Page 25 of Death Dance

Emerick and my father heaved twin sighs, and I burst into laughter over their reaction.

“You’re a vampire hunter?” Breanna asked, and her eyes widened even further.

I nodded. “My entry into vampire society was violent and unpleasant, and I made it my mission to eradicate vampires who hurt others. I rid them of their blood to minimize any chances they rise again to hurt others—plus I am a vampire, so I need to drink, too. Let’s just say I was on the streets for a while because someone did not tell me we were vampires.” I glared at my father. “I mean you. I’m still going to get you a nice mug this year, though.”

“Not telling you was why you were able to go play with your friends as a little girl,” he reminded me. “Don’t mind her, Breanna. She hasn’t changed all that much since she was little, and her chosen partner is as much of a white knight as he is a dark prince of our society.”

“Best of both worlds?” my childhood friend asked with a bemused grin.

“Definitely.” I pointed at Darius. “Take him. By societal standards, he’s way out of your age range, but should you decide to be turned, you’d be marrying into my family, you’d definitely have a dark prince, and if he steps out of line, I can beat manners back into him.”

“It concerns me that she’s quite serious,” Darius admitted.

My father chuckled. “Oh, she is. But no, Pepper, we do not toss the childhood friends of our daughters at the single men in our family line. If she wishes to toss herself at him, that is her decision, but young princesses and fledgling queens make the decision about men. That’s a part of our tradition we should keep alive. While the brides broods make it appear as though the men have the final say, that is not at all true. The brides decide if an offer is accepted, and the ultimate decision belongs to the bride. Take the situation with Ben.”

Ben, who had been lurking around, bowed his head. “It disturbs me that I am, at current, the best example. He’s right, Pepper. I’m currently under consideration, and I won’t even find out who is interested in me until the ball. And then I’ll have to put on a show of my prowess to have the opportunity to make an offer. What’s worse? Mistress Avalon does not play games when it comes to her women, so the bride will be a good match for me. The dance will ultimately be how we’re introduced officially, and should we decide to give it a whirl, we will begin a proper courtship.”

Emerick chuckled. “And because of our contribution to helping new women rise and solving those problems, I won’t even have to pay an arm and a leg. I just have to bleed myself dry paying for the ball, which I intend to be a celebration of Jeremy Breckenan’s permanent departure from vampire society.”

Breanna’s expression turned solemn. “I always thought there wasn’t something quite right about him, but I thought it was a manifestation of corporate greed. He’s certainly bleeding my wallet dry. Or had been.”

Darius grimaced. “Had I realized how poorly you were being paid, I would have intervened sooner.”

Breanna shrugged. “I worked hard to make it appear I was properly compensated; I needed the job, and it was the best I could get without a degree. My manager made it pretty clear those who complained wouldn’t be keeping their jobs long, and those who conformed would get promotions. I wasn’t angling for a promotion, not with how they work people to death there, but I didn’t want to lose my job.”

As I was no stranger to hard and long hours, I leveled a glare at my father.

He raised a brow at me. “I paid you quite well to suffer, little girl.”

I slumped my shoulders and sighed. “That part is unfortunately true. I was compensated fairly for my suffering. You’ll be compensated well for your suffering, too, Breanna. Except you will know, out of the gate, that you’re working for a bunch of bloodsuckers with a general dislike of getting up during the day. You’ll even be able to pick your hours, although you’ll probably be on an odd shift.”

“I do not mind starting in the afternoon and working a partial evening shift. I don’t like bar hopping or anything like that, so I’m not missing out. If anything, I get to handle my errands when everyone else is at work, which is a perk. There’s a matter of my apartment, though. It’s not close to here.”

“Emerick, fix it,” I demanded.

My husband laughed. “Would you prefer a rent-to-own situation or a standard apartment? Both are options, and we’ll keep your current expenses the same.”

Breanna sucked in a breath. “You’ll put me on a rent-to-own contract on what I pay now?”

“If you think that’s a good deal, Pepper swept in and decided the entire brood was hers, and she doesn’t pay a cent.”

I snickered, and rather pleased with the situation, I went to my stash of apple tree branches, selected one, sat, and went to work carving it. “It’s our job to make certain everyone associated with the brood is housed. As you’ll be my assistant, the brood rules will apply to you. Apparently, my job as the mistress is to make certain all the domestic stuff is handled with grace. I delegate the domestic stuff to Ben and others.” I gestured to Ben, who waved. “In reality, I need you at your sharpest, which means I need to remove as much stress off your shoulders as possible. There’s always food available here. We have vampires who just lounge around and cook when people show up hungry. I’ve been told cooking is one of the cushiest jobs in the entire brood, and half the men are excellent chefs hoping for a spot in our kitchen.”

That gem of knowledge had blown my mind—and explained a few things about the quality of food we tended to enjoy.

Emerick was just one of many good cooks, and sometime soon, I would need to join the ranks of those who had mastered the kitchen.

“I love to cook, but I haven’t been able to really afford the ingredients.”

“I’ll put you in rotation with the kitchen staff once a week if you want to improve your cooking skills or just want to cook,” Emerick offered. “I’ve been thinking about assigning Pepper to weekly kitchen duty as well. It’s been pretty clear she’s desperate to learn but has been hesitating to ask. Why? That I can’t tell you.”

Busted. “How did you know?”

“Every time I’d work on something new, you’d open your mouth as though to ask a question and change your mind. Then you’d settle in to watch me work, likely trying to figure out what I’m doing and why.” He smiled. “We’ve been busy enough I haven’t been able to carve out the time to send you down to the kitchens, but once we’ve eliminated our target, you and your friend can go learn how to conquer the kitchens together without me hovering over your shoulder. That way, you can learn modern and ancient basics, and when you’re ready to learn more advanced techniques, I’ll take over teaching you.”

“I can come and help as well,” my father said with a gentle smile. “This is my fault; to hide what I was doing, I never could allow you into the kitchen while I was cooking. You would have understood what I was doing, and that might have caused complications. As it’s my fault you do not have much in the way of cooking skills, I’ll come and help rectify the situation. That way, you can surprise your husband with some dishes from his youth he’s probably forgotten exist.”

Emerick narrowed his eyes. “You have my attention.”