Chapter 22

GRACE

Haven had me walking into the house without any underwear, thanks to our earlier escapades. I didn’t really mind, considering we were planning on round two.

He was carrying me back to the playroom, but as soon as we stepped inside the house, he stopped. He set me down behind him and started scanning the room, his eyes glowing a deep ruby red.

A man rose from a chair in the kitchen. He was older, but there was no mistaking that he was Haven’s father. He was a spitting image of his son, just with less muscle. He glanced between me and Haven, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not here to discuss your soulmate. Although, I can smell that you haven’t marked her yet. I don’t know what you’re waiting for, Haven, but...that’s your choice. We have more pressing matters than you becoming a father soon.”

Haven let out a sigh as I tensed behind him. He said it. I knew Haven was trying to tell me that I was his soulmate, but...hearing it out loud, even if it raised more questions, felt good.

“Thanks for that, Father.” Haven sighed. “I wanted to have a chat with Grace, but...I’ll do that after we’re done here.”

“You should have done this years ago,” Haven’s father shot back. “Anyway, I’m here to talk about your brother.”

“I figured. Grace, sweetheart, you don’t need to hear all this, so you can head to bed. I’ll join you when I’m done here,” Haven said softly, turning to me.

“It’s okay.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll...heat up some blood?”

Haven stifled a laugh at my confused expression, but his father nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world. What else could I offer vampires anyway?

“I’ll take A positive. Thank you,” he said.

“Sure. May I ask your name, sir?” I asked.

“You may call me Basil if I can call you Grace.”

“Of course.” I smiled at him. “I’ll be right back.”

I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I found the blood bags and looked for glasses before popping them in the microwave.

I knew Haven would want the same blood type as mine, so I took the chance to heat some water for myself to make tea. I prepared a tray and arranged everything on it before heading back into the living room.

The two men were seated, Haven on the couch and Basil on the armchair in the center of the room.

I set the tray on the table between them and handed them their blood before sitting next to Haven with my mug.

It had a tiny unicorn on it, so I was sure Haven bought it for me. He knew how much I loved them.

“So, I take it Silas is home,” Haven said, looking at his father.

“Yes. He arrived last night.” Basil nodded. “Alphonse heard about it, and he knows better than to try to fight me, so he told me everything about your brother’s deed.”

“I don’t think you’ll be able to save him this time. This is serious. He killed a woman! I’m sure she wasn’t Alphonse’s soulmate, or Silas would have never been able to leave France.”

“No, she wasn’t.” Basil sighed. “But he was very fond of her, and he demands blood. Since your brother has no one dear to him, we can’t offer them to Alphonse so...we need your help.”

“Alphonse is also a child of Judas,” Haven said, pinching his nose in annoyance. “We can’t kill him. The only way to appease him might be to let him lock Silas in a coffin at his house for a few hundred years.”

“How can you talk about your brother like that?” Basil gasped, horrified. “This is the punishment reserved for bitten vampires. It’s not suited for a child of Judas.”

“I don’t have another solution, Father,” Haven retorted. “Do you think Alphonse would be satisfied if Silas offered him his favorite child? Silas is as fond of the vampires he sired as I am. It’s pointless.”

“There must be another way.” Basil frowned.

“Does...Silas have nothing dear to him?” I asked.

The two vampires turned their heads toward me, so I tried to stay calm. It was a bit unsettling to have their full attention all of a sudden. I felt like a rabbit in front of wolves.

“If...he has no one, maybe there is something that he would never want to lose?” I continued. “Something as valuable as the woman, of course.”

“That’s...not a bad idea, Grace.” Basil nodded. “Silas is very fond of his mansion in Greece and the women living in it. We could offer that to Alphonse. I’m sure that would be enough to appease his anger.”

“Don’t tell Silas that this suggestion came from Grace,” Haven said, pulling me into his chest. “If he learns that she’s the reason he lost his piece of heaven, he’ll want to kill her, and there’s just no way that I won’t kill him to protect her. Killing another child of Judas is a lifetime sentence in a coffin, and that would never be enough for me if anything happens to Grace.”

“I’ll tell him that we came up with it,” Basil agreed. “I don’t want to lose a son over this.”

Haven nodded, but he didn’t loosen his grip on me. He was clearly on edge about all this. If he turned me into a vampire, would that change? But he couldn’t change me before I gave him kids so...we were stuck.

“I’ll walk you out,” Haven said before gently laying me down on the couch.

Basil extended his hand to me, and I shook it. He offered me a small smile before saying, “My wife said that you two would have many kids together. We can’t wait to see them all.”

~What?~ I thought, my eyes wide as I stared at him. Haven was just as shocked.

“She said that?” Haven, my vampire, asked.

“Yes,” his father replied.

“My mom has the ability to see the future,” Haven explained to me.

So, his mother had foreseen us having a bunch of kids? That was... a lot to take in. It also meant he wasn’t planning on turning me into a vampire anytime soon.

We walked his father to the door, and in a blink, he was gone, swallowed by the night. Vampires sure could move quickly.

Haven shut the door and pulled me into his arms. He was so thrilled about the prospect of us having kids that he started humming a tune. I couldn’t help but smile. I loved seeing him this happy.

“So, I’m your soulmate and we’re going to have a bunch of kids?” I asked, grinning up at him.

“That you are, angel,” he confirmed, his eyes locked on mine. “You’re the one I’ve been waiting for. Your blood calls to me. It’s like my favorite meal and what makes me stronger. Vampires often struggle to control themselves around humans whose blood calls to them, but I’m old, and you’re my soulmate.”

“I see. I’m glad you have so much control. But why did your father say, ‘You should have marked me years ago’? We only met a few years ago, didn’t we?” I asked.

He looked conflicted, but I knew he would answer. I just had to give him time.

“We first met when I was barely a hundred years old,” he admitted. “You... you died of the plague before I could save you. I was devastated, but my father told me you would come back. I just had to be patient. I...I saw you again when you were four. I didn’t know then that you were my soulmate, but...the night your parents died, I knew. I took you to your grandmother myself, and decided to wait until you were of age.”

I was stunned. We first met when he was a hundred years old? I died of the plague? Then again when I was four?

“Did you see who killed my parents?” I asked, a knot of fear forming in my stomach.

He looked truly uncomfortable now, which was unlike my usually dominant vampire. I cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me.

“Please... tell me everything,” I pleaded.

“You don’t want to hear it,” he said, pulling away from me.

“Why not?” I asked, frowning. “I never forgave my parents for what they did to me, but...I deserve to know how they died.”

“You’re killing me, Grace. Please... don’t make me tell you,” he said, pacing the room.

His reaction told me it must be truly awful. I could tell he wanted to shield me from the pain, but I didn’t miss my parents. The truth was, I was glad my grandmother raised me. Despite being young, I never forgot the abuse they subjected me to.

“Please, Master,” I insisted. “I need to know what you know.”

He grunted, his eyes locking with mine. For the first time, I saw real fear in them.

“You asked for it,” he sighed, sinking onto the couch.

I braced myself and joined him. If he was this against telling me, I wondered what I was about to learn. Whatever it was, I was ready.