Chapter 2 — Chapter 2

Seraphine

*Seraphine*

In the shock after my announcement, Gran comes to my rescue.

“I know this must come as a shock.” Her hand rests firmly on my shoulder, a steady anchor in the storm. “And clearly, there’s a lot to discuss.”

My eyes drift to where my father’s gaze has just landed. A pair of men’s black briefs lies tossed near the bedroom door, a damning piece of evidence in the ash-strewn room. The air still carries the acrid scent of burnt magic, and a shattered lamp lies in fragments near the wall—a silent testament to the chaos that unfolded here moments ago. Understanding dawns on Dad’s face. Mom looks as if she’s been struck mute, her hand trembling as it hovers near her mouth.

*Damn it.*

“A lot to discuss? A lot??” Dad blusters. “I’d say there’s more than plenty! What in the hell did you—?”

“Lake!” Gran’s voice cuts like a blade. “Now is not the time for accusations. Seraphine is in shock.” She squeezes my shoulder, grounding me. “I’d like you to give her a moment to compose herself. Then we will meet you back at the house, where we will explain everything.”

“But, Mother, I think—” Dad’s face is flushed, his jaw tight, as if he might combust.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, son.” Gran’s tone brooks no argument, her jaw set. My father exhales a long, resigned breath, knowing full well there’s no winning against her.

“Fine,” he huffs. “Five minutes.” He turns on his heel, Mom trailing behind, still wordless. This silence isn’t like her, but then again, this entire mess is beyond anything we’ve faced. Thankfully, Ashling—my closest friend and confidante among the coven—has the grace not to tease me for once. When she discreetly hops onto the ledge and slips out the window, likely to scout for prying eyes, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you alright, darling?” Gran asks once we’re alone.

I shake my head. How could I be? “I don’t think I can do this, Gran.”

“Well, I suggest you find your strength, Seraphine, because this is only the beginning. But I’ll be with you. Every step of the way.” She reaches for my hand. “Let’s start by getting you dressed.”

I glance down at my robe and grimace. Then I look toward the bedroom door, dread pooling in my gut. The last thing I want is to go back in there, where the ash of Kael still lingers like a ghost.

It has to be done.

As if sensing my hesitation, Gran makes a sharp tutting sound. “Come along, girl! There’s no time for this now.” She places her hands on my shoulders and nudges me toward the closet.

Steeling myself with a steadying inhale, I raise my chin and pull out a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and my favorite sneakers. Gran busies herself tidying the room as I change, and I notice the singed curtains for the first time—tiny sparks of residual magic flicker along the edges before fading into nothingness, a reminder of the raw power I unleashed.

“Ready?” she asks as I lace up my shoes. I stand and nod, following her out of my cottage, my mind reeling from what just happened. The weight of Kael’s death drags at me, each step feeling like wading through mud. As we walk the short path to the family home, the cool night air bites at my skin, mirroring the dread building in my chest with every stride. My nerves are frayed to the breaking point by the time we arrive.

Inside, tension hangs over the room like a storm cloud. Mom, Dad, and Vera are already there, their faces etched with grim lines. The living room feels smaller under the weight of their stares, the old wooden floor creaking beneath us, the hearth flickering with a low, unsteady flame that casts shadows across a protective rune carved into the mantel—a Blackwood heirloom meant to shield us, now seemingly useless. I avoid their eyes, focusing instead on the intricate pattern of the rug beneath my feet.

“What in the name of all that’s magical is going on?” Dad demands, his voice sharp and unrelenting. I flinch, feeling like a child caught red-handed, my pulse racing in my throat.

Gran steps forward, her presence commanding as ever. “Lake, calm yourself. We’ll explain everything, but first, everyone needs to take a breath. There are older ties at play here.” Her words carry a cryptic edge, one that makes me glance at her briefly before dropping my gaze again.

I steal a look at Vera. Her sharp mind is already at work, piecing things together—I can see it in the way her brow furrows. She’ll figure it out soon.

“Seraphine?” Mom’s voice is soft, laced with concern, but there’s a flicker of disappointment in her eyes before she masks it. “We need to know what’s going on. Please…help us understand.” She reaches out, then pulls her hand back, as if unsure whether to comfort or confront.

My head spins as I search for a starting point. “It was an accident,” I blurt, knowing it’s the wrong place to begin. “He had photos, and I got so angry that I didn’t—”

“Photos?” Dad cuts in, his tone biting. “Seraphine, you’re not making sense. Why was there a vampire in your bedroom?”

He knows the answer. I’m sure he just doesn’t want to believe it.

