CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Homecoming
“Dawn!” My mother called the moment my feet hit the sidewalk. I had never seen her so happy to see me before in my life.
“Mom.” I acknowledged putting my bag down so that I could hug her better.
“Oh how I have missed you.” She squeeze me so tight I found it hard to breath. “We have been so busy since you have been gone. Your father had the barn completed and we moved as many as we could into the facilities. We are going to have to build another! Can you believe that?” She was overly excited.
“Yes another one.” My father groaned coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around the both of us. “I have both my girls back in once place.” I raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head.
“That’s great!” I heard the footsteps of the other three behind me and I pulled away from my parents to do the introductions.
“Mom. Dad. This is Rose.” I said pulling the red head towards us. She was nervous meeting my parents. Hell she had been so nervous about leaving Dallas. It took me two days to even convince her to come along.
“Oh my.” My mother said grabbing the girl’s hands. “She’s a beauty isn’t she?” Rose blushed as my mother doted on her.
“She’s going to take some work. She hasn’t really used what she has.” I looked at my dad. “Nobody told her till last year what she was.”
“How old are you dear?” My mother asked.
“I’m twenty-three.” She answered rubbing her arms.
“Oh dear.” My mother said putting her hand over her mouth. “No worries it will all come to you. Your blood will remember.”
Rose gave my mother a weak smile as Adam came around and put his hands on her waist. My mother raised an eyebrow and looked at me her lips thinning. I had a feeling I was about to have a question and answer session with my mother in the study.
“Ms. Weathers I will show Rose to her room.” Adam said grabbing Rose’s bags along with his and leading her inside the manor.
“What is going on?” My mother demanded her lips pursed.
“She and Adam hit it off.” I shrugged. They hadn’t known what was going on in the first place how could they be upset?
“I can tell that. However, he was vowed to you.” My mother looked at my dad like their plan hadn’t worked.
“What are you talking about?” I asked softly. I didn’t understand what they were saying.
“He is your protector not Roses.” My father corrected looking towards the skies. “Leave it to an angel to get it wrong.”
“Oh please Vetis you know damn well Ramiel has no say in who the Protectors protect he just puts the power in their blood.” My mother smacked my father’s arm and laughed.
“Are we really back to the biblical names?” I sighed picking up my bags longing to go inside and rest before all the training began again.
“Sorry dear. You weren’t here we fell on bad habits.” My mother apologized winking at my father.
“Go ahead take your stuff upstairs. We will call you when it’s time to start training.” My father said pushing me up the walkway towards the house.
“Thanks.” I said as I walked through the door and the floral scent of the foyer hit me. I was indeed home.
I walked up the stairs and threw my bags on my double bed before collapsing face first right next to them. I didn’t want to unpack but I knew that I had no choice but to. Mona had been upset that I was leaving again after only being there a few days. She said that she would keep the apartment attended to while Adam and I were gone.
I rolled on my back when I felt a heavier body hit the bed next to me causing my back to arch. I rolled my head and saw a smiling Nick on the opposite side of my bags.
“Have fun?” He asked me putting his arms above his head.
“Sure.” I moaned sitting up. I really should get this stuff put away.
“I told you she liked those scrawny men. But I will give you this he’s not as scrawny as he was a month ago.” Nick smiled at me.
“Yeah you were right.” I said dryly.
“It’s not like you had any interest in the boy in the first place. You like the dark spirited men. I met Aaron while you were gone.” He grinned again. “You have a type and well, Adam doesn’t fit that type.”
“They just took to each other.” I lied. “No coercion.”
“Can I see your tattoo?” He pried sitting up and stretching. “Your dad said you got some ink done.”
“Yeah one second.” I got up and pulled my shirt up over my bra so that he could see the two wings on my shoulder blades. I felt his fingers touch the skin and I sighed. It didn’t do the same for me as Adam’s touch had.
“She does awesome work.” He said pulling my shirt back down for me. “I’m going to have her do some of mine.”
“She did one on Adam’s back that is stellar.” I bragged. I had been able to push my feelings for Adam to the side and look at Adam and Rose as a couple and not as a threat.
“Nice.” Nick smiled. “You know.” He put his hands behind his back. “I have this girl that I’m thinking of asking out on a date. I know there isn’t much here, but the old movie theater gets a new release every Friday.” He smiled. “I was wondering how to ask her?”
