Blood Bound

by R. J. Blain

  “Wasteful,” I complained.

  “Better to waste some foul blood than to be injured during a scuffle. Any fugitives that show up tonight do not classify as your dinner. You had dinner yesterday, and you drank so much Master Emerick didn’t want to test his luck feeding you more than waffles this evening. I do believe he has plans for this evening once we’re finished at your father’s company.”

  “Those plans better involve him doing some of the blood drinking himself for a change. If it does not, I intend to protest loudly.”

  “I will make certain he’s aware of that, although he may be tempted to find out how loudly you intend to protest. He enjoys testing his luck more than he should.”

  “I heard about your car and the resulting keying incident.”

  Ben and Salania burst into laughter.

  “That was not one of his better moments, although in truth, it wasn’t precisely his fault. A fugitive had infiltrated the garage, and the scratches to my car were inflicted when he pinned his foe to my vehicle with his.”

  “That is not scratching your car. That’s using it as a weapon. How much damage did he do?”

  “Significant to both vehicles and the fugitive, who I’m pleased to report didn’t survive longer than it took for Master Emerick to get out of his car and walk over. He became quite upset he had to use my car as part of his unconventional method of self-defense.”

  “Why did you key his vehicle, if he damaged yours during self-defense?”

  “As a reminder he shouldn’t have been so unobservant to have been caught in his vehicle with a fugitive around where nobody else could witness his plight. Master Kennwick informed you of our little dispute?”

  “I intend to join in, and for now, I’ll play on your team.”

  Ben chuckled. “I appreciate that you are open in your intention to change alliances.”

  “Oh, I’ll be batting for both teams at the same time,” I admitted, unable to keep myself from grinning. “I just want to see how long it will take for him to figure out I’m helping you while also helping him.”

  “I would feel almost sorry for Master Emerick, but he did use my vehicle as a weapon and scratched it rather severely.”

  “That should teach him he shouldn’t wander off without a responsible adult with him. A fugitive might try to get him, and I find that to be utterly unacceptable.”

  Salania giggled. “I think she’s going to fit in with us just fine, Ben.”

  A year ago, I would have viewed the skyscraper containing my father’s headquarters with resignation and general disdain. As his heir and a prized corporate lawyer, I’d worked on the top floor, surveying Manhattan from its lofty heights. The view had been the best part of the job. Surviving through another day without being discarded had come a distant second.

  As promised, Emerick waited along with Kennwick and an entire herd of people, most of whom sported fangs in one way or another. If I hadn’t been told Vanessa would be showing up as something other than serpent or human, I might’ve been alarmed by the woman in a ball gown with a snake’s head.

  Rather than stare at the giant copperhead’s fangs, which would pierce through my arm without issue, I focused on Emerick. I didn’t know who had tailored his suit, but I would be buying more like it; I wanted to tear him out of it, and it would be a pity if I ruined it without having a replacement on hand.

  Ben pulled the limousine up to the curb, and Emerick opened the back door for me, offering his hand. “You look as stunning as always,” he announced. I’d been among my father’s sort of people long enough to understand what was expected of me, and I accepted his help to emerge from the vehicle, careful to avoid tripping over him, the curb, or my own feet.

  Once safely on the sidewalk, he held his arm out for me. Had I not been warned, I might’ve hesitated, but I took hold of him, which did a good job of making it difficult to reach my stake where it was strapped to my leg. “I like your suit.”

  “Thank you. I wanted to dress my best for you.”

  “You did a good job. I’m going to enjoy my dessert tonight more than usual.”

  Emerick chuckled. “With you in that dress? I’m going to be enjoying this more than usual as well. Mr. Francis is waiting inside, and he is rather displeased. I expect this won’t take long, and our negotiations will be rather hostile. It will be peaceful hostility, as Mr. Pernot has already informed law enforcement, who arrived shortly before you did.”

  I checked the street but didn’t see any signs of a police cruiser. “The police are here?”

