Not bothering to change, I stomped my way down the stairs, knowing precisely where he was. I could sense his emotions pouring off of him in waves. Misery. Well, if he thought he was miserable before our soon-to-be encounter, he had another think coming.
I threw his study door open. “Honey, I’m home.”
I don’t know what shocked me more: the broken glass that was all over the floor, the massive overturned desk, or the red rim around Stephan’s eyes. He looked like caveman meets Tom Hanks from Cast Away.
“Did someone break in and destroy your study and decide that, that wasn’t good enough, so they stole your hygiene products, too? Good lord, you look awful.”
His head swung to mine, and he slowly stood from the chair, which was the only thing that wasn’t destroyed or flipped upside down. He took in every inch of me. “Where have you been?”
I crossed my arms over my bikini-clad body. “Don’t you dare shout at me, Stephan. I have been visiting with my great-great well, lots of greats grandfather, and do you know what we discussed?”
“I don’t give a damn what you talked about. You were off gallivanting around with your grandfather? Do you realize how long you have been gone? Wait.” In a flash he was in front of my gripping my arms and in a quiet voice that was scarier than a shout, asked, “What do you mean, your grandfather?”
A smug smile came across my face. “First of all, I was gone a hot minute, not ‘gallivanting,’ and secondly, I mean my real grandfather; you know the one that is fae, and he had some pretty interesting things to say. Some things that apparently you knew, but because of whatever hidden agenda you have, you decided not to share with the class. I thought you kept me in the dark because I totally suck at being a vampire, but now I wonder if it’s because you knew how different I am.”
Jerking me by my arms, he dipped his head, resting his forehead on mine. “I’m not sure what you are accusing me of this time. I found out about your fae heritage the first week of your disappearance.”
He let go of me and I stumbled. “What are you talking about?”
He went about the room, kicking what was left of his study out of his way as he made a trail to the overturned desk. With his vampire strength, he picked up the solid chunk of wood with one hand like it was nothing, and settled it back in its original place. “What else did you and Gallen talk about?”
Oh, so he was just going to ignore my questions. At least we were back on familiar ground. Two could play this game. “This and that. It doesn’t surprise me that you know his name. I didn’t even think to ask his real name. But then again you seem to know a lot. Secrets don’t make friends; they make hormonal, teenage girls premeditate murder.”
He rolled his chair to his desk and sat down in the disheveled room that was once the most organized O.C.D. lover’s paradise. “It doesn’t matter at this point what you two talked about. We have more pressing matters. Akeldama has requested all vampires’ presence for her daughter’s wedding. She has given everyone ample time to gather, and if we don’t go, it will be looked upon as an intentional insult. So pack a bag quickly, and we will leave tonight.”
“Ample time? This isn’t ample time, buddy. And for the record, I am still going to help you find this missing key, and I will find Greta’s killer. But know I do not trust you for one second.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, looking thoroughly and utterly exhausted. “Duly noted.” As soon as I walked out of his study, he said, “Oh, and Tandi, you weren’t gone for a ‘hot minute,’ you were gone for two months. I have used every resource and traded in every favor owed to me searching for you. That is where Dani is right now, looking for you. You left without a trace. All your belongings were still here, including your cuff, and your bath water was still warm. The wards I had around the house weren’t triggered, and there were no foreign scents coming from your room. You literally disappeared. You dream walking and having a mini-vacation with Gallen never crossed my mind, even after I found out about your fae heritage.”
My jaw dropped as I took in the weight of his words. Was I the reason for the state of his study and the half-crazed look on his face? I started to walk back in the room, but with a flick of his wrist, he slammed the door shut in my face. It wasn’t until I was packed and ready to go that I realized Stephan was telekinetic.
The car ride to the Queen’s infamous Georgia castle was intense to say the least. Stephan had cleaned himself up, and I felt horrible that I was the reason for his demise. All these months, I’d felt like a total failure and come to find out, there was a reason I wasn’t a fantastic vampire. Because I wasn’t a vampire. Well, not wholly. I wanted to ask what he thought of me now that he knew I was different, but I wasn’t sure he would tell me. My peripheral vision revealed that he was still gripping the steering wheel. I was surprised it hadn’t popped off the dashboard and landed in his lap yet. Maybe if I started a conversation, it would alleviate some of the tension, lighten the mood, or at least cure some of my boredom.
“Why are we leaving today? I saw the invite, and it says we need to be there by tomorrow.” In my best English accent, I said, “Dinner will be promptly served at six.”
Crickets. That’s what I got, crickets. I was studying his profile, and his facial features didn’t change. I'd be danged if I was going to be ignored.
My arms crossed and I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask to have a chit-chat with my… with Pops; I didn’t even know that he existed. Apparently, he had been summoning me, and I denied the call.” Even though I wasn’t entirely sure how I did that. Maybe it was the pure relaxation in the bathtub. Stephan remained silent. “And at one point, he did mention that fae time was different than normal time, but I assumed he meant like central versus eastern. Not a month for every half hour. Also, I would just like to point out that I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I wasn’t dreaming.”
After a couple of minutes, he said, “Fine. Apology accepted.”
