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NEARLY A WEEK HAD PASSED since the Demon Slayer, Raeana, had been birthed into the world and the battle scars left at the Howard Mansion were still in the midst of chaotic disrepair. Josh, the Isle's supernatural cleaner, along with an unfamiliar not-from-the-Isle carpentry crew, was working hard at getting all the repairs done as quickly as possible.
And today, William was overseeing the work there with Annie alongside to help make sure nosy not-in-the-know carpenters didn't come across anything they shouldn't—aka witchy business—that the Howard's preferred to keep to themselves. Or with the locals already in the know. They hadn't been surrounded by so many strangers at the mansion in more years than even William could count from recent memory, so it had them on edge and counting down the hours to the job finished, and their home back to normal again.
They might reside on a supernatural hotspot that attracted unsavory types, and the locals might be in the know and use the supernatural to their advantage in the Isle being supernatural vacationland, but they didn't realize how much their home was their sanctuary, their safe place, until it was overrun with damage and strangers. Even with the occasional break in or attack, the Howard Mansion was the base of their witchy operation and where they didn't ever have to hide who they were.
Worse, was all the distrusting side glances and stares or shudders at the vampires who were putting off some serious don't mess with me vibes—vibes normal humans took to heart as stay out of my way, predator alert. At face value, the vampires simply looked paler than normal, but this was not an uncommon look in Maine as tanning was optional on the best of summer days here.
Mainly, they'd all be happy as kings once they got the privacy of their home back and Josh was doing all within his power to see it done right, and quick, and get the Howards back in action.
Meanwhile, across the Isle, Melinda and Courtney assisted in a much harder task—helping Michael, Emily, and her Aunt Lucy pack up the family home—the one Emily had shared with her father on The Demon Isle until his untimely murder at the hands of Eva Jordan.
Charlie and Lizzy were still out on their boat celebrating their mating and expected home soon. While Lucas, Riley, Mathew, and Rae were away visiting the Guardians.
Other than the chaos at the mansion, things on the Isle were pleasantly quiet—in the supernatural department, anyway. The short reprieve wasn't a subject any of them brought up seeing as when they did, trouble inevitably seemed to follow.
Emily, along with the ghost of her dead mother Lily and her sister Lucy were still taking up residence at the Deane Manor seeing as Emily could not fathom sleeping in her old home and the Howard's home was in complete disarray. Although, they did manage to take stock of belongings and whatnot, and it did not appear that their attackers managed to get away with anything.
Michael chose to stay with Emily at the manor, although he'd not been sleeping well. Between not being in his own bed, dozing off to wake with the need to confirm Emily was with him for real, topped with sleeping in the Deane Manor—until months ago, unfathomable—he was a mess, nerves, exhaustion, and doubt. Something that made only frustrating nonsense seeing as he should be ridiculously happy to be back with Emily again, no matter where they slept at night.
So why wasn't he sleeping? And why did he feel nearly as tired and anxious as before Emily had come home? Questions he wasn't ready to face, but needed to soon before his heart imploded under the pressure and decided to call it quits!
It was strange, though, taking up refuge in the Deane Manor, most especially when none of the Deane's were even home. Still, it was gracious of them to offer up their home so freely even in their absence.
Before they'd left for the Guardians, however, Mathew had one more surprise for the Deane brothers—a special guest would be waiting for them upon their arrival. Mathew had thought long and hard about whether to tell them or let them be surprised instead. But considering all they'd been through and needed to accept already, he'd opted for a gentler warning of what was to come.
When he explained, he thought for a minute the brothers might pass out from sheer shock. Yup, warning them was the right choice. One simply didn't throw in the surprise of seeing a dead relative standing in front of you—well, in the supernatural world, many things were possible. But Mathew's gut was telling him the brothers might need a little time to adjust to the news that their mother was also a Guardian.
Their mother! Who'd been dead for over five years.
It was something that hadn't even crossed their minds in the newness of learning what they were—the last two living humans from the Garudian bloodline, which was passed on from a parent, of course. In this case, their mother.
