Page 89 of Pride of a Vampire
I shrugged weakly.
“Then it seems our decision to pull you off this mission was a sound one.” Antoine gathered some documents up in front of him.
“You can’t do that,” I protested, moving to get up but instead settling for grabbing the edge of his desk. “Only Tristen can take me of this case.”
Antoine met my gaze, his unrelenting and firm. “It was Tristen who agreed with your mother that this was too much for you. That you are too reckless and irresponsible to be trusted to work as a team.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued.
“We had hoped Mister Fawley being here would help you be more comfortable leaning on someone else, but it is clear now that we were wrong.”
“This is bullshit,” I snapped, throwing myself back into my seat then regretting it as it hit all my sore spots.
“Furthermore,” Antoine ignored my outburst and sat a pile of papers before me, “you are here by suspended from the Hunter’s Guild, expected immediately.”
“What?” I tried to jump up again but stopped, learning my lesson the first time. Instead, I slowly grabbed the paper and skimmed over its contents before glaring at my dads. “I bet you’re just ecstatic about this. You finally get what you always wanted.”
“Jack,” Darren spoke this time, his voice low and calm. “We aren’t doing this to hurt you. We want you to be able to do whatever you want with your life, but...” He let out a weary sigh. “At the rate you are going?”
Antoine finished for him. “You’re not going to have a life to live. Because you’ll be dead.”
A terrifying dread filled my very core. If I wasn’t a hunter, what was I? Just a normal student? A human that’s not quite a human? Was I anything at all?
“You will also be taking a break from school,” Antoine said as if answering the very questions I was asking myself.
“What? Why?”
“Not only to make sure that you stay out of the other hunters’ way, but because of this new development Mister Fawley has clued me in on.” He paused. “I’m assuming it was the reason for the missed phone call I had from you the other day?”
My mouth fell open slightly, and I sat back in my chair. “Oh, he told you about that?”
Antoine nodded. “Among other things.” He stood and rounded the desk, stopping in front of me to lean against its edge.
“My power... your power... is a dangerous thing if not trained correctly. You do not want to accidentally kill one of your classmates or your boyfriends,” he lifted a brow, making me flush, “because you got overemotional and said something you didn’t mean.”
I stared down at my hands. “I understand.”
Part of me knew this was going to happen. Once my dad found out about my powers, he’d sequester me away to make sure I didn’t hurt anyone. It was part of the reason I hadn’t pushed the issue when he didn’t answer my call the first time.
And a big part of me knew that he was right. I hated that part, but it was there.
“Your friend, the witch, Tabitha?” Antoine asked, and I nodded. “I’ve been told she and her coven are proficient in discovering how spells and other mystical beings work and have asked to study you?”
“Yeah, yes,” I croaked out.
“I think you should do it.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “During this break, use this time to train your powers and let them study you, figure out what other surprises might be in store for us down the road.”
I nodded, unable to find the words.
“Jaquelynn?” Antoine’s voice grew soft, drawing my attention. “This isn’t a punishment.”
I snorted.
“This is us as the people who love you trying to keep you from self-destructing.” He paused. “Please don’t make us mourn you.”
His words echoed the same message Tate had said to me not long ago, and it only wrapped a firmer grip around my heart.
My family loved me. Tate and Julian loved me. And maybe, based on how Kyren saved me, even he loved me. I couldn’t continue to let my actions hurt my family. It seemed until further notice, I would be facing my demons instead of just running from them.
I hate that for me.
Check out the final chapter of Jack and her guys’ story in Bond of a Vampire.
Want to read all about her mom and her seven dads?
Check out House of Durand a completed vampire whychoose romance
