Unbreakable

It can’t be… can it?

I couldn’t move. It felt like my body had turned to stone, like something deep inside me had frozen in place when my eyes landed on the honey-blonde man standing near the bookstore’s door.

Jeffrey.

My father.

He didn’t look much different than ten years ago.

He hadn’t aged.

If anything, he looked… untouched by time.

Paler, yes. Sharper around the edges. There was something quieter about him now. Something still. Something inhuman.

Immortal.

And then I realized—we were the same.

I could hear it.

Feel it.

The same rhythm of heartbeat. The same unnatural steadiness. The same absence of warmth. The same scent beneath the surface—ancient, predatory, eternal.

He was a vampire.

No wonder he hadn’t returned.

No wonder Fredrick couldn’t find him. His scent had changed, completely.

It felt like a lifetime ago—not ten months—when everything began to unravel. Graduating high school. Discovering my Nephilim origin. Becoming a vampire. Marrying Nick. Training. Surviving. Ally getting kidnapped and tortured by sirens.

And killing the vampire Council barely two hours ago.

My entire life had shattered and rebuilt itself in less than a year.

And somehow—he was here.

Though Jeffrey’s fashion had changed.

He wore dark jeans, a neat bluish button-up dress shirt beneath a dark green winter coat, and midnight boots dusted with snow. A thin, light-blue scarf rested loosely around his neck, stirring slightly with the cold air every time he breathed.

He looked… real.

Tears swelled in my eyes as I studied his face.

His light brown gaze met mine.

My breathing quickened.

His eyes widened slightly, and I saw it—the same disbelief. The same shock. The same fragile hope.

He hadn’t expected to see me either.

“Dad.”

The word barely left my lips.

My feet moved before my mind could catch up. The bookstore blurred around me as I crossed the distance between us.

Then, my arms were around him.

My face buried in his chest.

He stiffened for only a fraction of a second—then his arms came around me, firm and sure. He pulled me closer, ducking his head into my hair as if anchoring himself to the moment.

As if making sure I wasn’t a dream.

“You’re real,” I whispered against his coat. “And you’re here.”

A quiet chuckle vibrated through his chest.

The sound hit me harder than anything else.

Familiar.

Achingly familiar.

“It’s good to see you too, darling,” he whispered into my blonde hair.

My chest tightened at the nickname.

Darling.

A small, broken piece of my childhood slid back into place.

It felt good.

Too good.

He was here.

Alive.

Real.

And for once, I wasn’t waking up from it.

He pulled back slowly, his hands lingering on my arms as his eyes searched my face, studying every detail.

“You’re full immortal,” he noted, his brows furrowing slightly.

I tilted my head, a small smirk forming.

“Just like you.”

His eyebrow lifted, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him with the faintest smile. His gaze drifted past me.

I followed it.

Nick stood a few feet away, beside a tall bookshelf, pretending to examine the spines of old mystery novels.

Pretending.

I knew he’d seen everything. Heard everything.

He was giving me space.

Like he always did.

My heart softened.

I stepped toward him and slipped my hand into his. His fingers immediately tightened around mine, grounding me.

He looked down at me, his chocolate eyes soft, reassuring.

I gently tugged him forward.

Jeffrey had always possessed the same gift I did—the ability to read people easily. To see beneath masks. Professor Rhine had once said I inherited it from him.

“Dad, this is Nick,” I introduced.

Jeffrey’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Nick—not with hostility, but with careful evaluation.

“And this is my father, Jeffrey,” I told Nick.

Nick extended his hand, like the proper gentleman he was.

Jeffrey accepted it.

Their handshake was firm. Measured.

“It’s nice to see that I had someone to take care of my daughter while I was gone,” Jeffrey said with a small grin.

Nick chuckled nervously, ducking his head.

“She’s become the main point of my life, sir,” Nick replied, glancing down at me.

Warmth spread through my chest.

I squeezed his hand.

“I’m sorry I missed the wedding.”

My eyes snapped back to Jeffrey.

Nick’s did too.

Jeffrey chuckled at our reaction.

“I saw the rings,” he said, glancing at our joined hands.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Of course, he noticed.

And I wondered… if this was how Nick and the Moons felt every time I pointed out a detail they didn’t see?

Nick shifted slightly beside me.

“Why don’t you and your father catch up?” he suggested, gently. “I need to check on Ally anyway.”

I wasn’t sure if Ally was the real reason—or just an excuse.

Probably both.

I knew Nick wanted to give me breathing space with all of this. Knew that I missed Jeffrey more then I dared to admit to him. Knew that I needed time with Jeffrey.

“That’s if my dad doesn’t have anything else to do,” I said, glancing at Jeffrey.

Jeffrey rocked back on his heels, smirking.

“Are you kidding? I haven’t seen you in ten years, darling.”

My heart jumped again at the nickname.

“Good point,” I agreed.

Nick looked down at me.

“I’ll see you soon, angel,” he said softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I rose onto my toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, squeezing his hand one last time.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, sir,” Nick said to Jeffrey.

Jeffrey frowned slightly.

“Please call me Jeffrey. I feel old when you call me sir.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Nick chuckled and nodded.

His fingers lingered slightly longer than usual before slipping out of mine—like he didn’t fully want to.

And just like that, the space beside me felt colder.

I knew it bothered him—leaving me alone with the man who had abandoned me a decade ago.

But he understood.

I needed this.

Answers.

I gave Nick a reassuring smile before he stepped out of the store.

Jeffrey glanced toward the bookstore door where Nick had disappeared, the bell above it still swaying faintly from his exit.

