Chapter 16

Charlotte’s visit.





Kate had done an excellent job healing my leg and arm. Physically I felt all right, but mentally I wasn't doing so good.
We left the B&B shortly after twelve on Sunday. During the long drive home, I had a chance to think for the first time since the breakup, and oh boy, there was a lot of catching up to do.
Nathaniel’s theory about me being in danger seemed to be dead on. I was certain that Jasper had managed to survive, that he healed himself and disappeared into the forest. I knew he couldn't hurt me anymore, but my gut feeling told me he wasn't done with me yet.
According to Anthony, my grandma had murdered people in order to produce a Dragonfly potion, one of the deadliest illegal potions out there. She died because of a mysterious contract that wasn't honoured. On top of that, Anthony mentioned royals. I had only heard about royal fairies who lived in Scandinavia, away from other paranormals, governed by their own rules. My grandmother seemed desperate and whoever the S.H was made sure that she paid for disobeying him. Jasper was talking about someone, a third person who was coming for me. I didn't know what he thought he could achieve by keeping me with him. We weren’t going to be together. He was crazy.
Then I thought about Ella. The registry office had confirmed that she was the daughter of a royal. I still had no idea what happened to Alex. I should have pinned Tron down, making him tell me everything.
"Ella isn't fully human. She has royal fairy blood in her veins," I said all of a sudden. My grandma was murdered because she was protecting me, possibly from the royal family.
"What are you talking about, Julia?" Kate asked, looking behind her seat. I met Kelsie’s eyes in the mirror—she already knew, but not everything. They were Ella’s friends too and I should have discussed this earlier. I felt guilty that I hadn't spoken to her much since our trip to the registry office. She was taking this well so far and I’d promised to help her find Alex.
"We went to the paranormal registry office a while ago, and they did the tests. She has some fairy genes in her blood, not just any, but royal fairy genes. I didn't say anything because there was a lot that had been going on, but now I'm telling you. I have a feeling that her father, Alex, might have something to do with my grandma’s death. Maybe that’s the reason he vanished along with Tron,” I said, trying to connect everything together somehow. The wizard mentioned the royals, and for years I believed my best friend was only human. Maybe this theory sounded absurd, but it was worth thinking about.
Kate’s jaw dropped, and Kelsie nearly ran the car off the road into a ditch. Michael made a growling sound and frowned at her. I didn't even know why I said anything, but on top of everything else, I felt guilty, because I hadn't really helped Ella at all. Since my grandma died I hadn't even bothered to text her.
"Are you sure they didn't mix up the blood? For years, she hadn't shown any signs. This is impossible," Kate said, looking like she was reluctant to believe that Ella was truly a royal fairy.
"The staff in the registry office was equally as shocked as I was. Last year, when Tron showed up, he was with this fairy, named Alex, claiming to be a royal. Apparently, he was Ella’s real father. He told her the truth and she took it well, but then he vanished. He said Ella’s life might be in danger if the royals ever found out she existed. Ella’s father left when she was just a baby. Her mother and brother are both humans. Alex said that he cast a spell to block her brother’s and Ella’s powers. Ella’s, as you know, started to manifest after she witnessed Ludwig’s murder. And now Tron is on his own again, which is strange.”
"Didn't you say that you had friends in Sweden or somewhere who worked for the royal family?" Michael asked Kelsie all of a sudden.
"When I was with Craig I knew of two fairies who were close to the queen," Kelsie said. "There had always been affairs and all sorts of scandals. Years ago, I heard that the king’s brother or nephew liked whoring around with humans. You know, I'm not saying Ella’s really a lost princess or something, but it seems to me that someone screwed her mother, probably without her knowing."
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that these two things are somehow connected. Anthony mentioned royals. He was certain about it and Alex has simply vanished from the face of the earth. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that someone must have known about the fact that Ella has royal genes."
"I can get in touch with these fairies and see if they can give me anything, a lead. Whatever," Kelsie offered.
I thanked her, knowing that this was enough at that moment. We all agreed to speak to Ella about Tron and Alex once this whole adventure was behind us.
"I promised her I would find out why Alex disappeared, but I haven't kept that promise. Ella’s been left alone with this knowledge," I told them both.
"Julia, I believe you have quite enough on your plate already,” Michael said, looking back at me. “The murderer is still out there, and that psycho, Jasper, is going to remain a problem. He won't leave you alone."
I rubbed my face, feeling tired and stressed all of a sudden. There was so much going on, so many new facts coming to light. Jasper had pushed me too far again and I was ready to send my father after him. I felt like I had too many loose ends and no way to connect them properly. I guessed it was time for me to call Tron and demand to know what was going on. He was hiding too much from me and he was supposed to be my mentor.
I needed to get to my bed, forget about Jasper, if that was possible, and call my parents. It had been almost three days and I hoped my dad hadn't done anything stupid.
Michael promised to hang around some nights with a few of his shifter mates when I was doing the late shifts at the agency. I felt unsafe and constantly worried; I truly appreciated his help. As we were getting closer to London, my stomach clenched with emotion because I knew Nathaniel hadn't been in touch at all. He had given up on our relationship and didn't even care if I was still alive or not. I needed to speak to him, find out if my new theory about his vampire instinct or dark magic made any kind of sense. I missed him like crazy and wondered if he thought about me at all. My heart couldn't handle another disappointment. It was time to reach out and talk to other vampires, someone who could explain what was happening to him. I could ask Michael to find a vampire who I could trust, without getting into more trouble.
Nathaniel had warned me about Jasper a few times, but I always ignored it. The fact that I chose him instead of my psycho ex didn’t make a difference considering he was so hateful towards me.
