The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 150

[Echo]

We went into the dining room when Lisa came to get us. I sat at my usual seat and waited. Talia brought Amelia in with her. They were chatting and smiling like old friends.

Finn stiffened as he heard their voices. I wondered what had gotten into him. Amelia sat next to her sister. Finn gazed at her with a look I very much understood. He was in love with her. "Amelia, are you dating anyone?" I asked.

Finn's gaze swung around to me. He seemed shocked.

"Nope." She answered cheerfully. "Just living my life to its fullest before I cast my soulmate search."

"What about you, Emmalyn?" I asked.

"No. I don't date." Emmalyn responded coolly.

Gray walked in the room. He looked around before seeing that his spot was empty. Samuel, Dillon, and Jean-Claude were eating outside this evening. We had just enough chairs for everyone after taking most of the chairs from the kitchen. The girls would just eat later.

I looked at Gray with hope. He didn't look very happy to see me. I had to make him feel like I acknowledged him. Like I really saw him.

"Gray." I said, standing and holding out my hand.

He looked down at my hand and back up to my eyes. My hopes were granted as he walked over and took my hand. I smiled at him.

"Gray, this is Brian and Hope Flowers. Over there are Amelia and Emmalyn Grove. Everyone, this is my husband, Gray Padua. He's a werewolf from the Hallowed Moon Pack." I explained.

"I thought your name was Nightshade." Amelia said as we settled in.

"That's her other husband's name." Gray muttered picking up his plate and dishing some food onto it.

His expression was still angry. I thought this was what he wanted. I thought this was how I could make it right.

"I'm going to add Gray's name as soon as we get this curse settled. Victor has the connections to get my name changed quickly." I replied.

Gray looked at me, a little shocked. Then he smiled and took my hand again, giving it a loving squeeze. I had been talking to Harmony about how I could make Gray feel like I valued him more and she suggested hyphenating my last name to be Nightshade-Padua. I was so happy it worked.

"I love you, Gray. I can't wait to have your name too." I smiled.

"Thank you, angel. I love you, too. I'm sorry I've been hard to deal with. We can talk about it later. I want you to eat your dinner. You need to be strong and healthy if we're going to beat this curse." He murmured and dished some food onto my plate.

While we ate, everyone got to know each other better. Amelia was bubbly and playful. Emmalyn was a little cooler and more businesslike. She still had a sense of humor, it was just harder to make her laugh. Brian and Hope worked to get along with everyone and I saw how they doted on Rosario and Sean.

Hope was extremely proud of her son. She kept talking to us about the groups on social media that she'd joined to learn how to support her son and kept calling herself a 'glitter mom', which made Sean blush.

I could tell he was happy, though. His parents may be embarrassing, but they loved him a lot. Rosario was telling them how he could bespell them to always see through the fae glamour that hid his neighborhood. They would be accepted as honorary fae, since their son was Rosario's mate.

The plates were being cleared. Hope complimented Wendell and Lisa on their cooking. I could tell they were both pleased. We always let them know how grateful we were for their help.

"So, I haven't seen the Old Man around. The ladies at the home said you took him. Is he doing okay with all these people and werewolves around?" Brian asked.

Sean looked at me with wide eyes. We hadn't expected him to ask after the cat. Gray squeezed my hand.

"You have to tell him." He whispered.

"Brian. I'm sorry. The cat is in a cage in my office. He's being fed well and has lots to entertain him. He's just not safe to be allowed to roam free." I answered. "Echo." Gray said in a warning tone.

I bit my lips together. He'd be mad at me if I didn't tell Brian the cat was Fenton. I would just not tell him about the t*****e plan.

"To be fully honest, Brian, the cat isn't what he seems. He's actually Fenton Sr. and we're keeping him locked up in hopes of him telling us what curse he placed on the Master of the territory." I admitted. "What? How?" He asked.

"You have a witch in a cat's body? That's so cool!" Amelia exclaimed. "And you can understand what he says?"

"Only people related to Fenton can understand him. He's quite talkative." I replied.

Harmony scoffed and nodded quietly. Brian looked shocked. I didn't know what else to say.

"Can I see him?" Brian asked.

"Me too!" Amelia grinned.

Finn seemed alarmed for a few moments, but calmed down quickly. Talia put her hand on his arm and he nodded to her. I knew that vampires could talk mentally with their sires, but it was still a little strange.

