Bloods Gem (25 page)

When I woke we all headed back to the
castle. We told everyone that Adrian was coming back soon, and
everyone believed it. It was almost too easy. No one would ever
think I would cover for him, or that I was capable of defying my
father’s wishes.

I went to find mother to talk to her about
everything Adrian told me. I needed to know the truth from her, so
it would ease the guilt of lying to everyone.

I found her out back in her garden planting
flowers. Walking up to her I took seeds from the bucket and started
helping her plant. She smiled and begun humming. We planted for
awhile before I decided to talk about Adrian. Done with my last
plant, I decided it was the right time.

“
Mother, may we go and sit, I would
like to discuss something with you about Adrian?” She put down her
gardening tools without looking at me then followed me to the
gazebo.

We sat and she seemed to already know what I
wanted to talk about.

“
I know what you want to talk about
son,” She said looking at me sorrowful.

“
Would you like me to start from the
beginning?” She asked. I nodded.

“
A long time ago, before any of you
were born, I met a man named Dennis. He was a kind and loving man
and took me in so. See, when I was human, I had a very hard life. I
ran away from home because my mother was a drunk and my father beat
me and my mother. My mother never was in her right mind to do
anything about it. When I ran away from home I begged on the
streets for food and money. I was only sixteen when Dennis found
me. I didn’t know was his intentions.

“
For about a year I lived with him and
his three wives and children. He fed me and put me in school, and I
had a roof over my head. I fell in love with him. His kindness and
the way he spoke made me feel good. I realized the people I lived
with were not what they seemed. One of his wives attacked me when I
cut myself on a knife from peeling potatoes. He saved me from the
attack and told me what they were. I didn’t know what to do. I was
horrified when I found out, but decided to stay because they were
the closest thing I had to a real family. When I turned seventeen
is when he started approaching me. I would accept his gifts, but
soon after he wanted more. I refused him and he became very angry.
One night while I slept he came in and put his hand to my head. I
thought he was lighting me on fire because he wouldn’t take his
hand off and it was burning through my scalp. I became willing, but
I knew deep down inside I didn’t want this. He used his mind
control to bed me, and I was soon pregnant. Under his control for
about six months, until your father found me. I was your father's
gem and he saw what Dennis had done. He killed Dennis and his
Vampire wives. I screamed when he started toward the children, so
he let them go. He took me with him to the castle and unold on me
so I wasn’t under Dennis control anymore.

“
He wanted to take the child from
inside of me, but I cried and begged him not to. He couldn’t refuse
me, so I had Adrian. Your father barely looked at him when he was a
child. When Adrian grew older he payed more attention to him, but
he still didn’t like Adrian. When I found out about the beatings, I
tried leaving him, but he begged me and said he would never touch
Adrian again. I stayed, but your father continued to resent him.
There was nothing I could do to make him see Adrian as his son.
After I had your sister and he had one to call his own, he backed
off of Adrian. Adrian was alone a lot and didn’t want to be around
anyone. I tried to comfort him, but he hated me too. He wished he
was never born. I had many sleepless nights crying over
this.

“
Then you came along. Your dad’s eyes
lit up when you were born. He had his own son to teach and feel
close to. I know what your father did wasn’t right and I don’t
condone anything he’s done to harm Adrian, but there was no saving
him. He had so much pain and anger in him, no one could get close
to him. Not even me. So now he’s run off and I do think he’s better
off living his own life for once. No one can hurt him
anymore.

“
But your father has gone crazy. After
Adrian threatened your life there was no stopping him. He didn’t
want Adrian coming after you or your gem, so he set out to get him
back home and try to make amends, or take him to the healers to see
if they could heal his broken spirit. Your father knows he’s in
pain and feels bad for all he’s done. He wants Adrian's wounds to
heal, but he can’t do this alone. I know you’ve gone to him and you
need to tell your father where he’s at so he can help
him.”

