Page 60 of Silent Stalker
For a long time, Emerick remained silent, staring into the fire. “A debt owed and repaid.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Because of her, he has you. He was much more frantic when you were taken, and he calmed and returned to his aloof state the instant he learned you had risen and recovered—and placed within a reputable brood. It supports our belief he is a vampire, and an old one at that. And it would not surprise me if he suspects my maker had gone off with your mother.”
I needed to remember that when pressed about a subject, he would often tell me something I inevitably wouldn’t like. “Why do you think that?”
“He questioned us about her with no evidence of skepticism. He seemed satisfied with our responses, and he only wanted enough information to confirm we were not directly involved. If we’re playing diplomacy by the rules of vampires, he established sufficient doubt of our involvement for his requirements. It allows him to step away from the situation, begin processing your mother’s probable death as required by mortal society, and move on with his eternal life. He will, of course, put on a proper show of grief at the standards expected of his empire, but he has what he wants: an eternal heir, you. That is often the goal of many an old vampire, to have an heir for their empire. The mother of the heir doesn’t matter much to the vampire, especially if mortal. I raise my vampires to shun the unsavory parts of the old ways.”
“You want the wives of your vampires to become their eternal brides.”
“Precisely, and I have been long in discussion with the mistresses to make it happen, assuming we could work around the problem with raising women in this era. But the problem seems easier to solve than we believed. We let the women choose their fates, and my first thought is to hold marriage ceremonies for the newly turned women and their vampires as part of their turning ceremonies while welcoming them into the brood. And the brides broods can help with that, which appeals to the mistresses.” Emerick got up to stir the fire and add a new log to the flames. “The more I think about it, the more I do believe your father is an old vampire—possibly even older than I am.”
“Why do you think that?”
“The birth certificate was the first major clue. Only ancient vampires tend to realize the need to take those precautions. He’s probably been his own father for hundreds of years, making arrangements with a woman wanting a child to continue the ruse. He would create a birth certificate for himself and for their child, allowing appearances to be maintained. He would then pay the woman off with a tidy sum of money, and she’d have a cover story for the father—possibly him, possibly another man. She would have the child, he would likely support her and the child until their natural deaths, and he would, if the child was his, confirm if the child rose or not at death—or ensure the child would not rise. Or, if he was an active parent, raise the child to be a vampire once an adult.”
“That doesn’t make sense, especially if he wanted a son.”
“Ah, but what if he wanted a daughter all along?” Emerick replied, returning to his seat beside me. “A daughter is the true prized jewel among vampire fathers. Most women who are turned are either the beloved of a vampire or the product of a vampire slowly going mad, like Annora. I do not believe Annora would have chosen to become a vampire on her own. Her father was mad and heavily pressured her. It was not her nature, and it was against her beliefs at the time. But Gerry was turned, he was what she knew, her father knew she appreciated him. When she was turned, she fixated on Gerry and did everything she could to be with him. Since they were both turned against their will, the brides opted to change their ways to undo some of the harm done to them. Then they were brought to my maker, who sent them on to me, because I have the gentle hand he doesn’t.”
“He seems gentle enough to me.”
“With you and your mother, his hand will be as gentle as mine, although in a different way. He thrives on challenging young vampires. You do not need a challenge, as you were forged in adversity. What more could he do to you? He won’t challenge you because you have done far more than any of his young vampires, so he feels you have earned a gentle hand. Your mother? He will challenge her. He will run so she will chase him, and she will chase because she is being taught all she will ever see from him is love—even when that love is making sure she doesn’t bite an innocent. There are times he will have to control and contain her, but he will never be cruel.”
“Not like my father was cruel,” I whispered.
Emerick nodded. “The more I think about it, the more I marvel at the sheer complexity of your father. You were not an accident. Your mother’s behavior leads me to believe you would have spontaneously turned on your own. One night, you would have died and rose all on your own, without a drop of blood from anyone—which makes what had been done to you even worse. Something so demeaning and cruel being so unnecessary angers me more than I care to think about.”
“You think he’s a vampire, then.”
“So far, it’s the only thing that makes sense. It would have been impossible, as far as I can tell, for some outside influence to do the work. At the very least, he was behind it. But his behavior implies he was giving you his own blood. You said he would cook, and most days, you shared a meal with him, correct?”
I nodded.
“The blood would be easy to hide in any sauce, especially something savory. And if you liked rare stakes, it would have made his work even easier. That your diet began to change so drastically during your childhood implies that the magic was taking hold and working on turning you into a vampire long before you were kidnapped. We’ve thought about other scenarios, but none of them fit. One day, you will have to confront him about it.”
I considered the situation. While Breckenan took the credit for turning me into a vampire, had he truly been the one responsible? “Breckenan had a hold on me from the process of making me into a vampire, correct?”
“He had a bond with you, yes… but I don’t know if he’s really the one who made you a vampire. Considering your mother’s circumstances, I am of the opinion you would have turned no matter how you died. It just happened you got a huge influx of potent blood at your time of death, and that made you what you are now. But the foundational work? That is your father’s doing. Or a vampire closely connected to your father and working with him daily. But your meals were mostly during the day, which tells me that your father is old—very old. Possibly even older than I am. Those I can think of who can flawlessly walk under the sun with zero sign of being vampires are few and far between.”
“Are you one of them?”
“I can walk under the sun without being detected for a time, but I am hardly flawless. But I am quite old. I don’t know if I could pull off what your father has done. And that is truly remarkable. The dedication to his cause is a thing of splendor.”
“Do you have a crush on my father now?” I teased.
“To my shame, in some ways, I admire what he has accomplished, despite loathing what he has done. Without him, you would not exist as you are now. The amount of work, care, and effort required to cultivate someone so they become such a jewel is astounding. I am forced to admire that.”
“You’re also shamefully biased, Emerick.”
“There is nothing shameful about being biased in favor of my wife.”
“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” I complained.
“Run to our bed, fling off your clothes, and invite me to enjoy my victory,” he suggested.
I burst into laughter. “You’re stooping to just asking me to lose now?”
