The Vampire's Heart [Sequel to the witch's heart]

Chapter 9

"Alright," Elspeth says. "My mom called Aunt Cassie and she said that the Algar family has a born witch named Faren." She sits between Gregory's outstretched legs on her bed. "Problem is all she had is an address and it would take too long to send a correspondence. Who knows how long we even have."

"I guess we're going on a road trip," Gregory says.

"While I'd love to go on holiday with you, I hardly think this is the time to be suggesting anything of the sort." Elspeth leans further into him, letting him wrap his arms around her and rest his chin on top of her head.

"No, I mean we should just go see her. Drive there, fly there. Let's just go. We can just leave tonight."

Elspeth shoots up and turns to look at him, "Gregory! We just talked about this not even an hour ago! We can't just keep running off on our own to do things." Elspeth puts her knuckles to her temples.

Gregory pushes some bangs out of his face and sighs. "I know, I just...I don't want to waste any time. I've just gotten you back and there's still this wall between us. I want to fix all of this for you and I just feel so helpless. I feel especially bad because I'm the one who did this to you."

"You didn't do this. Remember, before the comet, I was just like you in every way. This happened for a reason."

"Don't give me that 'everything happens for a reason' bs," Gregory says, his eyebrows furrowed. 

"What else am I supposed to think?" Elspeth shouts at him. "I'm just trying to cope." She sighs and smiles a bit to herself, "I remember a boy who coped by telling himself he was all powerful and attacking everyone who tried to get close to him."

Elspeth watches the tension leave Gregory's shoulders as he puts his hand over his eyes, "fair enough, you got me."

Elspeth leans her forehead against his, "if we do anything, we do it right. Promise?" Gregory nods his head against hers.

"Promise."

He squeezes her hand and then walks over to the tome on Elspeth's desk. He closes it and tucks it under his arm. 

"Let's go talk to your parents, maybe they'll have a suggestion or some witchy solution." He holds out his other arm for her to take.

Elspeth's parents are sitting at the kitchen island when they arrive downstairs and do not look up until she clears her throat. 

"I need to go see the other natural, Farren. I'm not leaving without telling you this time. It has to do with this," Elspeth takes the tome from Gregory and pushes it across the table to her parents.

Her mother stares at it for a moment, her lips pressed into a hard line.

"Where did this come from?" Her words are harsh and she speaks through clenched teeth.

"What?"

"Where did you get this?" Elspeth flinches from the force of her mother's shout.

"Another witch. The Mother called me to the glen and there was another witch waiting for me, said that he was told to give this to me." Elspeth backs up into Gregory for comfort. She has never seen her mother in such distress.

"And you just...took it from him? Naive child. I know this tome. This is the reason why the natural witches were conceived. This tome belonged to the man who tried to destroy our kind."