"What is your news, Garrick? Because it has to be something shocking that would have resulted in you three fighting." Father asks.
After my mother insisted on Damian that he stays with us for this family meeting, all of us migrated from the kitchen to our parlour. My parents were sitting on a couch with Lily on my father's lap. The twins share a love seat by my mother's left side. I sat on the lone chair that's facing the couch my parents were seated while Damian took his seat on the right armrest.
"I made a contract with someone." I announce bluntly, not wanting to stall. I kept my gaze focused on my parents' reactions to my news and noticed that they took it differently.
My mother is the one who has more of a reaction to my news by asking incoherent questions whereas my father simply raises a brow at me. Neither of them actually asked me directly for a while and I wanted to go check on my gateau au chocolat, but I knew that my parents would only yell at me for wanting to leave the family meeting. So, I watched them talk among each other without listening in. If what they were discussing about involved me, I would hear it soon enough.
"Garrick, how long do we pretend that we're not here listening to them? I'm getting kind of hungry." Damian whispers into my ear.
I simply shake my head at him and mutter to him, "I told you to go eat earlier. Now, sit tight and wait to be dismissed like a good demon."
"You are mean." Damian declares, but with sly smile on his lips to show his feelings weren't hurt.
"I lived with the twins. My way of being has harden a tad bit." I banter just as I heard someone clear their throat.
My eyes shift from Damian's hazel eyes to my father who was watching us in his stoic expression. I'm assuming he and Mother have finished their discussion and are prepared to ask me questions or possibly give me some advice on how to perform my duties in a contract.
"Garrick, does this mean that you're finally going to eat a soul?" Mother questions cautiously, knowing how sensitive that topic is for me.
Damian, on the other hand, releases a snort in attempt to conceal his laughter while I calmly respond, "Of course not. I didn't ask for his soul as compensation."
"You didn't?! Then, what are you receiving as recompense?!" Mother shrieks while the twins have a ghost of a smirk on their faces. I never understood why they find joy in my misery.
"That is none of your concern, Mother." I state and cross my arms, leaning back on the chair.
Before, I would have been afraid of talking back to either of my parents. Fearing of their wrath for disrespecting them as such. But, I know where the line is drawn and it's not over my contract. Both Damian and Mother have told me that when I form a contract, I don't have to disclose the details behind them. I plan to keep it that way, mostly because I don't want anyone to ask why I need a journalist.
"Pardon me?" Mother questions, her voice indicating that she is trying to keep her anger under control.
"I'm fairly certain I didn't mumble, Mother. You heard me quite clearly." I refute in the same passive manner as before.
"Garrick, watch your tone when speaking to your mother." Father warns while his eyes flicker to his dilated vampire ones. Blood red replacing his green hue.
"I haven't offended her. I'm simply stating my right to discretion of my contract with my contractor. I have no obligation to disclose any of my terms or my contractor's term to you or anyone else." I explain plainly without wavering.
This claim of mine brought on a look of bafflement from everyone. Everyone except Damian. He burst into a fit of good-hearted laughter until he fell off from the armrest he was sitting on to the floor where he continued to laugh. Lily began to giggle at Damian's behavior until Jasmine sent her a glare in her direction, quickly quieting her. However, I gave a glare of my own to Jasmine for that which in turn brought another glare in my direction from Aidan.
If it weren't for Damian laughing, everyone would have noticed how the tension building up in the room and that we were glaring at one another. Damian's laughter slowly dies down to the now visible tensed atmosphere in the parlour that only lasted for a few seconds with Damian being the one to break it.
"He's still difficult! I'm so proud of you, Garrick. . . I really did teach you something after all." Damian boasts with a smirk on his face, propping himself up to a sitting position.
"Stay out of this, Damian!" Aidan snarls furiously as flames began to erupt from his arms.
"Aidan, calm yourself or I'll send you outside with your sister to cool you down!" Mother scolds, no doubt worried about the upholstery on the love seat. But, Aidan's flames died down.
