by R. J. Blain
“This has happened with couples in the past. Therapy can help, but ultimately, they have made it work in a way they can both tolerate. I don’t anticipate any problems between us. We’re both motivated, driven people. I expect it won’t be easy, but we aren’t the type of people who value things we find to be too easy.”
I hated he was right. “We’re really not, are we?”
“There is something to be said for having the courage to do difficult things.”
“Give me a short list about why you think such an arrangement with you is beneficial. Pick your top three reasons.”
“You’re smart, you’re skilled, and you’re ethical.”
I was ethical? I supposed, in a freakish way, I did maintain a certain level of ethics, but they were twisted at best. I couldn’t fault him if he considered ethics and morality to be the same; I had only betrayed my father for the sake of others. “I murdered how many vampires and drank them down?”
“But you did so ethically.”
“And what do I bring to your brood again?”
“Your intellect, your skills, and your ethics, of course. You also bring a certain amount of feminine flare, although should I have my way, I will be the only one enjoying that.”
“Shouldn’t someone several centuries old, like yourself, be taking your time considering this at length before diving into a very permanent and long-lasting arrangement? Your sanity might be questioned.”
“My sanity is always questioned, especially among the preternatural. I am a gentle master; my brood hunts money more than blood, and I’ve established an almost pacifistic environment among them.”
“You also take your men out for ice cream and romantic comedies.”
“Do I sense some resentment that you were not able to indulge in ice cream and a romantic comedy?”
I thought about it, and then I nodded. “Very much so.”
“You needed the rest. On the next outing, you may lead the charge and pick the movie.”
“But what about a play at a dinner theatre?”
“You can do that as well. You do not have to pick between them. There is no reason we cannot do both. Bonding between the members of the brood is a serious issue, and as it is so difficult for women to be made into vampires at this stage, their choice of films allows a certain escape.”
The moment I comprehended the reasoning beyond their odd choice, my heart hurt for most of the brood, forced to watch their love die after being with them for so long. “They can’t get the love of their life, so they watch it instead.”
“You understand.”
“And if I marry you, I give them hope that they can acquire the same.”
“You lived, and because you lived, you are more than just a name or a face within the brood. You are hope for the future.”
“Do they not resent that you control if they can marry someone within the brides broods?”
“If every single vampire woman alive were to wed this night, and only wed within my brood, there would still be single men and no women left.”
My eyes widened. “Are you seriously telling me there are only a few hundred single vampire women?”
“That is precisely what I’m telling you. Mistress Avalon’s brood has thirty women in it. Mistress Pettigrew’s brood has twenty-three. New York City has the highest concentration of vampire women. The other brides broods tend to number between five to fifteen, excluding the mistresses of the broods. The mistresses are always single as well, but they have taken a vow to sacrifice their eternal love for the sake of our kind. The women who lead the broods must be strong willed and old to ensure the women beneath them do not give into their more aggressive instincts. This is part of why the meeting with them was so important and the ball will be of equal importance. If we can identify what allowed you to survive, more than just the amount of blood you consumed, you give all vampires a special gift.”
“And that I would be your wife would bring you prestige,” I guessed.
“That you would select me as your husband would bring you prestige. It establishes the type of lady you wish to be in the eyes of the preternatural. My brood is middling in size, but we have become strong. Not because of our numbers, but because of our wit, cunning, and ability to adapt to the modern world. I’m a gentle master—some say too gentle. They’ve not seen me when I’ve been forced to be ruthless.”
I recognized the tactic. Forcing someone to underestimate me had served me well; they never expected how I meant to outsmart them, playing their expectations against them. I often manipulated my legal contracts in such a way that my father benefited and took credit for his smart negotiations. In reality, I’d slipped in the terms benefiting him without him being aware. I’d turned it into a game, waiting for him to be surprised when one of my alterations reared its head and nipped him at the negotiation table.
It forced the bastard to dance, and because the terms benefited him, he couldn’t fault me for startling him during meetings.
I’d hoped he’d learn to read the contracts before toting them before his next target.
“What’s the catch?”
“I like that you understand there is a catch but cannot identify what it might be. Simply put, you’re stuck with me. That’s the catch.”
“I have how many stakes?”
“Quite a few, I’ve noticed.”
“My high number of stakes would suggest you would be stuck with me.”
“That’s not at all a catch. That’s my current goal. I look forward to you tricking me at every opportunity.”
“Most people don’t want to be tricked, Emerick.”
“I am not most people, nor would I wish to be most people. And, as I feel this is a fair warning, should you choose me, I will be very aggressive in making sure you learn as much as possible before your debut at the ball, which would be when I would make our partnership public.”
“Are you saying I would be a closet wife?”
