Family Secrets (Young Adult Edition) (Davenport Manor (Young Adult Edition)) Read online

  During their lunch break from filming in the afternoon, Zachariah walked over to Todd who was eating his lunch.

  “What now?” Todd asked while chewing, not looking at Zachariah.

  “I just want to apologize, man. I was out of line. I don’t want awkwardness here, you know? I’m stepping back, she’s all yours.”

  Todd swallowed his food and slowly turned to look at him. “I appreciate that,” he started. He wasn’t a confrontational person and didn’t want drama in his life. He continued, “I’ll be good to her, you know. She’s unlike anyone I have ever met.”

  He nodded, “I know, she’s one-of-a-kind. Just be careful. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “What? Is she an axe murderer or something?” he chortled.

  Zachariah smiled, “No, she definitely does not yield an axe.” He patted Todd on the back once and walked away.

  The next few days of filming went smoothly and the cast and crew always congregated in the grand parlor in the evenings. It actually gave Todd a chance to get to know some of the other people on the crew since he was completely focused on Emma when she was there. The tension between Zachariah and Todd had mostly dissipated, but some of it still lingered. At the very least, they were able to hold civil conversations with each other.

  Todd’s cell phone dinged in his pocket indicating a text message. When he saw it was from Emma his heart did a skip and Zachariah glanced at him. It read:

  “Hey Todd, are you busy right now?”

  He smiled and immediately texted back, “No, I’m all yours.”

  “Good, let’s head upstairs and have a little chat.” He heard a cheerful voice coming from behind him. He turned around and there stood Emma in the archway.

  “You’re back!” He jumped up off the couch and hugged her tight. She smelled of her Burberry as usual…with a faint hint of airplane. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today?”

  “I wanted to surprise you!” She responded, grinning from ear to ear. My gosh, how he missed her face.

  Zachariah strolled up to her and gave her a tight hug. “Good to have you back, love. Everything go okay?”

  “All is good.”

  “And how’s Aidan? Been a long time since I’ve seen him,” Zachariah raised an eyebrow. After all, Aidan could be considered his grandfather of sorts. The mention of Aidan’s name gave Todd a quick knot in his stomach.

  “Aidan is doing well! He sends his regards to you.”

  Daniel, Vivienne, and Declan all gathered around as well, welcoming her back after being gone for nearly a week. To Todd, the house felt alive again. While she was talking with everyone, Zachariah carried her bags upstairs and waited for her in the bedroom.

  “Once you get settled, would you mind stopping by my room to talk? I’ve been thinking about you while you were gone,” Todd said to her once everyone was done greeting her.

  “Of course, I’m just going to put my stuff away, I’ll knock on your door in about ten minutes, okay?”

  She flitted upstairs towards her bedroom where Zachariah was waiting for her. She looked down the hallway and shut the door behind her, and headed over to her suitcases. They opened them up and at vampire speed, put away her belongings in less than twenty seconds.

  “So, tell me really how it went.” Zachariah asked her with a low voice.

  “It went well. Aidan brought up the idea of the vampires coming out into the open; none of us were opposed to it. Culture isn’t as blind and conservative as it once was; our kind are even glorified with all the books, movies, and television shows about us. We’re just discussing about how we can responsibly come out without striking fear into people. We also don’t want people who have become fanatics regarding our kind to want to get turned just because it seems trendy, you know?”

  “I know, I would just hope that rogue vampires wouldn’t use it to be obnoxious out in the open, giving us a bad name. However, I don’t think North American vampires would be quick to piss off our Queen; she’s fair, but vicious.”

  “She only learned from the best. If they don’t follow her orders they will suffer and they know it.”

  Vampires were never quick to disobey their King or Queen. There were six Vampire Kings and Queens on Earth, ruling over each continent except Antarctica. Disobeying them would prove to be miserable to the one who was brave enough to do so. Aidan was the only ancient king, the rest were all considered young by vampire standards. However, they were fair and respected amongst their kind.

