Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  Shortly after 3:00am Emma’s cell phone rang, it was the guard informing her that Patricia’s assistant, Allison had arrived at the gate. She had been instructed not to pull up to the house, but to look for Aidan and Emma waiting near the side of the road where the pathway lead into the woods. She drove slowly down the road, which had been removed of snow earlier, but a new blanket had formed since then. She saw Aidan and Emma standing off to the side and pulled up to them.

  “Hey Emma!” She said as she climbed out of the hearse. Allison was barely eighteen when she had been turned; an adorable girl who was a permanent teenager. She had bouncy, chestnut-colored hair and sparking blue eyes with a personality to match. She gave a curtsy to them after she approached them.

  “Hey Allison, how are you, sweetie?” Emma said as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. She had always liked Allison and her bubbly personality, it was infectious. “Allison, this is Aidan…the King of Europe.”

  Without missing a beat, Allison grew serious and gave yet another, deeper curtsy. “Good to meet you, King Aidan. Please forgive me for my informalities before, I didn’t know.”

  Aidan took hold of her hand and lightly kissed the top, “Nothing to forgive, darlin’.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she responded, if she had the ability to blush, he cheeks would have been crimson. “Patricia said you ordered ten cases of blood and a casket, is that correct?” She asked as she walked around to the back of the hearse.

  “Sure is, thanks for coming on such short notice,” Emma replied as she helped unload the cases and pull the casket out.

  Allison knew better than to ask questions, especially in the presence of vampire royalty. Naturally, she wanted to know what, or rather who, the casket was for, but didn’t dare vocalize about it. She knew Emma well enough that she could assume that it was for a good reason and hoped she didn’t hear about any people gone missing in the area. Although, if it were a random kill they were trying to hide, she was sure they would just bury them instead of going through the formalities of getting a casket.

  Allison had a sudden sinking feeling and couldn’t refrain from blurting out, “Daniel is okay, right?”

  Emma’s eyes widened with surprise and immediately put Allison’s fear to rest, “Oh no, Daniel is fine,” she laughed. “Don’t worry, everyone is fine, I promise.”

  Allison relaxed and then apologized for asking. Once everything was unloaded she gave Emma a hug goodbye and wished her a Merry Christmas. She then turned to Aidan who kissed the top of her hand once again as she told him what an honor it was to meet him. He was laying his Scottish charm on thick tonight and she ate it right up.

  “Until we meet again, fair Allison…” Aidan purred as he locked eyes with her.

  She gave him a curtsy once more before getting back in the hearse to go home. She couldn’t wait to tell Patricia that she had just met the King of Europe and just how dashing he was.

  Aidan and Emma carried the casket while trudging through the snow into the woods, heading to the far East corner of the property where no one ever explored.

  “Right here,” Emma said as she came to a stop.

  They set the casket down and examined the ground where they had stood together over two hundred years earlier. Aidan closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, assessing the location with his scent. He walked a few steps and knelt down, taking another deep breath in, focusing on the ground this time. He cleared away dead leaves and small tree branches on the patch of ground.

  “X marks the spot,” he said. “She’s right under here.”

  “Thanks, Aidan. We’ll leave the casket here and come back to move her after Christmas. Let’s carry in the cases of blood and have a drink…this has been one hell of a night. And I need to put the Christmas presents under the tree.”

  “You’re Vampy Claus now?” Aidan antagonized.

  “Yes, King Kill Joy, I am and you can be my little elf and help stuff the stockings,” she threw his antics right back at him.

  After Emma set out all the gifts she had bought for everyone and stuffed all the stockings that hung over the main fireplace, she returned to her bedroom where Vivienne was still planted on the couch. Declan had joined her to keep her company and they had switched from bad reality shows to a middle-of-the-night airing of Die Hard.

  “How’s Todd? Has he remained asleep?” Emma whispered to them as she began to change out of her snow-dampened clothes to pajamas.

