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I had to huff out a laugh at that one, though it also gave me an uneasy twinge. I didn’t like the thought of anyone dictating any queen had to claim a Blood from their house. Marne Ceresa had tried that trick with me, and while I’d gained Okeanos and wouldn’t change a thing, the thought of taking one of her personal Blood made me want to hurl.
I hadn’t been raised in a court, and Aima customs were foreign to me. Mayte agreed, and she was Xochitl’s mother. Besides, unless House Vitória had a unicorn, I didn’t see the little girl being too pleased with any of them.
I picked up my coffee cup while I scanned the rest of the page.
House Vitória retains their nest in São Paulo, including one-hundred acres and a one-hundred-thousand-square-foot mansion, and all peoples living within.
Followed by detailed accounting of how many humans and Aima siblings lived under the House Vitória umbrella. Nearly triple Zaniyah’s, from what I remembered, and their nest seemed to be much more lavish than the simple yet comfortable manor house where Mayte had grown up. Plus several other properties listed in South and Central America. On paper, House Vitória appeared to be the larger, wealthier house. Queen Jacinta might not be very powerful, but if she commanded such a large base, she had to be at least as powerful as Mayte.
Then I read the last line and promptly choked, spitting a mouthful of coffee back into the cup.
House Vitória will pay House Zaniyah one hundred thousand United States dollars and House Isador one million United States dollars annually until this contract is terminated and recorded as null and void in the Triune archive. Advance sums are already paid in full and non-refundable if House Isador refuses the contract.
“It’s quite a triumphant coup for Zaniyah,” Gina said. “And of course, Isador.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Didn’t we agree to pay out House Skye’s sibling contracts when they left? They didn’t pay Keisha. It was the other way around.”
“They’re the ones asking to be your sibling. They want your protection.”
My mouth sagged open, and I sat back in the chair more than a little stunned. “That’s like highway robbery, isn’t it?”
Shrugging, Gina flashed a smug grin. “It’s the sum they’re willing to pay, and quite honestly, we could easily ask for more. Vitória can afford it.”
“But that’s crazy! A million dollars a year? It’s like vampire mafia shit.”
“More like Triune mafia shit.” She laughed and offered me a heavy gold pen. “It’s a very good offer, but it’s entirely up to you.”
I took the pen but didn’t press the tip to paper yet. “Are there any downsides to taking them on?”
Her eyebrows raised and she breathed deeply, staring off into space. I loved that she didn’t immediately give me a careless platitude for an answer. When she met my gaze, she gave a little nod. “The only downside I can think of is drawing the attention of the rest of the Triune. If M?—”
Her eyes flared and she quickly changed her wording to avoid saying Marne Ceresa out loud since Okeanos’ warning. “If the queen of Rome is worried about how quickly Isador is gaining allies, this agreement could draw unfavorable attention to you. Vitória is a very rich house, but they’ve had few dealings with the Triune in the past. Queen Jacinta isn’t well known or extremely powerful as far as I’m aware of. I can’t even say what her powers are known to be.”
Nodding, I signed the contract page with a flourish. “It sounds like a good deal for Xochitl especially.”
“It’s a very good deal for her. Our little unicorn princess is gaining quite the entourage even though she’s only four.”
She pulled out the next folder with a wry smile more of a grimace. “This is everything I was able to pull together about the Dauphine.”
It was one fucking page.
“Historically, the Dauphin was the heir apparent to the throne of France, beginning back in Sir Guillaume’s time. The Dauphine was the title given to the heir’s wife. Before that, Dauphiné of Viennois was a province in southeastern France. According to the human historical record, it was ruled by a man with a dolphin in his crest, which is how the province and title came to be. Of course the records fail to recognize that he gained this land and the title from his mother, Matilda, who just so happened to be the great-granddaughter of Jeanne Viennois, the Dauphine.”
I nodded, remembering the crow queen’s letter. Guillaume had immediately recognized the blue and red fish crest on the page as the Dauphine’s symbol.
“Little else is known about Jeanne, unfortunately. Even then, she preferred obscurity, which makes sense given her bloodline from Despoina, who was worshiped by the Eleusinian Mysteries. Honestly, Jeanne Viennois may not be her true name either, though House Viennois, or House Dauphine as it’s more widely known as now, is formally recorded with the Triune. We don’t even know how old she is, though she’s old enough to have a living queen granddaughter who’s over five hundred years old. She doesn’t have any siblings recorded in the archive, not directly to House Viennois, at least.”
Rosalind Valois, the queen of Paris, was Jeanne’s granddaughter, who had both a romantic and strategic alliance with Keisha Skye. When I killed Keisha and took over Skye Tower, Rosalind had so kindly offered to take House Skye—and me—under her wing. No fucking chance, thank you very much.
House Valois had numerous siblings listed, including House Delafosse in New Orleans. Which we knew now to be one of the Dauphine’s secret identities.
“Let’s check out each of these other siblings listed for House Valois and see if they’re legit. I’m especially interested in any that might be in Quebec. The Dauphine was writing someone there about me when we were in Kansas City, but I didn’t see the name. Maybe she went north to Canada after leaving New Orleans.”
By the glint of excitement in her eyes, Gina was thinking the same thing. “Some of these names I recognize immediately as having other business before the Triune, but many are obscure. They could be fronts for her to hide in plain sight again. I’ll get Kevin started on them immediately.”
We worked through paperwork for another couple of hours through late afternoon into the evening, mostly contract amendments that Gwen and Kevin had worked up for the siblings in Isador Tower. Then there was a final listing of all the properties I’d inherited from House Skye, including an entire island off the coast of Scotland near the Isle of Skye.
Winston brought a fresh tray of chocolate chip cookies to the table and paused beside the table, waiting until Gina paused. “Your Majesty?—”
