I tapped my toe against the step. “How do you feel about me breaking in?” I asked, eyeing the door and knowing it’d be a piece of piss to get open. Most people didn’t realise how easy it was for their homes to be broken into, especially by sneaky buggers like me who knew exactly how to do it.
“Um, yeah, okay. But can you try to do as little damage as possible?”
“I won’t leave a single scratch,” I told her before pulling a small piece of wire from my wallet.
I stuck it into the keyhole, jiggled it around a little until I got some traction, and felt the lock turning. Seconds later, the door popped open, and I stepped back, allowing Alora to go in first. My jaw dropped when I saw the state of the place. I didn’t know how to break it to her that her parents either fled in a hurry or their house got trashed. Whether it was by chaos infested humans or vampires, I couldn’t say. Either way, things weren’t looking great.
“What do you see?” Alora asked just before she tripped on a smashed picture frame. I managed to catch her by the elbow just in time.
“I hate to break it to you,” I told her gently. “But the house is trashed.”
“Trashed?” she questioned shakily.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Goldy. Look, I’m gonna check all the rooms and see if I can find any clues as to where your folks might be.”
She nodded and swallowed. She didn’t look too hot when she grabbed hold of my arm.
“I think I need to sit down for a minute,” she said right before her eyes fell shut and her body dropped, convulsions wracking her frame. It took me a second to realise she was having another vision.
4.
Tegan
I woke up to Ethan’s familiar scent as he held me in his arms. It was odd to be able to conduct a daytime routine with him now, sleeping at night and going out during the day. His silky fingers trailed along my spine before caressing my lower back. I arched up into his touch.
“Hi,” I practically purred as I revelled in the feel of him against me.
“Good morning, beautiful. Shall we go and visit your dear bunică today?” he asked with a hint of a smile.
“My bunică?” I questioned, brow furrowing.
“Your grandmother,” he translated.
I snickered. “She might be my grandmother, but she’s certainly not dear.”
“So, you don’t want to go?”
“I never said that,” I replied, crawling out of his lap to stand at the foot of the bed. My clothes from yesterday were strewn across the floor, and I crinkled my nose at the idea of wearing them again.
“You don’t happen to have anything I can wear lying around, do you?”
Ethan stretched his chiselled torso out, and my eyes were drawn to the V of his hips. “Go to Delilah’s room and take whatever you like.”
I crinkled my nose deeper at the thought of being stuck in something that Delilah would wear. I’d barely be able to fit my boobs into one of her tops, never mind everything else. Still, I went to her room and began searching through her walk-in wardrobe. Ugh. Everything she owned was so tight and form-fitting. No comfortable baggy jeans or tops for her.
After a good fifteen minutes of searching through silky dresses, I finally laid my hands on a pair of khaki combats, the kind you’d find in a women’s boutique that’s trying to be edgy, and a Metallica T-shirt. I guessed the T-shirt must have belonged to an ex-boyfriend of some variety because I highly doubted Delilah was into heavy metal.
I threw on the clothes and returned to Ethan’s room, where I found him dressed in loose jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt that framed his shoulders nicely. Downstairs, I ate a slice of cold pizza, which Ethan screwed up his nose at, but it was delicious, so he could judge all he wanted. Then we hopped into his car to drive to Emilia’s house.
Reaching her stately manor, I stared out the car window and up at the house where my mother was raised. Who were you? I wondered. It was almost impossible to link the Dora who birthed me with the Darya Emilia had raised. They lived in entirely different worlds.
Ethan stopped at the high gates and lowered his window to press the button for the intercom. A minute later, a well-to-do male voice came through.
“Good day. How may I help you?”
“Good day to you, too,” Ethan replied politely. “My name is Ethan Cristescu and with me is Mrs Petrovsky’s granddaughter, Tegan Stolle. We would like to meet with the lady of the house if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“I’ll inform Emilia of your request,” the voice replied before the intercom clicked off.
“She’s not going to let us in,” I said on a sigh, dropping my elbow onto the dash and resting my cheek dejectedly on my forearm. I was eager to see Rebecca and make sure Emilia was treating her all right. I was also of half a mind to take her with me, but Emilia wasn’t just going to let me walk out of there with her precious daughter replacement.
Several minutes passed before the voice came back on the intercom. “Emilia has agreed to see you,” came the unexpected reply. “Please, come in.”
The gate buzzed open, and Ethan drove through. He parked by the front entrance, and we got out of the car. Just before he could knock on the door, I pulled his arm back and stared up at him.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too convenient that she’s letting us into her house?” I asked. “She’s got a little girl in there that she’s kidnapped and is desperate to keep. Why would she let me in?”
The stark remembrance that Pamphrock was dead hit me suddenly. Even if I did get Rebecca back, I wouldn’t have anyone to return her to. Unless, of course, her mother decided to make a miraculous recovery from whatever institution was currently caring for her.
“She won’t try anything, not with me there. My people would come after her if she did.”
“Are you certain their loyalties run that deep?” I questioned, pulling no punches. “It wasn’t too long ago that they were siding with Whitfield when he decided to exile you.”
Ethan took a lock of my hair between his fingers, his knuckles grazing my skin. “Everything is different now. Trust me in this.”
“I hope you’re right,” I muttered just before he knocked.
A well-dressed butler answered, and I presumed this was the same guy who’d been speaking to us through the intercom.
“Welcome,” he greeted. “Emilia will be with you shortly.”
He escorted us through a vast entryway and inside a high-ceilinged living room. The décor was very fancy, but I didn’t like it at all. I enjoyed a good comfortable, lived-in space. This place was so pristine it felt like I was staining it just by standing there.
Ethan and I sat on the long sectional sofa, and the butler asked us if we’d like anything to drink.
“Yeah, a double vodka, please,” I replied jokingly, even though I kind of wasn’t joking at all. I needed some Dutch courage to face Emilia.
The butler nodded and left the room. Ethan arched an eyebrow at me.
“What? I need it. Emilia’s not going to be a walk in the park to talk to. In fact, she can be quite the bitch. I get the feeling she hates that I’m her relative but feels this grudging obligation to get to know me.”