"Listen to your mother. You wouldn't want to burn her furniture for me. Or worse, go against me." Damian mocks that would have been enough to get Aidan's anger out if it weren't for Jasmine placing a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from flaring up again.
"Thank you, Jasmine." Father says in a grateful manner then shifts his attention to me. "You won't tell us anything about your contract with your human?"
"Not a single thing, Father, and I would appreciate it if none of you try to locate him. He doesn't know anything about us and I don't want him to have any reasons for doubting me." I request, focusing my gaze on the twins. I wouldn't put it pass them if they disobeyed this small order from me.
"He's very sensitive about us. He almost passed out from my light threats." Damian announces which made the twins stand up instantly.
"You met him?!" Jasmine shrieks as Aidan places his hands on her shoulders.
"Yes, jealous much?" Damian jeers which I notice he's taunting my sister by revealing that bit of information he said earlier.
"Of course not. Garrick won't be getting that human's soul from that contract." Jasmine counters in disapproval and scrunches her nose. As thought the mere thought of it was revolting.
"A waste of energy on that type of contract if you ask me. What kind of demon makes a contract without receiving a soul for compensation?" Aidan sarcastically claims which resulted in Luka rising abruptly from his seat and takes a few steps in Aidan's direction.
"It doesn't matter what you think of Garrick's contract. You're not the one who made it, Garrick did and we have to respect his wishes. If he chose not to receive a soul, then that's enough for us. Garrick will tell us more about his contract when he decides to. You can rely on me not to interfere with your new duties, Garrick." Luka declares firmly while he brings his right hand over his heart and kneels down on one knee with his head bowed.
The stance of a dutiful demon, a sign of both submission to their contractor and showing respect to another demon. The latter is rarely given since not many demons interact with each other and my mother told us that the demon has to be really admirable to receive such a gesture. I have never knelt down for anyone nor have anyone kneel before me, so it's touching to see just how much my younger brother respects me.
"That hardly deserves a bow, Luka." Jasmine criticizes with a glare.
"That's enough from you two. Go for a walk. All of you, I have to Garrick about something." Mother orders, resulting in Aidan standing up immediately from his seat and going over to Dad. He picks up a sleeping Rosy into his arms, then walks off to the front door without saying a word. Jasmine release a scoff before following after her twin. Luka was the only one who stayed rooted, his head tilting up to face me, while Damian returns to his seat on the armrest.
"Luka, that meant you as well. Go on now." Father adds, but did nothing in making my brother move from his spot.
"Go drink some blood, Luka. I'll join you as soon as I'm done here." I insist with an encouraging nod. Luka stares at me for a minute before rising to a standing position and walking after the twins. Though, they're probably long gone. Nothing that our noses could help find them.
"The kiddies are gone, what's there to talk about?" Damian questions as soon as we heard the front door close.
"Garrick's contract. I didn't think you wanted to share the details of it with your siblings here." Mother answers as though it was obvious. What part of 'none of your concern' did she not understand?
"I don't want to share the details of it now or ever. I told you that I didn't want to disclose my contract and I meant it. I'm not going to tell you or my siblings." I affirm confidently and watch my mother's expression harden a bit.
"Why not?" Father ponders. Because I don't want any of you to scare him.
"I simply don't want him to suddenly have demons appearing in his flat." I reply and cross my arms. Honestly, why can't they just drop it?
"Do you not trust us, Garrick?" Mother asks, her tone changing from scolding to hurt.
"It's not that, Mother. I trust you, Father, and my siblings. But that does not require that I tell any of you of my contract." I affirm while rising from the chair I was sitting on.
"Where are you going? We're not finished here." Father demands, almost shouting it.
"Well, I am. I'll say it once more, I'm not going to discuss my contract in any way so please drop it. I'm going to join my siblings in feeding because I managed to forget to drink anything while I was out." I declare and tap Damian's knee to silently tell him to join me.
Damian jumps from his seat as he took his place to my right and we head toward the door. However, my mother stood in front of us with her eyes gleaming in their demonic versions and hisses, "Don't you dare walk out of this house without telling us about your contract, Garrick Gastrell. Otherwise, you won't have a home here with us."