“You would be my bedroom wife, and I would simply notify any curious that due to your introduction to life as a vampire, you have a great many violent tendencies and require extra care to settle. While you are a lady, I am known to have much integrity, and they would assume you wake violent and require coaxing. You are not the first vampire to have been set loose and require a lengthy adaption period. Good brood masters open their homes to their young who require a special care. We would have to adapt some elements for the next youngling to be in the brood, but the bed should fit three, or I can acquire a larger bed for us.”
“This sort of thing is normal for vampires?”
“Yes, it’s quite normal. The mistresses can confirm this, as they do the same thing with their brides. It nurtures a bond between the master or mistress and the members of the brood. It is not uncommon for me to bring a grieving member of the brood into the penthouse, but the entire brood will help in those circumstances.”
“When a mortal woman passes?” I guessed.
“Precisely. Or an old friend. Eternity is hard. I have watched many old friends grow old and move on to the next life without me. It is not uncommon for members of the brood to invade my home should they feel I am the one who is grieving.”
Humans had a lot to learn from vampires, and that realization shocked me so much my mouth opened but I couldn’t say a word.
“The mental health of my vampires is equally important to their physical health. Without a sound mind, the body will surely sicken as well.”
If only humans were wise enough to learn from vampires. If only. “I wondered what sort of life my mother would lead if my father were a man like you.”
“A very different life. She would still enjoy the comforts of wealth to a certain degree, but she would not fear. Not me. Nor would you have been put through what you have endured.”
“Well, there’s no guarantee of that, Emerick. We have no way of knowing if my father was even involved beyond his existence that lead to Breckenan’s desire for knowledge of my father’s
operations.” I shrugged. “I may dislike my father, but even I can see he may not be at fault, however much the idea that he would try to play the white knight does exist. I made myself valuable and losing me would hurt him.”
“I mean to find out the truth. We’ve already learned some, but we’ll have to do a raid or two on Breckenan’s operations. My maker has already hit where you were made; Breckenan has since cleared out, but he made the mistake of leaving evidence behind. The police are playing into our game as we speak; they are going to confirm the story of your rather gruesome demise, as you left an unfortunate amount of your mortal blood behind.”
“That’s one way to put it. Does it make me a bad person that I don’t want to remember that?”
“I don’t want you to remember. It is bad enough my maker remembers, and he will allow it to haunt him until Breckenan, and anyone else who was an accomplice in the deed that made you into a vampire, falls. I question if Breckenan was also responsible for other failed turnings of women or if he merely hunts in that fashion and enjoys the anguish of the initial phase of making someone into one of us. We have found many bodies, and while the initial signs of making were present, none of them rose.”
“Those poor women.”
“You do not have to make a decision tonight, but you do need to be aware of the claim Breckenan could make.”
“It would confirm his guilt, would it not?”
“While it would, those within the preternatural community would hesitate to further add to your trauma. The bond between a bride and her groom is considered sacred, and they would give him limited freedoms because their failure to do so would, in their eyes, directly hurt you.”
“That is fucking ridiculous.”
“Some elements of our society are less than ideal. This is one of those elements.”
That left one matter, one potentially more important than the rest. “And should I become an aggressive sex fiend?”
“I would enjoy your aggression very much, but I would be inclined to encourage you to resist those urges as much as possible to make that element of our lives even more enjoyable. There are some couples within the brood who deliberately toe such lines for memorable nights and days, usually while they are on vacation. There have been a few incidents where a bride has had a surge of aggression and has stolen her husband for her amusements. I make allowances for it, because once a lady becomes desperate, her aggression might manifest in other ways. Fortunately, I raise my vampires to be open about such events, as there is no shame tending to a wife’s needs.”
Damn. Humans really did need to learn from vampires. “I will do this under one condition.”
“What is your condition?”
“If you expect me to be blood bound to you, I expect the same in exchange. None of this one-way street bullshit, and there will be no adventures in the bedroom until such a bond is confirmed. If I will be expected to give my best, I expect the same from you.”
“It can take a year or more to confirm a blood bond,” he warned.
A year would test me in more ways than I cared to think about. “Then it takes a year or more. I want to know how such a binding is confirmed.”
“That is a simple enough thing to do. Binding alters certain elements of a vampire’s blood, and it can be detected through blood testing. The pair is blood tested and exposed to certain types of magics. It takes a few minutes to have a confirmation.”
“When is the earliest you’ll test a pair?”
Emerick chuckled. “Upon request, really. How long can you last, Pepper?”
I hated being challenged, as it meant I needed to take the bait or be viewed as weak. Every time I backed down from a challenge, I hated myself for casting the illusion I wasn’t up for a task. “However long I feel like lasting.”
“I will look forward to testing your mettle, then. What do you wish to do? I am willing to meet your condition.”
“Then I am willing to sign the papers, but be aware, I will do my very best to put you through hell should you betray me.”
“That is a two-way street as well.”
“Then we have an understanding.”
“So we do. I will make the appropriate calls. While I do that, I recommend you speak with Ben. He is in charge of profiling Breckenan, and by now, he should have some interesting news for us.”
