Page 80 of Bonded By Blood
Brianna tucked her elbows in, self-conscious of the jagged hole in her current dress. But there was no avoiding it at this point, she supposed. She tossed back the rest of the blood in her glass and stood, passing the glass to Joe. “Thank you, Kendall.” She looked toward her mother. “I’d like to continue this conversation when I’ve changed.”
“And I’d like to know what’s become of my treasured Enforcer,” Trista said. “Or perhaps I should ask Joseph?”
“Oh my God, Bri, your dress,” Kendall whispered, horror settling in her voice.
Brianna sighed inwardly, smiled at Kendall, and forced herself to move away from the conversation in order to change. “I know, it’s been utterly destroyed. A true travesty.” Hopefully, if she was dramatic enough, Kendall would laugh at her instead of revert back to her tears.
Kendall trailed after her out of the room. She didn’t speak for nearly a minute, and what she said surprised Brianna. “Did I … get that Slayer killed?”
Brianna paused, inadvertently letting the ruined dress fall to the floor. She turned toward Kendall again and found her daughter leaning against the wall beside the door, glossy gaze turned toward the covered window. What had become of the Slayer? She was pretty sure he’d still been standing, even fighting, when Joe had rushed her away. That was all she could offer. That, and the real truth. “There’s no guarantee he’s dead. But even if he is, Kendall, it’s important to remember that most Slayers ultimately die in battle. It’s the single biggest hazard of their job.”
Salt teased the air and Kendall sniffled. “But I pushed him to come. And I never even had a face-to-face conversation with him. How ridiculous is that?”
There probably wasn’t a right answer to the feelings Kendall was struggling with. Brianna knew that, but she wanted to offer her one anyway. It was hard to let Kendall sit with those emotions. Brianna zipped up her new dress and said, “You might still get your chance, Kendall. Don’t give up hope.”
Kendall rubbed at her eyes. “Cause you’re ever letting me out of the house again?”
Brianna smiled and moved up to brush a tear from Kendall’s cheek. “No. Because, after he stood up against an Original in an effort to save my life, I will insist he be allowed the opportunity to receive my gratitude in person. As well as his payment, and anything you wish to say to him.”
Kendall laughed, lightly, and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Brianna led the way back into the larger room, and Trista’s pensive expression assured her Joe had explained what he’d seen of the fight while she’d changed. That was for the best. She wouldn’t want Kendall to hear that story, either. “All right, Mother,” she said, reclaiming her seat on the sofa. “You’re saying Uncle was always a problem, a threat, and you were just hoping he was dead?”
“I don’t have a hard time believing that,” Kendall mumbled, flopping down on the other couch.
Trista sighed, stood, and moved toward her throne. “Yes, if you want to simplify things. He was a controlling bastard. I found out he was the one who’d let slip about us the previous time we’d been driven away from our home by humans, because he felt we’d gotten too close to them and were pulling away from him. You’d nearly died in that attack.”
Brianna barely remembered the incident her mother was referring to. Mostly she remembered feelings, colors, and flashes of images. Most of them shades of red. But even what she did recall lent her to believing her mother’s words.
“The way I saw it,” Trista said, “he’d nearly taken you from me. It was just the last of many reasons I couldn’t trust him. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I slipped him some werewolf blood and barricaded him deep inside that hovel we called a home. I knew he’d fed the villagers information about us again. I knew they were coming to burn us alive. I’d hoped they’d succeed—at least with him. I genuinely thought they had.”
Brianna felt her mouth drop open. That explained her uncle’s anger toward her mother. Although not necessarily why he’d waited so long to make his move. That, she suspected, she’d never have an answer for.
“Damn,” Joe murmured. “It’s a shame that didn’t work.”
Kendall snorted.
Every vampire in the room looked over at her and she sucked in a breath, trying to contain her amusement.
“I suppose,” Trista said after a long second, “I should have suspected he was behind this. At least when that fool Wilson poisoned you.”
Brianna let out a breath. “At that point, Mother, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“So,” Joe said, lowering his glass to his lap and drawing everyone’s attention, “now what?”