Dark Heiress, page 7
part #5 of Ema Marx Series
“Date too, please.”
I pulled my lips between my fangs and tried not to glare daggers at the investigator while adding the date. Then I set the pen down.
“Perfect.” He sounded way too cherry while gathering the pages together and placing them back into his briefcase. “So, which way to my accommodations?”
Brinnon narrowed his gaze. “Tancred?”
Tancred appeared from the doorway as though he had been waiting in the hall for his cue. He gave me a dark look—one I couldn’t read—and then escorted the investigator out of the room.
“Brinnon,” I said, not sure how to finish the sentence. “I’m—”
He lifted a hand, dismissing my apology. “I knew they’d come. After what happened with Lilith, it was inevitable.”
I sighed, feeling defeated, and lowered my gaze to my lap. “Yeah.” My hands wrung, and I bit the inside of my check while meeting Brinnon’s gaze. “What can I do? What will they do?”
Brinnon shook his head. “There’s nothing you can do except be polite. Answer his questions. Be truthful and remorseful. Don’t argue or fight back. If it wasn’t for all those mortals ... well, I’ve made his boss fully aware of the parameters of our contract. There’s no doubt they’ll want a severe punishment since you skipped out on your initial banishment, but you are a warden of the clan, and they are not dumb enough to cause a war over you.”
I winced. At least his thoughts are in line with what Maria and Jesu said. “Thanks ... I think?” I started to rise from my seat then thought of something, and my regard jolted to his. “Do you think he’ll question my family?”
Brinnon nodded. “It is very likely the R.E.D. will want your mother and Anthony returned to their human lives as quickly as possible.”
We had talked about that before. Dad was more of a gray area, but Anthony and my mother were firmly human, and their ignorance of the vampyric world would be their saving grace. Thank God I managed to refrain from spilling the beans to either of them. “Then I should warn them.”
“Perhaps I can help?” said Jesu.
“Thanks,” I said. “But right now, I just really wish—”
The office door flung open, commanding everyone’s attention. Maria stood within the frame, Snow Chayton behind her. Her gaze found mine, and she smiled. “My dear, your father is awake.”
Chapter 7
I stood within the frame of the open infirmary door, my throat thick with emotion. Dad sat upright in bed. The head of the hospice mattress reclined to support him. The tube connecting to the saline drip was still intact, but the vitals machine had been turned off and disconnected. His gaze wandered around the room before he noticed me and my heart skipped a beat. Does he remember?
He smiled, crinkling the edges of his warm brown eyes. “Ema.”
“Daddy.” I ran to him and wrapped both arms behind his back.
He hugged me tight and his voice cracked with emotion. “Oh pumpkin. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Somewhere behind me, Jesu murmured, “Let’s give them a minute,” and the others left the room.
Dad broke the embrace first. “Sit,” he said while scooting aside. I lowered onto the edge of the bed, not wanting to crowd him. He looked so ... fragile. “Snow caught me up somewhat. I’ve known about Valafar since I was a boy, but lucky for me that day in Shanghai was the first time I met him in the flesh.”
My breath hitched. “So, you’re only missing a week?”
Dad nodded. “A very important week though, it seems.”
“Oh Dad!” I threw my arms around him again, and he chuckled. “I was so worried you would lose years. Decades.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you chose amnesia over insanity. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up to be a Hunter, sweetheart. Just as I knew the risk when I went with you to China.”
“You could have told me.” I lightly punched his shoulder. “Don’t think I’m ever letting you go into a trance again.”
“I didn’t?” He wrinkled his nose. “Huh.”
“Well,” I said, tweaking my lips in mock discipline. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Mom’s going to be so relieved.”
Dad looked past me, in the direction of the door, and his gaze sobered. “I wish you hadn’t called Snow.”
“Are you kidding?” I scoffed. “What else were we supposed to do?”
“Next time call a different Hunter. Anyone but him.”
