Page 35 of Blades and Bone

Was a plan already in motion?

Did he need to call his brothers and cousins? Would that even be enough? It was hard to tell when he didn’t know what was being planned.

Hamish nodded as if coming to some decision. “You’re right, Garrick did pass me a message. He said the food is terrible, but they can’t order in without offending your family.”

“The bungalow has its own staff, including a private chef who can prepare anything they ask for.”

“Maybe he wants to eat the chef…but again, that would be considered rude. Have you thought about offering someone to be a snack? If you ensorcell them correctly, they won’t remember a thing.”

“I know how to ensorcell,” Brodie snapped, though not very well. It was a skill that had been lost over the years, and something they could learn from the Reids.

There was a lie in Hamish’s words, but he wasn’t sure where. Was it the food? Did they expect blood? Perhaps the Reids drank more than the Ashbys and Vivian was being rude by not offering. There was certainly plenty of staff on the property to choose from, and he doubted the Reids would kill…or maybe they wanted to see how well the Ashbys cleaned up.

He considered Hamish for a couple of seconds and decided to take his words at face value for the moment. “Thank you for the tip…I will arrange for someone to volunteer their blood.” He walked over and kissed Hamish on the forehead. “I will see you this afternoon. I trust you will not leave the property, or get sunburned today?”

“I will not.” Hamish smiled, and Brodie didn’t trust him at all.

It would be interesting to see what was on his phone, not the Reid business, though that would’ve also been interesting, but on a personal level. What apps and games did Hamish use? Who was he when he wasn’t working either as a nurse or for his family? What did he screenshot to look at later, and more importantly, did he ever go back to look? What tabs did he have open?

What podcasts did he listen to?

He handed the phone off to a cousin who ran the resort IT and also dealt with Ashby issues, and he promised to return it later that day.

On the walk to the bungalow, he messaged Vivian about potentially getting a blood donor, and while he didn’t say it was because of a conversation with Hamish following a message passed from Garrick, he suggested it might be an appropriate gesture since the talks were progressing.

By the time he reached the bungalow, she’d replied, agreeing and telling him to make the arrangements. That left him with a dilemma: did he select one of the bungalow staff or call in someone from the main resort on the pretext that there was an issue? Perhaps someone from maintenance…

He knocked, and the butler let him in. He made his own way to the meeting room where an assortment of sweet and savory pastries were laid out along with water, coffee, and tea.

He wasn’t the only one in the room; Ann and a bodyguard were already there. Neither looked happy.

“Can I get you a tea or coffee?” He asked, trying to be friendly. They’d worked too hard for this to fall apart.

“No, thank you,” Ann said, her voice cool and crisp. Yesterday there’d been more warmth.

He’d better call maintenance sooner rather than later. “Too much food and not enough blood? I can have someone come over in a couple of hours.”

“Who?”

“Resort staff. A leaking toilet will get the plumber over.” And if there was a problem in the bungalow, staff moved fast. No one wanted a guest in the exclusive area to have any issues, be they a vampire or a celebrity. “If that is acceptable?”

Ann gave a small nod. “It would be appreciated.”

He made himself another cup of coffee because it felt like it was going to be a long and difficult day. He wished he’d had time to lean on Hamish harder and vowed that he’d get the truth out of him tonight. Using ensorcellment on Hamish would be pointless as the Reids excelled at it and were trained to resist, but there were other, more entertaining ways.

Garrick and another male vampire entered the room. They both had coffee already.

Vivian arrived, and he made her a peppermint tea before sitting next to her. She eased back into her seat and took a sip. “Elizabeth is running late?”

“She won’t be joining us today. She’s going to enjoy some of the resort.” Ann smiled.

First Garrick’s visit and now this…Brodie didn’t like it at all. He flicked a glance at Vivian, but she wasn’t looking at him. Had Garrick’s message been about Elizabeth? Was she up to something?

“Very well. We need to leave here with a clear plan on how to deal with the Orlans. I feel that at the moment we have a lot of ideas and a lot of things we’re not willing to do… though in that regard we are agreed.” Vivian paused, and Ann nodded. “A full-scale war benefits no one and risks exposing us to the humans. Though leaving Mirabella and her offspring to roam free is also dangerous.”

“The Orlans are pushing for war, and they have been amassing numbers.” Ann reminded them, as if they weren’t now fully aware of what the Orlans had been up to.

They had gone through the numbers and a map of the locations of the various attacks as well as a map marked with safe areas for the unaffiliated.