Family Secrets (Young Adult Edition) (Davenport Manor (Young Adult Edition)) (11 page)

This went on for several minutes until
her brain allowed itself to accept the fact that her body was
rapidly dying. She began to relax and she looked up at him, his
fangs extended and a small amount of her blood around his mouth.
She closed her eyes, welcoming the peace that death would bring.
She felt all the pain in her organs slowly begin to fade away and
all of her muscles stopped tensing. She was completely relaxed
within her own body and mind.

And finally, death came—the pain was
gone, the struggle to breathe was gone. But, she still felt present
in her body, which was odd because she was certain she would feel
as though she would leave her body. She opened her eyes and she was
still laying on the ground with Aidan hovering over her. The
surroundings looked different, yet familiar to her. She focused her
eyes on the trees and realized she was still on the pathway, but
her vision was pristine. Even in this dark forest she could see
every fiber of every tree trunk and every star in the sky. She
looked back at Aidan, whose face looked hopeful and eager. She
couldn’t seem to take a breath to speak; it was as if she had
somehow forgotten how to use her muscles. It was then that she
realized she had not been breathing this entire time. She felt
scared, but she didn’t feel that jolt of panic shoot through her
gut like one would feel when frightened.

She managed to find the muscles to use
to inhale some air so she could ask him, “What has
happened?”

Aidan replied, “You are like me now.
You are vampire.”

She was too shocked to speak. These
hideous creatures of myth and folklore, she certainly couldn’t be
one of them. They’re not real. There had to be a reasonable
explanation for everything that just happened to her—the pain, the
inability to breathe, feeling as though she died. His fangs, he
didn’t have those when she was speaking with him before all this
happened. He had licked her blood off of them and they were now
gleaming white in his mouth. As she tried to wrap her head around
the incidents that took place within the past few minutes, she came
to the realization that there was no explanation. He was fast, he
was up in a tree for goodness sake, he was charming, he was
beautiful…and he bit her.

As she sat up, she realized that she
didn’t have a single ache in her body; she actually felt fantastic.
It was exhilarating! Everything was so clear—her vision, hearing,
and sense of smell. As she inhaled through her nose she caught a
whiff of the most decadent scent. She turned her head toward the
direction it came from and inhaled again. She suddenly felt her
whole body crave the scent. It wasn’t a hunger or a thirst even; it
was a physical yearning to satisfy the craving. Much like a smoker
who is having a nicotine fit and needing a drag. His head turned in
the same direction and he slightly inhaled the scent that was
caught in the gentle breeze.

She got up off the ground without
effort and he stood alongside her. She inhaled again, letting the
captivating smell fill her nose. She glanced at Aidan for a moment,
as if he were a threat to get to the scent first, and she took off
in the direction from which it came. She was running so fast that
the trees were just a blur past her, but she had reflexes so
perfect that she knew she wouldn’t crash. It was amazing! Aidan
caught up with her and ran alongside her, guiding her in the
direction to take her first drink as a new vampire.

Chapter 8

The next morning, Emma slipped out of
the house to head to Barrington, a large town about twenty minutes
from Davenport. Zachariah asked to come with her since he had the
day off as well. They normally took her silver Mercedes SLK350
Roadster because it was so much fun to drive, but opted for the
Cadillac Escalade instead since they needed the room this time.
They set off onto the winding road that led off of the property and
came up to the guard shack and greeted Thomas, the guard on duty
that morning. After some small talk, he opened the gates so that
they could leave.

Emma and Zachariah chatted while they
drove, listened to the radio, and enjoyed the drive on such a
beautiful morning.

“So, what are your plans for today?”
He asked.

“Todd and I are going to go horseback
riding around the property when we get back.” She replied without
adding detail, too much fuel to the fire.

“Sounds like a great date,” he said
with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh stop. I’m just having a little bit
of fun with him while he’s here. You have to remember, he has been
my favorite actor for the past few years. Not many fans would get
to actually go on a date with someone they admire.”

“I understand.”

