Emmett's Mate: The Adopted Swan

Chapter 13

*Outfit above*

Grace's POV

The following morning I woke up alone. I rolled over and saw a note on my nightstand. I quickly read it. 'Grace, Carlisle called when you were sleeping and he wanted me back home so I won't be able to see you when you get up. I will be back later to pick you, Skyla, and Norae up. Love Emmett'. A small smile made its way on my face as I climbed out of bed. I placed the letter in a shoebox that was inside my closet. I kept every letter that Emmett ever gave me in the shoebox.

I got dressed in a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt I stole from Emmett when we first started dating. After I got dressed I went to the bathroom and took care of my business. I put on a little bit of nude makeup. A knock on the bathroom door broke me from my thoughts. I opened the door to find Bella on the other side. I walked out of the room and I saw her roll her eyes at me. I just shook my head and walked downstairs.

I made myself a peanut butter bagel and a glass of chocolate milk. I looked at the time and saw that Skyla and her mom would be here in a few hours. After breakfast, I washed all my dishes before going back to my room and gathering all of the Wicca books that Norae had let me borrow for my training. During one of our first sessions, Norae showed me her family Book of Shadows. She told me that every magical family has one. It is a collection of knowledge from every generation before us. She once commented that she would love to look at my family's Book of Shadow. I wasn't sure where it was and then I remembered what I heard when I had my accident "Ask your father. He will be able to tell you everything."

After putting all of the books into my bag, I went downstairs to find Dad. It wasn't that hard. He was sitting on the couch, a baseball game playing in the background, with his fishing equipment next to him as well as some cleaner. I walked over and sat down next to him.

A few moments of silence passed before I asked, "hey dad. Do we still have anything from the orphanage?"

"Like what?" He asked, looking at me.

"Like something from my mother. When I had my accident, I could've sworn that I heard a voice tell me that my mother left something for my protection and that I would ask my father about it."

"That's oddly specific. I can look later today but I'm not exactly sure what you are talking about."

"I'm not sure either. Thanks, dad."

"No problem kiddo."

We sat in a comfortable silence until the doorbell rang. I made a move to get up when I heard a snotty voice.

"Oh, it's you," Bella said. "Where's Edward?"

"Not sure. I'm here to pick up Grace, is she ready?"

"Right here!" I called from the living room. "Dad, I'll be back later. Don't wait up."

"Emmett, you keep her safe!" Dad hollered from his spot on the couch.

"Will do, Charlie," Emmett said as we left.

Emmett had to help me into his truck before he ran to the driver's side to get in. On the way to Skyla's house, Emmett refused to let go of my hand. Norae and Skyla were waiting outside for us to pick them up. They were both taller than me so getting in the lifter truck was less of a struggle. It was a quiet drive to Emmett's house, nobody really wanted to break the silence. As Emmett pulled into the garage, Norae said, "it's gonna be okay." I nodded my head in response. We walked up the stairs and into the living room. Jasper was sitting on the couch with some sort of nature documentary on. Rose was helping Esme cook in the kitchen and Dimitri was watching them. Alice and Edward were nowhere to be seen but that didn't surprise me. Carlisle met us on the steps, he must've been in his home office when he heard us enter, and welcomed us into their home.

"So Emmett, tells us there is something you would like to discuss," Carlisle said, getting right to the point.

I wasn't sure how to start this conversation. Do I just blurt it out and wait for the questions? Do I explain the history before admitting that I'm a witch? Thankfully Norae and Skyla seemed to notice my panic because Skyla took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze while Norae took over the explanation.

"There is no good way to say this but here it is. We're witches, me, my daughter, and Grace," Norae said.

"Like actual witches?" Rose asked skeptically.

"Actual witches. Only we don't use wands and rarely cast spells. Grace only recently discovered her powers, after the accident in the school parking lot. I've been teaching her basic spells to get her power under control."

"Grace, why didn't you tell us?"

I took a deep breath before facing my friend. "I was scared. First I died and when I came back I was granted these powers that I didn't understand. I was scared of everything... my powers, myself, how you would react... you've all become my family and I can't lose any of you." Somewhere in my declaration, I found myself curled into Emmett's embrace. When I was done, I was tugged into a different cold body. The fingers running through my hair told me that it was Rose.

She and I stayed like that for a few minutes while everyone else migrated to the dining room for lunch. I could still feel Emmett's presence behind me, showing nothing but unwavering support. When she pulled away, I could see the venom pooling in her eyes. It was impossible for her to cry but I knew the unshed tears were for me. Rose gently wiped away my tears before holding on to my hand. Emmett stepped forward and placed his arm around my shoulder and led the two of us to the dining table.

Lunch was nice. We stayed away from any heavy topics and answered any questions that the Cullens had. As predicted, Carlisle had a ton. Most were from Norae and they were about witchcraft in general. Dimitri was concerned about how he could prank his brother, like I would ever use my powers against Emmett. Rose was pretty quiet but she did make conversation with Skyla. Jasper was the only one who didn't ask any questions. One could think that he was simply ignoring everyone but I knew it was the furthest thing from the truth. He was simply gathering all the facts before he spoke. After the witch topic was over, it was amazing to see the two families interact. Esme and Norae were talking about different cooking techniques as Carlisle watched his wife and mate fondly. Dimitri was baiting Skyla into using her powers and it almost worked, until Esme scolded him. Rose just watched her childish mate get scolded by his mother, shaking her head at his antics. Jasper was still rather rigid. I placed my hand on his arm before motioning towards the patio. We both excused ourselves before going outside.

"Are you okay?" I asked after the door was sealed shut. "You've been rather quiet today."

He gave me a small smile. "I'm alright, just..."

"Gathering the facts," I finished.

We shared a small chuckle before sitting in silence. That's one of the great things about Jasper, you could sit in silence without it being awkward. I'm not sure how long we stayed there just taking in our surroundings but I could feel myself getting cold as the sun started to set.

"Hey," Emmett softly said behind us, "are you ready to go? Skyla and Norae have to get back."

"Sure," I said, standing up.

"You being a witch doesn't change how I feel about you," Jasper said suddenly. He slowly stood up and walked over to me. "You will always be my best friend and sister." He wrapped his arms around me and I did the same to him. I was relieved to hear that he didn't hate me or see me any different.

We let go of each other only for Emmett to grab hold of my hand. I gave a small wave to everyone else before leaving the house. As usual, Emmett had to help me into his truck. Everyone got situated and buckled before Emmett drove us home. We dropped off Norae and Skyla first before going to my house.

"Do you want me to stay?" Emmett asked, putting the car in park.

"Is that even a question?" I scoffed. He gave me a small chuckle before coming around to help me.