Unraveling Selena by Marisa Maichel (black female authors TXT) 📕

"You're talented," I told Sarah. She smiled. I sat beside her and inhaled her feminine scent.

Yes, female. My female. Mine!

"Ouch!" Sarah said, clutching her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, feeling embarrassed at having accidentally bitten her again. I checked to make sure I didn't accidentally poison her, licking away the blood.

"Reese?" Alexander's voice said. He knocked on the door. "Your uncle called. He said to tell you to stay away from the house. Another strange vampire is nearby. You can either sleep in the guest room or in Sarah's room."

"All right," I said. I texted my father to ask if that was the truth. He said it was, and told me to stay at Alexander's house, as much as it pained him to say that.

"Well, looks like I'm staying with you," I said, grinning at Sarah. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I kissed her. "I'm sorry for biting you."

She looked like a bunny in that moment. If I was a fox, she was a bunny. A scared, soft little bunny. My bunny.

Suddenly I was on top of her, her drawing partially ripped and lying on the floor.

"R-Reese?" she said. I realized what I had done.

"Oh god, Sarah, I-I'm so sorry!" Why was I losing control?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I...I saw another male," I confessed. "At practice. He was staring at you."

"A lot of boys look at me."

"Yes, but this was staring. And he was looking at me, as if I was an obstacle. I got so jealous...."

"Reese, it's okay."

"It's okay to hurt you? To make you bleed? No, it's not okay!" I was close to tears. "I...oh, Odin...Aphrodite, help us."

"Reese?"

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. No one else's. I need to go. I'll be in the guest room. Have Zie or Alexander look at your shoulder. No, not Zie. She can't know about this."

I needed to talk to Alexander. I left Sarah's room and found my stepfather hunched over a desktop computer.

"That thing's a dinosaur," I said.

"Hey, I haven't updated since the late nineties, okay? Why do I smell blood and anguish on you?"

"I...I bit Sarah."

"You what?" He turned to face me, looking angry, then sorrowful when he saw my eyes. "Oh, baby. Tell me what happened." I quickly went through the cheer practice, then the other male's behavior, and then mine. "Okay, what did he look like?"

"I couldn't see his eyes, only the tip of his nose down to his chin. He kept the rest of himself covered, except for his hands."

"That is odd. Well, you will be happy to know that you are not alone. Almost all vampires go through a possessive period when they find their mate. Of course, you'll always be possessive of her, but it will intensify over the next few weeks, or even months. As long as she doesn't end things, you will want to hold her and protect her from the world. Is her shoulder okay?"

"I told her to have you look at it. I also bit her ear."

"Her ear too? Well, her ear and shoulder will hurt for a while. I will put some hydrogen peroxide on the bite; that should help kill the bacteria and help stave off any leftover poison."

"I have a question. Since vampires are poisonous, how can they kiss humans?"

"The poison is only present when a bite is intended or accidentally occurs. I don't know why, that would be a question to ask Louis or Soren or your grandfather." I noticed that he didn't mention my father.

He sniffed the air and hissed. "Stay in the house. Gather the girls together, including Zie and Cirino."

Instead of doing that, I followed him outside.

"Reese-"

"Ambrogio."

He frowned at me. "I specifically told you to stay in the house. Don't you ever listen? He could be dangerous."

I took a big sniff. Another vampire was in the area, and he smelled like a red-eyed vampire. Vampires only have red eyes if they have drunk the blood of another vampire or are part demon.

He came into view. I smiled toothily at him.

"Torrance."

"Reese."

"You know him?" Alexander was aghast.

"He tried to kidnap me. He got into a big fight with Spencer and Toby."

"Leave," Alexander told the other vampire. "Now. Or I will kill you."

Torrance smelled the air. "I smell humans. Three females, and a...a baby? A very young male. You have snacks?"

"Don't touch them!" Alexander growled. "The baby is mine! I don't care what happens to the housekeeper, but the humans are my children!"

I looked at him. I'd sort of figured out that he felt that way about Cirino, at least. What surprised me more was him referencing Sarah and Sabine as his.

"A vampire with human children? You must be lonely! It's too bad, really. You are very, very old, and very, very strong."

"I am Ambrogio Nicolai," Alexander said.

"Ah. That explains it. The first vampire needs human children to keep him company! What a rumor! But why do you have Reese?"

"He's my son," Alexander explained. Torrance cocked his head.

"Son? That's odd. I didn't think two males got together in this dimension."

"Me and Mordecai! Absurd!"

"Well, it's that way in my dimension."

"I think I'm going to throw up," I said.

"Me as well," Alexander said.

"Wait, did he say dimension?"

"I did," Torrance acknowledged. "But that's besides the point. And I'm tired of talking."

He rushed forward and grabbed me. Alexander wrapped his arms around Torrance's waist and threw him on the ground. A blue light crackled between Torrance's hands, and he threw a ball of electricity at Alexander. I cried out, before I was dragged off.

CHAPTER FOUR - SOREN

I always listen to my gut. It has saved my life, and my family's life, more than once. I knew that something was wrong the instant Mordecai said that Reese was to stay at Alexander's.

"He'll know," I said, meaning the villain that tried to kidnap my nephew. Still, I'd made the call, and now something big was going to happen.

