Blood in the Batter by Melissa Monroe

Author:Melissa Monroe [Monroe, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cinnamon Cozies
Published: 2018-09-21T05:00:00+00:00

“Emily,” Arthur breathed. His face twisted in anguish, and Priscilla fought the desire to wrap an arm around his shoulders. She didn’t think he’d appreciate the touch at the moment.

Anna glared defiantly at the pair of them. “You are not going to argue over the body of my mother. Talk like civilized human beings and do what she’d want you to do. Solve Aaron Burke’s murder.”

“Anna,” Arthur began wearily. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is,” she said stubbornly. “Priscilla did what she thought was best to prevent harm. If she’d done it against anybody but you, you’d be praising her for it. Let go of your pride and let her help.”

Anna’s glare shifted to Priscilla. “And you need to stop being so wounded. He wasn’t trying to insinuate that Maddison was a killer because she’s a vampire. She was found half on top of a dying man and she was starving. Don’t attribute to malice what can be explained by logic, Priscilla. Dad’s doing the best he can.”

Priscilla bit her lip and stared down at the headstone. It had been so long since she’d stood by her friend’s gravestone. She and Arthur had not been on good terms before Emily’s death, and it had only gotten worse after she’d passed. Arthur had forbidden her from attending the graveside service, and since the visitation had been held inside the church, Priscilla had lost any opportunity to say goodbye to her friend. She’d avoided visiting for some time, just in case Arthur spotted her and made her life more difficult.

Priscilla’s eyes pricked, but she couldn’t cry. Only human blood fresh from the vein could allow her to have that physical reaction. Parliament didn’t dictate how and when a vampire could feed, just as long as the feeding didn’t hurt or kill someone. Still, the generally accepted view was that vampires ought to buy expired blood from humans. It killed two birds with one stone. Vampires ate, and it removed the waste of unused blood.

It was at times like these that Priscilla wished she was still feeding properly. She wanted to cry. She still missed Emily so much. Emily would have known just what to say to appease them both. It was hard to believe it had been almost a year and a half since she’d passed. The brain aneurysm that had killed her had come with almost no warning, and Priscilla regretted that she hadn’t been able to stop it in time. She wasn’t sure if Emily would have enjoyed life as a vampire, but it was better than death, wasn’t it?

She kept her grief to herself mostly, indulging it in quiet moments so she wouldn’t distress Anna. She didn’t want to divert a single ounce of the comfort and care needed to deal with the death from Anna or her father.

Arthur cleared his throat, and it sounded like he, too, was trying not to cry. “You’re just like your mother,” he told Anna gruffly. “She’d have pulled a stunt like this.”

“Dad,” Anna began warningly.

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