Night-blooming Hearts: Carnival of Mysteries by Megan Derr

Author:Megan Derr [Derr, Megan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-01T16:00:00+00:00

Lady Grimmelshausen

He whipped around, his mother's voice still familiar somehow despite the abyss between them now. He stared at her, momentarily taken aback by how much older she looked, by vampire standards. Like in the years he'd been gone she'd aged twice as fast. He was almost curious about what had caused her so much stress, but he refused to be invested in the woman in any way. "That's not my name." And if he heard one more person say it, he was going to do something drastic and unadvised.

"It will always be your name, no matter how you style yourself now."

"Naw, ain't how that works," Jebb said. "It's true folks give kids their names to start, but that's because they ain't got their own voice yet. If they pick a different one later, that's their choice and no one else's. Not to mention, you cast him out, so you really don't got no business telling him what his name is. Call him Phoenix or you won't enjoy what happens."

His mother, Hannelore, bristled. "Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?"

"Don't go insulting my intelligence and your own. I look just like my daddy, and his daddy before him, and not so different from the very first Black, may he never know a moment's peace down there in hell."

"Being a Black does not give you the right to speak to me so."

"Maybe not, but being a halfway decent person does. If you can't respect what someone wants to be called, then you don't deserve respect. Now, then, we came to ask some questions. The sooner you answer, the sooner we'll be gone."

"Where is the Dracula?" Phoenix asked quietly.

"Asleep," his mother said coldly.

Phoenix gave a dry, unamused laugh. "So he really is sick, then. Wilhelm never said a word. Guess he knew better than to waste my time."

"How dare you—"

"Spare me," Phoenix cut in. "We came to ask some questions. The sooner you answer them, the sooner we leave."

"I have nothing to say to you."

Phoenix chuckled. "No? How about we start with the more than seven million dollars that you owe the Maddox family and have yet to repay?"

"How—" she snapped her mouth shut. "What are you talking about, haven't repaid? I sent Wilhelm into the city two weeks ago to meet with Maddox's son and oversee the transfer and treat him to a wonderful stay to further smooth things over."

Well, Phoenix hadn't seen that coming. Maybe he should have. So Wilhelm had stolen the money, likely to pay the blackmail. Well, well, well. He pulled out his notebook and flipped to the appropriate page, even though everything Lynwood had said was fresh in his mind. "According to Lynwood, he has been trying for two weeks to get the money, and says that Wilhelm seems miserable and stressed, but never provided explanation nor the money. Perhaps you should speak with your son, madame."

She drew herself up, spine as stiff as a steel rod. "Get out of my house.

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