Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I watch Theo’s expression slowly go from annoyed to impressed.
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you, brother.”
“You’d think after seven centuries, you’d learn that I am never wrong.”
Theo’s eyes flit to me. “I wouldn’t quite say that.”
“Do no disrespect my wife,” Xavier growls.
“I wouldn’t dare dream of disrespecting my sister-in-law,” he replies pointedly.
There’s a knock on the office door and Xavier speeds over. It’s Nina, letting us know that Victoria, Xavier’s PR rep from the VC is here. I use it as an excuse to slink out of the office and find Antonio standing by Mabel’s tea table in the front of the house.
“This is weird,” he says, motioning to the fake window.
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” I agree. “It makes me feel like I’m in an underground bunker or something and this is the best we can do in making sure we can see into the real world.” I sigh, missing when I used to go outside with Devon. Duh, Wren, Antonio can go outside instead. “Actually, want to go outside with me? It’s a nice day. I, uh, think. I really need my phone so I can check the weather. Xavier was able to track it. It’s at the restaurant, along with my purse. I’m not sure about your truck. We were in the middle of trying to find out when Theo turned on the news.”
“That lady who just came in. I’ve seen her before on TV.”
“Oh, you mean Victoria. She’s a VC rep. The other lady is Nina. She works for the Malus family. I don’t really know what she does. Kind of everything? I think.” I shrug. “She used to run me on errands when I first got here and functioned more on human hours. Now I do most of, well, whatever, at night.”
We go outside, both blinking in the sunlight. It is a nice day. “I didn’t realize vampires could travel during the day. I guess it makes sense as long as they’re not exposed to sunlight.” He raises his eyebrows. “They really need to trust their driver.”
“There’s a lot about vampires we didn’t know. On purpose.”
Antonio lets out a heavy sigh as we walk along the garden path. “I tried to ask about the deal. The one the Order made with the Malus Vampires years ago.” He looks at me, eyes narrowing. “Why does Xavier want a woman every twenty-five years?”
“He likes to carry on his bloodline,” I say, fully aware how icky it sounds.
“How does that work exactly?” Antonio comes to a halt and looks at me. “And what is the relationship between everyone? I was able to pick up that Theo and Xavier are brothers, but they call Zeke a brother, too. And Devon obviously is like our age. Or was our age. And then Mabel? She’s not related by blood, is she?”
“Xavier was the first to be turned. He was turned against his will, by the way. He never wanted to become a vampire,” I say and pause, watching Antonio’s face carefully. A lot of people in general forget, I think willingly, that most vampires didn’t choose to be who they are. It was forced on them. And in Xavier’s case, he was sick and dying and his maker had an obsession with him. “Back in like the 1300s. Whenever the plague was the cool thing to catch in Spain. Theo is his biological brother, and he turned him. Zeke was his grandson, and he waited until he was the same age and turned him.”
“God, that’s so fucked up.”
“Is it? I mean, hunters are notorious for making their offspring join the Order without a choice.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Obviously,” I say and decide it’s not worth arguing. “From there on out, I guess Xavier wanted to keep adding vampires to the family but knew he needed to keep biological relatives alive to, well, be able to produce offspring.”
Antonio just looks at me, not having to say it out loud for me to know what he’s thinking.
“Mabel was part of the Order,” I say and take a step forward. “She was given to the Malus family in the 1920s. She and Zeke fell in love and he had Xavier turn her, too.” What actually happened isn’t my story to tell, and it hurts my heart thinking of the pain and mental anguish she had to go through in her human life, and probably still deals with now.
“So Devon is like Xavier and Theo’s great-great-great-times a dozen or more grandson?”
“Or nephew or something. But yeah, they’re all related. I don’t know how many Malus vampires there are,” I tell him, knowing he’s going to ask. Xavier told me he’s very choosy when it comes to picking someone to spend literal eternity with.”
“I can only imagine.” He looks at me. “Mabel was a hunter? And she was traded to the Malus vampires in exchange for peace between the Order and their family. It’s so fucked up.”