Unraveling Mordecai - Marisa Maichel (top ten books of all time .TXT) 📗

been vacant for years, which is one reason why my father chose to come here. The old president hated his guts.”
She looked confused, so I dropped the subject.
“Well, the king and the princes and the Council can’t keep track of everything and enforce laws in every country by themselves, can they?” Alexander said sarcastically.
Sarah ignored him and bent down to pet Jasmine, who was eagerly sniffing Coffee now. The little tyrant was starting to growl in warning, so Sarah picked her up and petted her. Selena and I put out bowls of food and water for the dogs, then I went to coax Shadowfang down.
“It’s perfectly safe,” I encouraged.
“I’m perfectly safe up here, they can’t get to me,” he replied. “I swear, I will never forgive your girlfriend for this, Reese Emerson.”
“It’s not her fault,” I argued. “She needs an emotional support animal, and so does Sabine. Besides, you didn’t meet the owners We did. One of them was a puppy mill owner. Almost all the dogs had kennel cough, and a few had heartworms. They were in cramped cages with barely any water and rotten food. One of them was so underfed you could see her bones poking through the skin.”
“All dogs are a menace,” he talked back. “I hate dogs, and I especially hate females. They always want to cuddle with you and kiss you and make sure you have food.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Of course it is! It’s a trick just so they can get you later. After a few days they’re feasting on what’s left of your flesh, and your bones are being chewed on by ants and worms.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, I may have had a mate who at one point was eaten by a stray dog. It broke my heart. And all our kittens died because I couldn’t feed them and they were still drinking milk.”
“Oh, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t know. I didn’t tell you. Of course, afterwards I found Mishka and we had kittens, one of whom you ran over. Thanks for that.”
“I know, and I still hate myself for it. I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Shadow.”
My heart broke all over again when I thought of Remy.
Trying to control my tears, I went to find Sarah on her bed, brushing Koda.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” she asked, noticing my eyes. Her brow furrowed with worry lines. I told her about my conversation with Shadowfang, and she got up and embraced me. “Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.”
This was why I loved her, I reminded myself. She was so kind and selfless. I was not worthy to lick her boots. After a few minutes, though, I pushed her away gently, and we sat on her bed again.
“Question: will I still have hairy legs when I’m a vampire?” she asked.
I grimaced at the bad timing. “Sorry, babe.”
She groaned. Huh. That was odd. Normally she wouldn’t be that heartless so quickly. It irked me, and once again, I thought of Scarlett. Scarlett had nice legs. Creamy and slim. I’d now encountered her twice this month, and I wondered if I’d see her again.
My heart broke even more when I thought of me and Scarlett together. It would tear Sarah apart if I voiced these thoughts. Scarlett was the girl who’d turned all my beloved’s friends against her. She started a thieving ring and blamed Sarah when they were caught, even though it was Jordan who told all the parents, not Sarah.
Stomach sinking, I bit my lip and tried not to cry.
Be a man, I chastised myself. I went to the window and looked outside. Sabine was back from her walk, and she was dancing along to music blaring from her phone. She looked up and saw me, then glared at me. She still blamed me for James’ death. Then I saw something else.
No, it can’t be…
I thought I saw a cat with dark grey fur run by. It looked like…like Remy. But that was impossible.
Resurrection is entirely possible, but only with a god or goddess’ aid.
But it was. I heard sobbing a few minutes later, a scream, and more crying.
I ran downstairs, afraid that Mother or Selena was hurt, but it wasn’t them. It was Remy. He was alive!
“How…What…?
“Hi, Reese,” he said, cheerfully. “I know this is a shock, but I can explain.”
“Please do.”
“I faked my death to get away from Samuel.”
I started banging my head against the nearest wall.
Remy and Shadowfang circled around each other, meowing, purring. My heart leaped into my throat, and Sarah followed me into the room.
Shadowfang looked up at her. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t know for sure,” she admitted. “But I’d seen him once or twice. I thought it was his ghost, the way Daddy tried to haunt Reese.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded. “We were supposed to be honest with each other.”
“Like I said, I didn’t know for sure,” she said.
“I’ve been blaming myself,” I said, irritated. “Damn it, Sarah.”
She flinched at my sudden anger. I winced. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to snap at you. But please, tell me next time.”
“I will,” she said. But she avoided me while we cuddled with Remy, with my nose inhaling the scent of his soft fur and white dandruff. (He had a major dandruff problem.)
Father came over with the rest of the cats as soon as he got the call. For an hour, it was pure chaos. Everyone wanted to sniff and lick Remy, a few tears were shed from both me and Sarah (actually, a lot of tears were shed), and I slowly began to forgive myself. It wasn’t wholly my fault, anyway. Samuel had forced the cat under my car wheels.
Then, for some reason, he’d revived the young feline, and Remy was here now. He was safe. I was not dreaming. And yet, I’d managed to upset Sarah in this happy time.

