Page 60 of Call of the Blood

Henry sputtered, his eyes wide.

“Everly…”

“No, no. We’re not discussing anything you might be thinking of saying as if I don’t know what I’m doing or who I’m sleeping with or who I’m rubbing elbows with. I think I know him better than most vampires at this point. I live down the hall from him, which is more than pretty much all living vampires can say. Is he still enigmatic and confusing? Absolutely. Is he still somewhat dark and mysterious? Sure. Could he kill me before I could blink? Yes, but most vampires could, and he’s had plenty of time to do that while I’ve lived in his house and turned it upside down with new upgrades and redoing the security and stuff.”

“So, you consign yourself to be his plaything? Why? Because he used some other vampire’s blood to make you a vampire? He didn’t even sire you properly.”

“He only ever sired Jacob, and he thought I was getting the better option being an Orphan… and I agree with him, Henry. I do. I’d hate for someone to actually take my free will away just because they gifted or cursed me with immortality. We’ve had this discussion.”

“But you have no vampire family! No name, no connections.”

“I have Alexius, who then taught me to be a vampire. And I know Isaiah, and I get invited to the blood club by Maria. I went to a summit of ancients that vampires like me shouldn’t be and rubbed elbows with some of the oldest vampires in the world. I have connections. They are connections that matter to my goals.”

“And what really are those goals?”

“To kill every vampire who had a hand in Jacob’s death because that led to the death of my mother,” I answered, not blinking or looking away from Henry.

“And what about family? You talk to Declan. This puts him in danger.” Henry was growing more animated.

“I know. We’ve had that discussion. He’s under the protection of Callahan’s pack now. He is dating one of Callahan’s werewolves, Henry, remember? Plus, Alexius and I found some justice for the werewolves in Alaska. The Tribunal Alpha felt he could help in return by protecting Declan before that relationship even started.”

“How did no one ever know about him and a werewolf?”

“Her father is high-ranking, but she isn’t. She’s my age. Born a werewolf… and with a silver spoon from my impression of her.” I rolled my eyes. “And sure, it fucking annoys me that I worked so fucking hard to protect him in Maine from the supernatural problems just for him to date a werewolf here.” I groaned, wanting to rant properly. “He’s out here thinking about marrying her and how much he loves her, even after learning she’s a werewolf. That’s why I flew out here! He wanted the ring Dad gave Mom.” I rubbed my face. “And if they get married, I’ll be supportive, the best sister I can be for him. But damn, sometimes it feels like a kick in my teeth that he’s still seeing her after I worked so hard to keep him away from the vampire problem.”

“He’s too good for a werewolf,” Henry muttered.

“Agreed, but you know what? Declan can do whatever he wants. He’s the older brother, and I’m not going to try to parent him. That’s not my job. The two people who could tell him he’s stupid are gone. Plus, he really likes her family, too.” I looked up to the sky. “He’s all like, ‘You know, the werewolves are warm while vampires can be cold, and I really like it’.” I looked at Henry. “Sorry. Ranting.”

“Don’t be. Sometimes family disappoints us, as you and I both know.”

“Yup.”

We talked about nothing important after that for nearly an hour. What his neighborhood was like, what other places he was hoping I would see in Los Angeles. The only thing that interrupted us was a call I got.

“Oh, that’s Alexius. This could be sensitive. Hold on,” I said, jumping up and walking out of range of Henry’s hearing. I answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey, Alexius. What’s going on?”

“I was wondering where you were tonight,” he asked softly. “I saw you weren’t at home. I stopped in to grab something, and you aren’t here.”

“Oh yeah, I’m, uh, hanging out with someone.”

Alexius didn’t say anything, and I closed my eyes, realizing how that sounded. The guilt came back. He took a deep breath that was picked up by the mic, which told me he was trying to comprehend and figure out what the fuck I meant because I certainly wasn’t seeing someone else the way it accidentally sounded.

“I found my uncle,” I explained. “We’ve met up⁠—”

“You found Henry Abbott?” he asked sharply.

“Yeah. We’ve met a handful of times when I haven’t been with Declan, and you’ve been out, so I figured… I’d spend some time trying to reconnect or just figure it out.”

“Are you with him right now?”

“No, I stepped away to take this call.”

“I need your help with the job,” he said softly. “Tonight. Camera work. It’s your expertise.”

“Oh, okay.” My heart thumped hard. What? Alexius’s visceral negative reaction immediately pulled me into work to get me away from Henry. “Can you explain⁠—”