Bound By Blood - 18. Chapter Eighteen

Opening my eyes, I yawned and stretched my legs. Last night was certainly an event which completely exhausted me, and sleep was the best remedy. I looked at the clock on the nightstand that showed the time which was still morning. Just another brand-new day which would involve getting out of my bed and freshening up before skedaddling to the kitchen to concoct some hybrid breakfast meal for the kids to eat. And the fact that today was a weekend meant the girls would be play in the living room, while Austin focused his attention on either homework or his phone in his bedroom. Luckily, I had the day off from work today and could be present in handling the rambunctiousness of my kids.

I turned around on my bed and realized that Will wasn’t next to me. The bedroom was dark because of the curtained windows which allowed me to see light peaking from the bottom of the door that led to my private bathroom. Steam also escaped through the narrow space along with the fresh scent of my body wash. I could hear the spray of the shower right before it was turned off and the slide of the shower curtains that came soon after. The thought of Will using my shower as well as my body wash to clean himself made me feel light inside, like when a person would wear their boyfriend or girlfriend’s jacket as a sign of their affection for one another. Again these feelings I was having for Will made me feel so young and giddy with excitement, like a teenager getting his or her first kiss. And I wanted more of that feeling with Will’s bare body against mine.

So, brushing my hair back with my fingers, I pulled the blanket off my legs and stood up from the bed. I slowly opened the bathroom door and poked my head inside. I saw Will looking at the steamed mirror. Moving a hand across the surface, I watched as he wiped away some of the steam and revealed his lack of a reflection on the silver-like plane. Will bowed his head, and I wondered what he was thinking right then. I could see the reflection of my face through the space of the open door, which Will saw when he looked up. He turned his head, and our eyes locked. I gave him a small smile, which he returned.

“Hey, Damien. I hope you don’t mind me using your shower,” Will said, pushing back the damp strands of hair from his forehead.

“Nah, I don’t mind at all. I’m sure you needed a hot shower after the night you had last night,” I said as I entered the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

“Yeah, it also gave me plenty of time to think…about us.”

I cocked my head to the side and asked, “What do you mean?”

Leaning his hands on the bathroom counter, Will was looking down again when he said, “Like…Like whether it’s right for us to stay together…to remain in this relationship if that’s what we can even call what we have.”

Scratching my head, I asked, “Did I do something wrong? Is that why you’re asking this?”

“No, no. I mean…I overheard the conversation you had with your friend, Anthony, asking him to be the guardian of your children if anything happened to you… It’s very obvious that you care about your family, and I think that my intrusion into your home will just complicate things… I don’t want what we’re having to end, but…”

I took a step closer. “Will…are you telling me that we should end this relationship of ours?”

Will just shrugged. “I just don’t want to burden you, to put you in danger to such a degree that your kids could be orphaned… I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Damien.”

Crossing my arms, I said, “I understand your concern here, Will…however, may I say that I can surely take care of myself. I haven’t been a bounty hunter for more than a decade to just have some person, even a vampire, take me down.”

Will smirked. “You lived so little compared to me and yet you have experienced so much. That’s what I like about you.”

“Just ‘like.’” I smirked back and took another step closer to the slim vampire in front of me.

Will bowed his head, trying to hide his amusement, and said, “No, definitely more than like.”

I closed the space between us and enveloped my arms around Will’s waist before pressing his damp, nude body against mine. I neared my nose to his hair and inhaled the familiar scent of apples from the body wash he used on himself. I bit my lower lip when I felt his hands beginning to roam under my shirt and onto my back which flexed from his caressing touch. As he moved his hands along my back muscles, I felt his lips brushing against where my birthmark was and before I could respond, he started kissing the sensitive skin with his soft, wet lips.

I uttered a shameless moan and pressed our bodies tighter for support. Few people knew how aroused I felt when someone touched that spot on my neck, and Will was now one of those people. This feeling wasn’t just sensitive like someone’s nipples; I was getting fucking hard from that area being licked and sucked on by Will and could’ve possibly made me lose my load right then and there. I could feel my erection pushing against the fabric of my jogging pants which intensified when Will rubbed his own hardened length against mine. I could only take so much before…

A knock on the door shattered me from the sex-hazed ecstasy, and I quickly stopped what I was doing as well as Will.