  “Like a baby, he’s barely stirred since he went to sleep,” Vivienne replied, looking back him. “Man, I’m envious. Sometimes I really miss being able to go to sleep and just shutting everything off for a few hours.”

  “Not me,” Declan chimed in. “I like being aware of everything around me. One is too vulnerable when they sleep.”

  “I barely remember what it felt like to go to sleep. But, I do remember what it was like to wake up after a good dream,” Emma said as she sat down on the couch with them. “Then again, I also remember what it was like to wake up after having a nightmare.”

  Zachariah had heard Emma’s voice from his bedroom and joined them in hers. “Sleeping is overrated. I’m with Declan, I’d rather be conscious at all times.”

  “You all good here, Emma? Declan and I are going to head downstairs for a drink,” Vivienne said as she and Declan stood up.

  “We’re good, thanks for human-sitting,” she said with a wink.

  She curled up on the couch with Zachariah, something she hadn’t done in quite some time since Todd had arrived. Emma, like all vampires, always had a wandering eye. But, being with Zachariah was like coming home after a long trip—comfortable and familiar. To a human, their relationship may seem odd, if not completely unconventional. Sometimes Daniel even wondered how they managed to stay together after each of them would have an extracurricular love life. But, to vampires, this was the norm. Eternity is a very long time to be with someone; love kept them together, however sometimes they needed the short-term relationships with others to crack the boredom.

  As Emma laid on Zachariah while they continued to watch the movie where Vivienne and Declan left off, she felt at “home”. She thought about Todd, and while she had feelings for him, there would be no future besides being good friends in the long run. She felt bad because she knew his heart would be broken when she had to let him go.

  “I’ve been thinking…” she started as she mindlessly played with Zach’s fingers.

  “Don’t hurt yourself,” he said as she swatted him.

  “I feel bad that Todd got so attached to me. He’s in love with me and his heart is going to crumble when this all ends.”

  “Well, that’s what happens when a human is your toy,” Zachariah said matter-of-factly.

  “Before he leaves…I’m going to charm him to forget about what we are and the feelings he has for me. He’ll leave here just knowing that we’re good friends and be none-the-wiser about the world of vampires.” Saying the words out loud was difficult for her. She never wanted to have to charm him, but in this case she knew it was the right thing to do.

  Zachariah simply nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that she had decided to do that. He and the others had been telling her she needed to charm Todd to forget, but she was always so reluctant for her own selfish reasons. Human or vampire, everyone likes to know that they’re adored.

  “Do you know what it is that your sister wants?” He asked.

  Emma took a deep breath, “I do…I’m going to make it right the day after Christmas, you’ll find out then. I have been lying about my sister’s death for far too long, that’s why she can’t rest. I just can’t understand why she has only appeared to John and Todd after all these years.”

  “I thought your sister and her husband ran off together,” he said, now intrigued.

  She shook her head, “No, they didn’t run off together. Elizabeth died shortly after I did, that’s why when I eventually added her name to the tomb, it has the same year as mine.”

 
; He raised an eyebrow whispered, “Why do I get the feeling that Aidan had a hand in this? That’s why she was so pissed tonight, wasn’t it?”

  Emma just shrugged and Zachariah knew it was not because she didn’t know, but rather she didn’t want to confirm or deny it right now.

  They talked for a short time longer until the sun began to spill in through her window. It was brighter than usual due to the fresh-fallen snow that had been dumped onto the Chicago area the day before. It was a beautiful, bright Christmas morning.

  Emma felt somewhat refreshed after spending the remainder of the night talking with Zachariah. He gave her a kiss on the lips before heading downstairs to wait for the humans in the house to wake up. Todd began to lightly stir under the covers and Emma went to the bed and climbed in with him. His eyes peeked open and her face was the first thing he saw staring back at him.

  He unrolled his arms upward and stretched. “Mornin’ love,” he said, his voice groggy from a deep slumber.

