Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1) Read online

  He smiled with his eyes full of adoration, “Sounds perfect.”

  She tucked a stray hair behind his ear. “You’re exactly how I thought you would be, you know that? I have to admit, I’m still a bit star struck by you. I have been a huge fan of yours for years, and now that you’re really here and I’m sitting with you having this conversation…”

  He ran his fingers through her hair and lingered with his hand gently on the side of her head. He wondered if what he was about to do would be welcome to her and searched her eyes for an answer. Fuck it, he thought. He glided his hand behind her head and tenderly guided it towards his. He slowly leaned in and she closed her eyes, lips slightly parted.

  She could feel his nervous breathing coming through his mouth, erratic and warm on her face. His lips grazed hers in a soft kiss, shocking her was the warmth of his skin. She parted her lips more and kissed him back with slightly more force. He put his other hand on her waist, she could feel it trembling as he pulled her closer to him. She put her arms around his neck and followed his lead.

  While he was ecstatic to finally be kissing her, it was an odd and startling sensation. Her lips and tongue were cool, as if she had just taken a drink of a chilled beverage. His nervous trembling relaxed and his hands were moving around her waist and head with urgency, he couldn’t touch her enough. He felt as though he had been waiting forever just for this moment. A soft moan escaped from her chest, compelling him to move in for more.

  He moved his hand from her waist, following her hourglass curve, down to her ass where he cupped underneath it. His other hand caressed down behind her ear, following the length of her neck, and found its way to her plump breast, which was extra soft under her white angora sweater. He caressed and cupped it, making a mental note of the sensation under his fingers to think of when he was alone.

  He moved himself forward so that she began to lay back and he hovered over her. She followed suit and laid back on the length of the couch, allowing him to fully climb on top of her. He spread her thighs with his legs and laid himself in between them.

  He moved his mouth from her lips and gently kissed her chin, down the front of her neck, and moved to her collarbone. His hand moved around the curvature of her backside, down her now-crooked leg, and hitched it up close to his waist. His body had a mind of its own and his hips instinctively began to slowly move, simulating sex. She took his face and brought his mouth back up to hers, craving his soft, warm kiss.

  She wrapped her other leg around him, and her hands embraced his long, lean back. She slowly moved them lower until she reached his butt, where she grabbed and began pulling him into the rhythm she craved. She felt him hardening through his jeans, pressing on her clitoris.

  As they continued, her natural vampire instincts began to kick in and she craved two things: sex and blood. She felt her fangs begin to descend and she pushed his face down to her breasts so she could focus on getting the sharp points in her mouth under control. She didn’t want him to find out like this.

  Once under control, she took hold of his face to bring him back up and continued to kiss him. She moved her hands back down to his ass, pulling him toward her with urgency now. She began to feel the sensation building up between her legs, knowing that her climax would be imminent if he continued this rhythm. His breathing intensified and he complied with the guided thrusting. She began to moan under her breath and pushed her pelvis up towards him with each thrust. He grunted with each lunge and small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

  She was careful not to grab him with the strength she was used to using, but she was forceful. “Don’t stop…” she breathed.

  He carried on until she began to scream out and pull him onto her with strength now. “Oh my gahhhhh!” He yelled as he had a powerful orgasm in his jeans. He pulsed erratically with aftershocks and kissed her tenderly as they both came down from their orgasmic highs.

  She grinned up at him and giggled, “Well, thank you for that!”

  He laughed, “You’re welcome. And thank you for making me come in my pants!” He gave her a light kiss and sat up, helping her sit up, too. “Um, I’m going to grab a change of clothes and go in the bathroom to clean this up. I’ll be right back,” he laughed.

  “Okay,” she chuckled. She curled up on the couch smiling. For a human, he wasn’t too boring in the sex department, even though all they really did was dry hump.

  “Hey Emma,” Todd yelled from the bathroom. “Would you want to sleep in my room with me tonight? You have to be exhausted from your trip.”

