The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 174

[Echo]

The morning of graduation, everything was ready. Our people had their hiding places figured out and the fae were making a glamour shield to hide some of our forces. The old barn had been reinforced by several of Marius' builders who also secured the cellar under it. Vampires for the evening were sleeping under the barn so they wouldn't have to travel out.

I was a little giddy with excitement. I knew I should feel badly about planning to kill people, but they would kill me if I didn't get them first. Gray didn't seem bothered by it. That was how I knew I was right to not be worried.

Before he went to sleep, Victor pulled me aside. He took me to his room and locked the door behind us. He went to the closet and came back with a small box.

"You're graduating high school today, princess. I love you and I'm so proud of you. I bought this when you first came to live with me. I'd planned to give it to you on this day. Back then, I didn't realize you'd end up mated with a werewolf." He chuckled. "I've ordered another in white gold. It will be here before your wedding."

Victor opened the box and revealed a silver necklace with a star pendant on it. I smiled at him. It was lovely.

"Oh, Victor. I love it." I murmured.

"It was intended to remind you that you are a bright and shining star. My special little friend." Victor said and reached out to stroke my cheek. "I could never have imagined how much more you would mean to me. You've made me so happy, Echo. I promise to make you happy forever."

I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling of his cool skin on my cheek. He kissed me gently and I wrapped my arms around his waist. When he pulled away, I laid my head on his chest as his arms slid around me and held me tightly. "Are you worried about tonight at all, princess?" He asked.

His concern and Gray's had been inundating me this whole time. He knew the answer, but he wanted me to tell him. I knew he did.

"Victor. I know bad things might happen. I know we could lose people. I know I could lose you or Gray. But could isn't will. If we do nothing I'm sure I will lose the people I love. I will lose you and Gray. I'm not waiting for the future to do something bad to me. I'm not going to hope that I can shape something out of the ashes of what it leaves behind. I'm scared, Victor, but not as scared as I would be just waiting on them to hurt us." I told him.

He held me tighter. "Do you want Grayson to come join us before I have to sleep?"

I nodded. Victor pulled away and unlocked the bedroom door. Gray had been waiting, I guess, because he seemed to appear immediately.

"Did Victor give you his gift, angel?" He asked.

"Yes. It was beautiful, but I can't wear it or I could hurt you." I said as he went over to the closet.

"I have something for you, too."

"Was I supposed to buy you a gift? I didn't know I was supposed to get gifts for people." I blushed.

"Usually, your parents and grandparents will buy you gifts or give you money for your graduation. Since you, Harmony, and Val don't have family, we're taking care of all three of you. My family has some gifts for you. Cam's family has things for Harmony. The ranked females put together gifts for Val. Your uncle Preston has something special for all three of you." Gray explained as he pulled a shoe box sized package tied with ribbon out of the closet.

I bounced with excitement as he brought it to me. I reached out for the gift and he held it above his head. I tilted my head and tried to reach for it.

"Gray. What are you doing?" I pouted.

"I need a kiss first." He smiled.

I laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. He chuckled and handed me the box. I pulled the ribbon and the top popped up. I giggled he'd managed to cram something too big into it.

Pulling the top off, I looked in the box. Something fuzzy was puffing out of it. I pulled it out and looked at it. It was a stuffed wolf that looked almost exactly like Rex. I dropped the box and hugged it tight.

"Do you like it, angel?" Gray asked.

"It looks just like Rex. I love it. I'm going to call him 'little Rexy"." I grinned.

"Rex is happy. So am I." He smiled.

I reached out and pulled him to me, wrapping him in a one armed hug, as my other arm was full. Gray put his arms around me and held me close. I loved getting gifts. This was better than any birthday I'd ever had.

I half turned and held little Rexy in my hand as I extended my arm to Victor. He moved in and Gray shifted a little so Victor could hug me too. I loved them both so much.

"You should head downstairs. I can feel myself starting to drift." Victor murmured.

"I'll be back when you wake up." I promised.

"I look forward to it, my princess. Take care of her, Grayson. I hope you both have a good graduation." Victor smiled.

I put little Rexy on the chair in the room so he could guard the vampires while they slept. Victor gave me a kiss before he went to lay down and Talia came in to sleep. "Where's Finn?" I asked.

"Amelia wants him to sleep in her room today. She wants to see what it's like." Talia said.

With a nod, Gray and I left the room. We went downstairs to the living room. Everyone was there except the vampires, Amelia, and Emmalyn.

Emmalyn hadn't felt well since meeting with Derrick. I'd watched on the monitors in the club, and they didn't seem to get along. It was like she'd had an instant distrust of him. When I asked, she said he was a womanizer and that made her sick. I had to ask Gray what that was.

He asked me where I heard that word and I had to explain everything to him. Gray just shook his head and sighed, then told me a womanizer is a man who sleeps with a lot of women and doesn't really have relationships. I was stunned. I asked him if he knew any and he got uncomfortable and said 'a few'.

I'd wondered about it for a while. I knew Val dated a lot, did he sleep with those girls? Was he a womanizer? Val got offended when I asked, but Harmony laughed.

-

Uncle Preston pulled out a handful of pouches on strings once everyone was gathered. He smiled at all of us.