  Emma looked at the clock and said, “Time for me to go and knock on Todd’s door.” She had a devilish grin and winked at Zachariah.

  He looked down at the floor, attempting to disregard her statement.

  “What?” She asked.

  “Nothing,” he replied impassively.

  She stood staring at him, waiting for a real answer.

  He looked up at her and shrugged. “Nothing. Whatever I say doesn’t matter anyway, so….nothing.”

  She rolled her eyes, gave him a quick kiss, and reassured him, “Everything will be fine. Relax.”

  Chapter 6

  She went across the hall and knocked on Todd’s bedroom door. As he opened it, she heard his heart rate speed up, making her smile to herself. He was wearing jeans and a light blue, long-sleeve t-shirt, which complimented his dark, shaggy hair and light eyes. He beamed at her and showed her in. He closed the door behind him and brought her to the loveseat near the lit fireplace, where he had two drinks waiting on a small coffee table. He had music playing on low volume, right now Mumford and Sons’ I Will Wait was playing; she loved that song.

  “Please sit down, love,” he said as he motioned his hand toward the couch.

  “Why thank you. What’s all this?” She asked, pointing to the drinks, a small vase of flowers in the center, and a crackling fire in the fireplace.

  “I thought we could have some wine while we talk, you seem to be fond of red.”

  She suppressed a laugh. Of course he thought she liked red wine. At the party she had been downing glasses that were not filled with red wine, but with blood. He had wondered how she was still sober. But now, how was she going to pull this off without hurting his pride or giving herself away?

  He handed her a glass and picked up his own, “Cheers love! To…a new friendship…and possibly more.”

  “Cheers,” she smiled and clinked glasses with him. She put the glass up to her mouth and tipped back ever so slightly, but stopping the wine from going into her mouth with her tongue pressed to her lips.

  Oh my gosh, that is nasty! Don’t make a face, don’t make a face, she thought to herself. “So, what did you want to talk about, Todd?”

  He set his glass down and sat up straight to face her. “Well, I missed you while you were gone. I was thinking about you a lot. Actually, I couldn’t get you out of my head; it felt very empty without you here.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she responded. “I was thinking about you as well.”

  He was so glad to hear that she had thought of him while she was away. “Okay, I’m going to get right to it, I’m really interested in you. I find you absolutely fascinating and feel like I have a connection with you. I think you’re gorgeous, sexy, and absolutely breath-taking.”

  “Aw, thank you! That is very sweet of you to say,” she began. “I have always thought that you were so handsome ever since I saw your first film. And I agree, there is some sort of connection between us—it’s very easy to talk to you. I have felt comfortable with you since day one.”

  “Likewise…so…would you like to go out on a date sometime?” He nervously asked.

  “I would, I really would. But, I have to be up front and honest with you. I’m very complicated and I don’t think there could ever be a future with us. I just don’t want to lead you on.” She was slowly and carefully saying her words without sounding like a complete jerk.

  “Why no future? How complicated can you be?” He took her icy hands. She had the fast reflexes to pu
ll away before he touched her, but she knew that would seem odd. Time to whip out the old excuse again. “Oh my gosh, your hands are freezing!” He exclaimed.

  She smiled, “I know, I’m always cold head-to-toe. I have a condition that causes poor circulation throughout my body.”

  “Like a heart condition?” He asked, concerned.

  “Yes,” she lied. She wanted to be able to actually touch him for once, allow him to hold her hand, maybe even kiss her. The entire time he had been here she never allowed skin-on-skin contact to happen, even when they danced at the party. The only time she allowed him to touch her skin was when he was drunk later that night.

  “Is it a serious condition?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Is it…fatal?” He cautiously asked.

  “No, I won’t die from it.” Because I’m already dead, she thought.

  Todd gave a quick sigh of relief and continued gazing at her. He continued to hold her chilly hands in his, subconsciously trying to warm them. “You still haven’t answered me. Why no future?”