I freeze, words catching in my throat. *I can’t even say it.*

“Seraphine formed a connection with Lord Kael Drake,” Gran states bluntly, stepping in.

Dad shoots to his feet. “Drake? The vampire elder?” he barks. “Are you telling me that—?”

“I said we all need to take a breath, son.” Gran fixes him with a stern look, waiting until he reluctantly sits before continuing. “For the past three months, Seraphine has experienced strange thoughts intruding into her mind. It turned out she shared a psychic bond with Lord Drake. She was understandably confused.”

“Connection? What kind of—” Vera starts, but Dad interrupts.

“I don’t see how that led to what we just walked into.” He turns to me, his eyes blazing with a hurt I’ve never seen before. My father, the kindest man I know, looks like a stranger now. I suppose any father would change after learning his daughter’s been entangled with the enemy—especially after centuries of bad blood between our coven and their kind. And then killed him.

I can’t let Gran shoulder this alone. Squaring my shoulders, I stand, my resolve hardening. I just incinerated a thousand-year-old vampire, for heaven’s sake. I can face my family.

All eyes are on me, expectant and worried.

“I need to explain,” I begin, my voice rough. I clear my throat. “Like Gran said, it started with these strange thoughts in my head. At first, I thought I was losing it, but then I realized…they weren’t mine at all.” I pause, gathering courage. “They belonged to a vampire.”

Dad’s face darkens at the word, but I push forward before he can interject.

“We had this weird psychic bond. I didn’t understand it, and neither did he. We met to figure it out, and things got…complicated.” My mind flashes to Kael’s smirk during one of our late-night talks, the rare warmth in his eyes before everything went wrong—a memory that stings now, sharpening the ache of his final look of betrayal.

“Complicated?” Dad scoffs, but Gran silences him with a glance.

I see the disapproval in his eyes, but I can’t stop now. “Tonight, Kael was at my cottage. We were talking, and his phone buzzed. There was a message with photos attached.”

I swallow hard, my throat tight. “They were photos of Althea.” My fingers instinctively clutch the small silver locket around my neck—hers, a keepsake I’ve worn since she vanished.

Mom lets out a strangled gasp, a hand flying to her throat. Vera surges to her feet, her eyes blazing, her hands trembling as she grips the armrest. “Althea?” Mom’s voice is hoarse, disbelieving. “*Our* Althea?”

I nod, tears prickling my eyes. I blink them away. “She was alive in the photos. But she looked…terrified. And there was blood—” I stop, the image searing my mind. I force myself to continue, “When I saw those photos, I lost control. My magic…it exploded out of me. I didn’t mean to, but I…I killed him.”

“Damn,” Vera whispers, her voice breaking. “Holy damn! Where are these photos? Can we see them?”

I shake my head, biting my lip. “They…they disappeared with Kael’s phone when he…turned to ash.”

Mom slumps back into her chair, her face pale. “Our Althea…she might be alive?” Her voice trembles.

Dad rushes to her side, an arm around her shoulders, but his eyes are on me, burning with unreadable emotions. “Seraphine, what exactly was Kael’s connection to Althea? How did he get those photos? Was he involved in her disappearance?”

The questions come rapid-fire, but I have no answers. How can I explain what I don’t understand?

“I don’t know,” I stammer, feeling helpless. “We never talked about Althea. I had no idea he might be involved until I saw those photos.”

Dad’s jaw clenches, frustration etched into every line. “But surely you suspected something? Why else would you be…entangled with a vampire?”

Gran interjects before I can reply. “Lake,” she says, her voice firm yet gentle, “we need to step back and examine this carefully. Seraphine’s bond with Kael Drake wasn’t just a fleeting mistake. It carried weight—consequences we’re only beginning to grasp.”

I wince at her words, feeling like a traitor to my own kind. But I need them to understand there was more. “He gave me magic,” I blurt. All eyes turn to me. “I told him he could…drink from me because my magic was stronger afterward.” I think of that surge of power, the inferno that consumed Kael—was it a gift or a curse I unleashed?

At the mention of him drinking from me, Mom makes a small, pained sound, her fingers tightening on Dad’s arm.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say, striving to keep my voice steady. “I did it because I wanted to find Althea. I wanted to make the circle stronger.”

“Oh, Seraphine.” She sighs, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Dad’s face remains hard. “This proves it,” he says, his voice taut. “The vampires were behind Althea’s abduction all along. We need to take this to the Conclave immediately. They’ll demand answers, not excuses.”

My stomach twists at the thought of facing them, though I know it’s inevitable. “You’re right,” I concede. There are consequences for my actions, and I must face them.

