by R. J. Blain
“Briefcase and pens with good, sharp tips? Those make good weapons.” I tore into the box, and after a fight with more tape, I discovered a black leather briefcase inside along with a collection of legal pads, more pens than any one person could use in even a year, a collection of stakes, labeled by age and which members of the brood they would be effective on if I wished to restrain without killing them. “The legal department gave me a guide on how to stake members of our brood along with the stakes needed to do it?” I hesitated, looking over my leather attire. “I don’t have enough places to put that many stakes, Ben.”
“In one of the other boxes, there is a belt for your new collection. We don’t have a lot of members qualified to be proper hunters, and your kill list made it obvious we should have you properly kitted. Knowing the age of the other brood members will make sure you can non-lethally address it if someone goes on a thirst-induced rampage. It happens from time to time.”
“No vampire is immune to thirst, especially after being sick or injured,” Emerick explained. “Anyone with any sort of skill with stakes has a matching set.” Joining me, he pointed at a dark stake. “That is the only one in the lot that will do more than annoy me.”
“Interesting.” Smirking, I retrieved the stake, stroking it from tip to base. Then, to make it clear he didn’t scare me, I gave the stake a kiss while looking him in the eyes.
“You are the entity of pure evil,” Emerick muttered.
Sometimes, I really was.
“Ferris is really coming?” Ben asked.
“Indeed.”
“Ferris is coming to marry you. To Pepper.” The disbelief in Ben’s tone would’ve annoyed me, except I had a difficult time believing I’d do something as reckless as agree to a permanent marriage with a man I didn’t really know. But, considering the circumstances, I couldn’t afford to make any other choice.
I would rather work hard and deal with the consequences of a bad choice than have someone make the decision for me. Without fail, especially considering the society I’d been dumped in, someone would make the choice for me.
Death beat having my name, bride, and Breckenan’s name in the same sentence. If given my way, the only one dying would be him. At my hands. With the oldest stake I could get my hands on. I’d carve a new stake with my teeth to make sure he perished permanently.
“It’s a good arrangement for both of us. Do you believe there is another man among vampires who would offer her the freedoms I will? You would treasure her, but you would do everything you could to make sure she never broke a nail. I will allow her to break her nails and demand a complete accounting of why she didn’t manage to do her dangerous hunt without any form of injury to herself.”
According to Ben’s expression, hell had frozen over.
“Ben doesn’t think you’re the marrying type, I take it. Or he’s not buying your willingness to allow me to do any form of injury to myself.”
“I have a reputation of being a chronic bachelor. An irredeemably chronic bachelor. I vex the mistresses of the bride broods, as I would bring them much standing if only I’d consider accepting one of their brides. I’m a marvelous catch. I have been told I’m protective from time to time as well.”
“You’re egotistical,” I countered.
“You should be grateful. I will save you from boredom.”
As the glitter would inevitably follow me everywhere I went anyway, I sat on the floor and explored my new briefcase, selecting my favorite of the pens and putting them inside, along with several of the legal pads for notes. “Tablet and stylus, please.”
Ben retrieved both and gave them to me. “That should keep you busy and allow you to take some work with you anywhere, especially if you’re going to be stuck with our master.”
“Stuck?” Emerick narrowed his eyes.
“You will not be angry with Ben for telling the truth.” I pointed the most potent of my new stakes at him. “He’s not wrong. When you’re egotistical and smug, stuck is an apt descriptor.”
“I see you will not make this easy.”
“You would become bored if I made anything easy on you.”
“This is true.” With his rather smug smile fixed in place, Emerick turned to Ben and said, “I’m planning to use the ball we’re hosting to establish Pepper’s place as my partner and wife. That will give the brood time to make preparations.”
“And the political ramifications of this?” Ben met Emerick’s gaze before raising a brow.
“Which sort of politics? Between broods? With Mr. Francis? There are so many options, Ben. It will be a most glorious implosion when the news spreads. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Ben sighed. “Of course. The broods are going to become upset they were not given an equal chance to earn Pepper’s favor.”
“That sounds like a them problem rather than a me problem, Ben. I presented a good argument, and as Pepper is as smart as she is wise, she made demands, which I accepted. With her blessing, I called Judge Ferris. Most importantly, this will protect her from Breckenan.”
“That’s a rather permanent solution to that problem.”
“I am viewing this as a formalized surrender, as she requires potent blood, which I’m currently supplying. Becoming blood bound to me is essentially inevitable with her diet. This way, she will maintain her equality, although I will take less blood initially until she’s in better health. I will take a token sip as is my right upon the formalization of our partnership. I will not enjoy the other benefits of our relationship until it’s confirmed we are blood bound.”
Ben relaxed. “Well done, Pepper.”
“All or nothing, and I refuse to be stepped on.” I patted my briefcase. “I will do everything I can to pull my own weight. I will be very upset if you attempt to turn me into a trophy.”
“You’re not a trophy. No person is a trophy.” Emerick inhaled and then growled.
