Fiction/Paranormal
Revelations — Chapter Forty
When separate worlds collide
“So, what was the big fighting event with Brindle all about?” Madison wanted to get this conversation out of the way before he took her home.
“I questioned her if she did anything to your car.” Jacob didn’t want to get into the whole Brindle situation right now, he’d just gotten himself unstressed thinking that she might be the one causing problems.
“And?” Madison wasn’t going to let this go. If Brindle was behind any of what had happened—the underwear in Jacob’s car, the text messages, and now her car being destroyed—well, if he didn’t take care of it, she surely would.
“She said no.”
“Obviously you didn’t believe her or you wouldn’t have been screaming at her in the hallway.” Madison didn’t understand why he couldn’t just come right out and tell her what Brindle had said.
Jacob was fed up with this whole conversation. He knew the more basic answers he gave her, the more she’d keep pestering him about them. “She said she’d tell me what I wanted to know if I dumped you and went back with her. I told her to fuck off, that there was no way it was ever going to happen.” He looked down at the speedometer and saw that he was going forty over the posted limit. He slowed down a bit and tried to regain some of his composure.
Madison slumped back in her seat and watched the scenery fly by. She couldn’t believe that after all these months, Brindle still thought she could just waltz in at any time and take him away. Fuck that, Jacob was her mate and she had the markings to prove it. The car swung into her driveway, spinning gravel as the Mustang came to a dead stop.
“Don’t we have some attitude?” Madison got out of the car and made sure to slam the door shut, which, of course, earned her an evil glare.
“Madison?” Her aunt, who lived across the way, called out to her. She was standing on her front porch, motioning for Madison to come over.
Madison let out a small sigh and started across the grassy area toward her aunt’s house, with Jacob following.
“Hey, Aunt Cecilia, what’s up?” They both stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led to the porch. It was only two small steps, but it gave them enough separation from her aunt.
“The insurance people were looking for you.” She handed her a slip of paper that had contact information on it.
Madison reached out and took the paper. “Thanks. My car somehow caught fire this morning at school and now it’s totaled. I’ll have to wait and see if they’re going to pay for it or not.”
Her aunt nodded. “Was it mechanical or did someone set it?”
Madison shrugged. “I don’t know. They said they didn’t find anything that anyone would use to set it, but then I don’t think it could be mechanical since I hadn’t driven it.” Madison motioned to Jacob, who was standing behind her. “I rode with Jacob.” She waved back and forth between Jacob and her aunt. “Jacob, this is my aunt Cecilia.”
“I’ve seen him around a bit, it’s good to finally have a name with the face.” Aunt Cecilia held out her hand for Jacob to shake, which he did cautiously. “What is your last name, Jacob?” Aunt Cecilia tilted her head as she looked to be inspecting him from head to toe.
“Lovell.” He felt uneasy with the way Madison’s aunt was studying him.
“Ah.” Cecilia nodded her head. “Are you one of Derek’s boys?”
Jacob nodded his head, yes. “Do you know my dad?”
Cecilia got a gleam in her eye and a mischievous smile formed on her lips. “All too well.”
“How do you know Jacob’s dad?” Now this caught Madison’s attention.
“I know the pack and their ways very well. Tell me, Madison." Cecilia turned her attention toward her niece, "Are you Jacob’s mate?”
Madison didn’t know if she should answer so rightly, she didn’t want anyone in her family to know just yet.
“Oh, never mind, you don’t need to answer me, Madison, I can sense that you two are mates and even bonded, haven’t you?” Now she looked at Jacob accusingly.
“We better get going. I’m going to see if the insurance company is still open.” Madison turned to go back down the steps.
“You were with that other girl, weren’t you?” Obviously, her aunt wasn’t done interrogating Jacob yet.
“What girl?” Madison answered for him.
“Oh, he knows which one. The long blonde-haired one.” Cecilia had a deadlock stare at Jacob.
“We went out a few times, but that was a while ago.” Jacob thought it was creepy that Madison’s aunt knew who his father, what they were, and who Brindle was.
“Be careful around that one.” Now her attention was back on her niece.
“Why? What do you know about her?” Madison stepped up once again onto the stairs.
