A Legacy of the Damned: Daughter of Astaroth

Chapter 51 - The Blackwell Estate

"You were behind it, weren't you?" I ask Katherine the next day.

Katherine slides me a glance. "Behind what?"

We are in the woods while Sacha, Ronan, and Elias are in a meeting with a few other Nephilims.

Katherine came to our private wing after they came back from school to invite me to watch a movie since the boys were busy. But I asked her if she'd mind showing me the Blackwell Estate instead. She had agreed and we both decided that it's a nice walk through the woods rather than taking a car. So now, here we are, just the two of us walking in the woods.

"Last night, Yokai showed me the meeting," I clarify. "I can't imagine he's doing it without your knowledge."

Her glossy pink lips curl up into a grin, telling me that she's very aware of it.

Her strawberry blonde hair is in a ponytail. She's dressed casually in jeans, navy blue converse, and a fitted v-neck striped t-shirt, yet she still manages to look like a classy and sophisticated heiress. "So you admit that you could use animals or some willing spirits to spy on others?"

I raise an eyebrow as I glance at her. "You knew I could. I bet you knew before we even met, so I see no point in denying it."

"Yokai told me about you," she agrees, nodding. "But you didn't tell Sacha about your special ability...or about any of your other abilities."

I've never revealed this ability to anyone and I'd been very careful not to let anyone know about it. I doubt that even Astaroth is aware of what I can do.

"In my family, you hide things like that from each other. Anything could be used against you, so you squander any knowledge or hide any advantage that you have to screw each other over," I explain. "We hold our cards close to our chests until we need to use them against each other." I shrug my shoulders as though it's not a big deal and it's totally normal as I continue, "I grew up like that, it became a habit."

Her smile disappears and she looks at me with understanding. "Psychotic and deadly family members." She nods sagely. "We all have them."

Laughter burst from my lips. "In my case, my whole family is psychotic and deadly." I am too.

Her brows come down as she stares at me. "That's...very sad...and lonely."

I look away and say, "So, why did you let me use Yokai to spy on them last night?"

I feel her gaze on me as she replies, "I wanted you to see that Sacha is totally committed to you. I have a feeling that you needed to see that."

"What's in it for you?" No one does anything if it doesn't benefit them in any way or without wanting anything in return.

Her brows furrow as though the question confuses her and caught her by surprise. Then there's a look of concentration on her face as though she's thinking it through.

"I know Sacha needs you and I want to be your friend, Danica," she says carefully. "But I have to let you know that I love the Gauthiers. If you hurt them in any way, I will hurt you back."

I nod. Fair enough. I don't know if I could fully trust the witch yet but I understand her wanting to protect her boyfriend and his family. In a strange way, I'm glad she's loyal to Sacha as well.

We keep walking in silence for a while. I find it to be very pleasant with just the sounds of our footsteps, the birds chirping, and the rustling of the leaves accompany us.

"Why are you so interested to see the Blackwell Estate?" she asks when she offers me her hand to climb over a fallen tree.

I accept her hand. "Why did you agree to show me the Blackwell Estate?"