Evercrest Vampire Truth

Suzan's eyes stayed locked to Dylan. She was caught between confusion, fear, trust, and intense love.

"Wh.. Why does he want to see me?"

Dylan smiled and kissed her. "Do not worry." Je kissed her again. "We will be together tonight…" again a kiss. "Tomorrow we leave for my estates…" another kiss, "And we will plan our marriage."

This time there were two kisses. Suzan smiled broadly her worry melting away.

"We will see my brother when we see him."

He wrapped his arms around her and just as he was about to bring her into him they heard a voice.

"And your sister? When will you see your sister?"

Dylan froze mid hug but he did not stop his kiss

"Esma. Dear sister. Meet my wife."

Suzan stiffened.

"Your wife?" Esma was still a disembodied voice but her curiosity was plainly heard within it.

"Hmm. She is of our blood. Very powerful. Good choice little brother."

"It is rude to read others."

"And quite difficult when they are as powerful as she is."

Esma walked from the shadows in a corner close to the door. She wore a broad smile and Suzan could not help but return it with a smile of her own.

"Come dear. Let's talk. You will have a long lifetime to spend with my dearest brother. I am an old eccentric recluse. This is a one time situation.

"Sit, sit."

Esma was instantly at the large sofa sectional that curved about a section of the large room. Suzan phased by her side with a bow.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?"

Esma smiled but Dylan responded.

"Esma your timing is rather poor. Suzan and I have been unable to have free time for a while and I was hoping for a few moments alone. Have lunch with us and meet her grandmother."

Esma had ignored her brother until he mentioned Patricia. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Can she wield magic as well?"

Both Suzan and Dylan nodded.

Esma smiled broadly as she pulled Suzan down beside her on the sectional.

"Thank you younger brother. I would love to meet you for breakfast. I would love to meet this human elder.

"Now go. Get us some food and drink. Take your time I want to have a private talk with Suzan."

Dylan narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips but he went to the kitchen and found what was requested.

As Dylan pouted and retreated to the kitchen Esma focused on Suzan.

Suzan felt safe and curious. She subtly noticed that her protective wards were increasing on their own. Esma looked on in interest.

"You magics are doing that automatically aren't they?"

Suzan nodded. "Yes. I feel it is a reaction to you looking and being able to see my abilities and defenses." She frowned. "I wish I could control it a bit better."

Esma shook her head. "This is a very good thing. You will need many protections. This will grow with you it is an asset. I sense that you have a lot of control. Do not worry about your innate magic it is a valuable asset."

She quieted and just sat looking at Suzan. She then looked about the room.

"Did you know that this city was built by someone I cared very deeply for?"

Suzan nodded but she did not interrupt.

"No one truly knows about out relationship. Not the full truth of it anyway. None of my husbands ever loved me the way that humans love."

She smiled.

"Until I saw how Dylan looked at you I did not thing my people could love like humans. You are truly lucky."

She paused again.

"We do not know each other and yet I feel I can trust you with everything that I have. Can I please ask you to help me? Can I please beg you to?"

"We are family. Well we soon will be. I will do whatever I can. Please ask."

Esma looked her directly in her eyes.

"I need you to please help my daughter. I have not been able to protect her well. She is half human and the family continually abuses her because of this. She is only ten and…"

"Of course I will. I thought I was the only one. I will help her as much as I can."

Esma smiled. "You do not even need to hear how I have a half human daughter or about her trials and tribulations? You are just ready to help her as needed."

Suzan didn't say anything.

"She can not wield magic and she can not consume food like humans but she does not consume as efficiently as ancient vampires."

Suzan listened and an eyebrow rose. Every ancient vampire could perform some type of magic, even if it was just the most rudimentary form.

If Esma's daughter could consume food like ancient vampires she should be able to perform magic.

But maybe the was in the efficiency of the consumption.

These thoughts flew through Suzan's mind in less than half a second and her focus never left the conversation.

She was suddenly intrigued about her new little niece.

Dylan finally returned and gave his sister a large green and red melon type fruit and took Suzan to sit further down the sectional as if she were a private possession that he wanted to examine in private.

Esma's eyes twinkled as she looked at her favorite fruit. Its rind was green with streaks of dark red and it's flesh was a faint yellow, almost white, color.

It was a very large fruit but still she held it in the palm of her hand as if she were cradling the smallest berry. The melon began to faintly glow purple and as the purple glow grew the fruit shriveled.

The more the fruit desiccated the deeper the purple of the glow. It only took a few seconds for Esma to consume such a large fruit but the process seemed long and drawn out in Suzan's eye.