  She looked at him sheepishly and replied, “I have issues.”

  “Like baggage? Are you married? Kids? Secretly a man?” He joked.

  She laughed heartily, “No! No husband, no kids, nor am I a man.”

  “So, what is it?”

  She looked him in the eyes and had an inner struggle with herself. She wanted to tell him the truth. She did have a heart condition—the fact that her heart stopped beating over two-hundred years ago. That she lived off the blood of humans. That she could move at lightning speed and that it was her he saw lifting an entire tree. That she was the Emma Davenport that he admired in the portrait, the founding daughter. She was not Daniel’s sister, but in fact his sixth-great aunt. That while she may look twenty-five years old, she was actually two-hundred and twenty-two years old. That she was immortal.

  She came up with a lie on the spot, “Ever since my family was killed, I guess you could say I have commitment issues. I’m afraid to let myself get too close to anyone because I fear I will lose them.” So, it wasn’t a total lie, she always had some sort of a guard up with each generation of her family. She loved each one, she protected them as she could, and every one of them knew what she was and kept her secret. But, she wouldn’t let herself get too attached as she knew she would lose each and every one of them through the years. Daniel was the closest she had been to a family member since her immediate family was alive. She loved him more than she did her actual brother, Christopher.

  Todd’s face softened and he gave her a sympathetic look. “I can completely understand that,” he said as he squeezed her hands. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”

  You have no idea what I’ve been through, she thought. The last time she got too emotionally attached to a human, Zachariah became a vampire. She did to him exactly what was done to her—he had no choice.

  “We can still have fun together,” she said cheerfully. Fact was, she couldn’t help but want to spend time with him.

  “Of course we can!” Deep down, he was hoping that by spending time with him she would change her mind about falling for someone. “Is that the reason why you and Zachariah aren’t together? I get the feeling that he’s a lot more into you than you are to him.”

  “It is,” she lied again. Full of lies tonight! She had never been asked so many questions by a human before. She changed the subject as smoothly as she could. “Would you want to go horseback riding on your next day off?”

  “Yeah, absolutely! I don’t know if you’re busy tomorrow, but I’m off from filming.”

  She grinned from ear-to-ear, “I just have to run into Barrington tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff, but we could go when I get back. How does that sound?”

  He smiled with his eyes full of adoration, “Sounds perfect.”

  She tucked a stray hair behind his ear. “You’re exactly how I thought you would be, you know that? I have to admit, I’m still a bit star struck by you. I have been a huge fan of yours for years, and now that you’re really here and I’m sitting with you having this conversation…”

  He ran his fingers through her hair and lingered with his hand gently on the side of her head. He wondered if what he was about to do would be welcome to her and searched her eyes for an answer. Screw it, he thought. He glided his hand behind her head and tenderly guided it towards his. He slowly leaned in and she closed her eyes, lips slightly parted.

  She could feel his nervous breathing coming through his mouth, erratic and warm on her face. His lips grazed hers in a soft kiss, shocking her was the warmth of his skin. She parted her lips more and kissed him back with slightly more force. He put his other hand on her waist, she could feel it trembling as he pulled her closer to him. She put her arms around his neck and followed his lead.

  While he was ecstatic to finally be kissing her, it was an odd and startling sensation. Her lips and tongue were cool, as if she had just taken a drink of a chilled beverage. His nervous trembling relaxed and his hands were moving around her waist and head with urgency, he couldn’t touch her enough. He felt as though he had been waiting forever just for this moment.

  His lips moved down her jawline and to her neck, where he softly kissed her cool, white skin. The feeling of his lips on her neck caused her fangs to begin to descend. Fearful that he would find out her secret this way, she gently held his head against her neck while she got her fangs under control and back up into her gums. It was something very difficult for a vampire to control while in the heat of the moment.

  “Emma,” Todd started as he pulled away. “Would you want to sleep in my room with me tonight? You have to be exhausted from your trip.”

