Innocence - Chapter 19

Addison got up and nodded to the three vampires that were holding him down. They made Aden get on his feet but didn’t let go of him. Aden was too stunned to do anything rational.

Addison. I couldn’t remember where I heard that name before.

The woman reached out and lightly touched her hand to Aden’s cheek. He stared into her eyes. “How is it--?”

“I can hardly believe it myself.” She giggled.

“Alright, now that we have had all of our little reunions, let’s do what we have come here to do.” Marissa turned back to look at me.

I didn’t take my eyes off Aden.

Who was she?

“Well—“ Marissa said slyly. The way her voice sounded made me look at her. She was back to her normal form. “I see you didn’t know everything about your little boyfriend.”

I looked back at Aden. He was now looking at me. He was no longer as scared as he was.

The women he called Addison was standing a few feet away from him. I finally remembered the name Addison. It didn’t make me feel any better about the situation.

“Aren’t you upset?” Marissa seethed in my ear. Her cold breath on my neck made me shiver.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment then opened them. Marissa’s face was inches from mine. I flinched backward restraining against my captors.

She smiled. She turned around to address Aden.

“You don’t tell her everything? You don’t confide in her? Do you not trust her?” She challenged.

“Of course I do.” He screamed. He struggled against his captors but it did nothing.

“So why does she look so surprised to see you with Addison? Didn’t you tell her about your wife?”

The words made me step back a few inches. Aden glanced at me. He could see my feelings in my eyes.

Ryan told me he could. He looked into my eyes with his pleading ones.

“See! Why would you not tell her that? Did you think it didn’t matter?” she screamed. She was trying to make him upset.

“I did tell her about her—“ Aden whispered. It was like he was talking to me. “I just didn’t tell her the whole truth. It was a hundred years ago. I didn’t know she was alive.”

I could see he was struggling to keep calm. He almost looked like he was going to cry. I had never seen him so vulnerable. His words made me start crying again. I sniffled and Marissa turned around to look at me.

“So you knew about her? Did you know about Kaden?” Marissa asked.

Aden suddenly got enraged. “That has nothing to do with this!” He screamed.

He struggled against his captors and threw one of them off. Two more came and pinned him to the ground.

Marissa grinned in satisfaction. “I guess not. A good time to tell her would be now, Westcott. You don’t have much longer.”

Aden just growled under his breath.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Marissa walked over to Aden and bent down before him. She transformed into a very small child. He looked to be about eight. He strikingly resembled Aden. It was almost the same person, only smaller. “Well almost all of us know that Kaden is Aden’s little brother—well, was.”

Aden’s eyes became wide. He was becoming even more vulnerable. He stared into my eyes. It felt like I could read his thoughts. I am so sorry I ever got you into this mess. I am so sorry. I wish I would have told you everything.

“Aden’s brother, Kaden had an accident, didn’t he?” Marissa asked Aden.

He didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on me waiting for my response.

“Aden’s killed his own brother.” She snarled. She whipped around to look at me. “He could do it to you any minute. His brother would have lived a very long, healthy life. Aden just had to stop hunting.”

I tore away from Aden’s gaze to look at Marissa. “And?” I said confidently.

She seemed startled by my reaction. She didn’t know what to say.

I stood more confidently now. “Everyone makes mistakes.” I turned to gaze into his eyes. “I forgive him.”

Everyone froze, even Aden. They were all listening to something.

“Go get him.” Marissa grinned. She seemed very excited.

The men holding me moved closer to the middle of the circle. Aden gazed at Addison. She smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back. Thinking of both of them together made my stomach turn.

The two men came back in the room and threw something in the middle of the circle of vampires. I looked to see it was a boy with red, shaggy hair.

I gasped.

The boy heard me and looked up to meet my gaze. Mike was staring back at me.