“Yes?” I choked out.

“Anthony is finished preparing breakfast,” Austin said from the other side of the door.

“Oh! Thanks, son. I’ll be right down,” I answered.

Hearing Austin’s footsteps that quickly faded, I sighed and looked down at Will who had an amused smile on his face.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s just…are we ever going to have any real time to ourselves? You know, without other vampires and lycans interfering?”

“I don’t know. Does breakfast with the family count as an interference?” I said with a smile.

“No, not at all. And considering it’s dark and cloudy outside, I should be able to join you all,” Will said before kissing me lightly on the lips.

I kissed back and after I enjoyed Will’s body against mine for another moment, I released and allowed him to finish getting ready. Following the scent of breakfast in the air, I walked into the kitchen where Anthony was flipping some pancakes at the stove, while my three kids ate at the kitchen island. I sat between the girls who both greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. Austin even smiled as his own greeting, which I appreciated immensely.

“And here’s your breakfast, Your Highness,” Anthony said, laying down a plate of pancakes with bacon and hash browns.

“Why thank you!” I said and quickly began chowing down my food which was excellent prepared.

“So, Dad…today’s the homecoming dance,” Austin announced from across the kitchen island.

“Oh, yeah. I remember. Are you planning on going?” I asked as I gulped down a glass of milk.

“Yeah, I kind of have to, considering the team won the homecoming game, and I’m one of the candidates to win homecoming king… Do you mind if Anthony drives me to the dance?”

I looked at Anthony who was back at the stove and wearing that frilly, pink apron that no one in the house ever wore. “Oh…um, sure. Why not?”

“Thanks, Dad!” Anthony said before he resumed eating his own breakfast.

I smiled, happy to know that my son was still going to attend the homecoming dance even though he didn’t have a date.

As I cut my syrup-coated pancakes with my fork and knife, Will entered the kitchen wearing his dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar and a pair of jogging pants, which he must’ve snagged from my dresser. The girls greeted him happily with waving hands, and Austin nodded at him as well. I held up a piece of bacon to Will who happily snagged it with his teeth.

I chuckled, and I glanced at the girls who both witnessed the act of flirtation with cocked heads and lopsided smiles. I was going to have to explain to them that their daddy was seeing another man; however, I believed I taught my twin daughters about acceptance of other people regardless of their differences which included their sexual orientation. So, I doubted telling them that I was seeing Will was going to be a difficult endeavor. Luckily, Austin already knew and adjusted to that fact.

Someone cleared their throat, and I turned my head to see Anthony standing by the kitchen island, still wearing that ridiculous apron, and holding a pan filled with newly cooked bacon strips. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, and I tried, with the best of my ability, to convey to my friend with my eyes that Will was of no danger and that we should all eat in peace.

Thankfully, Anthony forced a smile and asked Will whether he wanted more bacon. Will, in return, gratefully accepted a plate with bacon and the last of the pancakes before sitting down next to me. Anthony then quickly cleaned up before joining us at the kitchen island.

I didn’t know what to call it, but I felt a sort of aural comfort that seemed to surround me and my family as we ate our breakfast. It was a familiar feeling, a feeling I hadn’t felt since Annabella was still alive and would cook breakfast for the whole family. It was a wonderful feeling, and I could only wish that this would be the normal again.

After breakfast, Anthony started cleaning the dishes with Austin’s help, while the girls escorted Will to the living room where they showed what they drew and created with the books that he gave them for their birthday. I made some instant coffee mixed with some creamer and sugar and watched as Will conversed with the girls like they were his own children.

I smiled, knowing that Will wasn’t some heartless vampire bent on killing and draining the blood of innocent people. He was the complete opposite. He was kind and caring, especially to the girls. And though his methods may seem harsh, the motivations were for the betterment of the greater whole rather than for himself.

A new conundrum appeared in my mind, and that was how the hell I was going to tell all three of my kids that Will wasn’t just another man who I was developing feelings for, but also a vampire. How would they react? I hadn’t outright expressed my distaste for the vampiric race in the past, but whenever the news came up on the television and the breaking headline involved one of their kind, I did offer not-so-kind comments about the people as a whole. And my son knew the real cause of his mother’s death, while the girls were mostly left in the dark.

