11. Ben is not going to be pleased.
ELEVEN
Ben is not going to be pleased.
My father’s uncle did more than merely observe Jeremy Breckenan in the Amazon. He isolated several conspirators, engaged in an act of kidnapping, and made an unpleasant discovery.
At least some of Breckenan’s associates and conspirators had lost their free will, acting on his behalf because they had to.
The boy in question had been born in Brazil, had been taken by Breckenan’s brood at age ten, and remembered nothing of his life until Dagan had made use of some vampiric magic and one of my stakes to free him from the influence.
If our intel was correct, Breckenan worked with another preternatural, one who could handle such enchantments. There were a few types it could be, but I came away with one key piece of information: against one, they were dangerous.
Against many, they had no hope of victory.
As such, when the hunt began, everyone would work together in groups of four to ten.
Upon boarding the Eclipse , I made a decision on who would be involved with my group, and the unfairness of the ploy pleased me. My team would consist of Emerick, my father, my brothers, Ben, Clarke, and myself.
I figured I would provide a charitable handicap for any unfortunate enough to face us.
It amused me that my brothers infested the same stack as my penthouse, and they had chosen their suites long ago.
I questioned why all three were accompanying us on the ship, but I behaved for once in my life and waited for us to leave port and my father to pay us a visit before implementing my plan.
Before my father had a chance to say a word, I announced, “I’ve picked my team.”
He raised a brow. “I see you’ve decided to be assertive. As I was coming to fetch you so we can do a conference call with all the involved brood masters, I suppose knowing who you want on your team may be wise.”
“You, me, Emerick, Clarke, Ben, and those sons of yours.”
While he took a few moments to ponder my selection, he nodded. “Very well. It’s a strong team, motivated as well. However, Clarke is on a plane headed to Europe with your mother.”
“He’s going to be our eyes on the ground, and all teams are going to have at least one person who is cozy in Europe and in a group so this preternatural behind Paulo’s problems can’t get them all.”
“We do need a communications member, and Clarke is more than capable of handling that. It’ll do. Why do you want your brothers?”
“If I do so much as break a nail, everyone in the group is going to have a meltdown of the likes never before seen. If I actually get cut? The entirety of Europe might end up razed by the time you’re finished.” I engaged Emerick in a staring contest, daring him to contradict my statement.
My husband shrugged. “I can’t say she’s wrong, Charlie.”
“Oh, she’s definitely correct in her assessment of the situation. I’ll make certain your brothers know they are part of our team. I trust you can handle notifying Ben.”
“Ben is not going to be pleased,” Emerick predicted. “In his world, his entire team consists of people he needs to babysit.”
I could understand why Ben might not be pleased under those circumstances. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Ben is going to prove you quite wrong, I assure you.” My husband rubbed his hands together with a rather demonic grin. “I will enjoy being the reason Ben proves you wrong.”
Color me unsurprised. Once Emerick got an idea in his head, I could trust the ancient vampire to follow through with more enthusiasm than any one man should display, ever. “Please do not drag Ben to the end of his rope and tug.”
“Don’t ruin my fun.”
“Should your fun at all impede our ability to destroy Jeremy Breckenan, I will stomp on it with a ruthlessness you have not yet witnessed in your long life and may never witness again.”
“I have learned, in my years as a father, that when a youngling makes statements like that, they are meant and the wise heed the warning quite plainly issued. You should be grateful she is informing you of her intent. Often, she does not.” My father raised a brow at me.
“All I ask is that you do not bite your brothers during any attempts to steal their food. I expect some sibling squabbling. I have been a father for longer than most would care to admit. To ask you not to squabble would be to request miracles.”
Damn. My father was on a roll. “How does food work on a cruise ship, anyway?”
“You’re hungry again?” Emerick asked, and he frowned.
In hindsight, I recognized my new habit of eating everything to cross my path might concern him. I eyed my stomach and poked it.
It growled at me. “All signs point to yes.”
“What do you suggest, Charlie?”
