Conclave (Vampire Conclave: Book 3), page 2
“No,” I say stubbornly, earning a look of surprise from Julian.
“Sarah …” he begins in a voice that sounds almost reproachful until I interrupt him.
“I refuse to even acknowledge your pessimism about our future together,” I tell him determinedly. “We’re going to have the life we want, and this is one of the first steps toward it. Granted, we don’t have everything figured out yet, but this part of our plan is pretty straightforward. I know things are sort of up in the air right now, but you need to have a little faith in us and what we can build together. We may not have a way to get the spirit inside of you out right now, but I’m confident we’ll find the answers we need soon.”
“I don’t understand how you can have so much faith when all we’ve been met with so far are obstacles,” he tries to argue.
“It’s because I’m a believer in love winning all in the end. We weren’t brought together by chance, Julian. I believe our fates have been intertwined for a reason, and you need to start believing that too. Don’t you feel it?” I ask as I lift my free hand up and place it directly over his heart. “There’s a connection between us that goes deeper than just companions or even lovers. We’ve always been destined to find one another and fall in love. That might sound cheesy, and Lord knows I’ve never been much of a romantic, but I also know without a shadow of a doubt that it’s true. We belong to each other, Julian, and I never intend to let you forget that.”
Julian has me in his arms with his lips pressed against mine before I can even blink. I don’t mind it though. In fact, I enjoy knowing the love he feels for me can make him act on impulse without overthinking such a simple decision like kissing me.
I love being able to feel his hunger for me, even if I still can’t sense his emotions. In this instance, I don’t need my empathic skills to understand what he’s feeling. I know what he wants, and it isn’t my blood that he has an appetite for this time.
As his lips leave mine to travel down my throat, he says, “I assume this house has a nice master bedroom.”
“A very nice one,” I’m pleased to inform him, “with a very large and comfy bed.”
Julian lifts his head, smiling as he looks over toward the house.
“Which room …” he begins to ask but falters unexpectedly. I watch as the smile on his face slips away as something by the house catches his eyes.
I follow his gaze and instantly feel like a teenager again.
Walking down the steps of the back porch toward us is Kaylee’s father, Pete. Julian and I instantly relinquish our hold on one another as my adoptive father approaches us. He doesn’t look as confused as I would have expected him to considering our unexpected presence here.
“Kaylee told us that Julian had taken you to some country in Europe,” he says as he begins to walk down the pier. “What brings you out to this house, Sarah?”
I clear my throat before saying, “I wanted to show it to Julian. I thought he might be interested in buying it.”
“If you don’t already have a buyer for this property,” Julian says to Pete, “I would like to purchase it for whatever the seller is asking.”
“You are not a very good negotiator,” I chastise Julian, shaking my head at him in dismay.
“Money isn’t an issue for me,” he reminds me, “and I would hate to lose it to someone else just because I was trying to get a bargain.” Julian looks over at Pete. “When can you have the papers drawn up for me to sign?”
“I can have the attorney work on them today. Then I can bring them to you in the morning, if you’re sure you want this property.”
“I do,” Julian replies without a shred of doubt in his voice. “Have the paperwork drawn up, and I’ll happily sign them.”
“Don’t you want to know how much this land is first?” Pete asks, looking concerned.
“I suppose that would be helpful so I can have a check made ready.”
Pete tells him the amount, but Julian doesn’t even blink an eye at the exorbitant price tag.
“You couldn’t even give him a discount?” I ask Pete in slight exasperation.
“It’s all right, Sarah,” Julian assures me. “He has to do what’s best for his client, not me. It’s just business.”
“Julian’s right,” Pete tells me. “I have to look after the owner’s best interests. Besides, the price for this property has actually gone down quite a bit over the last couple of years. Julian is getting it for less than its appraised value as it is.”
“If you say so,” I reply, thinking twenty million doesn’t sound like much of a bargain to me. I knew the house came with a large plot of land, but I suppose I didn’t realize just how many acres it was until now.
“Since I’m buying the property anyway,” Julian begins, “I don’t suppose you would mind us staying here for the night.”
“Not at all,” Pete says with a smile. Considering he just made a ten percent profit off of the sale to Julian, I’m surprised he’s not dancing a jig and offering to cook us supper. He does, however, look over at me like he wants to ask me something. I can feel his joy from the sale, but I can also feel how apprehensive he is about asking his question.
“Pete,” I begin, “what exactly brought you out here today?”
It seems like a mighty big coincidence for him to have chosen this exact moment to drive all the way out here from town to check on the property. Plus, I sense that he’s holding back information. As he shifts his feet uneasily and glances between me and Julian with an uncertain look on his face, I know that whatever it is he needs to tell us, he isn’t comfortable saying it.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him, doing my best to ease his mind to make it easier for him to open up to us. “I get the feeling you want to tell me something important.”
Pete’s brow furrows as he looks between me and Julian again and then over his shoulder at Nadia and Viktor, who are still standing on the back porch watching us.
“I, uh,” he begins but stops, because he feels confused about whether or not he should continue with what he was about to say. He clears his throat nervously before continuing. “This might sound odd, but I have to ask you something, Sarah. I think it’s time.”