If anything, my girls would be somewhat troubled by the knowledge that their father was seeing a vampire, but they would adapt over time and eventually accept this new reality. However, with Austin, I didn’t know how he would react. Annabella was the central figure of his life, and I knew that his opinion of vampires wasn’t at all positive after I told him the truth after weeks of begging for the truth.

Looking at Austin who was conversing and laughing with Anthony at the kitchen sink, I wondered if telling him right then and there would destroy the progress I’ve made over the past two weeks with our relationship. Would I eventually have to choose between my son and Will? I mean, if I was forced to make a decision, Austin would always be the option I chose.

Though, the idea of leaving Will wasn’t easy to digest, especially after all the good he did for my girls and my perception of vampires in human society. That dilemma was almost explored when we were talking in the bathroom, and I knew that a definite conclusion needed to be made before things become too complicated. But this situation wasn’t black and white, and I was going have to decide on not just two options, but an entire gray area as well.

I sighed and just continued watching Will who was being entertained by the girls when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Taking it out, I saw the person calling was Alexandra.

“Hey, Alexandra,” I greeted before taking another sip of my coffee.

“Hi, Damien. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Alexandra said.

“No, not at all. Just drinking some coffee after having breakfast with the family. What’s up?”

“Well…it’s about the Holy Grail. I told you that I’ve already discovered its true location.”

“Right. You also said the grail is one piece of a puzzle.”

“Correct, and that’s why I’m calling you. My team just discovered that the two other puzzle pieces aren’t that different from the Holy Grail which isn’t a cup at all, but something else entirely.”

“I’m not understanding.”

“There have been myths spreading for centuries that the Holy Grail isn’t actually a cup, but something completely different. Well, I now know that the grail is not actually a cup, a dish, or even a relic… The Holy Grail is a person…a woman to be specific. Remember when I told you about the Holy Trinity?”

“Yeah, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

“Yes. It’s understood that the Son is Jesus Christ and the Father is God himself…however, the Holy Spirit and what it actually is has been hotly debated for centuries. Well, it turns out through recent research from my team that the Holy Spirit or Ghost is the woman who Jesus loved and had a child with. Mary Magdalene.”

“Really? Isn’t that just some fiction conjured up by some author that became a bestseller?”

“No, no. It’s actually one-hundred percent true! I mean, look at it this way: The Holy Spirit is meant to be the spreading of Jesus’s teachings. So, what better way to spread his teachings than by having a successor to his throne. A child. And his love, Mary Magdalene, allowed that to happen being the carrier of his child. She was the vessel or cup that held Jesus’s child, his flesh and blood and that miracle was later deconstructed into a grail that carried Jesus’s blood that would later be sought after by King Arthur.

“You see, the Holy Grail and the Holy Spirit are the same being, and the product of the Holy Trinity or the union between God, Jesus and Mary Magdalene was a child. This child is the result of the completed puzzle who would then continue the bloodline… I know the location of Jesus’s most recent descendants…and this is where I need your help.” Alexandra sighed and continued by saying, “You have to convey what I just told you to Will because his connection with his king is what I need.”

“And why’s that?”

“I’m only one person, Damien. I need the resources that only a king can possess to help me protect the living descendants of Jesus Christ, so a meeting is in order. This would be different if we were dealing with an actual grail, not living people who can easily be snuffed away by power-hungry vampires.”

“And you know for sure that these living descendants are really who you believe they are?” I asked.

“Yes! I’m completely confident. Please, Damien. You know Will better than I do, and I need this to be dealt with as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I’ll tell him.”

Alexandra took a deep breath. “Thank you, Damien. Let me know when we can arrange a meeting with the king. Preferably tonight if that’s possible.”

“No problem.”

Alexandra ended the call, and I placed my phone back into my pocket. I soon approached Will who was still engaged with the girls and lowered my mouth towards his ear.

“Will. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Turning his head to look at me, Will’s face looked serious, like he knew what I was going to say next. He stood up and told the girls he would be right back before walking with me to the foyer.

“Go on,” Will said.

I sighed and began reiterating everything that Alexandra just told me, and I knew right then and there that a new situation, just as complicated as my relationships, was going to surface.