Forever (Fallen 3)

Mason smirked and looked at his watch. “Well, in two hours you’ll be on your way to your honeymoon and all of us will be but a mere memory.”

I glared at Jonathon, “And he has yet to tell me where we’re going. It’s driving me nuts.”

Jonathon laughed and rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it.”

“Where are we going?” I asked for the hundredth time.

“Anywhere and

everywhere,” he replied, which was the same line he’d been giving me for weeks. I had been told to pack all types of clothing so that gave me no clue what so ever as to the location of our destination. I wanted to kick him.

“Did you come over here just to bug me?” I asked Mason.

“No,” he frowned, “I actually came to ask you to dance. I know Joseph wants a dance too.”

I laughed and took his out stretched hand. “If you weren’t so annoying you’d be charming.”

He huffed. “I have more charm than you know.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said as he pulled me onto the dance floor. Mason made funny faces at me through our entire dance and by the time Joseph took his place my stomach hurt from laughing.

Joseph smiled at me. “Welcome to the family, sister,” he said.

I shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m actually married.” I glanced over at Jonathon who was still sitting at the table. His lips were twitching like he was trying not to smile. “And to the most wonderful man,” I added.

“I’m happy for you both. It’s nice to see him happy. He was a mess before you came along.”

I looked up at Joseph. “Diana’s said that too.”

“He was really messed up by our parents’ murder. He ate himself up with guilt. No one blamed him, but he blamed himself, and that’s the hardest blame to deal with. He was hardly living at all. I know he tried to find a way to kill himself, but it’s impossible unless you can get a vampire to kill you. We watched him like a hawk. I was worried that he might sneak out and get someone to do it for him. Just when I thought he might break, you showed up. You gave him a light back in his eyes. You made him whole again. Guilt and grief can eat up a person and that’s what was happening to him. But one look at you and he was smiling. Smiling! It was incredible. He had been sour for so long. He basically sequestered himself in his room and all he did was paint. That was it. Do you know that the day he picked you up for school was his first day back since our parents’ died?”

“What?” I said. “He never told me. But how? The teachers seemed to know him?”

Joseph chuckled. “Most are vampires. The human ones know him as Patrick’s depressed nephew. We were all shocked when he demanded admittance for the next day. He had been up to the school some, taking a few classes here and there, and of course Diana, Danny and Mason, went there so the students and staff sort of knew him by association. It was funny having to convince the humans to let him in with only hours’ notice. But Patrick demanded it and since he’s the one that started the school and supplies most of the funds, they listened.”

“Why did Patrick create the school in the first place?” I asked.

Joseph chuckled, “Isn’t it obvious?”

I shook my head.

“He started it for the vampires. We have to go to school every decade or so. We need to keep up with the ways of humans, as its always changing. But he had to be able to admit human students too, otherwise it wouldn’t work.”

“And Coven members?” I asked. Isaac, his sister Isobel, and his friends had all been Coven members.

Joseph said, “Well, we thought it would be a good way to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, members aren’t fully initiated until they’re eighteen.”

“What’s happened to them since Aleksei betrayed them?” I asked. I had had no contact with any of the Coven members since the day Isaac died. I couldn’t bear to see them. It hurt too much. I was pathetic.

“Isaac’s dad, Gregory, is their leader now.” I looked down at our feet as Joseph glided us along the dance floor. “Hey, don’t be like that,” said Joseph. “You know it’s okay to be sad.”

I looked up at him fighting tears. I wiped a stray one away. “I thought I was doing better,” I glared at the treacherous tear.

Joseph smiled. “You are doing better, but you’ll always miss him just like you’ll always miss your dad. It’s been decades since our parents’ were murdered and we still feel sad and hurt. Even Patrick.”

I shuddered. “I’d hoped you’d say it would disappear.”

“No,” said Joseph. “I don’t lie.”