Chapter 26 Two Months Later #2
“Celeste, why don’t you come with me, and we’ll let the ladies talk?” Viktor ushers her tiny maker from the room. She turns back, making eye contact with me, issuing a silent warning of Amelia’s safety.
I sit, pulling Amelia closer. “The Harrison I knew was not the Harrison that I killed. He’s always been a bit eccentric, but those eccentricities changed over the last few decades.
He wasn’t the same person I once knew.” My words are spoken more as a tribute rather than the truth.
In all honesty, Harrison was a horrible vampire.
No doubt, he was a horrible human. He hurt more people than I can count.
He deserved to die. I look my friend in the eye.
“I’m sorry I let it go this far. I should’ve stopped him before he brought you into the house, but I didn’t. And, for that, I’m eternally sorry.”
“Violet, I…” Amelia starts.
“No, let me finish,” I interrupt. “I need to say this.” I take a deep, unnecessary breath. “I saw bits and pieces of his obsession throughout the years but never to this extent. I found these in his office.” I hand her a bundle of letters I found while going through Harrison’s items.
“These are the letters Penelope wrote and hid in the desk in Viktor’s library. How…How did Harrison get them?”
“Because Harrison wrote them,” I answer.
“Why would he do that?”
“He was obsessed with Penelope and under the delusion that Celeste was his daughter. What he couldn’t have in life, he would take in death. He somehow got those letters inside of Viktor’s house and knew you’d find them.”
Amelia moves toward the window. “I don’t understand.”
I pause not sure I want to share the next bit of information. “Amelia, he’s planned this since you were a child.”
“I want to believe you, but how would he know I would grow up to look like Penelope? That doesn’t make sense.”
I move to her side. “They grew up together. He’d known her his entire life. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was fate. We’ll never know.”
“I believed him,” she says with tears filling her eyes.
“Yeah, me, too.”
“Thomas?” she asks.
“He’s good. He’s having a hard time with the truth.”
She scoffs. “Understandable.”
We stand in awkward silence, neither knowing what else to say. “I need to go.” I pull her in for one last hug. “Keep in touch. I’m here if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Violet. For everything.”
……
St. Augustine
Six Months Later
I follow the tour guide, listening to her description of the home that once belonged to Cyrus Knight, the conquistador vampire.
“This home is one of the oldest in town. The architecture is Spanish in nature, with a large garden and open-framed structure. Over the years, it has been owned by several different families, ending with the Ward family, who purchased the property in the 1920s and are still the rightful owners.”
The small group of tourists look at the house, admiring the small details she points out before they continue their walk. I wait for them to turn the corner before entering the garden gate. My heart drops seeing the bench where Cyrus and I once sat.
I wipe a silent tear as I sit, being careful not to break the rickety iron. “I think you missed the tour,” a man says, coming out of the house.
The moment he exits, his energy hits me. He’s lycan. He feels the same, stopping in his tracks. His eyes turn red as he tries to make sense of a vampire being in his garden. “What do you want, vampire?”
“My name is Violet Du Four. I was friends with Simon Ward. He used to live here.” I have no idea if he’ll know who Simon was, but my words feel right.
“Violet?” the man asks, wrinkling his forehead. “I’ve heard of you.”
I can’t hide the smile that covers my face as he moves closer. He holds his hand toward me. “Sebastian Ward.”
I laugh aloud at his name. “Your family still sticks with the letter S.”
He laughs with me. “Yeah, it’s annoying. I’ll admit.” He leans against the familiar live oak tree. “Simon talked about you and Cyrus all the time. I’ve heard stories from my father that were passed down through the generations.”
“You did?” I don’t know why that surprises me. “Is he…Is he still alive?” The minutes the words leave my lips, I realize how dumb my question is. Lycan have the same lifespan as humans. There’s no way he’s still alive.
Sebastian shakes his head. “No. He passed away in 1994. He lived to be an old man.” He scoffs. “An old, cranky man.”
“I should’ve visited him.” My voice sounds sad.
“He was the finest alpha this area has ever seen. I hope to be as good as he and my father were,” the man adds.
“You remind me of him,” I say, noticing the same hair and eyes that I remember.
“He must have been extraordinarily handsome,” Sebastian says with a laugh.
“That, he was.” My mind wanders through the memories of our time together. Simon and Cyrus are bits of my memory that I keep to myself. They were the glue that held me together when I thought my life was over. I fight the emotions that come with their memory, even now.
“Oh!” Sebastian stands straight. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.”
“For me?” He disappears into the house, returning a few minutes later with a wrinkled white envelope.
“This has been in the house since I can remember. I was told that when the time was right, you would come back. When that happened, I was to give this to you.” He hands me the wrinkled paper. My name is neatly written in script: Violet Du Four. “No one knows where it came from.”
“Thank you, Sebastian.” I slide the letter into my bag and stand from the familiar bench. “I need to go.” I look around the garden, recognizing some of the bushes and trees Cyrus cared for a century ago. “The house looks beautiful,” I say before disappearing through the heavy gate.
Alone in my car, I pull the letter from my bag. The edges are wrinkled, and the color has faded to an off-white, but I feel the familiar energy of the sender through the paper. I carefully open the envelope and unfold what’s inside.
Violet,
Thank you for saving me when there was no easy path.
I’m sorry for what happened to Cyrus and the wolves.
I saw what was coming before we ever set foot into the attic, but sadly, there was no other ending in which Callum would die.
Some choices are cruel, no matter how carefully they are made. You did well. I’m so proud of you.
Lucien and I are going somewhere safe. When the time is right, I will find a way to reconnect with you. Until then, let this be enough to know that we’re alive, and we remember. I love you, and I will return one day.
Terrin
I wipe a stray tear and carefully return the letter to its home. “Okay, Terrin. I’m ready when you are,” I whisper to the universe.