Joseph’s POVIt felt good to finally allow myself time to rest. But I was woken early in the evening by the sound of hard knocking on my door. I groaned as I got myself out of bed and left my room. Tessa was back in the hospital with Connor watching over her, so I knew she was safe.She was also doing a lot better when I left her; I was relieved that she was going to be okay. I made a decision that as soon as she was on her feet again, I would take her far away from this village and bring her home. I never wanted her to return here again; not after what had happened with Ryan.That loud knocking continued, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. When I opened the door, I saw a very anxious Bernard standing before me with a couple of warriors on either side of him.I furrowed my brows together, confused.“What’s going on?” I asked, staring between all of them.“Ryan is back,” Bernard seethed. “He had the nerve to return to the village. I sense him going to his home.”I clenched my fists
Tessa’s POV“So, you knew Joseph was a vampire this entire time?” Ruby asked, peering over at me with an alarmed and yet curious look.My face warmed as she continued to stare daggers at me, and I found myself lowering my head before answering.“Yes,” I finally said after a short pause. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I promised him I wouldn’t say anything…”“This entire time we’ve had a vampire as a professor…” she breathed; it wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway. “And it’s safe to be around him?”I couldn’t help but smile at my best friend; it was nice to have someone to talk to about this now.“There’s a lot of stereotypes when it comes to vampires,” I told her. “Like they don’t need blood to survive. Joseph doesn’t drink blood like that.”She rose her brows.“If that’s the case then what happened to you? How’d you get hurt? They said you suffered from severe blood loss.”I met her eyes and bit onto my bottom lip almost nervously as she assessed my face and every bruise tha
Tessa’s POV“Forget everything?” I asked hoarsely, glancing at Ruby who looked pale before looking back at Joseph. “Why do you have to make her forget?”“Ruby having any knowledge of this place, or our kind is dangerous, Tessa,” Joseph said, narrowing his eyes at me. “The minute we decided to bring her here, we always had the plan to wipe her memory afterward.”“What about me? Isn't it dangerous for me to know any of this information too?”He didn’t say anything, which only made my heart grow incredibly heavy. I found myself wondering what was wandering through his mind at that moment. But I kept my mouth shut because I was completely speechless.“I won’t say anything if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ruby said with a deep frown.Joseph sighed and looked at her.“That’s not all I’m worried about,” he told her gently. “It’s easier this way. I’m sorry, but it’s already been decided.”I wanted to protest some more, but before I could, the door of the infirmary opened, and Anna ran in
Tessa’s POVI stared at Joseph with shock; his face had gone expressionless. I must have looked extremely confused to him because he sighed and met my eyes.“It’s for the best,” he told me, keeping his eyes rested on mine. “I don’t want to take any chances…”“Because of one bad vampire?” I argued, trying to keep my emotions under control. But the longer I stared into his eyes, the more hurt I was becoming.“It’s not just one bad vampire, Tessa,” Joseph argued but he kept his tone level. “ There are rogue vampires lurking in our forests that we don’t know on which day they will crave for human blood again. There are other creatures. I don’t know if I can even trust everyone in my tribe at this point. It’s not safe for you here and I’m not going to argue with you about it.”“Don’t I have a say in—”“No,” he said flatly. “You don’t have a say in anything. This is my decision and I’m not going to let you stay here any longer. As soon as Dr. Cornelia gives me the okay, I’m bringing you hom
Tessa’s POVWar is coming?What did that even mean?Could Ryan’s words really be taken seriously after everything he had done and lied about? Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who was questioning this. Joseph asked the same question and Bernard replied with, “It’s not something I’m chancing.”I also didn’t know what that meant.What was Bernard going to do?I was consumed with worry and had to step away from the door. Joseph wanted me to pack my things so he could take me home, but it almost sounded like we might need to stay and figure out how to protect this village.I certainly didn’t want anything happening to it.Soon, Joseph was walking back into the house, and I was whipping around to face him. He raised his brows, but that frown never left his lips.“It’s not polite to eavesdrop,” he muttered.“Do we need to stay to take care of business?” I asked; I didn’t even bother trying to defend myself.He began to walk past me and toward his bedroom.“No,” he answered over his shoulder
