Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1) Read online

  “I’ll be back before you know it and we can talk then.”

  He sent one last response, “Until then, you’re continually in my head.”

  He waited for her to reply, but none came. He got up out of bed and went into the bathroom to shower. He got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast where most of the cast and crew were gathered. He fixed a plate for himself and pulled up a chair next to Daniel.

  “Mornin’ buddy, how are you today?” He said as he sat down.

  “Good! How about you?” Daniel said while gnawing on a piece of bacon.

  “Not bad, I was just texting with Emma. What was her friend’s emergency that she had to leave so suddenly?” The curiosity was getting the best of him, but he didn’t want to ask Emma directly in fear of sounding nosey.

  Zachariah slid up next to them with a glass of tomato juice in his hand. “Mornin’. What are we talking about?”

  “Todd was asking what the emergency was that Emma had to leave so quickly,” Daniel said, not knowing what to tell him. As soon as Todd looked away, Daniel gave an intense shrug to Zachariah.

  “She didn’t say what happened with him, just that she needed to go.” Zachariah took a sip of his juice from his bent straw.

  “He?” Todd asked, not realizing this friend of hers was a male.

  Zachariah’s mouth twitched up into a half-smirk when he realized Todd was sporting some jealousy. “Yes, he, meaning Aidan…”

  Todd nodded slowly while trying to hide his true feelings. “She must be very close to him since she jumped a plane across the ocean…”

  Daniel, wanting to alleviate Todd’s suspicion, added, “They’ve known each other for a long time, they’re very close.”

  However, Zachariah was relishing in Todd’s discomfort with the situation. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Todd squirm while knowing that Emma was with another man. To add fuel to the fire, he said, “…and occasional lovers…”

  Todd and Daniel both looked at him incredulously while he tried to contain his grin. This was just too much fun for him. Todd, not wanting to think about the fact that Emma could be having sex with this Aidan guy at that very moment, pushed the idea to the back of his mind and changed the subject.

  “Is that tomato juice? That looks good right now.” Todd asked while pointing at Zachariah’s glass.

  “It is, but I took the last of it, sorry man.”

  Daniel looked at the clock on the wall and got up from the table, “I gotta go. I need to run upstairs before I have to be down in makeup.”

  Alone for the first time since Todd arrived, there was an awkward silence between Zachariah and him. Zachariah shifted in his seat about to get up, but sat back down. He looked at Todd and took a breath, as he was about to say something, but tried to find the right words. Todd looked at him from the corner of his eye, waiting for him to talk. He was pretty darn sure that it was regarding Emma. He was right.

  “I noticed you seem a bit smitten by Emma,” Zachariah started. “It’s not a good idea to pursue it.” His hand was balled up in a fist and his eyes gave him an alarming stare.

  “Why is it a bad idea?” Todd responded without looking at him and still chewing his food. “Am I in the way?” He brazenly asked with nonchalance.

  “Emma is a lot more complicated than you think. She’s beautiful, charming, and an amazing person. But…”

  “But, what?” Todd interrupted, setting his fork down with force. “I know you two have a history, that’s no secret, Zach. I think you’re jealous that she’s interested in me. And I really couldn’t give a shit.”

  Zachariah’s voice was now threatening, “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

  Todd narrowed his eyes and stared at him, thinking of a response. He was sure that the reason was because it tore Zachariah up that Emma was interested in someone else. But, his curiosity piqued and he was wondering where he was going with all this. “Okay then, tell me what I’m getting myself into.”

  Zachariah searched for the right words to say without spilling Emma’s secrets. “Look, Emma has had her eye on you for a very long time, since your first film…”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Todd replied, clearly confused.

  Frustrated, Zachariah replied, “No, it’s just…ugh! Just don’t get involved with her! Take it from me, you do not want to go down that path.” His tone was urgent, practically desperate and pleading. His face didn’t exude anger, it looked more worried.

  Todd pushed his chair back and stood up, with a snarky tone he replied, “I think I’ll take my chances.” He ambled out of the dining room and headed to makeup.

  Zachariah was torn; he didn’t know what else he could do to deter Todd from getting involved with Emma without seeming like a jealous freak. When Todd first arrived at the Manor, he was admittedly resentful of him. Emma openly spoke of her attraction to him, but he was used to her interest in other men after all these years. He should have known she would charm him and he would, in turn, be attracted to her as well. But, he was also insanely jealous, as the connection between Todd and Emma seemed to be more than just at a sexual level. Emma having sex with others didn’t bother him because the other men she was with were always vampires. She rarely had any emotional connection with them that went beyond friendship. Aidan was the only exception to that rule as he was her maker and she was as devoted to him as Zachariah was to her.

  On the other hand, Zachariah felt bad for Todd because he clearly had no idea of the danger that lied ahead. He himself had been down this path well over a century ago and he had not seen Emma behave this way with a human ever since he was a human. How was he supposed to warn Todd that if Emma ended up falling for him, he may end up immortal? You can’t just slip that into a casual conversation.

