AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Matty froze as he was reaching into the cupboard for plates. “Your sister?”
I nodded, concentrating on spreading the mix evenly so I didn’t break down. “Amelie. I told you before that vampires don’t need human food, but that doesn’t mean we can’t eat it. Well, Amelie had a sweet tooth. My brothers and I were over a century older than her, so we liked to indulge her.”
Matty crept closer, leaning into my arm. “So you learned how to make pancakes for her?”
I smiled down at him through watery eyes, letting his weight support me through this. “I did. She could be a right terror when she didn’t get her way. When she was eighteen months old, she went through a stage of screaming bloody murder at three o’clock every morning because she wanted pancakes.”
Using the hand not pressed against Matty, I flipped the pancake in a smooth motion. “One night I gave in and took her to the kitchen. We had a cook—a whole team of them, actually—but there was no way I was waking them because a toddler was having a tantrum.”
I slid the cooked pancake onto a plate, adding another dollop of batter as I continued my story. “God knows how many pancakes I messed up. Thankfully Cook had all her recipes recorded in this big old book, so I knew the ingredients and method. I must’ve been at it for hours, but finally, I produced one that Amelie deemed acceptable.”
I watched the batter bubble. “I can still remember how she clapped her hands and squealed. She had a temper on her, but she was also easily pleased. And when she was happy, there was nothing that could spoil her mood. She was like a pocket-sized ball of sunshine.”
I choked off at the final part of the sentence as grief overwhelmed me. Matty slid his arms around my middle, like he knew I was fracturing and he was trying to hold me together. “You loved Amelie very much.”
“I did.” I sniffed, kissing Matty’s head before flipping the pancake. “She would’ve been devastated to know how long it’s been since I’ve made pancakes.”
We stood in silence for a few minutes, Matty hugging me while I stacked the pancakes.
When I clicked off the hob, Matty rose on his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
“I think Amelie would be pretty proud if she could see you right now,” he whispered. He grabbed the plate and carried it out to where his brother and Ferry were waiting.
Leaving me standing there, fingers pressed to where his lips had touched.
Amelie would be pretty proud.
I wasn’t sure that was the case, but suddenly I wanted it to be. I wanted to be better, not just for Matty, but for my family.
Straightening my spine, I grabbed the various toppings and marched out to join the others.
Wherever my family were, I wanted them to know I wasn’t going to wallow in the shadows any longer.
Breakfast went far smoother than I could ever have imagined.
It was obvious that both Leo and I were trying to make an effort. I asked him questions about his role in the fire service, while he followed up by asking about various places I’d visited.
Matty hung on my every word, reminding me how little he actually knew about me. I tried to pepper my answers with as many trivial details as I could remember—everything from things I’d enjoyed to people I’d met.
Ferry was surprisingly quiet during the meal, watching me over his mug of tea but not joining in.
It was only as he helped me take the dishes to the kitchen that I understood why.
“I’m sorry about Amelie.”
I stiffened, half-bent over the dishwasher. “I didn’t realise you’d heard.”
Ferry stepped up beside me, taking the plate from my hands and slotting it in. “I tried not to, but you know what our hearing is like.”
“Hmph.” It wasn’t that I was trying to hide my past from Ferry. To be honest, I was surprised Leo hadn’t told him everything already. The fact that he’d kept my confidence was strangely warming. But that moment was supposed to be for me and Matty.
“I don’t know your story, Sebastian. But I’m realising it’s far darker than any of us appreciated. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I let the opinions of other people cloud my judgement of you.”
“Don’t blame you. Not like I’ve made myself the most likeable person.”
Ferry hummed. “Actually, I don’t think that’s true. You gave Leo Bessie, knowing it was his best shot at saving me. He told me you even helped him work on his stance and grip.”
“Wasn’t much point giving him a dagger he couldn’t use effectively.”
