A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(78)

“Oh, Serena,” Mom replied, gesturing for the young woman to join us. “This is going to be weird, but…”

“It’s been a little over twenty years for you guys,” Phoenix gasped, gawking at Mom and the strange female with pale skin.

“This is Harper,” Dad said. “Your sister.”

“Holy crap,” was my immediate response.

“Yeah, I said pretty much the same thing,” Harper replied with a smirk.

“We have a sister.” I was still processing the new development. “I… I have a sister.”

“I now have two sisters, and I don’t know how I feel about that.” Phoenix put on a mock frown, then nodded toward me. “It was tough enough having to look after this one. What the hell am I going to do with two troublemakers?”

“I can take care of myself very well, thank you very much,” Harper shot back with a grin, revealing vampire fangs. “Besides, who’re you calling a troublemaker? You’re the one who got kidnapped.”

I held my breath for a moment, awed by the fact that she’d already been turned. But then I laughed hard. I had to. She was amazing. I instantly loved her.

“Ohoho, Phoenix, you are getting roasted, my dear brother,” I squealed, then immediately took Harper in my arms, opening my soul for her to read my emotions.

I felt instant affection coming from her, our blood connection quickly developing into something deeper, far more significant. We both giggled as Phoenix wrapped his arms around us and held us tight.

“Good,” he muttered. “At least I know I’ve got two warriors for sisters! Oh, and Mom, Dad?”

Our parents gazed at us, their hearts swelling with love and pure, unadulterated joy. Dad took Mom in his arms, keeping her close and gently leaning his head against hers.

“What is it, Son?” Dad asked.

“Just so you know, it turns out I’m an Oracle. Whatever the Nevertide Oracle did to Mom and Aunt Victoria and Aunt Grace, it gave Aida, Vita, and me some vision powers. Not full-on blind and barren Oracle powers, fortunately. Just visions and a cool connection between the three of us.”

A full minute passed before Mom and Dad could react. They stared at him for what seemed like forever before Mom finally snapped back to reality.

“Okay, there’s definitely a lot to unravel here, honey,” she said bluntly. “We’re obviously not skipping a family dinner tonight.”

“What matters is that you’re both okay, and happy,” Dad added with a warm smile.

The thoughts I’d had before about what I would do next, now that I was with Draven, started to resurface, beckoning me to bring up the subject of my partial relocation. Eritopia had become my home, but, at the same time, we had a portal to The Shade, so my previous concerns about who would follow whom in which universe had pretty much fizzled out. I’d just have to speak to the Daughters about making access to The Shade a permanent fixture.

“Mom, Dad,” I said. “I know it’s only been a few weeks for us here but… I am happy. Despite all the crazy, Eritopia has become a second home to me. It’s beautiful and weird and wild, and… it’s where Draven belongs.”

“What are you trying to say, sweetheart?” Dad asked with a subtle frown, although I could feel him reading me, as was Mom.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. We can always see each other, whenever we want, I think,” I replied, trying to put my thoughts into coherent sentences. “The portal is here. You can spend some time here, and I can take days off, so to speak, to visit The Shade. I don’t think the portal is going anywhere. What I’m trying to say is that now that this whole Azazel mess is over, I am finally getting a moment to think about what I want to do with my life, now that Draven is in it, and… Well, I’ll be staying here, with him.”

Mom stilled in Dad’s arms as the realization sank in for her.

“You’re happy. You’re happy here,” she mumbled. “You’re not coming back to live with us…”

I could almost hear her heart drop, nearly breaking mine in the process. We’d all been so happy to see one another, and, prior to our reunion, Phoenix and I had been busy fighting for our lives and enjoying every moment like it was our last. We hadn’t even thought of having this conversation between ourselves before telling Mom and Dad that we’d found our happiness here, in Eritopia.

“Oh, but we love you both! We’ve missed everyone so much!” I comforted her as best as I could, while Draven’s arm gently pulled me closer. “But I’m not going to live in The Shade, that’s all. I love you all, obviously, more than anything, but… But I belong here, with him…”

Phoenix and I looked at each other. We both felt the same.

“And you, Phoenix? You’re staying here too?” Mom asked my brother, who nodded his response.

Eritopia had become our home. Draven was in charge of putting it all back together. We had an entire galaxy to heal and nurture. We’d fallen irrevocably in love with two exceptionally powerful creatures who had nearly sacrificed themselves for this world.

“Mom,” Phoenix added softly. “We’re different now… I know it might come as a bit of a surprise. You’ve got two kids telling you they’re moving out, basically, but it’s what we want, and it’s something I’ve thought about as well. This world actually needs its Daughters. Viola and I are inseparable, not to mention these two lovebirds here.”