She took his hand and pleaded, “It
makes me feel just a tad human. I have been on this Earth for
two-hundred and twenty-two years…” she shook her head, as if in
disbelief.

“How does it make you feel knowing
Aidan is with other women? Does it ever bother you?”

“Of course, it was especially hard at
first. But, it’s not like I’m jealous, it’s more like I want his
attention. I know that’s how you feel,” she gently replied. “But,
it is what it is and I can’t change anything. Plus, I’d have to say
that you’re lucky, it is rare for a maker and offspring to remain
so close after this long. You will always be my number one, I can
promise you that will never change.”

Zachariah smiled and he completely
understood where she was coming from. They adored each other; they
were in love with one another. But, when you know you’re going to
be alive forever, being with the same person can get incredibly
boring. Unlike other makers, she couldn’t let him go because she
absolutely cherished him. However, every now and then they needed
variety—to have their cake and eat it, too.

They pulled in to the parking lot of
Miller Funeral Home, which was luckily empty this morning, and
drove around to the back entrance. They went up to the door and
rang the bell. Patricia Miller, the owner, answered the door and
gave both Emma and Zachariah a kiss on their cheeks. She welcomed
them inside and they took the stairs down to the lower level of the
building.

A little known fact amongst humans:
several funeral homes in major cities were owned by vampires. They
often became licensed embalmers, so while embalming a body they
wouldn’t let the blood just go down the drain. Instead they pumped
it out into jugs, which they sold to other vampires; like a vampire
super market. It was easy access to human blood without having to
bite anyone. Patricia had owned Miller Funeral Home for decades and
Emma and Zachariah had been loyal customers for just as
long.

“How have you two been?” Patricia
asked. She was a lovely woman—turned in her early forties, but
looked younger than her age. She had shoulder-length, dark blonde
hair with big, bouncing curls. Her smile was infectious and could
easily pass as a happy, suburban mom.

“Great! They’re filming
the fifth
Ticking Through Time
movie on our property, so we have had a full
house. It’s been a lot of fun,” Emma replied
enthusiastically.

“It’s nice to be able to just go home
at the end of the day instead of a hotel room for once!” Zachariah
added.

“Oh how fun! Any big names there
besides you and Daniel?” Patricia asked while opening the walk-in
refrigerator.

“Vivienne Conrad, Declan Fitzgerald,
and the usual cast of the films,” Zachariah told her.

“Oh, Vivienne is such a classic
beauty! Wasn’t she turned during the 1920’s?”

Emma nodded, “She was. She was a
chorus girl for the Ziegfeld Follies back then and got her feet wet
in some silent films. After disappearing long enough for people to
forget her she decided to return to the big screen. She’s so
talented.”

“How many cases do you need, hun?”
Patricia turned to Emma. Each case held four jugs of
blood.

“I’d say ten, don’t you think
Zach?”

“I think ten is good, if not we’ll
just come and get more.”

The three of them were able to carry
all ten cases in one trip and piled them into the back of the SUV.
Patricia took cash only for blood sales, so Emma handed her the
amount for all ten cases. They each gave her a peck on the cheek
and set off to head back home.

“Now we gotta hope there isn’t anyone
in the kitchen when we get home! No way we can explain ten big
boxes going into a hidden refrigerator,” Zachariah pointed
out.

Emma agreed and decided to give Daniel
a call to ask him if he might be able to clear everyone from the
kitchen. They would be able to use the back entrance without anyone
seeing them come in.

They pulled in to the driveway and
went around back. Emma called Daniel one more time to make sure
that the kitchen was clear of humans and they carried in the cases
before they could be seen. They restocked the hidden refrigerator,
shut it, and looked at each other as if to say “mission
complete”.

Emma and Zachariah made their way into
the parlor where some people were hanging out, including
Daniel.

“Hey Dan, thanks,” Emma quietly said
as she approached him. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“And good morning!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“Good morning!” he said as he hugged
her back. “Get everything you needed?”