  As much as she would have loved to stay with him, it sounded insanely boring as she hadn’t fallen asleep since the year 1815. She couldn’t even remember what it felt like to close her eyes and fall unconscious. The thought of just lying there for eight hours was a definite ‘no’.

  “I totally would, but I have a few more things I need to do before I turn in and I kind of missed my own bed! Maybe next time, okay?”

  He came out of the bathroom in just his pajama bottoms, exposing his lean torso. He was tall and could be lanky if he didn’t work out, but he had muscle definition throughout his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. “Okay,” he replied, a bit disappointed.

  “I’ll find you tomorrow after I get back and we’ll go riding.” She walked over to him and gave him a kiss, lingering and savoring it. “See you tomorrow, sleep tight.”

  She looked back at him as she walked out, closing the door behind her. She smelled the air in the hallway, Zachariah wasn’t in their bedroom. After her escapade with Todd, she was thirsty. Very thirsty and she wanted company—preferably of the undead and female sort. She went downstairs and looked for Vivienne in the parlor, where she was curled up on the sofa with Declan.

  “Hey guys,” she said as she walked over to them. They were on one of the couches watching television together. “Viv, you fancy a drink with me in the kitchen? I need some girl talk,” she said with a sly twinkle in her eye.

  “Yeah!” Vivienne replied enthusiastically as she got up and patted Declan’s knee. “Be back later!”

  The girls scuttled down the winding lower hallway to the large, restaurant-style kitchen. Emma looked around to make sure no one else was present and walked over to a shelving unit built in to the wall. She reached under the lower shelf for a secret latch that unlocked the hidden door in the wall. She opened it and unveiled a refrigerator in the wall that was used to store gallon jugs of human blood. There was just one left and she planned to go into Barrington the following day to restock the fridge.

  She pulled out a jug, poured some into a couple of large wine glasses, and heated them up in the microwave. Vivienne took her glass and drank like the civilized vampire she was. Emma, however, didn’t realize how thirsty she was and immediately gulped down half the glass. She wasn’t used to not being able to bite during moments of passion.

  “So,” Vivienne started, “what were you up to in Todd’s room? Sounded pretty hot and heavy, which would explain you chugging that blood like a sorority girl.”

  That’s the bad thing about living in a house full of vampires, no privacy whatsoever. “It was! It started off with just talking and getting everything out in the open. He’s really into me and I’m into him. I can’t help it, there’s something about him that I just can’t stay away from.”

  “And then?”

  “And then, he held my hands and commented on how cold I was. I lied and told him I had a heart condition that caused poor circulation…” she raised an eyebrow. “He bought it.”

  Vivienne laughed, “That’s the best answer for when someone realizes you’re cold all the time.”

  “So, I let him kiss me…wow could he kiss. I haven’t done anything physical with a human since Zachariah was one.”

  “They’re so boring. Very vanilla.” Vivienne made a face.

  “I know, right? You have to be so damn careful when you get into it.”

  Emma gave Vivienne the run-down of everything that had happened; it fe
lt great to be able to spill it to another girl, another vampire girl, who completely understood. Vivienne would take up with the occasional human, but usually preferred to be with fellow vampires. Emma told her how her fangs began to descend and she had to get them under control. Vivienne applauded her for having the willpower to do that.

  “Anyway, he wanted me to stay in his room for the night, but I couldn’t fathom just lying there for eight hours, I’d go insane from boredom. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of it if there is a next time.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever tell him the truth?”

  “You know, I thought about it. But, the reality is that in less than three months he’ll be headed back to London.”

  “You could always charm him to forget…”

  “I know…I don’t like using it though and I especially don’t want to use it on him. I’ve admired him from afar for so many years and now, he actually knows me and likes me. I don’t want him to be afraid of me.” She fidgeted with her almost-empty glass and contemplated a refill.

  “But, if you tell him, you’ve already proven to him that you won’t hurt him.”

