Well that was helpful. I felt much better now.
"Freya told me that she felt lost and she needed time to figure things out. So give her some space, some time to herself and then show her she's not lost at all. Show her she was just on a crazy path to happiness with you." Mum lifted my chin and looked up at me. "Woo her. There are so many romantic movies out there. Watch a few and get some ideas, hey?"
"I could do that." I said, beginning to warm up to the idea. I had a home cinema room after all.
"We'll get going after breakfast, but know we are only a phone call away. We'll come back if you need us. You're our son and we want to see you happy." Mum squeezed my shoulder. "I can tell she likes you, Rex. She just needs reminding of it."
"And that's why I married your mother." Dad said proudly, hugging her in close to him. "Because she's a fucking superstar and the best wife and mother anyone could have."
"You are so getting some when we get home." She squeezed his thigh.
"I have to wait until we're home? There's a perfectly good bedroom upstairs. I'll give you a head start of five, four…"
Mum squealed and ran out of the kitchen.
Cath walked in with a sausage sandwich for me, but I'd lost my appetite. Thank goodness, I’d put my parents right at the other side of the mansion.
I then realised I'd been left with my siblings again. Fuck my life.
The band joined me for breakfast. After making sure I was okay, we fell into the usual banter of our brotherhood. Thank God, Stacey had worked her craft with me, so I didn't spend the day howling in the woods. I still felt bereft, but in an end of a relationship way, rather than a completely and utterly devastated one.
"Well, at least this morning you're not boning the girl so we can all get straight into the recording studio." Zak helpfully pointed out.
"Yeah, about that." I gestured around me. "I'm babysitting until my dad's bone…"
"Do not finish that sentence." Zak put a hand over his ears. "No one wants that mental image in their head. No one."
"Can we go out to play?" My little sister Betty asked.
"If you stick to the rules and remember the garden has the tickling fence."
She giggled. "I like it. It feels funny."
And that was the moment I looked down at my baby sister and then looked at all my other siblings and realised that one day I wanted my own family. Because no matter how much of a pain in the arse they could be, they were also a reminder of how good life could be, where even a protective wall could be seen as a thing of amusement and joy. Negatives into positives. I could learn a lot from Betty. Right now, I had to see Freya not being here as a negative I could turn into a positive.
"Do you want me to chase you?" I asked Betty. Her eyes lit up with delight.
"Yes!" She squeaked as she jumped down and ran towards the door. I looked at my bandmates.
"We'll be waiting for you. One day, we might have families and you might be waiting for us." Noah said.
I looked quizzically at my bandmate. He and Stacey couldn't have biological children. Vampires were made not born.
"We decided to look into adoption. There are children out there who've been turned and their parents killed. Some rogue vampires find it amusing to do that."
"You'll be a great father, Noah." I smiled.
"Rexxxxxxx." My sister yelled and I took off after her, telling my other siblings to follow me.
I actually had a great time with the kids, and when my parents finally came back downstairs, it looked like they'd had a great time too if their smug expressions were anything to go by.
They rounded up the kids and with hugs, kisses, and several more minutes of advice, they finally left, and I made my way to the recording studio.
Tomorrow, I needed to make sure I started on time or my bandmates were gonna get pissed off.
When I walked through the doorway, I sniffed the air. "Can I smell… burning?"
Roman looked at me. "We didn't want to bother you, but when we walked in, that smell was around and look at your drumsticks." He picked one up. It had singe marks on it, the mark of fingerprints burned into it.
"I think your recording studio might be haunted." He said. "Or possessed."
"Don't be absurd. There's a whole mansion over there to haunt, why would someone choose a recording studio?"
"Well, I've Googled." Roman said, and it would appear that this land once held a cottage dwelling on it. The father of the house went insane due to syphilis affecting his brain and he burned the house down with his wife and children in it. Maybe he still haunts the place?
My mouth downturned. "I don't want a haunted recording studio. I don't like ghosts."
Noah snorted. "You're friends with a whole host of paranormal creatures and you still don't like ghosts?"
"I was afraid of the dark when I was little, and my bastard brothers used to run around dressed in sheets with the eyes cut out. It's left a deep, psychological scar." I confessed.
"Oh God, yeah. I remember you telling me that." Roman said. "I'm sure it's nothing. We haven't seen any other evidence. Maybe one of the kids got in here, or your dad had a crafty cigarette somewhere where your mum wouldn't find him?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, that'll be it. It'll have been Dad." I exhaled, my relief palpable. Then a fiery skeleton appeared sitting on my drumkit. I screamed at the top of my lungs. Though I wanted to run away, I was frozen to the spot, watching as the grinning aflame skeleton banged on my drumkit and laughed menacingly.
And then the demon skeleton turned into Aaron, the security guy from Abaddon, and my bandmates creased with laughter.
"You total utter bastards. I'm gonna kill you all." I roared. But they were too busy being hysterical to care.
Eventually, Roman caught my eye and I understood. "Well played, Roman, well played." I told him. "We'll call us even but do that again and you'd better run fast."
Aaron got off my drum kit and came forward shaking my hand. "My apologies, but it was nice to have a little fun. There hasn't been much of that lately in the seventh dimension."
Aaron was Abaddon the destroyer's right-hand man. A seemingly cool, calm, and collected guy who did his best to keep Don in check while making him think it was all his own idea.
"How is the big bad?" I asked. Zak's expression was wary, but then again it hadn't been a week yet since he'd been free of the deal he'd made with Don to supply him with souls.
"He's fine." Aaron looked at Zak. "Don't look so scared. He's forgotten all about you. That's how he works. You were a very small cog in his wheel of evil."
"Thank fuck for that." Zak choked out.
"Well, thank you for portalling over to help us out. I appreciate you have much better things to do with your time." Roman said.
"Hey, it was no problem at all. Like I said, fun is not in plentiful supply in this job, so it made a very pleasant change."
"Want to hang around for the rest of the morning with us?" I asked him.
"I'd absolutely love to." He replied.