Unraveling Mathias by Marisa Maichel (reading women TXT) 📕

The two blonds looked confused. The one with the short hair had red-brown eyes and the other had eyes as black as a cloudy night sky, with flecks of grey. The coven leader, whom I recognized immediately as the leader, had dark red eyes and long brown hair, with a bit of facial stubble. Two of the other males were identical. They both had blond hair in a razor cut, blue eyes, and looked to be about fourteen or fifteen.

The last male I knew. It was the male who had chased me earlier in the day. I was right: his skin was pockmarked and his hair was a disarray of dark curls. The leader stepped forward.

"Who are you?" he demanded. Grandfather frowned.

"You are the ones on our territory, so we're the ones who should be asking who you are."

"Of course-forgive me. My name is Zeke Ruthford, and this is my brood. The two boys on my right are James and Jeremy. The man to their right is Adam. The girl in the leather jacket is Meiko. The blond woman with the short hair is my wife Jessica, and her sister Justina. May I ask your names?"

"I am Eilief. These are my sons Soren and Mordecai, and their sons, Louis and Reese. The rest are our guard. Dimitri, Janna, Spencer, and Toby."

"Guard?" Zeke looked astonished. "Are you the same Eilief that rules the vampire world?"

"Aye, that would be me."

Zeke bowed respectfully. "It is an honor, sire. If I may inquire, though, what are you doing in New Jersey?"

"My son felt that it would be the best place to raise his son, thus, I am here as well. What are you doing here?"

"I promised my brood a safer place than our old territory. Another clutch attacked us and stole our land."

"I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps we can help you. What is the leader's name?"

"Ambrose."

I started hyperventilating. Father grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him.

" Reese, Reese, look at me. Are you all right? Do I need to remove you?"

Zeke looked concerned. "What's wrong with the boy?"

"We know Ambrose personally," Grandfather said. "His cruelty and evil has caused us many problems."

"Father," I muttered, "I don't want to see Ambrose."

"You don't have to," he said gently. "We'll uncover his whereabouts and eliminate him. You don't have to see him at all."

"Come with us," Grandfather said.

"You can stay in my guest house," Father added. Louis looked like he wanted to either kill or kiss my father.

We led them to our property, where Father directed them to the guest house.

"So your name's Meiko?" Louis said to the dark-haired female.

"Yes. Your name is Louis?" She had a sexy Spanish accent.

"Yeah. How did your parents come up with your name?"

She laughed. "I'm actually part Japanese."

While they talked, I went into my bedroom and hid in the closet. I texted Sarah to release some tension.

Reese: So now we have another family living in our guest house.

Sarah: Really? Who?

Reese: The leader's name is Zeke. He has a wife named Jessica, a sister-in-law named Justina, two boys named James and Jeremy, a girl named Meiko, and a creeper named Adam.

Sarah: Weird.

Reese: Guess who's in America? Ambrose.

Sarah: Yikes! What are you going to do about it?

Reese: Grandfather and Father are trying to figure it out. They're talking to Zeke and Jessica now.

Sarah: Well, I hope you can take care of him. I have to get to class now. Text you later!

Is she not the sweetest girl ever?

I studied for the rest of the day, memorizing French words. Sarah was fluent in both French and Italian, and I wanted to be like her in that respect. Yes, I speak several languages, complicated languages, but it wasn't enough. My father is fluent in at least fifty languages.

As I began to browse the terms on Google, I noticed a particular pair of earrings. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I felt my jaw drop. I recognized that pair of earrings. I'd seen them years ago, but I still remember it as if it were yesterday.

I was twelve years old. Father had taken me to a strange little store. Bones scattered the shelves, knives used for rituals gleamed in glass cases, herbs and chemicals in jars stood beside each other in carefully written labels.

Father went up to the counter. He had dressed strangely today. Leather pants, a black button-up shirt, a long black cloak. He even carried a cane that concealed a sword.

I ran a hand over my recently-cut hair. I wished I'd kept my long locks. I walked through the aisles, studying the gems and stones, different herbs, and religious jewelry. Everything from crosses to Stars of David to pentagrams.

My eyes were drawn to a pair of blood red earrings on a silver chain, shaped like teardrops. In the middle was a metal engraving of a wolf howling. I'd heard of werewolves, but never knowingly met one. Father said they were dangerous. I reached for the earrings, then heard my father's voice: "Don't touch those, Reese."

I drew my hand back and went to stand by Father. He put a protective arm around me. I tried to keep my mind off the earrings. A wizened old clerk appeared by the counter, and Father spoke to him in Latin. I caught a few words: "Talisman. Alexander. Danger. Rival. Evil."

The old man just stared at me. "You have your mother's hair," he said. Father frowned.

"The talisman, Radcliffe."

"Of course, of course...why did you bring your son?"

"My brother was busy, and my father's on another continent. Louis is on a date, and I couldn't get him away. Besides, it might be healthy for Reese to get a glimpse of his father's life."

"Does he know how dangerous you are?"

"He knows that I am not perfect. I am not a decent man. I am full of sin. I have killed many beings over the years. He knows this."

"Father-"

"Hush, Reese. Radcliffe the talisman."