I shook my head, “NO! I don’t trust him now
mother. I won’t give him a chance to hurt Adrian anymore. Let him
be, and let him heal in his own way! There’s no need for this
circus act. I won’t let him harm my brother no matter how much my
brother hates me. I love him and always will. He’s part of me, and
I him.”

Mother sat silent. “Well Son, there’s
nothing more I can do either. I can't stop either of them and this
is out of my control.”

“
So you’re going to sit by and let
father do what he wants to him? How can you be so trusting? He
could just tell you anything and you’d believe him.”

“
Because I know your father. I see his
mind everyday and know his thoughts. Remember, I too am part of
your father now. If there was reason for me to be concerned about
your father's intentions, I would put myself in front of him. I
would die for my children any day. You children are my world and a
mother and child’s bond is unbreakable.”

I got up and headed to my room so I could
think. I believed what she was telling me, was how she felt. But
there was always a way that father could deceive her. The power he
wields and his mind are not to be taken lightly. My mother believed
that father had the best intentions. But I wasn’t so sure and I
wouldn’t allow myself to believe he wasn’t going to harm my
brother. I would just have to do what I needed to do to make things
right. The only thing that concerned me with my plan was Faith. If
I was to… Die doing what I needed to do, then she would die too. I
couldn’t decide what was more important: mine and faith's lives or
my brother's. What was I willing to sacrifice for him? And would it
be worth it? The only way for my plan to work was to unold on Faith
and get her pregnant. Once I knew her life wasn’t at stake I could
forfeit mine. But how long did I have? And what if she decided
since leaving her she didn’t want me anymore. Then I’d have to make
her see it my way. Force her to save her own life. I was giving up
a lot to save my brother's life. And for what? I wasn’t even
certain his life was at stake. I assumed the worst of my Father. I
would bring Faith in the middle of everything by risking her life
or her freedom. This just wasn’t right. There was no better plan I
had. I couldn’t save everyone, yet I wanted to.

While I was sitting there thinking Celeste
popped her head into my room.

“
Can I come in?”

“
Yeah sis.”

“
Daniel, I’ve been listening to you,
but I’m not sorry that I did. I heard your plan and it makes
perfect sense. But, instead of you sacrificing yourself and Faith,
well let me do it.”

I stood up. “No! I wont allow it.”

She put her hand on my shoulder. “Let me
explain. I don’t have as much to lose. Daniel there’s nothing here
for me. I don’t have a husband, children, or even a boyfriend.
There’s nothing really tying me to this world except for you and
Mom. You have everything to live for. You and Faith, your future
children, Mom, our brother.”

“
Not going to happen! Now sit down and
we can try to come up with something together. No one needs to die
if we can come up with a plan,” I said.

She looked down thinking hard. “First off,
we have no way of knowing Father's intentions. He shuts everyone
out except for Mom. If we can somehow get around that barrier, then
we would know what we’re up against.”

I shook my head and started pacing. “No. He
lets mom see what he wants her to see. I doubt it’s what’s really
in his head. Him and I are alike in that way. If we don’t want
someone knowing something, we switch to something else letting them
believe something more positive. If I can stay close to him for a
bit I might be able to tap into his thoughts. If I can get the
negative emotion he has for Adrian, the one that set's him off, I
would be able to tap into that and hear his thoughts. Once I know
what his intentions are then we’ll have a plan.”

She agreed to my new plan and went off to
make arrangements for father to come home. Going to father in
spirit she told him to come back immediately, that I had some news
to tell him about Adrian. He fell for it and got back in less then
two days.

I waited for father
in his office, knowing it wouldn't be long before he arrived.
Pacing the room and alone with my thoughts the door suddenly flung
open. He walked towards his desk ignoring my presence. Sitting
down, he propped his feet up on his desk and reached for the box of
cigars next to him. Extending his arm, he offered me one, I shook
my head. He lit his cigar. “So son. What news do you bring with
you?” He asked

“
Well father, first off I would like
to speak with you about something.” He bowed his head once. I began
with my knowledge of my mother's story trying to get some sort of
reaction or emotion from him. He listened.