“He’s very polite,” Jeffrey noted, his voice thoughtful. “Maybe he was born around the fifties?”

A surprised laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I covered my mouth, shaking my head.

“Is that why you feel uneasy with him calling you sir?” I asked, smirking.

Jeffrey chuckled softly, the sound warm despite the cold air surrounding us.

“He cares deeply about you,” he said.

His eyes shifted to mine again, searching, as if trying to read the years he had missed.

“That’s all that matters to me.”

Something in my chest loosened.

For so long, I had imagined this moment differently.

Accusations.

Anger.

Pain.

But standing here now, all I felt was something far more fragile.

Relief.

Jeffrey nodded toward the door.

“Let’s get out of town and take a stroll through the forest.”

I nodded immediately, not trusting my voice.

The cold Alaskan air hit my face the moment we stepped outside. Snow blanketed everything in soft white layers, covering the sidewalks, the rooftops, the parked cars. The sky hung low and grey, heavy with the promise of more snowfall. Pine trees lined the street, their branches weighed down, bending slightly under the weight.

Without thinking, I slipped my arm through Jeffrey’s.

The contact felt strange.

Familiar.

He glanced down at me, surprised, before chuckling under his breath.

We began walking down the quiet street, our boots crunching softly against the packed snow.

“So,” he said after a moment, “what are you doing in Alaska?”

“Nick and I moved here about a month ago with his family,” I explained.

“His family?” Jeffrey asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Yes. His adoptive family. Who is now mine, too.” I smiled faintly. “They treat me like a sister and daughter. They understand my problems better than anyone else, I guess.”

I paused before asking, “What about you? What are you doing in Alaska?”

He opened his mouth and shut it again.

Even without touching him, I could feel the shift in his emotions. Careful. Measured.

“I live here,” he admitted, finally.

The words settled heavily between us.

I stared down at the snow beneath our feet, watching our footprints form side by side.

The silence wasn’t awkward, just tense. I had so many questions, but no idea where to start—and at the same time, I was afraid to ask, worried it would only cause more damage to our already broken bond.

“I thought…” I began quietly.

Jeffrey studied me, softly, waiting.

I opened my mouth, but only caught a quick breath before shutting it again.

“You thought?” he prompted gently.

“I thought you were dead,” I admitted. “For a few years.”

Jeffrey was quiet, looking out at the frozen trees. But he glanced at me, showing that he was listening.

I swallowed.

“Professor Rhine said he didn’t know where you were. Or if you were still alive.” I continued.

Jeffrey stopped walking then, arm dropping form mine.

I stopped beside him, holding my breath.

“You know Professor Rhine?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Nick and his family introduced me to him not long ago. When my powers started to show. He helped me understand them. Helped me control them better.”

I swallowed again.

“Before that, I got a letter from you.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“And that made me realize you were still alive.”

Jeffrey’s brows knitted together, eyes staring at the snow at our feet. Slowly, he began walking again.

I followed him, his paste slower now.

“So,” he said carefully, “you’ve been tracking me through Professor Rhine? In the Perpetual Realm?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I found out you attended the academy when you were younger. But you left because you wanted a normal life.”

I glanced up at him.

“I didn’t expect to find you here. But… I think a part of me always knew I would.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

I gave a small shrug, though my heartbeat was racing.

“Oh, come on, Dad. I know about our family. About what we are. About Grandma and her visions.” I hesitated. “I have them too.”

His head snapped toward me, brown eyes full of concern.

“You can foresee the future?”

He sounded stunned, but worried. His own heart was beating faster now, too.

“It started when I was sixteen.” I said, sheepishly. “Dreams at first. Then visions after I became immortal.”

He fell quiet for a moment, keeping pace with my slow steps. I watched his brows knit together, then lift again, his gaze drifting to the sky like he might find the answer there.

But it wasn’t confusion.

I could see it in the tightness around his eyes, in the way his jaw flexed just slightly before he forced it still. He knew exactly what to say—he just didn’t want to say it.

Or maybe… he didn’t know how.

“What exactly did Professor Rhine tell you about me?” he asked, finally.

“Only about our family history. Our abilities. He didn’t know where you were.” I paused. “I think he’d be happy to hear from you.”

Jeffrey chuckled—but it wasn’t amused.

It was uncomfortable.

“Dad?” I asked.

He paused, looking back at me.

“It surprises me,” he said slowly, “that Professor Rhine could lie to us.”

My steps faltered.

“Wait.”

I stopped walking entirely.

Snow crunched beneath my boots.

Jeffrey stopped beside me.

“Professor Rhine lied to me?”

Jeffrey looked down at me, something almost apologetic in his eyes.

“He knew I was here, Janelle. We crossed paths after I became immortal.” He admitted.

The words struck harder than expected.

The cold suddenly felt sharper.

Bitter.

Over all the years of reading people, I’d learned how to see what they were truly thinking—or hiding. The way their voice shifted, the subtle tells in their body language… it all spoke louder than words.

Professor Rhine was different. Mysterious, like most immortals. Yet he always seemed gentle, open—offering support wherever he could.

And at the same time… he was firm.

My gaze fell to the snow.

“I can’t believe—”

“Don’t be upset with him,” Jeffrey said gently. “He always does what he believes is best.”

I frowned.

“How can you say that?”

He sighed.

“You’ll understand one day.”

AUTHOR NOTE:

The wait is over, Janelle's story is back with a lot more danger, romance, drama and unexpected turns. Please leave comments about your thoughts of this chapter, and of Jeffrey so far. New chapters will be released soon.