  “They parked their vehicles in the garage per your father’s request. It wouldn’t do for people to assume something illegal might be going on here.”

  Of course. Heaven forbid my father’s reputation be damaged. “That must have gotten on his nerves.”

  “Indeed. He expected vampires rather than a reputable attorney with a willingness to bring in law enforcement observers, some of whom are known to favor preternaturals.”

  I smiled. “We’ll have to thank Kennwick.”

  “Wearing his gift is a good start. The necklace is lovely on you. I’m certain it would be even lovelier if it were all you wore.”

  My smile grew into a grin. “I already told you what you need to do for that to happen, Master Lowrance.”

  “I intend to begin a very intensive campaign this evening once we’re done with this unpleasant business, Mistress Lowrance. I have given myself a very light work schedule for the next two weeks, which I will spend teaching you how to dance when I’m not indulging in dessert. You will find there won’t be much dancing, although you need many hours of practice to learn the art.”

  I suspected Emerick just liked to dance. “I’m going to verify with Ben that you have two weeks to spare and that you’re not just trying to get out of work.”

  Behind me, Ben chuckled. “He’s made plans for being unavailable beyond an hour or two a night for the next three weeks. It seems I need to earn my keep for a change. How can I please a wife of my own if I can’t earn my keep?”

  “You’re a terrible man, Emerick. Don’t be so mean to Ben. Thank him properly for making sure you can take time off.”

  “I am thanking him with a rather large paycheck. I’ll also sing his praises to the ladies who come calling to express their interest in him. I’ll also be thanking him with taking over his job for three weeks once a very hungry bride gets her hands on him. He’ll need every night of those three weeks, I’m sure. Pepper, there’s no time to introduce you to the other brood masters, so this is mostly to let them get a look at you while making certain Mr. Francis doesn’t overstep his bounds. As far as brood politics goes, this is better for you. Family matters are important to vampires, and a mild hinting of what you’ve endured was sufficient to convince them there is no insult with our decision to handle the matter like this. It is a nod to them that they were invited to join us.”

  “While making an enemy of my father.”

  “That is not a negative thing for most brood masters.” Emerick escorted me into the lobby of my father’s headquarters, a marble and gold monstrosity meant to impress the wealthy with grandiose displays of fortune. According to the high polish on the floors, my father had been given enough warning to have the stone polished until it functioned as a mirror. Even the walls gleamed, and the red of my dress drew my gaze to my reflection.

  A lack of makeup and a beautiful dress served me well. A year had changed me, and after a moment of thought, I liked the woman I’d become.

  I carried myself with pride I could believe in rather than holding up the thin veneer of my father’s empire.

  The man responsible for my life, such as it had been, waited flanked by a pair of his most loyal guards and several police officers, one of which was a chief from the local precinct.

  “Master Emerick,” the chief greeted, and I recognized his voice from the Mink Building.

  Interesting, as I was certain the chief was responsible for a precinct in Lower Manh
attan rather than Harlem, although Harlem’s actual police force had been disbanded when the neighborhood had fallen to ruin.

  I expected there would be a new crew in blue patrolling the streets of Harlem soon enough if my father had his way.

  “Chief Owens,” Emerick replied, inclining his head to the officer. “May you have a good evening.”

  “May you as well. Esquire Pernot notified me there might be an incident involving Mr. Francis and your brood. I thought I would see to the matter personally. What is the matter of this dispute?”

  “That thing killed my daughter and created a monster,” my father announced, his tone cold and even.

  Well, it could have been worse. He could’ve demanded I return to him and retake my place as his heir. His statement, however, made me hope that Clarke succeeded in stealing my mother out of my father’s grasp. Rather than allow his words to anger me, I laughed and made certain to keep my hand relaxed on Emerick’s arm. “No, that is the crime of another. I do suppose I classify as a monster, although I find myself a rather honest monster now, rather than one draped in finery. I prefer my current situation, for now I have true value.”

