THE LAST SECRET KEEPER Secret Keeper series books 1-4

CHAPTER 19

It was impossible to sleep after looking into the eyes of the undead, and Lanecea was officially "chicken-liver," a name she called herself after being inspired by the name on a can of cat food years ago. It suited her perfectly. Lanecea was officially chicken-liver and was terrified of the man she'd lived with for years - a man she had foolishly thought would have been a knight in shining armor in comparison to Deklan's shapeshifter father.

Pushing those memories to the back of her mind along with the tangled blankets, Lani gave up on trying to sleep. Tip-toeing down the side of the stairs so the creaking wouldn't awaken Jorken, Lanecea reached for her laptop and began working on her latest non-fiction. It was a work of love and took her mind off her circumstances, but it was far more than that. If Lani was successful, she would be one step closer to becoming a certified genealogist and could travel. Surely her clients wouldn't mind if she brought her son and, if she played her cards right, they would never return. The soft clicking of the keyboard as she typed furiously was filled with hope, but long before dawn, the keyboard was silent save for the occasional click as Lanecea switched to another picture and then another.

There was no mistake Lanecea realized with horror as goosebumps dusted her skin. Dad was sleeping by now, but she couldn't resist sending him a message he'd hopefully see before leaving for his doctor's appointment.

"Dad, Jorken is a vampire. Here's proof. That's why...it all makes sense now. He's a vampire!"

Apparently Lorenzo wasn't sleeping yet.

"Of course he is. I thought you knew... You're surrounded by vampires, Sweetheart. What are you doing up? I thought I told you to go to bed?"

"I can't sleep so I got up to work on my cemetery book that I am writing. I can't shake this feeling so decided to do some research... I had no idea he was undead..."

"Stop writing your cemetery book. I need you to work on another project - one that will help the wolves. I want you to write a work of fiction that will expose the vampires. You need to be careful - very careful - but I believe in you. It needs to shed light on their operation. Tell the truth, but be sure you weave it in so as not to..."

"I know what you mean and what you expect of me. I won't disappoint," Lanecea didn't mean to interrupt but couldn't help it, her brain already whirring with the perfect story plot, after all, her own grandfather had signed his soul over to the vampires. "I'll begin writing it tonight - it will be epic!"

"Go to bed. You will begin writing in the morning. Goodnight, Lanecea. Dream of greatness."

"Yes, Dad. Goodnight."

Lanecea was so excited about her new book that she could barely breathe as she obeyed the elderly Italian who cared.

****

Deklan had an amazing memory, the boy able to remember every point on Lanecea's "Be Careful Not To..." list - that list constantly on-going. 

Lanecea had a cold sweat as she listened to her son recite the list of things he couldn't do the moment Jorken walked in the door, or there would be hell to pay.

"Perfect. You remembered everything. Now, here's my phone. Stay upstairs and play your games until I call you down for supper. Don't come down even if you level up - you can tell me all about it when I join you later." Lanecea paused, holding her breath for a long moment as she listened to hear if Jorken was parking his vehicle. 

False alarm.

Releasing her breath, Lani kissed her son's cheek before nudging him towards the staircase, adding a "hurry!" for good measure.