The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 45

[Echo]

Harmony was holding me tightly when I woke up. I couldn't remember a time when I got to sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed as my sister. We were always close, but never got the chance to really be together. There was some movement behind me. Val had snuck into the room before we fell asleep and laid down with us. His arm was draped lazily over us as he cuddled me from behind.

I thought about what the witch said and I believed her. We were three parts of a whole and I could feel that connection with them more than I had before. I wasn't trying to keep myself back from them. I was finally free to love them and I couldn't be happier. "Good morning, Miss Wiggle." Val chuckled.

"Are you always awake and this full of energy in the morning?" Harmony groaned.

"I didn't realize I was wiggling." I replied, embarrassed.

I hadn't meant to wake them up. I was just so used to waking up and starting my day. I needed to learn to be less intense with my schedule. I wanted to learn to be more like Harmony.

"How are you two feeling this morning?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Hungry. Mercy is grumpy. She loves you, but the smell of werewolf and vampire on you had her feeling nervous all night." Harmony said.

"I feel about the same." Val answered.

"Maybe I should take a shower. I'm sure Victor would prefer if I didn't smell like werewolf when I went home." I told her.

"Why does he hate werewolves so much?" She asked.

"When he was alive, he was attacked by one. It nearly killed him. He would have died permanently if his sire hadn't found him. Plus, werewolves and vampires don't usually like each other." I explained. "Does he regret becoming a vampire?" Val asked.

"I don't know. He seems to be happy now that his territory is coming together. It's not like he can change it without dying forever." I hated that idea.

Victor dying would kill me. I needed to have him with me forever. I felt safe and loved with him. I didn't want to lose him.

"You smell different now. This is so weird. You don't look any different from when you said that but now you smell... scared?" Harmony whispered. "I can't lose Victor, Harmony. He's my best friend."

"Mercy said you lied. It smelled bitter. Don't lie to me, Echo. You need to always tell us the truth." Harmony scolded.

My eyes widened. She could smell when I lied? That meant other werewolves could smell when I lied. I thought of all the lies I told over the last week.

"Echo's falling in love with Victor, Harmony. I saw it while I was with her yesterday and on Monday. It's okay to feel strongly about him because he saved you, Echo. I just don't want you to confuse gratitude for something more. Especially with this whole mate situation with Gray." Val said.

"I wish I could just be friends with him without that." I muttered.

"Gray wants you to be healthy. He wants you to give him a chance. I want you to not think about relationships at all and work on becoming healthy and strong. You need to work on yourself before you can truly be happy with someone else. That's why I keep turning girls down." He admitted.

"I don't understand how you can resist the mate bond. When Cam holds me I love the feeling of the sparks on my skin. It's like happiness dancing over me." Harmony sighed.

"I didn't feel them until yesterday. I like hugging Gray, but I like hugging Victor too. I don't feel like I need to love him because of it. The goddess made a mistake when she made me his mate. I don't know him. How can I love him?" I asked.

"You don't know Victor, either, but you're falling in love with him. Mercy says 'the goddess doesn't make mistakes'. I know that Cam is perfect for me in every way. Gray needs to grow up a little, but he's perfect for you too. I know he'll give you everything you want and need. Victor just wants you to be his servant. He doesn't love you like Gray does." She insisted.

I pulled away from my sister and looked in her eyes. She was really serious about this. The smell of the room became stronger with forest and animal scents. She looked angry. It made me nervous.

"Sorry. Never mind. I don't want either one if it's going to make you mad at me." I replied quietly.

"Harmony, it's not our place to tell Echo where her heart should go. Maybe it wasn't a mistake when they were babies. Can you really be serious about a spoiled brat like Gray being perfect for Echo? She would just become his servant in a different way. She's not as strong as you. She needs time to come into herself. I say, no boyfriends until she's thirty." Val stated firmly.

"That's such a dad thing to say. She's not your daughter, Val. She can date when she wants to. I just want her to give Gray a chance. I don't think she's planning on even thinking about it. She's just shoving him into the friend zone and sealing the door. That's not fair to him and it's not fair to her. What if she rejects him before she has the chance to know him? She'll lose out on someone who loves her for more than just what she has in her blood." Harmony argued passionately.

I sat up and looked at both of them. They were acting like they were in control of where I settled my heart. I couldn't believe they were trying to decide my future without asking me.

Val seemed to be thinking of me more than Harmony was. It was like she was entirely on Gray's side. She was supposed to be on my side.

Getting off the bed, I gathered my things and went to the bathroom in Harmony's room. I needed to shower. I had to get the smell of Gray off of me. I wanted to go home.

Tears fell as I scrubbed and used Harmony's shampoo twice, just to be sure Gray's scent was off of me. I wanted to be happy, but I was letting too many things take over for me. Maybe I was mixing up gratitude and love.

Victor said he loved me, but maybe he was picking up on my own emotion. I couldn't be connected with a wolf and a vampire at the same time. They would never be able to get over their dislike of each other.

I wouldn't live in a battlefield. Maybe I should take Marius up on his offer and go live with him. Then I wouldn't have to think of love or men or anything but training.

My promise to Sean tugged at my mind. Right after the prom. I wouldn't let my friend down because of someone else's issues. He didn't deserve that.

