He strolled in casually but the air around him buzzed with excitement.
It was the first time I'd seen him like this. His clothes were not tattered but extravagant. He wore long flowing blue robes trimmed in gold leaf. His face hidden in a deep hood.
As he approached us I pushed Bella behind me.
He stopped, humming to himself, and slipped off his outer robe. He tossed it onto my bed. Underneath his outfit was outlandishly lavish. It glimmered with precious stones.
He walked the room in measured steps, "I must say, Preston, this isn't the best place you've ever found," His fingers brushed the table gently. "Dusty," He chuckled.
He must have been following us this whole time. I felt my stomach turn to lead. He'd been toying with us.
His eyes snapped up to meet mine. For the first time, I looked into his new eyes, one of his eyes was identical to mine and our father's, a clear, pale blue. But the other eye shone white.
He was getting worse.
Bella stirred behind me, a gasp of horror escaping her mouth, "Jadyn, what's happening to you?"
His full attention turned to her.
I watched a smile grow on his face, it reminded me of his old smile, but something was off. When he spoke it was soft and affectionate, "Bella, my sweet Bella." He held his arms out to embrace her. "How I've missed you."
She pressed herself into my back, "Don't touch me! Leave us alone!"
He stopped abruptly. His face fell, replaced by a hurt expression, "Bella…? It's me."
She clung to my back, her grip tightening. This had to stop.
"Don't get any closer!" I shouted.
His expression twisted. Rage flowed in rivers off his very skin. His human look morphed into something wicked.
"What lies has he told you, Bella?!" He screamed.
She recoiled farther, but his attention had turned to me.
"You turned her against me!" He screamed.
"You did that yourself," I replied coldly.
"Liar! You're trying to take her from me," He snarled, and his eye flashed brighter and brighter, "All I came for was a little chat with my family."
I glared daggers at him and he in return glared back. I wanted to hit him, to make him feel a fraction of what I felt. The sorrow, the grief. I clenched my fists. In turn, he looked delighted.
"Please, Jadyn, Preston," Bella begged, "Please calm down."
That brought me back to my senses.
Jadyn stopped, and a shadow of a smile returned to his face, "Of course Bella. I apologize."
He walked away from us and toward the wood stove in the corner. It was only now I saw it had been lit, he pulled something out of the stove, "I think a reunion dinner is in order now that we are all here."
"We both know you didn't come here to play house," I quipped.
He smiled slightly as he brought back a steaming platter of fine foods. Juicy meat with sweet-smelling sauce, vegetables in bright colours, and even a tiny cake.
All Bella's favourites.
Her eyes widened. We hadn't been able to get this kind of food since we'd escaped, we ate scraps of whatever we could find.
I was already losing her as she took Jadyn's gift.