Forbidden Embrace Read online

  Chapter 6

  Confiding

  Ebony, Nathanial, and I walk into her family’s manor and try to get comfortable. We need to prepare to let another mortal into our secret world. I can only hope that for Ebony’s sake Matt can handle this information.

  “Matt will be here shortly. I don’t even know where to start,” Ebony starts to freak out about spilling her secret to Matt.

  She loves him and is scared to lose him, while on the other end, Nathanial is excited because he really doesn’t know much about witches. He’s asked me in the past to explain more of the history, but now he’ll have more of his questions answered first hand, from the witch’s mouth.

  Matt is right on time…he’s always very punctual. Nathanial gets up and greets him at the door. Ebony and I just remain in the family room, while I continue to try to get her to relax. We can hear the boys bantering; I can hear every word, breathe and movement as if I was right next to them.

  “Hey there bro, nice to see you,” Matt says. I hear their hands slap together and whoosh through the air as he shakes hands with Nathanial.

  I’ve learned to control my hearing, but when I allow myself to listen I can hear the slightest movement. I can hear both the sound of their hands clapping as they grip and a swooshing sound as they move their clasped hands though the air. To anyone else they might just hear a light clap, but to me it sounds like thunder clapping and a tidal wave approaching land. My hearing can come in handy at times, but without the ability to control it, one could go insane.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” Nathanial asks.

  “Good, Good! Are you and Sophia hanging out with us today?”

  “Yeah, that’s the plan. We figure we could all just hang here and chat. We have the place to ourselves.” Nathanial is beginning to prep Matt for our discussion.

  The boys come to join us in the family room, and Matt opens his arms to Ebony. They embrace each other as if it has been a year since they last saw one another. I can tell Ebony is holding him like she thinks it will be the last time he’ll hold her in his arms.

  “What’s wrong Eb? You seem a little down,” Matt observes.

  “We just need to talk,” she sighs. “I have something to tell you, and I am not sure how you’ll handle it.”

  “Are you breaking up with me?” he asks with concern, reaching out to hold her hand.

  “NO!” she exclaims. “You know how I feel about you. I need to talk to you about my family and our history,”

  “Okay, well go on. There is nothing that you can say or do to change your family history, I care for you now, your family can’t affect how I feel. Whatever you have to tell me about your family is not going to alter who you are, so I don’t see how anything will change between us.”

  “But that is just it; this changes everything about me, about who I am,” she tilts her head up slightly to look in his eyes. “Okay, well let’s all sit down. Sophia knows everything, but we want Nate to hear the details too. He knows the basics already. It all involves Sophia as well,” Ebony begins to explain.

  “I thought you two just met?” Matt asks.

  “We did. But our families have a history,” she confirms.

  “Are you two related?”

  “No. But I’ll explain everything” she insists.

  Listening to everything happening, I walk in to the kitchen to get drinks for everyone, and then take my seat next to Nathanial after ensuring everyone has a beverage. “Okay, now that everyone is here I’ll begin, Sophia please jump in at any time,” Ebony suggests, almost pleading with a shaky voice.

  “Only if you need me too…this is your story,” I reply.

  “I really don’t know where to begin,” Ebony admits as she nervously twirls her hair between her fingers.

  “Just start at the beginning and don’t be so nervous,” Matt encourages.

  Ebony switches from twirling her hair to fiddling with the necklace she is wearing as she sits at the head of the family room across from Matt. I don’t ever remember seeing anyone this nervous before, and then I remember when I told Nathanial about my secret, and realize I know exactly how she feels.

  “Well I guess a brief history on my family is in order. My family originated in Salem many years ago. My ancestors were witches here in the 1600’s. In the early 1900’s my great grandmother was one of the most powerful witches around, along with my Grams who was just a young girl at the time. The two of them would help the immortals in need; ones that had kind souls and meant no harm to the mortals. These immortals are called vampires.” She pauses to gauge Matt’s reaction.

  He is extremely calm and only trying to see Nathanial’s and my reaction, to his surprise we are equally as calm and just watching him.

  Ebony continues, “When my sister and I were born it was a magical event within the community; two witches from a strong family heritage of powerful witches. When I turned sixteen, I began to notice changes within myself. I would think of something and it would slowly move toward me. I realized I am telekinetic; I can move things with my mind. My sister has powers too. Now that we are both of age within the witch community, we are considered The Magnificent Ones, the most powerful of all witches in the world. That is what happened that day at school with Mel, when the two of us were arguing by the lockers and everything flew open.” She stops again to see how Matt is handling the new information. “You seem so calm, is everything okay?” she questions.

  “Honestly, I am just trying not to laugh,” he replies.

  “What? This is no joke!”

  “No…no, that’s not what I mean. I am all too familiar with the supernatural. I believe you…I have even heard of you and your sister. I just never knew it was you,” he explains. “I guess I should have figured it out that day at school with Mel. I realized then you had powers, I just never put the pieces together. I mean, I assumed you were a witch, but you being one of The Magnificent Ones never crossed my mind.”

