Chapter 247

Tessa’s POV

My mouth hung open from Joseph’s tale as he recalled all that had happened when he found my mother in the basement of the vamp house.

Everybody went silent. Even my father stared at him in complete and utter shock.

My mother trusted him.

His words fell short, and I knew it was hard for him to continue. I touched his hand, squeezing it tightly while brushing my shoulder against his. My touch always seemed to calm him and now wasn’t any different. He looked down at me and gave me a faint smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“And you got her out of there?” My father was the first to break the thick layer of silence that consumed us.

Joseph looked at him and then he nodded.

“I got Bernard involved, and when he saw her, he didn’t hesitate to help. We contacted Constance and she came for Alison,” Joseph continued the story, holding my hand like it was his lifeline, and I wasn’t ready to let him go either because he was my lifeline.

I looked at my father with tears in my eyes.

“And you had no idea Joseph saved her?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly as the emotions got the best of me.

He shook his head, sadness clear on his face.

“She never told me. Constance told me she found Alison on her own. She never even mentioned Joseph,” my father said in his defense.

“They didn’t want anyone to know,” Esme confirmed. “They figured the least people who knew the truth, the safer they could keep you.”

“After Alison was back with Constance and safe, we caught the rest of the tribe up on everything and told them that we couldn’t stay here with Benji anymore. We gave them a choice to come with us or to support him. It was divided. Some left with us, and others stayed behind to support him. When he returned to find out that I betrayed him… hell broke loose,” Joseph explained.

Esmeralda nodded in agreement.

“To better protect Alison and her family, they lived in the coven house for a few years,” Esmerlda continued the story. “Tessa was born, and she was under the protection of the coven. As was Rick…” she turned her eyes to my father who only kept his eyes locked on his hands.

“I remember living at the Coven house and I hated it,” Rick said, running his fingers through his hair. “I had to sell all the animals on the farm because I couldn’t go there to take care of them. All the crops ended up dying. The farm never looked worse. But I did it because I wanted my wife and child to be safe. After I almost lost you both, I would have done anything to keep you safe…”

“But by living in the vamp house, that’s exactly what Lucias and the others wanted, right?” I asked. “Mom was basically handed to them on a silver platter.”

Esme shook her head sadly.

“At the time, Lucias and some of the other men in the coven only wanted to father Alison’s child. They wanted her child to be made from their seed so they could take part in creating the Heavenly Heart and so they could have all rights to it… all rights to you,” Esme explained. I shuddered at the thought. “Constance was worried one of them would try something to make that happen, especially because Lucias grew obsessed with your mother. To protect her, Constance sent her away. But when Alison and Rick returned to the coven house, she was already pregnant. The deed was done. Constance thought it would be safe for her there and for a while it was.”

“Until it wasn’t…” I muttered.

Esmeralda nodded in agreement.

“Until it wasn’t,” she confirmed. “For the three years, you all lived in the coven house, Lucias has been trying to get your mother to leave your father so you can be a family without him, but your mother refused. She insisted that they were only living at the Coventry until Benji was found. He went missing and the fact that he hadn’t been around has been terrifying for her. Alison was also using the Coventry to formulate a spell to make everyone forget about the Heavenly Heart. I was helping her with it, and it required a lot of magic along with a few willing participants to cast an elemental circle. This type of spell takes quite a while to create… it took her 3 years.”

I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips.

“And this whole time, Benji has been missing?” I asked in disbelief.

“Or so we thought,” Esme said, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. “We didn’t know it at the time, but Benji had eyes and ears on you the entire time you were in the Coventry, thanks to Lucias.”

“What?” I gasped. “Lucias was working with him?”

She nodded.

“He knocked me out cold when I discovered the truth,” my father said, rubbing the back of his head as if he could remember the pain he felt.

My brows shot upward in shock.

“You were the one who found out?” I gasped.

My father nodded and lifted his gaze to meet mine.

“I was pretty good with my computer skills, and I never trusted Lucias. I hacked into his emails and saw some emails from a fake account. They spoke cryptically, but I spent time translating. I forwarded the emails to myself and just as I was closing out of the program, I felt a blow on the back of my head.”

My mouth dropped open as I looked at Esmeralda who nodded along with his story.

“Then what?” I asked in barely a whisper.

