Read Online Family Secrets (Young Adult Edition) (Davenport Manor (Young Adult Edition)) by Melissa Zaroski - Free Book Online

from me,
you do not want to go down that path.” His tone was urgent,
practically desperate and pleading. His face didn’t exude anger, it
looked more worried.
    Todd pushed his chair back and stood
up, with a snarky tone he replied, “I think I’ll take my chances.”
He ambled out of the dining room and headed to makeup.
    Zachariah was torn; he didn’t know
what else he could do to deter Todd from getting involved with Emma
without seeming like a jealous freak. When Todd first arrived at
the Manor, he was admittedly resentful of him. Emma openly spoke of
her attraction to him, but he was used to her interest in other men
after all these years. He should have known she would charm him and
he would, in turn, be attracted to her as well. But, he was also
insanely jealous, as the connection between Todd and Emma seemed to
be more than just at a sexual level. Emma being with others didn’t
bother him because the other men she was with were always vampires.
She rarely had any emotional connection with them that went beyond
friendship. Aidan was the only exception to that rule as he was her
maker and she was as devoted to him as Zachariah was to
her.
    On the other hand,
Zachariah felt bad for Todd because he clearly had no idea of the
danger that lied ahead. He himself had been down this path well
over a century ago and he had not seen Emma behave this way with a
human ever since he was a human. How was he supposed to warn Todd that if Emma
ended up falling for him, he may end up immortal? You can’t just
slip that into a casual conversation.
    Now he had caused an awkward tension
between him and Todd—who now thought that he was the jealous ex who
just couldn’t get over her. He didn’t like seeming pathetic, he was
much too proud. After spending some time with clashing thoughts
running through his head, Zachariah decided that this really wasn’t
his battle. He tried the best he could, but he would just have to
sit back and let things unfold how they may.
    During their lunch break from filming
in the afternoon, Zachariah walked over to Todd who was eating his
lunch.
    “ What now?” Todd asked
while chewing, not looking at Zachariah.
    “ I just want to apologize,
man. I was out of line. I don’t want awkwardness here, you know?
I’m stepping back, she’s all yours.”
    Todd swallowed his food and slowly
turned to look at him. “I appreciate that,” he started. He wasn’t a
confrontational person and didn’t want drama in his life. He
continued, “I’ll be good to her, you know. She’s unlike anyone I
have ever met.”
    He nodded, “I know, she’s
one-of-a-kind. Just be careful. That’s all I’m saying.”
    “ What? Is she an axe
murderer or something?” he chortled.
    Zachariah smiled, “No, she definitely
does not yield an axe.” He patted Todd on the back once and walked
away.

    The next few days of filming went
smoothly and the cast and crew always congregated in the grand
parlor in the evenings. It actually gave Todd a chance to get to
know some of the other people on the crew since he was completely
focused on Emma when she was there. The tension between Zachariah
and Todd had mostly dissipated, but some of it still lingered. At
the very least, they were able to hold civil conversations with
each other.
    Todd’s cell phone dinged in his pocket
indicating a text message. When he saw it was from Emma his heart
did a skip and Zachariah glanced at him. It read:
    “Hey Todd, are you busy
right now?”
    He smiled and immediately
texted back, “No, I’m all
yours.”
    “Good, let’s head upstairs and have a
little chat.” He heard a cheerful voice coming from behind him. He
turned around and there stood Emma in the archway.
    “You’re back!” He jumped up off the
couch and hugged her tight. She smelled of her Burberry as
usual…with a faint hint of airplane. “Why didn’t you tell me you
were coming back today?”
    “I wanted to surprise you!” She
responded, grinning from ear to ear. My