4. I’ve decided you’re getting a cool mug, Dad. #3
“I am starting to think Pepper’s affectionate nature is as much from her father as it is her mother,” Emerick announced in a rather amused tone, wrapping his arms around me.
“I have learned if I want to read a book, I need to provide her with a distraction, else I become a chair and little reading gets done. Sometimes, I lure her onto my lap right before dawn so I can read while she sleeps.”
“Sleeping has always been her favorite hobby,” my mother replied with a smile. “Keeping her awake during the day was quite the challenge. She adapted, but nothing pleased her as a child more than pretending she was a cat, sleeping in a puddle of sunlight.”
“I am having a sunroom added to one of our other properties so she can indulge at her leisure when we aren’t here.”
Eventually, we’d visit one of the other properties, but such things would have to wait until after the wedding ceremony, whenever that would be, and the destruction of Jeremy Breckenan and his plans.
“I’m viewing the sunroom as a wedding gift, motivating me to get through this death dance I’m being subjected to. ”
Emerick sighed. “At least you have progressed in your dancing enough my toes are mostly safe from being trampled.”
“Mostly.” I laughed over my ability to be graceful when out to kill a miscreant, but I couldn’t handle the simplest of waltzes without somehow making a mess of it.
If Emerick wanted a perfect dance for our wedding, he’d have to take control, something he would not do.
He’d rather have a mess of a dance and a genuine me, something I appreciated.
“That is my fault,” my father confessed. “I am graceless on the dance floor. It took me many an hour to make myself presentable for the ceremony with your mother. I trust Clarke will be able to give you a dance you deserve.”
My mother snickered. “You are capable at so many things, but a dance simply is beyond you. You shamed neither of us during the ceremony, I assure you. But I did have myself quite a good laugh over it. Those fools had no idea you have two left feet once music is involved unless you happen to be singing. You can sing.”
My father sighed. “So I can. Clarke, when you do have your ceremony, my family will be on hand to make it clear there will be no issues.”
That would cause quite the stir; four Originals, their offspring, and their nephew all in one place would take the vampiric world by storm. “Edgar will need to throw flowers and carry the rings. Non-negotiable.”
My mother snickered. “I have no problems with the boy participating. Has he begun to grow any?”
Emerick heaved a sigh, and after a few moments of contemplation, he nodded. “Half an inch, but that half an inch is a miracle to most of the brood. We never thought he’d ever have a chance to grow up.”
“Give him time,” my father advised. “Unlike with Pepper, you won’t have to do quite as much of a dance.
He knows he is a vampire, he has the appropriate upbringing, and you’re merely catering his diet to be more suited for humans than vampires.
I doubt his progression will be as smooth as Pepper’s, but Pepper’s nature helped significantly. ”
“Edgar’s temperament is quite similar. They’re helpers,” my husband complained.
“One just prefers helping with legal paperwork and killing miscreants. Edgar is an artist, and we’ll be cultivating his artistry as he grows.
If I have my way, he will spend the rest of his days with his art and creating beauty, but he will be grown and capable of living in the world.
I think he’s too conditioned to be taken care of. ”
“Time might change that, and he will have a great deal of it. Do not be surprised if he matures mentally at a rapid clip. Pepper experienced some oddities with her development. Some years, we feared she would be behind, but then she skipped ahead with frightening speed. There is nothing quite as worrisome as having a teenage daughter who might be smarter and wiser than you are, and that’s accounting for thousands of years of experience. ”
I rolled my eyes at that. “Just because I cracked your safe that one time. It’s not my fault you had taken to hiding Christmas presents in there.”
“That you did it through listening to the mechanism was quite admirable. I do appreciate that the safe kept you busy for several weeks. We only needed to feed you and send you to bed then. Alas, I had figured out what you were up to and removed all but a few gifts so you had a prize for your determination. If you wish to keep her out of a safe, you will need to use biometric locks. Even then, she had a vampire’s hearing along with a steady and patient hand. ”
Emerick hugged me. “I will make certain to hone her skills. Aptitude is important, and if she knows how to break through security systems, she can help make certain the brood is secure.”
“Assuming I get better at staying awake during the day, I enjoy learning new things. Father, I do have a question for you. Why is it you couldn’t be whiter if you tried?
Our family is definitely not pasty North American white.
If anything, it appears the rest of our family is a spectrum from African to heavily tanned Greek. ”
“Much like Edgar, we are chameleons, although our magic works differently. Rather than the illusions—glamours—some vampires use, we are capable of completely changing our physical form. It’s part of how we shapeshift.
We have more forms than most vampires, and we also adapt to where we live.
Should I go to Greece for a while, I gradually adapt to look more Greek.
That’s part of how people identify if someone is an Original or a direct descendant of an Original.
The more steps away from my grandfather, the less of that magic remains.
Children like Edgar simply have ancient genetics that woke.
” My father pointed at one of his uncles.
“Edgar is likely a descendant of one of Thane’s offspring. ”
My great uncle, who was more African than the rest, offered a rather toothy grin.
“I have done some looking, and yes, Edgar is part of my lineage, as is Clarke and Emerick. But that’s not surprising; while my lineage is not widespread, my children, their children, and their children’s children tend to be stronger should they survive.
Like calls to like, after all. Of course, Clarke is of mixed lineage. ”
Emerick’s maker raised a brow. “How so?”
Thane pointed at Alheen. “One of his grandchildren turned a daughter, who in turn gave birth to a son; that son did not become a vampire. In time, that child’s line birthed your father.
It is good for us to know the lineages of those in close proximity to our family members.
It helps us know what to look for in future offspring.
Pepper, you technically count as an Original yourself; your father was not turned.
Your brothers are likewise counted as Originals in our eyes.
However, we do not spread that information.
It would lead to many deaths—and not yours or your brothers’.
That is part of why you have earned the title. ”
I glanced at my father. “And your other children?”
My father made a gesture before resting his hand over his heart.
“The sons I have lost and buried earned their way to their graves. Some turned to darkness, and I escorted them to the ground myself so that nobody else would be hurt. One did not wish to be turned, so upon his death of old age, content and at peace, I made certain he would not rise to become one of us. There were a few accidents in young age, and I took steps to make certain they would not arise; they did not have interest in the preternatural. I would not have called them prejudiced, but I would not have called them receptive. A few crossed strong vampires and paid the price for their arrogance with their lives. Those children were… closer to the dark side. These other sons of mine seem to have figured out how to be independent while demonstrating appropriate ethics.”
My brothers settled into glowering at our father. Benoit sniffed, lifted his chin, and turned to the rest of our relatives for support.
Alheen shrugged. “You are tolerable as far as sons go, but I would not push your luck, young Benoit. Independent while demonstrating appropriate ethics is a compliment coming from your father.”
That I believed. “At least you didn’t spend your entire life believing our father wished you were born a boy instead of a girl. Take the victory when you can get it.”
My brothers added some growls and grumbles to their glaring.
“You are spoiled sons and you should be grateful you’re spoiled. Your sister was born stubborn, and I do not recommend competing against her. She will find a way to make you lose.”
I really would. “All right. It’s clear there has been a lot of misinformation passed around.
I even understand why, although I am more confident that the rumor mill will be talking about our family for centuries to come.
What does where we came from, as vampires, have to do with what Jeremy Breckenan is doing? ”