Authors: Emma Mills
My attention was diverted by Sebastian pulling out several pieces of paper from his pocket. There were quite a few which looked old and I could see they were covered in my father’s scrawling handwriting, but the top sheet was new and covered with notes in handwriting I didn’t recognise. He shuffled them and smiled at me as if he had my future in his hands, which of course he did. So I sat patiently, which was incredibly hard, and waited to hear about my mother.
‘Jessie, Eva found this letter in the box from your attic. I cannot let you keep it at present, as I’ll be expected to produce it as proof of your bloodline within the witch community when they arrive, and if any trouble arises within the council. It’s been incredibly useful in helping me track down your mother’s family, so I hope you do not mind me reading it.’
‘Is she still alive?’ I asked, suddenly unable to stay quiet.
‘No Jessie, she is not. The letter explains, but she died in childbirth, having you.’ I sat horror-struck, unable to speak. It’s what no child ever wants to hear, that she was a murderer before she was even born. ‘Jessie, it was not your fault. She was a witch, and from a very strong blood line, but it seems she’d left her family in the United States and was denying her heritage. She must have known the risks of giving birth without support from the supernatural community, and yet she ignored her upbringing.’
‘What do you mean, she needed support from the supernatural community?’ I asked quietly.
‘She was a witch, and looking at her blood-line, a very strong one, which is of course why the angels were interested in you.’
‘Not that interested,’ I mumbled.
‘However, as I said before, witches are human and they have frail human bodies. When a witch gives birth her power splits and surges through her heart, flowing directly into the newborn. This power surge caused a massive heart attack, and it’s undoubtedly this that led to your mother’s death.’
‘So, why did she leave? Why did she risk a normal birth here?’ I asked confused.
‘I’ve traced your family and I’ve spoken with the coven leader in Malden, near Boston. It appears that your mother ran away as a rebellious teenager.’
‘Boston? Isn’t Salem near there, where the famous witch trials were?’ I asked remembering my history lessons.
‘Yes, Malden is between Boston and Salem. It appears your mother didn’t want to live the life of the coven leader that she was being moulded for. Her family had no idea she’d come here. They thought she’d been murdered or taken by the Fae a long time ago. They had no idea she had a child, an heir. They are somewhat excited by our news,’ he said, raising one eyebrow sardonically.
‘Right, so my family originates from the real Salem witches? And they still exist?’ I asked, more than a little freaked out.
‘I’m not sure where your family originate from Jessie, you will have to ask them that, but they are certainly very interested to meet you. I believe they’re sending a representative over as soon as we can organise permits. They agree on keeping your identity a secret for the time being, as we don’t want to cause suspicion within the community.’
Something suddenly occurred to me as his words tumbled around inside my head.
‘You said they had no idea she had a child, an heir. Am I an heir to their coven now? Will I have to leave Manchester?’ I asked, suddenly pining for Daniel and feeling seriously worried.
‘No,’ he said laughing. ‘You are a vampire foremost, and however much they may not like it, you’ll never be a part of their coven unless you wish it, and then you’ll have to earn independence from my clan first. Vampires and witches usually keep a respectful distance, and they wouldn’t want to start a war over you.’
‘But by the time I’ve earned my independence, they’ll probably all be dead anyway, if they are all human, surely?’
‘That is exactly why you are staying here with us, and we are going to protect you. A witch with the ability to outlive an entire coven will be a threat to them. Certain power hungry members won’t like it, and will want to remove that threat.’
‘Great! So now I’m going to have to look out for jealous wizards wanting to kill me? Can’t you just tell them that I’m no threat, as my power sucks and I have no control over it?’ I said glumly, wishing Daniel was here to pull me into his arms and make everything feel ok.
‘Jessica, you don’t need to worry. I have eyes and ears everywhere. My clan are on full alert. No-one from the supernatural community will enter the North West without my approval. You are safe here.’
‘OK,’ I said nodding, as he stood up and walked towards me, holding out several thin sheets of lined A4 paper.
‘Here Jessie, read this. Daniel will be back soon, and I believe Eva is on her way. I’m locking you in again, but it’s only for your own safety and my peace of mind. I don’t want you wandering off to teach anybody else a lesson, now do I?’ he said, smiling his cool, sexy smile.
‘When am I staying here till?’ I asked, wondering if he was going to keep me prisoner for much longer.
‘Only until Daniel returns. However, if you run off and cause more trouble, I’ll bring you back here for an extended stay.’
‘OK. I promise to be good,’ I said, with a little smile and a fake ‘little girly voice’ that I knew would amuse him.
‘Very good, my little witch,’ and he left me alone, with my father’s letter.
Chapter Fifteen
I looked down at the letter in my hand. It was dated August 2008, only six months ago. I began to read.