  As much as she would have loved to stay with him, it sounded insanely boring as she hadn’t fallen asleep since the year 1815. She couldn’t even remember what it felt like to close her eyes and fall unconscious. The thought of just lying there for eight hours was a definite ‘no’.

  “I totally would, but I have a few more things I need to do before I turn in and I kind of missed my own bed! Maybe next time, okay?”

  He came out of the bathroom in just his pajama bottoms, exposing his lean torso. He was tall and could be lanky if he didn’t work out, but he had muscle definition throughout his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. “Okay,” he replied, a bit disappointed.

  “I’ll find you tomorrow after I get back and we’ll go riding.” She walked over to him and gave him a kiss, lingering and savoring it. “See you tomorrow, sleep tight.”

  She looked back at him as she walked out, closing the door behind her. She smelled the air in the hallway, Zachariah wasn’t in their bedroom. After her make out session with Todd, she was thirsty. Very thirsty and she wanted company—preferably of the undead and female sort. She went downstairs and looked for Vivienne in the parlor, where she was curled up on the sofa with Declan.

  “Hey guys,” she said as she walked over to them. They were on one of the couches watching television together. “Viv, you fancy a drink with me in the kitchen? I need some girl talk,” she said with a sly twinkle in her eye.

  “Yeah!” Vivienne replied enthusiastically as she got up and patted Declan’s knee. “Be back later!”

  The girls scuttled down the winding lower hallway to the large, restaurant-style kitchen. Emma looked around to make sure no one else was present and walked over to a shelving unit built in to the wall. She reached under the lower shelf for a secret latch that unlocked the hidden door in the wall. She opened it and unveiled a refrigerator in the wall that was used to store gallon jugs of human blood. There was just one left and she planned to go into Barrington the following day to restock the fridge.

  She pulled out a jug, poured some into a couple of large wine glasses, and heated them up in the microwave. Vivienne took her glass and drank like the civilized vampire she was. Emma, however, didn’t realize how thirsty she was and immediately gulped down half the glass. She wasn’t used to not being able to bite d
uring moments of passion.

  “So, what were you up to in Todd’s room?” Vivienne asked with a smirk. “Must have been hot and heavy, which would explain you chugging that blood like a sorority girl.”

  “We did some kissing,” she replied with sheepish smile. “It started off with just talking and getting everything out in the open. He’s really into me and I’m into him. I can’t help it, there’s something about him that I just can’t stay away from.”

  “And then?”

  “And then, he held my hands and commented on how cold I was. I lied and told him I had a heart condition that caused poor circulation…” she raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “He bought it.”

  Vivienne laughed, “That’s the best answer for when someone realizes you’re cold all the time.”

  “So, I let him kiss me…wow, could he kiss,” she said as she looked up at the ceiling wistfully, reliving the moment. “I haven’t done much with a human since Zachariah was one.”

  “They’re so boring. Very vanilla.” Vivienne made a face.

  “I know, right? You have to be so darn careful when you get into it.”

  Emma gave Vivienne the run-down of everything that had happened; it felt great to be able to spill it to another girl, another vampire girl, who completely understood. Vivienne would take up with the occasional human, but usually preferred to be with fellow vampires. Emma told her how her fangs began to descend and she had to get them under control. Vivienne applauded her for having the willpower to do that.

  “Anyway, he wanted me to stay in his room for the night, but I couldn’t fathom just lying there for eight hours, I’d go insane from boredom. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of it if there is a next time.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever tell him the truth?”

  “You know, I thought about it. But, the reality is that in less than three months he’ll be headed back to London.”

  “You could always charm him to forget…”

  “I know…I don’t like using it though and I especially don’t want to use it on him. I’ve admired him from afar for so many years and now, he actually knows me and likes me. I don’t want him to be afraid of me.” She fidgeted with her almost-empty glass and contemplated a refill.