“Consider Emerick a trophy if it makes you feel better, Pepper. He won’t mind, as he’ll be your trophy. Once he decides to do something, he means it. He’s essentially a trophy to traditional vampire women. Unfortunately, many of us are old enough to remember the old ways, where a woman married into her rank. That’s somewhat changed due to the rarity of our women. But only somewhat. You will have to wage quite the battle on that front.” Ben shrugged. “This is possibly one of the reasons we’ve had so much trouble raising our women. They know this going in, and perhaps you are correct that they would prefer death to the perception of eternal enslavement. It’s not a risk most of us are willing to take anymore.”
“You would rather have a short time with them rather than nothing at all.” Nothing in my father’s rants about the preternatural had included anything about their family life, so that made sense to me.
He hadn’t wanted me to think of his enemies as people.
He deserved a stake in the chest as much as Breckenan, and that realization sickened me. How many lives had I unknowingly ruined in my effort to survive in my father’s world? I’d never know, but I’d spend many nights worrying about it and striving to find some way to undo the damage I’d caused.
“That’s the general consensus,” Ben replied as he picked another larger present from the pile and offered it to me. “If you don’t know how to use a firearm, you will learn, and that will be your first gun.”
I regarded the box with a raised brow, but I took it, set it on my lap, and opened it. As warned, a gun waited in a holster with a cleaning kit and a small, portable fire-proof safe. “I don’t know how to use this.”
“Then you’ll learn.” Ben turned to Emerick. “Do you wish to teach her, or should I call on Patterson?”
“I’ll teach her. While Patterson is a better shot, I’m a better instructor. For now, put it in the case, which will stay in our bedroom. The safe will keep anyone from accidentally accessing the weapon. Also, stop telling her what’s in her presents before she can open them. That’s not how presents work. She’s supposed to be surp
rised when she sees what’s inside.”
“Some things require a warning, particularly when those things involve lethal weapons.”
I set aside the safe, the gun, and the cleaning kit. “Are there any presents in there that don’t involve me somehow killing someone?”
“You’ve already opened all potentially lethal presents,” Ben announced.
“I’ll open the rest later, then. What else did you find out about Breckenan?”
“Not as much as I would like. Mostly, I have addresses that are probable parts of his operations, including an interesting list of private estates. Master Clarke also provided his list of warehouses where he is known to be conducting his more unsavory bits of business.”
“Including the place he’s reporting to the police?”
“Yes, I have that address. He is reporting several of the addresses to authorities and exposing his status as a vampire at the same time. He was inclined to share some of the images with me.”
Ugh. “How gruesome are they?”
“They’re pretty bad. But, several of them confirm he’s a vampire, and that’s a necessity at this point in time. He’ll lose a great deal of standing for hiding his status, and he’ll lose some of his legal protections. It will also set up other matters.”
“Like the feud with my father.”
“Precisely. That leaves us with several problems.” Ben moved aside some of the gifts to make more room on my desk, set his phone on the cleaned surface, and tapped the screen. “First, Breckenan is likely in New York, which means you’re at high risk until he’s dealt with.”
“You want me to hole up in the penthouse until he’s been dealt with.”
“You’re good with your stakes and you’re excellent as an ambush predator, but you can’t fire a gun and you’re not used to working with the brood. Staying in the penthouse would be the safest for you and for those who’d want to protect you while on the job. If you can tolerate it, I think you’d be best doing your part of the hunt from the comfort of your office.”
I wanted to protest, but I also understood. Until I was close to what vampires viewed as healthy, I expected they would hover, with Emerick being the worst offender. “I have conditions.”
Emerick sighed. “I fear you have conditions for everything.”
“If you make good offers for me by default, I would be less inclined to have conditions.”
Before Emerick had a chance to reply, Ben asked, “What conditions?”
“If I sit tight and do what you want, you will start giving me serious lessons on how to be a proper vampire. How to hunt. How to fight. How to protect myself. Possibly how to restrain the brood’s master when he gets annoying.” According to the grins from everyone in my office, I’d said something amusing. “What?”
“Pepper, you already know how to hunt. You’ve figured out the basics of fighting. Yes, you aren’t moving well yet, but that’s because you’re malnourished.” Ben swiped at his screen, turned in my chair, and showed me a picture from a security camera. A rather disheveled me pounced on my prey from behind, armed with nothing but a stake and a pocketknife, one in each hand. I remembered that kill well enough.
I’d staked the bastard right, drank him down in record time, then gotten impatient with removing his head, snapping his bloodless neck before using my knife to make sure he wouldn’t get back up. I’d even done a good job of dumping his remains where he wouldn’t be found.
Or so I’d thought.
“He deserved it,” I mumbled.
