vampire who sired you?”
I can hear the shrug in Jonathan’s voice.
How does one determine anything these days? I had Sophie do a Google search.We traced the genealogy of the mortal relatives of my sire. Steven Prendergast is indeed one of them.
“Steven Prendergast? He’s the editor?”
Sophie nods glumly.
“But what makes you think he’s behind the attacks on your life?”
“I saw him the second time. He was running toward the road after shooting my horse. He glanced back and I recognized him.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“Tell the police what? That the editor of the
vampire
book I wrote is out to get me because he thinks I know the one responsible for turning his great-grandmother? Because that’s what we suspect this is all about. We were able to access newspaper archives from the 1800’s. The disappearance of Prendergast’s great-grandmother’s caused a scandal in the family. Her missing corpse, the fact that she was sighted long after her ‘death’, the bloodless corpses that turned up. The entire family was disgraced.”
My head is spinning. “How in the world did you end up with the one editor who has connections to Jonathan?”
Sophie huffs out a breath. “How do you think? Jonathan when he was—” she pauses, as if searching for the right word, “
corporeal
had many contacts in the entertainment world. One was a lawyer in New York. Jonathan had me send the lawyer the manuscript under the guise of my new identity, Jonathan’s niece. I told him it was a recounting of an old family story I’d heard from my mother. He read it, liked it, and gave it to an editor friend of his who just happened to be big in the genre. Steven Prendergast is editor to many of today’s top vampire writers.”
I place both hands on the desk and lean forward. “But why would he attack you immediately instead of waiting until he got you alone on that research trip he proposed? Wouldn’t that have made more sense?”
Sophie’s perfect brow wrinkles. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. He must know I’m human since he keeps taking shots at me. At the same time, he believes in vampires. We thought maybe we could convince him to meet with us before he goes too far. But he won’t return my calls. I get the same message from his assistant every time I call. He’s not available.” She leans forward, hands clasped on the desktop. “I want this nightmare to end. I’ve told his assistant I’m backing out of the deal. That I’ll return the advance. Still, nothing. I’m afraid to go outside, afraid to run a simple errand. I want my life back.”
The emphasis she puts on the last words reflects more than a simple desire to resolve the issue with Prendergast. It’s obvious to me she is tired of sharing her consciousness with Jonathan. When she says she wants her life back, she means
all
of it.
The fact that Jonathan does not immediately respond with a snarky remark is proof that he feels her frustration, too. The silence that stretches between us is fraught with tension. It sizzles in the air like static electricity until even my nerves start to hum.
I shift in my chair. Clear my throat to ease the strain. Ask, “So why did you come to me?”
Sophie closes her eyes a moment, shakes her shoulders as if shaking off the lingering effects of a bad dream. Then she meets my gaze. “We want you to come with us to Leadville.”
“Leadville?”
“Leadville, Colorado. Where the story takes place. We figure we’ll draw Prendergast out. It’s a very small town, isolated. He won’t be able to hide and we can confront him on our terms. Make him understand what happened and that I’m not the person he should be attacking.”
Again, an undercurrent of meaning swirls beneath the surface of her words, subtle but aimed at Jonathan like the sharpened point of a stake.
I’ve never seen Sophie like this. Never felt such rage. When I killed her sister, she was angry with me but she knew her sister had crossed
I can hear the shrug in Jonathan’s voice.
How does one determine anything these days? I had Sophie do a Google search.We traced the genealogy of the mortal relatives of my sire. Steven Prendergast is indeed one of them.
“Steven Prendergast? He’s the editor?”
Sophie nods glumly.
“But what makes you think he’s behind the attacks on your life?”
“I saw him the second time. He was running toward the road after shooting my horse. He glanced back and I recognized him.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“Tell the police what? That the editor of the
vampire
book I wrote is out to get me because he thinks I know the one responsible for turning his great-grandmother? Because that’s what we suspect this is all about. We were able to access newspaper archives from the 1800’s. The disappearance of Prendergast’s great-grandmother’s caused a scandal in the family. Her missing corpse, the fact that she was sighted long after her ‘death’, the bloodless corpses that turned up. The entire family was disgraced.”
My head is spinning. “How in the world did you end up with the one editor who has connections to Jonathan?”
Sophie huffs out a breath. “How do you think? Jonathan when he was—” she pauses, as if searching for the right word, “
corporeal
had many contacts in the entertainment world. One was a lawyer in New York. Jonathan had me send the lawyer the manuscript under the guise of my new identity, Jonathan’s niece. I told him it was a recounting of an old family story I’d heard from my mother. He read it, liked it, and gave it to an editor friend of his who just happened to be big in the genre. Steven Prendergast is editor to many of today’s top vampire writers.”
I place both hands on the desk and lean forward. “But why would he attack you immediately instead of waiting until he got you alone on that research trip he proposed? Wouldn’t that have made more sense?”
Sophie’s perfect brow wrinkles. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. He must know I’m human since he keeps taking shots at me. At the same time, he believes in vampires. We thought maybe we could convince him to meet with us before he goes too far. But he won’t return my calls. I get the same message from his assistant every time I call. He’s not available.” She leans forward, hands clasped on the desktop. “I want this nightmare to end. I’ve told his assistant I’m backing out of the deal. That I’ll return the advance. Still, nothing. I’m afraid to go outside, afraid to run a simple errand. I want my life back.”
The emphasis she puts on the last words reflects more than a simple desire to resolve the issue with Prendergast. It’s obvious to me she is tired of sharing her consciousness with Jonathan. When she says she wants her life back, she means
all
of it.
The fact that Jonathan does not immediately respond with a snarky remark is proof that he feels her frustration, too. The silence that stretches between us is fraught with tension. It sizzles in the air like static electricity until even my nerves start to hum.
I shift in my chair. Clear my throat to ease the strain. Ask, “So why did you come to me?”
Sophie closes her eyes a moment, shakes her shoulders as if shaking off the lingering effects of a bad dream. Then she meets my gaze. “We want you to come with us to Leadville.”
“Leadville?”
“Leadville, Colorado. Where the story takes place. We figure we’ll draw Prendergast out. It’s a very small town, isolated. He won’t be able to hide and we can confront him on our terms. Make him understand what happened and that I’m not the person he should be attacking.”
Again, an undercurrent of meaning swirls beneath the surface of her words, subtle but aimed at Jonathan like the sharpened point of a stake.
I’ve never seen Sophie like this. Never felt such rage. When I killed her sister, she was angry with me but she knew her sister had crossed
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