“HOSPITAL?” Mom wasn’t letting us sweep that away. “You went to the hospital? Boys, how could you let your sister live in these conditions, and not call for a slayer stake?” she demanded.
A slayer stake was essentially an emergency call out to all slayer families as an official request for help. Slayer families are honor-bound to help, for a price. Requesting one was no joke.
“Um, things were never that dire,” I said.
Dad slowly turned back around to face the camera. “Jade…explain.”
I recited the story—badly. My nerves were so bad I skipped portions and had to circle back around. My family was silent as I explained, speaking only to ask for clarification.
I told them everything. About Connor, Ruin, how I’d discovered Ruin was actually Considine, Gisila, the hospital trip, and ended with the news that Considine Maledictus—one of the most powerful vampires alive—was my new partner.
My family was silent when I finished.
Mom massaged her temples, Dad had his arms folded across his broad chest, and my brothers were frozen. Alex wasn’t even using his dumbbell.
“Jade,” Mom started. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“I just found out last night that Considine was my partner,” I said.
“Not that, everything else,” Mom said. “At the very least, you should have reached out once you used the database and realized who he was.”
“I saw she’d done a search,” Dad’s voice was growly—not with anger, but something far worse: disappointment. “But I didn’t look at it. I assumed if it was serious, she would have reached out to one of us—her brothers, at the very least, since things have been…bumpy between us.”
“I underestimated my foe…or, partner?” I paused, momentarily confused, then shook my head. “I understand I was foolish, and I waited too long to inform you. All of you. I did speak to my superiors, who were kept informed of the situation.”
It took everything I had not to chew on my lower lip as I waited for my parents’ judgment.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Mom asked.
“Because my job is important to me, and I didn’t want anyone trying to talk me out of it,” I said.
“We’re your family, Jade. We want to support you.” Jasper was the first of my brothers to speak. He rested his hands on the back of Mom’s and Dad’s couch and leaned over them. “It’s not fair to keep us in the dark about this.”
“It makes it look like you’re choosing your job over family,” Alex added.
“I’m not,” I said. “But can you all honestly pretend you’re going to sit there and not try to convince me to move back and rejoin the O’Neil slayers?”
Dad scratched at his grizzled beard, and mom primly set her hands on her knees.
“I’m not coming back,” I stated. “I like my job.”
“And your new partner?” Peri asked.
“And neighbor?” Alex grumbled.
“Considine…” I trailed off, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. “Considine is a complication that I’m going to have to deal with, but I trust my superiors. They wouldn’t have assigned him to me if they thought he’d put my life in danger. Besides…he’s saved my life and been my backup more times than I’d like to confess.”
Jasper leaned so far over the couch he was close to tipping over. “But he’s a vampire, Jade. One powerful enough to be the Ancient!”
“You’re in deep water, Jade. Even if you know how to handle vampires, one declaring feelings for you is no joke,” Mom said.
Internally I shrank, feeling about five inches tall under the force of my parents’ disappointment. I didn’t know what to say—Mom was right.
A knock on my apartment door saved me—we’d been talking so long it was time for me to leave with Sunshine.
“I’ve got to go—I need to leave for work,” I said.
Dad slapped his hands on his knees. “Understood,” he said. My family might be mad at me, but we were professionals. “This discussion isn’t over. I want another scheduled call. Tomorrow.”