Radcliffe disappeared, and came back carrying a small brown package.

"You are playing with fire, Mordecai," he said.

"I know what I'm doing," Father stubbornly said.

The next day, Radcliffe was found with his throat slit in a pool of blood and acid.

I clicked on the link, and it brought me to a website with a dark format. It wasn't just black and grey, it was literally the epitome of evil websites. I was on the link Cursed Jewelry. The earrings were apparently supposed to bring werewolves into your life.

"Reese Mordecai Emerson, what are you looking at?" I blanched.

"Nothing, Father." I minimized the window.

"Don't lie to me, boy." He came up behind me and got uncomfortably close. "What are...oh, gods. Not those again. They caused Radcliffe's death."

"What?"

"It really was all my fault. I knew that he gave me the wrong thing, but I didn't say anything. He was just an old man. Reese, I'm warning you: don't get involved. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He put his hand over mine and closed the window.

"Father, those are werewolf earrings."

"I know. Fine, if you really want to know what my life is really like, I'm going to meet another coven on Saturday that wants to move to North Hampton. Come with me."

I blinked.

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

On Saturday, Father made me eat a big breakfast. Around ten, we headed off into the woods. Thirty minutes later, we reached a small clearing. Two male vampires and a female vampire.

"You came," one of the male vampires said.

"Yes."

"You didn't come alone."

"No."

"Who is the boy?"

"This is my son, Reese."

The male vampire who spoke smiled. And then they attacked. Father was fighting one of the males and the female, and I fought one of the males. He pinned me, and I turned over. He kneed me in the stomach and kicked me off. He wrapped his hands around my throat and squeezed. I returned the knee to the gut.

Suddenly, a huge brown furry thing came crashing through the brush. It knocked me over and slashed my stomach open.

"Reese!" Father hit the thing with his shoulder, picked me up, and put me under a bush. "Forgive me, Reese." He gave me an affectionate nuzzle, then turned around. The werewolf was tearing everything apart. It tore the female's head and arms off, then ripped out the guts of the lead vampire. Blood sprayed everywhere.

The wolf grabbed the third vampire and bit into him, ripping his legs off. Then he turned to Father. I rolled over onto my stomach.

"Stay where you are, Reese!" Father cried. "Faolan, stop this. This is not who you are." The wolf grabbed Father by the throat and slashed his gut. Father kicked the wolf, dazing him, and then grabbed a vial out of his pocket and threw it onto the wolf, which only angered him. Father and Faolan danced around each other, Father never leaving my side.

"Daddy?"

"Reese, stay there. I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I never would have brought you here. This is my fault." Faolan swiped at Father's stomach again, but Father dodged it. "Werewolves, like bears, usually go for the stomach," he told me. "Faolan, listen to me. I am your friend. I have been your friend for over one hundred and fifty years. Before that, we were lovers." I squeaked. Father continued. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I am not gay, I was only curious."

The werewolf's fur seemed to melt back into his skin. His claws shrank, and his bright yellow eyes became a bright electric green. He had shoulder-length silver hair, and looked to be in his twenties. He was also naked.

"Mor...decai..." he muttered. He fell over, unconscious.

I didn't cry until we got home. Father had Faolan in his arms, and put him on a spare cot. I went to my bedroom and hid in the closet. That's when I cried.

When I got back downstairs, Uncle Soren was yelling at Father.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Bringing Reese? Have you lost your mind? If he had died, it would have been all your fault!"

"I know," Father said, stroking Faolan's hair.

"You, bisexual?" I said.

"I thought so at first. I was only curious, and was in an experimental stage of my long life. I had no mate, and wondered if my mate was male instead of female. It ended...badly. Much like yours and Evan's breakup, only with vampires and werewo"lves. Made all the worse because our families naturally hated each other. Soren, if I'd known-"

"Don't give me that! You have a power, remember? You can see the present. You should have known what was going to happen."

"I can't see the future, only the present! Even then, the present is as uncertain as the future. I know, it's all my fault."

"Then stop making excuses."

"You're one to talk! Look at your relationship with Louis! Your failure as a brother is nothing compared to your failure as a father." Uncle Soren punched Father, breaking his nose.

"Boys, enough!" Grandfather cried, stepping into the room. He looked at the cot. "What is Faolan doing here?"

"It's a long story," Father said, rubbing his nose.

"I don't want to hear it. Soren, come. We need to talk about Alga."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Now."

"No!"

Grandfather looked angry. "Insolent fledgling. First, you lock up Mathias, then you start fighting with Louis, including calling him names and insulting him, and now you fight with Mordecai! I know that you two love each other, now act like it!" Grandfather left the room, muttering under his breath. Uncle Soren shook his head and left, going out the front door.

Father sighed, his eyes pricked with tears. He looked at me. "At least you're not yelling at me."

"What happened was not your fault," I said. "It was ugly, but it wasn't anyone's fault except theirs." I looked at Faolan. "Any chance that he'll be my stepfather?"

"I...I don't even know anymore. I'm so confused right now. I feel like I'm in love with several people. I'm even attracted to Sar-" His eyes widened. My teeth clenched when I realized who he