Tessa’s POVThe words that have been making a nest in my heart for what felt like an eternity have finally been spoken out loud. I couldn’t stop them once they filled my heart and escaped my lips. Joseph was still breathing hard after his climax, and he remained on top of me.I said those words between his lips as he kissed me and then once the words registered in his mind, I felt his entire body freezing.“You don’t have to say it back,” I said quickly, running my fingers through his hair. “I just thought you should know how I was feeling.”For a moment, I thought I saw pain flashing through his eyes, and I wondered what that was about. I ran my fingers down the side of his face, and he closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. I leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips.To my surprise he deepened the kiss; his tongue explored my mouth curiously and I loved every feeling of it. Even though he didn’t say it back, I felt lighter now that he knew how I felt. I was glad he knew how I wa
Joseph’s POVI love you.Those words hung in the air like poison. I haven’t heard those words since my late wife. Words I never desired to hear again. Until I met Tessa, and my heart rapidly began to beat only for her. It was an issue because she was a human, and it was already proved that our relationship wasn’t a good idea.Because of what I am, because of what I subjected her to, Tessa nearly died. She was acting stronger than ever like it didn’t bother her what she went through. But I knew it buttered her and I knew she needed to get her mind off things. I wanted to be there for her in a way that no one else could. I wanted to hold her in my arms and take away her worries and fears.But I felt a lot of fear myself. I feared for her safety, and I feared for her future.When she told me she loved me those fears disappeared for only a moment and a new set of fears began to crowd my mind. She was in love with a monster; she had to know that. But looking in her eyes, I didn’t see any f
Tessa’s POVBack to the same routine. The vacation was finally over, and reality was setting back in. It was time to return to school and pretend that I wasn’t completely head over heels in love with Joseph. I didn’t even care that he hadn’t said it back. Like Ruby said, he was probably afraid to take that next step.But over the next few weeks, I’m going to prove to him that I’m worth loving and that he can trust me. I’m going to prove to him that I’m okay with his lifestyle and I’ll be more than okay in the village in the mountains.I had a minor freakout with those asshole men the other night, but Joseph was there to protect me and he got me home safely. I have a feeling I won't be bothered for a very long time. Joseph certainly made an impression on them, and word will get around quickly.I smiled at the thought of Joseph standing up for me. He might not tell me that he loves me with words, but he shows me with his actions and that’s more than enough for me.I spent most of last n
Tessa’s POV10 years later!“You got called here too?” Ruby asked as I walked up the steps of the middle school. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders.“Are you really surprised?” I asked her, rolling my eyes.She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me close to her.“Just take a deep breath. Maybe it’s not too bad this time,” she said, trying to appear soothing.I gave her a pointed look.“Please, when is it ever not that bad?”“Well, they aren’t vampires yet. So, it could be worse,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and chuckling.“I can only imagine the trouble they will get into once they are vampires,” I muttered.Ruby only laughed harder as we walked into the school. We went down the hallway and towards the principal's office, but a familiar voi
Tessa’s POV“Breathe, Tessa. Just breathe!” Ruby said as she held onto my hand tightly.I’m glad she’s a vampire and strong because if she was a typical human, I would have broken her hand by now. Pain shot through my lower abdomen and into my spine, crippling me in agony. I screamed out in pain, my entire body quivering.“You are doing great,” the doctor said, looking at my vitals. “That was a big contraction. It won’t be much longer until it’s time for you to push.”“Where the hell is Joseph?” I asked through my teeth.I knew he was working when I went into labor but that was several hours ago. I thought he would be here by now.“He texted Carter a bit ago and said he was almost here,” Ruby assured me. She placed a cool cloth on my forehead, and I sighed in relief. The pain in my body started to simmer down for a moment, but I knew th
Tessa’s POVA month after the big battle 4 years ago, Amelia called me and told me that they had taken Ruby to the most elite healers in California where Amelia is originally from. Carter hadn’t left her side since they took her there. They were able to get her heart beating once again, but she remained in critical condition for a little over a year.Nobody, including me, was allowed to see her. The only ones allowed near her were Carter, her true love, and Amelia, her mother. However, Amelia tried to keep me updated as frequently as possible but for a long while, it didn’t seem like Ruby would ever wake up.But 18 months later, she finally woke. It was a long road to recovery though. Even though she was healing and awake, both Carter and Amelia thought it would be best if she remained in California and stayed isolated until she was 100 percent ready to return. Apparently, she suffered some serious PTSD, along with minor memory
