The Suck Stops Here

by Kristen Painter

  His brows went up. “You’re attending?”

  “Yes. She was my grandsire, after all. And I was with her at the end. Seems appropriate.”

  “The Prime was right. You are a constant surprise.” He stood. “I’ll give you a week to decide. No more. The vampire nation cannot remain rudderless for longer.”

  She got to her feet as well. “How do I contact you?”

  “You don’t. I’ll contact you.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, that’s not going to work for me. You’ve already ghosted me once.” She held out her hand. “I want your info.”

  “That is highly unusual.”

  “So is finding out my father is now an errand boy for the vampire head honcho, but look at me going with it.”

  He frowned, reached into his jacket, and produced a business card. It was embossed with the same insignia that was on his ring. “Do not give this information to anyone else.”

  “Outside of my admin, I won’t.”

  His frown remained in place. “Just because you amuse the Prime doesn’t mean everyone feels that way. Remember that, Belladonna.”

  “No problem. I learned how to deal with not being liked a long time ago.”

  “I can see myself out.”

  She let him go. She had too much on her mind to care what the proper etiquette was. She sank back into the chair and thought about everything he’d said.

  A few soft footsteps told her that Pierce and Cammie had entered the room. They walked around to the couch so she could see them. Both of them looked extremely concerned.

  She did her best to smile so they wouldn’t think the world was ending. It wasn’t. Not really. But she had a huge decision to make and no real desire to make it.

  “You okay?” Pierce asked.

  “You look worried,” Cammie said.

  “I meant to call you in, but obviously that didn’t happen.” Donna didn’t want to do this twice. She stood. “Let’s go back upstairs so I can talk to all of you at the same time.”

  Pierce nodded, and they started toward the stairs that led to the penthouse.

  “Oh, Cammie, don’t say anything to Christina about who that was. Those two do not need to know each other. Not that he expressed an interest. He seems perfectly happy with his new life.”

  Cammie snorted in displeasure. “I won’t say a word.”

  “Thanks. She’s got enough going on with pregnancy hormones taking over her body. The last thing she needs is to know her long-lost grandfather is a vampire too.”

  “Agreed,” Cammie said as they started up the stairs.

  Donna looked at Pierce, who was right behind her. “Gather everyone but Christina into the conference room.”

  “Will do.”

  Donna massaged the back of her neck.

  “Tired?” Cammie asked.

  “Yes, but it’s not a physical tired so much as it’s mental exhaustion.”

  Cammie slipped her arm around Donna’s shoulders as they climbed. “Whatever it is, you won’t have to deal with it alone.”

  “Thanks.” Donna appreciated the thought, but the decision was still hers to make. And she’d be the one bearing the brunt of whatever that decision was.

  Concern lingered in Cammie’s eyes. “You want something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Wine?”

  “Wine.” Donna looked at her sister. “You have to ask?”

  She laughed as they hit the landing. “Not really.”

  Pierce held the door for them. They went through and into the penthouse. Laughter echoed from the dining room.

  Donna hated that she was about to put an end to that. Such was her life, though. Bombs dropped at regular intervals.

  How much worse would it be if she were queen?

  Donna took a sip of the red wine Cammie had brought her, then set the glass on the conference table as Charlie, Temo, and Neo joined her, Cammie, and Pierce. Cammie had gotten some wine for herself, and a few others had drinks as well.

  As Charlie sat, she glanced at Donna. “Christina’s gone to bed. Lucky went with her.”

  “Thanks,” Donna said. “I’m sure she’s tired after traveling.”

  “She was yawning,” Cammie said. “And Lucky never misses a chance to go to bed, does he?”

  “Nope.” The big black and white cat loved to sleep. Donna smiled at everyone gathered around the table. “I’m sorry I had to cut the evening’s festivities short, but I am so grateful to you all for making Christina feel at home. Especially since she’s probably going to be with us for a while once the baby gets closer.”