I headed for the door, checking over my collection of stakes as I did so.
“And Pepper?”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t stake Ben. I do quite like his company.”
I rolled my eyes. “Unless Ben gives me a reason to stake him, he is safe. I told you this before. Stop worrying so much, Emerick.”
“I have honed my ability to worry to an art.”
Why did I have the feeling it wouldn’t be long before I regretted some facets of my choice to follow Emerick’s plan? Nothing in life, or death, was perfect, so I would make the most of the situation, even if it meant there would be nights I would want to throttle the brood’s master.
Fifteen
The glitter would inevitably follow me everywhere.
I found Ben in my office with two other members of the brood working around a heaping pile of wrapped gifts, which had bred to spill onto the floor and take over the corners. The towels, along with most of the glitter, had been removed, and I grinned at the shimmering trails leading into the hallway and throughout the penthouse. “That backfired.”
“An expected hazard of our welcome gift,” Ben replied. “This is Maddox and Emilio. They’re brothers and have been with the brood for fifty years. They were made together following a car accident, and if you would refrain from reminding them of that once a week, they’d appreciate it.”
The men, who likely spent all their free time at the nearest gym to prepare for iron man competitions for fun, regarded me with interest in their dark eyes. As one, they offered a nod.
“Ben? You need to tell Emerick to stop collecting models. Add in your enjoyment of watching romantic comedies with ice cream, it really is unfair he’s cornered the market on single men.”
Ben chuckled. “Yes, he told us you were dismayed that you couldn’t come along for our outing. What can I do for you?”
“Emerick said you were researching Breckenan.”
“Yes. We’ve been going over the public records and calling around about him. We have some information, although not as much as I’d like. I have enough to plan a raid once we can get the approval.”
“Emerick will give the approval,” I muttered.
Ben snagged a present from the pile and held it out to me. “Open that. You will like it. It will give you a moment to steady your nerves and somewhat tame your irritation. You’ll think better when you aren’t angry.”
Taking the present, I considered his point, nodded my acceptance, and tore into the paper. According to the box, I was the proud owner of a bunch of dog biscuits. “Vampires can have dogs?”
“A few in the brood have dogs, especially among younger members. They don’t want to put their making on hold, and our master refuses to allow them to abandon their pets. Steps are taken to prevent trouble. You were not given dog treats, I promise.”
“It would be very weird if someone gave me dog treats without also giving me a dog.” I set the box on the top of the pile and peeled off the tape, wary of more glitter. With no sign of my shimmering enemy in sight, I peeked into the box to discover a new phone, still in its box, a case for it, and a collection of gift cards. “A phone!”
“All yours, for personal use. If you don’t like the case, the receipt is inside so you can exchange it. The gift cards come with an offer to take you to the stores in question unless you would like to order online. They’re all open after dark.”
“You were right. I do like what’s in this box.” I retrieved the phone and got it out of the box to begin the process of setting it up. The case was a similar violet to Emerick’s eyes when his temper rose, which ensured I wouldn’t be exchanging it.
After I got the phone booting, I put it in the case and sorted through the various gift cards, which included clothing stores, several electronics stores, and a luxury chocolate shop. I snatched the card for the chocolate and pointed it at Ben. “This one is just mean.”
“It’s lactose-free chocolate. They have a line specific for vampires and it’s excellent.”
“Okay, this is not that mean, then. I’m sorry.”
Ben grinned. “Your reaction is rather expected, especially with how poorly you handle lactose. They’ll even deliver, as our master has quite the weakness to chocolate.”
“Yes, I do,” Emerick announced, joining us in our office. “And as I refuse to allow Ben to claim responsibility for that, I picked the phone, the case, and the chocolate. The rest was his contribution to that specific gift.”
“You’re a force of evil,” Ben complained. “And I recommended you get the case. You just decided you were handling it.”
“This is true, but I picked the color.”
I would never understand vampires. “I like it. Thank you.” Not only did I like it, as soon as I got the phone set up and online, I would be ordering a ridiculous amount of chocolate for my enjoyment. “Did everything go all right with your call, Emerick?”
“Judge Ferris will be here within an hour.”
Ben straightened at that. “Ferris is coming?”
“We’re putting an end to a few of Breckenan’s opportunities. I informed her of some of the less savory elements of our society, and how her maker could make certain claims.”
“Are we finally marrying you off? Please tell me we’re finally marrying you off.”
“I would more say Pepper is the one doing the marrying, and I am merely wise enough to know when it is a good idea to go with her flow.”
Ben snickered, grabbed one of the larger boxes, and slid it my way. “You’ll find this useful, then. It’s from our legal department, who seems to understand the various needs of ambitious young attorneys such as yourself. At the very least, you can use what you find inside as a weapon. Considering you’re wearing every last one of your stakes, I think you’ll appreciate that.”