Tessa’s POV4 years later. “This had got to be the longest engagement in the history of engagements,” Hannah said as she continued to fuss over my hair for the last several hours. “I’m so happy it’s finally coming to an end.”I smiled at her through the vanity mirror, feeling a lightness in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since my daughter, Amaya, was born.“I know,” I told her honestly, biting my lower lip, making Amy huff with dismay as she grabbed more lipstick to fix my makeup that I unknowingly ruined. “With everything that went down 4 years ago, marrying Joseph just didn’t seem right. I really wanted to get my life back in order. I wanted to succeed in my career, Joseph needed to adjust to his new role as Overseer, and plus, I didn’t want to get married pregnant.”This made both girls pause what they were doing and lo
Tessa’s POVMost of the coven stayed with me in my father’s home. Esme went out to help the police look for Penny.There was no way I was going to leave my father alone if Penny was still out there and planning on killing him. My father and I talked a lot about everything that had happened, and he apologized countless times even though I told him it wasn’t necessary.None of this was his fault and I hated that he was blaming himself.He set up sleeping bags, and air mattresses and pulled out the couch for everyone to sleep on. He has one guest bedroom that Laura and Austin occupied. Joseph and I were going to sleep in my childhood room, but I really didn’t want to leave my father and plus, I had missed him throughout these years.Even though he was in my life these past few years, with Penny around, we didn’t really have a great relationship. Now I understood why; because Penny had her claws dug deep i
Tessa’s POVThe Moon Goddess had completely taken over my body and spoke to everyone through me. She warned them what would happen if anything were to happen to me or my baby. Now it was up to them to decide if they wanted to continue hunting me to gain the powers of the Heavenly Heart, or if they were going to trust the Moon Goddess with her decision.Seeing the horror on everybody’s faces, I knew the choice they would make. It was the obvious choice; I had seen what they had seen, and they would be stupid to chance it. Their lives and the state of this earth were in their hands.Silence consumed us as everyone processed what they had just seen. Only the yelling of Carter brought me back to the present moment. I turned to look at him and I could see the straight-up horror on his face as he screamed for Ruby.I turned to see Ruby lying on the ground, her body completely still and it was clear she wasn’t breathing. But mo
Tessa’s POVEsme, Patty, Cole, Claira, and Bennet worked on putting a shield around the circle while the rest of us gathered around while Ruby stood in the center. Everybody looked equally nervous except Ruby who looked confident.I could hear the battle ongoing around us and my heart was breaking for the lives that have been lost. I glanced at my father’s house, hoping and praying that he was still inside and that he was safe.I glanced over my shoulder and through the fighting I saw Joseph kneeling on the ground beside Benard who had blood pouring out of his neck. My heart shattered in an instant. My entire concentration and faith had been broken as I felt sick from the sight before me.Bernard… no… He couldn’t be… My thoughts went back to Anna’s vision a while back about Bernard dying during a battle.Was this the battle he was meant to die in?
Tessa’s POV“We’ve enchanted the house!” Esme said as she rushed towards me. “Nobody besides your blood can get in. Including any of us.”“What about Joseph?” I asked, shouting through the chaos. “We weren’t able to exclude him either,” Esme told me. She grabbed onto my arms and gave them a gentle squeeze. “You need to go inside and protect yourself. They are here because they want your heart.”I looked around at the ongoing fight. My stomach twisted. People were dying and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I needed to fix this, not hide like a coward.“We need to find Ruby,” I told her firmly.“We are on the lookout for her, but so far we haven’t been able to see her or Eevee,” Esme said, looking around with a frown on her face.“Have you checked everywhere?”“We c
Third Person POV (Ruby)At some point, Ruby had fallen asleep. Though, she knew right away that it wasn’t a normal sleep. It was a vision.This one felt a different thought. She was surrounded by my dark smoke, though it didn’t feel like smoke, it only looked like it. She couldn’t exactly see what was happening, but she could hear the sounds of death and destruction around her. Innocent people screaming and crying for mercy. The sounds of supernatural’s fighting and killing one another.There was so much darkness and despair, that Ruby felt a sense of dread weighing on her chest. Her breathing hitched when some of the smoke cleared, and she saw blood soaking the grass around her feet. Puddles of blood were everywhere. The sky was hazy and unrecognizable.Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at all the bodies that occupied the earth. This was too much for her to handle; why did she have to be cursed with seeing