Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 115432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Hello, pardon me for the intrusion. As I said, I am Jabari Dubaku Thorbørn.” He placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head to me once.
“Hello, I’m Druella Omeron,” I said slowly. I’d never really spoken to any other vampire besides Theseus and Taelon Swan, and those conversations were always at different ends of my emotional spectrum. I didn’t really know what to make of this. “You said you were ordered something? To take us somewhere?”
“To Ankeiros,” he answered, “our home, as our mother has ordered for you both to come. And she did so a week ago, Theseus.”
Theseus relaxed his shoulders and turned to look at his brother. “And I told her it could not be done. To wait.”
Jabari chuckled, shaking his head. “Brother, in what century has Mother ever been known for patience? The fact that she gave you a week before calling me is a testament to her bias toward you. Ulrik is already whining about the favoritism.”
Theseus rolled his eyes hard, and it was the first time I’d ever seen that look on his face.
“I don’t understand?” I said, looking between them both. “Your mother, you told me her name was Rhea, wants us to go to Ankeiros? Why?”
“So she can meet you, of course,” Jabari replied.
“You mean so she can torment her!” Theseus snapped, annoyed.
“Do not say that, or you will scare the witch,” Jabari threw back and then glanced at me. “She will not torment you. She has waited nearly a century for you—her beloved son’s one true soulmate.”
“Jabari,” Theseus grumbled.
“What? It is the truth. And be thankful that you finally found the courage to approach her, or else Mother would have kidnapped and forced her change.”
“What?” I gaped. “Kidnapped who? Me?”
“Thankfully, Father is wiser and would never have allowed it. Or else my soulmate would have killed my mother. She is not just any witch,” Theseus shot back, and I wasn’t sure if he was proud or concerned.
“And so I’ve heard about her and her little coven.”
“It is not little—”
“Both of you shut up!” I hollered. I wasn’t sure about anything, but I did know for certain I did not like them talking as if I were not here with them.
They both looked at me curiously as if they had just remembered I was here despite talking about me.
Shifting my glare to Theseus, I crossed my arms over my chest. “So, your family has known about me? Not just when your mother first saw me all those years ago, but now?”
“With our father, it is hard to keep secrets, no matter how far—”
“I was asking your brother!” I snapped, still not looking away from the gray eyes in front of me. “Well, Theseus? Tell me the truth.”
“I have never lied to you, my love.”
“Lying and purposely withholding the truth are two sides of the same coin.”
“And you do not have secrets? Things about your family and your coven you keep to yourself,” he questioned back, and the tone of his voice threw me off for a moment.
“But it is not as if my family is talking about you. They do not even know you exist. None of our conversations—”
“When you all speak about the vampires, you speak about me and my family, Druella. Whatever your coven plans for vampires is about me.”
My shoulders dropped, and my arms unfolded. That wasn’t fair, but it wasn’t wrong. My gaze began to drop, but he gently lifted my chin and made me look at him. “I did not tell my family of you, neither of finding you or being with you. My father’s gift—we call it the touch of God—is that the moment he touches you, from then on, he always has access to your mind. I’m sure my mother had him checking on me throughout the years. I suppose, a week ago, he did so again and realized we were together. The old vampire can keep secrets from everyone but my mother for some reason.”
“And so she called for us to meet her and you refused?”
He nodded. “Apparently, she has denied my refusal, and since Jabari is here, that means my father did not wish to stop her, so he must also wish to meet you.”
“And I am guessing they will not ask politely again?”
He shook his head no. “Forgive me. If I knew they would do this on your birthday, I would have gone to them earlier.”
“Okay. But I can’t just leave for days. I have to be back before sunrise.”
“That can be done,” Jabari said, gaining our attention. He smiled at me, and I wondered just how anyone in the world could see him and not know he was not mortal. “I can take you both there instantly and bring you back with time to spare.”
“How?”
He stepped forward. However, Theseus held his hand out and blocked him. Jabari snickered but said nothing.