My darling Jessie,
If you are reading this then it looks like I have failed you and lost my fight with the booze. The past year since your mother’s death has been so difficult, and by the time you have finished reading this letter, I hope you understand why.
The letter was several pages long and as I was impatient for details my eyes began to skim over the stuff I already knew. My eyes flew over the grim details of my mum’s fight with cancer and how he was going to tell me when I started university. How he was sorry, so very sorry for writing it down and not having the guts to tell me, and then my eyes focused in and found a word I loved. Luke.
As I write this I wonder, should I stop writing and go and tell you; but you are off buying books for university with Luke, and after all you have been through I haven’t got it in me to take away your happiness and infectious energy. I tell myself it can wait.
Huh! How can I have lived four years of my life loving someone who was lying to me every day? I felt resentment and grief coil tightly in my belly as I remembered those happy days shopping for university books with Luke. I carried on reading.
Of course now I have built this up to be something huge and it is really very simple. My dear; your mother was not your birth mother.
Yes I know this, blah, blah…my anger left a bitter taste in my mouth and I frowned at my attitude. I skimmed until I found a detail I didn’t know and gorged upon it. I read on quickly, devouring the details. So involved was I that I didn’t hear Daniel slip into the room and jumped with surprise when he sat down next to me. I noted his healthy pallor and wondered if my eyes had turned green.
‘Was she pretty then?’ I asked.
‘No, I told you, I’m only interested in you Jessie, but I have to feed. If you must know ‘she’ was a ‘he’. There was nothing sexual about it. I fed from his wrist and right now he is probably sleeping off his hangover with no recollection of ever meeting me.’
‘Oh!’ I said, unsure of how I felt.
‘So what’s in the letter then? Sebastian told me the basics, but I expect it feels very different to you?’
‘You might say that,’ I said, a sigh escaping my lips and my eyes dipping back to the letter. ‘Well I’m sure Sebastian told you already that my birth mother died when she had me, because of some witch power surge that gave her a heart attack.’
Daniel nodded and wrapping his arm around my back, he pulled me in tighter to him.
‘Well, then he says how he met my mum when I was eighteen months old and they got married and she adopted me when I was two, which explains the missing photo albums I suppose. But why didn’t they just tell me? I don’t get it? Loads of kids are adopted.’
‘Maybe they just wanted to protect you Jess.’
‘Or maybe they just didn’t have the guts!’ I said.
‘Finish reading Jessie. Does it tell you more about your birth mother? Sebastian said it explained her true identity clearly enough for him to contact your clan in Boston?’
‘Yes, he says he met my mother whilst travelling in Europe and when her visa ran out they decided to get married. Blah, blah, blah! Apparently she initially told him that her family was dead, but then in labour with me she changed her tune.’ I looked up at Daniel and he gestured for me to go on. ‘He says my mother, Karen that is, didn’t believe any of this and didn’t want him to tell me. It’s pretty strange.’
‘Go on,’ he said.
‘Well, it says here that just before she had me she was babbling and excited, said she wanted to call me Angel, which explains the middle name. She told my father that her real name was Rachel Bishop and she had run away to Europe on fake papers. She made him promise to never try and trace her family and said they would take me away from him and that they were very powerful.’
‘They are Jessie, but they can’t take you away now. Don’t worry,’ Daniel said smiling at me.
As I read on, a sense of dread filled my stomach. I knew what was coming. Why had she not gone to the hospital? As I read about her death and my consequent birth, the self-pity evaporated and I cried tears for my dad, felt his loss and confusion, and finally understood the enormity of his pain. I skimmed some more of the letter, over his musings on her story – after all, I knew the truth – and I paused to read the last paragraph.
My dear, I am so sorry to land this bombshell on you, but the main thing to understand is that you are loved. To Karen, you were always her special girl and together we were a great family. I have loved you from the day you were born and will love you into the ever after. Jessie, my Jessie, you are more special than you can know. As a little girl you had an ability to make everyone smile; you lit up my life and amazed me every day. You continue to amaze me, Jessie my girl, and I know that whatever life throws at you, you will fight back. Believe in yourself, as I do in you.
All my love
Dad
Xxxx
I sat, unable to move. I’d known my mother was not my birth mother for a week now, so it wasn’t a shock, but the words full of love from my father stirred emotions deep within. I read and re-read the letter, and even found myself touching the paper to my nose to see if I could find any lingering scent of him, but there was nothing.
A soft knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, and we both looked up to see Eva enter the room. Her eyes shifted from the letter in my hand to the tears drying on my cheeks. She then glanced at Daniel holding me tightly and with a grim smile went to pull Sebastian’s seat nearer to the bed. Straddling it, her eyes penetrated mine, searching and probing. A flash of indecision was quickly followed by frustration, and she settled for a wry expression before speaking.