Endless (Embrace) by Jessica Shirvington
CHAPTER ONE
‘Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences.’
Robert Louis Stevenson
What do you do the moment your father discovers your dead mother is still alive, standing in his apartment looking not a day older than the day she died – over seventeen years ago?
It was a decision I never had the chance to make.
‘You didn’t need to punch him!’ I screamed, lifting Dad’s unconscious body onto the couch.
‘He was going into shock,’ Evelyn said, without the slightest hint of remorse. ‘And you and I haven’t had a chance to talk.’
This woman was unbelievable. ‘I don’t want to talk to you! Get it through your head!’
She put her hands on her hips, looking down at me like … like … like a mother. My mind scrambled, struggling to generate anything productive.
Maybe there’s still time to call Beth. She could come and wipe Dad’s memory.
But I knew it was too late for that. And hadn’t I come home to tell Dad everything anyway?
But not like this! And not about her!
She was still staring at me.
I harrumphed. ‘What? Did you hit your head tumbling down from your cloud or something?’
Evelyn blinked, stunned for a moment, before she turned away from me and placed a pillow under Dad’s head. She wiped the hair back from his face.
Her hand lingered.
Mine fisted.
‘Would you just leave before I call the cops!’ I spat out, furious that she continued to make herself comfortable in my home and so easily ignore me – and my most venomous of death stares.
She felt for Dad’s pulse and studied his face. ‘He’ll come around soon.’
Oh, my God. How can this be happening?
I had just faced off against Phoenix – lost – come home not knowing if my father would even acknowledge me after he’d seen my markings, witnessed him have an extreme panic attack before my returned-from-the-dead mother, Evelyn, oh-so-calmly shoved a fist in his face with supernatural strength.
Oh yeah. Family reunions-R-us.
‘You could’ve broken his jaw!’ I said, at a loss to do anything other than hurl abuse at her. My mother was a stranger to me. All I knew about her was that she’d traded me in the moment I was born, given my destiny to angels, and committed both Dad and I to a lifetime of unanswered questions. Now she was back and I had zero concept of how to deal with her.
‘It’s just a bruise,’ she waved me off.
I stormed into the kitchen, wet a towel and scooped in a handful of crushed ice before stomping back to Dad’s side to dab at where his cheek was already turning purple.
‘Before either one of us says anything to James, we should talk,’ Evelyn said, sitting on the coffee table opposite, her fire-blue eyes darting between Dad and me. I could just imagine what was going through her mind.
Bet you never thought you’d be faced with us again. And never wanted to.
‘You mean you need time to think fast so you can bail on him, again.’ Every word tasted sour. I needed to get a grip. I was damned if this woman was going to push me over the edge. ‘Look …’ I blew out a breath. ‘You were right. Knocking him out was a good option. Don’t bother with the balcony, it’s a nightmare to jump down – just use the front door and hide your face from the security guys on your way. When Dad wakes up, I’ll tell him there was an intruder and that he was attacked. He’ll think he was seeing things and let it go.’
She looked at me, eyes wide. ‘Do you really think I would just run out the door?’
I almost laughed at her offended tone. ‘Do you really think you won’t?’
She sighed and glanced at Dad again. ‘You inherited his stubbornness.’ She looked like she wanted to say more but shook her head, frustrated. The movement gave me a small amount of satisfaction. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
Come. On.
I stared at her, wondering if I had time to literally throw her out before he woke up.
Christ. I can just picture Dad waking up to see his daughter and dead wife ripping each other apart.
‘Please, just go,’ I said. Things would be better once there were several cities between her and us. ‘You don’t belong here.’
She crossed her arms. But I could tell she was tensed and ready, waiting to see if things were going to get physical.
My eyes narrowed and the temptation to force her hand rose to the surface. But we both knew I couldn’t risk it.
‘Does he know what you are?’ she asked, her shoulders relaxing.
I slumped back onto my heels. ‘No. But he knows something. He’s read your letter and seen my markings. I was planning to tell him today.’
She nodded, taking it all in. ‘Well, then, I arrived at the right time. We’ll tell him together. Everything.’
‘You’re so thoughtful,’ I sniped.