  Charlie had her notebook and pen ready to go. “Is she coming with us to the funeral, then?”

  “Yes. And since we’re on that subject, let me start there before I get to the big news. As you all know, Christina is pregnant. She plans to marry the young man responsible and very much wants me to meet his parents.”

  “Oh boy,” Neo said.

  Donna nodded. “I’m aware of the pitfalls down that road, trust me. But I’ll be on my best human behavior. And not just because they know about my connections to the Villachis and my soon-to-be-ex-husband’s criminal dealings. I don’t want them to know anything about my new life.”

  She reached for her wine again. Thinking about Joe did that to her. She took a quick sip, then went on. “As it happens, the Millers live in Timberville, Indiana, which is on our way to Lebanon, Kansas, for Artemis’s funeral. So we’ll be stopping. I’m sure I’ll end up having dinner with them, or something like that. Anyway, I don’t anticipate it taking too long. Cammie, I know you were thinking about staying behind on this trip, but I’d like you to come with me to meet these people, seeing as how you are Christina’s aunt.”

  Cammie nodded. “Sure. And I can give you a signal if your fangs are showing.”

  Donna laughed. “Thanks.”

  Charlie was jotting notes. “Will this be before or after the funeral?”

  “I think before. If we have the time. I’d like to get it over with.”

  “No problem.” Charlie looked up from her pad. “Do you have a head count for the trip? I’m still working out the fine print on getting RVs, but I should have it locked down tomorrow. I just need to be sure we have enough sleeping space for everyone who’s going.”

  “I think Francine wants to go.” Donna looked at Neo. “Have you talked to her? Or Bunni? Do you think anyone else from the First Fangs group wants to go? I know Meghan said she thought she’d attract too much attention since a supermodel showing up in Kansas might be considered somewhat unusual. That just leaves LaToya.”

  Neo shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I’m happy to dig into that and figure it out. I’ll send out a group text when we’re done here.”

  “That would be great. Can you let Charlie know when you get confirmations?”

  “Yep.” Neo grinned at Charlie. “This is gonna be a road trip to end all road trips.”

  Charlie laughed. “I’m sure you’re right about that.”

  “Boss?” Temo held up his hand. “You want me to ask Penina to stay here while we’re gone? Just to keep an eye on things? Not to mention take care of Lucky.”

  “That’s not a bad idea now that Cammie is coming along.” His cousin had helped out with security before and was both conscientious and trustworthy.

  Temo gave Donna a thumbs-up. “I’ll call her first thing.”

  Cammie raised her hand. “By the way, I might be coming with you, but I will not be attending the actual funeral. I’m not sure how many of the vampires in attendance will care that I’m retired once they realize I’m Venari trained. I don’t care to find out either.”

  That could be a problem. “I’m okay with that. I certainly don’t want to start anything.”

  “What about Jerabeth?” Charlie asked.

  “Up to her, I guess.” Donna hadn’t assumed the green witch would want to go, but then, she wasn’t really sure. “I’m also going to ask Will Ferris if he’d like to accompany us as well. His daughters are welcome too.
I’ll make that call myself.”

  “Perfect,” Charlie said. “That reminds me. I took care of registering him. It’s required that you do so with any vampire you create. I know you know that, but you’ve been busy.”

  “Thank you. To be honest, it totally slipped my mind.”

  Charlie smiled. “That’s what I’m here for. The other thing is we may need three RVs. All depends on how many people come.”

  “Whatever it takes,” Donna said. “Any more questions?”

  They all shook their heads.

  Donna planted her hands on the table and took a breath. “All right. Now for the real news. The visitor at the end of dinner was the Prime’s emissary. It seems that while the council wouldn’t consider a vampire as young as I am as a possible replacement for Artemis, the Prime would. In fact, he is. And with great intent.”

  They all looked at her with shocked faces.

  Pierce was the first one to speak. “That’s quite the honor.”

