By the following morning, I woke up to discover Mr. Collin and part of his clan, including the fathers' of Jack, Glenn, and Rome, had all arrived sometime last night. With my fever gone, some of us boarded the airplane back home while everybody else traveled back in their shadowy forms. During the whole flight, I sensed the tension brewing within the silence of Kai and his father.
"Is everything alright?" I inquired of Kai after his father had gone to speak with the pilots.
"Everything's fine," Kai murmured as his breath skimmed against my hair when he pressed a kiss to my temple.
Though I knew he was lying, I decided not to press the matter. Once we finally made it back to America and reached the mansion, Kai and I hurried to his parent's bedroom to greet the newborn vampire and visit his mother.
"Victoria, thank goodness you're okay!" Mrs. Collin joyfully exclaimed once we entered the room.
She was resting in bed, and beside her hip, we noticed there was a basket bassinet.
Kai and I sat on the opposite sides of her mattress, and she warmly hugged me.
"I promise I've been fine," I cooed in her arms, briefly embracing the hug.
Though her arms were still slightly discolored from giving birth, she looked fabulous, which signified how well Mr. Collin had tended to his wife and their newborn offspring.
Beside me, sleeping peacefully in the basket bassinet, I gazed down at the small infant. For a vampire infant, his figure was tiny and fragile. While the newborn vampire still resembled Mr. Collin, he shared more characteristics with Vincent, Mrs. Collin's father. Instead of having that raven black hair like his older brothers, Chester and Kai, his fluffy locks were chocolate brown, and his lips were slightly thinner. As he wiggled in his sleep, his eyes cracked open just enough to reveal that he had inherited the same dreamy blue eye color as Mrs. Collin and his older sister, Veronica.
"He's so precious," I whispered in awe, marveling at the tiny bundle of cuteness.
As the infant vampire yawned, Kai peered over his mother's frail body, stealing a peek at his tiny little brother.
"Congratulations, mother," Kai murmured, kissing his mother's forehead. "I'm glad I'm no longer the baby."
Mrs. Collin lightly giggled at his teasing remark. "You'll always be my baby," she softly countered, playfully putting Kai in his place, which I found outright hilarious.
At a loss for words, Kai chuckled, shaking his head without another comment. Just as she was going to say something else, Mr. Collin entered.
Warm smiles were directed at his wife and me, but when his gaze met his son's, there was an intense glare exchanged between them until Kai veered away. After Mr. Collin grabbed an extra jacket from the closet, he left the bedroom without announcing where he was going.
Fully aware of the tension between her husband and son, Mrs. Collin took Kai's hand and sighed. "I know you're upset about your grandpa Vlad, but don't be mad at your father."
"It's hard not to be," Kai bitterly replied, though he kept his tone soft and respectful with his mother.
Her eyes softened before she revealed, "Honey, he can't tell you because Vlad put him under his alpha authority as the Headmaster."
Upset, Kai sighed, briefly shutting his eyes, "Why didn't Dad tell me?"
"He was forbidden to say anything about it," Mrs. Collin explained as her frown revealed the long-awaited truth.
"How could Grandpa Vlad do this to me?" Kai softly growled. "Why would he do something so foolish to his Coven?"
"He was heartbroken to lose you. We all were," Mrs. Collin sighed as sadness visibly trembled on her lips. "Not long after Vlad had signed the Imperial Palace as a Continental grounds with the other Superior Headmasters, he disappeared with your Grandma Serena and his clan sometime around the 16th century, after he placed your father in charge of the Coven."
"Like how I couldn't wait for Victoria's birth, Vlad chose to sleep without wanting to be disturbed until this next coming Brightest Blue Moon because he couldn't bear the pain of waiting for my return for another millennium..." His voice wavered as he looked at me. "Around the same millennium Victoria was destined to be born," Kai finished, piecing together the story behind Vlad's disappearance.
Aligned perfectly with the timeframe of my existence, Vlad had pre-planned his return just a month before the Blue Moon. While Kai might have disputes with his father, he and Vlad share an unbreakable bond. Alas, Kai's disappearance burdened Vlad to the point where he could no longer deal with that pain, so he hid himself away. If only Vlad realized that we are in dire need of his help and cannot wait that long.
Mrs. Collin nodded before confessing, "You should also know I was there that day Vlad put your father in charge and under his alpha authority."
"You didn't tell me beforehand?" Kai questioned in a calmer demeanor towards his mother.
"Vlad trusted that I would intervene when the time was right," his mother affirmed, expressing a softer smile. "You need to stop fighting with your father and work with him."
As I listened to their conversation, it remained unclear whether he would heed her guidance since he had no response to it.
Instead, Kai swallowed hard, absorbing all the newly uncovered information before he leaned down and kissed his mother's forehead one last time.
"You should rest," he advised her with a smile before gesturing to me that we were departing.
I gave her another hug before following Kai out the door. Once we entered our bedroom, he withdrew something out of his suit's pocket.
"I have a Valentine's Day gift for you," Kai whispered, placing a papyrus in my palm.
The telltale drumming of my heartbeat rapidly increased as I recognized the papyrus.
In near shock, I inquired softly, "How did you find this?"
"It was inside the museum. I wrote it for you, so it's only right to return it to you. I hope it's suitable since I didn't get a chance to go shopping," Kai smiled, revealing it to me.
Emotions swelled within my heart, and I could only hug him tightly. Overcoming the hardship we faced together with Orlando's interference, this papyrus ended up being more meaningful to me than I had ever realized it would be in the end.
Unaware of it at the time, but the papyrus symbolizes the beginning of my true destiny of finding my destined mate. Now that I am finally on the right path, far away from those deceptive Mills, we only need to figure out where Vlad and his clan have hidden themselves.
"It's more than perfect, Kai. Happy Valentine's Day." I whispered, planting a kiss on his lips.