Unraveling Mathias by Marisa Maichel (reading women TXT) 📕

"Reese is not a child," Uncle Soren said.

"He's not a man either," Father argued.

"I'll be eighteen this October," I reminded him.

"But you will not be fully mature. You will continue to mature until you are in your mid-twenties!"

"According to who?" Uncle Soren snapped.

"According to science," Father said.

"Science, schmience."

"Didn't Uncle Soren help raise my father?" I asked Grandfather.

"He did," he said, rubbing his temples.

Louis walked in, singing "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard.

"Morning, boys," he singsonged.

"You're in a cheerful mood today," Grandfather noted. Uncle Soren and Father stopped bickering to listen.

"What's not to be cheerful about? Reese's girlfriend let me have her old laptop, my father and I are finally getting along, and...I've decided I'm done with women."

We stared at him.

"Are you serious?" Father asked him.

"Yep," Louis said, sipping some cold bagged blood. He made a face and stuck it in the microwave.

"But you bring a new one home every weekend," Uncle Soren said.

"Yeah, well, after Meiko...well, I...I fell in love. I actually fell in love with a girl. And she ripped my heart to shreds. Usually I'm the one breaking hearts, but to have it done to me...well, it hurt. A lot. And Reese, you said it yourself last year. I have issues trusting women. That's why I go through so many."

He avoided our gazes.

"Louis, I-I never thought you'd..." Uncle Soren trailed off, then grew serious. "What's this really about? Your mother?"

"Dad, she divorced you because she wasn't going to be queen anytime soon. She left you with a six month old baby and no clue how to feed him. I had to take sustenance from another female vampire. Grandmother."

"Yes, but Louis...this isn't like you. I mean, I'm proud that you're finally slowing down, but son...."

"Dad, my decision has been made. There's no one out there for me. I'm soulless."

"No, you're not. Your soul is intact, and there is someone out there for you, you just haven't found her yet."

"I'm not going to discuss this. I'm done with females. Even if I do find a soulmate."

None of us could believe it. The one who loved women the most was done with them. I didn't believe it for a second. As soon as the next cute girl passed, he'd be all over her.

Louis started singing "The Reason" by Hoobastank. I wish I could say that's when I knew he was serious.

A sudden boom caught all our attention.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Sounded like a sonic boom," Louis said. "Like a gunshot."

"They'd better not be hunting on my land," Father growled. He nodded to Toby, who started to slip out the back door, and suddenly doubled over.

"Toby!" Spencer ran to his mate's side. "You again!"

"Yes, it is me," said a familiar voice. It was Mathias. "Hello, boys." He stepped into the room.

"Mathias, we need to talk," Grandfather said.

"Screw talking," Father said. "He hurt my baby!"

"Mordecai, he's your brother!"

"No, I'm not," Mathias said. "I wasn't even a vampire when you found me! I was a human baby! My parents gave me up to be eaten by a bunch of vampires!"

"We didn't eat you, though," Grandfather said. "Amalia and I-" His eyes widened, then his irises started to turn red. He rushed forward and Uncle Soren grabbed him around the waist. "Let me go! He killed my wife!"

"Spencer," Father growled. Spencer grabbed Mathias by the collar of his shirt and threw him out, kicking and hitting him until he reached a safe distance from us.

"Set up a perimeter," Uncle Soren told Toby. "Spread your scent out as much as possible. Meanwhile, I will see about getting some more protection."

"That's my job," Father snapped. He grabbed me around the waist and put his chin on my head. "I'm the master of this territory. I chose to come here seventeen years ago to raise my baby boy. Now he's in danger, and I have to protect him."

"How can I help?" I asked.

"You will do nothing. You will be here, locked in my closet with food and blankets-"

"Father!"

"Fine, fine. My instincts are on overdrive right now. On one hand, they're telling me to chase Mathias down and rip him apart, and other half wants to stay here and protect you with my whole self."

"I'm here," Uncle Soren said. "I can post the guys around. I've watched over him before. We all have. Or Louis can."

"I'd be glad to," Louis said. "Remember when he was running around naked when he was about two years old, and you couldn't catch him, and I caught him with a blanket and said 'Gotcha!'"

"Yes, I remember that, Louis," Father growled.

"Please tell me no one else saw," I groaned.

Louis winked at me. "Well, Claudia saw, and so did several guards. Wasn't Francesca still alive at the time?"

"That's enough, Louis," Uncle Soren rumbled. "Be nice."

"Fine. Claudia said 'Oh, what a little grasshopper!'" He badly mimicked the old cook's voice.

"I said that's enough," Uncle Soren said, pinching his nose.

"I remember he laughed and pulled my hair," Louis continued. Uncle Soren shook his head in irritation.

"Father, are you all right?"

Grandfather was in a corner, shaking like a leaf. "I...I..."

"Father, it's okay," Father said.

Grandfather shook his head. "I almost killed my own son. The blackouts...the fear...Alexander was right. I am a monster."

"No, Father, you're not a monster," Uncle Soren said. "If anything, I'm the monster."

Grandfather kept shaking his head. "No...no....Amalia....Alga...it's my fault, it's all my fault...."

"No, it isn't," Father said. He gave Uncle Soren a significant look. "Soren, we have to get him to a private room. Somewhere safe."