  Zachariah appeared in the doorway looking a little worse for the wear. He quietly walked over to the hidden refrigerator to grab some blood for himself to heat up. As he took the jug, he said in a monotone voice, “We’re almost out. Do you want me to go get more tomorrow?”

  “No love, I’m headed to Barrington tomorrow to restock. You okay?” Emma replied, watching him carefully. She looked at Vivienne, who shrugged.

  “I’m fine. I just went out for a run through the woods. I didn’t feel like listening to you and Todd.” He answered without looking at her.

  He poured blood into a glass and warmed it in the microwave without giving Emma one glance. Once it was ready, he took it and walked out of the room without saying a word.

  “I’ve never seen him act like this before,” Vivienne said quietly, although he could certainly still hear her. “Why is he so jealous?”

  “Because Todd is a human,” she began. “And until now, Zach was the only human that I have ever been interested in.”

  “Ah, I see…tough situation. Do you see yourself starting a relationship of sorts with Todd?” Vivienne asked while sipping her glass of blood.

  Emma looked at her glass and hesitated before answering. She gave a frustrated groan and tilted her head back, “I wish I was human. Then I wouldn’t have this problem.”

  “If you were human you’d be in that crypt out in the cemetery.” Vivienne answered matter-of-factly and raised her eyebrow.

  “I don’t know what will ever happen between Todd and me, but I’m just going to have fun with it while I can without getting too attached.” She gave Vivienne an impish smile and shrugged.

  After a moment of being lost in thought, Emma asked, “What do you think your life would have been like if you had stayed human?”

  Vivienne, who was still considered a young vampire, was turned in 1925. She was a Ziegfeld Follies chorus girl in New York City at the age of 21. Her specialty was singing and dancing, but she had also begun to dabble in some acting in silent movies. Her career had just taken off when she met her immortal fate at the Ziegfeld Ball she had attended with the other performers. There was a man there, wearing a black tuxedo and defined debonair. Wealthy and alluring, he spoke with an Irish accent and had the ability to charm the panties right off of her—which he did. She invited him to her home after the party and during their romp, he got carried away and bit her. He didn’t intend to drink from her; he made the rash decision to turn her because he found her so enchanting. She remained completely enamored with Declan ever since.

  “I’m sure I would have kept performing, maybe even have made it big in the silent movies. I stayed with Ziegfeld for a few years, but ultimately had to quit because I wasn’t aging. I wanted to marry and have children, but I was having the time of my life when I was twenty-one! I adore Declan, though…I think I was born to be a vampire. It suits me,” she winked at Emma. “Since I never became famous back then it has been easy for me to pursue films now. Although, I know my time is limited on the big screen…I’ll have to fake my death or become a recluse for another eighty years.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to be reclusive here because goodness knows we have plenty of room!”

  “Thanks, girlfriend! I just feel lucky that I was able to get back into performing. It’s a tough business.”

  “Please! I never doubted you,” Emma waved a hand at her. “You have more talent in your pinky toe than most of these kids in Hollywood these days. They don’t make them like you anymore, Little Miss Triple Threat.” She raised her glass and gave Vivienne’s a little ‘clink’.

  Vivienne smiled proudly and scooted off the stool she was sitting on. “I’m going to get back to Declan. I think you need to go and nurse Zach’s heart.” She gave her a pouty lip and left the kitchen to rejoin Declan in the parlor.

  Emma felt guilty even though it really wasn’t in their nature. She adored Zachariah and for that reason he wasn’t six feet under a headstone. Vampires were never monogamous creatures; that would be considered tiresome after long. They craved excitement, spontaneity, and lust for others. It was the thrill the attention, of a first kiss, and the first intimate encounter that they hungered for. They had the capability to charm humans if they so desired.

  However, there were certain ones of their own kind that they shared special bonds with, especially between a maker and their offspring. While the maker could easily walk away without looking back, most did not. They were proud creatures, and they usually chose the ones to change for a reason. They rarely did it just because they could or in spite.

