Page 65 of Blades and Bone

There was a part of him which was a little envious that they got to grow up without having to learn martial arts, and then after blooding, how to fight with various weapons, and enchant your opponent. For the Ashbys, blooding wasn’t something that derailed your life; it added to it.

“No one wants to be dealing with Mirabella, but if we don’t stand up to her, she will destroy everything, every family, and potentially expose vampires to humans. And at some point, the European families will step in. While they have left us alone, I’m sure some of our unaffiliated are people who have fled Europe and other places. Depending on the family that steps in, things could get a lot worse.”

Hamish opened his eyes. “Do you think your original branch would try to finish killing you?”

“Probably not. Whatever she was sent away for no longer matters. But there are still families like the Orlans who would be happy to stamp down the trouble and take over. I think most families in Australia would prefer to be left alone to do their own thing.”

If that were true, they should all be working together. “So instead of making treaties with one family at a time, we need to call an emergency meeting?”

Brodie shrugged. “Yes. I think so.”

“Except, gathering all the matriarchs in one location does not seem like a good plan, and you know they will not agree to online meetings.” Ann liked to hear the heartbeat of the people she was talking to and smell the changes on their skin.

Brodie gave him a tight smile. “Face-to-face meetings are definitely easier even without the ability to ensorcell someone so deeply they forget their own name. I think something could be arranged. Perhaps each family sends two male representatives, and the matriarchs attend online.”

“That way if word gets back to the Orlans, and they attack…” Only the drones lost their lives. Ann would see that as acceptable. Vivian may not.

“Or we deliberately let word slip so Mirabella attends.”

Hamish frowned. “You want the meetings to include her?”

“We could make it seem as though we want a deal.”

Instead, she would show up and be killed. “If you kill her, her daughter will take over.”

“So we make a plan to deal with her at the same time. If every family is working together, we have enough people to do multiple things at once.”

“That is a very big if.” Hamish wasn’t sure Ann would go for it, as it meant trusting too many people. They didn’t even know if the other families would want to work with them. Brodie had already admitted that he hadn’t thought they needed the alliance.

“It is.” Brodie agreed.

“And when did you come up with this plan?” Hamish stared at the blood on his hands. How many more would die before this was over?

Brodie rested his elbows on his knees. “I think it’s been brewing for the last couple of days, but it was cemented tonight, and I was able to find the words just now. You’re sick of it. I’m sick of it. I’m sure your family doesn’t want to be dealing with it, and I know Vivian doesn’t. Maybe the other families are getting worried? I don’t know, but pretending it’s not our problem or that we can ignore it because it’s not affecting us isn’t the right move. As you pointed out, dealing with one family at a time is going to take too long. Vivian reached out to Ann months ago.”

“Do you think Vivian will agree with your assessment?”

“I will present it as a business deal, and I think she will be relieved that I am no longer resentful about my role in the treaty.”

“I guess you can’t be used twice to seal a treaty.” But how many other lives were going to get fucked up? Lives were going to get ruined no matter what they did, and at least he was alive instead of being sacrificed so his blood could seal the treaty.

Garrick knocked on the door. “I’m leaving. I’ll let you know when I hear something.”

Hamish considered getting up, but it seemed like a lot of effort. “Okay.”

Garrick’s footsteps took him away. Had he been waiting for Hamish to do something? Or say something more?

Another time he would have walked Garrick to the door, they would have hugged goodbye, and he would have locked the door after him. Now there were too many bodies between them.

He glanced at Brodie. There were bodies between them now too.

And he’d placed them there.

Brodie was watching him. Was he worried about who he’d been sleeping next to? The sick thing was that if Brodie had killed one attacker, Hamish wouldn’t have cared. However, he couldn’t bring himself to regret the kill. There was no way he was going to let himself be captured and used.

“You should shower,” Brodie said.

He wanted to make a quip about getting naked but couldn’t find the words or the lightness of tone to make it work. “Yeah.”