With a grin she replied, “Yup, we’re
all good,” and leaned close to his ear to add, “so no one will get
bitten.” She winked and he laughed. “Have you seen Todd yet? I have
a date with him; we’re going horseback riding today.”

“He was down at breakfast, but went
back upstairs. He’s probably up in his room,” Dan
replied.

“Alright, I’m going to go find him,”
she turned to Zachariah and added, “I’ll see you later, okay?” She
touched his arm as if trying to console him.

“Okay, have fun.” He responded,
managing a small, but forced smile.

Emma climbed the staircase and went
left to head towards the bedrooms. But, Todd’s scent made her look
to the right instead. He was standing in the portrait hallway
examining the paintings.

She approached him and greeted, “Good
morning, love! What’cha doing?”

He had a look of worry on his face and
she was afraid he might have figured her out. But, as she got
closer she realized he wasn’t looking at her portrait, but at
Elizabeth’s.

“What’s wrong? You look confused or
something,” she asked.

“I just…never mind, you’ll think I’m
crazy,” he shook his head. She would really start to question his
sanity now, especially after the tree incident.

“What is it?” She urged.

“Okay, you’re going to think I’ve gone
mad, but…” he hesitated and took a breath. “I had trouble falling
asleep last night and I swear I felt like I was being watched. You
know that weird feeling you get sometimes?”

“Sure I do,” she answered
while thinking,
Of course not, if someone
was watching me, I’d darn well know it.

“Well, as I was lying there, I thought
I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. When I looked, I
saw a girl dressed in period clothing. I jumped of course, but then
I thought it was one of the actresses in my room and relaxed for a
moment. I asked her what she was doing in my room, but she didn’t
respond. She just stared at me,” his brow was furrowed now. She
could hear his heart pounding while explaining the
events.

“So, who was it?”

“Since she wasn’t answering me, I got
out of bed and went over to her…and as I approached her I realized
she was transparent. But, I got a good look at her face and I swear
it was her,” he said, pointing at Elizabeth’s portrait. “Elizabeth
Davenport. I think I saw a ghost.”

Emma’s arms were crossed and she
absorbed the story he just told her. She looked at Elizabeth’s
portrait and if she could still get the chills, she would have
goosebumps on her arms right about now. Not out of fear, but out of
utter excitement.

“So, she never spoke to you?” Emma
asked him.

“No, she just looked at me, but she
looked concerned and maybe sad. But, the odd thing was, I wasn’t
afraid of her, I physically felt completely calm. I would think
that I would have freaked out if I ever saw a ghost, but she
radiated a serene energy.”

Emma nodded, but on the inside her
mind was racing. She wished so much that she could see her,
too.

“Is your house known to be haunted?”
He asked, snapping her away from her thoughts.

“
I’ve
never seen any,” she shrugged.
“Our dad, John had mentioned seeing her before.”

“So, do you think I’m completely mad
now?”

She shook her head, “I don’t think
you’re mad at all. I believe you actually. Perhaps if there is a
next time, try to talk to her…better yet, yell for me. I’m
fascinated with the supernatural and would love to meet a ghost,
especially one of my ancestors.”

He relaxed and gave a slight chuckle,
“I will, although I hope there isn’t a ‘next time’!”

“Come on, let’s go riding and we can
talk more.”

Todd quickly remembered how to ride
the minute he got in the saddle. They rode through the property and
around the land that they hadn’t explored on foot during his first
tour. Todd would occasionally watch Emma, hardly hearing her speak.
She looked so divine while riding Phantom, like something out of a
film. They made their way around the property, past the cottages,
and found themselves at the entrance of the cemetery once again. By
this time, the sun had begun to set on the horizon, giving the sky
a deep, orange hue. The shadows had already engulfed the area,
which gave Todd an ominous feeling as they approached the
graveyard. He got a chill up his spine and had the overwhelming
urge to turn back, but Emma seemed completely comfortable and he
didn’t want to seem like a sissy. There were no crickets or
nightlife sounds as it was now November, which made the complete
silence even more unsettling.