CHAPTER FOUR – IN WHICH WE SINK LOWER

Finally, the family was together again. Sarah gave me some much-needed space, sensing my irritation with her. I felt guilty about being irritated with her, and I voiced my guilt to Alexander, who said that he’d been married countless times and got frustrated with every single one of his wives.
But my guilt and irritation were overwhelmed with my happiness that Remy was back. My life was almost complete, but I wasn’t quite happy with myself. Because I was attracted to Scarlett Hart.

A few days after that day, I encountered her yet again, this time at the library. I was returning a book on feminine magic and Stephen King’s latest novel when I saw her. She was at the café beside the small bookshop.
“Sorry, honey, your card was declined,” the girl behind the counter said.
“Shit,” Scarlett said in reply. “Never mind, then. Thanks, anyway.”
“I’ll pay for it,” I said, coming up behind her. Scarlett turned and saw me, then looked suspicious.
I handed the cashier some cash and she set the coffee on the counter.
“Why would you pay for me?” Scarlett asked, suspiciously.
“It’s called forgiveness,” I told her. She took the hot coffee and studied me.
“Did Sarah forgive me?”
“Oh, she forgave you a long time ago. What you did still gives her nightmares, but she forgave you. It took me a long time, but I’ve forgiven you, too. Here.” I pressed a few hundred dollars into her hand. When she saw the amount, her eyes welled up with tears.
“Damn you, Reese,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “Damn you and Sarah to hell.” But she took the money anyway and put the cash in her designer purse with the old leather handles.
I went back into the main library and picked out my next few books, found a DVD I’d been wanting to see, and went home.

“I saw Scarlett at the library,” I told Selena while she was feeding Cirino.
“What did she say to you?” she asked. Soft food dripped down the baby’s chin, and she scooped it up with a spoon.
“Bah,” he said. He was starting to look more like Sarah. He had the same button nose, the same color eyes, the same ears, and the same high cheekbones and heart-shaped face. Luckily, Michael hadn’t shown up since he’d been resurrected. He didn’t even ask for visits with the baby, which I was grateful for, and so was Sarah.
“Nothing much. I paid for her coffee when her card was rejected, and she asked me why I did it. I told her it was called forgiveness, and then she damned me to hell.”
“Sometimes when people make mistakes, it’s harder for them to forgive themselves than for other people to forgive them,” my sister said. “Did she accept your generosity?”
“Yes, but reluctantly. I’ve encountered her at least three times now since we graduated, all in recent days.
“You live in the same town. It was bound to happen.”
“I always assumed I would never see any of my classmates again. I know now that I was wrong. You’re right, it happens in a city this size.” I thought about Sarah, and wondered what she’d think of me handing Scarlett three hundred dollars. I didn’t know for sure how she’d feel about me being kind to her old enemy.
“There’s some good news,” Sarah said, walking into the kitchen. “Jamie Williams said he’s going to stay in North Hampton! He said he likes the city, and the quaint bookstores and coffee shops. He finds The Natural History Museum fascinating, and he wants to get to know me better!”
“Do you believe him?” I asked, cautiously.
“Well, yes and no,” she admitted. “North Hampton is no different than any other city. We’ve got crime here, bad people and stuff. I wonder what his real reason is?”
“It’s you, dear,” Selena told her.
Sarah looked at my sister and cocked her pretty head. “Me? Why? What’s so special about me?”
“Face it, honey, you’re quite the woman. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and kind. I’m glad my brother’s marrying you.”
Sarah looked horrified. “Oh. Oh no. Not another one!”
“Another what?” I asked.
“Another admirer! I had plenty of them growing up, but ever since I started dating you, it’s like I can’t keep them away! It’s like I’m cursed or something!”
“Do I need to knock some people’s heads in?” I pounded my palm.
She grimaced. “If you could just stay close to me, that would be great. I can’t literally fight people in my condition. By the way, I heard what happened with Scarlett today.”
Now it was my turn to grimace. “Sarah, I-“
“I’m proud of you, Reese. You’re becoming more mature. You’re forgiving people.”
I was not expecting that. She never ceased to surprise me.
“Oh, yes. You’re not angry?”
“I was a little irritated at first, but I realized I was being childish. You were simply doing a nice thing for somebody else. That’s nice, in a world of greed and selfishness.”
Remy and Shadowfang walked into the room, and I bent down to pick up Shadow while Sarah picked up Remy.
“Kitty,” Cirino said, pointing at Shadow.
“That’s right,” Selena told him. “What does a kitty say?”
“Mew.”
“That’s right. You’re a fast learner. I wonder if it’s all the attention you receive, or Mother’s milk?”
“She’s still feeding him her milk?” I asked in disbelief.
“It’s a basic maternal instinct, Reese. He won’t drink cow’s milk right now, but he will drink vampire and human milk.”
“I wonder what vampire milk tastes like?” Shadowfang said, licking his lips.
“Probably super sour,” Remy said.
“You don’t want him to be four years old and still drinking breast milk,” I pointed out.
“I know, and Mother will wean him soon, I know