10. You will be paying for that later, my little girl. #2
I snorted at his question, delivered in his most hopeful tone.
“I might even wear your favorite leathers the next time I have to sneak out of bed to deal with a miscreant. I’ll even have someone tip you off so you can arrive just as I’m dealing with the problem.
” Once Emerick had his mug, I headed to the sitting room to observe our kittens, who still slept.
“We better get the litter boxes finished, else our feline princesses will be distraught. At least they’re already litter box trained.
” While the kittens had roamed the cruise ship, they’d already been taught how to use the robotic litter boxes the instant they’d been old enough to be able to use them safely. “Breanna is coming with us, right?”
“Considering she’s our primary bait to get Breckenan to come out so we can kill him, yes. I’m sure your father is going to be talking to her about it in more detail when he’s helping her assemble the litter boxes. However, I’m concerned Breckenan is aware of your past relationship with her.”
“It’s unlikely. She moved when I was fifteen. I don’t think Breckenan’s involvement with my father came anywhere close to that. We should find out, however. Maybe my father knows something we don’t.”
“Oh, your father definitely knows something we don’t.
” Emerick sat on his favorite chair, put his mug aside, and made his lap available for my use.
He took my mug long enough for me to get settled before offering it back.
“What he knows and isn’t telling us is a concern.
But understanding what he is—and the true origin of the Originals—helps a lot.
But it also makes the tragedy more significant and real.
When the Originals executed one of their own for crossing the line, it wasn’t just a member of their brood.
It was their flesh and blood. And that the Master of the Originals was their father?
It’s just a tragedy wrapped in a tragedy wrapped in even more tragedy. ”
I sipped my drink, marveling over how my family, all strangers to me except for reputation, had endured through the many years. “Do you think we’ll have problems on the ship?”
“Not until we get close to Europe. Once we’re near Europe?
Yes, I’m expecting trouble. We’ll be anticipating it so we can spring the trap on them.
I expect we will have a skirmish on the ship, and they’ll flee upon realizing how large our force is.
Then we’ll have to go hunt them in Europe.
As such, I will be preparing a present for you. ”
Since our marriage, I had learned my husband loved presents; giver or receiver, if a present was involved, he transformed into an excitable child before a holiday. The moments of bliss always caught me by surprise, especially as he made a show of solemn sincerity most of the time.
Thus far, I’d caught him three times receiving a small gift that had turned his evening from miserable to tolerable.
Once, he’d gotten a few pieces of chocolate safe for vampires, which someone had tossed on his chair with a bow and his name on it.
Another time, a new stake had made an appearance, also wrapped with a bow and his name on it.
The stake had been roughly carved, appraised as weak in general, but had become one of Emerick’s favorites.
I expected it would be a while before he stopped carrying it with him.
“You know, I could give you many presents on the cruise to Europe. Many, many presents. All of them delivered in bed.” I relaxed, sipped my hot chocolate, and took in the comfortable luxury Emerick had built for himself before changing it to be built for us.
When he found out I enjoyed warm colors, he’d begun removing a few of the colder decorative items, replacing them with an autumn motif.
My favorite of them came in the form of a new lamp, which stood in the corner.
Stained glass of beautiful trees in the midst of losing their leaves sent a cascade of warm colors over the floor, transforming the space with a flip of a switch.
For the most part, we kept the lamp off, but whenever he thought I needed a reason to smile, he got up, turned it on, and let it work its magic on me.
I needed to find more ways to return the favor, although I’ve found luring him into our bedroom and removing my shirt did an excellent job of improving his mood.
Until we were headed to Europe, there would be no time for such pleasant pursuits.
Emerick sighed. “On one hand, I feel I must spend every single minute on the cruise planning. But then I realize you may be right; I should get many presents on the cruise, all delivered in bed. My sour mood can—and does—ripple through the brood bonds. Your presence stabilizes everything, but your worry is also present, and when you are worried, everyone is worried.”
I did some mental math, and I found the answer unpleasant: I held more than a little responsibility for others trying to soothe Emerick through gifts.
I needed to change that. “We need to work on this. When I’m dour enough I’m causing problems within the brood, you should be giving me presents in bed before notifying me of the situation. Right now, I have no idea when I’m doing it, so I can’t fix it myself.”
“I’m seeing nothing wrong with this plan.
And you’re right; it takes time for the brood bonds to settle enough for you to pick up on things like this.
In time, you’ll feel it. Everyone expects you to have a long transition time.
The more we learn about your heritage, the more everyone realizes you might need entire centuries to work through your nerves.
Everyone is prepared to be as patient as you need. ”
I made a few huffy noises before indulging in more of my drink. “Am I your first wife?”
“You are,” he confirmed. “I have dated, but I have not found a woman who matched well with me. Until you, she didn’t exist.”
I smiled at that. “Maybe you should give my parents a mug each to thank them.”
He snickered. “I can do that. Why are you asking?”
“The only Original I’m interested in being is your wife.”
His snickering matured into laughter. “I can’t blame you for that. Once word spreads of the real origin of vampires, I expect things will change for your family. I don’t know what title they’ll end up getting, but there will be one. We’re vampires. We title everything we can.”
“I’ve noticed that. The kittens will be okay going with us?”
“We’ll take their records with us, and the ones on board already have theirs. It’ll be fine. Depending on where we go to port, the kittens might have to stay on board the ship, but it’ll be fine. We can deal with their health checks when we get there.”
I could work with that. “Why do you think Breckenan picked Breanna?”
“Vampires tend to be the kind to fall head over heels with beauty, and she’s a beauty.
It would not surprise me if he wanted to perfect the art of raising women so he could raise her to be his eternal bride.
We’d have to check the timeline for when he first saw her.
It could very well be he has been angling for her as his bride all along and we just didn’t know it. ”
There was still a lot we didn’t know, which would irritate me until we learned the truth.
“When you’re making plans for the cruise, please ask that we compile all the information we have so we can discuss this during the voyage.
I want to end this fully aware of how and why everything has happened.
The truth matters. We do know Breckenan is a rabid animal we need to put down, but I want to know more than I do. ”
“I’ll work on that. Until we depart, I want you to carve stakes, play with our kittens, and pack our clothes. The least I can do is dress to your taste for this venture.”
“I’ll even let you pick one of my outfits, and you can put it in a black bag so I can’t see what you’re dressing me in.”
“I shall do this with great glee,” he promised.
“Good. I’ll also pack as much of my apple tree as I can. When I’m not giving you presents and learning more of the truth, I will be carving.”
“I’ll bring my supplies as well. The night before we leave, we’ll hunt for more wood. That’s commonly done before ventures like this. What we find sometimes shines light on the future.”
“I do not believe in omens or portents, sir.”
“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”