Chapter 273

Tessa’s POV

I was alone when I woke up. I blinked a few times to try to get a grasp of my surroundings. Last night was a bit of a blur and I think it was because I was so mentally and physically exhausted. But once I looked around and saw that I was in Joseph’s bedroom, my cheeks flushed as memories surfaced in my mind.

I made love to Joseph last night and it was incredible. I wanted to squeal like a schoolgirl. I loved that man so much that I thought my heart was going to explode. The council was okay with our upcoming marriage, and I was able to pledge myself to them without any issues. Not to mention Carter was now off the hook for turning Ruby into a vampire without the council’s permission.

None of us were really expecting Carter to walk away punishment-free.

It was weird knowing that my grandmother had something to do with this. I didn’t remember my grandmother, but it was nice to know that she had my back even when she wasn’t around.

It was crazy to me that my soul wanted my soul, even way back then. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised considering all I knew now.

I slid out of bed and grabbed my clothes off the ground. After I quickly dressed and threw my hair in a messy bun, I made my way out of the room and down the hallway. I frowned when I didn’t hear any signs of Joseph anywhere in the house.

I paused and looked around the empty kitchen and then I went into the living room to look around there. But he wasn’t there; he wasn’t in the house.

I was about to get annoyed at the fact that Joseph left without saying a word, but then there was a knock on the door, and a tightness formed in my stomach. I went to open the door, wondering who could be there at this hour.

I opened the door, and I was surprised to see Anna standing in front of me.

“Oh, hello, Tessa,” she said fondly. “I was just coming to check on you. Have you seen the news?”

I frowned and glanced at the turned-off television set from over my shoulder before looking back at Anna.

“No,” I told her. “Should I have?”

She nodded and stepped into the house, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the TV. She grabbed the remote and flipped it on, switching to the new stations.

They were still talking about the missing body and my heart squeezed painfully in my chest while the newscaster interviewed Ruby’s parents. They looked like the classic rich folks with their pearls and fancy clothing.

Ruby couldn’t stand her parents and I could tell they were fake crying for the cameras. I had to stifle an eye roll. They didn’t care about Ruby’s disappearance; they never did care about her and the things she wanted.

But then I saw something in the background that made my entire heart fall deep into my stomach. Joseph was soon on the screen, and he was talking directly to Ruby’s parents.

“Your daughter is fine. She’s alive and well. She had a great opportunity elsewhere and will be off the grid for a while. But she’s going to be just fine,” Joseph told them, and I knew from his tone and the fact that Ruby’s parents stiffened, and their pupils dilated, that he was using his abilities on them.

My mouth fell open when they both nodded; the news reporter looked confused for a moment until Joseph expanded his powers to include him. Soon, everyone in the camera was watching him and nodding along with what he was saying.

He turned his attention to the camera, and he made sure that everyone knew Ruby was just fine.

My heart swelled at Joseph's efforts to clear our tracks. Anna sat back in her seat, satisfied with what she was seeing.

“He truly cares for you if he’s doing all of this,” Anna said, shaking her head in wonder. “I’m glad everything worked out.”

I smiled as I stared at Joseph through the screen, wishing he was here with me so I could wrap him in my arms and hold him close to me. I never wanted to let him go and it was destroying me on the inside.

Anna turned off the TV and turned to me.

“How about we get some breakfast at the vamp house?” She suggested.

I nodded when I heard my stomach growling ferociously. She chuckled and together, we went across the tribe lands and entered the vamp house. The place was crowded with vampires all eager to get some breakfast in the community dining hall. My mouth was watering when I smelled all the amazing foods.

However, when we walked through the dining hall, I noticed others were giving me strange looks. Stranger than usual and it gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Anna continued to talk to me and acted as if she hadn’t noticed everybody staring at me.

My cheeks flushed and kept my head down while I walked behind Anna. We grabbed our plates and piled food onto them. Then, we went to the coffee machine and made ourselves coffee. I was well aware that everyone’s eyes were still on me and when I turned around to face them, I saw that some of them were purely angry.

Anna finally noticed everyone’s attention and her eyes narrowed.

“What is everyone staring at?” Anna asked, raising her brows.

“Is it true?” One of the men, whom I recognized as a hunter, asked from across the room.

“Is what true?”

“Is that girl a witch?” The man shocked me by asking.

How did he know I was a witch?

I must have looked confused and shocked because the man scoffed, and murmurs erupted around the dining hall.

“Thought so,” the man murmured, shaking his head with disgust on his face. “We don’t want witches in our tribe,” she continued to spit, making me flinch.

I looked up at Anna who was confused.

“She is a guest, and we will continue to treat her with respect,” Anna said with so much fierceness it made me shudder.

“You are putting our tribe at risk,” another said from closer. “Witches don’t belong here, and they certainly don’t belong with vampires.”

“This witch does,” Anna said, her brows furrowing together as she walked past them and toward the table she and the other elders always used. I walked with her, and we sat, still very aware that I was still being watched.

It took everything I had not to run and hide from here, but I refused to be cowardly. I had to remain strong for Joseph’s sake.

“I don’t understand…” I whispered, staring at my untouched food after a little while. “How does everyone know about this already?”

“The council informed everyone last night and also stated that you are under their protection,” Anna explained, taking a bite of bacon. “They can’t hurt you, so you have nothing to worry about.”

I grimaced.

“Somehow, that makes it worse,” I murmured.

She gave me a gentle smile and I could see understanding in her eyes.

“Try not to think too much about it,” she said softly. “It’ll be okay.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I knew better than to argue with her. I silently ate my food, trying not to make eye contact with everyone else in the room who was still staring at me.

I was relieved to see Joseph walking into the room and his eyes found mine immediately. It didn’t take him long to see that everyone was watching me, and he scowled. He walked over to me and grabbed a hold of my hand, pulling me to my feet.

“Why is everybody staring at my fiancé?”

I heard some sharp intake of breath from around the room when Joseph said those words, and I almost wished he hadn’t. Things were weird enough; we didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.

“You’re marrying a witch?!” Someone asked, shocked.

Joseph pressed his lips together.

“This witch just pledged herself to the vampire council and is under their protection,” Joseph informed them. “She’s also the same girl you’ve already come to know and love. There’s no difference.”

“We can’t trust her, Elder,” another said from a far distance. “She’s a—”

“I know what she is,” Joseph said sharply, cutting off his words. “If anyone here causes Tessa any issues, you’ll have me to answer to. Understood?”

There was silence.

“Answer him,” Bernard's voice boomed across the dining hall as he stood at the doorway.

Everybody’s attention turned to him; he didn’t look pleased. He looked infuriated.

“Yes, Elders…” said the murmurs around the room.

Without another word, Joseph was pulling me out of the dining hall and out of the vamp house. I couldn’t be happier to leave that hostile area; I had no idea why they suddenly hated me. It couldn’t be just because they found out I’m a witch. Could it?

Joseph slowed his pace once we were a good distance away.

“We are going back to the city,” he informed me, much to my shock and dismay. “Tonight.”