“She’s not as innocent and naive as she seems. Just remember, Madison, there are dark ones out there that are like us.” Cecilia turned and walked back into her house, shutting the front door behind her. She had said enough about who may be causing them torment, but she couldn’t say anymore without causing a backlash against herself from the black magic enchantresses.
Madison stood there and stared at the closed door. She turned around toward Jacob and threw her hands up in the air. “That’s all she’s going to tell us.”
Jacob was just as shocked as Madison about this whole twist of events. It seemed Aunt Cecilia knew a lot more than she let others believe. “At least we know that maybe Brindle is like you.” Madison shot him a sinister glare. and Jacob backtracked on what he said. “I mean, in an evil way,” he corrected so that she wouldn’t think he classified them the same. “Do you think Brindle could be part of the black magic witches or whatever you call them?”
“I don’t know what to think.” Madison walked the short distance from her aunt’s house to her own. “It just doesn’t seem possible. Did you ever notice anything weird about her when you all…you know, were together.” She didn’t want to hear about his and Brindle’s time but she knew it might help solve some of the issues they’d been having.
“What do you mean? Like, did she act strange or have any odd tattoos or something?” He didn’t know what sort of weirdness Madison was referring to.
“I don’t know, Jacob. I’m just trying to figure all this out. I'm just trying to see what Cecilia might have meant.”
“Brindle always acted bizarre.” Jacob couldn’t remember a time when she acted normally. “And she had a strange-looking tattoo on the inside of her upper thigh.” He pointed to the area that was right next to her groin. Madison shook her head, that it was something she didn’t want to know about or visualize.
“What did it look like? The tattoo, Jacob, not Brindle’s privates.” She had to clarify what she meant when he gave her a look of suggestion.
“First, Brindle’s privates were never private.” He had to chuckle at that clarification. “And second, the tattoo was like a black rose with red blood drops falling from it.”
Madison dropped the cup she was holding. “What did you say it was?” If she had heard him right, that could only mean one thing.
“A black rose with little tear-shaped blood drops falling from it. Why?” He felt the anxiety of his mate once she comprehended this information. “Madison, what does that mean?” He gripped her by the arms so that she would turn to look at him.
“It means she comes from one of the most powerful black magic enchantresses that ever existed. Brindle may be next in line to rule the side of darkness.” Madison set down on the sofa, as it seemed her legs no longer wanted to support her.
Zach pulled the Mustang up to the curb in front of Emily’s house. Her aunt’s car was parked in the driveway, so they knew she was home and probably ready to talk.
Emily let out a deep sigh. “Ready?” She glanced over at Zach, whose facial complexion appeared to have taken on an ashen appearance. He nodded and slowly got out of the vehicle. Emily gripped his hand as they walked up to the front door. It looked as though he needed more support with this matter right now than she did. “It’ll be all right.” She squeezed his fingers tightly and opened the front door.
Aunt Maureen heard the front door open and the sound of two sets of footsteps coming down the hall. She sat on the bar stool at the kitchen counter, waiting for Emily and Zach to walk in. She gave them a small smile as they both walked into the room and motioned for them to come sit down with her. “How was school?” She decided to start the conversation casually.
“Fine.” Emily sat down beside her aunt and motioned for Zach to sit next to her. “How was work?” She looked over at her aunt after Zach got seated. She didn’t want him to make any big escape like he did the last time they had their group discussion, so she kept hold of his hand and placed it on her lap.
“Interesting.” Aunt Maureen noticed that both kids—well, no, not really kids since they were both over the age of eighteen—seemed extremely nervous. “Zach, Em,” they both glanced up at her, “I’m not here to yell at you or preach about what you’ve done. I’m not angry, but we need to get this all out in the open, okay?” They both nodded, but neither said anything.
It was a few seconds of awkward silence before Emily decided to speak. “Did you find out anything special from your clients?”
“Well,” Aunt Maureen let out a deep breath, “I did find out that you can use a normal pregnancy test.” She pulled out a bag that she had hidden under the counter. “You can use this now and then we’ll see if we have anything to discuss.” She pushed the bag toward Emily.
