Chapter 32 #2
Bonnie looks up from her phone, and a huge, relieved smile spreads across her lips. And my dad’s reaction is very much the same.
I quickly close the distance between us, and my mom doesn’t hesitate to pull me into a tight hug. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you,” she says just as my dad wraps his arms around both of us.
“Good to see you, sweetheart,” he says.
“God, my family is truly embarrassing,” Bonnie mutters, but then, on a snort, she doesn’t hesitate to add herself to our hug.
I laugh through the sudden sting of tears. “I missed you guys.”
“Are you okay?” My mom pulls back to study my face. “And…oh my…what are you wearing?” she asks, her gaze moving down my simple T-shirt and jeans and sneakers.
“Yes, I’m okay,” I answer. “And I’ve been going a little more casual these days.”
She pinches her mouth into a firm line, but she doesn’t say anything else about my wardrobe.
Honestly, it’s a surprise. “Damien told us you got to New York safely, but you’ve been impossible to reach,” she says in a rush.
“I had to call Holland to give me updates. He said everything was good but Damien has been keeping you very busy. Lots of traveling to very fancy places.” She smiles, and my stomach drops. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
I had no idea how this was going to go, and Cal has been able to get enough information during his surveillance trips for me to know my parents appeared in the dark. I honestly thought I was prepared, but it’s a whole different story when I have to face their na?veté head on.
I search both of their faces, taking in the way their eyes are unguarded and their shoulders are relaxed. And my mother. Goodness. She’s downright giddy right now.
A woman who knows the truth about Damien, about the elites, about the auction, wouldn’t look like this.
And my dad is very much the same.
I’ve racked my brain, wondering if I were some kind of pawn in my parents’ game with the elites, but it’s clear to me that I wasn’t the pawn at all. They were the pawns. The elites told them all the things they wanted to hear, and none of those things was the truth.
Now it makes sense why my father’s great-aunt Estelle hardly kept in contact with anyone in her family after she attended a Choosing Ceremony decades ago and found her vampire “husband.” Now it makes sense why she ended up in “Rome.”
I shudder to think what actually happened to her.
“Oh, come on, Blair!” My mom practically squeals. “Don’t leave me hanging! Tell me how things are with Damien! Tell me where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to! It’s really sounding like he’s going to choose you at the ceremony.”
Oh boy. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know what to do.
On the one hand, I want to tell them the truth.
But on the other hand, I don’t know what consequences the truth would have for them.
It’s clear the elites are making a big effort to keep them in the dark, even though I have no idea why.
So, I do the only thing I can do right now. I put on a fake smile and pretend that everything is what they think it is. “How much time do you have?” I tease, forcing a laugh from my throat. “Things have been good. Just very, very busy.”
“We have loads of time!” She nudges me playfully. “Tell us everything. Tell me—”
“Oh, come on, Devney,” my dad cuts her off on a laugh. “Give our daughter a little room to breathe before you start interrogating her.”
She gently slaps my dad on the shoulder. “Mind your business.”
He just laughs, but when he glances past me for a brief moment, he tilts his head to the side. “Does he work for Damien?”
I look over my shoulder to follow his gaze, and immediately, I spot Kane standing calmly near the tree line. He’s right where he said he’d be.
Our eyes meet, and something passes between us. It’s not words but understanding and silent communication. I know his ears can hear every word, and I know he’s well aware of my father’s question.
I want them to know who Kane is to me. I want them to know the truth—that Kane saved my life, that the elites wanted to destroy me. I want them to meet the love of my life. But I fear the truth won’t set them free.
I fear the truth will become a noose around their necks.
I fear the truth will put them in danger.
Instantly, I can feel his response. He agrees. He thinks it’s better that way. All of his intentions are pure and focused on keeping not just me safe, but my family too.
He wants to protect them as well.
And so do I because my parents don’t need to be dragged into this, and Bonnie is far too young for this world.
Maybe someday the truth will surface. Maybe someday my father will hear whispers that Damien Snow is dead.
But not today. Today, I protect them.
“Yeah,” I say lightly, answering my father’s question. “Damien has someone keeping an eye on me.”
“That’s good.” My mom nods and smiles. “Things in New York can be…dangerous.”
Oh Mom, you have no idea.
Eventually, the four of us walk the short trail together. We talk about small things. Normal life things. Bonnie tells me about her annoying English teacher and that she broke up with Josh for the fourth time.
My mom updates me on the upcoming charity event she’s planning to raise funds for cancer research.
My dad talks about some business deal he landed that will help him expand his company into the Asian market.
They tell me about this new Italian restaurant they found near their house and make me promise to have dinner with them soon.
And the entire time, I memorize everything—their voices, their faces, and the sounds of my little sister’s laughter.
Because I don’t know when I’ll see them again.
Right now, things are too dangerous.
Right now, I need to stick to Kane and the cabin.
When we make it back to the park bench I found them near, Kane steps forward just enough to grab my attention. It’s time to go.
My chest tightens, but I don’t hesitate to give my mom and dad and Bonnie a hug. “I need to head out.”
“Let me guess,” my mother says, giving me an extra squeeze, “Damien probably has something special planned for you.”
I smile. “Something like that.”
“Call us next time you’re free, sweetheart.”
“I will.”
My dad kisses the top of my head. “Stay safe.”
Bonnie squeezes me one last time. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” I tell her, but when she tries to end the hug, I pull her closer to me. “You were right to be suspicious,” I whisper low and directly into her ear. “But I’m safe, okay? I’m safe. Just don’t ever let them talk you into being chosen.”
I lean back and meet her eyes. She searches my face and then pulls me into another hug. Her breath is hot as she whispers at my ear. “The guy who works for Damien looks an awful lot like your doll.”
I nod, my chin digging into her shoulder. “Yes. He does.”
When I pull back again, she offers a sage nod and reaches out to squeeze my hand one last time before I walk away.
She’s smarter than me. She gets it now—without needing to be kidnapped or dragged through the same brutal convincing I was—there’s much more to the vampire world than our parents told us.
There’s more to the vampire world than either of us ever dreamed.
I can’t deny that leaving my family behind is hard, but it doesn’t even come close to what it felt like to be stuck in Damien’s penthouse, thinking I would never see Kane again.
I cross the clearing toward him, and once we’re out of sight, once we’re away from the park, he pauses to wrap his arms around me and hold me tight against his chest.
“You okay?” he whispers into my ear, and I nod.
Because I am.
I’m more than okay.
I’m whole. I’m alive. I’m his.