I furrowed my brow. Besides the fact I’d rather walk on rusty nails than let there be a next time, he was lucky Maria had the forethought to call the Brotherhood at all. “I thought you two were friends. He said you trained together. That you told him about Mom and me.”
Dad’s gaze flickered to mine and his lips lowered at the corners into a scowl. “No. I never ...” He seemed to catch himself, and his expression softened. “We were friends once, but we had a falling out.”
“Should I be worried?”
“No. No, it’s nothing. I’m being overly protective.” He slid a hand down the length of my hair, and I faced him, caught off guard by the paternal gesture.
He’s missing a week.
I tried to recall the finer details of that trip. What were we doing when Valafar showed up in our hotel suite? I had been so focused on Lilith ... and so mad at Dad for hiring her to hex my Nephilim genes. I was just a child. He was the reason Lilith knew about my connection to Apollyon. The reason for everything that happened to me since. But could he have lost some vital information during that time? Could his mind still have sustained some damage from the vortex?
Dad lifted his hand as if to run his fingers over my hair again, but he hesitated then lowered his palm to his side. “So.” He adjusted his posture. “Did you tell him?”
“Tell who what?” I said, deciding to keep my worries to myself. I could talk to Snow about it later.
“Jesu,” he said, glimpsing at me from under his lashes. “Did you tell him about your daughter, who she is to him?”
My brow furrowed in confusion, but then I remembered. That’s what we were doing when Valafar showed up. Dad had been telling me about the Jumlin clan’s End of Days prophecy. Supposedly my unborn children fit the role of savior and anti-Christ.
“No,” I said.
He chuckled. “No time like the present.”
I narrowed my gaze. “We have no reason to believe any of that is true.”
Dad looked at me and his expression darkened. He looked away just as quickly and released a breath. “How much did I tell you? My memories stop after that, but I feel ... I feel like there was more. It’s just locked behind an iron door now.”
I pulled both lips between my teeth and pierced them with the tips of my fangs before answering. “You’re right, there was more. I succeeded in killing Lilith for one thing.” Dad looked troubled by that news, and I lowered my gaze. “But we didn’t get another chance to talk about the prophecy. Valafar appeared in the hotel suite, interrupting our conversation and, things progressed rather quickly after that.”
“I see.” Dad stared at the thin white blanket over his lap as if searching for his memories in the fibers. I grimaced. It must be odd to have that much time ripped away. Granted it could have been so much worse.
“There’s a nursery rhyme they used to tell us kids.” Dad drew a deep breath. His brow inched upward as if he couldn’t believe he was telling me this. “It’s from a portion of the prophecy itself. ‘Heed these signs all ye warriors of men, That thou might liv’st in the end: Mortal blood begets the Mother, And she begets them two; A prince of iron, his crown renown, A princess shroud in scarlet thorns, And a king to guard their home.’”
I upped my brow. “Some nursery rhyme. They tell that to children?”
“Though vampyres aren’t truly immortal in the literal sense, we always speak of mortal blood as being human. The mother born of mortal blood.” He paused to nod. “That’s you, pumpkin. And she begets them two. Well, that’s obvious.” His gaze went to my midsection. I covered my tummy with my hands and looked away, not liking the direction of the conversation. “A princess shroud in scarlet thorns—scarlet thorns being roses,” he continued. “The Jumlin elders believe the girl will also be mortal with an essence that smells of roses.”
I scoffed. “Please tell me you realize how ridiculous this is. I thought you said you didn’t believe in the prophecy.”
“But the prince of iron,” Dad continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “His crown renown. There is no mistaking that part, pumpkin. In the Bible, iron represents the monster that brings about the end of days. Renown is another name for the Nephilim. ‘The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.’ Of course, we won’t know until they are born, but the boy is prophesized to be a Nephilim; a creature known throughout ancient texts for its destructive and bloodthirsty nature.”