Emily sat there just staring at the bag, which held the determinate of what could be going on for the next eight months of their lives. “You want me to do that now?” She looked at her aunt, pleading with her eyes for her to say no.
“Yes, dear. The sooner we know, the more time we have to prepare.” Aunt Maureen pushed the bag with the pregnancy test closer to her niece.
Emily looked over at Zach, trying to get a little backup and support out of doing this, but he tilted his chin toward the bag as if giving her a command to do the test. Emily’s hand hovered over the bag as if it were going to burn her when she touched it. Finally, she snatched it up and got up off her stool. “I’ll be back.” She marched with an attitude to the hallway bathroom.
Aunt Maureen and Zach didn’t say anything to each other the ten minutes Emily was gone. They both just stared blankly with a million thoughts coursing through their minds.
They both looked up when they heard a door open and close. The footsteps got closer and Emily walked back into the room. Zach figured out the pregnancy test’s outcome before she even exited the bathroom. He could sense her confusion, anger, sadness, and shock about the result.
“So?” Aunt Maureen didn’t waste any time wanting to know what Emily found out.
“It’s positive," Zach answered Aunt Maureen’s question, then looked at Emily for confirmation. She nodded and sat back down on the stool.
“How did you know?” Aunt Maureen wasn’t sure how Zach figured it out so quickly.
“He picked up on my feelings and maybe some thoughts.” Emily put her head down on the counter and closed her eyes. She was trying to get her feelings under control and put some rationalization into what she needed to do.
“How was he able to do that?” Aunt Maureen was full of questions now.
Emily picked her head back up and glanced over at her aunt. “Because we’re mates and once mates become bonded, they’re able to sense feelings and read thoughts from each other.”
Aunt Maureen shook her head. This was information she had no clue about since she mainly worked with vampires and they didn’t tell her much about what special powers they could do. “Well, that’s another subject we’ll have to discuss someday, but right now, I want us to talk about what you two are going to do.” She looked at Zach, and he shook his head. “Does your father know who Emily is?” Aunt Maureen’s attention was solely on Zach now.
“No.” Zach rubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea right now.” He moved his hands away from his eyes and looked at Emily’s aunt.
“Well, from what I found out today from a very reliable source, I think it would be a good idea to get him involved in this. We may need his help.” Aunt Maureen glanced away from Zach and over to Emily. She now looked frightened about what had just been said.
“Why would we need help? Is something going to happen?” Emily started to panic. She was afraid of not only something happening but also of what could happen when Zach’s father found out who she was fathered by.
Zach rubbed her back and tried to get her to calm down. He could tell she was stressing way too much right now and was afraid that something could happen to the baby because of it.
“Since Orfeo is a high-ranking powerful leader, head honcho, big-shit in the vampire world, or whatever you want to call him, that makes you pretty far up there in the rankings also.” Aunt Maureen rubbed Emily’s hand. “That means yours and Zach’s baby will be high-ranked on both sides and if it’s a boy, then each side will want him even more.”
“We only produce boys, there’s never been a girl shifter born.” Zach decided to add his knowledge of the situation to the discussion.
“I’m aware of that,” Aunt Maureen glanced over at Zach to let him know she was acknowledging his given fact, then looked back at Emily, “and vampires are only supposed to produce girls, with a few exceptions that have occurred, like Orfeo. We don’t know how this is all going to play out, but for now, we need to make sure Em gets good care, as does the baby.” Aunt Maureen turned her attention once more to Zach on Emily’s other side. “This is why we need your father’s help and possibly the pack physician who treats other females who are pregnant.”
“But Em isn’t one of us.” Zach noticed the confusion in Emily’s face when he made his comment. “What I meant,” he now had to further explain so she wouldn’t get the wrong idea, “Emily isn’t a 'shifter'. I don’t know if he’d be able to care for a vampire, even though she’s a mate of one.”
Aunt Maureen nodded her head, recognizing the issue that he was worried about. “I still think we’ll have to talk to your father. We’ll need his help just for the fact that he’ll be trying to get to Em quicker now that she’s pregnant with an enemy’s baby.”