She doesn't mean that. . . Does she? She won't throw me out of the streets solely because I refused to share the terms on my contract with Galvin? Is she that desperate to know?
"Do you realize how bloody ridiculous you sound, Mother? You would throw me out into the streets because I refuse to tell you of the terms in my contract?" I retaliate in disbelief, completely finding her reasons as absurd.
"Watch how you talk to your mother, Garrick!" Father scolds heatedly as he appears to her side and places his hands on her shoulders.
"It's not ridiculous, Garrick! We're a family and we don't keep secrets from each other. Take Luka and his contractor, he told us about it. Why can't you? Is there something in your contract that's preventing you from telling us?" Mother reasons or at least, attempts to sound as though she's trying to reason me.
"The difference between Luka and I is that he willingly wanted to tell you and I don't because it's a private matter. It does not concern you or Father or my siblings. And if that is how you feel about it, then I'll respect your wishes and leave." I counter while going around her, but she blocks my path again.
"What makes it private? I heard all the reasons humans will sell souls so it wouldn't surprise me what he asked from you." Mother inquires, slowly making me lose my patience with her.
"If you already heard it all, take a wild guess. But I won't tell you." I growl when a faint scent of chocolate drifts to my nose. My gateau au chocolat!
In mere seconds, I was standing in front of the oven and taking out the dessert without burning my hands like most humans would. Since I am a mix of vampire and demon, a burning hot metal pan wouldn't inflict pain in my hands. Rather, I hold it as though I took it out of the pantry and set the gateau au chocolat on the island counter top. I remove the metal mold and place a lid over the recently baked pastry so that when Lily and I return, it can be a tad warm.
"I thought today I would be the day I see one of your treats burned to a crisp." Damian laments from behind and saw his hand reaching for the lid.
I slapped his hand away and warn him, "Eat some of it now and I'll cut off that hand."
"All that hostility for a cake? I wonder how you'll react to your new human contractor." Damian muses thoughtfully, but didn't attempt to reach for my gateau au chocolat.
"More defensive I suspect." My mother snaps coldly somewhere behind me. Probably by the door frame.
"Perhaps, but it's really none of your concern and if I have to leave this house because you can't respect my request then so be it." I counter just as coldly and harshly as she while I turn around to see her standing by the door frame like I thought.
My mother's expression no longer holds the tranquility she usually wears and is instead replaced by a look of fury, even close to murderous. I'm quite certain that that comment of mine would have forced me to find another place to sleep if it weren't for Damian stepping in once again, "That's enough out of you, Garrick. I'll go take him out for a feeding and hopefully, he'll be less stubborn when we return. He's not going to leave, you're not throwing him out. We'll be civilized demons and talk this out."
I highly doubt that, but I didn't voice that thought out loud and simply permitted Damian to drag me outside. I don't want to disclose anything from my contract because if I did, I would have to tell them about my intentions for using a journalist while I assist him to search for this serial killer roaming around the streets of London. Anyone can see that the human has the better end of our contract. Yet, I feel as though I am the one who has the upper hand and no one in my family aside from Luka would understand this. No one at all.
*Nickole's Note*
Hey, guys! I did it! I wrote a long chapter for you guys! You're welcome! But that's not all! I don't have that many Fun Facts for you guys so let's get down to it, okay? Kay! Here we go!
1. The picture above is from Google Images, the quote of the day as well, and arranged through PhotoGrid.
2. I chose this quote because it best relates to Garrick and his family. Plus, I planned something with Garrick's family that I will not say because then it would be spoilers. So don't ask. All will be revealed soon enough.
Actually, that's pretty much it. The rest is made up in my head. Anyway, I don't have anything else for you guys so I'll go ahead and say my usual farewell. As always, I hope you guys liked the chapter and I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. If you guys have any questions about when I'll update the next chapter or why I'm taking so long, please check out my activity page for more information. Until then, I'll see you guys next time! Enjoy~