Now I’m the one who feels confused and apprehensive. “Ask me what exactly?”
“That woman back there,” he says, tilting his head back to indicate that he’s talking about Nadia, “is she alfar?”
I feel my whole body tense as it goes into shock and threatens to shut down on me. All I’m able to do is stare at Pete Hughes as my heart rate increases exponentially with each new second that ticks by and my life becomes even more surreal.
“How” is the only word I’m able to utter before having to swallow hard to continue my question. “Pete, how do you know about the alfar?”
“Your father told me about them,” he reveals.
“When?” I manage to ask, even though I feel numb as the two realities of my life crash into one another without warning.
“When he asked me if Susan and I would be willing to adopt you if anything ever happened to him or your mom.”
“Do Susan and Kaylee know about the alfar?”
“Susan does,” he divulges, “but we didn’t see any reason to tell Kaylee, at least not until after they came for you.”
“Came for me?” I ask, realizing what his statement implies. “You knew all this time that the alfar would come for me one day and you didn’t tell me?”
“Your father’s instructions were explicit. He wanted you to live a normal life for as long as you could. He warned me that they would eventually find you and that your vampire companion would seek you out one day too.” Pete looks over at Julian. “I assume that’s you.”
I suddenly feel as though I’m about to hyperventilate as I look over at Julian. He looks as stunned by Pete’s revelations as I am.
“You know about vampires too?” I say in a louder voice than I intended. I can only attribute my outburst to surprise.
“Your dad was pretty detailed about everything,” Pete says with a slight shrug. “I thought he might be a little bonkers at first, and if we hadn’t been such good friends for so many years, I doubt I would have believed a word he said. Considering your behavior lately though, Susan and I sort of figured that what your father warned us would happen had finally started.”
“What exactly do you know?” I have to ask.
“I know that you’re bonded by blood to Julian and that you need each other to survive. I know that the alfar will expect you to rule them one day and that their world is a long way from here. Have you been to Alfheim yet? Rhys always talked about his home world like it was paradise.”
“We just came back from there,” I reply, having a hard time believing I’m actually having this conversation with Kaylee’s dad.
“Wow, that must have been a sight to see,” he says with an envious smile. “Sure beats going to Europe, I bet.”
We all fall silent. I don’t know what to say next because my mind is reeling as it tries to cope with the reality that Pete knows so much about what I’ve been having to deal with lately. Here I was worried about having to explain things to him and Susan when they already knew.
“When did you suspect Julian was my vampire companion?”
“The block party is when we figured it out,” he tells us. “At first, we weren’t certain he was the one, but considering the way the two of you were together after only knowing one another for such a short period of time, we figured something was going on. Plus, your dad warned us that your appetite would increase after you bonded with your vampire. When you ate so much food during that breakfast at Kaylee’s and then again at the party, we put two and two together pretty fast. There’s also the amount of time you’ve been spending away from Kaylee. She’s just chalking it up to this new romance of yours, but both Susan and I know you wouldn’t be away so much during Kaylee’s pregnancy if you didn’t have to be. I assume the alfar want you to go back to Alfheim to live. That’s what your father said would happen, anyway.”
Suddenly, I feel as though a great weight has been lifted off of my chest. The Hughes know everything about my situation. They have for even longer than me—practically all of my life. Yet, Pete doesn’t look concerned by any of it.
“I honestly don’t know how to react to this,” I say, feeling confused. “It never even occurred to me that you and Susan would already know the truth. I was so worried about having to tell you.”
“Well, just consider us one less thing you have to worry about,” Pete assures me with an understanding smile.
“But what about Kaylee?” I ask, seeking the whole truth. “She doesn’t know about any of this, right?”
“No, she doesn’t,” he confirms with a small shake of his head, “but she loves you, Sarah. If we all go to her and tell her what’s happening, she’ll understand. Although I suggest we put that off for now, at least until she has the baby.”
I nod in agreement. “You’re right. She doesn’t need any added stress.”
“And don’t worry about needing to take these trips of yours while she’s pregnant. Right now, she’s just happy to see you in love with someone. She’s already started picking out names for your kids with Julian.”
The smile on Pete’s face tells me that he finds Kaylee’s daydreaming about my future amusing. I simply find it heartbreaking.
“Well, I guess it’s keeping her busy” is all I can say in reply. “Tell her I’ll try to see her in the morning before we have to go back to New Orleans and Alfheim.”
“Is that where the breach is?” Pete asks, stunning me once again that he knows something that not even the vampires or other supernatural creatures in New Orleans know about.
“Yes, but you can’t tell anyone it’s there,” I say, wondering just how much information my father confided to Pete and Susan. “It’s not something the alfar want anyone to know about. Don’t mention the breach when you’re around Nadia or Viktor.”
“The cat?” Pete asks, looking bemused by my request. “What’s he going to do? Tell someone that I know?”
“Yes,” I answer, earning a surprised look from Pete, “he will, and I don’t know what the alfar would do to you if they discovered you know about their secret. Please, just don’t mention it again. I think it’s safer that way.”
