraid of her, but the thought of a ghost lurking around kind of scares the bejesus out of me!”

  She gently rubbed his upper arm, “I know, but don’t be frightened of her. She won’t hurt you.”

  He looked at Emma square in the eyes and with a pleading tone replied, “You have to figure out what she’s trying to tell us. What else do you know about her history?”

  “A little, but not much. I’ll see if there are records of her in the library. If not, I can always go into town and find out what I can.” She worried that she didn’t sound concerned enough. She knew good and well what Elizabeth was trying to tell them, but she had lied about it for so long, she began to believe her own tales. The story she gave to all the generations of the Davenport family, as well as Zachariah, became second nature to her.

  Emma climbed into bed and pulled back the other side of the covers, patting the mattress, “Come on, get in to bed.”

  Todd complied and nestled in next to her, lying on his back and instinctively holding out his arm for her to move in. She scooted herself over and situated into the nook of his arm, laying her head on his chest. Neither had interest in being intimate tonight; Todd’s nerves were frazzled and he couldn’t help but fear he was being watched. Emma’s heart was full of sadness while thinking of her sister and what she was going to do about her restless spirit. She wished so badly that she could communicate with Elizabeth herself instead of having to go through Todd. She knew what had to be done, she just had to find the right time to do it. Tonight was not the night.

  She slid off of his chest and onto her pillow while he turned to his side to face her. They laid quietly, gazing at one another’s face. He reached over and brushed a stray hair away from her face, lingering on the side of her head. She closed her eyes and put her hand over his, savoring his sweet touch against her.

  “Go to sleep my dear,” she whispered. Because I’m in for a long night of just laying here.

  “Goodnight love, and…thank you. I just didn’t want to be alone tonight,” he softly replied.

  He closed his eyes and she did the same even though sleep would never come for her. She figured once he was asleep she could get up and read a book or text someone. She listened to his heart rate and knew he had drifted into dreamland when it became a slow and steady pace. She got out of the bed in a quick movement so that the mattress barely shook. She grabbed her phone and turned it onto silent so that she could text without the notifications going off. At this point she felt like a prisoner in her own bedroom, a feeling she wasn’t familiar with.

  She could hear Zachariah, Vivienne, Declan, and Daniel still conversing together downstairs, but they had moved into the parlor. They were laughing, reminiscing, and telling their stories to Daniel, who listened in awe. And she…was bored.

  “I’m bored Zach…” she texted.

  She heard him yell from downstairs, “Your own fault for getting involved with a human!”

  Vivienne chimed in and taunted, “Come down and play with us, Emma!”

  This was stupid, she so badly wanted to join them downstairs, but couldn’t risk Todd waking up to her being gone. She lightly tossed her phone down on the couch cushion in frustration. Zachariah was going to be of no help right now. She picked her own brain trying to figure out ways to leave her bedroom, or an excuse she could use if Todd woke up and saw she was gone. But, she knew her best bet was to stay put; if he stirred she could easily slip back into the bed fast enough so that he wouldn’t notice.

  She paced around her room a bit and stopped to stare out the window into the dark forest ahead. What she wouldn’t give to go for a run right now! She wandered over to her bookshelf and pulled out Pride & Prejudice. She curled up on her couch and began to re-read it for the billionth time; it always made her feel nostalgic for her younger days. She read the entire night through with the occasional tauntings from her fellow vampires downstairs. When the sun began to rise, she gracefully climbed back into bed with Todd and pretended to sleep. As he began to stir awake, she let out a fake yawn and stretch, thankful that this prison sentence was almost over.

  “Mmmm, g’morning,” Todd said with a groggy voice and half-open eyes.

  “Morning,” she said while rubbing her eyes, thinking she was laying this on a little thick.

  “Want to go down for some breakfast?” He asked as he became more coherent.

  She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this; she didn’t plan this far ahead after spending the night together. But, the one thing she did know was that she was thirsty.

  “Sure, that sounds good.”