I winced to the side. Until they are born? I hugged myself as a bottomless pit seemed to turn my stomach inside out. Or until my next sonogram? His crown renown ...
Though I had read about the Nephilim, I didn’t know what one looked like. There were no illustrations of them since they went extinct before written history. But a crown wasn’t just a headdress. It also referred to the top of the skull. Voices echoed in my mind.
“The sins of the father ...”
“The devil’s seed ...”
“You’re wrong,” I said, with a conviction that burned through me. “My son is not evil. He’s just a baby. It’s this world that is evil.”
I stood and marched to the door, wrenching it open. I had every intention of continuing past the frame and slamming the door behind me, but I paused in remembrance then decided to face my father. “A R.E.D. investigator is here. Lilith’s death occurred in a public art gallery in the middle of the day. Other people died in the crossfire. A lot of witnesses probably saw me leave the scene of the crime.”
His brow furrowed. “Oh sweetie.”
I lowered my gaze and pursed my lips. “I’m only telling you because he’s going to question Mom and Anthony. And probably you too.”
“The investigator won’t mention any of that to them. He’ll only check to make sure they still believe vampyres to be a myth.” Dad winced. “Do they?”
“Think vampyres are a myth?” My brow lifted. “Of course they do. Mom lives in her own little world, and Anthony is convinced I’m involved in a cult.”
Dad chuckled. “Good. The R.E.D. will want to send them home immediately. I advise you to let them.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “About that. Mom knows about the twins, and you know how stubborn she is. She might be persuaded to leave me, but she’ll never leave her grandchildren. She’s been waiting a while for this.”
Dad’s gaze went to my torso again and he drew a deep breath. “I don’t blame her. I’m no more willing to leave you or them alone, either.”
That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. “Dad,” I said, sounding sixteen. “Lots of women raise kids without their parents. Besides, I have tons of help.”
His gaze found mine and he furrowed his brow, as though confused. “You mean Jesu?”
“What?” I made a face—then remembered Dad didn’t know about my contract with the Alpan Council. I drew a deep breath to explain. “No. Part of the reason I lured Lilith out was to get answers. I had hoped she would be able to save my son. But I was also there to defeat her on behalf of the Alpan Council. I originally made a deal with King Nikolas, Brinnon’s deceased father. You know Jesu’s premonition? The one about the girl who battles Apollyon? She looks like me. Sort of. Anyway, everyone believed I was her at the time. I was already in some trouble with the R.E.D. for phasing in public, and already on the run from Apollyon. Nikolas was supposed to banish me from his kingdom in compliance with the R.E.D. but I made him an offer; he helped me defeat Apollyon, and in return I would join the Elite and become his personal assassin.”
“What?” Dad’s tone had gone all stern-father-figure, and I grimaced.
“Maria helped me arrange it so that every member of the royal Alpan family had to agree to open their homes and protect anyone I asked of them. Nikolas agreed. The rest of his kids were supposed to come here after Panama to sign the contract, but Nikolas, as you know, didn’t come back. When his family came to attend the funeral, some of them objected to the contract. The Council got involved as well. But Brinnon remained true to his father’s word. He struck a deal with the Council and his siblings: I kill Lilith in exchange for making my deal a law with the Alpan.” I looked my father in the eyes and lifted my chin in triumph. “Your name is there along with Mom’s, Anthony’s, and my children’s. You’ll all be protected while I’m gone.”
Dad looked flabbergasted; his gaze wide. “Gone—to Elite training?”
I nodded. “I’m leaving in a year.”
Technically, the contract gave me two years of maternity leave before I was obligated to go, but I didn’t want to wait that long. The sooner I left, the sooner I could come back.
Dad shook his head. “Ema ...”
“It’s too late to talk me out of it,” I said.
His gaze shifted to the side and he looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he looked at me with conviction. “I’ll handle your mother.”
