Chapter 22

I drew back; the expression on his face wasn’t the friendliest after all. “Where exactly are we going,” I asked him.

“I thought a place we are both familiar with might help to expedite matters, though you are always a welcome guest at our home this takes precedence over everything else. I could make you come.” Tom said with a sly smile.

“That might be harder than you think,” I told him as I increased my shields. Reaching out he tried to pull me his eyes shot wide then he tried harder still nothing finally he started to measure my levels.

“Hmmm, fourteen higher than when we first met. It’s very impressive, and you may very well be the strongest mage outside of Johnathon or myself. Alright, you’ve proven your point, but we still need to discuss Gena. For now, it will be only myself, Evelyn, and, of course, Ben. Lana, I am afraid, won’t allow Johnathon out of their room ‘til she is certain she is with child.”

I started laughing. I had met Lana a few times before, and at first, for a vampire, she had seemed pretty nice. Later on, though, I found out that she was one female you didn’t want to cross or piss off. Rubbing my side, I still had the scars to prove it. “Yup, I can see that. She can be a terror when she wants to.”

“That’s right, she took a swipe at you right after their second child was born. Something about you didn’t have a talisman ready that you said you would?” Tom said, a thin smile on his face.

I could tell that he had experienced Lana’s post-baby birth blues also, and here I thought it would be different for a vampire. Sighing, I relented, and Tom opened a doorway for us as my eyes got large. I had heard of the transfer portals but had never seen one. Stepping through, I was instantly in the keep, holy shit! That beat the Flash technique any day! The look on my face must have been comical because Tom had a wide smile on his face. “I believe I am now a fan of the transfer method,” I told Tom, “Though I take it requires a huge amount of power?”

“Actually, less than you when you cured the council elder, but you were a little weaker then. Once you learn it, it should be simple at your strength. Please sit here, and I’ll retrieve the others.” With that, he vanished a few minutes as I sat in the plush sitting room, and again, I felt envious of Johnathon and his family and the fact that he had one.

[Hey!] I heard Eluria yell out in my mind. [What am I, chopped liver?]

Smiling, I felt a warmth spread over my body that I hadn’t felt in a very long body. [A little hard to forget about you, dear. You are, after all, stuck in my head. Just the fact that I have even a piece of you again helps more than you know.]

Tom and Evelyn Timmings came back a moment later, “I’m afraid Ben won’t be able to make it.” Tom said.

Evelyn’s eyes were wide as she looked around the room then settled on me. “I thought we were alone,” Evelyn stated as they sat, then Gena also walked in a smile covering her face.

Sighing I didn’t want it public knowledge that I had the spirit of my sister in me; it might gain me a reputation as a pervert. Although I was to a certain extent with Cloe, I wasn’t with family especially my sister; it was bad enough that she could see my deeper thought when I was stressed. That lately was becoming a common thing it seemed.

“May I tell them?” Gena asked. When I only nodded with my head hung low, Gena started in on the part of the tale that my sister had told Gena earlier. Taking a deep breath, she started, “He has the spirit of his sister in him. He was at home when Cedric tried to attack him in a dream. Mr. Greenstick was able to fend him off and managed to rip the soul of his sister loose from Cedric. Not wanting to be recaptured, she hid in her brother. What about it, sir?” She said as she turned to me.

“You have a good part of it but not all, not my shame,” I started.

[I told you not to talk like that!] My sister’s voice had risen to a shrill shriek, causing me to cringe.

Both Tom and his wife were amazed but had remained quiet the whole time. “I can tell that this is a private matter, obviously Gena is far more sensitive than we at first thought if she can communicate with a spirit.” Tom stated.

Sighing again, I nodded and thanked Tom for respecting my privacy but decided that I ought to get this out. As I launched into the tale of my family, the fact that Cedric had killed them for their power, the battle they knew of over 200 years ago, almost killed me. I had thrown myself into work with Ben for the years in between, not caring if I lived or died. Taking a deep breath as I neared the end, I told them of my only partner, losing him and the renewed pain, then meeting his daughter centuries after Evelyn had restored part of me. All three of their eyes were wide; I could see tears streaming down both female’s eyes.

Finally, I was almost finished with this, which, strangely enough, had seemed to lift a huge weight off of me. “I take it that none of this will go beyond these walls.” Here, I looked straight at Gena. “I mean it Gena if any of this gets out I won’t be able to keep you and the others alive. I was serious about what I said, and everything I am teaching you guys is important. If they don’t listen, then they won’t live.” Her wide, tear-stained eyes and face nodded yes vigorously.