Dark Secrets (Dark Heritage #1)

  *****

  The field was full of vivid, beautiful wildflowers. Splashes of red, blue, purple, and yellow passed by as I ran. I twirled to a stop, inhaling the unbelievably amazing scent the flowers all gave off. The breeze rustled my hair and dress, and I fell softly to the ground, using the wildflowers as a cushion. For a minute, I just lay there in the grass and flowers, enjoying the feeling of being free with no cares in the world.

  “Veronica.”

  That voice. I knew who it was the second she spoke, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. I was afraid that if I did, she wouldn’t be there, and I would be all alone after hearing the love and compassion in her voice. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of lilac and vanilla–her perfume–and it gave me the courage to open my eyes.

  She was just like I remembered her.

  Her long raven-colored hair fell nearly to the bottom of her ribcage in straight strands, and her bangs nearly obscured her dark green eyes. What I could see of them was bright with unshed tears. Her dimples were entirely noticeable, even though what she was doing was far from smiling, and her nose was small and curved, much like my own.

  This woman was me in fifteen years.

  “Veronica, you can’t be here.”

  What she was saying cut through my happy inner-ramblings like a knife. She didn’t want me here? After all these years apart, she wanted me gone? What kind of mother didn’t want to see her child if given the chance again after so many years?

  “Oh, Veronica, of course I want to see you.” She opened her arms, and without hesitation, I ran forward and threw myself against her. She wrapped her arms around me as I buried my face in her shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much, but you can’t be here yet. It’s not your time,” she said, almost regretfully.

  I looked up into her eyes that were nearly identical to my own, and I felt the urge to cry building up. I’d been hoping and praying for another chance to see my mother, and now that I had it, I wasn’t sure what to do or say.

  “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want too,” she said soothingly.

  “Can you read my mind?” I asked stupidly. The first chance I had to say something to my mother after years and that was the best I could come up with.

  She smiled softly and titled my head up so our eyes met. “Yes, here I can read your mind. Honey, I have missed you so much. You really have no idea. I hated not being around to help you through everything in your life. Your father abandoning you, foster care, coming into your powers, all of it. And now you’re stuck with the Council until they decide to let you go.”

  “It’s not so bad,” I said. “There are nice people there to keep me company, like Tanya, or my teacher, Annie.”

  “Don’t forget the werewolf,” she said dryly.

  “How did you–”

  “I’ve been keeping watch over you since the accident. When others would have moved on, I stayed behind to make sure you were taken care of. I’ve been waiting until the day you were powerful enough to see me. I was going to appear to you and tell you some things you need to know to survive.”

  “What kind of things?” I asked, looking around. “And where are we?”

  “We’re nowhere right now. We’re in the area of your mind between life and death. When you die, you’ll move on to the Outer Planes, before passing on to the Other Side, where your soul will be at peace for all of eternity.”

  “So I’m not dead?”

  She frowned. “No, but you seem to be intent on giving it your best shot. Veronica, you have to be more careful. Not only do you have a very powerful enemy, but you need to be smarter about who you trust. Consorting with werewolves is not a good idea. They’re angry, volatile, and downright dangerous.”

  “Finn saved my life when the Council wouldn’t,” I said tightly. “He’s a good guy; he just doesn’t act like it all the time.”

  She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “Veronica, I have something I have to tell you, and I’m not quite sure how to say it, so I’m just going to do it. Elliott Parker is not your father. I took this secret to my grave, but now I have to share the truth with you. I saw your exchange with Andrew, and I was afraid he would guess the truth. Andrew is your father.”

  Her words echoed in my brain and all I could do was stand there and stare at her like she’d just grown a second head. Andrew was my father? “It’s not possible, Mom. I was born almost a full year after you left Andrew, right? Unless you were still sleeping with Andrew,” I said bitterly, “I don’t see how I could possibly be his child.”

  “You are, and I wasn’t. Veronica, I lied about your birth. You won’t be turning sixteen in a couple of days. You’ll be turning seventeen. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I fled as far away from Andrew as I possibly could, and I found a man that I’d known for years. He’d been in love with me all through our school years, and when I told him that Andrew was an abusive monster, he offered me a place to stay, and we eventually fell in love. He pretended to be your father, and we lied about your age to anyone who asked.

  “After a time, we moved back here to our hometown, after Andrew had married and moved on to another state. I thought we were safe, until recently. I could feel Andrew’s presence from the afterlife–that’s how powerful he is, Veronica. He’s one of the most powerful necromancer’s I’ve ever met, but he’s not powerful enough to finish his plans. He needs you for that. After he’s done raising his army, Andrew plans on creating the next generation of super-charged necromancers…with you.”

  I gagged. “But he doesn’t know I’m his daughter? So all I have to do is tell him, and he’ll stop, right? I mean, he wouldn’t actually consider having children with one of his own children, would he?”

  She sighed. “I’m not sure, Veronica. Andrew is angry and power-hungry. That is not a good combination. Just be careful and stay vigilant. As much as I dislike werewolves, I can admit that yours is probably your best chance for survival.”

  “Mom, he’s not mine,” I said, feeling oddly uncomfortable talking about Finn with my dead mother.

  She shook her head, almost like she didn’t believe me. Then she smiled tenderly, looking so much like the loving woman I knew that it hurt. “Honey, it’s time for you to wake up.”

  “What? No! I don’t wanna go!”

  She and the field both began to fade away, and I reached out for her, dying for just one last touch. My hand went through hers, and she vanished without a trace, leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere, with no idea of how to get back. Before I could even take a single step, searing red-hot pain exploded in my stomach, and I gasped, before everything went dark.