  “Merry Christmas,” she smiled. “How did you sleep?”

  “I don’t think I have slept that soundly in a long time,” he replied as he became more coherent.

  “I’m going to go downstairs, Daniel should be up soon. Come down when you’re ready.” She climbed out of the bed and left the room to go and wait in the parlor. When she got down there, all the vampires in the house were already convened on the couches, sipping warm blood from their glasses. Zachariah had prepared one for Emma that was waiting for her on the coffee table. Aidan sipped on his, making a peculiar face.

  “What’s wrong, Aidan?” Emma asked.

  “Doesn’t it make you nervous drinking the blood of an unknown person? One you have never met?” He asked.

  “A little,” she responded. “But, I would prefer this rather than having to charm everyone in town so I could feed on them.”

  “That’s why you should always keep a few pets, my dear. Then you’ll know where the blood is coming from.”

  “I can’t do that to someone, I have too much humanity left in me,” she replied, ending that topic as abruptly as possible.

  Todd and Daniel had come downstairs and joined the rest of them in the parlor. After several wishes of “Merry Christmas” to one another, Emma turned on some Dean Martin Christmas music and started to pull gifts from under the tree, handing them to each person. Everyone joyfully opened their gifts, even Aidan, who couldn’t have cared less about the holiday.

  Todd was surprised to have gotten a gift from Emma, not realizing that she had already thought of him weeks before. His eyes lit up and his smile was beaming when he saw the box—a pair of rollerblades. He remembered the day when he first got to the Manor when he, Daniel, and Zachariah talked about rollerblading through the halls.

  “A little bird told me you wanted to rollerblade through the halls of the Manor,” she said as she winked at Zachariah.

  Todd gave him a nod of gratitude while Zachariah slightly rose his glass to him.

  After all the gifts were opened, Daniel went around the room with a garbage bag and cleared the littered floor of wrapping paper scraps.

  Emma sat down next to Todd and placed her hand on his thigh. “So, how about we go upstairs…” she started, with a sly grin. “…and go blading through the hallways.” The atmosphere at home had been tense and dark for the past few weeks and she was ready to let loose and have some fun. It was the perfect opportunity since most of their guests went home for the holidays and the halls would be clear.

  He gave her a kiss on the lips and said, “Thank you so much, these are such a cool gift.” He stood up and took her hand to go upstairs while holding the box under his other arm.

  “I know you’re not planning on blading through the halls and not include us,” Zachariah said, who was just as ready to have some play time.

  “You’re blading?” Daniel asked as he was getting ready to take the garbage bag out to the trash. “I know you’re not leaving me out! Todd, you’ve never experienced rollerblading until you’ve gone with vampires, hope you’re coordinated!”

  They all converged upstairs in the far west hallway, gliding effortlessly around each other. It had been a couple of years since Todd put on a pair of rollerblades, but he immediately felt comfortable standing on eight wheels.

  Normally they would race down the hallway, which Daniel was no match for the vampires. They often would let him win and attempt to skate at a human speed. They decided to do a practice run for fun and all began to glide effortlessly down the long hallway. The light gray marble floor was so smooth that they never hit a single bump and coasted easily, whizzing past each bedroom door.

  They all picked up speed as they passed the staircase and continued on into the hallway of portraits; it was as if their ancestors were watching them have fun with modern toys. By now, Todd had gotten a feel of his new blades and became familiar with the smoothness of the floor and felt comfortable pushing off to go faster. He began to pass up Emma, who was smiling ear-to-ear with her hair gently blowing past her shoulders.

  As they reached the end of the hallway, they glided into a turn to head back the other way, the sound on their wheels lightly whooshing as they passed each other. Zachariah began to playfully nudge Emma and skate a bit ahead of her, taunting her to race him. She gave him a competitive grin and pushed off at a speed that could only be done by an immortal. He took off immediately behind her, leaving Todd and Daniel in their dust. They disappeared from their view almost instantaneously.