  “Really? What do you mean by familiar?” Ebony asks.

  “Well, let’s just say I have a family history too,” Matt smiles.

  “Okay…I guess I’ll explain a little more and then you can explain to me?” Ebony suggests.

  “Sounds good to me,” Matt agrees.

  “I really only found out about this around the same time as my incident with Mel–before that I thought it was nothing more than stories. Since then I’ve been working to improve my skills and powers. I have been learning spells and how to make potions. My sister and I are getting pretty good at it too,” she boasts with a hint of pride.

  “Now you say you are familiar with the supernatural, but is it just witches or do you know about other supernatural forces as well?” Ebony wonders.

  He replies with a smirk on his face, “Well let’s just say that not too much would surprise me.”

  “Okay, well do you believe in vampires? Because I happen to know for a fact, that they do exist.”

  “I’m aware of them, but don’t have much extra information on them. What I know is not much more than what you can get off the Internet,” he admits.

  “Okay, well then I guess I can continue,” Ebony says, still shaking with nervousness.

  “Now some of the other things that have been happening in Wenham are that vampires have returned; the ones that are here are kind, good spirited and feed only on animals or donated blood. The bad news is that the evil vampires are heading this way; they believe that our area is rich in powers, and they are right. This is creating an inevitable supernatural war. The evil vampires that are called the ‘Cerberus’ should arrive here in days, and the leaders of the civilized vampires, the ‘Renata’, are tracking them here,” she tries to explain.

  “How is it you know so much about vampires? Is it because of your family history?” Matt inquires.

  “Sort of–the reason I know so much is because I know the vampires that live here,” she confesses.

  “Who? Do I know them?” he asks.

  “May I interrupt
?” I request.

  “Please do,” Ebony insists, with a sense of relief.

  “It’s not safe for mortals to know about vampires. Only a few know they really exist and those are only the most trust worthy people. With that said, the vampires she is referring to are my family. All eight of us are vampires. We have not harmed humans in over 80 years. It’s been difficult at times, but we all help one another to stay true to our beliefs,” I confess as Nathanial holds my hand supportively.

  “Okay…and Nate, you know all this?” Matt asks, surprised by this revelation.

  “I do, I know everything. Sophia saved my life the day of the attack in the park. If it was not for her healing me, I would be dead. Her family’s like heroes to me,” Nathanial declares.

  “I understand your family is very amazing. I assume you will all be involved in this war with the Cerberus?” Matt seems to be sucking up; I can sense his heart rate increasing with the new revelation.

  “First off, Matt I don’t want you to worry; we are still the same people you have hung out with for months, just with a little history. Even if you can’t accept this, you are safe. We only ask that you keep this a secret. Secondly, my family will be the main players in the war. With Ebony and her family, we should be successful,” I explain.

  “Not a problem; I think we all have secrets in this room that will need to be kept. Maybe it’s time for me to share mine. Maybe then you will be able to calm down Ebony.” Matt goes to sit next to her and holds her hand.

  “Sure, but I bet it’s not as surprising as mine or Sophia’s news,” Ebony nervously laughs.

  “I’ll take that bet,” he chuckles. “Well, just as your families have history, mine does as well. The thing is, Ebony, it ties in with yours. Have you learned about ‘guardians’ yet?” Matt asks.

  “Yeah, a little bit. A guardian is kind of angel that helps and leads witches to protect mortals from evil,” Ebony shares.

  “Yeah that’s right. But did you know that they are chosen even before death, actually from the day they are born if not before? Guardians are trained and prepared for their afterlife. It is similar to witches–you are born to it and it is passed down through the generations.”

  “No, that I didn’t know.” Ebony seems surprised that Matt knows so much about guardians; she sits and listens intently with her deep brown eyes wide on Matt.

  “The reason I know this is because my great grandfather was a guardian, and he has now joined The Great Ones. I’m also chosen to be one. I’ve been training from a young age, learning the history of witches, guardians and all, or at least most, things supernatural. I’ll have powers once I join the others in the afterlife. I’ll be able to heal just like I assume Sophia can, and I have been learning about how to transport myself through time and space, called astral crossing or projection…it’s pretty cool. Anything I do once I become a guardian–everything I do–must be for the greater good of man, or I will lose all powers and memories related to being a guardian,” he explains.

  This is cool, now we have even more help and complete honesty within our circle.

  “Okay, let me get this straight. I’m the only one with no special story, no powers...,” Nathanial begins to rant.

  “Nate, have you ever noticed how most people confide in you, how people can’t keep things from you?” Matt questions.

  Ebony and I share a glance and chuckle at the comment.

  “I guess so…that’s just ‘cause I am too nice to tell them I’m not interested,” Nathanial pouts.

  “Naw man, that is your gift, you just didn’t know it. You have the gift to expel information out of ones who are hiding things. You are like a truth serum. You might not have supernatural powers, but you’re a good guy. We all just have to find what is special about us. You make people feel comfortable and they trust you without you even trying. Someone else might be extremely helpful or kind to strangers. Everyone is special in their own way; some good and some bad. I don’t have ‘powers’…at least not until I am dead. And then who knows what other powers I may have,” Matt confirms.