I swallowed and then nodded. Being a Jumlin meant he was privy to the vampyre side of things. He’d know what to say to Mom without breaking any rules, which was more than I could say for myself. “And Anthony? I doubt he’ll make a fuss about leaving, but he’ll have questions.”
“They’ll make up some excuse.” Dad shrugged. “They’ll probably pay him a small fortune to keep quiet, and they’ll keep an eye on him for a while. As long as the two of you never contact each other again, he’ll be just fine.”
“Great,” I said. “I’m losing a friend forever.” After last night, the thought of never speaking to Anthony again stung.
“Better say goodbye while you still can, pumpkin. It’s for the best.”
I scowled. Dad was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.
Jesu
I paced the length of the mural in the ballroom, arms crossed over my chest. Brinnon had gone to his chambers and Maria murmured something about calling Naamah before she disappeared into the foyer. The Huntsman, Snow, waited in the ballroom with me, his hands in his pockets as he leaned casually against the wall nearest the infirmary. But it was Rick Gerson, the R.E.D. investigator who wasn’t even in the room now, that had me on edge. The allegations against Ema were serious. Maria was right when she said Ema would be facing the death penalty if not for her contract with the Alpan crown. For the first time since she came up with the infernal idea, I found myself humbled that she went through with it instead of listening to my terrible advice.
“Must be one hell of a conversation,” said the Hunter, interrupting my thoughts.
I paused and glanced at him. “Beg your pardon?”
Snow freed one of his hands and gestured with a flit of his fingers. “All that pacing back and forth. I assumed you were listening to Ema and Logan’s conversation.”
My brow furrowed. “No, of course not.” I could have, but I didn’t bother to tell this human how rude that would be.
He shrugged. “Just thought it was something you guys did naturally. Like when you’re at a restaurant and you overhear the conversation from the table next to yours.”
“You learn to tune out the noise after a while.”
“If I were a vampyre, I would listen to everything all the time.”
I scoffed. “You would not have very many friends. Nor would you accomplish much else.”
“Hm.”
The soft tapping of Ema’s sneakers alerted me to her approach. Not a moment later, she appeared from around the short hall. She hugged herself, her shoulders curled forward, her lips pinched. I knew that look well, and my body reacted; tensing as if to match her stress. I went to her, but Snow was closer and beat me to her attention by simply pivoting.
“Miss Marx, I take it everything is well with Logan?”
Ema blinked at him. “Yes, thank you so much. I don’t know how to repay you.”
Snow lifted a hand, dismissing her. “No payment necessary. He’s a fellow Hunter and friend. Knowing he’s on the mend is all that matters.”
“Actually,” said Ema. “I’m wondering if there might be any side-effects or relapses? Anything I should watch out for?”
Snow smiled. The curvature of his mouth looked more sinister than kind, though perhaps that was just the man’s face. “I will stay a few more days to monitor his symptoms. Fortunately, he only lost about a week, most of which was due to the coma, so the possibility of side-effects should be minimal. Even so, unknown factors are always a possibility. Confusion. Headaches. Frustration or short-temperedness is common as he may struggle to come to terms with whatever information was lost. Things like that.”
“But he won’t remember Valafar’s memories, right?” asked Ema.
Snow shook his head. “Those are gone along with his own memories. At worst, he may feel like he’s missing something. Like déjà vu.”
Ema nodded. “Thanks.”
Snow’s grim smile curled. He nodded once then walked away, exiting the ballroom through the foyer corridor.
“Are you all right?” I asked her now that it was just the two of us.
Her black and red speckled irises found mine, the red bits like ruby shards encircled in an onyx ring, and she swallowed. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? Dad’s awake and totally fine.”
I knew she was lying. Not about her father—I was sure Logan’s good health came as a relief, but we both knew there was more going on. Yet she clearly didn’t want to talk about the rest.
“I have to go talk to Anthony,” she said, her shoulders inching up as she lowered her gaze. “Excuse me.”