Emerick snorted, and the inelegant sound drew my attention. “All of your kills deserved their deaths. That’s why you’re being paid a sizable amount for the kills. As soon as this matter with Breckenan is resolved, I’ll help you figure out how best to put your new wealth to good use. In that, your choice to tolerate me is a wise one. There are few vampires as skilled with the money market as I am. Hunting money is something I appreciate; it requires skill, patience, and an understanding that every choice I make with my money will have a consequence. Part of the brood’s work involves making certain all members will have a plan should broods be outlawed, which is a possibility. Of course, I will not allow my brood to be disbanded without a fight. However, humans are afraid of us, and those who are afraid often fail to think clearly. Should broods be disbanded, you will have rich hunting grounds, for there will be no masters to control their offspring.”
I grimaced at the thought of so many vampires and other preternatural running unchecked. “My father has been pushing for that. He always thought it unfair that the preternatural would ally themselves into large and dangerous groups.”
“In that, he is a wise man. Ben is correct. You need time and nourishment before you’re ready to hunt with the brood. Considering this Breckenan managed to capture and hold my maker, we will be going in prepared for a dangerous fight. My top priority is to protect you, since you cannot currently fight to a vampire’s standards. You excelled on the streets because of your wit, cunning, and strategy; we will continue to hone that. Should this estate be hit, there are ways you can defend yourself or escape. I will show you the escape paths as soon as Judge Ferris leaves. I will not leave you unprotected, although there will be few guards at the estate when we act.”
Ben checked his phone. “Early tomorrow night, assuming we can finish our preparations in time. I think we can. I’ve made good groundwork on targets, and I won’t share those targets with anyone until we’re starting the hits. That will prevent any potential plants from sharing information. I won’t be notifying the brood we’re acting until the last minute. It will be sounded as an alarm. We have a system, Pepper. Considering the schedules of most tomorrow night, it will take less than ten minutes for everyone to gather. Many work nearby in case something like this happens.”
At the mention of potential spies within the brood, Emerick’s expression turned neutral. “At last light tomorrow sounds good. The odds of a traitor?”
“High. The amount of money Breckenan is throwing around is sufficient to make many vampires betray their brood and master—or a new woman added to the ranks unexpectedly. Who? I can make some guesses, but they would be unsubstantiated. It’s safer to assume there are insiders. Master Clarke was aware of Pepper’s identity.”
“He was aware because he witnessed her being made,” the brood’s master countered.
“That doesn’t change the fact he came here fully prepared with the knowledge we would need so we can act against Breckenan. He has his goals.”
“He always has goals. This time, it was simple. He wanted Pepper, and he came to see if she was available. He tested to see if his blood was still sufficient to control her, but she has consumed enough from me that he had no chance of taking her. It wasn’t for a lack of effort. He will change his goals now that he’s aware I’m invested. As I am his offspring, he will ally with us; it would damage his honor and reputation if he were to allow a rival vampire to take what is ours, as it reflects on his mentorship.”
Vampires. They truly weren’t much different from humans. Reputation mattered more than anything else. I’d fallen prey to that, too. In the future, I would care less about my reputation and more about securing my liberty and happiness. Both would take work, especially as I intended to sign away certain liberties for a chance at questionable happiness.
Time would tell if my choices led to fortune or disaster.
Someone knocked on the door behind us, and a younger man poked his head into my office. “Master Lowrance, Judge Ferris is here to see you. He’s waiting in the sitting room.”
“Excellent. We’ll be there in a moment. Keep him company until we have a chance to join him, please.”
The young vampire grinned, showed off the tips of his pointed fangs, bobbed his head, and scampered off.
Well, with the judge present, I no longer had any excuses to push off my recklessness. For better or worse, I’d make the most of my choice. I stared Emerick in the eyes and said, “If you make me regret t
his, I will kill you myself.”
Most men in my old life would have become angered at my challenge, but the brood’s master smiled. “A wise man values a bold woman. I will work hard to make certain you never regret your choice to bind yourself to me.”
“You better,” I muttered.
“I expect the same from you, of course.”
Did he really think I’d give anything other than my best? “You better.”
“Then we’re agreed. I will do my best to ensure you never regret your choice, and you will do your best to ensure I never regret mine. With both of us working for the same goal, good things will happen.”
For someone so old, I admired his reckless optimism. Could something so simple truly work?
If I judged from my life’s experiences, I couldn’t believe so, but stranger things had happened. For a rare change, I would allow myself to hope we might just be able to beat the odds.
Sixteen
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to indulge in a good vendetta.
I recognized Judge Ferris from one of my many ventures to Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in Lower Manhattan. He’d never overseen any of the cases I’d worked, nor had he been one of my father’s preferred judges, something I viewed as a relief.
Even with my hair longer, the man recognized me, and he rose from his seat, strode over, and held out his hand. When I shook it, he skipped through the challenges, opting against trying to crush my fingers. “This explains a great deal. Your paperwork crossed my desk several months ago.”
My brows rose at that. “Why would my paperwork cross your desk?”
“I was standing in for another judge who was on vacation, and he had a docket full of cases regarding suspicious deaths. Several cases involving your disappearance have flitted in and out of the courthouse. Acquittals on all fronts, as it’s hard to get a verdict without a body, any substantial clues, or even witnesses.”
