Unraveling Mathias by Marisa Maichel (reading women TXT) 📕

"Oh, love, I've lost count. At least a thousand, if not more. There are titles in every genre, and some of the books are hundreds of years old. We have quite a few classics, some nonfiction, and even some young adult and children's books. Cassandra herself had a daughter many years ago who died from diphtheria. As far as I know, she is the only one who has had a child. After her daughter's death, Cassandra became stricken with grief and nearly died from malnourishment from not eating. Thomas took a fancy to her, so I changed her.

"Thomas himself has been with me for many years, since the Spanish Inquisition." I stared. Ambrose smiled. "I am very old, love. I am nearly as old as the Emerson clan. Speaking of which, we never speak to. They are the royal family, and they've caused problems for us in the past. They are prejudiced because of our way of life. If I ever see an Emerson again, whether it be Soren, the eldest son, or Mordecai, or either of their brats, I will kill them. They promised to leave us alone if we leave them alone. So far, it has worked out. You know, Thomas used to work for them. He didn't like the way they ruled, so he left them and came to me."

I gulped. Shit, I should have left sooner. I started heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Ambrose asked me.

"I...I've seen enough of the library. I'm hungry again."

"Ah. Well then, I will bring you a fresh kill." Suddenly, a strange look came over Ambrose's face. Then he growled and pounced on me. "What is your last name, Reese?"

"Underhill," I said, thinking quickly. Ambrose scoffed.

"That is truly pathetic. I should have known by your eyes. Only the royal family have yellow eyes. You're an Emerson. You're Mordecai's brat. Well, you won't see Daddy again for a long time."

Ambrose grabbed me roughly by the arms and took me into a cold, damp place that resembled a dungeon. He threw me into a cell that stank of rodent and other things. I grunted as I hit my elbow on the cold cement. Ambrose slammed the door and I heard him locking it.

Crap. I really screwed up now. I bit my lip and tried not to cry. I silently asked Father how he could do this to me. That's when I noticed a bone. I cried out in disgust. There were all sorts of bones scattered all around me. I noticed manacles made with the stuff. There were weapons of all sorts, all made from bone. I suddenly understood something. These were vampire bones!

That's what Ambrose meant when he said that many of his coven members had died. He had killed them. I understood something else. The blood I drank earlier was vampire blood. I became disgusted, and threw up. I considered my situation. Okay, maybe I could get out. I could find a pick of some kind and open the lock, then I could find a phone and call my family. As angry as I was with Father, I knew that it was him who I would try to contact first.

I paced restlessly. I looked around. There was nothing small and thin enough for me to try to pick the lock. Then I realized something else. I'm a vampire! Gods, I'm such an idiot!

I rammed into the door using my shoulder. I hit it several times. It didn't budge. It must be made from titanium. I looked for a weak spot. Nothing. I slid down to the floor and sobbed. I was going to die. I was actually going to die. I didn't even get a chance to tell Sarah how much she means to me, or Ariella, or Louis, or any of my family and friends.

I don't know how long I laid there. Two, three days. I grew hungry. I only awoke when I heard a familiar voice. Father. Father! He's here! I shot up and pounded on the door. The door opened, and there stood my father. I wrapped my arms around him and cried. He squeezed me tightly.

"Oh, baby," he verbiaged. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

I followed him out of the castle, where I saw Ambrose bound with rope and Dimitri guarding him.

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

I ate and slept on the plane. Father made sure I was bathed and given new clothes. He laid beside me in bed, singing a lullaby. Uncle Soren was there also, on the phone with Grandfather.

When I finally got home, I immediately found my cell and called Sarah. She was understandably upset, but grew more concerned when I told her what had transpired.

"You're not shocked?" I asked her.

"No, I am. I need time to process this. The important thing is that you're okay. Why don't you call Ari next? She's worried out of her mind." I promised to call Ariella, told Sarah I loved her, and hung up.

I laid down and got more sleep. I did nothing except eat and sleep for the rest of the week.

Soon, it was Monday again, and I still felt depressed from my abduction. I told Father what Ambrose had said, and he had sighed and said that Ambrose was only telling half the truth, that my family and he had been rivals for years, and that he was wanted for killing vampires and drinking from them. When I told them about what I saw in the dungeon, they were shocked, and later confirmed that I was right. Ambrose was using vampire bones for weapons.

Whenever a vampire kills another vampire, he is required to inform any coven or family members, and then the royal court. Ambrose had been skirting around that law for years as well.

I did as much work as I could in school, and then finished homework at night. Soon, it was Saturday again, one week from Sarah's birthday. I had barely spoken to her, and I could tell that she was hurt by that.

Finally, on Saturday, I called her again.

"Hey, beautiful," I said.

"Hey, handsome," she replied. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk. How are you?"