  Before crawling out of bed he snuck a kiss on her lips after taking a swig of water. God forbid he hit her full-on with wicked morning breath. He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and she used that opportunity to text Vivienne. She knew she couldn’t ask Zachariah for help because he was thoroughly enjoying her awkward situation.

  Her fingers moved at lightning speed, “Viv, Todd asked me to have breakfast with him. I’m going to fix myself a plate of food (yuck), but when you hear me in the dining room call my phone. I’ll say it’s an important call I need to take. PS, I’m THIRSTY!”

  After a split moment she received a reply, “You got it. Meet you in the kitchen!”

  They went into the dining room where several platters of food were prepared. All the humans in the house were bustling around, talking, and eating their breakfasts. They each fixed a plate of food for themselves and sat down next to each other at the table with Daniel, who looked at her, and then her plate, with an amused and confused look on his face.

  “Morning…what’cha got there, Emma?” He asked, suppressing a laugh.

  She smiled pertly and replied, “Breakfast…”

  “Looks delicious, doesn’t it?” He antagonized.

  She looked at him with a forced grin and said, “Very much.” She was hesitating while waiting for her phone to ring. Vivienne, where are you??

  “Well…dig in!” Daniel’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas, he so wasn’t on her side. Zachariah must have gotten to him—damn them for being best friends!

  “Okay,” she answered as she picked up a fork for the first time in at least a century.

  “Are you okay, Emma?” Todd asked, noticing her odd behavior.

  She actually welcomed questions at this point because it helped her stall. “Fine dear, why do you ask?”

  Before he could respond, her phone began to ring in her pocket. She discreetly looked at it and apologized for having to take the very important phone call. She excused herself from the table, leaving her plate of food there and disappearing into the kitchen. Vivienne stood waiting by the center island with a glass of blood heated and ready for her. Her smile was broad, clearly taunting her.

  “You bitch,” Emma shook her head and laughed as she walked in. “Thank you for the call and the blood.” She chugged it down without savoring it since she had been thirsty from the night before.

  Emma waited until she heard Todd finish eating and felt guilty for leaving him once again at the dining table alone. She heard Daniel tell him that he would put her food in the fridge so she could heat it up later after she was off the phone. She could tell by Todd’s voice that he was disappointed that she wasn’t there, but th
ere was no way she was going to choke down human food as it completely repulsed her now. When Daniel walked into the kitchen with her plate he wrapped it up to put in the fridge for later. It was perfectly good food that shouldn’t be wasted, so Daniel had every intention of eating it later.

  “Thanks for covering me, Dan. I had better go find Todd and apologize. I hope he’s not pissed after I ditched him last night, too,” Emma said as she took her phone back out. She put it back up to her ear and emerged from the kitchen to the dining room, where Todd was just getting ready to walk out. She was wrapping up a fake conversation as she approached him.

  “I’m so sorry, Todd! It was my friend in Scotland, the one who had the family emergency a while back.”

  “That’s okay, I understand,” he replied with a soft smile, which made her feel all the more guilty. “Listen, are you busy tonight? I only have one scene to shoot today and should be done early, so I was thinking maybe we could finally go downtown.”

  She had nothing planned and agreed that it was a great idea. It was the perfect day to go since it had been unseasonably warm in Chicago the past few days. The cold wouldn’t bother her, but she didn’t want Todd to freeze. The wind from Lake Michigan could make downtown Chicago feel a lot colder than it actually was.

  Today they were filming interior scenes, which meant the parlor was now a movie set and they had made a few décor revisions to make it authentic. The TV had been taken down and all electronics were now carefully placed in the foyer area. The set designers had added some antique furniture and removed the modern-looking couches.

  Emma discreetly sniffed the air to find Zachariah, who was upstairs in her bedroom. She opened the door to find him going over his lines one more time before being called to set. He looked up and gave her a tight-lipped smile that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes like it normally did.

  “You’re mad.” She stated, feeling it radiating off of him.

  With a smug frown he shook his head. “Just confused, I don’t understand why. Why a human?”