Chapter 40 #3
“A lot of that will come with time, but I get what you’re saying.
I agree that you need to be educated about things, but you also don’t need to flood your brain, so you don’t retain anything.
You have to take everything in stride.” He placed his hand on top of mine on the table.
“You are learning about different species and each of those species is unique unto themselves. They have weaknesses and things that will strengthen them. There are things not even we are certain of. Hidden ancient texts and artifacts that tell of the history of all of our races. We have lore that gives us ideas but nothing concrete. There are those among us that are scholars, and their lives are spent searching for those texts and reading the ancient books that we do have in our possession. You have only begun to scratch the surface of the expanse of our existence and the knowledge of all of it.”
“I feel like one lifetime could never be enough to learn what I need to. Not to actually be good at this job.”
“I am not trying to use this as an angle to get something I want, but that is exactly what it is going to sound like. I am going to say it anyway and if you get pissed at me, so be it. There is an option that would give you as many lifetimes as you need. With the proper precautions of course.” It took me a few moments to realize what he was leading up to.
Then all at once I was certain that it was exactly what he meant.
“You want to turn me into a vampire,” I said it without any emotion or hint of what I was thinking. I simply made the statement.
He swallowed hard and waited for my response.
I realized that he thought I was going to be angry at him for suggesting it.
That I would think he wanted me to do it so I would be with him forever.
That there was a distinct possibility that I would think he was doing it to have a form of control over me like Amelia had over him at one time.
That it would keep me committed to him. Those thoughts were running through my head but only because I could faintly see the fear on his face.
I didn’t think any of those things. I wasn’t dumb enough to proceed with a decision like that without weighing all of my options and the possible outcomes.
He wasn’t wrong. I could have multiple lifetimes to learn as much as I wanted and to become the best equipped person to perform the job.
I sat in front of him and a thought sprang to life in my head. I suddenly became sad, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to share the thought aloud at all.
“How would I be able to represent the humans if I myself am a vampire? If I have a child to ensure that the human link doesn’t die with me, then who do I have a child with? If I have your child, it will be a vampire, correct?” I immediately saw regret taking over his face.
“Yes, if you were to have my child, they would be a vampire. Either that or they could choose to live a normal life.”
“What do you mean? How would they live a normal life?”
He took a deep breath. “If a human and a vampire have a child together then those parents could choose to not allow their child to drink blood. Some parents let the child decide whether or not they want to be a vampire or to stay human. By them not ingesting blood in large amounts, their body doesn’t activate the gene.
The child will reach an adult age and then the parents will allow them to make the decision.
If they choose to drink blood, then they will go through a transformation that resembles being turned by biting.
The organs and everything that makes them vulnerable within their body change.
Then, at that point they are immortal.” I was trying to absorb everything he was saying.
“After that they would have to drink blood. If they choose to never drink blood, then it’s not activated. They will live longer but not too much longer than a normal human. A hundred and ten maybe a little more; that is how long a dry hybrid will live.”
“A dry hybrid? Well, that’s not something you hear every day—or maybe it is.”
“No, not every day. As far as you not being able to represent humans, that’s a load of shit.
You know full well what it’s like to be a human; pretty sure you would still act in their best interest. If anything, it would put you in a better position because then you have two points of view to see things from. ”
“So, if I was to have your child, then our child could make the choice whether or not to be a vampire?”
“Only if you were to have my baby while you were still human. If you were to have my child as a vampire, then our child would have no choice. We would both be vampires and our child would require blood not to die by the age of twenty-five.”
“Then I guess I don’t need to make that decision right now. If I have a child, I want them to choose their own fate.”
“That is something that I would require in order to have a child. I would never force this life on anyone; especially my own child.”
“At least I know we agree on that. So that means that if I do decide to become a vampire it isn’t going to be until after I have children.”
“Then we will table this discussion until a later date.” I smiled at him; had we just decided something that most people wouldn’t even think of discussing this early in a relationship.
We weren’t most people though. Maddox turned his chair, so his whole body was facing me.
“I love you, Joslyn. No matter what you decide to do, I am here for it as long as you will have me.”
“I love you too. I don’t intend to make any plans for the future that don’t include you.”
I leaned forward and pushed my lips against his. He kissed me back with passion; putting his hand on the back of my head. We pulled apart when we heard the door open.
Oscar entered the room, and a smile spread across his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back later,” he said, pointing toward the door. I blushed slightly and Maddox removed his hand with a slight growl.
“Priorities, O. Work first, then I will be more than happy to tell you to get lost.” He turned his chair toward the werewolf.
“Alright then, we have about twenty minutes before go-time. How are we doing this?” Oscar said as he took his seat on the opposite side of me.
“Well, once we all gather; we bring in Alexander and listen to his recount. He leaves; we come to a decision and then inform the men. Case closed, then at eight o’clock we celebrate a new beginning.”
“Alright then, Boss. Sounds like a solid plan.”
Maddox broke in. “Also, there is something that I want to discuss with everyone while we are all together. Something has been weighing on me—I can’t work it out.”
“What are you talking about? Can you be less vague?” Oscar said, looking around me at Maddox.
“Charlotte was kidnapped when she and Joslyn were in Ireland by a vampire that was undocumented. He was only created for that purpose, and we haven’t located his maker as of yet.”
“Who is Charlotte? Oh, wait. That’s Ray’s other granddaughter, right? I think I remember him mentioning her before.”
“Yes, that is my cousin. She’s like a magnet for trouble.”
“So, what do you think is going on?” he asked Maddox.
“I’m not entirely sure anything is going on, but I want to look into it.”
“Your gut is telling you something is going on. How big do you think the problem could potentially be?”
“I hope it’s nothing, but I don’t know the scope of the problem until I can identify it.”
“If you want some help, I got you. You know me, I love getting my hands dirty.”
“That’s why I brought it up before everyone else got here. I know I can trust you to back me up.”
“Always my brother. If we need to fuck shit up, we do it together. The pack can watch over Joslyn if you and I need to leave to address anything. She will be safe.”
“I am right here. Also, I’m not a child and don’t like it when people make decisions for me.”
“I’m sorry, Joslyn. I can see how important you are to Maddox on a personal level. I also know how much you mean to this organization. You cannot be replaced—therefore you must be protected at all costs. The wolves can help him keep you safe if the need arises.”
“I want to be included in any decision making. Just because I want all five of us to have an equal say does not mean that I am relinquishing my own authority. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes ma’am,” Oscar responded.
“Don’t patronize me. I am an adult; I understand, compared to you I am a baby, but that does not mean that I actually am one.”
“You are right, and I am being an ass. You have given me no reason to question your intelligence or commitment. If anything, you have done the opposite.”
I could tell that although he valued women and he respected them in certain settings, this was new to him.
A woman being in a place of power—he was going to have to get used to it.
His daughter would be taking over whenever he decided to step down so he damn well better get used to the idea.
I was done tiptoeing around these men with their seemingly fragile egos.
These were good men; there was no doubting that, but not many people handled change well.
“I appreciate you saying so. I get the feeling that some of you may have to get used to the idea of a woman in this position. Since your daughter is your successor, I would think that is something you would want to work on for her sake.”
“You are correct. I need to try to stay open-minded and come to the realization that things may be moving in a different direction, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad direction. Thank you for saying what my daughter may have lacked the courage or comfort to say—and that’s on me.”
I could see a look of shame on his face. He didn’t mean to discount anyone; years of treating women like the weaker sex is a hard habit to break. I hoped that he would remember this conversation when he spoke to Rye.