  My father’s eyes narrowed, and he scowled for a mere moment before his expression smoothed. “If not him, then who?”

  “His name is Breckenan, and he is one of your competitors. Emerick has been an impeccable gentleman, and I’ve become quite fond of my new home. I have work that is meaningful, challenging, and generally pleasant.” I smiled until it hurt, determined to survive through the meeting without indulging in a childish temper tantrum or losing my cool. On that front, I’d already won.

  My father had shown his negativity. I would not.

  “I’m unfamiliar with the name,” my father lied. The faintest of lines around his eyes betrayed him, as though he fought to keep his expression from changing but failed by the thinnest of margins. Only those who knew him well would recognize the tick for what it was.

  “That is quite the trick, considering that you engaged in a bid war against Mr. Breckenan a month prior to your daughter’s disappearance. Are you so separate from your corporate affairs as to be unaware he, too, sought to purchase a property in Harlem?” Emerick paused, regarding me with a raised brow. “I would’ve thought Mr. Francis to be far more astute judging from your comments about him.”

  I appreciated how Emerick made a cut at my father while casting the illusion I’d spoken well about the ambitious man. “He typically is. Perhaps Mr. Breckenan used a pseudonym, thus conducting business with my father that way. Unless the bid war goes beyond mere money, I could understand how that could happen. Of course, had I been in charge of the file, I would have done rudimentary research on my opponent.”

  Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention.

  Mr. Pernot stepped forward to join us, and his expression didn’t bode well for someone. “While I’ve no doubt that you would have taken care with any business conducted, Mrs. Lowrance, it isn’t uncommon for Mr. Francis to discount those he believes are too far below him. Mr. Breckenan would have classified as such, but Mr. Breckenan, unfortunately for you, has teeth.”

  “Indeed,” Emerick replied, and he extended his free hand to the attorney. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Esquire Pernot. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”

  The men shook, and my father’s brows furrowed. Then he fumed over no longer being the center of attention. Or he processed that Pernot had addressed me as Mrs. Lowrance, thus truly out of his hold and control. The thought made me smile.

  “You flatter me, Master Lowrance. Is Mrs. Lowrance the correct way to address your lovely wife? It’s rare for a man to win such a smart and accomplished woman.”

  My cheeks warmed at the compliment, but before I could figure out the appropriate response, Emerick captured my hand in his and lifted my knuckles to his lips. “I’m fortunate indeed. Among the preternatural, she is addressed as Mistress Lowrance, as she holds equal power to me within our brood, but Mrs. Lowrance is perfectly honorable among anyone who doesn’t follow vampiric customs. You may also address her as Lady Lowrance.”

  “And will Lady Lowrance be continuing her legal career?”

  “Of course. I’m not foolish enough to clip my lady’s wings. I’ve found women shine best when their ability to fly isn’t hampered by the whims of prideful men afraid of being outclassed.”

  Salania joined us with the wereviper at her side. Vanessa’s hiss drew my attention in time to observe the woman display her glistening fangs. “Salania, my old friend, you didn’t tell me your brood master knew how to use his manners. How rare.” She paused, and her slitted eyes focused on my father. “This is the man who wasted such a promising woman?”

  My father’s face flushed at the insult. “I waste nothing.”

  “Oh?”

  With a single, scorn-filled word, Vanessa earned my father’s enmity. Had I been in his shoes, I would’ve staged a retreat to learn exactly what I was getting into.

  My father valued his ego and pride over all else, including his flesh and blood, so he stood his ground despite his flaring temper.

  “You’re Vanessa, are you not?” I asked, and when I drew the woman’s attention to me, I smiled. I freed my hand from Emerick’s before reaching out to shake with her. She accepted my gesture, her skin cool against mine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hadn’t been warned how beautiful you are.”

