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“Shannon is the evil twin,” Steph cuts in quietly, but Bernadette ignores the interruption.
“––it was immediately evident they would be very powerful witches. Twins usually are, you see. They have a psychic connection that allows them to share and combine their power whenever they choose. But the girls were unexpectedly strong, even for twins. And their father decided they were the key to bringing down the vampires. For good.”
“He wanted to use them?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says. “He would have turned them into war machines, training them for the day they’d come up against Franklin Belloy and his international counterparts. He thought it was his sacred duty, to rid the world of the blight our kind had created thousands of years ago.”
“But my mom wanted no part of it,” Steph picks up when Bernadette pauses. “She wanted to save us from the life my father planned, but the night she attempted to take us, everything went horribly wrong.”
“She was spotted leaving the house with the babies,” Bernadette says, picking the story back up. “Her husband cast a spell to stop the twins from leaving the property. When she came up against the barrier holding the two car seat carriers, Steph slipped through, but Shannon wouldn’t budge. You see, he’d worded the spell wrong. Instead of stopping my sister completely, he only stopped her from taking both babies.
“She was forced to make a terrible choice that day. If she stayed, her husband would use their children to wage war on the vampires. They’d spend their entire lives training to die. But if she took one of the children and fled, hiding her away and binding her power so he’d never find her, his plan would be thwarted. The remaining twin would not have her sister’s power to feed on, and vice versa. They’d both be safe.”
“Oh, God,” I mumble, looking over at Steph.
She blinks a few times, but doesn’t shed any tears. Bernadette raised her, and she never knew her parents, so I know this story doesn’t have a happy ending.
“My sister died a few weeks later. She was so brokenhearted over leaving Shannon behind, she couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and wasted away until there was nothing left of her. I raised Stephanie, making sure the bindings on her magic never loosened and that she lived a happy, normal life.”
“Aunt Bernie overheard me talking to you about my doppelganger,” Steph says. “She knew that if Shannon knew where I was, then my father did, too.”
“I knew if they came for her, she’d need to defend herself, so I told her everything. I need her to be alert and aware of the danger, but she insisted we come here,” Bernadette adds.
“My evil twin already infiltrated this place,” Steph explains, “and I figured it was only a matter of time before she and my father tried again. Or came for me, directly. So, I convinced Aunt Bernie this is the safest plan for us all. If I’m here, Shannon can’t pretend to be me again. And if they come for us, they’ll have to get through a bunch of angry vampires, first. Now, if only she’d remove the binding on my magic, I could really do some damage.”
“You haven’t reversed the spell?” I ask, looking at Bernadette.
“It’s still too dangerous. Her father and sister will sense it if I release her power. They will come for her.”
“You will be safe here,” Jesse says, speaking for the first time.
The conversation pauses as Leif enters with three plates piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh fruit. Erik follows closely behind with a carafe of coffee and a jug of orange juice. As soon as they serve us, they leave us alone once more. Steph digs into her food, and Bernadette watches me carefully as I process everything I’ve learned, my hunger forgotten.
“Are they safe here, really?” I ask Jesse. “Someone got through your defenses to poison your father––”
“Franklin Belloy has been poisoned?” Bernadette cuts in, looking absolutely horrified. At my nod, she slumps in her chair. “So, it has begun.”
“Maybe you could help us,” I say, a spark of excitement igniting inside me. “You’re a witch. Maybe you can figure out what they did to him and reverse it.”
“I can try, Eden,” she promises, but her expression remains hopeless despite her encouraging nod.
“Thank you,” I reply. “And thank you for bringing Steph here.”
“I’m not sure this was a good idea, if my brother-in-law has already managed to infiltrate the estate and poison the king right under the vampires’ noses,” she says warily.
I can understand her unease, but it doesn’t shake my resolve that them being here is for the best. I feel it in my gut. There’s a tingle of rightness that wasn’t there before. And it’s not just because I missed Steph, and I’m glad she’s here.
No, this is more. I don’t know what it means yet, but I know this is the way things are meant to be. I can feel something welling up inside me, and it only takes a moment to realize what, exactly, it is.
Hope.
32
WAYS TO KILL A VAMPIRE
Jesse showed Bernadette and Steph to the room Shannon stayed in while she was here posing as Steph, but the older woman insisted they stay in a regular guest room so they could have their privacy and not impose on mine and Jesse’s. When he brought up the matter of safety, Bernadette assured him she could take care of herself and Steph. That she’s a powerful witch and leader of her coven, after all.
That last tidbit shocked me, though I know I shouldn’t be surprised. Bernadette was powerful enough to bind Steph’s true nature, and she’s always held an air of authority, one I’ve always assumed comes from her age and her position as a business owner.