My heart quickened. What was going on with the men in my life? Did I suddenly sprout into a full grown woman? Did they not see me as a child anymore? “Just ask her.” I said choking.
“Really?” He frowned. “That’s your advice?”
“Yeah.” I said slowly. “Who is it?”
“Helen.” I felt a weight come off my shoulders. I had to remember that for most of my life this man had been my cousin by marriage. He would never see me more than just his sweet little Fire cousin.
“OH that’s great! You two have a lot in common.” I smiled.
“Yeah, I think so.” He hugged me. “Alright cuz I will go and just ask her out.”
“I bet she will say yes. If she doesn’t like you she will at least want to get away from everything here.” I smiled. God I was so stupid for thinking anything other than Helen.
“OH!” Nick said putting his index finger up in the air. “That Aaron guy left something for you. I put it in the top drawer of your dresser. I think you will like it.” He left the room and I wandered to the bureau and pulled the top drawer open.
Under one of my nightgowns was an envelope. I opened it slowly. The last time I had received and envelope like this it was full of photo memories. This one was pretty much the same inside were all the pictures from prom. All six of us smiling and happy, not having a care in the world. There was Aaron and mines pictures in the mix as well. Our eyes locked, he looked so in love and I looked so confused. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I wish I could look at you the way that I used to. The voice rang in my ears as if he was standing right behind me. This must have sparked a memory or a question, something.
I held onto the picture of me and Adam, our arms locked. We were the best of friends, all of us. It was as if I was looking at something that happened years ago and not so much a few months. It was hard to think that the next day our lives would change forever. The only one of us that had a normal life now was Nadine.
I put the pictures back in my drawer and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. It had been awhile since I felt that emotion. The joys of finding a memory that I never wanted to let go. Even years into the future I would still have them to visit long after those in the photo were gone.
“Dawn!” I heard the excited squeal and turned just as Krista crashed into me. She squeezed me so hard I felt my back pop in three locations before she let me go.
“It’s good to see you Krista.” I said arching my back when she let me go. It popped two more times before the pain released.
“Oh you have missed so much!” She exclaimed pulling me to the bed and sitting down. “I can call storms. Can’t make it rain but
I can call everything needed in order to make it rain.” She was so proud of herself. “I also have mastered my whip. Thanks to Jeremiah.” She blushed. I should have known that when I left she would take up spending time with the young warlock.
“Jeremiah huh.” I smiled at her. I couldn’t expect her to pine over her lost love forever. She was young, she knew he was trash and she was ready to move on.
“Yeah, he’s really smart.” She smiled. “He told me about when he was bit.”
“That’s a lot of trust.” I said raising my eyebrows.
“I thought so too.” She laced her fingers together. “He kissed me.” She squealed.
“Oh my.” I tried to act shocked but I really couldn’t. I know the reason she was telling me because we were, for technical reasons, the same age. Helen wouldn’t get excited about this because Helen didn’t care about anything but destroying things. For a woman all about saving the world she sure had a destructive personality.
“I know.” She wasn’t catching on to my sarcasm.
I sat there blankly while she talked. I didn’t pay attention to damn thing she said just kept running things in my mind. Rose had Adam, Helen had Nick, and Krista had Jeremiah. Who did I have? I had a void, a looming void that called out to me to fill it. I refused to do it. I had let Adam go without ever really having him. The void could just go to hell then, I was going to be just fine on my own. I had been alone before Wesley and nothing bad happened to me. So I was going to be fine. Wasn’t I?
“Dawn you ok?” Krista grabbed my face and put her forehead to mine.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry.” I said softly as she smiled. We were eye to eye.
“You have a lot on your mind.” She said pulling away from me. “I get that. I just wanted to share the news with you. I think you’re the only one that gets me.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked feeling that she was wanting some attention. Her soft nature had been overpowered by Helen so Krista just blended in with the background.
“You saw it, you lived it.” She sighed. “The other two will never understand the things we have seen or the connection we have.”
I couldn’t resist I reached out and I grabbed her holding her as close to me as I could get her. “You listen to me.” I demanded. “You are the most special girl that I know. Correction. That I will ever know.” I squeezed her and heard a sniffle. She was crying on my shoulder. “No need for tears.”
“I knew we had a special bond.” Her voice shook as she held on to me tighter.
“Always.” I breathed as I felt my air supply cut off.