Chapter 19

"Get your paws of me, brat! Damn kids these days think they can throw an old woman in a lake and think it's funny. Your mother is going to hear about this Vincent."

"You weren't making it easy!"

"Boy, you think I'd sit still and let you drown me?!"

Vincent made a slur of explicit words before something hit him and he yelled, "Ouch!"

When I heard Gran's voice scolding from the living room, I dropped the novel I read and dashed out of Greyson's study like the house was in fire. Greyson, sitting by his study table, dropped the stack of papers he was analyzing for Bennett and followed behind me.

"Celeste!" he yelled but it was too late, I was already at the end of the hall.

If Gran is here, does that mean my mom was here too? On my way down the stairs, I almost trip on Liam sliding down the stairs on his stomach. I was in a hurry, but the little boy sidetracked my attention.

"Liam, isn't that dangerous?" He could get rug burns, or fall and get hurt.

His features looked so much like Greyson, especially when he had that stubborn look on his face that read don't tell me what to do. He frowns and doesn't like the way I was reprimanding him. "I'm not Liam, I'm Caleb!"

Embarrassed by my mistake, I cover my mouth with my palm. "I'm sorry, Caleb. I didn't mean to mix you up with your brother, but you shouldn't be sliding down the stairs on your stomach."

He rolls his eyes. "Nothing will happen." And he positions back on his belly, but two muscular arms lift him up before he could repel himself down. "No!" He protest.

"Liam, it's not good to lie. And Celeste is right. You could fall and hit your head and we would have to take you to Dr. O'Dell. She will stitch your head back up if it's split open."

Liam looks horrified. "My head...split open?"

"Yeah, all your brains will gush out and you will be as dumb as a goldfish!"

Tears brim Liam's eyes and he looks at his idiotic brother with both hands clutching his head like it's ticking to explode.

"Greyson!" I take Liam from him and set the traumatized boy on his feet. Liam wraps is tiny arms around my hip and hides his face behind my back. I pat his head and tell him Greyson was just kidding.

"Why are you babying him? He lied to you and he didn't listen." I can't believe him.

"Your little brother is just a kid. Kids are like that!"

"He's an Alpha's kid, he needs to learn discipline." He makes me wonder how he was raised. Was Bennett one of those fathers who told their kids that boys shouldn't cry? I wouldn't expect Laura to accept that type of parenting.

"Scaring him is discipline?"

"It's the only way for him to listen."

I groaned to myself and turned around to face Liam. "Liam, can you promise me something?" Liam shyly looked peered at me with his chin tilted down. He stared at his brother's intimidating stance and avoided either of our gazes. I looked over my shoulder and wanted to kick Greyson's shin again. "This is your fault," I mouthed.

Greyson didn't think so. With an eye roll, he crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head. "It's just like him to stop talking after I scold him. He'll get over it eventually. Leave him alone."

There was a loud crash, followed by a scream and then Gran's voice. "Don't tell me to calm down, or I swear this vase will get it!"

"No," Laura was there and she begged Gran to put the vase down repeatedly.

"I'm guessing that's someone you know, by the look on your face."

"My grandmother." I admit.

"Figures..." He mutters under his breath. "We better go."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing..." He said something. "Set him down. Liam if I find you playing on the stairs again I will tell dad." Greyson made his way around me and his brother, then headed to the living room area where Gran would be.

Liam looked like he was about to shit himself with Greyson's threat. That jerk.

I couldn't just leave Liam like this, so very quickly I rubbed his back and said. "Promise not to do that again okay? Your head won't get split open, but if something bad were to happen you won't feel good and your mommy would be sad. Do you want her to be sad?"

He shook his head no.

I smiled and rubbed the top of his head. "You're such a good boy, Liam! Now go find your brother and have fun, but don't get hurt okay." He smiled and walked down the stairs in search of his brother.

Entering the living room, I am greeted with a porcelain vase flying across the room inches from my face.

"Greyson!" Laura screamed.

Like a professional baseball player, Greyson dives to catch the vase. On his arms and legs, he slides across the carpet and catches the large vase. "Got it."

"Safe!" Gran laughs. Her mouth is wide open, I can see the small gap between her teeth. Her eyes catch me. "Oh my JAM! You look just like my granddaughter! The likeness is so exact. Are you by chance a long lost twin?" She walks across the room and past Laura who looks like she wasn't to murder my grandmother. Her fingers are cold and she touches my cheek with her palm as if trying to figure out if I'm real. She squishes my face, puckering my lips like a fish.

"Gran, I'm Celeste!" I grab her wrist and place my other hand into the back of her hand to warm her chilled fingers.

"Celeste?! Show mw proof, I don't believe you!"

Proof? "What kind of proof do you want?"

She ponders for a second. "What do I like spread on my bread!"

That was such a lame question. She blurted the answer a few minutes ago. "Jam."

"What flavor?"

"Strawberry."

"One out of two. Good enough. Oh my stars, it is you!" She opens her arms and hugs me. Her clothes are damp and her whole body is shivering.

"Why are you so cold?" I hold her closer hoping to give her some of my warmth. She looked paler than her usual color and she was too pale already.