  In Zachariah’s case, Emma just couldn’t bear to live in a world without him in it. At the time, her brother Christopher was the last remaining member of her immediate family living at the Manor. He was married and had three children, all boys. Zachariah was orphaned at age 16 and came to Davenport Manor looking for work and shelter, which they complied as they knew him from town. He became the property’s resident stable boy, caring for the horses the family owned. It was on the property that he met Emma, who was then known as Christopher’s young cousin. She thought Zachariah was beautiful and wise, regardless that he was a human, and ultimately carried on a love affair with him for a few years. He eventually began to live with her in her bedroom instead of in the small cottage outside of the stable; she wanted to keep him near her at all times. It was to the dismay of Christopher and his wife as Zachariah was considered “the help”, but technically the residence belonged to Emma and she could do as she pleased.

  In 1839 at age twenty-five, he became sick with pneumonia and Emma tried her best to care for him. He was bedridden, pale, and suffered from a high fever. His cough was so loud it could be heard echoing through the halls of the Manor. She could hear the fluid gradually filling his lungs, making breathing a difficult task every time he inhaled. The crackle in his chest grew louder with every breath as he struggled to breathe. She heard his heart getting weaker by the hour, his lips turning a faint shade of blue, and he ultimately fell unconscious. He was dying. She locked her bedroom door and as he laid in her bed, unaware and fading, she made the rash decision to change him, not considering what his wishes would be. Before his heart had a chance to stop beating, she bit him and injected her venom into his jugular. His body writhed and contracted for several minutes as it succumbed to her venom and she listened intently as his heart sputtered to a stop.

  His eyes opened brightly, frightened by what he had just experienced and feeling unlike himself. He no longer felt pain, he no longer involuntarily breathed; in fact he didn’t feel the need to breathe at all. He looked up at Emma, wide-eyed with fear when he saw her beaming fangs stained with blood. His vision was beyond perfect; he could see every detail throughout the room, each distinct tree in the forest outside the dark window. His hearing was amplified and he could hear the family talking down in the parl
or as if they were in the next room. He had an indescribable craving consuming him, but he didn’t know what he needed to quench it.

  Struggling to find the breath to take to utter a word, he finally sputtered, “What are you?”

  Emma calmly touched his arm, “Everything is alright, my love. This is what I have been since 1815—I am actually forty-nine years old…I am vampire.” She gave him a moment to let it sink in. “You were dying and I couldn’t bear the thought of you leaving me, my dearest.”

  Fear rolled through him, however he no longer had the adrenaline rush that one gets when afraid. “Am I dead?”

  “Your body has died, but you have not.” She coolly replied.

  “I am like you now?” He asked, exasperated at the thought.

  “Yes, my dearest, we will be together forever.” She said with love filled in her voice. “We will never die. We will never get sick. We will never be apart…”

  “…I shall never see my parents again!” He erupted.

  At that moment, she realized she had acted in haste and didn’t consider what his wishes may have been. Of course he had looked forward to seeing his parents again one day, he was a God-fearing young man. His Christian faith ran deep and he attended the town church every Sunday. Undeniably, he thought he would spend eternity with his parents and Emma one day in Heaven. He wasn’t welcoming death at such a young age, but he accepted it. That had all changed with one bite on his neck.

  Emma suddenly remembered the night she was turned and the insatiable first thirst. She knew she had to get him out of the house immediately so he didn’t hurt any of her family members. They couldn’t go through the house as the family was in the parlor, so their only way out was to jump out of her second floor window. Zachariah quickly learned how to jump from high places, his craving overpowering any fear he had to leap. She taught him how to run at their top speed, leading him off of the property and as far away from town as they could go before he attacked his first innocent victim. They never knew who the man was that met his demise by Zachariah that night, and oddly she felt less guilty knowing nothing about him. He wasn’t a man with a family; he was Zachariah’s first meal.