Page 45 of Death Dance

“We just need to limit how much damage he can do before everybody pitches in to eradicate him,” I muttered.

“Exactly so. If he’s wise, he’d retreat and not surface again for a few hundred years, but I don’t believe he understands such wisdom. He is a slave to his ambition.”

I pondered Ben’s words, and after a while, I nodded. “And Breanna?”

“I have been doing some research, and it seems Breanna shares some similarities with his mother. From all accounts, Breckenan loved his mother dearly. What we don’t know is if he means to use Breanna as a necromantic vessel.”

I sucked in a breath. Over the past few months, Emerick had told me twisted tales of what necromancers attempted, and one of the options chilled me. “You mean to give his mother a body to occupy?”

After a grimace and a sigh, Ben replied, “I believe so, yes. If he wanted to romance her, he would have used his wealth to charm her. Instead, he has guaranteed her work, and while not at a suitable rate, it was enough money to make certain she stayed. I suspect if she had asked for a raise, she would have been given it to make certain she stayed where he could watch her—and make his preparations. I’m not convinced he wants her as a partner. A living puppet for his mother’s soul? That I could believe without hesitation.”

“But does he have his mother’s soul?”

“No, but he does have her corpse.”

I shuddered. “You’re serious. He kept his mother’s body?”

“From the intel we have gathered, I do think that’s the case. We’ll know more for certain as he starts making his journey to Europe. We will be scrutinizing his luggage carefully—and we have people in position to intercept and relocate anything he might try to hide in cargo. At this stage, her corpse would either be mummified or bones. But for necromancers, that might be enough. They believe the soul can be brought back through any lingering part of the body.”

Gross, gross, gross. “Please make it clear that Emerick will not be permitted to keep parts of my rotting body around should I somehow be dispatched before him. And should someone kill him, I will be destroying everything they were and are.” I scowled and wrinkled my nose. “Just for the record.”

“I had guessed as much. Bonded pairs tend to become quite sensitive about this issue. But yes, Emerick would handle your burial personally. We haven’t needed to go over our burial practices with you yet, but they’re extensive. I can walk you through the entire process once we are in Europe. However much Emerick abhors everything that Breckenan stands for, he will see him properly laid to rest so that there is no hope of him rising again. Our practices aren’t just to help those left behind make it through their grief.”

With each tidbit of knowledge I learned about vampires and their society, I came closer to truly understanding the depth of my ignorance. “What is the greatest risk to Emerick?”

“Stakes,” Ben admitted. “As you’ve experienced, stakes are excellent at paralyzing us, and if we are stabbed in the heart, we perish. It is our one true weakness. For younger vampires, there is also the matter of the sun.”

I stared down the hallway to a window allowing light to stream inside, which offered a view of the ocean beyond. “Unless you’re me, apparently.”

“Or your father,” Ben conceded. “We’ll have to set up a proper sunroom for you at the estate, possibly on the roof. It will be easier to keep an eye on you when you take naps in puddles of sunlight that way. We’ll adapt to your needs once we have a better idea of how you differ from regular vampires.”

“Is there any way to protect him from stakes?”

“Outside of body armor, which we do tend to wear when we are expecting a fight, no. The armor often can’t stop something like the crossbows we use. Those are the most risk. They can punch through our protections.”

I cursed. “Does Breckenan have these crossbows?”

“Unlikely. We don’t think his brood even has stakes.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“Let’s just say even the weakest of stakes tends to get crabby in the presence of necromancers. For the necromancer to also be a vampire? I would not be surprised if a stake touching him might be enough to reduce him to ash.”

Color me surprised. Intrigued by the intel, I engaged Ben in a staring contest. “And one of my stakes?”

“Instant incineration is probable. Your stakes are potent, and I have no doubt they’ll eradicate any vampire of twisted bent by default. I highly recommend you don’t stab vampires you don’t want to kill when you’re in a bad mood. Your stakes might receive the wrong message. When you captured the other vampires, you were quite distressed over their state. Your state of mind will make the most difference.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. When I see Breckenan, a fury hotter than any sun is appropriate.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then it’s settled. I will only turn my wrath on the deserving. What do you think about Breckenan wanting Breanna as a vessel for his mother?”

“The possibility is plausible, which makes it disturbing. I spoke to Darius on the phone to see what he thought, and he is disturbed. He will be winging his way to the ship after we have confirmation that Breckenan is headed to Europe. He shouldn’t have any problems catching up.”

“How fast can he fly?” I blurted.

“According to your father, he’s not quite as fast as a jet when he decides to get moving.”