Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

"I don't care," Mason said, surprising us. "I don't deserve this power."

CHAPTER NINETEEN - HOW TO STOP A FEMALE VILLIAN/ SCARLETT'S DOWNFALL

Father found out that Scarlett used a Fated Death hex. Krauvas was excited. Now he knew how to stop it. I waited in the Godfreys' living room with Father and Antonia while Krauvas removed the hex. It was this huge secret that he didn't want revealed.

I saw him run downstairs, get a gallon of milk out of the fridge, and then run back up. He also grabbed the salt shaker and a bottle of mixed herbs.

An hour later, it was done. Krauvas came back down, smiling weakly.

"He needs to rest for several weeks," he said. "So you may not see him for a while, Reese."

Father took me home. I felt a little bit better, knowing that Mason was going to live. I wondered if he would forgive me. I knew he was probably wondering the same thing I was. I sat on the couch. I left Sarah a message, telling her that Mason was sick and was going to stay home for several weeks. She sent me an emoticon kiss.

Father sat beside me and put my head in his lap. "Are you feeling all right, Reese?"

"I'm exhausted," I said.

"And no wonder. You've had a stressful couple of days, and we didn't leave the Godfrey residence until after midnight."

"Mason thought he was going to die."

"So did Krauvas and Antonia. Krauvas and Antonia spoke with each other, and agreed to separate for a while. She's looking for an apartment to stay in until either their marriage is fixed or it ends. She's keeping divorce papers on hand just in case."

I fell asleep with my head still on my father's lap.

~~~~~~~~~~

I still went to school, even though I was exhausted. I told Mason's group of friends that he was sick and that he was going to be out for a while. Noah was aghast.

"Why didn't he tell me? I'm his best friend!"

"If he's your best friend, then he's been keeping a lot of things from you," I said quietly. He gave me a horrified look. Then he whipped out his cell phone and furiously texted Mason. Duke Taylor was also hurt, as was Amara and Jody. Amara played with her food and Jody started about how it was all unfair. Amara told her to shut up.

I sat by myself again, despite protests. I got the feeling that they were starting to like me, except Jody, who only cared about herself and the latest gossip. Sarah was nowhere to be seen. I missed her. I texted her before Gym, and she told me that she was having a bad day and wanted to be left alone. Her message was so vague that I worried about her.

I screwed up multiple times in Gym. I still did better than everyone else, though. We were playing indoor soccer. I eventually kicked it too hard and it went out of bounds. The shag got the ball back and the game resumed. I vaguely remembered playing as a kid. It only lasted a year, because the other kids didn't like me, simply because of my extraordinary strength and durability. Now that I was a teenager, kids still didn't like me, but for different reasons.

I was a creep according to their standards. I was quiet, didn't cause trouble (mostly), got good grades, and really only lost my temper if someone was hurting my girlfriend. I also wore a lot of black and listened to heavy metal and goth rock. Even the other goths didn't like me much. Well, most of them.

My school had a healthy mix of different cliques, everything from skaters and burnouts to popular kids and jocks. I was in New Jersey. I should be blond, like my father, and got a nice tan, and maybe even kept playing soccer, but that simply wasn't me. My hair was as dark as a starless, cloudy night, my eyes were an unusual color, and I was mostly friendless and alone for most of my school years.

I met Ariella back in middle school. Our school went from sixth to eighth grade, and she was already the life of the party and felt sorry for me. We wound up spending a lot of time together, and she outright asked me one day if I wanted to be her best friend. I agreed, and we've been close ever since.

Now, she avoided me whenever possible.

~~~~~~~~~~

As the week wore on, I caught up on sleep, went out on a couple dates with Sarah, and we mostly just cuddled. I knew the baby couldn't hear me, but I read to it anyway. Alexander bought a bunch of baby supplies, including toys and books. He refused to buy clothes until we knew the gender of the fetus.

I started working a lot more on my computer. I looked up criminal records out of curiousity. I could only find Mike's. I looked up my mother's name. It just showed that she was living in Greece and that she had possibly remarried. I decided not to tell Father. It would break his heart. I looked up all of Sarah's records. She was born on Valentine's Day, one year after I was born.

Her father, Becket Cresley, was a decent-looking man. Dark blond hair, green eyes exactly like hers. Tall and made a lot of money as a realtor. Her mother, Alicia, worked in car and house insurance. According to Sarah, it was the only thing letting them keep their house. When I told Father, he smiled and said he'd take care of it.

We got Sarah's name on our family records, and she started getting royalties as part of the richest family in the world. (Secretly, of course.) She was ecstatic and profusely thanked my father and grandfather. She even kissed Uncle Soren on the cheek, which dazed him momentarily.

Soon, it was Friday night, and Sarah and I were in my room.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" she asked.

