Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Well, it was a few years ago. You came back from your first tour, and you were agitated because you’d discovered that other supernaturals were real.” She gestured to Echo. “Vampires and such. You told us about them because you wanted us to be aware of the danger.”
“You did? You didn’t tell me they already knew about supes,” Echo said, tone almost accusing.
He nodded, barely paying attention. He wanted to know the fae stuff. “But how did you come to the conclusion I was fae, and why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your mum and I had been looking for answers for years, but the resources we had couldn’t provide much evidence or answers that the supernatural world was real,” Elijah’s dad continued. “But when you told us there were vampires and such, I called up an old school friend who is now a professor at Oxford. He got me into the Bodleian Library and gave me access to some very old books on the supernatural world.”
“Why didn’t you do that before?” Elijah asked, stunned his father had a connection like that.
“Because we were so unsure of tipping anyone off, and I think we genuinely believed you might be one of a kind. But then you found out for certain there were others like you. Witches, warlocks. Except what you described of their powers seemed different from yours … So I went to Oxford. I took extensive notes and brought them back. The more your mum and I pored over them, the more we questioned whether you were a warlock like you thought.”
“The research said witches and warlocks had to pull their energy from other things, things that were sacrificed. You don’t have to do that.” Elijah’s mum leaned forward. “Then I came across a section in your father’s notes that spoke about the fae. Their abilities seemed to match up to yours.”
“But there was nothing concrete, and what was said was that if the fae did exist, they were no longer in this dimension and hadn’t been for millennia,” his dad said. “Your mum wanted to look deeper into it, but I was afraid to stir up trouble. I just didn’t believe it could be true. I’m sorry, love.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, and she patted his hand in reassurance.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Elijah scowled.
His parents blanched, so in sync with each other after all these years. His dad replied, “We didn’t see the point. Or I didn’t see the point. I’m sorry, son.”
Echo stood from the couch. “Let’s look on the bright side … it means we won’t have to spend days convincing your parents of the truth.” She looked at them with her cool jade eyes. “You’re very adaptable for humans.”
If Elijah wasn’t mistaken, she sounded impressed.
“Thank you?” his dad said dryly.
Elijah’s lips twitched as he and his dad shared an amused look.
“The point is, we can skip all the ‘I can’t believe there are vampires and werewolves and fae, oh my’ hysterics and focus on what matters. Elijah is in deep shit. Therefore, you are too.”
Any amusement he’d felt died. “A little compassion and diplomacy wouldn’t go amiss, Echo.”
“Echo. What an unusual name.” His mum stood up to study his companion. “And you’re a vampire. What’s that like?”
“You’re not like other people, are you?” Echo murmured, her expression curious.
“I like to think not.”
The vampire nodded. “Yes, my name is unusual. And yes, I’m a vampire. It sucks, literally and figuratively.”
A wave of grief rolled off her, and Elijah’s brows knitted together. He’d never met a vampire who hated being a vampire. The ones he’d met had all turned willingly. Not that he’d met many. Had the “gift” been forced upon Echo? The thought made him furious.
She flicked him a look of surprise but then masked the emotion just as quickly. “The point is, I’m afraid your lives are no longer your own. Elijah has already been attacked twice. Once by a group who wants to kill him to stop the gate from opening, and another time by a large coven who will kill others to get to Elijah to use him to open the gate. They’ve already killed people—at his concert last night in Antwerp.”
“Bloody hell, speaking of …” He reached for his parents’ laptop that sat on the coffee table. A quick Google search made him bite out a curse.
“What is it?” His dad rounded the table to peer over his son’s shoulder. “Oh my God,” he whispered hoarsely as he read the news.
“What’s going on?” his mum asked, concerned.
Elijah handed the laptop to his dad and slumped back on the couch. He looked at Echo, the weight of all those deaths lying heavily on his shoulders. “Over a hundred dead. They’ve covered it up as a gas leak in the building. And I’m missing. The boys must be losing their minds. I need to tell them I’m all right.”