“Y

ou don’t mean that!” Jillian exclaimed. “Yes, I do mother,” Cristian replied. “Nothing will tear Sage and me apart.” “So you’re willing to choose eternal damnation for this creature?” she asked. “Stop it, Mother.” He looked at his father with eyes pleading for help. “Cristian,” his father said slowly and deliberately, his eyes focused on him, “I love you, but I’m on your mother’s side on this. If you are choosing this woman—and I use that word lightly—over us, then all I can say is good-bye.” Cristian’s mouth dropped slightly as he stared, stunned at his father. “I can’t and won’t ever accept this relationship. Until you see the light and turn from this darkness, I’m going to have to ask you to leave our home.”

“Very well,” Cristian said defiantly. “That’s how you want it.” He turned toward the door. “Good-bye, Mother and Father.” He opened the door swiftly and walked out, leaving it wide open. Jillian started to run after him, but Christopher held her back. “Let him go,” he said softly. “We have to do this in order to save him.”

Sage and the others walked back into the grand living room after scouring Pedro’s bedroom. “We know Pedro is around somewhere,” Billy said removing the cloth from the furniture. “We’ll just have to wait to see when he will make his presence known,” Sage said.

“We’ll be ready for him,” Anna said. “I don’t think Pedro will be stupid enough to want to come against us,” Samuel said. “He turned to Pearson,” Lisa said. “Who knows what he’s capable of?” Sage shook her head in uncertainty. “So how were your trips?” she asked, wanting to change the subject. “I had a good homecoming,” Anna smiled, glancing over at Daniel. Billy and Samuel noticed the exchange.

“It was good to revisit the past and put it to rest.” Daniel smiled at her. Sage smiled slyly at them. “Seems you and Daniel had a great time,” she said to Anna telepathically. Anna grinned.

“By going home, I was able to come to terms with my mother’s death,” Lisa said softly. Both Cody and John lowered their heads solemnly.

“John, were you able to see about your father and brother?” Sage asked. He took a deep breath. “I found out that my brother was in the hospital, but he left and my father…,” he paused. “It didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.” Lisa grimaced, remembering his father’s cruelty toward him. Sage nodded her head quietly.

“Samuel’s home is so cool,” Billy blurted out excitedly. Samuel thumped him on the head for his seeming insensitivity. “Hey,” Billy said. “I’m sorry,” he said regretfully to John and Lisa. “It’s okay,” Lisa said. John nodded his head in agreement.

“Samuel’s home is made up like a castle,” Billy continued. “It’s made of stone.” Sage smiled. “My home was turned into a museum,” Samuel said. “And there’s a family portrait that you need to see, Queen V” Billy said, “Especially Samuel’s get-up.” Samuel rolled his eyes.

“It’s still a beautiful place,” Samuel said, “And if you’d like to see it one day, that is fine with me.” Sage flattered by the invitation replied, “I think I’ll take you up on it,” she said, looking at him. Billy noticed the eye exchange between them and thought he could see a flush of redness color Samuel’s pale cheeks.

“Cody, how did things fare with your visit?” she asked, turning her gaze to him. Cody looked at his cowboy hat, fumbling with it. “I, uh,” he cleared his throat, “I went home to find,” his lips quivered as he fought back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “My father was still alive when I got home,” he said rapidly.

Sage and the others gasped.
“He had been bedridden and he held on,” he buried his face in his hands, sobbing and unable to speak. “His last wish was to see Cody again before he died,” Lisa said, rubbing his back in comfort. “He died, and he asked Cody to burn the house down because he didn’t want to be buried.”
“I’m sorry Cody,” Sage said as his body shook, wracked with pain and grief.
The others gathered around him to comfort him. “We’re here for you,” Samuel said. “We’re family,” Billy said. Lisa looked at Sage. “He wanted to end his life by running into the flames,” she said telepathically. “I used all my strength to stop him.”
Sage noticed John sitting alone in the antique chair, crying. “You’re not alone,” she said sitting beside him. He looked at her, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. “Thank you,” he said, falling into her arms and finally releasing the pain he felt of his father’s rejection.

Randi stared, stunned at the police sketch in the newspaper when her phone began to ring. She contemplated whether she should answer it. After the third ring, she answered the phone.

“Hello,” she said tentatively. “Randi?” Rafael asked anxiously. “Yes,” she said hesitantly. “You said to call you when I was finished with my business,” he said. “Yes, I did,” she replied. “Well, I’d like it if you can pick me up,” he said. “I’ll be at the corner where you dropped me off.”

“Okay, I’m on my way,” she said hanging up the phone. “What do I do?” she wondered. “Should I call the police or do my own investigating?” She put on a jacket and grabbed her car keys, heading out the door.

After everyone was spent of their tears, they all retired into their rooms to unpack their luggage. John sat down at the desk with his laptop and began to type incessantly, beginning with the heading: A Moth to a Flame, A Vampire’s Tale. “What are you doing?” Lisa asked, peering in at the doorway. “I’m just putting my feelings down into words,” he said.

“Like a diary?” she asked. “Something like that,” he said. She walked over as he minimized the page so she couldn’t see it. “It’s private,” he said. “I wasn’t prying,” she said.

He sighed, knowing what he was about to say would be painful. “Lisa, I like you. A lot.” He stared into her searching eyes, “But there’s no future for us.”

“You think I didn’t know that?” she said, annoyed, trying to conceal her sadness. “I don’t want to be a vampire,” he stammered. They stared at each other for a lingering minute. “Being around Rafael, I heard only the bad stuff about vampires,” he said, turning away from her eyes—that you’re evil bloodsuckers.” “But now that I’ve been around vampires, I realize he was wrong. There is good and bad in everything.”

“Not everything is so black and white,” Lisa said softly. “There are shades of grey too.” “The blood drinking is disgusting—no offense,” John said. “None taken,” she said. She sighed. “Well, I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” she said heading for the doorway. He nodded, his head his lip trembling slightly.
She walked out the room swallowing hard, her eyes smarting, taking a breath.
Samuel finished unpacking when Sage stood in the doorway. “You can come in,” he said, his back still turned to her and placing his clothes into the dark-stained oak dresser. She beheld the inviting room of comfort, taking in the quilted oak bed with a canopy and curtains in the corner, Parisian rugs adorning the floor, a bookcase against the wall, and a hanging portrait of a castle with a lake in the background.
She walked inside and shut the door, flicking her hand. He turned around smiling at her. “So, my queen, what’s troubling you?” he asked.
“Samuel, you’ve known me long enough to call me, Sage,” she said. “Okay,” he grinned. “Sage, what is troubling you?” “What happened while we were gone?” “I’ve been consumed with an appetite for human blood,” she said. “Ever since the night I tasted Cristian’s blood. The animal blood isn’t taking the thirst away,” she said.
“That’s why you smashed the bottle?” he asked. She nodded her head. She looked at him, her eyes darting back and forth rapidly. “I killed someone.” He gasped. “It happened a night ago. He was a mugger. He attacked me, and before I knew what I was doing, I was drinking his blood.”
“Sage,” he said, realizing that was the distress that he felt the other night. “I was disgusted by my actions. I gave into the hunger and killed someone. Cristian was angry with me for being emotional about it. He said I shouldn’t be upset that I defended myself.”
“Sage, we all know that you never wanted to drink human blood and wouldn’t have if Cristian wasn’t near death.” “I had no choice,” she said. “But you regret your decision?” he asked.
“Yes,” she confessed, her dark eyes glistening. “I never wanted to turn Cristian into a vampire.”