“That’s it? Apology accepted? Where the hell is my apology?”
He scoffed. “What in the world do I need to apologize for Tandi?”
“You have got to be shitting me, right?” Holding up my hand, I started ticking off the reasons on my fingers. “Let’s see, you knew that I was struggling with becoming a vampire, and you were already checking into my heritage, so you probably assumed that I wasn’t a hundred percent vampire. Answer me this: did you know that my blood kills?”
“When Dani reported back to me that the vampire who bit you immediately dropped to the ground screaming before his flesh developed black lines running all over it, I had my concerns that you carried ghoul blood.”
“You have known for some time that I had ghoul in me. You also knew that my blood kills. Oh, and you know what? Out of the courtesy of my own heart, I’m not going to even count that if you were checking into my heritage, then you knew that I was adopted. Because let’s face it, that is some straight up Jerry Springer shiznit. You would have to have a big pair of cojones to broach that subject.”
“Is that all you and Gallen talked about?”
“Yes, that’s all—wait a minute. What do you mean, is that all? What else do you know that you should tell, but are too stupid to?”
The arrogant pig appeared relieved, and that really ticked me off. “Tandi, I’m sorry you think I should have told you, but I wanted to get more information first.” I started to interrupt, and he said, “You want to know why I didn’t tell you, so give me a chance to speak. Yes, I was aggravated by your lack of hunting skills because to a vampire, that means you’re an easy target, but I was mostly disappointed that I didn’t know how to help you. After the attack that killed Greta, I knew that it was you who had killed that vampire. Only a ghoul could cause a death like that. I called Ariana, who’s only confirmation was that she thought it took me long enough to figure it out. In the same conversation, she said that you were related to an old friend of hers, Gallen. She said that it was the fae in you that would keep you alive. Alive from what, I do not k
now. Trust me, I had plenty of questions, but she refused to answer any of them. Sometimes, I hate that old woman.”
I let out a breath, watching it fog up the window. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Right now, it’s a problem that you are part vampire, ghoul, and fae because people are scared of what they can’t explain. I wanted to have a solution before I gave you the problem.”
“The fae in me is apparently getting stronger and sometimes overrides my vampire instincts, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but you still have the weaknesses of a young vampire. With that cuff I gave you, you won’t perish in the sun, but you are not strong enough to stay awake during daylight hours.”
“What about the ghoul blood I carry? I’m sure those nasty creatures are going to have some kind of negative outcome for me.”
His dimple winked at me for a second. “You would be correct. As of right now, the only thing I can think of is you probably shouldn’t be opening up a vein for anyone anytime soon.”
“Stephan! What about Greta? I gave her my blood, and that didn’t kill her.”
At the mention of Greta’s name, Stephan reached over and held my hand. “There are two theories that I have thought of. One is that she was human and with a slower metabolism than a vampire, your blood acted more slowly in her.”
“What is the second theory?” I asked.
“That perhaps out of love, your fae blood somehow made your blood non-toxic as you were giving it to Greta.”
I was a firm believer that love cured all things, but was my love for Greta powerful enough to change my blood from harming her? That sounded too good to be true.
Still holding onto his hand, I drew up my legs underneath me. “Being part ghoul and not knowing what I am capable of is not a good thing, is it?”
“No. It’s not. Knowledge is important, and I’m sure that there is a balance to all three. Ariana is no longer taking my calls, so I won’t be able to ask her.”
“Why won’t she help us?”
“She sees around corners, Tandi. If she thinks that her advice or answers to my questions will set either of us off the path of finding the key, she won’t tell us anything. It’s frustrating to no end, but I understand her predicament.”
“How did you meet this Ariana?” I asked.
“She’s as old as time, so of course I’ve heard of her, but it wasn’t until recently that she decided to insert herself into my life. Apparently, she thinks—or excuse me knows—that I’m needed to retrieve the third key.”
I stared out the window, arriving at the conclusion that I might never truly understand exactly who I was, and the one person who could tell me wouldn’t. Ariana had her own agenda. I hoped she was batting for the good guys, and Stephan wasn’t just blindly following her advice. Time would tell.
Chapter Thirteen
Stephan had pulled off the interstate about five minutes ago, and after a series of nauseating turns, was currently climbing up a windy road that had room for only one car to pass at a time.
I grabbed hold of the “oh shit” handle and peered out of the window. The higher we went, the steeper the drop got. “If we fall off this road, we’re dead.”
“The vamp in you won’t let a small tumble down a cliff kill you, Tandi.”
“Small tumble my cute behind. And what if the car combusts into a ball of fire? Then what, Sherlock? I don’t want to be made into a s’more.”
“I realize that the land is flatter where you come from, but I can promise you that I’m very good at navigating mountain roads.”
I snorted. “You say road; I say goat trail.”
“Up ahead there will be a small place where I can turn around. From there, we will exit the car and carry on by foot.”
“What on God’s green earth for?”
“Because the wards that were set in place by the witch who we are soon to visit will shut down the engine of the car if we try to keep driving.”
“And why are we visiting a witch?”
“Because she owes me a favor.”
