The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 108

I wanted to wake up somewhere else and I did. I was walking down a hallway that led to an arbor. Beyond that, I could see a wooded area.

There was a path that worked its way through the trees. I knew this had to be a dream, because it wasn't familiar and I felt compelled to walk forward, even though I didn't know what lay ahead of me. The woods opened up into a clearing. The moon shined brightly, filling the clearing with light. This was what Gray must have meant when he said it was easier to see on a full moon night. It was almost as bright as day.

A woman sat in the center of the clearing on a stone bench. She looked a lot like Rosario's glamour, except that her hair was silvery in the moonlight and her blue eyes seemed to glow. Her skin was paler than Rosario's glamour, too. She had a serene expression on her face as she beckoned me to her.

I went to the center of the clearing. There was a second stone bench not far from where the woman sat. She indicated it and I sat obediently.

"Sean. I'm so glad you were open to joining me tonight. I try not to force my appearance on anyone, so I had been hoping that you would be willing to come." She said in a gentle voice. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I am known only as 'The Goddess'. I have many names, and none. I oversee the lives of supernatural beings, like yourself." She replied.

I scoffed. "I'm just a normal human."

"You are a witch without a magic affinity. There's a difference. You are adept with potions and can even cast spells, but have no element you connect with like other witches." The goddess said.

I stared at her. I was a witch? It made sense. If my ancestors were witches, I could be one too.

"You aren't here to try and influence me, are you? I just want to have time to think. It feels like everyone only wants me for this curse thing."

"Sean, I only influence a few people for things that are really important. Though this curse is important, because it affects many of my children, it isn't the most important thing right now." She answered. "Then why are you here?" I asked.

She sighed. "Most of what I do is work toward the happiness of my people. I create mate bonds, open minds and hearts, and bless families to grow together happily. I want to help you understand that your friends care about you. Rosario cares about you. It has nothing to do with your family. You are only a small link in breaking the curse, but you are so sure that no one really likes you, that you're harming your relationships."

"You're saying they really like me even though I'm not important to them." I said, shaking my head.

"No. I'm saying you're important to them, even though you are unimportant to their goal. If you choose to help them, they will succeed faster, if you do not.... They'll still succeed, but Victor may not survive to see it." The goddess replied sadly. "Why should I care about a vampire? Why would you give Echo two mates? Gray deserves someone that loves only him." I told her.

"He has that... in a way. Echo is full of love. She has the unique background that makes her perfect for him. Echo soothes Grayson's hot blood. She warms Victor's cold demeanor. She is fully willing, and capable, of loving both men. She would be a handful for either one alone, they need each other as co-mates, as much as Echo needs both of them. You shouldn't focus on Echo and her mates, you should be focused on your mate." She chided.

"My mate? You mean Rosario?" I asked.

"I made sure you two would find each other early, but neither of you seemed to see each other. It took Echo to make you see what you were missing. That love I told you about. The love that she has an abundance of. It's not just for her mates. It's for her friends too. Let me show you." The goddess said.

The area between us started to shimmer like a pond. A large, bright beam of light shone there until the area was white and featureless. I could make out some figures moving.

More color came in as the light dimmed. It was Echo's living room. She was sitting in Victor's lap, crying. He was trying to soothe her, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Sean won't ever want to be my friend again." She sobbed. "I can't believe I ruined my first friendship."

"Hush, princess. Sean will get over it. Finn was excited and we all got carried away with it. Just give him time." Victor cooed.

"Why would he think I would only want to be his friend to break the curse? I would never do that." Echo sniffled.

"Echo, it can be hard for some people. Maybe he hasn't had the best luck with friends. It could be that he was already trying to figure out how he managed to get involved in all of these relationships." He kissed the side of her head.

"I'm sorry, cookie. I bet he's smart enough to figure it out. You just need to focus on something else. Claude and I will go start dinner. Why don't you two go take a walk in the garden? I know how much you love flowers." Dillon smiled.

"Yes, princess. Let's go for a walk in your garden. Everything will be much better after you've calmed down and then we'll have dinner and watch a movie until Grayson gets home from work. Then he and I will help you forget you were ever sad today." Victor murmured.

A small smile curved on Echo's lips. She squeezed him tightly and got off his lap. She took his hand as he stood and they walked out of the room.

"I didn't mean to overwhelm the kid." Finn sighed. "I just wanted to save Vic."

"I know." Talia answered. "You're worried for your broodmate. You should have kept quiet until we could discuss how to use this information. I don't think any of us could have predicted he would react like that. That young man isn't very secure in himself. I feel sorry for him. I hope he doesn't give up that delicious fae over this."

"I didn't think he was your type, Talia." Jean-Claude chuckled.

"Darling, everyone is my type, but not necessarily my preference. Sylvans weren't one of the species hunted by us, but they are just as tasty as any other fae. It's a fun bite while enjoying what else they offer." Talia laughed.

"Enough. I don't want to hear them talking about Rosario like that." I growled.

The image faded. I put my hand to my head. I hated them talking about Rosario like he was a piece of meat. He was so much more than that.

"Of course you don't. He's yours. I selected him for you especially. You were so open-minded about what else could be out there. I knew you would process and accept him more quickly than anyone else would. You found out about Echo being a dhampyr and Grayson being a werewolf on Friday. By Saturday evening, you were having fun with them and treating them just like you had before you knew." The goddess said.