Kate, Kelsie and Michael dropped me home late in the evening. It was already dark outside. Kate wanted to go with me, but she was exhausted herself and I needed to be on my own.
"Take care of yourself and get some rest. I’ll see you on Monday at work," Kate reminded me. She did something with her magic wand and then waved it over my head, then kissed me on the cheek and ran back to the car. I was left alone in the cold outside in the car park. Icy shivers ran down my spine. It was Sunday evening and the fact that I had to go back to my empty apartment made me uneasy. This thing with Nathaniel was unresolved and he was pretty much gone. He obviously didn't consider me when he was planning his trip to Geneva.
I picked up my bag and started walking towards my door, looking around anxiously, wondering if Jasper was watching me from a distance. There was a good possibility that he had followed me back to the city. Michael didn't find his body, so he was obviously alive, and it was just a matter of time before he would come back.
A car arrived, and a bright light blinded me for a second. A few moments later I heard someone shouting my name. I turned around to see a black Mercedes pulling up by the entrance to the building.
"Julia, hey, Julia! It so good to see you again."
I nearly dropped my bag when a petite female vampire jumped out of the car and started running towards me. It was Charlotte, Nathaniel’s half-sister from Paris. My heart stopped when she jumped at me, hugging me enthusiastically, mumbling in rapid French.
"Charlotte? What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"
She looked exactly like I remembered: small, blond and still like an eighteen-year-old girl. Well, what was I expecting? After all, she was a vampire, so she didn't age.
When I glanced back towards the car, I spotted Jacque getting out of the passenger side. I was absolutely stunned seeing them both in front of my house. Charlotte probably had no idea that Nathaniel and I hadn't seen each other for weeks, and that I didn't consider myself engaged to him anymore.
"Oh, I’ve been calling and calling Nathaniel all the time, but he isn't picking up. We met his driver outside his apartment and he gave us your address. It's so miserable. Do you mind if we talk inside?"
I couldn't say no since she was once going to be my sister-in-law. I hated Jacque, only because he killed my very distant cousin Gloria in the eighteenth century.
"Yes, let's go inside, but my apartment is a mess. I’ve been away for the past couple of days," I warned them when her vampire husband approached. This was going to be so awkward when I had to reveal that things between me and Nathaniel were more than a little complicated or simply that our relationship was dead, and the wedding was most likely cancelled.
"Daddy is in London, too. That’s great, isn't it? Maybe we can all go out for dinner when Nathaniel is back, oui?"
I opened the door and pushed through.
"Oui, oui," I muttered, having no idea what to fucking say. Charlotte started telling me about their trip. Apparently, she wanted to surprise her frere and Papa.
I was glad that I tidied a little bit before I left for North Wales. There was no point beating around the bush. She needed to hear that Nathaniel was simply a bastard. She needed to know my grandma was dead, and her lovely husband was a vicious killer. Well, maybe not in that order, but close enough.
"Very pleasant apartment," Jacque told me, kissing me on both cheeks.
"So, you went on a little vacation?" she asked.
"Something like that."
They were both looking around being genuinely curious about where I lived. Whatever, the bastard had left me in this mess when I just lost my grandma. This wasn't fair, and I wasn't planning to cover for him.
I shut my stupid, bleeding heart aware that my magic was going through raptures. Charlotte was Nathaniel’s half-sister, from his father’s side. I didn't see Philip, Nathaniel’s father, much these days. He had some businesses in London, but didn't like to stay in one place very long.
This was easier said than done.
"So, how are the wedding preparations coming along? You know, I was telling Nathaniel that he has to let me help, but he has been so secretive about everything. I am so excited."
I scratched my head, breathing through my nose. My emotions from the night before hadn't settled yet.
"Sit down, please? Would you like coffee? Tea?" I asked, and then realised that they didn't consume human food at all. This wasn't going very well. Jacque licked his lips and I pretended that I didn't see it. "Sorry, silly me. I don't have any blood."
“That's okay, you weren’t expecting us," Charlotte said.
Awkward silence ascended for a good minute or so. I was a terrible actress and I had no idea what I was supposed to tell them. My scent was probably making them crazy and I hadn't used the cover charms since I left for North Wales.
"Right. Charlotte, I have to tell you something," I finally said, sitting on the sofa when they still stood.
"What’s happening, Julia?"
"My grandmother was murdered with black magic a couple of weeks ago. Nathaniel and I were on our way to see her. Things haven't been easy since then," I continued. Charlotte brought her hands to her mouth, whispering something in French. I had no idea what she was saying half of the time, but I needed to get rid of them fast. "My family was in pieces and Nathaniel … well, he wasn't very supportive. We had a massive fight and then several days after that, he just disappeared."
This came out much easier than I expected. There was no point pretending we were ever going to get married. Jacque looked at Charlotte in confusion, like he was having problems understanding English. God, this was simple. His brother-in-law was an asshole, and he didn't really love me. I began telling them about the investigation, about my father and how Nathaniel changed. It wasn’t easy and by the time I was done, I didn't want to look them in the eye.
"Merde, this is absurd. How could this be? Julia, I'm sorry. I had no idea. He wasn't saying anything at all about this," Charlotte said, and started pacing around the room. It was nice, but I didn't need their sympathy, especially from Jacque, whom I didn't trust at all.
"I just thought you should know. I just need to find the murderer."
"I understand, of course. This was probably very awful,” she said. "I'm going to call him now. Is it okay if I use your bedroom?"
"Call who?" I asked, confused.
"Nathaniel, of course. I'm going to give him—how do you say this here?— the bollocking. Yes?"
And then she was gone, talking rapidly in French, leaving me with Jacque, the vampire who I didn't trust, not even one bit.