The two men had sat in shock and disbelief, soaking up this realization for hours before their departure. Mathew decided he'd done right in telling them beforehand, after seeing the shock sinking in on top of all they'd learned about themselves. Plus, Mathew had hoped the knowledge of their mother's impending appearance back in their lives would ease the tension both brothers were drowning in over visiting the Guardians. He hoped knowing their mother would be there with them would make it feel more like home. A place they wanted to be.
And seeing as the long-held Guardian rules had pretty much been thrown out after the birth of Rae, as well as the declaration by the Demon King that the longtime truce between the Demons and Guardians was over, the Deane brothers' mother was permitted to make herself known to her sons. Whereas until now, that was forbidden as it might interfere with the brother's choices in life and where they ended up after they were dead.
And while everyone wished the Lucas, Riley, Mathew, and Rae well on their adventure, today was about helping Emily, and in some ways even her deceased mother, help get closure on the family home and Emily's father's death. It was time to move on...
Which meant packing up the house and putting it up for sale.
And apparently, it also meant Emily and Michael suddenly being totally weird around each other. The entire morning so far had been Emily trying to be extra chipper and totally okay with being in the murder house as she'd slipped and called it. Or Michael hovering and then trying to disappear for fear he might not be giving Emily what she needed—him being close and there for her or needing space.
He cowered from asking and his empathy was all over the place because so was hers. And even when he was sure his empathy was picking up one thing, he didn't trust it. He didn't know what to trust when it came to Emily and that was his biggest problem.
Melinda had no doubt they'd work things out and get back in sync with each other. However, seeing them so awkward around each other was opposite of the Emily and Michael she loved so much, and it hurt to see them hurting. Knowing they loved each other but not being sure how to fit back into each other's lives left them out of step.
A feeling she was all too familiar with as she and William were suffering this too. They loved each other and had sworn to figure out how to make their relationship work, but day to day it wasn't always so clear cut.
And if Courtney rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to spout something probably not all that helpful about the Emily and Michael situation, Melinda was going to order her home. Although that was a bad idea seeing as the mansion was filled with humans—aka vampire food—and there was no reason to give Courtney the extra temptation. Vampires worked up equaled way too easy to lose control.
Annie suggested the newer vampire help out away from the mansion today after catching Courtney unconsciously licking her lips and growling under her breath at a construction worker whose blood did smell sweetly enticing. And the worker was far too keen to notice and give Courtney an eager smile—of course, if he'd known all she wanted was his blood, he'd have run away screaming. Or not. Sometimes the thrall of the vampire was too enticing for some.
But it also wasn't real.
As the day went on and progress on packing up the Morgan house continued, even Lucy exchanged a few worried glances in Melinda's direction, having assumed the worst was over between Michael and Emily. But nearing late afternoon, the tension was becoming hard to breathe through, so Melinda, in a moment of determination, took Emily aside into her old bedroom.
"You're holding up better than I thought you would," Melinda said, meaning for it to be a compliment. "I meant, it's not easy, being here."
Emily moaned in frustration. "It's not. It sucks. All I can see is that moment when my father died, and everything changed."
Melinda rubbed her friends' shoulder in support. "We're nearly done. If you wanted to leave none of us would hold it against you."
Emily shook her head defiantly. "I want to finish. I need to see this done." She ran her hands over her old bedframe. "I want to see this house happy again. It needs new memories. They just can't be mine."
Things got uncomfortably quiet and as Melinda was about to bring up the Michael subject, her brother stepped through the door and tossed them a weak smile.
"Movers just got here and are loading up the truck," he announced.
Melinda bound off the bed hoping her brother and Emily would talk things out.
"I'll go help. You two can finish up in here," she offered, and left before they could argue.
Emily shook her head with a telling sigh, Melinda's silent offering clear. She patted the seat next to her and Michael slid onto the bed, but rather than next to her, he sat crosslegged in front of her. He grabbed her hands and kissed each one.
"I'm amazed by you," he whispered. He let go and put some space between them, in case that was what she needed. He was spinning in that his empathy wasn't tuned in to what she wanted. It was driving him crazy one minute at a time.
