5. Australia does not seem like a pleasant place for a vampire. #2
“It’s true. Nothing hurt your father more than the moment you died and he had to tell me why he wouldn’t raise you.
And in that moment, I was more than willing to deal with an eternal infant to keep you ,” my mother said, and she offered me a smile.
“Your father didn’t want another child. He had wanted you from the moment he knew you were on the way.
That was before finding out you were the daughter he had always wanted.
I have no doubt that Japanese family feels the same way.
Having a baby for all eternity is a far better option than letting you go.
It’s part of what makes us all human—especially those of us who are no longer quite human.
It didn’t take me long to understand that.
In some ways, I think children are even more precious to me now.
I know what will be involved with having another.
” My mother turned a rather vicious glare to Clarke.
“And after our ceremony, we will be pursuing a child. Even in another case of severe predisposition, I am confident in my abilities to handle the situation.”
Emerick’s maker wisely held his hands up in surrender. “I know better than to argue. I do have a question for you, Charlie.”
“What is it?” My father raised a brow and considered the other vampire with interest. “If you’re going to ask why I was all right with you wedding her, it’s simple: I find you to be an acceptable partner for her.
Do not misunderstand me, Clarke. Should I have found you unacceptable, I would have taken her and set her loose on a more appropriate vampire. ”
“Don’t mind Charlie,” my mother advised.
“He’s like that. I knew when we began the divorce it would be like that.
He takes my future—and Pepper’s future—seriously.
I may no longer be his wife, but I am a part of his legacy.
It just happens I didn’t live a mortal life like the rest of the women who blessed him with children.
Although I do have a question of my own. Would you have turned Benoit’s mother?”
My father’s smile carried with it ancient sadness.
“If things had been different, I would have loved her to the end of her days and respected her decision. But I do not think she would have wished to be turned. She loved the idea of her son having eternal life, but she did not want such things for herself. She lacked ambition. But that is part of what I did, in truth, love about her. Every woman to bear one of my sons was cherished until their final breaths, but part of the fault was with me. None of them wanted to become vampires.”
“I didn’t want to become a vampire at first, either,” my mother replied with a wry grin. “You quickly changed my thought on that matter, however. Now, turning as I did was quite the surprise, but it’s not like you forced me through any step of it. We decided everything together despite the risks.”
Clarke considered my father for a long while, canting his head to the side one way, opening his mouth as though to speak before changing his mind and pondering the situation. “I don’t understand why you feel I’m suitable for a jewel like her.”
My father gestured towards me and Emerick.
“You raised that boy from a human child into a vibrant young man before turning him into a vampire the wise view with wary regard. He is honorable, as gentle as a vampire can be without becoming easy prey or allowing true evil to fester under his guard. The type of vampire he became is a reflection of the type of man you are. Your courage is commendable, although I do not recommend that you test my uncles in such a fashion. Then again, none of my uncles would even consider a divorce from any of their wives.”
Every single one of my relatives glared at my father.
“You have sinned, Dad,” I informed him with a grin.
“The only person in this room who is allowed to even consider becoming upset with my parents over their decision to divorce is me. I am not upset over it, so nobody else is permitted to be upset over it. And if anyone even thinks about becoming upset over my choice to steal this brood master, I have stakes and a willingness to use them.”
“Pepper,” my father chided.
“What? It’s true. Should anyone lay a finger on Emerick, their demise will be so brutal and vicious they will speak of it for thousands of years.”
Emerick snickered and kissed my cheek. “You better hide the files about the times I’ve had close calls, Ben. The last thing we need is my wife living up to her word right now.”
“I will leave out the file about the bruises you picked up while she was dumpster diving for sandpaper,” Ben replied.
I narrowed my eyes. “What bruises?”
Emerick sighed.
Ben smirked at my husband, his expression promising trouble.
“After you departed and we sprung the trap, our brood’s master became rather involved with the festivities.
One of the traitors gave him a bit of sport and landed a few hits.
