Chapter 51

ELEANOR

I felt like I sensed them walking in. There they were, at the door. She was staring at me, her sapphire-blue eyes boring into mine.

I had forgotten how beautiful she was. She looked so young, barely thirty, and she was so tall and lean. Her bright blond hair hung in long waves softly cascading down her back.

She was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a simple black shirt cut dramatically over her shoulders.

Her face was perfectly symmetrical, her brows were light and elegantly arched, her mouth small, and her lips full and naturally red.

Her almond-shaped sapphire-blue eyes, the same as Aric’s, flashed from red to blue.

The whole room seemed to shrink like all the air had been sucked from the space. They towered over everyone else, and everyone was staring at them, but they only had eyes for me.

She seemed frozen in place. It looked like she was trembling. I felt my heart racing in my chest.

Sudden memories of her arms holding me, not letting me go as she drank from me, washed over me. Along with them came memories of her hugging me, teaching me to read and write, gushing over my drawings, learning to cook for me.

“Mother,” I whispered. I could see her eyes widen, and suddenly blood tears trickled down her perfect face. I ran to her. She met me halfway, and we crashed into each other’s arms.

I felt her strength, I knew she could lift me and twirl me around like a little girl, but she held onto me tightly, her arms wrapped around my back.

Suddenly, I was crying in my mother’s arms. I felt safe. All memories of her killing me disappeared as we clutched to each other.

I could vaguely make out her words.

“Oh, my baby, my dear, my darling child,” she was cooing, stroking my hair. I held her tightly, burying my face into her neck, my body racked with great sobs.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she was repeating, stroking my hair, my back cuddling me.

“~Ça va, madame?~” someone next to us asked. His low voice broke us from our spell, and Mother pulled back, wiping at the bloody tears on her face.

“Of course,” she gave him a brilliant smile. “Just a nosebleed,” she explained in French, accepting the napkin he held up for her with trembling hands.

While she wiped at her tears, I noticed Aric standing just behind her.

I hadn’t seen him since he’d left the next evening after surprising me in Boston. He had to return to James in California to avoid anyone noticing his disappearance.

But he’d taken my phone number, and we’d kept in contact over the last couple of months.

I remembered the moment I had stepped onto the tarmac after having flown into France and feeling him, deep in my heart, like my whole body lit up and I knew he was near me again.

Staring at him now, he took my breath away. His tousled hair was standing up in odd spikes, and his chin was covered in light stubble.

He wore a tight-fitting blue shirt that showed off his rippling muscles underneath. He grinned at me and winked, noticing my checking him out.

My heart skipped and beat, and I quickly turned back to Mother, who had finished cleaning her face.

“I’m sorry about that,” she gave me a sheepish smile. “My darling,” she reached out and stroked my cheek tenderly. “You are so beautiful.”

She suddenly turned back to Aric, her eyes narrowing. “How long have you known?” she snarled.

“Let’s sit down,” I suggested, waving toward the table I’d scored at the back of the room. Mother nodded and grasped my hand tightly.

I led her, holding herself close to my body, toward the booth.

“My darling child,” she spoke. “I had no idea, I thought, I thought you’d died that night. Oh, if I knew, I would have been there for you!”

I sat down, and she sat next to me, pushing Aric’s chair away, so he had to sit facing us.

He was grinning at me, his eyes twinkling. I felt my heart racing just glancing at him. Mother was turning on him again.

“Explain. Now,” she snarled.

“It was Father,” he answered, quickly pressing his lips into a thin line. He arched his brows and gazed at me. “He saved her.”

“I heard her heart stop beating. I drained you.” Mother turned from Aric to me, her eyes bright red with emotion. I could see the tears threatening to spill again.

“I forgive you, Mother,” I told her quickly. Her breath caught, and tears began streaming down her face again.

“Mother,” Aric scolded as he handed her a napkin quickly so she could wipe them away.

“I could never hope for you to forgive me, my darling,” she murmured.

“I do,” I replied, glancing at Aric then back to her. “I forgive you all. I have a good life,” I tried to reassure her. “Truly, I’m happy!”

Mother was staring at me with wide red eyes. She looked on the brink of an emotional breakdown.

“Your father, you said?” she turned to Aric, her brows knotted in confusion.

“After you killed Eleanor”—Aric arched a brow at me—“Father took her far away and gave her his blood. He didn’t know if it was going to work, but it did. He left her at a hospital.”

“With a new identity,” I added. “I’m Ellie Martinez. It’s fitting because I recently took a genealogy test, and I’m 50 percent Colombian!”

“Demetrius just left you?”

“It was the only way he could keep her safe,” Aric answered. “He has an Infinity with her. He could always sense her.”

“That lying asshole,” Mother snarled.

“Aric also has an Infinity with me,” I said, glancing at Aric, who nodded and grinned at me.

“How long have you two been in contact?” Mother asked.

“I found her in Boston five months ago,” Aric said. “But it was Henry who first discovered her, almost seven years ago. He told Grace, who told James and me. I’d been searching for her ever since.”

Mother’s eyes widened. “And you never told me?” she snarled.

