Unraveling Selena by Marisa Maichel (best ereader for comics TXT) 📖

of book? I'd asked Uncle Soren what he meant by that, but he cleared his throat and changed the subject each time I asked. So did Father, and Grandfather would ignore me unless I changed the subject myself.

Was it a spellbook? A book about vampires? Ghosts? Angels?

I asked Louis, and he told me to mind my own business. I was so sick of everyone treating me like a child who couldn't handle the truth.

I laid in bed and thought about it. Mathias had died trying to kill me and Uncle Soren. My grandfather had killed him himself. I had looked through the library extensively, and nothing. I wondered if the castle in Denmark held anything about it. I could ask Claudia, although it was unlikely that the old cook would know, being human.

I thought about who else I could ask. Alexander? He'd tell me if he knew, but he was a mess right now. He was convinced that it was his Kieran that Jordan killed, and it was all his fault. He was upset to the point of being suicidal, so Mother had him on suicide watch.

The next best thing would be for me to hire a private investigator. If my family found out, I would be in trouble, but it would be worth it.

I looked up several investigators and called the one with the cheapest fare. He was named Robert DeSalos, and he was a known vampire. I felt guilty, knowing I would regret this later. I shot him an e-mail detailing the situation.

I got an e-mail back with him accepting the case. He promised to keep the identity of Kieran's father quiet and to keep the Jordan incident quiet. I needed to find Kieran Nicolai if I wanted to save my soulfather.

CHAPTER TEN - IF I LAY HERE

School was a mess. Everyone was scrambling to find dates. The Homecoming Dance was this weekend, and Amara Ruick was going with Cole Powers. I knew that Sarah was going with Patrick, her gay friend. Caden Cartwright was going with Scarlett, of all people. I'd heard some girls saying that he thought Scarlett was unfairly treated and needed redemption. More like he wanted to make Sarah jealous.

I decided I didn't care if I went or not. I had no date anyway. That is, until Mia Rayport asked me to go.

"Reese, can I talk to you a minute?" she asked during a break.

"Sure. What is it?" I asked.

"Will you go with me to the Homecoming Dance?" she asked.

"I..what?"

"The Homecoming Dance. It's this weekend, and I still don't have a date. I know that you don't, either."

"I...wow. This is unexpected. How do I know this isn't a ploy?"

"Because I wouldn't have asked Sarah if she minded, would I?"

"You asked Sarah if she cared?"

"Yeah. She said she didn't mind."

"Um, sure, then. What time should I pick you up?"

"Six o'clock. Be ready for the game, too."

So now I had a date. Of course, it was possible that she was lying. I sent Sarah a brief message asking if Mia had really asked. She assented and said that she had. I was disappointed by that, if I'm being honest. I was really hoping that Mia had lied.

So I found myself wearing a cologne on Friday evening. It burned my nose, but according to Louis, it attracted women like bees to nectar.

"How are you feeling?" Father asked me. I sneezed in response. "I know it stinks, but try to deal with it. You want to make a good impression."

"Trust me, this cologne really works," Louis said, spritzing me with it. I sneezed again.

"I don't care either way," I said. "I'm not out to impress anyone."

"You are such a liar," Louis chuckled. "You want to impress Sarah and Evan."

I resisted the urge to grab him by the throat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I arrived on time at Mia's house close to Sarah's old house. I brought a bunch of tulips for her parents. I walked up and rang the doorbell. I heard a dog barking inside. A man opened the door, and I was greeted by a German shepherd.

"You must be Reese," the man said, extending his hand. "I'm Mr. Rayport, Mia's father. She's told me about you."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand and offering him the tulips. Mr. Rayport was a balding man, but what little hair he did have was white. He wore thin glasses and had a broad build. He wore a brown suit with a vest and a tie. His eyes glittered brightly, slightly paler than Mia's clear blue ones.

I stepped inside, and was immediately reminded of a church. Several crosses hung around the place, a Bible stood open on a table, and a large crucifix hung over the fireplace.

"Do you preach?" I asked, gesturing to the Bible.

Mr. Rayport smiled. "Did Mia tell you that? I retired a year ago. Before that, I preached at several churches over the course of forty years. I began in my early twenties, and now I'm sixty years old."

There was an awkward pause. Then he spoke up again.

"So, how do you know Mia?"

"I dated Sarah," I informed him. He raised an eyebrow. "Sarah and I broke up, and Mia asked me to the dance instead." He still looked suspicious. "I know how this looks, but I swear, I only see Mia as a friend."

"Ah, well. Paul, down!"

The German shepherd stopped jumping on me and stood off to the side, wagging his tail. He stuck his nose in my crotch, and I gently pushed him away.

"So, Reese, are those contacts?" Mr. Rayport asked.

"No," I said honestly. "My whole family has eyes like these, except for my cousin."

"And what does your family consist of?"

"My father, my uncle, my grandfather, my cousin, my mother, and my stepfather. And a little brother." I might as well include Cirino.

"Mia tells me that your stepfather and mother took Sarah's baby," he continued.

"They did," I confirmed. "They adore him."

"That was nice of them. It was tragic, what happened to Sarah."

"Yes, it is."