“The buffet on the second deck. That is more upscale, there is always a table reserved for my use when I am present, and there will be plenty of space for everyone on our team at it. If the buffet cannot tame her, I fear for the safety of all aboard.” My father gestured towards the elevator outside of our suite.
“I will send texts to everyone as we go and postpone the conference call. She will not be at her best if she is worried about her next meal.”
I checked on our furry demons, determined they would be fine on their own, and herded everyone out. “We should bring treats back for our children, Emerick.”
“I will inform the kitchen the kittens need to be spoiled.” With a shake of his head, my father sent off texts while we prepared to leave.
“And do not be alarmed by her appetite, Emerick. Those sons of mine are also voracious eaters. This is something inherited from me. In time, you will be far more concerned with her regular feeding bill than the blood she requires.”
“I was not worried before, but I am most certainly worried now. I will not be caught unprepared,” my husband swore.
“You are doomed,” my father informed him in a solemn tone. “I wish you the best of luck for you will need it.”
As my father predicted, my brothers and I squabbled, competed over who could eat the most, and made attempts to steal food from each other. I targeted Emerick more often than not.
He had the best eye for the tastiest treats.
The third time he caught me stealing his sushi, he propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his palm.
“I’m going to guess you are eating your feelings, but for the life of me, I cannot guess which feelings you devour.
I do understand your reasoning for stealing my supper, though.
Would you like me to bring you a plate of your own sushi?
I will take care with what I bring you.”
My father laughed. “I’ll have them bring her a sampler tower with seafood. The boys will want one each, and I may as well attempt to spoil them somewhat.”
My brothers cheered, and the tables nearby glanced our way, snickered, and went back to their meals.
Eugene winked at me before saying, “We’re different from other vampires, as you well know.
We have to be careful with our blood sources, as we can pick up abilities better than other preternaturals.
We don’t usually drain corpses dry because of it.
New abilities are a pain to train, and Dad will insist on proper training should you show them.
You ladies get the short end of the stick.
Should you grace your husband with a little one, you’ll be drinking blood banks dry and rampaging on real food to keep the baby fed.
What we don’t know is how much blood you’ll need because of our lineage.
For all we know, you might even stop needing blood altogether. ”
My father shrugged. “That is a possibility. Your mother required alarmingly little blood to properly rise, although Clarke gave her ready access—and gave her more than she needed. Vampires have good reason to avoid pregnancy tests unless actively attempting to procreate. Most mothers don’t wish to know if a child was lost when they are not in a position to carry to term.
What is your success rate for pregnancies, Emerick? ”
My husband leaned back in his seat and made a thoughtful noise.
“Among our human women, quite high; I haven’t lost a woman to labor for over a hundred years, and I mean to keep it that way.
If we have a touchy pregnancy, I bring in the best doctors I can, magic is used, and I have no scruples about sending a pair overseas if needed to make certain mother and baby survive.
We did lose an infant thirty years ago, but we made the painful decision to terminate the pregnancy at four months. ”
“What happened?” I asked, wincing at the thought of an expecting pair losing their child.
“He had anencephaly,” Emerick replied, and he sighed.
“He was missing most of his brain. At the time the family made the decision to terminate, the baby had less than a quarter of his brain, and there was no chance of life. We were astonished the pregnancy hadn’t naturally terminated, truth be told.
We assumed predisposition was at play. Technology was not as good then, but the scans done had shown problems earlier.
The fourth month was when we were certain there was no chance of life.
They tried again the following year. Their son will be turned in the next year or two, and I’ll be taking care with him.
I intend on using at least twice the normal amount of blood. ”
“I will help,” my father offered. “My blood tends to make for easy turnings, and it has been over a thousand years since I’ve failed to have someone rise. I understand their pain.”
Of that I had no doubt. “Thank you, Father.”
“When you do decide to grace your husband with a child, your brothers and I will contribute blood, as will the rest of the family.”
“Won’t that cause problems with the pregnancy?” Emerick asked, his brow furrowing.