  I meant it, too. Her scales shimmered when she moved, as though she were made of freshly beaten copper, ready to shine in the faintest of light.

  “The pleasure is mine. I have been looking forward to meeting you from the moment I heard of you, a most clever and efficient huntress. Master Lowrance is the luckiest of men for having captured your attention.”

  Sometimes, war was waged with weapons. Sometimes, it was waged with pretty words and established alliances. My father’s expression soured, and a scowl manifested with no sign of leaving. Kennwick’s brood made its presence known in a direct fashion, and other preternatural gathered in the lobby in silent solidarity.

  My father teetered on the brink of losing control of his temper, but he straightened his shoulders, smoothed his expression, and directed the full force of his disdain at me. “How many of my secrets have you told?”

  I raised a brow at his question. “As your daughter is dead and I’ve become a monster, what do your secrets mean to me? Your secrets have no value to me, and your secrets are such that a determined researcher could uncover them by merely looking through the public records on property purchases. Perhaps the naming of the neighborhoods you’re interested in might make a difference, but I’ve got a new and better life to worry about. Go ahead and build your empire. Go ahead and make your threats. Go ahead and try to eliminate me as you try to eliminate anyone who no longer has value to you. I expect that. But be aware that I will not stand and watch your empire ruin my future. I will not stand and watch you threaten those who have welcomed me when you would discard me for being unsuitable. I will not allow you to eliminate me for no longer being convenient to you.”

  “You toe a dangerous line, Penelope,” my father warned.

  “No, it’s you who toes a dangerous line. It’s you who has a choice to make. Are you willing to lose everything for an empire you cannot take with you to your grave? I don’t want your empire. I’m building one of my own. I should thank you for teaching me what I shouldn’t do when earning the respect of others. I will not build my empire on the backs of others, but rather with them, so we do not fall beneath a common enemy. Tonight, that enemy is you. I’ve known you since the day I was born, and you hated me for being a daughter rather than a son. I’m sure the members of your board would love to battle for the right to become your heir. What’s a little extra treachery in your day?” Smiling hurt, but I did it anyway. “Think carefully before you answer. Do I leave this lobby a neutral party or an enemy? I’m certainly not leaving it as a cherished daughter. I know better than to ask for miracles.
I also know better than to ask for affection or love from someone who loves only himself and his empire. But fortunately for me, I have a partner who values me. Perhaps you should learn from his example.”

  My father took his time thinking about it before he glared at me. In many ways, he reminded me of a petulant child, one who refused to accept he wouldn’t be getting his way.

  My father treasured his victories and loathed his defeats.

  A year ago, I had transformed from a victory to an uncertainty. Tonight, I became one of his defeats.

  “I recommend we part ways on neutral ground, Father. Everything I’ve learned about being someone’s enemy, I learned from you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend—for a while. I will give you credit where credit is due. You are a dangerous enemy. But the most important thing I’ve learned lately is that when it comes to you, I have a lot of friends. I will need them, and I am grateful for them.” It no longer hurt to smile.

  “What do you want from me, Penelope?”

  “I want nothing from you. However, your plans for Harlem and other residential properties will be a mistake, for you will reap what you sow, and you are sowing the seeds of a great many enemies—enemies who may very well become my friends. Take your time thinking about it. I’m sure you can figure out where to reach me should you wish to talk. Honestly, I hope you decide to change for the better, although I recognize you’ve been set in your ways since before I was born. I would appreciate if you told my mother that I love her, although I expect you’ll leave me in my grave and make certain she never learns of the truth.”

  “I could be convinced to pass her a message.”

  I understood; with my father, nothing ever came for free. “In exchange for what?”

  “Write a proposal on behalf of your precious preternaturals that will allow me to continue my expansion efforts. If I find the compromise tolerable, I will make adjustments. In exchange, you will convince some of your new friends that it is not wise to have me for an enemy.”

  I turned my head to regard Emerick with the faintest of frowns. “Emerick?”