I woke up with tears pouring down my face and no idea where I was. The crash occurred only a few streets from the villa, but I was still surprised I was out long enough for them to bring me back to what I assumed was Embry’s. The closet of the master bedroom by the looks of it.
I went to the door and pounded on it, but nothing I did moved it in the slightest. I took the moonstone necklace in my hand and tried to see Embry, or Gabriel, but it was like something was blocking me. I could make things float inside the room, but the metal doors did more than keep the outside world from getting in.
I tried not to panic, telling myself the guys wouldn’t just leave me in here. I had been so curious about Embry’s ‘treasures’, but at the moment I didn’t really care. If I let my mind wander it went straight to Henry, who seemed so sweet, but was actually the Big Bad who has been hunting my family for centuries. I wanted to believe that the guys didn’t tell me because they didn’t know, but I wasn’t that naive.
I tried to find some kind of secret passage, or an alarm I could pull to let them know I was awake. I pulled every single book on the shelves, but I guess that only works in movies. If Donovan wasn’t on his way to us, I could have spent hours reading each of the antique books, but I needed to find a way out.
There was a sheet covering what looked like frames in the corner, but I lifted it, to be sure. The first one was a life-size portrait of Annabelle, with Embry’s initials in the corner. He used to bring me paintings when he would visit, or an easel and canvas he could fill while I read by the creek. He tried to get me into it as well, but it wasn’t long until we discovered that painting was not something I excelled at. I could make really advanced kindergarten-level paintings that never went outside the lines, but that was about it. Embry, on the other hand, made Annabelle completely life-like, in every aspect. I would guess that he painted it from memory, or before Annabelle left for Salem, because there was no way she could keep such a carefree smile after finding out she was married to a monster.
I could sort of see what Grams meant about the smiles letting you tell my ancestors apart. The next frame held Rosalind, but I could tell it was her even before I recognized her dress. Cassie was next, looking absolutely elegant, but also fierce. The last painting was of Beth, looking at the world with as much love and happiness as on her fifth anniversary with Embry. I wonder if she knew who we’re all descended from.
There was nothing else there besides a few landscapes. When I grabbed the sheet to throw it back onto the frames, I knocked over some papers, revealing a red panic button. Since I was already in the panic room, I would assume it was designed to alert the authorities. Knowing Embry and the type of dangers he might need the room for, I didn’t think his worked the same.
I pressed the button, expecting an alarm to go off, but nothing happened. I pressed again and was beginning to think it wasn’t connected to anything when the metal door opened to reveal Gabriel.
“Good, you’re awake,” he tried to come close, but I took a step back.
“I’ve packed your things and we’re ready to go,” Embry started talking as soon as he got close, before finally looking at me.
“We’re not leaving,” I argued.
“You told us Donovan was on his way. That gives us six hours, tops,” Gabriel reminded me.
“He’s on his way here, where he will find Charlie and Eric, defenseless. We can’t keep running away and letting other people deal with the consequences.” My hatred wasn’t exactly directed at them, but I wasn’t going to let Charlie and Eric join the ranks of Terrence, Caleb, and Sam so I could get away.
“I understand that you’re upset, but sacrificing yourself doesn’t protect anyone,” Embry said gently.
“It actually protects everyone, but I wasn’t planning on dying. Considering Donovan is coming alone, I was under the impression we were going to stop running. To stay here and fight. Or was that a lie too?”
“What did you see?” There was a hint of fear in their voices. I wondered if they knew exactly what I found out or were trying to figure out which of their many lies I was referring to.
“Lucy…” Gabriel pressed.
“Don’t Lucy me,” I warned.
“What happened?” He didn’t back down.
“The Big Bad.”
“He’s here?” Embry was horrified.
“Part of him.” There was venom in my words, and in my blood, as the anger coursed through me. The fear didn’t leave their faces until they understood what I meant, and even then, they didn’t own up to it.
“We don’t…”
“You know exactly what I’m referring to. You’ve known all along,” I reproached. “I’ve been seeing her memories. Annabelle’s. After she left you guys, she moved to Salem on her own, where she eventually met this guy, Henry, who saved her from a group of thugs on the side of the road. He was the one who showed her that she had magic. He taught her how to use it and eventually, he married her.” By now there was no denying it.
“Luce…” Embry tried, but he couldn’t meet my eyes.
“Did it slip your mind that the evil man we’re running from, who hunts my family, and caused Sam’s death was my great-great-many-times-great-grandfather?”
Embry opened his mouth and tried a bunch of excuses before deciding to reason with me. “How would that help you?” he asked.
“You didn’t think I deserved to know?” I asked instead. “What kind of person…I never met my dad, so I don't know if this is standard father-daughter behavior, but there has to be something entirely messed up about us if we come from that. He has to be a psychopath, and that stuff is genetic,” I was angry at everyone who kept it from me, at Annabelle for not seeing through him, at him for being evil… I felt dirty.
"There is nothing wrong with you Lucy. Henry is a horrible man. Annabelle realized that and brought her daughter away from him to keep her safe. He is Margaret's father, yes, but I raised that little girl, and there was nothing evil or psychotic about her, just like there is none of that in you,” Embry said with an intensity I usually associated with Gabriel.
"How could you not tell me? When I started having the dreams, you had to know I would eventually find out,” I felt betrayed and heartbroken. I wanted to get angry, to have any other emotion overwhelm the pain that kept making me cry.
"It's not like he had any paternal instincts towards you. Bringing up the connection would not have made him treat you any better. It would just make it harder for you to do what you have to in order to get away from him."
"Because I'm weak?"
"Because you have a heart. You care about people. We couldn’t risk you coming face to face with Henry and letting him kill you because you couldn’t harm a twisted kind of father figure,” Embry corrected.
"Is that why Annabelle let herself die? Because she couldn't fight him, and she couldn't let him have her?"
"Annabelle would have killed him if she had the chance,” Gabriel sounded so sure of himself, but I don't think he ever actually saw them together.
"Annabelle didn’t fight the conviction, and she let them burn her at the stake because she knew it was all done on Henry's orders. If she fought it, or waited for a trial, it would give him enough time to come find her and Margaret. She admitted her guilt and let the flames take her so he would not get what he needed. I think she thought it ended with her.” Embry looked to Gabriel for confirmation on the last part, and he nodded with conviction.
“Not even close,” I shook my head, biting my bottom lip.
“Let’s get in the car and talk about this,” Embry suggested.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You’ve been lying to me my entire life and it never ends. I don’t need to hear your lies because I don’t believe them. I don’t trust either of you anymore.” They’d both stepped towards me, but I crossed my arms and took another step back.
“Lucy, everything we have ever done was to keep you safe,” Embry pleaded.
“That’s what you tell yourself,” I shook my head. “But you were just lying and hurting me.” I couldn’t even look at them. “I need to clear my head, and then we are going to face Donovan and stop acting like cowards.” I tried to channel Annabelle’s confidence as I walked past them to exit the panic room, but my insides felt seconds away from a meltdown.