  “I suppose it is,” Donna said. “No, it is. You’re right. I’m just as shocked by it as all of you are. What’s even more shocking is that Governor Fitzhugh is on the council’s short list. Apparently, he’s been campaigning pretty hard. I’m sure his desire for more power comes as a surprise to no one, though.”

  Their expressions went from shock to disgust.

  Charlie shook her head like she couldn’t quite figure something out. “All this time, I thought they only nominated the oldest vampires. I guess I was wrong.”

  “You weren’t,” Donna said. “The emissary even said that was standard practice. But apparently after Artemis, they’ve decided it’s time for newer blood. Not as new as me, however. Remember, I’m not the council’s choice. I’m the Prime’s.”

  “But his decision is final,” Charlie answered.

  “Is it, though?” Donna asked. “Has the Prime ever chosen a ruler who wasn’t on the council’s list of nominees?”

  Charlie’s brow bent. “I don’t know. I need to research that. It would be quite a precedent.”

  Donna moved her hand a few inches toward Charlie. “I know you have a lot on your plate already, but could you dig into that and find out? Maybe Neo could help you if it’s something that can be done online.”

  Temo had seemed to be deep in thought this whole time, but he finally spoke. “Boss, are you going to accept?”

  Donna sighed and sat back. “That’s the big question, isn’t it? I’ll be honest. I don’t want to. I have no desire to be queen and take on all that additional responsibility. I’m too new to all of this. Being governor is already kicking my butt.”

  Charlie snorted. “I know this job hasn’t been easy, and you’ve been faced with all sorts of complications, but the Prime obviously thinks you’re doing an incredible job, or he wouldn’t be putting you forward for queen. Which you are, by the way. Doing an incredible job.”

  “Thank you.” Donna rolled her eyes in good fun. “But he’s impressed with the fae treaty, something I had very little to do with, and the fact that I pardoned Claudette and spared her life. Which was just an act of kindness.”

  Pierce’s brows rose. “Any chance he knows about your daywalking abilities?”

  “I don’t think so,” Donna said. “Which reminds me. I still need to figure out how to handle that. I can’t keep saying it’s a potion Jerabeth made up.”

  “I had an idea,” Neo offered. “But maybe it’s not that great.”

  Donna leaned forward. “What is it? I’m open to anything at this point.”

  Neo slouched to one side in her seat. “Why don’t you just say that it’s your new ability? You haven’t gotten any sort of new skill since you turned, and a lot of vampires do. Just say it’s the daywalking thing. No one will think anything of it. And they sure won’t come after you for the secret since the abilities aren’t something that can be passed on or stolen.”

  Donna stared at her friend. “You’re a freakin’ genius.”

  Neo grinned. “I kind of am.”

  “Yeah, you are,” Temo confirmed with a big smile.

  Donna looked at Charlie. “You know that statement we were going to send out on the governors’ loop?”

  Charlie nodded. “You want me to amend it to read that your daywalking is a recently discovered ability?”

  “You read my mind.”

  “Which would also be a cool thing,” Neo said.

  Cammie had been quiet but spoke up suddenly. “There’s just one thing about making that kind of announcement.”

  “What’s that?” Donna asked.

  “Won’t being able to daywalk make you an even better candidate for queen?”

  She thought about that. “I don’t know. I suppose it could. Then again, maybe it would make me a weirdo, and the Prime will rescind his offer.”

  “Unlikely,” Pierce scoffed.

  Temo shrugged. “Doesn’t mean you still can’t turn the offer down.”

  “Right,” Donna said. “Except there’s more I haven’t told you. The emissary basically said that if I don’t accept, I’ll be on the Prime’s bad side for embarrassing him. He’d be sort of putting himself out there by nominating me, I suppose, so if he did that and I said no, then it’s a slap in the face. But that’s why the emissary was here. To get my answer ahead of time.”

  She didn’t want them to bear the burden of thinking the Prime had already suggested her to the council.

