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I blink a few times to clear the moisture from my eyes, then focus on his features. His nose, cheeks, and chin are completely foreign to me, as are the shape and color of his eyes. Yet somewhere deep down in their depths resides a tiny note of familiarity. As if the old adage were true, and the eyes really are the windows to the soul, I see the man who raised me.
“Dad?”
I barely breathe the word, yet he reacts as if I’d shouted it through a bullhorn right into his ear. Stumbling back a step, he reaches out and grips the woman’s wrist before mumbling a few words under his breath.
“No!” I shout as they shimmer and fade, but it’s too late.
They’re gone.
A wail of agony rockets up my throat, and my knees give out. I start to drop, but strong arms catch me before my kneecaps crash against the wooden planks beneath me. I look up to see Jesse’s dark gaze searching mine as he lifts me up and pulls me into his embrace.
“What happened, my love?” he whispers, and I open my eyes to see passersby watching us with nervous curiosity.
Pulling out of his arms, my eyes seek out the furthest corners of the area, desperately searching for any sign of the older couple. I spin round and round, but there’s no sign of them anywhere. Pausing, I ground myself and close my eyes, but even in my gut, there’s nothing.
They’re gone.
“Eden?” Jesse murmurs, and I meet his agitated gaze. “We got worried when we couldn’t hear you speaking. We thought maybe the person you were supposed to meet didn’t show up. But when we moved closer, we couldn’t see you, either. I almost lost my mind, thinking you’d been taken. But then you reappeared out of nowhere and cried out. What happened?”
I shake my head and swallow hard against the emotion clogging my throat before answering. “They were here,” I mouth.
“Who was here?” he asks, his gaze flashing toward Erik before returning to mine. “Who did you see, Eden?”
“They were disguised by magic, at first,” I say, finding my voice once more. “But as we talked, I touched her, and the spell slipped a bit. I started to see her true face.”
“Who was it?” he asks, and I can tell he’s almost afraid to hear the answer.
“My mother,” I breathe, my eyes stinging with emotion once more. “And the man with her was my father. It was them, Jesse. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But my parents aren’t dead. They’re here, and they’re trying to protect me from something.”
Erik zips out of view as Jesse and I continue to lock gazes, and a second later, he’s back with a slight gust of air and a shake of his head.
They’re gone. But then again, I already knew that.
“Let’s go home,” I say, suddenly feeling drained of every ounce of my energy.
The vampires agree, and Jesse keeps his arm around me as we head out to our vehicle. Neither of them ask more questions as we drive back to the manor, allowing me to silently process everything that just happened.
But how in the hell am I supposed to process––much less accept––that my parents faked their deaths and left me alone to mourn them for the last several years?
It’s impossible. They would never do that to me.
And yet, I know what I saw. What I felt.
It was them.
When we arrive at the manor, Steph is waiting in the foyer. She looks pissed, geared up to give us the third degree, but the moment she gets a look at my face, her hackles disappear, replaced by true concern.
“Are you okay? Where have you been?” she asks as she rushes forward to wrap her arms around me.
The four of us head upstairs to the room I share with Jesse. No one pauses until we’re locked inside the bathroom with its soundproof walls. Flipping the toilet lid down, I plop down and bury my face in my hands. No one speaks, not even Steph, until I pull myself together and meet her worried gaze.
“What happened, Eden?” she asks gently.
“I got a text from an anonymous number telling me to meet them at the Santa Monica pier. Jesse and Erik came with me, but remained out of sight since I was directed to come alone. Please don’t be upset we didn’t tell you, Steph. We had no idea what we were walking into, and I refuse to be the cause of something bad happening to you. Not again.”
“I understand,” she says slowly before shooting an accusatory glare at Erik.
“Don’t be mad at him, either,” I say. “This was my choice, and Jesse ordered him not to tell you.”