"I didn't lie, Michael." She shook her head when he squinted in question. "I mean, when I said the Isle is where I want to be, and that we are meant to be together. I meant every word of that."
"Where ever you are, Emily, that's my home."
"Then why are we so—weird?" she moaned in frustration. Michael stiffened, then softened his posture in response.
"It's my fault," he claimed. "I'm sorry." He jumped off the bed. "I don't know what you want. What you need," he tried to clarify. "I want to be here for you, but also give you space. I want to be by your side twenty-four seven, but let you live your own life too. I don't—" he sighed. "I don't know how to be around you. I'm afraid everything I do might push you away and—" he stopped himself again. "I want you to be happy, however that is."
Emily felt the cutoff was intentional and wondered what he had really wanted to say, but was also stuck on the bitter fact that she'd made him this way. Unintentionally, but in her abrupt departure with no promise of ever returning, she'd broken part of him—broken part of them. Especially when she'd blamed him and his family and the supernatural world for what had happened to her and her father.
"Please don't say it's your fault," he pleaded, sensing the words on her tongue. "It's not. I guess it's just being in this house, I'm worried it'll—"
"Bring up all the reasons I left," she finished. "It has," she admitted. "But I'm not running, Michael. I'm not going anywhere. I'll never get over my dad dying here. But I've put the blame where it really belongs, and that's not on you." How she wished she could take back those things she'd said out of desperation and fear. But it was too late. She's said those things and it had forever changed them. It made Michael afraid of her, believing that he could do no right in her eyes and was, in part, at least, responsible for her father's death.
"Just, promise me, Emily, that if I'm too clingy, or not clingy enough that you'll tell me what you need. I can't trust myself right now and I don't want to lose you again. That's one thing I am absolutely sure of. I am determined to find our way through this, but I feel like I'm doing everything wrong."
Again though, Emily had an inkling that he wasn't sharing some vital thing with her.
"I guess we can't expect to go back to who we were before it all happened, at least not overnight."
"Or maybe ever," Michael let slip out. "We've both been changed by this. What if—" he shook off his thought. He didn't want to think it, never mind voice it.
"What if what?" Emily urged, though anxiously.
"What if we can't be the same? What if who we are now, doesn’t work...together? What if you'd be happier with someone else? Or living somewhere else?"
And didn't he feel like a pile of crap for saying it. But he'd been thinking it. Wondering, what if Emily changed her mind? What if she suddenly wasn't able to forgive him or this place? And worse, could he let her go if he truly believed she'd be happier with someone else, or somewhere else?
A tear slipped down Emily's cheek, but not because she was angry at his thoughts. More that he had those doubts. That he'd be willing to give her up, because he loved her so much that he'd rather see her happy without him.
"Emily, my world isn't ever going to change. I'm a witch for life. And that means trouble will always find me. I can't guarantee another tragedy won't strike. Are you sure you want to be part of that world?"
"But I am part of that world, whether I want to be or not."
"Yes. But being a Spirit Vessel doesn’t have to be—dangerous. And with me you'd be exposed to danger far more often than with someone who's, well, not part of the supernatural world."
He closed his eyes, unwilling to see the truth in hers but let out a shaky breath when he heard the bed lift as she got up and wrapped her arms around him.
"Neither of us can guarantee anything about our futures, Michael." But where did this leave them and their future? Before more words escaped her lips and desperate heart, Courtney called up the stairs that they needed Emily's help with something.
They broke apart and it was almost like a fissure formed between them, a deep one neither was sure how to mend. Loving each other wasn't enough. A history together wasn't enough. And Emily would be kidding herself if she didn't admit to having some of the thoughts Michael was, in that she wasn't sure how the new them fit into each other's lives again. But she in no way even once thought that she'd be happy anywhere else, or with someone else, and somehow, she'd prove this and gain his trust and confidence back.
"We don't give up," she told him. "I won't give up."
Michael smiled, tiredly so. "My heart is already yours."
And for now, this was enough.