"I'm all right. Always hungry, but all right. How are you?"

"I'm still alive. I thank the gods for that. Listen, do you want to do something later?"

"Oh, I have to work, and then I have a doctor's appointment, and Alexander is going to that. Sorry."

"That's all right. I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you, too." She clicked off. I sighed.

I picked up a book at random and tried to read, but it only reminded me of the massive library in Ambrose's castle. I tried to watch a movie, but I was too focused on what was happening now. Ambrose had been thrown in prison, and they had yet to catch Mathias. I needed to visit Madam Indigo again.

No, the old broad was too annoying. She had told me that Sarah had four potential soulmates, which I realized was utter nonsense. Each person only has two soulmates, based on the person's sexuality, intelligence level, and spiritual beliefs, if any. Shadowfang seemed to sense my distress, and jumped up onto the bed. His black fur almost matched the covers.

A knock sounded at the door. "Enter."

It was Toby. "Master Reese, your father wants a word with you. He is waiting in the living room."

Not only was my father there, but so was Uncle Soren, Louis, and Grandfather. Father patted his leg, and I sat in his lap.

"Reese, we've noticed that your mood has been low," Uncle Soren began. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Kill the bastard and catch Mathias," I said.

"Watch your mouth," Father muttered against my shoulder.

"We think you should eat more," Grandfather added. "Your disease seems to have worsened because of your ordeal."

"Is it strengthened by stress?" I asked.

"That is a very good question, one that I should ask Ethan. He's the one who is studying your case."

"That's good. I trust him."

"I know, which is why I chose him. He thinks that your weight fluctuation is also caused by the disease."

"Crapola. Is there anything I can do?"

"Eat more, eat during mealtimes, and try to rest as much as possible. And try to spend time with Sarah. I know you miss her, she misses you as well."

"I called her today, and she said she was busy."

"That's a start. All right, then, I think that's all we wanted to cover. Soren, Mordecai, do you have anything to add?" My uncle shook his head.

"Try to sleep," Father said. "Sleep heals."

"All right," Louis said, getting up and clapping his hands once. "I have to go open the store. Sarah's probably already there. Plus, I have an interview today with a guy who worked at the Radio Shack across town before it closed down. Mordecai, do you want to be there?"

"Uncle Mordecai," Uncle Soren corrected him.

"No, that's fine, Louis. I trust you. I'd rather stay with Reese."

I did as my family asked and slept most of the day. I texted my friends, telling them that I'd been sick, which is why I acted strange. Ariella asked a million questions, of course, and I finally told her that I had parphyrania. It caused exhaustion, weight fluctuation, vomiting. It was also contagious.

I drank blood until I was full that night. When I woke up in the middle of the night, Father was laying beside me.

I woke up again at noon on Sunday. I did feel better. I ate breakfast and turned on the news. Nothing of interest. Mishka was particularly playful today, a bit frisky. I opened a can of wet food for her and watched as she ate it greedily. Shadowfang ate his own food, and so did the kittens.

I laid on the couch, putting my feet up on Louis' lap. He irritably shoved me away.

"Leave me the fuck alone," he snapped.

"What's your problem?" I asked him.

"You are my problem. Everyone is my problem. Ariella had to choose my old man over me, and she didn't even stay with him! She was just looking for a good fuck. Delia's a total bitch, I realize that now. I have to fire her. She called Sarah a fatass again and a slut. This time, I heard it. It actually made your girlfriend cry. And that's another thing. I'm almost four hundred years old, and I still don't know who my soulmate is. You found yours a month and a half after your seventeenth birthday. Lucky you."

I was irritated at this point, so I left. I finished homework, took a long hot shower, and played with the kittens until it was bedtime.

Chapter Four - A Very Different Kind of Party

The rest of the week flew by. I saw Sarah a lot, and we talked. I asked her again if she was sure she wanted to marry me, and she accused me of changing my mind about it. Soon, it was Saturday, Sarah's seventeenth birthday and Valentine's Day.

The party was at my house. I set up the pool area with the help of Janna and Toby. Soon, people started arriving. I invited all of the people who had ever spoken to Sarah and not had a bad attitude about it. Louis started eyeing the girls, until I threatened to chop his male anatomy off. That kept him away.

Ariella arrived with Sarah around one. Sarah burst into tears when she saw what I had put together for her. I became worried and offered to cancel the party, but she shook her head and gave me a kiss to die for. She looked amazing in a purple bikini that showed off her curves nicely and went well with her green eyes.

Father wanted to pat everyone down for weapons or alcohol until I threatened to tell Mother. Soon, the pool area was packed, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Amara, Noah, Duke, and Mason were there, along with Sarah and Ariella's lunch group. A bunch of the guys who had a crush on Sarah hung around her, some whispering about