Finding Amber (Book 5) Jacobs Broken Mercenaries

chapter 20

Amber

Jacob shows me around, introducing me to everyone on his team. They’re all some kind of creature but seem so... normal? I don’t know if that’s the word I’m searching for. I’m distracted. Celeste is the only thing on my mind. I know my sister; she should be here. 
“I’d be honored to have you aboard. Did Estevan tell you what we do here?”
Oops! What did he say? Something about what they do.
“He’s a man of few words, but I think I get the gist of it.” I tell Jacob, following him back to the kitchen. Estevan straightens when he sees me making my stomach flutter with excitement. I pace the room nervously, impatiently waiting for Celeste. I met begins to trickle in. Celeste pokes her head in from around the corner, and I freeze, taking her in. She runs to me, embracing me in a vise-grip hug.
“Are you okay?” she asks, squishing my face so tightly she blocks my vision. I laugh, swatting at her hands.
“I’m fine. What about you? Did Mica hurt you?” I ask, looking her over. A man stands behind her, his sole focus fixed on her butt. Ah, I see. I’m not the only one who’s been... distracted.
“Come with me to the library, and let’s catch up.” She says, looking around at the people in the room. I get the feeling she’s not a hundred percent comfortable. As I follow her back, my nerves get the better of me, and I begin to fidget. What will she think? If she fears me, I don’t know what I’m going to do. What if it disgusts her? I decide to get it out fast, like ripping off a band-aid. The moment she sits me down, I clasp her hands, then drop them and clasp them again. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“What’s going on with you? Did you hit your head or something?”
Oh, man. I’m really messing this up. Band aid, I mumble to myself.
“Celeste, I’m a vampire.” 
I slowly unclench my eyes to see my sister’s expression. She’s angry. Furious. That I wasn’t expecting. She holds up her finger, exiting the room. I stand stunned by her reaction. Why would she... Oh no! I run after her, connecting the dots. She thinks Estevan turned me. I pounce, catching her just in time. We fall to the floor, and whatever spell she was conjuring falls flat. The room is silent, and all eyes are on us.
“You’ve got Stockholm syndrome. It’s not your fault. It’s his!” she screams at Estevan, and his brows reach his forehead before looking at me for answers. I sigh, keeping hold of Celeste.
“He didn’t do it, sis... Mica did.”
Her lips form an o, and her anger doubles.
“That bastard!” she declares. I let her go, watching her closely. A mask of guilt slips over her features, and I shake my head, denying it.
“Don’t go there. It’s not your fault.” I tell her. I know she’s blaming herself.
We go back to the library, and I go through the events. When she relays what happened to her, a lot of the missing pieces begin to fit. Grayson sounds like he’s good for her. She seems to glow. We’ve spent hours talking, and I still don’t know how she feels.
“So, you’re not disgusted with me? Being a vampire and all.” I ask.
Celeste shakes her head, hugging me once more. 
“Nothing about you could ever disgust me. You’re my sister, that’s forever. You could turn into Medusa, and I’d buy a house by the lake just to be near you.”
A small tear slips down my cheek. I feel so relieved... and loved.
I realized something today. You can’t map out every detail of your future. Life is going to come along and scatter all the pieces until you don’t recognize the puzzle. What you can do is put the pieces together, and it will create something different, but still just as beautiful.