  Now he had caused an awkward tension between him and Todd—who now thought that he was the jealous ex who just couldn’t get over her. He didn’t like seeming pathetic, he was much too proud. After spending some time with clashing thoughts running through his head, Zachariah decided that this really wasn’t his battle. He tried the best he could, but he would just have to sit back and let things unfold how they may.

  During their lunch break from filming in the afternoon, Zachariah walked over to Todd who was eating his lunch.

  “What now?” Todd asked while chewing, not looking at Zachariah.

  “I just want to apologize, man. I was out of line. I don’t want awkward shit here, you know? I’m stepping back, she’s all yours.”

  Todd swallowed his food and slowly turned to look at him. “I appreciate that,” he started. He wasn’t a confrontational person and didn’t want drama in his life. He continued, “I’ll be good to her, you know. She’s unlike anyone I have ever met.”

  He nodded, “I know, she’s one-of-a-kind. Just be careful. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “What? Is she an axe murderer or something?” he chortled.

  Zachariah smiled, “No, she definitely does not yield an axe.” He patted Todd on the back once and walked away.

  The next few days of filming went smoothly and the cast and crew always congregated in the grand parlor in the evenings. It actually gave Todd a chance to get to know some of the other people on the crew since he was completely focused on Emma when she was there. The tension between Zachariah and Todd had mostly dissipated, but some of it still lingered. At the very least, they were able to hold civil conversations with each other.

  Todd’s cell phone dinged in his pocket indicating a text message. When he saw it was from Emma his heart did a skip and Zachariah glanced at him. It read:

  “Hey Todd, are you busy right now?”

  He smiled and immediately texted back, “No, I’m all yours.”

  “Good, let’s head upstairs and have a little chat.” He heard a cheerful voice coming from behind him. He turned around and there stood Emma in the archway.

  “You’re back!” He jumped up off the couch and hugged her tight. She smelled of her Burberry
as usual…with a faint hint of airplane. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today?”

  “I wanted to surprise you!” She responded, grinning from ear to ear. My gosh, how he missed her face.

  Zachariah strolled up to her and gave her a tight hug. “Good to have you back, love. Everything go okay?”

  “All is good.”

  “And how’s Aidan? Been a long time since I’ve seen him,” Zachariah raised an eyebrow. After all, Aidan could be considered his grandfather of sorts. The mention of Aidan’s name gave Todd a quick knot in his stomach.

  “Aidan is doing well! He sends his regards to you.”

  Daniel, Vivienne, and Declan all gathered around as well, welcoming her back after being gone for nearly a week. To Todd, the house felt alive again. While she was talking with everyone, Zachariah carried her bags upstairs and waited for her in the bedroom.

  “Once you get settled, would you mind stopping by my room to talk? I’ve been thinking about you all week,” Todd said to her once everyone was done greeting her.

  “Of course, I’m just going to put my stuff away, I’ll knock on your door in about ten minutes, okay?”

  She flitted upstairs towards her bedroom where Zachariah was waiting for her. She looked down the hallway and shut the door behind her, and headed over to her suitcases. They opened them up and at vampire speed, put away her belongings in less than twenty seconds.

  “So, tell me really how it went.” Zachariah asked her with a low voice.

  “It went well. Aidan brought up the idea of the vampires coming out into the open; none of us were opposed to it. Culture isn’t as blind and conservative as it once was; our kind are even glorified with all the books, movies, and television shows about us. We’re just discussing about how we can responsibly come out without striking fear into people. We also don’t want people who have become fanatics regarding our kind to want to get turned just because it seems trendy, you know?”

  “I know, I would just hope that rogue vampires wouldn’t use it to be obnoxious out in the open, giving us a bad name. However, I don’t think North American vampires would be quick to piss off our Queen; she’s fair, but vicious.”

  “She only learned from the best. If they don’t follow her orders they will suffer and they know it.”

  Vampires were never quick to disobey their King or Queen. There were six Vampire Kings and Queens on Earth, ruling over each continent except Antarctica. Disobeying them would prove to be miserable to the one who was brave enough to do so. Aidan was the only ancient king, the rest were all considered young by vampire standards. However, they were fair and respected amongst their kind.

  Emma looked at the clock and said, “Time for me to go and knock on Todd’s door.” She had a devilish grin and winked at Zachariah.

  He looked down at the floor, attempting to disregard her statement.

  “What?” She asked.

  “Nothing,” he replied impassively.

  She stood staring at him, waiting for a real answer.

  He looked up at her and shrugged. “Nothing. Whatever I say doesn’t matter anyway, so….nothing.”

  She rolled her eyes, gave him a quick kiss, and reassured him, “Everything will be fine. Relax.”

  Chapter 6

  She went across the hall and knocked on Todd’s bedroom door. As he opened it, she heard his heart rate speed up, making her smile to herself. He was wearing jeans and a light blue, long-sleeve t-shirt, which complimented his dark, shaggy hair and light eyes. He beamed at her and showed her in. He closed the door behind him and brought her to the loveseat near the lit fireplace, where he had two drinks waiting on a small coffee table. He had music playing on low volume, right now Mumford and Sons’ I Will Wait was playing; she loved that song.