Her brows crease together and her gaze punctures Vincent. I can see him shiver in distaste. "That idiot pushed me into a lake! I almost drowned. He should be charged for attempted murder!" She pulls my hand bringing me down to her level and whispers, "He'd probably get away with it, with his brother being the big shot in town."

Gawd, you don't know how right you are.

"I should get you a blanket, before you freeze to death." "Vincent...Get her a blanket." Greyson orders.

Vincent scrambles to his feet and immediately obeys, but leaves with a grumble.

"Hello, my name is Greyson." Greyson places one arm around my shoulders and Gran watches him do this as if willing his hand to fall off. He offers Gran his other hand as a friendly greeting.

Gran looks at it like it were a disease. "Who are you? I've never seen you, or that blabbering woman in my life and I know everyone in town." By blabbering woman, she means Laura grumbling on the floor picking up vase and placing it to its rightful place.

Realizing Gran wasn't planning on exchanging greetings, Greyson retracted his hand and slipped it in his front pocket.

"That woman is my mother, Laura. You haven't met us before because we live in an isolated area in the woods."

"Laura...that name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?" Gran inquisitively takes a glance at Laura who still has a frown on her face over broken pieces of glass on the floor.

"I'm sure you've seen her before." As soon as Bennett enters the scene his presence makes the room feel electrifying.

Gran's eyes bulge at the sight of him. "Have that mess cleaned up." He tells a man standing next to him.

"Yes sir." The man nods and attends to the mess.

Bennett kisses his wife on the cheek and whispers something like, "Count to ten. Deep breaths...we can replace it."

Laura scowls, "That was a gift."

"Don't worry about it." Bennett tells her and focuses back to Gran. "Diana, that's your name, if I'm correct." Around his arm is a warm woven blanket. Vincent was not standing behind him. They must have ran into each other before coming here. Bennett offers it to her and before her stubbornness rejected his kind gesture, he unfolds it and wraps it across her back.

Gran accepts it with gratitude but the reluctance on her face was still apparent. "How do you know my name, when I don't know you? I swear my old age isn't that bad."

Bennett chuckles. "I have my sources."

"Where is this place?" Gran asks. "After that damn brat tried killing me he pulled me out of the water and I opened my eyes to this place! Where the hell is this-

She gasps. "Am I in heaven? This must be hell because I don't see my life long supply of jam." Then she looks at me. "I won't expect you to be in this place, honey. What did you do to end up here? I have an excuse, but you...?"

Greyson smirks. "You're a funny woman."

Gran smirks back. "I appreciate you not calling me old. Brownie points from me kid." She analyzes the way we are close together. "But if you like my granddaughter though, you'll have to work hard before I approve this relationship. I wasn't part of her life for almost two decades that sure as hell doesn't mean I will not look after her."

Bennett grins and is clearly amused by my grandmother. For a small woman, she has a lot of bite.

"Gran, we are not together." I push against Greyson's chest to move away. He doesn't approve of this and pokes me on my side playfully. I yelp, because it's ticklish and smack across his shoulder backhanded. "Stop it!" I hiss.

He shrugs. "You started it."

Gran looks at us with open curiosity.

"This is not hell. We are not dead, Gran. I was kidnapped here and held hostage."

Gran looks at Greyson and back at me. "You were taken on the eclipse!" Her mouth opens in complete and utter shock. "Does that mean...He's the beast?"

Her reaction was totally what I hadn't expected. It almost looked like she was excited for me. Like a little kid meeting Santa, she grabbed his hand and giggled like a school girl. "You think my granddaughter is pretty? You couldn't keep your paws off her? Hey, is it true that you actually turn into a beast?"

"This was easier than anticipated. I thought she'd pull a stunt like what you did." Bennett smiled.

"You're actually okay with him kidnapping me?!" Mom was right, Gran is bat-shit crazy.

"The way you say it makes it sound like a crime. The people in town think it's a blessing and a sign of good fortune. Don't get me wrong, honey. I was worried about you. I wasn't sure if you were alright, or if you are alive. But look at you! You look fine and you don't seem to be distressed or anything!" She pointedly glowers at Greyson. "You are taking care of her right?"

I couldn't see the expression on her face, but it must have been really threatening for Greyson to have that paled expression on his face.

He gulped. "She's treated like a princess."

"You mean Rapunzel! Minus the long hair, I'm kept inside this house closely watched. I'm afraid they watch me taking a shit in the toilet too!"

"We don't go to that extreme." Bennett muttered.

"I can't believe I'm here seeing you. You're okay. Your mother has been worried sick!"

With the mention of mom, my throat constricted. "How is she doing?"

"Tracey's been struggling trying to fall asleep. She misses you and worries about your siblings too. Trent's been acting weird, she says and Charlotte got injured fairly recently."

She doesn't know yet that Trent is a werewolf and Charlotte is a mate to one.

NOTE: Dec 24, 2016

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YOU FREAKISHLY AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I'M BACK!!! I've graduated and I'm ready to write again after a year of constant chaos. I have edited this book again so you will find some changes to the style of writing. This book has been closed off from the public but I have made it visible once more. SO YOU BETTER BE GRATEFUL, you marshmallows! Let's make one thing clear though IF YOU COPY MY BOOK...I WILL FIND YOU.

BE WARNED. xo