  “And this is how it always goes,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “At least this time I’m not left all by myself.”

  By the time Daniel and Todd got to the beginning of the hallway, Emma was nonchalantly looking at her nails and Zachariah was leaning against the wall looking dramatically bored.

  “Showoffs!” Daniel called as he and Todd coasted up to them.

  Emma skated into a quick spin and then glided up to Todd. “Wanna go for a ride?” She asked while circling him.

  He looked at her skeptically and asked, “What kind of a ride?”

  “Feeling comfortable on those skates?”

  He nodded, wondering where this was going. She stopped in front of him, facing the long hallway once more. She took his hands and linked his fingers into her side belt loops, grasping his hands under hers. Daniel and Zachariah were already doing the same—it was something both Emma and Zachariah did with him since he was a kid.

  “You better hold on tight and keep your feet straight, buddy,” Daniel said to Todd as his adrenaline was pumping.

  Zachariah and Daniel had shot out ahead of them, vanishing from view around the curve of the hallway. Todd heard Daniel let out a holler of glee that echoed off of the walls. Emma began to roll forward at a normal pace, but quickly picked up speed while still holding onto the tops of Todd’s hands tightly, making sure he couldn’t slip away. She didn’t plan to reach her top speed since this was his first time, but she didn’t baby it either.

  Todd’s leg muscles tightened and slightly bent at the knees, straining to keep himself steady while he felt the wheels spinning at an unnatural speed under his feet. His person had never flown this fast before without being in a car or an airplane; it was exhilarating and nerve-racking all in one. He kept his head forward, afraid that if he turned to look at the doors whizzing past them he would lose balance and wipe out. They approached the staircase and he briefly saw that they had gained an audience, but they flew by so fast he didn’t have a chance to see who it was. It was just a blur of images from the corner of his eye.

  They quickly approached the end of the hallway and Emma had slightly slowed down, but they were still traveling at an inhuman speed.

  “Keep your knees bent, all your muscles tight, and lean a little to the right; we’re going to make the U-turn,” Emma shouted so Todd could hear her over the air blowing past his ears.

  He did as he was told as the end of the hallway was rapidly nearing. He felt her body shift and she tightened her hands onto
his once more, keeping him securely linked to her. She slightly squatted and leaned her body to the right, causing them to whip around in the opposite direction. Todd had braced himself for the turn, but wasn’t prepared for the momentum and almost wiped out. Emma grasped his arm and used her body weight to pull him back straight as she allowed the traction to naturally slow them down. Once Todd regained his balance and was steady on his feet again, she picked up the pace to fly down the hallway for a second time.

  They were going faster this time; the portraits in the hallway whipped past him as if they were merely colors smeared on the walls. They approached the staircase on the way back and he saw that their audience was still there; he saw Vivienne smiling at them before they blazed past. Emma ceased pushing off and allowed them to coast down the remainder of the hallway, occasionally leaning her heel back to apply the brake. They began to slow at a more human speed and he saw Daniel and Zachariah waiting at the end of the hallway. Emma let go of his hands, freeing him to skate on his own now, but his legs felt like Jell-O from the adrenaline that was rushing through his entire body. He was shaking in both fear and excitement, much like going on an insane rollercoaster ride.

  They rolled to a stop and Emma, Zachariah, and Daniel were all looking at Todd with anticipation, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

  Todd leaned his body against the wall and panted, “That was bloody awesome!”

  They continued racing through the hallway for another hour; Emma and Zachariah raced each other and Todd and Daniel doing the same. It clearly wouldn’t have been a fair race between a vampire and a human. Emma took Todd for a few more rides, going a little bit faster each time as he became more comfortable with the sensation. He was less fearful each time around and filled that void with exhilaration, anticipating Emma’s quick, yet graceful moves.

  Chapter 15