Just then, Mia walked down, looking elegant in a sparkly light blue dress. If I'd had a beating heart, it would have pounded from her sheer physical beauty. She was more beautiful than Cinderella. My stomach twisted into a knot.

This is Sarah's best friend, idiot. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I swallowed nervously as I took her arm in mine.

"Don't wait up, Daddy," Mia cooed.

I took her to the car and opened the door for her.

"Such a gentleman," she purred, stepping inside. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

I said nothing to her cooing, saying how handsome I was and general flirting. I ignored it as best as I could. I adjusted my shirt.

As soon as we reached the school, people were filing in for the dance. I got out and opened Mia's door.

"Thank you, Reese," she purred. I shut the door and offered my arm. I led her to the line, where I paid and led her inside. Immediately, my Sarah sensors went off, and I spotted her in a group of giggling girls, including Angela Montgomery, Rachel Griffin, and Sara "Honey" Blynn, members of her old group. She turned and saw us, and her face fell.

"What's wrong, Sarah?" Rachel asked. She turned and saw us. "Wow. Really, Mia?"

I knew what she was thinking. Mia was a slut and a boyfriend-stealer.

To my shock, I also saw Mason Godfrey with Scarlett Hart in a corner of the room. They were talking, then Scarlett saw me and kissed Mason. I went to a section of the cafeteria and sat on a chair. Mia went over to the girl group and started chatting with her friends.

"I said I wasn't okay with this!" Sarah hissed. I stiffened. So Mia was lying.

"Hey, he's a boy," Mia said. Sarah looked furious. "You just broke up with Caden, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I love him!" Sarah cried. "He's my first love! My soulmate!"

"Geez, you're as crazy as Scarlett."

"Mia, what the hell?!" said Angela Montgomery. "You know she likes him! Are you some kind of double agent?"

"It's only slutty if we have sex," Mia told her. "He fell for it. Besides, I'm doing her a favor. No one else can have him."

Sarah half-ran into the girls' bathroom. I heard a stall door shut. I sighed. Once again, I'd made her cry. I was a terrible ex. I went over to the bathroom and positioned myself outside. I ignored the glares.

When Sarah came back out a few minutes later, her eyes were red, her makeup a little smudged.

"Reese?" she asked, looking at me.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," I said. "I had no idea. She lied to me."

"I believe you," she said.

"Earth Angel" began playing over the speakers. My angel looked up at the DJ.

I leaned down and kissed her. She stiffened, then relaxed into the kiss. Then she pushed me away.

"Not here," she hissed.

"Yes, here," I growled, my voice deepening.

"Control yourself, Reese. We're at school, at a dance, in public, in front of everyone. And you came with Mia."

"So what? I don't care about her. Only you."

She looked sick.

"I have to go to the front," she said. "I'm nominated for Homecoming Queen."

"This isn't even the official Homecoming," I said. "The real one is next week."

"Yes, and I'll be cheering my ass off during the game. My date is Caden."

Caden. I rumbled, showing my displeasure.

"Chill, Reese. Relax. I'll think about it. Right now, I need to be seen at the front."

"Is that all you care about?" I snapped before I could stop myself. "Your reputation?"

"Um, it was thanks to your friend that my reputation is still intact."

"A friend that I no longer speak to."

"You have to get over that! So what if she's dating a werewolf? Your uncle shouldn't be dating teens anyway!"

"You're right, he shouldn't. But so what? He's a vampire! Our race is not constricted by human laws."

"Laws are for everyone! Not just humans!"

"You have no idea what the supernatural are subjected to just to keep humans safe!"

"You're right, I don't. I really don't want to. Because you know what? I don't want to become a vampire. I don't want to get a headache from the sun and spend all my time in the night and in the darkness. I'd rather frolic in the flowers in a sunny meadow."

"Sarah, if we get married-"

"That's not going to happen. You know why? Because we are never ever getting back together!"

She stormed off to join her clique, her dress swishing. I growled miserably. I sent Mia a text.

Find your own way home. I'm leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up during a particularly vivid dream that I couldn't remember seconds later. Something about roses and cherries and red wine....then there was a beautiful girl...I didn't know her name, and I really didn't want to. It took me a moment to remember everything. Sarah. The dance. The fight. The drama. The kiss.

It took me another moment to realize that something was off. Someone was holding me. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he growled and tightened his grip.

"Father?"

"Yes, son?"

"Why are you holding me?"

"Do you not remember last night?"

"Barely."

"You came home screaming and crying. You threatened to kill yourself. I know I promised not to do it anymore, but I hypnotized you to get you to calm down. I mean, you scared the cats! Toby had to restrain you to prevent you from stabbing yourself."

"I don't remember any of that. Ow, and I'm sore..."

"Yeah, Soren had to help Toby restrain you. You even had him worried!"

"Dad, I messed up."

"I know. You blurted out the whole story last night while Soren was holding you. Speak of the devil."

"Hey, pumpkin," Uncle Soren said, coming into my room. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Where is Louis?"

"He and your grandfather went to go find Alexander. We figured that only he could keep you calm. They should have returned by now. I sent Spencer to look for them."

I relaxed into my father. He purred.

"Any sign of you-know-what?" Father asked.

"None,"