I stood and they followed. Emmalyn hadn't said anything, but she was hot on our heels heading toward the office. Hope stayed back, saying she never liked the cat anyway and wanted to talk to Rosario and Sean some more. Opening the door, I heard Fenton groan. He was probably expecting Gray to come in. He seemed surprised when I led in my little witch procession.

"Here he is. Fenton. You remember Brian. This is Emmalyn and Amelia. They wanted to see you." I said.

"So you told him who I am. I didn't expect to see you again before I died, Brian. At least I can tell you how much of a disappointment you are. Letting your boy be gay with that elf. Letting him become fae. Never becoming a witch worth anything." Fenton grumbled. "Wow, you weren't lying. He sounds like my grandfather did. Same tone and disappointment that I never manifested an affinity." Brian scoffed.

"I suppose she's gotten you to agree to try and talk me into revealing my curse. I'm not going to do it. So you can go." Fenton huffed.

There was a clattering sound and I looked over to the couch. Emmalyn had spread a cloth over the coffee table and was pulling out stones and arranging them on the cloth. I watched her as she focused on the stones in front of her.

"He powers the spell. That's why he's still alive. The other spells are powered by the supernaturals trapped inside them. He's very angry about a loss. It sparked his own madness and his descent into the dark arts. He's never been accepting of other species and sees them as abominations. This enabled him to use them. He even sees humans as lesser beings. His belief that witches are the supreme species powers his hate and madness." Emmalyn said solemnly.

"What are you doing? Stop that!" Fenton growled.

"Or what, you'll cough up a hairball?" She scoffed. "You're torturing that poor cat. He's still inside there. All he wanted was to hunt mice and live a happy life. You took that from him."

I froze. The real cat was still in there? I had no clue. I couldn't let Marius t*****e him. That cat was innocent.

"I made sure he had years of good treatment. He was cared for, fed fish, and brushed often. He's had a better, and longer, life than he ever would have as a barn cat. It's not like I wanted to be in here." He said.

"That's true. The spell he used required so much magic, that he had to be put into a being who didn't have any. Even humans have a little bit of magic. He maintains control of the spell from the body of a creature who has no magic at all." Emmalyn answered. "The cat can feel everything he can?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but, if you go through with your plan for this evening, you'll be hurting that cat as well." Emmalyn replied softly.

Amelia looked at me with watery eyes. She was obviously feeling like I was. That poor kitty didn't deserve torture. I sniffled and straightened my back.

"Can you see the name of the spell he cast on the Master of the territory?" I asked.

"Not in this casting, but I can do it again in a few hours. I know you've not second guessed your decision until now, but I can also tell you that you would regret this decision." Emmalyn told me. "You're going to go all soft because there's a stray cat involved? I can't believe you're so weak!" Fenton taunted.

"Is there anything else you can see Emmalyn?"

"The curse will hit a shifting point soon. Two masters can't each hold the curse in full. As it lessens on one, it increases on the other. You may not realize how much stronger it's grown in you." She said. "I'm fine. My primary focus is destroying this curse. The curse hasn't changed me, or I wouldn't have cared about the cat. I'll call Marius. I can't let him hurt an innocent animal." I replied.

"I guess I have two disappointing descendants." Fenton spat.

"I think disappointing you is one of the greatest compliments out there. I never want to be someone you're proud of." I snarled.

"What did he mean about my son turning fae? That was a figure of speech, right?" Brian asked.

I'd forgotten about that, and about Brian being there. He clenched his jaw and focused his gaze on me. I blushed.

"SEAN!!!" He roared as he stormed out of the office.

Emmalyn scooped up her stones and cloth, shoving them into her bag as she rushed to follow us out to the dining room. Everyone was still having dessert when we came in.

Sean's smile faded as he saw his father's face. He gripped Rosario's hand and looked at his mother, then me. I mouthed 'Fenton told' and saw his expression drop into one of sadness and resignation.

"Is what that cat told me true? Did you become fae?" Brian seethed.

"Oh, Sean." Hope gasped.

He stood up and looked at his parents. Sean didn't seem frightened or worried. He seemed like he was calm and prepared for whatever happened next.

"Mom, Dad, I'm a pixie now. That's why I seem so different physically. I didn't want to tell you about this so close to losing Uncle Fenton. I was planning to wait a month or so. Don't be upset. This was the Goddess' plan for me. I'm happy with who I am." Sean insisted. Rosario stood beside him. "He's still the same Sean. He hasn't changed who he is, just what he is. He's still the smart, kind, boy you raised. Don't be mad about this, please."