  Cammie nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “And if I accept, those charges Fitzhugh filed against Pierce will go away. If I don’t…” Donna looked at Pierce.

  His mouth firmed down into a hard, thin line. “If you don’t, the council will find me guilty as a way of punishing you for going against the Prime.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. “Something like that. The emissary didn’t come right out and say that, but he sure insinuated it. It’s blackmail, honestly. Like dealing with the mob again.” She sighed. “I hate being coerced like this. It just irritates every fiber of my being.”

  They all sat quietly and let the weight of her words sink in.

  Then Neo leaned back, causing her chair to squeak softly. “When do you have to answer the Prime?”

  “The emissary said I have a week, but I said I wouldn’t do it until I was back from the funeral, though I’m not really sure that timing was agreed upon.”

  “You should take the job,” Neo said. “If for no other reason than to drive Fitzhugh completely nuts.”

  They all laughed, and Donna nodded. “I did think about that.”

  Temo’s amusement didn’t reach his eyes.

  She looked at him. “What’s on your mind? Something’s bothering you.”

  He shrugged. “I was just thinking about whether or not the new governor would be as nice as you.”

  She grinned and shook her head. “Why does it matter? You’re not going to find out.”

  His brows bent in confusion.

  “Temo. Do you really think I’d leave you behind? Any of you? That’s why we’re having this conversation. If I accept the job, I’m taking you all with me. Assuming you’ll all want to come, of course.”

  With that, the meeting was adjourned. Neo and Charlie went off to do the jobs Donna had given them, Cammie went to bed, and Temo went downstairs to call his cousin.

  Donna carried her wine back to the dining room. She was pretty sure it and the kitchen needed to be cleaned up after their big family meal.

  It did. Nothing had been cleared, but then, she wouldn’t have expected that since she’d asked them all to join her immediately. The sight of it actually made her happy. They’d had a wonderful evening.

  At least until the emissary had shown up.

  Pierce joined her as she was staring at the mess. “Want some help?”

  “I would love some.” She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  They got to work clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, putting the leftovers away, wiping countertops down, and finally tackling the b
ig pots and pans that needed to be handwashed.

  Pierce picked up a dish towel. “Do you want to wash or dry?”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. “Wash.” There was something therapeutic about sinking her hands into hot water and scrubbing away, however strange that might seem. And she could use a little something therapeutic right now.

  He turned on the hot water to fill the sink. “Then I’ll dry.”

  She didn’t bother with rubber gloves, just squeezed some dish soap into the water and watched it foam up. “Ironic, isn’t it? A vampire using a detergent named after something so dangerous?”

  He looked over at the bottle of Dawn in her hands. “Not to you, thankfully.”

  She grabbed one of the many pans waiting to be cleaned and sank it into the hot, soapy water. “You think there will be any pushback to my announcement?”

  “About your ability to daywalk?”

  “Yes.” She gave the pan a good scrubbing, though it didn’t seem all that dirty. She rinsed it and handed it over.

  He took the pan. “Maybe. More likely, I think you’re going to see a slew of new friends come out of the woodwork. You’ll probably end up with all kinds of invitations from the governors who haven’t reached out to you yet. And even more from a lot of vampires who consider themselves somebody.”

  She went to work on the second pan, which had significantly more food stuck to it. “I suppose you’re right. I haven’t thought about it that much.”

  “You know how it is. People always want to align themselves with those they perceive to be more powerful than they are. Some because they fear you. Some because they think you can do something for them. Some because they just want to be around anyone with star power.”

  “Star power.” She laughed softly.

  “You think I’m kidding?” He nudged her with his elbow. “You’re practically a celebrity in the vampire world now after the fae battle and the resulting treaty.”

  “No, no. I don’t think you’re kidding. I just find it amusing is all. I had my taste of that kind of fame being married to Joe, if ‘fame’ is even the right word. Didn’t like it much then. Not sure I like it any better now.”