Free The Vampire's Revenge by Raven Hart Page B

always talked about the tradition of my foremothers and how ancient and powerful it was.
    “Don’t you see? I couldn’t leave. The ties that bind me to this place might only have existed in here.” She pointed to her heart. “But they trapped me all the same. Because of William. ”
    I stood up slowly and walked toward the windows, where the curtains had been drawn shut tightly in anticipation of my arrival home—as always barely in time to beat the sun. Just one of the countless little things Melaphia knew to do for William and me without asking, without us even thinking about it. Her assistance was something we just took for granted. Melaphia’s words, because of William, resonated in my head and weighed on my heart like a gravestone.
    “And now that William’s gone,” I said simply, “there’s nothing for you or Renee here anymore.”
    Melaphia’s voice broke on another sob and she ran to me. Wrapping her arms around me, she said, “Don’t say that, Jack. You know I love you, too. I always have and I always will. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t sit here waiting for dawn and worrying that you won’t make it back in time, and even when you do come home, I can’t bear knowing that William’s not coming home with you.
    “I don’t want much. Just a normal life and a real family. I’ve never had that before, not even as a little girl. I want it now, before it’s too late. I want it not just for me but for Renee. Don’t we deserve that?”
    “Of course you do,” I murmured. “You deserve every good thing life has to offer.” I held her against my chest, her head tucked under my chin. I stroked her back lightly as I had when she was a little girl and I soothed her hurts. How I loved her.
    How I’d miss her.
    I started to speak, but was so choked up I had to clear my throat and start again. “You know those invisible bonds you talked about? The ones around your heart?”
    “Yes,” Mel said, her voice muffled against my chest.
    “Don’t consider them bonds,” I said.
    “Hmm? What do you mean?”
    “Think of them as bungee cords.”
    Melaphia raised her head and looked up at me. As she began to laugh I could feel the tension flow from her body. “What do you mean, silly?”
    “They’re bungee cords from my heart to yours. They’ll stretch enough to let you live your own life wherever you want to go. But if you ever need me you can pull on the cords and I’ll be at your side in a heartbeat. And if you ever get homesick, they can always lead you and Renee back to me.”
    “Thank you,” Melaphia said, resting her cheek on my chest again. “Thank you. Thank you.”
    I held her away from me and whisked away the tears on her cheeks with my fingertips. “You and Renee will be right in the heart of the old lords’ territory. You have to use all the cloaking spells you know to disguise yourself.”
    “I’ve already thought about that, and I have everything we need.”
    “Otis’s fey friends are headquartered in that area, too. I’ll get him to talk to them. They can help protect you. Olivia’s network of Bonaventures can look out for you and Renee.”
    “With all that help, we’ll be fine,” Melaphia agreed.
    “All right, then. It’s settled. You and Dex make your plans. You can tell me all about them at sundown.”
    Melaphia nodded, beaming. “I will.”
    “Oh, and there’s one more thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “My superior sense of smell tells me that breakfast is about to burn.”
    “The oatmeal!”
    When Mel turned to run to the stove, I slipped through the open door from the kitchen to the stair-way to the vault, closed it, and locked it from the inside. I think I took a couple of steps toward the bottom before sagging onto the stairs. I propped my elbows onto my knees and let my head fall into my hands. A sense of loss overtook me, almost as deep and dark as the void I felt whenever I thought of William and Connie. I was losing everything I’d ever held