“We’ll have to talk to him." Emily was unsure as to who was going to this meeting and was sure to get out of control.
Aunt Maureen stood up and walked around the other side of the bar so that she could look at both Emily and Zach at the same time. They both looked scared, confused, and all the other things people their age would be in this type of situation. Theirs just happened to be a little more complex. “I’m not letting either of you go through with this alone.” She reached over and placed each one of her hands on one of theirs. “We will get your father to see that Emily is not the enemy, her father may be, but she is no part of him. Em and the baby will need the protection of the pack so that Orfeo cannot have the chance to take either of them away.”
Zach nodded once but was unsure of how this was going to play out.
“I have to go back to the office for a little while.” Aunt Maureen picked up her briefcase off the counter that she usually carried to work. “I have a few late clients coming in. I should be back sometime after dinner or a little later.” She walked over toward the doorway that led to the hall “And Zach,” he turned his head back to her with the call of his name, “you don’t have to keep sneaking in at night. I have early mornings just like you guys and I need my sleep too.” With her final comment to them both, Aunt Maureen left to take care of more clients whom she hoped would have additional information for her.
Emily glanced over at Zach. He looked about as confused and embarrassed as she felt right now. “Guess we weren’t always so quiet.” She tried to make a joke to lighten the moment. Zach nodded but gave little thought to what she had just said. Emily leaned her head on his arm. “What are we going to do?”
Zach placed his hand on Emily’s head. This was no time for him to be wallowing in his own discord, he had a mate and a baby on the way that demanded all of his attention right now. “I guess talk to my dad like your aunt suggested and then go from there.” Zach kissed her on the top of the head.
“What if he wants to kill me? Well, I know he does, but what if he sends the whole pack out after me?” Emily started to get a little nervous about telling the head leader of a pack of shifters that could probably kill her with one bite.
Zach chuckled. “That will never happen.” He felt Emily’s fear as she envisioned the prospect of meeting his father. “I won’t let anything happen to you and if your aunt is going to be there, you know nothing’s going to happen. She’d probably take on the whole pack herself and win if it meant keeping you safe.”
Emily lifted her head and looked back at Zach. She smiled at the thought of her aunt fighting a pack of snarling ‘wolves.’ It seemed she wasn’t afraid of much, she was ready to talk to the alpha of a large pack of shifters and she had clients who were vampires. “I know, but all of this seems so unreal, like I’m going to wake up and it’s back to being my first day at West Lakes.”
Zach reached over and softly touched her cheek. “Em, are you upset that we met and got together? Are you disappointed in who I am and that we’re having a baby?”
“No.” Emily kissed his hand which was still resting on the side of her face. “That’s not what I meant. I feel complete when I’m with you like the other half of me is finally back.” Emily tilted his head up so that he was looking at her. “I love who you are and all the special abilities that you have. The fact that we’re having a baby is something that will take me a while to get used to, but I will. I wish we could have waited, but now that it’s a fact and real, we have to learn to adjust to all the changes that will be going on.”
The bar stool scooted backward and Zach stood up. He went behind Emily and wrapped his arms around her, making sure his hand rested on the small baby bump that was barely there. “I think,” he kissed her on the side of the head, “you’re going to make the best mommy there ever was.”
Emily giggled. “I don’t think the best. I don’t even know how to be one.” Now she started to panic over the thought of having a baby who was so dependent on her.
“Stop worrying.” Zach spun her around so that she faced him. “We’ll figure this all out together.” He pulled her up so that she was standing next to him. “Now let’s go break the news to Danny and Alex that we’re not going to prom.” He glanced down at her, staring blankly at the wall. “If you still want to, we will.” He was willing to do whatever she wanted. He and his wolf were at her mercy, they would do anything to make her happy.
“Nah, I think going to the prom would probably make things worse.” Emily started walking toward the door, with Zach following. “With everything that just happened with Madison and now we have to break this news to your dad, I’m sure we wouldn’t be the most fun couple at the prom.”
Zach opened the door for her and patted her butt on the way out. “We could always do other things instead of prom.” Emily snorted at his comment. Only Zach would think of sex at a time like this.
You can start at the beginning using the following link.