“When your father didn’t return home, your mother got worried. Lucias kept telling her that he left her and wasn’t returning, but your mother was smarter than that,” Esme said a faint smile on her lips. “She refused to believe that. She had access to his emails, and she ended up seeing the forwarded messages and everything clicked into place. She knew she needed to act fast if she was going to protect her family. But she couldn’t save your father and protect you at the same time. She needed other reinforcements.”

“Wait,” I said quickly as I reached into my pocket and uncovered what I was looking for.

The picture I saw on my mother’s vanity with the note “Protect her” on the back of it. I unfolded the picture and presented it to Esmeralda whose eyes widened.

“Where did you find this?” she asked, taking the picture from me and examining it.

“It was in my mother’s old room,” I answered. “I thought she wrote it for my father. But when I asked him about it, he said no.”

“It wasn’t meant for your father…” Esme breathed; her eyes wide.

Before she could say anything more, Joseph spoke first.

“It was meant for me…”

I looked up at him, shocked.

“What?” I asked, raising my brows. “She wrote this for you?”

“She had it sent to me by owl,” he said and then realization dawned on him as he snapped a look at Esme. “It’s the same owl…”

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.

“It’s her owl,” Esme confirmed.

“The owl that you sent to me with your note?” I asked, looking up at Joseph.

He nodded.

“I went to her, and she told me everything that happened,” Joseph explained. She asked me to keep Tessa safe. She wanted to lure Benji and Lucias to the farm and have an army waiting for them. She told me about the spell and everything. I told her that she should have more than just a few witches waiting for them so I brought in my vampire army; those I knew who would help me without questions asked.”

Esme nodded again, confirming his tale.

“You protected me?” I whispered, still shocked by this news.

Joseph nodded, almost sheepishly.

“I did,” he answered. “Your mother pretended to love Lucias and convinced him to bring Benji and your father to the farm so they could get rid of your father together. I stayed inside with you and my army, along with your mother’s circle, waiting for Benji and Lucias’ arrival. They showed up with your father and an army of their own…”

“That’s how the war started…” I said, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face.

Esmeralda nodded.

“The war started. And a battle went on while your mother struggled to cast her spell,” Esmeralda continued the story. “The spell was never tested so it was a difficult start. While the witches and vampires battled against Lucias and Benji’s army, I was busy casting the elemental circle with a few others while your mother tried to cast her spell. Meanwhile, your father, who was tied up, got free during the battle and ran into the house to be with you while Joseph went to join the battle,” Esmeralda explained. “I was part of your mother’s circle, so I couldn’t join the fight, but I saw the whole thing. I watched Constance get plunged with a silver dagger and then her throat got ripped out by one of Benji’s men…” her voice trailed off as the memory slammed into her and she choked back a sob.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

“Just when your mother was about to finish the spell… she got attacked. Your father saw it from the window and ran to be with her,” Esme said through her tear-filled eyes.

I looked at my father who had tears streaming down his face as well.

“She made me promise to protect you no matter what. I left you in the house while I ran to be with her. It was a bloodbath… but I only had eyes for your mother. I held her in my arms while she took her final breath,” he whispered, staring down at his hands. “With the last of her energy and with the circle still standing, she completed the spell, and everyone forgot about the Heavenly Heart… including me…”

“And including me,” Joseph said, putting a hand on my leg.

“Me and the others in the circle were the only ones who remembered what happened,” Esme said, shrugging and wiping away the tears in her eyes. “I think the elemental circle protected us from the spell.”

“Who else was in the circle?” I asked, wiping my tear-soaked cheeks.

“Patty, as earth, Linda, as water, Carla, as fire, I was air, and your mother acted as spirit,” Esme answered.

“And none of you were affected by my mother’s spell? Which means they all remembered?”

Those three were very cliquey from what I remembered during my time at the Coventry and now I understand why. They all knew about this.

“We swore an oath to secrecy,” Esme replied. “I left the coven after the battle, no longer trusting them without Constance. I never held any resentment toward those girls… I thought they’d remain faithful to your mother and the oath we swore… but I guess I was wrong.”

“And Benji?” I asked, my voice sounding far away.

“I killed him,” Joseph answered. “But Lucias got away.”

“I’m still unsure of how he became the new coven leader,” Esme said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “But he did and he’s aware of what you are… which puts you in great danger.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. This was so much information and my mind was whirling. I was dizzy and for a second, I thought I was going to be sick.

However, nobody got a chance to say anything more because we heard a throat clearing from behind us and we all froze in our seats.