"Congratulations to all of you on graduating high school. I didn't have the time or money to get you all gifts, so I made these for now. Later, I'll send more permanent gifts. These are luck pouches. In each pouch is a collection of materials to bring good luck. You hold the pouch in your hands and tell it what you want luck with, then you slip the strap over your neck and wear it. You can wear it over or under your clothes. It works once per twenty-four hours and should last for about three months." Uncle Preston explained. He went around the room, handing one of the little pouches to each of us. I hugged him when he got around to me, and he hugged me back.

Samuel had never warmed up to me, but Preston did after a while of living with us. I was glad that at least one of my uncles liked me. I wanted to have a family who cared about me.

We started getting our things together. We would go set up the staging area this morning. We had enough people. Emmalyn wouldn't be able to go with us, in case the hunters were watching the spot.

Since the primary target was the vampires, we knew they wouldn't attack us. That was a big perk to this plan. We could set it up and they wouldn't take advantage of us being unprotected, because we were the primary reason for the vampires coming out where the hunters could attack.

Cam, Gray, Val, and Harmony carried the bigger things. Sean and Rosario carried a cooler with drinks and food. We planned to be here until a little after noon, then come back to finish it after graduation if we didn't get it done.

Everyone worked hard as we set up the party tent and staked it to the ground. Rosario showed me and Sean how to make the weeds and grass lay down flat on its own. Folding tables were set up, chairs were situated around them, and solar powered lamps were set out in the sun to start charging.

We got it finished just before noon and sat out having a picnic in the shade of some of the larger trees. We weren't allowed to talk about what would happen tonight. It was too dangerous.

Instead, we talked about our summer plans. In a couple weeks was the wedding Gray's family was working on. I had an appointment to go try on the dress in a few days. I was excited to see what they put together.

Gray said we could save the dress for our daughter to wear when she gets married. He'd already planned for us to have several boys and a girl. I told him I was only planning on two babies with each of them. Suffice it to say, Gray was a little disappointed. Val made us stop talking about it.

Once we were finished with lunch, we went home to get ready for our graduation. Harmony and I did each other's hair for it and I wore a nice sundress under my gown, since it was such a warm day. I put on some sandals with no heel and we headed downstairs. Maeve, Brian, and Hope had come to pick up Sean and Rosario, to take them to the graduation. We thought it best if people drove with their families. Marius appeared in the entryway with Lila. They would be driving Victor's car.

Cam's family and Gray's family would be meeting us at the school. I would ride with Marius and Lila, while Val went with Cam and Gray, and Harmony went with Uncle Preston. Amelia waved us off as she was heading to get a snack in the kitchen and wished us luck.

The ceremony was lovely. I'd never seen anything like it. Everyone sat in their caps and gowns waiting to be called up to receive their diploma. Gray showed me how to wear the tassel and move it from one side to the other to show I was graduated. It seemed like a silly tradition.

There was a smattering of applause for each student called. I was happy to have my own applause when I went up. No one had ever applauded me before.

After the ceremony was over, we gathered for pictures with our families and friends. I loved this part too. I planned to get a photo album and fill it with pictures of everything. Marius insisted on a picture of me with my sister and brother.

We were just wrapping up pictures when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Melissa standing there. She was smiling brightly and I wanted to punch her in the face.

"Echo. I'm so happy I got to see you before I left town. I wanted to thank you for coming to my party the other night and apologize for if I ever made you feel unwelcome in the group. I don't adapt to change well." She said.

"Have you apologized to Rosario and Sean? Gray said you were trying to reach them." I replied.

"Oh, not yet. I'm a little embarrassed about that whole misunderstanding. I understand now how Rosario must have felt seeing a girl all up on her boyfriend like that. I just never thought I'd find someone who made me feel special like she did and I was a little jealous. Now I have the best boyfriend. He's tall, handsome, and strong." Melissa grinned.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "You made it pretty clear that we're not friends over the last few months."

"I thought maybe we could start fresh. What are you doing tonight? Do you want to hang out?" She asked.

"I'm having a little get together with my family and Gray's family. Maybe tomorrow night? I really want to be friends with you, Melissa. I want to have as many friends as possible." I smiled.

"Tomorrow night sounds great. Oh! Oh, my god."

I turned as Marius and Lila approached. Unlike Talia, Finn, and Victor, Marius hadn't been particularly young when he was turned. I was certain his life as a warrior for his people probably made him age a little prematurely as well. He looked like he was in his mid to late thirties.

"I'm Echo's father, Mario. This is her stepmom, Lila. Are you one of her friends?" Marius asked.

Melissa looked nervous for a moment with wide eyes. She'd seen the pictures and knew he was a vampire. I'm sure she was as surprised as I was that he could go out in the sunlight. "I-I'm Melissa Hearne." She stuttered.

Marius smiled at her and put out his hand. She accepted it gingerly and he shook it gently. Lila looked like she was going to burst out laughing.

"We should get going soon, papa. All this sun can't be good for you." I said softly.

"It truly is a lovely day, isn't it? Let's go then, I'm sure you want to get ready for your party." Marius replied.

"See you later, Melissa." I smiled, wiggling my fingers at her.

"Not if I see you first." Melissa muttered with a soft growl.