"All the time, but I like hearing it anyway," I said, playing with her belly button. "You're part of the family now. So is the baby."

"Hmm?"

"Did you know that Alexander's my cousin?"

"I think you told me that. Or he did. One of you did. Or both of you." She put her head on my chest. "I'm so tired. This week has been exhausting."

"I know. I can't believe Christmas is nearly here. Oh, did I invite you to this ball?"

"A ball? Like a football?"

"No, silly, a dance." She blushed and buried her face in my chest. "It's in Denmark, and my family holds it every year. I'm been forced to go ever since I was only a few months old."

"Sure, but I have to talk to my mom first."

"My father's handling your mother right now."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes. We would go in our private jet, and the castle is a family heirloom."

"Jet? Castle? How rich and old is your family?"

"We're very, very, very old and very, very, very rich."

"And you didn't tell me because...?"

"Because I don't care about wealth. And I want people to like me for me, not because of my status or assats."

"But I'm your girlfriend. You can trust me."

"Explicitly. I trust you with my life. I just didn't know how, and I wanted this to be a sure thing before I told you." I thought she was going to implode, but she handled my words well and said that she understood. Then she fell asleep. I kissed her and let her sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"The children are asleep," Father said. I opened one eye, and was immediately blinded by bright sunlight. "Oh, Reese just opened an eye. I think he's waking up."

"Who are you talking to?" I asked. It came out garbled, and Father gave me a confused look. I repeated the question.

"Alicia," he said. "She's concerned because Sarah didn't go home last night. I don't care if she spends the night, but please, tell her mother first. I don't need a worried mother calling me because her daughter fell asleep on my son's bed." I frowned at the implication and resisted telling him off. I closed my eyes again, and felt Father sidle in next to me. Sarah mumbled incoherently.

A few minutes later, she woke up and stretched.

"Morning, beautiful," I cooed.

"Stop it," she said, smiling. "I'm not beautiful."

"Oh, yes, you are," I said. My tone was light, although I felt alarmed. Was she kidding, or did she truly not think that she was beautiful?

"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked. Louis and Uncle Soren went to the grocery store the night before and stocked our kitchen with human food for the girls. She sat up, and nearly screamed. She jumped out of bed and landed on her ass.

"Sarah, are you all right?" I asked, worried.

"Mordecai, you scared me," she said. I turned around and gave Father a dirty look. "And yes, Reese, I'm fine."

"I think bacon and eggs. Maybe grilled bread and hasbrowns too," Father said, jumping out of my bed and running human speed toward the kitchen. I helped Sarah up, and she rubbed her back.

"I think I landed on my tailbone," she said.

"I'm so sorry, lover," I said, kissing her hair. She hugged me. I lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her to the kitchen, where someone had already started breakfast. I looked at the charred remains of egg yolks and burned bread. Father was rightfully embarassed.

"Oh, for God's sake. I'll cook her something," I said, and carefully set her down. I flipped the omelet he was attempting to cook and sprinkled salt and pepper on it. He gratefully stepped out of the kitchen. Sarah wrapped her arms around my stomach. My stomach contracted due to her touch.

"You're so skinny," she said. "I'm jealous."

"I wish I wasn't so skinny," I said. "Let's face it: I'm a loser. You deserve better than me."

"I don't want anyone else but you." My chest felt light, and I turned around and kissed her on the lips. She kissed me back as if I was the blood in her veins. Her delicious blood. Whoa, where did that come from? She's not a meal. She's my mate. Mate. Sarah. Mate. Not food. Mate.

I stepped back. She tried to pull me back. When she wasn't successful, she looked at me like a lost kitten. I kissed the top of her head. I finished cooking her breakfast and got out a paper plate. That was a tad embarassing. While she ate at the dining room table, I cooked my own meal. B negative. I drank it in the kitchen and poured a glass of milk.

I sat down on the opposite side of her and slid the milk across the table to her. I miscalculated my strength, however, and the milk went crashing to the floor. Oops.

"You're cleaning that up," Father called from the other room. Sarah giggled. She looked around at the spill.

"When did you guys get a cat?" she asked.

"Huh?" I went around to the other side. Sure enough, a big black tom cat was licking up the milk. "Father, when did we get a cat?"

"Oh...I forgot to tell you. Louis found him tangled up in some bushes, and we didn't want a predator to get him, so we rescued him."

"Did you check him for a chip or a collar?"

"He doesn't have a collar, and I'm taking him to a vet today to check for a chip. Louis named him Shadowfang."

"Tell Louis that he's nuts."

"Hey, I can hear you!" my cousin called from the basement.

"Apparently my cousin found him in the woods," I told Sarah, who was looking at me with bright wide eyes. "What?"

"Do you have superpowers or something? I could barely hear your dad."

"Or something." I took a seat again. "Sarah, I have to tell you something. There's a reason why you never