“
I know that must have been hard on
you raising a bastard child and trying to keep mom happy,” I
continued. “And Adrian threatening to end me--”

His laugh roared through the room startling
me. I couldn’t tell what he was feeling or thinking. He stood up
and walked toward me.

“
Nice try son, but you do realize who
trained you don’t you?” He started me dead in the eyes. I looked
down at my feet feeling trapped and angry.

“
If you ever touch Adrian again
I'll--” I couldn’t hold my anger in any longer.

“
Listen son. the things I’ve done to
your brother I’m very sorry for. I’ve treated him poorly. This was
long ago though, and since then I’ve realized all the pain I’ve
caused not only him but your mother. I must confess when he did
threaten your life, I did want to hurt him. I went after him
immediately. But I was able to stop myself and regain control of my
emotions. I let myself feel the pain in which he felt. That pain
was deep. I only want to help him heal. I don’t want him to suffer
anymore.”

“
I felt his pain too when I spoke to
him and if I were Adrian, I would want to be left alone to heal.
This you can do for him, set him free father, let him go on his own
way. If you really don’t want to cause him anymore pain, then leave
him alone. This is what he wants most; you should at least give him
that.”

He walked back to his desk and sat down.
“Son, I would like to do this, but I too have heard him. I know his
plans for you”

“
What plans for me?” I
asked.

He shook his head in disgust. “Are you sure
you want to hear this? You will make your own mind up, to believe
me or not.”

I glanced at him wondering what lie he’s
going to feed me.

“
He plans to unold on Faith get her
pregnant and hope you or myself will kill him.”

I started pacing the room. “No, he wouldn’t,
there’s no way… he wouldn’t hurt me…this way…” I didn’t want to
hear anymore. I closed my eyes and forced my hand out in front of
me, gesturing for father to stop talking.

“
Son, I know this is hard to believe
but he wants to die. He’s in pain and he wants us to kill
him.”

“
Why doesn’t he just go to the hunters
then?” I asked, glaring at him.

“
He has. They laughed at him and
thought it would be entertaining watching him suffer. It’s no fun
for them when the hunt is too easy. Plus, they know this plan he
has would hurt me in some ways too. Anything that hurts you hurts
me son… everyone knows this.”

I grabbed the back of my head and wished
this would all just go away. I was searching father’s thoughts and
everything seemed clearer now. Father stood up and walked closer,
putting his hand on my shoulder. “Son, you haven’t much time. You
must go and take your gem, if you love her and want to keep her,
you must unold quickly. You don’t have time to wait around until he
gets a hold of her. The instant he knows you’re not around, he will
unold her.”

I was confident Father was telling me the
truth. I was able to read his mind and feel his emotion, and knew
with certainty these thoughts were legit. I was still upset with
Father about what he did to Adrian in the past but the pressing
issues were now more important. I was left with no choice, I didn’t
want her to be under his control and forced into pregnancy like
mother was. I would have to go unold Faith and hope my instincts
were right.

Faith

I've missed five days of school because It
was impossible to get out of bed. Mom was worried sick about me and
upset at Daniel for leaving me. I told her it was all my fault. He
seen me with Chris and that hurt him, but she didn’t care. Hearing
me cry myself to sleep every night, she knew there was nothing she
could do to help. But that didn't stop her from trying.

Chris still came around. Mom told him
everything that happened. He tried making me feel better by saying
he would explain to Daniel that we were just friends. I told him it
was more complicated then that and wouldn’t be a good idea for him
to approach Daniel. I hated myself for letting Chris come over that
day Daniel left me. I should have known he would be watching. I
wasn't really thinking anything was wrong with it until I got his
text. And by then it was too late.