"Sean, how could you do this to yourself? I know it's hard being around everyone with all these amazing powers and abilities, but you didn't need to change. Your friends would have loved you anyway." Hope said.

"Mom. I didn't do this because everyone is so powerful. I did this so I could feel comfortable in my own skin. I did this so I could have the life I was meant to have. So I could stay by Rosario's side for his life." Sean told her.

"Hope, come here." Brian said solemnly. "Sean. We need time to process this. I'll still help with the curse. I made a promise and I stick to my promises, but I think it would be best if you canceled your game night this weekend and stayed here." "Dad." Sean whispered. "Please."

Brian raised his hand to stop him. "Do you think I told you not to let anyone bite you because I'm overprotective? I wanted you to stay human. I wanted you to be safe. If I had known you could turn fae, I wouldn't have allowed this relationship. You're in more danger as a fae than you are as a human. You may be stronger and more powerful, but now you're something people hunt. I can't believe you would do this and keep it from us."

"You just said you would have forbidden my relationship! When have I ever been such a bad kid that I deserved my happiness taken away?! You didn't talk to me. You decided for me. You don't care about what I want. You only care about what you think is right. If you opened your eyes, you would see that I'm happy. We're safe because Talia got rid of the portion of the curse that hindered fae. I told you, this is what the Goddess wanted for me. She told me herself!" Sean shouted.

"I don't care what the damned Goddess wanted for you! I wanted you safe. Now I'll worry for the rest of my life if you're going to be safe after I'm gone. What if hunters come after you? What if there's a fae war?" Brian questioned.

"We haven't had a war in two centuries. A lot longer than humans. Sean is perfectly safe as a fae. Hunters can't find our home now that our glamour is working again!" Rosario replied defensively.

Gray whistled and made them jump. I looked over to him, along with everyone else.

"Brian, Hope, you should head home and deal with your emotions on this. Give it two weeks, then have dinner with Rosario and Sean. Think about the things you really want to say, not the things you're feeling. You can reach Sean on his cell if there's an emergency and you will see him next week at Fenton III's funeral. I expect that you will all act like adults at the funeral and make it about his life and not yours. Rosario, take Sean for a walk in the garden. Come back when you're both calm again. This is the end of your argument." Gray stated coolly.

They all nodded and left. Everyone breathed a little easier. None of us really wanted to be in the middle of that fight.

Everyone decided to go to the living room for dessert and coffee instead of staying in the dining room. The feeling in the room had gotten tense and I didn't think we could get it cheerful again.

I hadn't realized that Amelia was on the case. She worked really hard to get people to cheer up. She made sure to flirt with Finn a lot, which made him uncomfortable and everyone got a little chuckle. Talia was the most amused.

Quietly, I got up and went to the entryway. I called Marius and let him know I couldn't allow him to t*****e the cat. He was disappointed, but less so when he found out why.

"You are a good and gentle girl, Echo. Even I try not to torture the innocent. Even though this is a simple animal, you are showing the compassion that I feel makes you the gem that you are." He said.

"Thank you, papa. I just couldn't do it. He's rubbing it in, too. I'm going to end this curse and I'm going to save that cat. Even if it means I have to kill it. I won't make it suffer with Fenton inside of it anymore." I vowed.

"I like that. Let me know if you need me to help. I'll see you in the morning for training. Get some rest, daughter." Marius said and hung up.

"Now you're planning to kill him?" Gray asked from behind me.

I startled a little. I hadn't heard him or smelled him. I turned and Gray looked really upset.

"He's not going to be tortured, but I may have to kill him to end everyone's suffering. Can you be okay with that, Gray? Please." I murmured.

"You're really not going to let Marius torture him?" He brightened.

"No, I'm not." I replied.

He rushed over and picked me up in a hug, spinning me around. I held on tight, because I didn't want to go flying away if he lost his grip on me. He stopped spinning and held me tightly against him.

"Thank you, angel. Thank you so much." Gray whispered as he kissed my face all over.

As much as I wanted to tell him, it was because of the cat, I couldn't. Gray was just so happy and I wanted him to be happy with me again. I caught his lips and kissed him deeply. Gray growled amorously and his hand slid down to grip my bottom. I missed his kisses so much. I melted into his arms and enjoyed my first kiss in a very long time.