When Esma was dome the melon was now dull green and red and the only a hundredth of its original size.

It looked like an ancient magical herb was curled on Esma's palm.

Suzan was use to seeing this but it still fascinated and awed her every time.

She sat softly cradled in Dylan's arms. His face was buried in her neck and one arm was tightly holding her as the other gently roamed over her body.

Suzan registered and ignored it all. She also did not stop any of it.

She looked at Esma closely.

"We will see you both at breakfast?"

Esma smiled sadly, her lips pursing together.

"We will."

"I feel I have much to teach her. Do not worry."

Esma looked to her brother and Suzan knew she barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

"I will leave you two alone. We will talk more at breakfast. I look forward to speaking with your grandmother."

As she spoke she faded from view. Her voice becoming a disembodied thing again.

It took a moment for Dylan to realize his sister had gone but as soon as he did he stood and carried Suzan into the bedroom without a word.

Breakfast was a lavish affair. Ancient Vampires loved food. They loved colors, aromas, textures, nutrients, and more.

It did not matter if they ate it or not and even though the thought of consuming flesh had grown repugnant to them the smell of cooked meat fascinated them instead of repulsing them.

The large group sat around an even larger table. Dylan sat at one end and Esma sat at the other. Suzan sat next to Dylan and Esma's daughter, Ester, sat next to her.

Ester was just as beautiful as her mother. She had the same dark red straight hair and beautiful jewel like ruby eyes that seemed to twinkle for no reason. She had a long straight nose and high cheekbones. Her lips were plump and naturally tinged red and her skin was like fresh cream.

She sat next to Suzan with her hands in her lap and her eyes down.

Patricia was animated as she spoke to Esma. Esma returned her excited energy and it caused everyone to be at ease and interested in breakfast and the conversations overall.

"I remember your family. They were truly bold and fearless. I am sad that I have not tried to continue my human relationships."

As Esma made the last statement she looked over at Ester.

"I know what it is to run an family and it's assets. I think I wouldn't any personal time myself if I had to run a city like this."

Esma smiled.

"You are very forgiving. I thank you for that."

Suzan spoke into Ester's mind.

"Do you not want to eat?"

The girl did not look up as she spoke into Suzan's mind with no hesitation or trouble.

"I do not eat in public auntie. I do not want to embarrass my mother."

"I can sense that you are hungry. Come. Which is your favorite. I will help you. You will not embarrass anyone."

Suzan was already looking at the foods on the table. She saw a flash of a deep purple fruit so she chose it.

"I want you to be calm. This is nothing. You are not consuming it. You are just going to hold it and as you hold it I want you to know what it is. I want you to understand it at its most minutest level. I want you to know it as if it were a part of yourself.

Then decide. What you want. What you need. What you would like to happen. But just decide. Do not make an actual action toward achieving anything.

Suzan placed the fruit in Ester's hand and she quietly supported her hand with magic. As she did this she peered into Ester and watched her magic pathways.

Ancient vampires "knew" all things of nature through innate magical connections. She wanted to see how these connections were established through and within Ester.

She saw the problems instantly. Ester had an abundance of magic within her body and she had a magical pathway that was knotted in some places and torn or completely severed from the system in others.

Suzan fixed a enough for a trickle of her power to complete the pathway. It pushed through like dammed water that was just released.

Suzan breathed slowly in Ester's mind and her breathing slowed as the fruit quickly shriveled in her palm.

As Ester realized she was the one who had consumed it she frowned.

Ester's body reacted to the nutrients instantly. It seemed to delight in the consumption of the complete nutrients of an item.

It was a feeling she had not felt on her own in a long time. Ancient Vampires had to feed their young until they learned how to properly drain their own food. Ester had been fed like this by her private maids for many years.

This was her first time doing this by herself. Her elation dropped for a moment but before she could focus on Suzan she heard her voice in her mind.

"I did not help you consume. I helped fix some of your magic pathways and I slowed your consumption speed. I may have been over protective but I felt you were going to fast."

As they spoke they both heard a gasp. Ester looked into her mother's widened eyes with a smile.

Esma returned her daughter's smile.

"I knew I was right but I did not know how right I was."

She looked at Suzan.

"You are the impossibility that I have been waiting for."

She then looked to Dylan. "Make sure you invite me to your wedding younger brother."

Dylan nodded to his sister. "That goes without saying sister dear."

Her gaze returned to her daughter. "I thought I had been wanting something unattainable all this time.

"Thank you Suzan. I am forever in your debt."