Seventh Seal - Jacquelyn Faye Page 0,70

can do. All of the vampires who were loyal to him are dead. For him to cause any more harm, he'd have to come here himself."

"That's what scares me."

"What if we split the clan?"

"What?" Her voice cracked in astonishment.

"Split the clan? He takes Ashville, and I keep everyone and everything in Cedar Falls?"

"You don't understand how vampires work…"

"Pretty sure I do." I smiled and ruffled her purple tinged hair.

"No. You don't. They're…territorial?"

"Yes? He'll have his territory, and I'll have mine."

"No. You don't understand. Not territorial, it's more of a pack mentality? Kind of like werewolves. He wants to be the head of the pack."

"Yes. He can be. Of his pack. I'll be alpha bitch here."

"That's just it. It's all one big fucking pack to him. The vampires here, the blood bank. His son. He thinks it all should be his and he will not rest until it is. It's kind of like an obsession. To relinquish a part of it to you… It would be like him admitting a weakness. That you're stronger than he is. That you deserve all of it. He won't rest until either you, or he, is dead. The strongest rules and that is that. It's why he never challenged my father."

"But I beat your father." I didn't feel guilty about doing it, but I felt guilty about saying it to his daughter. Even if he was an asshole.

"Which he probably sees as some sort of fluke. Like you cheated. You're not a vampire. He'll never see you as his equal."

"Are you telling me I have to kill him to end this?"

She nodded without an ounce of hesitation.

"And what will that prove?"

"That you are, in fact, our lord."

"Lady."

Yuki chuckled. "I think that's the first time you've ever wanted to be called Lady."

"Well, it's better than Lord. Jeezus, Lady is pompous enough."

Her smile faded. "Either or, it's what needs to be done."

"So, what? Do I challenge him to a duel or something? You think he'd come if I called?"

"He would. But it would be better for you to go to him and squash the…rebellion, for lack of a better word. Show them that you won't tolerate it."

"That's just it. I will. I don't want to kill your uncle. Not if I can help it. You're telling me there's no possible way that he won't back down?"

"He won't."

"But I'm not a vampire."

"Even if that were true, he still sees you as similar. We all do."

"I'll think about it. That's all I can promise you." I lowered my face and moved it closer to hers, staring at her eyes for emphasis.

She graced me with another small smile. "I should be happy."

"But you're not?"

"I'm happy that you're a kind Master that we can all love and adore. I'm sad that you won't listen to reason."

"Oh, I listen to reason when it's reasonable. Doing something when there has to be a better way, not so much. I'm happy here. I'll police the vamps in Cedar Falls, but damnit, Yuki, I don't want your father's property or the vamps in Ashville. I didn't even want my mother's coven. Here is my home, and here is my family."

She nodded in understanding. "Sounds like your mother's doing a bang-up job. Maybe you should take over that coven, too." She rolled her eyes.

"Her role is to guide, not to govern," Candace said somberly in an otherworldly voice from the hallway outside the bathroom before shaking her head, blinking, and scrambling her towel covered nakedness into her bedroom. Josie shot us a questioning look as she followed her.

Yuki sighed and shrugged, letting it go.

"Methinks the Lady doth put a little too much faith in her red-headed minion."

"Minion?" Yuki scoffed and took a sip of my coffee.

"Hey! Get your own." I took my cup and winced. Our conversation had lasted long enough for it to cool off and hit that tepid bitter stage. I grimaced and gulped down the rest. "Make me one, too?" I grinned.

"Yes, Master." She took my mug and headed to the kitchen.

A minute later, Josie and Candace slipped out of the room and settled back down on the loveseat wearing matching pink T-shirts and little, if nothing, else. I couldn't help but smile at their adorableness. "How are you not cold?"

"Who could be cold next to this little ball of sunshine?" Josie scrunched Candace a little closer.

"Speaking of little balls of sunshine, what the hell was that this afternoon?" I narrowed my eyes at Candace until she squirmed uncomfortably in Josie's arms.

"What was