  “Nate, I have to agree with Matt. When we first met I had such a hard time keeping everything from you. My entire family felt it; we talked about it, and none of us understood what was happening. We were drawn to you and felt instant comfort; we felt the need to learn more about you and to tell you more than we should. I was so relieved when you confronted me about my past. It meant I didn’t have to fight what I wanted to tell you,” I admit for the first time. “And Matt, I disagree that you don’t have a gift yet. You can relax and calm people.”

  “Yeah, that is standard for future guardians. We need to have that effect on people to get them to listen to us, even if the guardian doesn’t know what they are yet.”

  I’m feeling so relieved with all the confessions going on. The fact that my family is not the only ones affected by Nathanial’s kind of truth ability is interesting too. I’m glad to finally understand why now, and believe that we can all learn so much from Matt. We sit and listen as he explains his training in greater detail. He has done extensive research on the supernatural and we’ll all gain from his knowledge.

  We all chuckle. It is remarkable that Matt knows so much about witches and their history–I think Ebony is relieved. Nathanial understands a little more now, and the four of us begin discussing the threats heading our way. Matt is giving us some good insight on other threats we may face down the road. I think we’re not only forming great friendships, but great allies in the fight against all Cerberus and whatever else may come our way.

  Matt starts explaining more about the guardians to us, “When a chosen one passes on, their spirit joins The Great Ones in a magical realm and they begin to complete their training. This training consists of all the things they can’t learn while still alive, including all the powers they gain and extensive practice. Once The Great Ones have completed the formal training, the guardian can return to Earth. When they return they can live as a magical human figure. To everyone that sees them they appear to be human; even witches can’t tell until the guardian reveals themselves to the witches they are assigned to work with.”

  “So what can’t you learn until after you die?” Nathanial inquires.

  “Well, like I mentioned earlier, various kinds of astral travel can’t be learned until you are in spirit form. As a mortal our spirit can travel to various realms through meditation, but the physical body does not actually leave, the only exception is magic. A guardian can travel through various realms and even physical places. Guardians can…well, be here one minute and physically appear in another place a moment later. There is no trace of the guardian in the first place. It is kinda hard to explain…is this making any sense?”

  “Yeah, so instead of driving to my house from yours, as a guardian you just magically appear,” Nathanial confirms.

  Matt continues, “A guardian does not age, and should not become involved with a mortal. A relationship can affect their assignment, although history has proven that some guardians do have relationships with mortals and are still successful with their assignments. Others have failed miserably and people have died and suffered because of it. They can also be assigned to many different witches, and when one of the witches they are assigned to calls for them or is in danger, the guardian hears the witch’s call. The Great Ones help lead them and have many rules, in order to protect their identity and that of the guardians and witches they help.”

  This is all extremely interesting, to hear stories of a supernatural power or entity that we knew nothing about. I always enjoy learning more about the world we live in. It is also nice to learn that there are others fighting to protect mankind. Maybe the universe is not as evil as I had begun to believe, and maybe we are here for a reason. Our little group of friends is so diverse and connected in some supernatural way; this can’t just be a coincidence.

  Although Matt is unable to help us in our fight he could report to his trainers about the situation. Maybe they will
be able to offer us help, a type of protection or warning. We need to find out who Ebony and Eliza’s guardian is. Matt then explains that they try to remain undercover until a time when they are needed, or the witch is needed to help with something important. Well, now is that time, even if their guardian isn’t aware of it yet. I just hope that we can find him or her soon.

  “Now that I explained about my history and future for that matter, and since I’m fully aware of witches, I would like to learn more about vampires,” Matt requests.

  “What would you like to know?” I ask.

  “Well you say you have not harmed humans in over 80 years; so how is it that you survive? Don’t you need blood?”

  “Yes, you’re correct, but my family and I survive off a combination of donated blood and animal blood. It doesn’t taste as good, and we need to feed more frequently as it doesn’t keep us as strong. We are very committed to living peacefully among mortals. So this is the way we manage to keep the peace. Florence has become very good at creating various foods and meals from the blood we use; we all have our favorites just as a normal family.”

  “Are there others like you?

  “Yes a few, but most, although living peacefully, still feed on humans, without killing them. The mortal is then compelled or hypnotized to forget what happened. Florence actually has a gift to take that process a step further and implant new memories.”

  “So how is it that you can go out in the sun? I know from my training that burning and some other stuff is true about vampires.”

  “Yes, normally that’s correct, but thanks to Ebony’s family and a magical gem we call our day crystal, we can now live more like mortals. When Ms. Edwina was a child she helped her mother create a talisman for each of us. There are a few others that have been helped by witches as well. Also, those that are centuries old can go out as long as they don’t go directly into the sun and remain in the shadows. However, in general, vampires will burn if exposed to the sun.”

  “Okay, I think I am beginning to understand,” Matt smiles. “So tell me more about these evil vampires heading this way; what kind of danger can we expect?”