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“But,” I say, bringing her attention back to me, “if that’s true, why did you tell me to vacate my seat on the council? Don’t you want peace?”
“Of course, we do, honey,” she says. “But there are covens who don’t, like Desertwillow. Their hate for vampires runs deep, and they’ll do anything to keep the war going. And killing you wouldn’t just stymie the prophecy, Eden. You’re the vampire king’s mate. He would have no choice but to attack the coven responsible for your death. The other covens would rally to support them, of course. And because they don’t know witches exist, the humans would see vampires killing other humans and activate their militaries to help destroy every one of them. The vampires would protect themselves, fighting back and killing witches and non-witches, alike, and chaos would ensue. Desertwillow and others like them are counting on that happening and that vampires will be exterminated, completely.”
Holy shit. She’s right. If a witch were to assassinate me, Jesse would not stop until every member of their coven was dead. Hell, I’d probably do the same for him. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself, my grief being so overwhelming, it would cloud any sense of reason.
And the witches aren’t the only ones with hate that runs deep. There are plenty of vampires who hate them just as fiercely. They’d jump at any excuse to make this war a thing of reality instead of just being part of two groups who dislike and avoid each other at all costs.
“So, they’re just using the prophecy as a tool to incite this war,” I murmur, and both my parents nod.
Jesse’s hand slips into mine, squeezing it firmly before he asks, “So, how do we stop it?”
“I don’t know,” Mom says, then gives me a slight smile. “Our efforts so far have proven futile.”
“I can’t spend my whole life hiding, Mom,” I say softly. “And if the prophecy is true, I’m the one who can end the hatred between vampires and witches, for good. I can’t just ignore that.”
“We know, doodle bug,” Dad says, “and we’re done trying to convince you to go against your very nature. We’re here for you, and we want to help in any way we can.”
Releasing Jesse’s hand, I lunge forward, pulling them both into a tight hug. These are the parents I remember. The ones who loved me unconditionally and did everything in their power, including “dying,” just to protect me.
“I’ve missed you guys so much,” I mumble into Mom’s hair.
“We’re so sorry, Eden. We did what we thought was the right thing.”
I pull back and rein in my emotions. “But I still don’t understand. Why fake your deaths and leave me alone to grieve?”
“That was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do, honey,” Mom says, sadness lacing the words.
“We went out to dinner in Atlanta, and in an unlucky stroke of fate, the council had procured a private room in the restaurant for a meeting at the same time as our reservation. The hostess was a witch from a local coven, and despite our efforts to hide it, she sensed our power and assumed we were there for the meeting. She led us straight to the room without question, and the moment we walked in, every eye in the place was on us,” Dad says.
“None of the coven leaders recognized us, of course. My coven shouldn’t exist, and your father left his to be with me decades ago. Our anonymity led to a string of questions we couldn’t answer,” Mom adds with a sigh. “We ran before anyone could figure out that I’m a Grundelier, but over the next few days, witches from all over the southeast were searching for us. Not only were we a mystery, but we’d unintentionally infiltrated a council meeting, which is forbidden to anyone not holding a chair. We knew they wouldn’t give up, and when they found us, they’d find you. So, we did what we had to do to protect you.”
My gaze shifts between them over and over for several beats as emotion wells inside me. Everything they did, and I mean everything, was to protect me. Because they loved me too much to put me at risk.
If I’d never met Jesse, I would still be living my life as a human with no idea witches existed, much less that I was the last of the prestigious Grundelier line. Hell, I might’ve gotten married to a human one day and had kids of my own. Kids that would have magical powers I couldn’t explain or help them control.
Shit. That would’ve been bad.
And now? Now, I’ll never have kids, and I am truly the last of the line.
I need to make it count.
“Okay,” I say after inhaling deeply and exhaling for effect, “we need to come up with a plan to end this, for good.”
50
UNITY
We’re back at Belloy Manor, and my parents are safely ensconced in a bedroom down the hall from mine and Jesse’s. Now, that’s a bizarre thought.
My parents are alive, and they’re in the bedroom down the hall.
It doesn’t feel real.
I’m staring at the landscape outside the window when Jesse moves in behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle and pulling me back against his chest.
“How are you holding up?” he murmurs.
The seriousness of why my parents are here crashes back down on my shoulders, and I slump in his embrace. “I’m not really sure how to answer that.”