Dad paces the room, restless energy radiating from him. “We can’t waste time. Every moment we delay could put Althea in more danger.”

I feel the weight of their stares, but all I can see is Kael’s face in those final moments—the shock, the pain, the betrayal etched into his features as the flames took him.

Vera’s eyes dart between Dad and me. She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself. “Dad, wait,” she says, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “Seraphine might have a point. We don’t know how Kael got those photos. What if…what if he could have helped? This could have been our chance to find Althea.”

The realization hits me like a punch, stealing my breath. By killing Kael, I might have destroyed our only lead to finding my sister. I sink onto the couch, my head in my hands.

“Oh God,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “What have I done?”

Gran is beside me instantly, her touch warm but unable to lift the crushing guilt. “Seraphine, dear,” she says softly, “don’t blame yourself. You acted on instinct, protecting yourself and your family. Any of us might have done the same.”

I look up at her, tears stinging my eyes. “But what if he was our only lead? What if we never find Althea because of me?”

Dad’s expression twists with disbelief. “How could you trust him, Seraphine?” His words cut deeper than any shout, raw with hurt.

“Lake,” Mom interrupts sharply, her voice breaking through. “Now isn’t the time.”

I glance at her, hoping for understanding, but that flicker of disappointment lingers in her gaze before concern overtakes it. It slices into me, sharp and cold.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, my voice fracturing. “I shouldn’t have gotten close to him. I betrayed you all—I see that now. I just couldn’t bear another day without her, without Althea. When the Circles kept failing because I couldn’t hold the link, it felt like she was still out there, suffering, because of me.”

“No, Seraphine!” Mom’s eyes widen with pain. “That could never be your fault.”

“I know, Mom. But it felt that way. So when I thought I’d found a way to bring her home, I took it. I know now it was a mistake.”

Dad’s shoulders sag slightly. “Ro-Ro…” He sighs, rubbing his forehead. “What are we going to do with you, my angel?”

I shake my head faintly. “We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we should focus on finding Althea. We know she’s alive…and I have magic, Dad. Strong magic.” I recall the surge that swept through me, the flames engulfing Kael. It’s sickening, but I can’t deny the power I felt.

Dad frowns. “First, we must inform the Conclave. They need to know before the vampires hear of this. They might see it as a revenge attack and retaliate.”

I stare at him, horrified. The last thing I want is to ignite a war.

“I’m with Seraphine,” Vera interjects. “We need to find Althea. We can’t just—”

“It would be reckless to go after her alone when we don’t know what we’re facing,” Mom cuts in. “Lake, you’re right. We must reach out to the coven leaders.”

“But, Mom—” Vera starts, but Dad’s voice overrides her.

“Your mother and I need to step in here,” he says firmly. “We’ve all seen what happens when things spiral out of control.” His pointed look pierces me.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” I protest, standing taller despite the weight on my chest. “If I’d known—”

“Seraphine—” Mom begins.

Gran’s voice slices through the clamor, silencing us all. “Enough,” she declares. “The Conclave must be informed, yes. But there’s more at play here than meets the eye.”

I look up, startled by the gravity in her tone.

“There are ancient forces at work,” Gran continues, her gaze sweeping the room. “This connection between Seraphine and Kael, Althea’s abduction…they might be more intertwined than we realize.”

The room falls silent, her words hanging heavy. I frown. Ancient forces? What does she mean?

After a moment, Dad clears his throat. “You’re right, Mother. We’ll approach this carefully. We’ll go to the Conclave, but we’ll also consider how this affects our family.”

As everyone nods, a tumult of emotions churns within me. Determination to find Althea burns bright, but it’s shadowed by dread at facing the consequences of my actions. When Gran reaches for her phone to call the coven leaders, my stomach lurches. I look away as she speaks in hushed, urgent tones.

“It’s done,” she announces after a brief conversation. “They’ll see us immediately. Seraphina is gathering the others at once.”

A wave of nausea rolls through me as the reality sinks in. *Time to face the music.* I exchange a glance with Vera, whose quiet resolve mirrors my own despite the fear gnawing at my insides.

As we prepare to leave for the Conclave meeting—gathering cloaks and ritual items etched with protective sigils—Vera pulls me aside, her eyes intense.

“We’re going to find her, Ro,” she whispers, squeezing my arm. “And I want to know everything about this connection with Kael. I have a feeling it’s important.”

I nod, grateful for her support despite my failures. As we head out the door, Gran catches my eye, her significant look weighted with unspoken secrets. “There are truths even I fear to speak,” she murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear, sending a shiver down my spine as we step into the uncertain night.