Page 36 of Death Dance

“I’m seeing nothing wrong with this plan. And you’re right; it takes time for the brood bonds to settle enough for you to pick up on things like this. In time, you’ll feel it. Everyone expects you to have a long transition time. The more we learn about your heritage, the more everyone realizes you might need entire centuries to work through your nerves. Everyone is prepared to be as patient as you need.”

I made a few huffy noises before indulging in more of my drink. “Am I your first wife?”

“You are,” he confirmed. “I have dated, but I have not found a woman who matched well with me. Until you, she didn’t exist.”

I smiled at that. “Maybe you should give my parents a mug each to thank them.”

He snickered. “I can do that. Why are you asking?”

“The only Original I’m interested in being is your wife.”

His snickering matured into laughter. “I can’t blame you for that. Once word spreads of the real origin of vampires, I expect things will change for your family. I don’t know what title they’ll end up getting, but there will be one. We’re vampires. We title everything we can.”

“I’ve noticed that. The kittens will be okay going with us?”

“We’ll take their records with us, and the ones on board already have theirs. It’ll be fine. Depending on where we go to port, the kittens might have to stay on board the ship, but it’ll be fine. We can deal with their health checks when we get there.”

I could work with that. “Why do you think Breckenan picked Breanna?”

“Vampires tend to be the kind to fall head over heels with beauty, and she’s a beauty. It would not surprise me if he wanted to perfect the art of raising women so he could raise her to be his eternal bride. We’d have to check the timeline for when he first saw her. It could very well be he has been angling for her as his bride all along and we just didn’t know it.”

There was still a lot we didn’t know, which would irritate me until we learned the truth. “When you’re making plans for the cruise, please ask that we compile all the information we have so we can discuss this during the voyage. I want to end this fully aware of how and why everything has happened. The truth matters. We do know Breckenan is a rabid animal we need to put down, but I want to know more than I do.”

“I’ll work on that. Until we depart, I want you to carve stakes, play with our kittens, and pack our clothes. The least I can do is dress to your taste for this venture.”

“I’ll even let you pick one of my outfits, and you can put it in a black bag so I can’t see what you’re dressing me in.”

“I shall do this with great glee,” he promised.

“Good. I’ll also pack as much of my apple tree as I can. When I’m not giving you presents and learning more of the truth, I will be carving.”

“I’ll bring my supplies as well. The night before we leave, we’ll hunt for more wood. That’s commonly done before ventures like this. What we find sometimes shines light on the future.”

“I do not believe in omens or portents, sir.”

“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”