I was not as shocked as I should have been when Sarah frantically called Mordecai, detailing what she'd seen from her window overlooking the yard at Alexander's home. Alexander was hurt, and Torrance had taken off with Reese.

The girl had been frightened when she saw his red eyes. She knew that he was up to no good. She was right, and I was glad that she'd seen it, despite the traumatization she incurred. Father sent the guards out to Alexander's house with Mordecai to question him and to protect the rest of the children.

"It's my fault," Louis said. "I told you the wrong data."

"It wasn't your fault," I said, feeling guilty for my own part.

"In a way, he has the same mindset as Ambrose," Father said. "Maybe I should call him...?" Since our truce, Ambrose had become less of an enemy and more of an acquaintance.

"How can he help? He's in Germany," I said. With him being several continents away, he really couldn't help much.

"We can ask him to do research or to track down Torrance and Reese."

"That's true. He's a good tracker," Louis said.

"One of the best," I agreed. "But we can't ask him to track down Reese. He'll think we're playing a joke on him."

"No he won't, because I just texted him," Grandfather said. I rolled my eyes. "Really, Soren, you're acting like a teenager."

He was right. I was. I sighed and turned to my son. Louis had his head in his hands, trying not to cry. I sat down beside him. Lately, I hadn't been the best father to him, but now things were improving. I hugged him, kissed his temple. He would always be my child, no matter how old he got.

Mordecai came back, looking even more distraught.

"Alexander seems more concerned about the burn on his belly than finding my son."

"He's hiding his emotions," Father said. "He's ashamed."

"I despise him," Mordecai said.

"We know," I said, annoyed. We all knew about his rivalry with Alexander.

"I'll find him myself," he continued, referring to Reese.

"Mordecai, we have no idea where he is," Father said. Mordecai started pacing the front room.

"I should have known," he said. "I should have told him to come home."

"It wouldn't have helped," Father said.

"I texted Faolan," Louis said. "He's on his way over with Sadie and some of the other wolves."

Our alliance with the werewolves was not an easy one. Faolan carried feelings for Mordecai, but my brother still held love in his heart for Marina. The most recent to join the pack, Sadie, was a young female wolf who had recently become infected. Her creator had died, leaving her to flounder, until Faolan decided to take her under his wing.

They had actually become acquainted through Reese. Sadie, in her wolf form, was chasing Reese when Mordecai found them. My nephew, in his heart of hearts, forgave Sadie and let her go unscathed after she was finally caught by Faolan.

Faolan came after a few minutes, followed by his beta, his young protege, and several other wolves in human form.

"Do you have something of his?" he asked.

I held up a shirt. "This is his. He wore this yesterday."

"This is ridiculous," said a male wolf. "We're to risk our lives for a vampire? What have vampires ever done for us?"

"He saved my life once," Faolan said, pointing at Mordecai. "He hasn't asked for anything in return."

"He doesn't need anything. He's a prince, for god's sake!"

"Be quiet, Justin," Faolan ordered. "Sadie, smell the shirt."

The girl took the shirt from me and inhaled it.

"Slightly musty," she said. "This definitely belonged to a teenage male, although there is faint female scent."

"That would be his girlfriend's scent," Louis said. Was it me, or did Sadie look slightly disappointed at the mention of a girlfriend?

"He uses Axe body wash," Sadie continued. "He showers every day and occasionally shaves."

"Occasionally? I have to shave every day," said another young male.

"There is also a paper smell," Sadie said.

"He likes to read," Mordecai informed her. "He's always got a book with him."

"The vampire has long black hair and yellow eyes," Faolan told the other wolves. "He is six feet tall and weighs approximately two hundred pounds, all in muscle. He is slender and tall. He also wears black clothing and heavy black boots. His skin is ivory. He has a large nose and a pointed chin. His girlfriend is short, approximately five foot three and weighs less than a hundred and thirty pounds. She is curvy, and has brown skin, curly brown hair, and bright green eyes. Her name is Sarah. Her safety is also of upmost importance, as is her sister's. Her sister is fourteen years old and has blond hair and blue eyes."

He continued to describe Sabine, and then Cirino, saying that the baby's safety was especially important.

"He can't speak yet, as he's only two months old. He is the biological son of Sarah. The biological father is not important, as he is dead. The baby and the two girls are at Ambrogio Nicolai's house, where from the boy was taken. It is about five minutes away by car, but we can make it there in ten minutes if we hoof it."

The wolves took off, Sadie leaving last with a longing look at Reese's shirt.

"Did anyone else see that?" Louis asked.

"I did," I said.

"As did I," Father replied.

"She wants him," Mordecai said. "She wants to take my son away from me!"

"Hush, Mordecai," Father said. "She merely feels for him. That could be a problem."

"How? He's obsessed with Sarah and only sees Sarah," Louis said.

"Not for him. For her. She is barking up the wrong tree, excuse the phrase. He is a vampire. Wolves and vampires do not mix well. Not only that, but she will be severely disappointed if she tells him her feelings."

"Remember Evan?" Louis said. "He was obsessed with Reese, even after they broke up. Reese turned him into a vampire, and they still had problems until Evan met Reid Lockhart. And then Reid dumped Evan."

"We don't want another Evan," I said.

We pondered what else this could mean.

"Could Sarah be in danger from Sadie?" Louis asked.

"Possibly," I said.