"You're saying that I'm Rosario's true mate?"

"You were never intended to stay a powerless witch for the rest of your life. I always intended for you to go through the change to be fae. Rosario started being able to sense what you were to him as soon as he started really seeing you. He was always interested in what you were doing, but never truly saw you, just like he never truly saw anyone else. It took Echo waking him up before he was able to really see everyone around him." She explained.

I could feel the tears in my eyes. He didn't just want me to break the spell. I really was meant to be his forever?

The goddess waved a hand and the circle started showing a bedroom I didn't recognize. Rosario sat on the bed, staring at his phone. There were tears in his eyes. The door opened.

A tall woman with the same tree bark skin, leaf green hair, and pointed ears walked in. She stood by the door and crossed her arms. Her expression was pained as he looked up at her. "Please, Rio. Tell me what makes you cry so. I just want to help you." She sighed.

"Mama, I think I found my true mate. I know I can't tell until I'm older, but I love him. I feel my love for him down to my bones."

His mother crossed the room and sat next to him, taking him into her arms and holding him tightly. Rosario dropped his phone. He turned and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. My heart hurt as I watched him shake. "It is possible. Is this the human boy Gilead told me you were eating with twice at the restaurant?" She asked.

"Yes. He knows what I am. I thought he loved me, but he didn't want to talk to me when I took him home tonight. He didn't even want to yell at me. I would have taken anything." He sniffled.

"What happened?"

Rosario told her what happened at Echo's house. His mother got a look that was a mix of anger and sadness. She kissed his temple.

"I can understand being excited for another lead, but they should have waited. I don't want you to lose your true mate over this. You needed more time with him for him to feel the bond too. Because he's human, it's entirely possible you're feeling the bond early. If he rejects you, we'll pull our support from the alliance." His mother assured him.

"Don't do that. I need to fight for Sean. I need to make him see that I'm still here and I still love him. If I can't do that, I don't deserve him. We need to break the curse. We need to have a better relationship with other supernaturals. It's for our people, mother. I can set aside my heart for the sake of our people if I must." Rosario said softly.

"You shouldn't have to do that. Would you like to go stay with your grandmother for a while? Give your love some space? Maybe he will be so sad that he doesn't get to see you that he'll realize what he's missing without you." She offered.

"No. I need to be there. I need to see him. Sean is so important to me, mother. I just wish he'd call or text and let me know that he loves me too." He replied.

"He will. I know he will contact you tomorrow and everything will be okay, my sweet boy. Why don't you go take a shower and try to sleep? You need your rest." His mother said.

Rosario nodded and gave her another hug before she got up and left the room. He quickly grabbed his phone and checked his messages again, giving a dejected sigh as no new messages appeared. He put the phone on the charger and grabbed his towel off a hook in his room before heading into the bathroom.

The image dissipated and the circle disappeared. I looked up at the goddess. She smiled tightly at me.

"They really want me and not what I can do for them?" I asked.

"Truly. You are what is important to Echo and Rosario. You didn't seem to hear Echo when she said they could find another way. Please, don't throw away the people who will support you through your life. Echo's second life is long and she could be a lifelong friend to you. Someone who knew you from before." The goddess explained to me.

"I didn't think about that. Having a longer life than everyone else will make life difficult. I need all the long lived friends I can get. I still haven't decided about helping, but I'll let them know I'm not mad at them." I told her.

"Good. There are a lot of hard times coming. You need as much support as possible and I just know you and Rosario are going to be happy together for the rest of your lives. He'll guide you through a world unlike you've ever imagined, and you'll show him the world he was missing out on before he found you." She smiled. "Go back the way you came and you'll find your way back to your bed."

"Thank you. I appreciate you helping me out." I said as I stood.

"You're my child, Sean. I only want your happiness. You'll find that a mother is willing to do a lot to ensure her child's happy future." The goddess winked.

I didn't get a chance to ask what she meant by that, because she seemed to fade into the moonlight. I took a final look around the clearing before heading for the archway. A warm light was at the end of the hallway, and I knew I had slept through the whole night, even though it only felt like I was in the dream for an hour max.

When I opened my eyes, I sighed. I put on my glasses and picked up my phone. It was just after nine in the morning. I had three text messages from Gray telling me to call him and not be an a*s. There was a text from Rosario around midnight telling me good night and that he loved me.

After I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, I got dressed. I was just heading to the kitchen to grab some cereal and tell my parents there would be a game, though I didn't know about dinner, when the doorbell rang. I wondered who would be here at nine in the morning on a Saturday.

I changed direction to the front door and opened it. A tall woman stood before me. She had long black hair, golden brown skin, and a very judgmental look on her face. Her very familiar face.

"You must be Sean." She said.

My mouth dropped open in shock. It was Rosario's mom. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see my own mother right behind me.

"I'm Sean's mother, Hope. Who are you?" Mom smiled.

"Maeve Adair. Rosario's mother. I'm so glad to find you home. We need to have a chat." Rosario's mom said in a cool voice.

"Please, come in." Mom said.

This couldn't be happening. How did I tell her that my parents didn't know Rosario was a boy? Would she even care or would she out me? She didn't look happy. I knew this would be a difficult visit.