"You're right, Mordecai," Uncle Soren said. He looked up. "The guards are still dealing with Mathias. How did he get through?" Father shook his head.

"Mathias...Mathias...." Grandfather mumbled. Uncle Soren took him and pulled one of Grandfather's arms over his shoulder.

"Louis, watch Reese for a few hours. Mordecai and I need to take care of this. Do not leave the territory, and if Sarah calls, tell her you're busy. Speaking of which, I should call Marina and Alexander."

"He was right," Grandfather said. "I'm a monster..."

"No, Father, you're not," Uncle Soren said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard banging around minutes later. I was in bed, trying to take a nap. Louis was sitting with one of my books open on his lap, but he was mostly listening to the noise.

"What's wrong with Grandfather?" I asked Louis.

"He gets these...episodes...it's hard to explain. See, he's been around for a long time, and with Grandmother gone, he's started to have...well, suicidal thoughts. That's why our fathers wanted him away from the drama. And he still blames himself for Mathias going haywire. Not to mention his temper. Whenever he gets a suicidal episode, he starts to block out bits of time and can't remember what happened later on.

"His temper used to be pretty bad. He used to yell a lot, mostly at our fathers. Grandmother kept him in line, but, well, with her gone, his temper got worse. He only started to control himself after he almost tore off my father's head. He tried to kill himself after that, but Uncle Mordecai stopped him. He's never really forgiven himself for any of that, and it's only made worse because he used to block out time whenever he lost his temper as well. That's why he acts emotionless now. He doesn't want to lose control and accidentally hurt one of us."

"He's worried about hurting us?" I said. Louis nodded gravely.

"Yeah. It was years and years before you were born when all this happened, so you definitely wouldn't remember it. That's one of the reasons why we came here. Because Grandfather was starting to lose his temper again and have suicidal thoughts. We thought that if he was around you...well, you're the youngest and the most spoiled. You need the most protection because the rest of us see you as more fragile. And we're glad we did. You've caused more drama in the past six months than you have in your entire lifetime."

"Thanks," I said.

"You know I don't mean it like that. Grandfather needed to see you, to remind him why life is beautiful."

I didn't know what to think. I turned and picked up the book I was currently reading. Louis and I read for a long time, ignoring the yells and bangs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grandfather was banging around.

"Father, if you don't stop trying to hurt yourself, I'll have to restrain you," Uncle Soren said.

"I...I can't," Grandfather said. "I need to see Amalia again." He closed his eyes. "I see her. She's so beautiful. I met her while I was out hunting one day. A beautiful woman picking wheat. We were the most advance civilization on the planet. We knew how to make bread and sew clothes, and we bathed in warm water. Alexander was a prince. Our fathers were brothers. Much like Louis and Reese. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of them. Mathias-"

"Was not your fault," Uncle Soren said.

"If I'd been a better husband and father, Amalia would still be here today!"

"Not necessarily," Louis said. Uncle Soren glared at him.

"Yes, Amalia's death was my fault. And Selena's death was my fault. And now Mathias...."

"Celine?" I asked.

"Selena," Father corrected. "A female vampire from your mother's past. Ask Alexander about her, but do not mention her in front of your mother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah was at the doctor's offices almost every week now. Each ultrasound produced good results. Cirino was growing fast, and his mother was constantly complaining about the extra weight, but she was also excited for him to arrive. She liked being pregnant, and she loved the baby. She liked feeling him moving around. I could see that she had strong maternal instincts.

Mother was equally excited. Her maternal instincts were going wild. First, there was me, then Sarah, then Cirino. Her biological son, her souldaughter, and her soon-to-be-adopted son. She enjoyed being a mother, and told Alexander that she wanted more. He just rubbed her shoulders and that it shouldn't be a problem for him. He missed Kieran.

It made it very hard to ask Alexander about Selena when he was constantly with Mother and/or Sarah. But I finally got him alone one day as he was installing a security system in Sarah's house.

"Who was Selena?" I asked.

"So you've finally heard about her, huh? All right, I guess I'll have to be the one to tell you. You are not your mother's first child. She had a daughter before, a beautiful look-alike named Selena. Selena's father was killed when she was an infant. Your mother's first husband. She raised Selena by herself until Selena was killed over twenty years ago by a vampire who became obsessed with her. Marina was devastated, and she becomes upset whenever Selena is mentioned, partly because she blames herself for her death. Do not under any circumstances mention Selena in front of Marina."

I had a sister? One who was dead before I was even born?

"Do they not consider that kind of important?" I said.

"Your father? Yes, he didn't particularly like Marina's first husband, and he probably didn't think to mention Selena because they were not very close. More like a 'you're the daughter of my love's first husband' sort of relationship. He feels guilty for that now, which is probably another reason why he failed to mention her."

I had a sister. One who died before I was even thought of. Father noticed my sour look that night and asked me what was wrong.

"Why didn't you tell me I had a sister?" I replied to him. "First Alexander, then Mathias, and now a sister! She shared half my DNA! We had the same mother!"

Father looked hurt. "You're right, Reese. I'm sorry. You had a right to know."

"Is there anyone else I should know about?"

"No. I promise that's it. Anyone else is either an enemy or an ally that you already know about." He hugged me. I tried to push him away, but he growled and tightened his grip. "Mine."

"Save me," I told Mishka, who was watching us curiously. She ignored my plea and started licking her back leg.

I wished I