  “Please sit down, love,” he said as he motioned his hand toward the couch.

  “Why thank you. What’s all this?” She asked, pointing to the drinks, a small vase of flowers in the center, and a crackling fire in the fireplace.

  “I thought we could have some wine while we talk, you seem to be fond of red.”

  She suppressed a laugh. Of course he thought she liked red wine. At the party she had been downing glasses that were not filled with red wine, but with blood. He had wondered how she was still sober. But now, how was she going to pull this off without hurting his pride or giving herself away?

  He handed her a glass and picked up his own, “Cheers love! To…a new friendship…and possibly more.”

  “Cheers,” she smiled and clinked glasses with him. She put the glass up to her mouth and tipped back ever so slightly, but stopping the wine from going into her mouth with her tongue pressed to her lips.

  Oh my gosh, that is nasty! Don’t make a face, don’t make a face” She thought to herself.

  “So, what did you want to talk about, Todd?”

  He set his glass down and sat up straight to face her. “Well, I missed you while you were gone. I was thinking about you a lot. Actually, I couldn’t get you out of my head; it felt very empty without you here.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she responded. “I was thinking about you as well.”

  He was so glad to hear that she had thought of him while she was away. “Okay, I’m going to get right to it, I’m really interested in you. I find you absolutely fascinating and feel like I have a connection with you. I think you’re gorgeous, sexy, and absolutely breath-taking.”

  “Aw, thank you! That is very sweet of you to say,” she began. “I have always thought that you were so handsome ever since I saw your first film. And I agree, there is some sort of connection between us—it’s very easy to talk to you. I have felt comfortable with you since day one.”

  “Likewise…so…would you like to go out on a date sometime?” He nervously asked.

  “I would, I really would. But, I have to be up front and honest with you. I’m very complicated and I don’t think there could ever be a future with us. I just don’t want to lead you on.” She was slowly and carefully saying her words without sounding like a complete jerk.

  “Why no future? How complicated can you be?” He took her icy hands. She had the fast reflexes to pull away before he touched her, but she knew that would seem odd. Time to whip out the old excuse again. “Oh my gosh, your hands are freezing!” He exclaimed.

  She smiled, “I know, I’m always cold head-to-toe. I have a condition that causes poor circulation throughout my body.”

  “Like a heart condition?” He asked, concerned.

  “Yes,” she lied. She wanted to be able to actually touch him for once, allow him to hold her hand, maybe even kiss her. The entire time he had been here she never allowed skin-on-skin contact to happen, even when they danced at the party. The only time she allowed him to touch her skin was when he was drunk later that night.

  “Is it a serious condition?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Is it…fatal?” He cautiously asked.

  “No, I won’t die from it.” Because I’m already dead, she thought.

  Todd gave a quick sigh of relief and continued gazing at her. He continued to hold her chilly hands in his, subconsciously trying to warm them. “You still haven’t answered me. Why no future?”

  She looked at him sheepishly and replied, “I have issues.”

  “Like baggage? Are you married? Kids? Secretly a man?” He joked.

  She laughed heartily, “No! No husband, no kids, nor am I a man.”

  “So, what is it?”

  She looked him in the eyes and had an inner struggle with herself. She wanted to tell him the truth. She did have a heart condition—the fact that her heart stopped beating over two-hundred years ago. That she lived off the blood of humans. That she could move at lightning speed and that it was her he saw lifting an entire tree. That she was the Emma Davenport that he admired in the portrait, the founding daughter. She was not Daniel’s sister, but in fact his sixth-great aunt. That while she may look twenty-five years old, sh
e was actually two-hundred and twenty-two years old. That she was immortal.

  She came up with a lie on the spot, “Ever since my family was killed, I guess you could say I have commitment issues. I’m afraid to let myself get too close to anyone because I fear I will lose them.” So, it wasn’t a total lie, she always had some sort of a guard up with each generation of her family. She loved each one, she protected them as she could, and every one of them knew what she was and kept her secret. But, she wouldn’t let herself get too attached as she knew she would lose each and every one of them through the years. Daniel was the closest she had been to a family member since her immediate family was alive. She loved him more than she did her actual brother, Christopher.

  Todd’s face softened and he gave her a sympathetic look. “I can completely understand that,” he said as he squeezed her hands. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”

  You have no idea what I’ve been through, she thought. The last time she got too emotionally attached to a human, Zachariah became a vampire. She did to him exactly what was done to her—he had no choice.

  “We can still have fun together,” she said cheerfully. Fact was, she couldn’t help but want to spend time with him.

  “Of course we can!” Deep down, he was hoping that by spending time with him she would change her mind about falling for someone. “Is that the reason why you and Zachariah aren’t together? I get the feeling that he’s a lot more into you than you are to him.”

  “It is,” she lied again. Full of lies tonight! She had never been asked so many questions by a human before. She changed the subject as smoothly as she could. “Would you want to go horseback riding on your next day off?”

  “Yeah, absolutely! I don’t know if you’re busy tomorrow, but I’m off from filming.”

  She grinned from ear-to-ear, “I just have to run into Barrington tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff, but we could go when I get back. How does that sound?”