Page 17 of Death Dance

“You are an evil woman,” my father muttered. “Is the mother human or vampire?”

“Vampire,” Emerick replied. “They waged a long and hard battle to bring their baby boy into the world. They understood there would be predisposition, but culturally, the Japanese have a young age of consent for children born to vampires; they are brought up among the brood, and vampires there are respected. They are the guardians of the night, and those who stray face far harsher punishments than most. But that is part of why they hesitated to stake the infant. They waited several hundred years to have a child, and both were willing to have a beloved infant for all eternity if need be. Their willingness to sacrifice their lives for their baby made the difference.”

“How often does this happen? That a baby is born, dies, rises, and is then killed?”

How close had I come to enduring such a fate?

“Once every twenty or so years,” Alheen reported. “Should one of our family find out about the issue, we will show up and evaluate the situation—and handle it should it be necessary. Some of the children simply cannot thrive even as an eternal infant. They are often like you, with some unknown but horrific defect barring them from life. You were the only one prior to this boy’s birth, so I fear it was overdue. Vampirism can only go so far in sparing a young life.”

My heart hurt for the Japanese family, struggling as my parents had struggled. “So, let me see if I understand this. Dad, you knew your uncles tend to deal with this issue, so you hid that I had suffered from a heart defect so they wouldn’t come deal with me. Correct?”

“Correct,” he confirmed. “They found out when you were a teenager. Alheen contacted me, and it’s impossible to hide your nature from truly ancient vampires. You have a presence about you. You never met him, but he could sense you from a distance. Upon receiving evidence you grew without complications, he opted to ignore the situation. It was clear to him you thrived, I was taking care with your upbringing, and you were not a risk to humanity. I am sure he’ll go be a pest in Japan soon enough.”

“Your work with Pepper will change how we handle these situations. Some of the infants will not live; their bodies are simply not compatible with life, and most cannot undergo the sort of operation you did. You were fortunate. You could be treated. None of the children I put to their final rest could live a painless life.”

“That’s terrible. Why do you think this happens?” I asked despite fearing the answer.

“It’s likely the predisposition for vampirism makes it so the pregnancy does not naturally terminate when they are not compatible with life,” my father replied in a gentle tone. “The real problem is our nature. We have a difficult time letting go of young life.”

I read between the lines: after my birth, my father would have stopped at nothing to see me reach adulthood.

We’d all gotten more than a little lucky, I supposed.

“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?”