Unfortunately, sooner rather than later, he turned the car around to point in the direction that we had just come from, and we exited the vehicle. We climbed over roots and rocks for what seemed like an hour but honestly could have been fifteen minutes. The truth was I deplored any and all kinds of exercise. Not to mention the fact that I hated the great outdoors with its mosquitos and wildlife. Louisiana had its fair share of both closer to the wooded areas and the swamps, but that’s why I avoided anywhere that didn’t have a controlled environment. Air-conditioning was my friend. I didn’t long to get close with nature, that was what the National Geographic Chanel was for. But I refused to complain.
“Are we there yet?”
“You’ve asked me that question five times already.”
Well, I personally didn’t see asking a bloody question as complaining, and I was about to tell him that, when I saw smoke curling up from a chimney. I pushed the next branch out of my way and about had a full-blown heart attack when my face got caught in a spider web. It was amazing how just the feel of a sticky web hitting a body part could turn the least athletic of us into a stealth, black-belt wielding ninja. I dropped to the ground and snatched at that web, wrestling it like a python.
“Husband of a Disney princess whore. Get it off. Get it off!”
I must have stirred up an ant farm when I was thrashing around on the ground because they were coming out of the woodwork, literally, and the first troop had seized my leg. I was under attack, and Stephan just stood there laughing. The asshat. As I swatted at my leg, I realized that these weren’t the ants like I saw on A Bugs Life; these were what my grandmother used to call Piss Ants. They got their classy name from Southerners because they could bite the piss out of you. I started rolling like I was on fire. Leaves were sticking to my hair because of the damn spider web, and I had acquired a mouth full of bark somewhere along the way. I was going to die in the middle of nowhere because of ants. How freaking embarrassing.
“Adolebitque!” a feminine voice shouted, and I watched in amazement as the ants who were conquering my body and were mere moments away from planting a flag on my ass burned to ashes. I jumped up, patting my limbs to make sure that I wasn’t on fire, too.
The same voice mocked, “Stephan, really? You saw the poor child needed help, and you just stood there.” I was certain she was trying to sound patronizing, but at this point I didn’t care. The ants were not stealing my soul, so she could patronize away.
“I’m sorry, Athela, but you have to admit it was mildly entertaining.”
“It was that.” She chuckled.
Well, I was super happy that I could provide entertainment. For the first time, I got a glance at ol’ Athela to see that she wasn’t old at all, but young and beautiful, with long, curly black hair and emerald green eyes. Standing tall in her gypsy-looking attire, she ran a hand lovingly up and down Stephan’s arm while giving me a calculating look. That was just great. She saw me as a threat, but I didn’t care what she thought of me, as long as she continued to save me from the surrounding nature.
“Why don’t you bring your worn-out friend into my home, Stephan? She can… try to clean up some, while you tell me what is the reason behind this impromptu visit. Not that I am not delighted to see you.”
“Of course,” Stephan purred out with all the charm that I was never the recipient of. I would be jealous, but I was still picking bark from my teeth. “After you, Athela.”
My shields up, I studied her as she picked up her long skirt and sashayed her way through the small trail, making it look like she was floating on air instead of stumbling every five seconds like I was doing. Was I jealous? Maybe, but we all had our talents, and so what if mine wasn’t hiking Satan’s mountain? I would much rather know all answers to any and all trivia questions pertaining to Pretty Little Liars, and I bet I could beat her plump butt in a game of Monopoly. I would so own the Boardwalk, and what would she have? Balti
c, that’s what.
When the trail widened, Stephan dropped back, so he could walk next to me. I caught a glimpse of a small cottage around the bend that reminded me of a quaint version of the witch’s house in the tale of Hansel and Gretel. Hope today’s little rendezvous didn’t end with little miss gypsy queen trying to shove me in an oven.
“Little one, pray tell, what Disney whore were you referring to?”
He was still laughing at me. I glared at him. “Snow White, I reckon. After all, she did shack up with seven different men. Oh, and by the way, thanks for your help back there.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “I assumed that you had it under control, and you are one of those today women who insists on standing on her own two feet.”
“Ha! Well, you assumed wrong. Not only was I not standing, I was rolling around, and it wasn’t for your amusement. There is no reason on this earth that I wouldn’t accept help when my life depends on it.”
“Tandi, they were ants.”
“You see ants, I see an army.”
He chuckled. “My apologies then. Next time, I will make sure to come to your aid.”
My fist punched him in the arm. “There better not be a next time, buddy. I am officially a part of an elite group that has survived an ant attack while being engulfed in a web. Lightning better not strike twice.”
The witch must have heard our exchange. “Or what? It’s Tandi, correct?” she said. At my nod, she smirked before quietly walking up the steps to her front door.
“I guess if it happens next time, Athela, I will just give up on life. Honest to God, I don’t want to go through that experience again.”
“Then you will never be a warrior.”
Were we still talking about ants? I had nothing to say. I mean, seriously. This lady, if she could be called that, didn’t know me from Jack and already hated me just because she saw me as competition. She needed to lighten up. Miserable cow. I clomped up the steps after the both of them.
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