Pete slowly nods. “All right, Sarah. If you think that’s best, that’s what we’ll do.”
Pete reaches out a hand for me to take. As we stand there holding hands, he looks me straight in the eyes and says, “If there is anything either Susan or I can do to help, all you have to do is ask. You know that, right?”
I nod. “I know, Pete.”
He lets go of my hand and looks over at Julian.
“And if you break her heart … well, I may not be able to kill you, but I’m sure I can find a way to hurt you.”
“That’s not even something you have to worry about,” Julian assures Pete. “She’s my life now.”
Pete nods in understanding. “Then I’ll see the two of you in the morning. Should I meet you here or at your house on Bayou Road?”
“Come to my house in town,” Julian tells him. “We have a few things to take care of there before we leave for New Orleans. Plus, I plan to call Helen and have her get a cashier’s check prepared to pay for the property, so it will be there also.”
“Okay, I’ll come over in the morning then. In the meantime, enjoy your stay here in your soon-to-be new home. All of the furniture inside comes with it, so treat it like your own because it basically is now,” Pete tells us as if we’re already a married couple. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
“Pete,” I call out before he has a chance to take two steps away, “you didn’t answer my question earlier. What brought you out here today of all days?”
“Your father,” he says, pulling a small white envelope with tattered, age-worn edges from out of his back pocket. “He gave me this letter when he told me the truth, but he made me promise I wouldn’t open it until the morning of the date that was on the front. I’ve been tempted to open it before today, but he seemed pretty adamant that I wait, so I did. This letter told me to come to this property at this exact time to tell you that I know what’s going on in your life.”
“Can I see it?” I ask breathlessly.
Pete steps back to me and hands over the letter.
“You can keep it,” he says. “I know you don’t have much from your mom and dad because of the fire.”
“Thank you,” I tell him as I pull the folded piece of white paper out from the envelope.
The letter is short without saying much more than what Pete just did about my father’s instructions, but it was written with my father’s hand, which makes it worth more than the land we’re standing on to me.
“If you need me or Susan for anything,” Pete says, “just let us know.”
I nod. “I will. Thanks again, Pete.”
Pete turns and walks back down the pier. He waves goodbye to Nadia before making his way around the side of the house toward the front, where his car is more than likely parked.
“How did my dad know we would be here on this day?” I ask Julian as I slip the letter back into its envelope.
“I’m not sure,” he replies.
“I didn’t even know we would be coming here until less than an hour ago.”
“Maybe he used another time spell to see you in the future,” Julian suggests.
My heart lifts at the possibility of seeing my dad again.
“Why does it trouble you that the Hughes know so much about who you are?” he asks knowingly, since he has a direct line to my emotions. “I thought you would feel more relieved than you do.”
“I’m scared that what they know might place them in danger,” I reply. “I can’t believe my dad told them so much, and I can’t believe they never said a thing to me about any of this. They’ve known for years, Julian!”
Julian brings me into the comfort of his arms and uses one hand underneath my chin to coax me into lifting my gaze up to meet his.
“This is a good thing, Sarah,” he tells me. “Like Pete said, they’re one less thing you have to worry about. I don’t think this will place them in any danger, as long as they keep their knowledge to themselves. Apparently, they’ve done it for quite a few years now. I think they can keep your secret for a bit longer.”
“Pete and Susan aren’t the problem,” I sigh. “When Kaylee finds out, she’s going to have a hard time not asking questions at inopportune moments. I know her, Julian. She’ll blurt something out without even thinking about it first.”
“If she does, we’ll deal with the fallout when it happens. It sounds like Pete thinks we should wait until her baby is born anyway, so we have at least a couple of months before we need to worry about it. Right now, all I want us to do is have one evening where we don’t have to think about anyone else’s feelings besides our own for each other. Can you give that to me, Sarah?”
Slowly, I begin to let go of my mental death grip on all my worries. As I look into Julian’s pleading eyes, I realize we’re on the cusp of building a life together. Our steps may be small, but they’re sure-footed and our goals are attainable.
I feel a tightness form inside my belly. I wish its source was simply my want for Julian, but I know it’s not.
“I need to eat,” I tell him as my hunger for food begins to cause me actual pain.
“Come on then,” he urges me, taking one of my hands with his. “Let’s feed the beast inside your stomach. Afterwards, we can talk about the house we want to build. Maybe we can even go to the other side of the lake to look at the property more closely.”
I pick up my pace because Julian’s idea sounds like a lot of fun. “Let’s hurry up and go inside to help Nadia make my pizzas. I don’t trust her not to burn them, and there’s nothing worse than burnt cheese on pizza.”
As we walk back toward the house together, I try to pretend that Julian and I are just a normal couple seeking sanctuary from the outside world to escape our troubles for a short period of time. It suddenly dawns on me that it’s not just my life that’s been changed since our first meeting. Julian is having to adapt to me being part alfar and the future ruler of House Moonshade. At the same time, we’re still trying to discover the identity of the woman in Destin who started this mess we find ourselves in. Although if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t know what needs to be done to cure Julian.