Once I was clean and I was sure I could only faintly smell werewolf, I got out of the shower and dried off. After I was dressed, I brushed my teeth and steeled myself.

Taking a deep breath, I exited the bathroom. Harmony and Val were sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor. When I was standing in front of them, they looked up at me. There were tears in their eyes. "Echo. Don't leave us." Val whispered.

"We felt what you were feeling in there. We could practically hear your thoughts." Harmony said softly. "I didn't realize you were so hurt. I should have. I guess I was still wearing blinders. We made you doubt your heart. We tried to control your life like mom and dad did. We just want you to be happy. I think you can be with Gray, but it's really your choice."

"I want you to know who you are before you tie yourself to someone else. You never learned to live for yourself. We always had the freedom to make choices for ourselves. If you feel like you have to leave to do that, I understand, but we're stronger together. You have to feel that. Just give the trainers a chance and we'll do our best to get Gray to back off. I don't know how Victor feels about you, but I know he cares. He wouldn't be doing so much for you if he didn't. Please, give us another chance to support you instead of trying to control you." Val pled.

"I don't want to leave. I just don't want anyone else to hurt because of me. I don't want to hurt Victor or Gray. If I left, maybe Gray could find someone else to focus on." I told them.

"That's not how it works, Echo. You have to reject him. You have to do it formally or he won't get a second chance. Please don't do that. The witch said you need your mate to heal your aura fast. She said it looked like you were dying, I don't want to stop your healing." Harmony said.

There was a way to make him not my mate anymore. I bit my lips together. Harmony was right. If I was going to heal quickly, I needed him. Victor may think I'm his Solus Amor, but my healing will slow if I'm not. I had to think of my health.

"I'll keep Gray for now. When I'm better, I might reject him. I don't feel the same things for him that he feels for me. I want him to be happy and he'll be happier with someone else. After what mom and dad did to me, I may not be meant for anyone in this life. I'm fine with that. Maybe I'm just supposed to be alone and figure everything out. I'd rather if we could talk about something else. This makes me sad." I replied.

"Let's go have breakfast, then I'll show you the herb garden and the flowers in the back. I know how much you love gardens." Harmony smiled.

"You'll love the garden here." Val grinned. "It's huge."

They quickly dressed for the day and showed me to a large dining room. We sat at an empty table. Soon, someone brought us all plates of food. It looked amazing. I was excited to eat. I'd been so hungry since Missy healed me. Even after eating all that food last night, I was full, but hungry.

"Dig in, Echo. You still have a long way to go before you're a healthy weight." Val said.

"You need to have all the vitamins and stuff you can get." Harmony nodded.

I ate my food. Savoring the thick, fluffy pancakes and perfectly cooked meats. There was fruit and eggs served with it and big glasses of milk to go with it. I loved every bite.

That was two meals I didn't have to cook or clean up after. I really enjoyed it. There was a relaxing feeling in knowing that all I had to do was eat and enjoy the company of my siblings.

What Val said was still on my mind. He was right. I couldn't be with someone if I wasn't whoever I was meant to be. I resolved to push harder to figure out who I was. That would be the best thing for everyone.

After we finished our food, Harmony guided us to the back of the giant house and through some big glass doors, to the garden. It was truly beautiful. I thought about the rundown garden back home.

I was working on plans for how to fix it. The landscapers just weeded it and trimmed it so it didn't grow out of control. I would make it something lovely that I could enjoy in the summer and on my days off.

With sunset getting later and later as the year went on, there would come a time when I would barely see Victor if I kept an eleven o'clock bedtime. Maybe that would be better. I was beginning to come to terms with my decision to only focus on my friendships and my health.

It felt right. I would add my garden and my training to my list of focuses. This was the best idea for everyone. They needed me to be stronger than I was.

-

After an hour or two of wandering the gardens and talking more about the prom and school, it was time for me to go home. I was eager to be in my safe place again. I could start in the garden after I washed my clothes from yesterday.

Val and Harmony loaded into the car and we started driving to the house. They seemed a little sad, but we got to see each other on a Sunday. Something we never had before. I was happy to have gotten to spend a whole week with them and watched a movie with them like they always wanted.

We pulled up outside the gate. Val asked me for the code. I remembered the mail.

"Actually, I need to gather the mail from yesterday. I can walk to the house from here. Why don't you two head back? You still have homework to finish before tomorrow." I winked at Val.

"Rub it in that you finished your work early." He chuckled. "We'll see you tomorrow."

I leaned over and hugged him before getting into the car. Harmony got out of the backseat and hugged me before climbing in the front with Val. I looked forward to the walk to the house. The temperature was lovely.

I waved as they drove off. I went up to the road and set my bag down to get the mail. Maybe the next sleepover wouldn't be as trying or emotional. I was really happy that Harmony got her wolf and that we found out about Valley's powers. I just knew everything would get better now that we were healed.

"Good afternoon, Echo!" Mr. Martin called.

"Good afternoon. How are you today, sir?" I asked.

"Pretty good." He grinned and sniffed a little.

"You're not getting sick, are you sir?"

"Allergies. The price of this beautiful spring weather. Hmm. That's odd." Mr. Martin pointed at a van that had pulled up down the road a little.

"Maybe they're looking at a map." I said as I evaluated the van.

When I turned back, something hit me hard and everything went black.