“I didn’t want to until I was sure. Then, well, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I brought you to see her, didn’t I?” Aric grinned. Mother turned back to me.

“Do you live here? In Toulouse?”

“Yes, I moved here two months ago. I’m finishing my Ph.D. in Engineering. I specialize in airplanes, and the Airbuses in Toulouse are my current project,” I explained.

“Two months,” her voice squeaked slightly. I nodded. She glared at Aric.

“I was raised in the foster system,” I told her. “Mostly in California. My last family was in Sacramento. They were amazing.”

“How many families have you had?” She looked aghast.

“Counting you guys? Seven.”

“We’re just another family to you?” Her eyes were wide.

“No, you guys, you were something else,” I snickered, and her eyes widened. She glanced around the room slowly.

“Do you have a family?” she asked. “You must be twenty-five? Are you married?” I smiled and shook my head.

“No, I’m single now.”

“So, you broke up with that boy?” Aric asked suddenly. I gazed up at him through my lashes and nodded.

“I did.” I turned to Mother. “I was with Logan for almost seven years. We recently separated.”

“Oh? That’s a shame. Why?” she asked.

“Because it wasn’t working anymore, and it wasn’t fair to him to be dragged halfway across the world every time I got scared pureblood would find me,” I replied.

“Since I ran into Henry at UCLA, I have been running. Which is why Aric didn’t find me so fast.”

I glanced up and met his eyes. He smiled at me gently.

“You’ve been running from us?” Mother breathed. I nodded slowly.

“I wasn’t sure if you caught me, if you were going to kill me again or not,” I admitted.

Her eyes were brimming with tears again. I quickly threw my arms around her neck and held her close. Her iron grip tightened around me.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I was afraid of you for so long. But not anymore. I understand. Aric explained it to me,” I told her.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“~Vous-voulez quelque chose?~” A waiter appeared beside me, staring at Mother.

“~Trois pintes d’IPA~,” Aric ordered and waved the poor guy away. Mother drew back from me.

“Who else knows you’re here?” she asked.

“Just Aric, I think.” I turned to him, and he nodded once.

“James knows I found you. You’ll remember he also cares about you very much. And Grace, his fiancée, also knows I found you. Henry doesn’t know anything.

“I told Father that I found you and that I have an Infinity with you. He senses you’re in France as well, but he doesn’t know where. So essentially, just you and I, Mother.”

“That’s too many people,” she snarled.

“James was also looking,” he answered. “And it was Grace who first told us about her.”

“If anyone else finds out she’s alive…,” Mother said, looking at me. “I don’t want you to have to run anymore. But I don’t know if I can protect you.”

“I can, and I will,” Aric answered in a low voice. His eyes met mine. “I promised to protect her when I gave her the Infinity.”

“Aric, you cannot protect her against the royal clan and the Shahalias, and I don’t know who else!” Mother snarled.

“I will protect her,” he answered in a monotone, his eyes not leaving mine.

“Don’t worry, Mother,” I said. “I’m living a human life, keeping to myself. You can come and visit me whenever you like. But I won’t return to your world.”

I met Aric’s gaze, and I saw him flinch just slightly. His lips were pursed into a thin line.

“That’s for the best,” Mother agreed.

We spent the evening discussing my life and theirs. I told them of my various families, my studies, my life with Logan, which Aric was none too pleased to hear of, my drawing, painting, and my dreams for the future.

Mother also told me of her life in Alaska and back in France. She gushed about the twins, their party and their travels, and their boyfriends.

The whole time she sat close to me, sipping her drink, and stroking my hair and my back affectionately.

I felt like she was leaving parts out, parts that Aric had only just mentioned to me before, of suicidal behavior and depression. But I didn’t want to bring it up.

She told me about Demetrius. Her blue eyes shone when she mentioned him, and I was suddenly reminded of how much they loved each other.

When the bartender came to tell us the bar was closing, I led them back to my place a few blocks away. The summer air was warm and felt nice, blowing gently against my skin.

I spoke to Mother about my move to Toulouse and my work on the Airbus. She laughed at my jokes about my all-male cohort, but Aric didn’t seem so amused.

As we walked, he came up next to me and placed his hand lightly on the small of my back. I glanced up at him. His eyes were wide, asking for permission.

When I gave him the slightest nod, he grinned at me and applied more pressure on his hand, slipping it up and down over my back.

Mother helped me push the heavy oak door open to the building, and I guided them upstairs to the sixth floor, where I had a small studio apartment, which was all I could afford on the salary my Ph.D. was giving me.

Mother walked around the small apartment, slowly picking up, smelling, and putting down my various trinkets, books, and clothing. I moved to the kitchen, flipping the light on, to make a cup of coffee.

My last night with Aric had taught me that I would need all the caffeine I could drink to keep up with nocturnal vampires. He followed me into the kitchen, glancing out the window.

After I turned the machine on and loaded it up with Colombian coffee—my new favorite after I’d found out my origins—Aric cornered me against the kitchen counter. His eyes were bright red as he gazed down at me.

“So, you made up your mind?” he asked me.