Page 71 (1/2)

“I really do,” I said honestly

“Just understand that there’s a lot that I can’t re a child My e… But honestly, that’s where ins,” he whispered in the silent car

I sat up straighter wanting to take in every word that came out of his mouth

“I can’t re else is a dark void I’rew up but I can’t remember But what I do re and very s but withour people Even in those days I had the ability to influence the people around inals took me They wanted to use me but I’ll save that story for later

“So, I was sixteen, cocky, and the world was olden boy I was the oldest and I had seven younger brothers and sisters Grant, Maxwell, Luelle, Greyson, Raymond, Frederick, and little Penny Oh, little Penny, she was only three I loved her so much I can still remember her dark curls, her pink cheeks, her stubby, sticky, little fingers, and those bright green eyes, so much like yours, that looked at me with such trust She believed that I would always be there to take care of her but in the end I was too late I was too late to save any of them I wish I had killed myself

“Anyway, ht to be ancient if youand eager to learn People took notice to s I couldEveryone was i a sculpture Butuntil I could hter and sharper than other swords of the times I would stay late and practice hoield one I beca and fast I was quick on irls, of course, took notice Now, not only was I handsome but I could provide

“At sixteen I was suitable husband material But I had eyes for only one Lea She was beautiful She had fla and wavy and oh so soft Her laugh was subtle and h Her eyes were a dark blue Soht they looked violet She was perfect I was young and in love It didn’t take long for us to becoed Her parents were ecstatic They knew that I loved her and could provide for her When I was seventeen I gained complete control of my father’s business I was responsible for all the ot married She was sixteen I built us a house in betweenthe house Our house was the cleanest in town My best friend Don, at first didn’t like Lea, he felt she would jeopardize our friendship But her war No one could not love Lea I was eighteen when my father fell ill

“Lea was pregnant and with the prospect of having ninea nervous breakdown I knew s on her own Grant was only fifteen, which in those times he was already considered ahi as I was but he was decent Two months later my dad died The month after that Lea miscarried She was devastated and I was too But I couldn’t help but feel r

elieved It was one less mouth to feed Lea was an only child so her parents helped ed to keep them alive Another year passed and then the next I enty And that’s when the Originals showed up

“I didn’t knoho they were at the time but now I know them for the monsters they were and are Everyone in toas fascinated by these strange creatures Inhumanely beautiful, pale as snow, and with eyes so silver they appeared white There were five of them Isaiah, Elijah, James, Zachariah, and Xavier They took a special interest in e what kind of powers I ht posses if they turned me I would be the first vainals and they weren’t sure what to expect They didn’t even know if I would survive the transformation For all they knew they were special and no one else could becoest, can sense the strength of one’s potential power and he felt strongly that I was special but his older brothers weren’t as sure Lea was pregnant again and glowing This was the farthest she had e she had five ht inals decided it was time to act

“They thought if they showed me what they were and offered me eternal life that I would accept So that’s what they did I was scared and thought they were crazy I said no to their offer I was happy with ht they were just trying to e me Which if that was their plan, they succeeded They said that they’d just have to prove it to me some other way and that I wouldn’t like it God, I wish I had just believed theht there was a knock on the door Lea wasn’t feeling well so she had already went to bed Isaiah, Elijah, James, Zachariah, and Xavier stood at the door They shoved their way in Isaiah grabbed Lea froood They were too strong I picked up my sword and tried to stab Isaiah with it so he would let her go But it just rebounded off his granite skin My efforts were futile He laughed this high pitched wicked laugh He put hisher but I then realized he was killing her He had cut her neck open with his teeth and noas drinking her blood! I thought I was losing myinside her trying desperately to live I stood shell shocked And then theinside her stopped But they weren’t done yet As I stood rooted to the floor they ripped her open and devoured our child Our beautiful baby I was able to take in that it was a girl She had dark hair with just a hint of red In less than two ht to myself, that I couldn’t let theain and I was running

“I opened the door toMy mother, my brothers, my sisters, sweet little Penny, all dead There blood was all gone Without their blood they appeared translucent Their dead eyes stared at nothing I took off running again, this ti to Don’s house But I knehat I would find I could already hear the screa So, instead I just sank to edand screaht They knockedThey weren’t sure how to go along with creating another vampire Another monster They bickered back and forth for what felt like hours but was really only minutes At that point I just wanted to die I wanted theet it over with already But that didn’t happen I felt one of theued some more and then I felt the knife stab my wrist But it wasn’t a knife It was Isaiah’s teeth Within seconds I was on fire At the ti how he had set me on fire with his teeth Now of course I knoas the venom As soon as I felt the fla to put out the invisible fla aroundwent from labored to non-existent I ed on I could feel it spreading to my heart I wished I could black out froht I was in hell And then it stopped”

He took a breath

“That’s horrible,” I said No wonder Gabriel acted the way he did

He chuckled, “Sweetheart, that’s just the beginning”