Before his execution, he confessed that Jeremy Breckenan had offered a significant sum for your live capture. ”
“I see. So, you’re saying Breckenan is behind him being bruised?”
“Yes.”
Color me unsurprised. “Emerick,” I growled.
“Alheen, please tell me you have a solid lead on Mr. Breckenan. It seems I am now in trouble with my wife, and I feel only providing her with an outlet for her displeasure will get me out of this alive.”
My brothers burst into laughter.
My father shook his head. “You have much to learn about women, young Emerick. My daughter will keep you alive, she will just make certain you suffer for your transgressions. She is the kind to draw out a fight so she can enjoy maximum satisfaction.”
“It’s a requirement in order to be an attorney,” I informed my husband in a solemn tone. “But I will delay your suffering in exchange for good information on our prey, Mr. Lowrance—and I’ll even let you help me tear him to little pieces.”
“I’m so going to make you pay for this later, Mrs. Lowrance,” my husband whispered. “All right. Let’s focus. How is the circumstance of Breckenan’s rise as a vampire related to his current activities?”
“Much like his father, he wishes to convey immortal life on those he views as family. He is experimenting on others first. He has been taking women because there is a woman he appreciates. Fortunately for her, she is unaware of his interest as of yet. He knows her from one of his work enterprises, and he has assumed she will accept him—and vampirism—and become the queen of his empire. For now, she is safe and unaware of his ambitions.”
I grimaced at the thought of anyone else enduring what I had gone through. “That explains why he wants me alive. He wants to find out why I survived and the other women didn’t.”
“Correct. News has spread of his brutality in the vampiric community, and I have made it clear that anyone found to be aiding and abetting him will face his fate. The wise vampires will distance themselves. The unwise will die, if not at my hands, then at the hands of someone likely in this room.”
I smiled at that. “Emerick, we should plan our wedding ceremony for a month after we separate Breckenan’s head from his body and turn the bastard to dust. It can be a celebratory feast for numerous reasons.”
Emerick made a show of checking his watch. “I’m not sure we can plan a ceremony of such import in just over a month.”
His assumption we could finish him off sooner than later amused me. “I don’t think we’ll be killing the bastard off tonight.”
“Tomorrow is an option.”
I rolled my eyes. “If it was that easy, we would have done it by now, Emerick. Be realistic.”
“I am being realistic. We have four Originals, your father, and your brothers in this room. We have Ben as well. Add you and me, and we have the entire force needed to eradicate him as long as we can isolate his location.”
“It’s not going to be that easy,” I warned.
“It’s really not, unfortunately. Following your exposure of his warehouses and your successful containment of his freed victims, Breckenan has gone underground.
He took all the wealth from his family’s necromantic dealings, built himself a remote fortress, and waits for time to be on his side.
” Alheen wrinkled his nose before making a disgusted expression.
“I admire his tenacity. If we want to take him out, we will have embark on a rather nasty venture through inhospitable terrain.”
“It’s either a jungle or a snowy mountain,” my father announced, and he grinned at his uncle. “Only those two terrains would get such a wonderful reaction out of you.”
“He has taken up residence in the Amazon rainforest, and he thrives on preying on local tribes and animals,” the Original reported. “I abhor mosquitos. How dare they even dream of sucking my blood?”
I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t burst into laughter at the ancient vampire’s plight. “When did he head into the rainforest?”
“His flight departed for Mexico four nights ago, and he took a small entourage with him. Our first targets are his former estates, which he has left lightly defended, as he does not realize I have identified them. Tomorrow night, we can pay a visit to his Manhattan property. I’m sure we’ll find some good information.
Ideally, we will lure him to us and spring a trap. ”
I considered the ways we could use vampiric society against the bastard. “We could have an engagement party and turn it into a death dance should he dare to show up. The whole party can be one elaborate trap. I like traps,” I informed my husband.
“You’re an ambush predator. Traps are your nature. What are the odds he would find out about this party and show up?”
My father’s uncles and cousins exchanged looks, and after a while, Alheen gestured to Darius. “Perhaps you are the best to answer this question.”