Tarnley
The moment her father pulls out of the drive, I head for the porch. Bronywyn’s face is tear-streaked, her eyes red and puffy. I’ve never felt so fucking useless in my entire existence. In fact, had I not overheard their entire conversation, I would have blurred off and killed the fucker for making her shed a single drop. At least, then I could do something to make her feel better.
“You okay?” I ask, although I already know the answer.
She looks away from me, directing her gaze to the tree line. “You heard all of it?”
“Little difficult not to.”
The ghost of a smile passes over her lips as she turns back to me. “An expert eavesdropper, you vampires are.”
I don’t bother to play into the joke, just take my seat beside her. The envelope clutched in her hands is nearly a ball of paper, so I reach for it, knowing she wouldn’t want it to be destroyed. “Want me to read it?”
Her face tightens, lips pressing together as fresh tears stream down her cheeks. Hands shaking, she offers it to me, so I take it carefully and then remove the aged paper from the envelope. “It looks legitimate,” I tell her, noting the age of the cream parchment and the faded ink it’s written in.
“Read it.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods. “Please. I can’t do it.” Her voice cracks, breaking my heart all over again.
I clear my throat, unsure how hearing her mother’s final words will help. “My dearest Bronywyn, if you are reading this, then I was executed by the council. I will spare you the details, as I imagine your father has already filled you in on the reason why. You should know I never wished to leave you and your sister. The two of you were my reason for living, the blood in my veins, I loved—and still love—you more than I can even possibly put into words.”I pause, looking down at her. Eyes clamped shut, silent tears stream down and fall into her lap. I long to reach for her—to stop reading and gather her up—but I know my love can’t shield her from this pain. Even if I’d give my last breath to do so. I continue reading,“I promise you there was no other way. The council’s reach is limitless, and no matter where we ran, they would have found us. When they did, you and your sister would have been lost, as well.
Which brings me to my one and only request. Do not blame yourself for this. My love brought you into this world, and it is Clarance’s love that will keep you safe. He loves you as his own, just as he loves your sister. We were a family, we are still a family, even though I am not there to see you grow into the incredible woman I know you will one day become.
Please, watch over your sister, keep her safe, help her learn of her abilities, and do me one last favor. Watch out for your father, as well. He is going to need you in the coming years. With all my love, your mother.”
I fold up the paper and stick it back into the envelope, my own throat tight with emotion. I watched the scene play out when I’d been in her memory. Witnessed the anguish as the council slaughtered the woman on her knees.
And the anger Bronywyn felt for her father—I’d experienced that, as well. So seeing her convictions over that day shattered is killing me. “Are you okay?” I ask, immediately feeling like an idiot. Of fucking course, she’s not okay.
Bronywyn shakes her head. “I don’t know what to believe. Ever since that night, he’s been a demon in my eyes. A monster who let them slaughter my mother, who didn’t care when my sister was killed. I hated him, Tarnley. More than I’ve ever hated anyone.”
“And now?”
“Now I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. Love? Anger at the lie? Relief? Guilt?” She stands and begins to pace. “I don’t know what to do—what to think.”
Pushing to my feet, I move across the porch and stop right in front of her. When she looks up at me, I cup her cheeks, rubbing the pads of my thumbs over her tender skin. “My advice? Don’t start with love. Start with relief that your mother knew enough about what was coming to make a choice. She wasn’t blindsided; she put a plan in motion to keep you and your sister safe. And your father.” I sigh. “He loved you enough to let you hate him because that’s what kept you safe.”
Her face crumbles, and her shoulders begin to shake with the force of her cries, so I pull her against my chest and wrap both arms around her, determined to hold her through the storm.
“All of it was a lie, Tarnley.”
“Not all of it,” I remind her. “Perhaps, on the surface, it was. But the bottom line is that your parents loved you. Deeply. There is joy to be discovered in that single truth.”
She pulls away as she wipes her tears away. “I worked my ass off to get as far away from him as I could, taking nothing but the clothes on my back when I turned nineteen. I never wanted to be in the same room with him, and now I find out he’s been tracking me this entire time?”
“That is definitely troublesome.”
“What if this is all a ruse? The visit, the letter, all of it. What if he’s only doing this to get to me? To tear down everyone I care about?”
“You think he’s still working for the council?”
“I think it’s a possibility,” she replies. “And one we need to explore.”
“Then perhaps we should move.”
She shakes her head. “No. Until that tracking spell is broken, he’ll just track us down again. And if they did send him here, they’re doing it for a reason. Otherwise, why not attack? It’s not like they don’t know where we are.”