Growing Fangs (An Aria For The Vampire Book 1) by Philippa Norcross & Michael Anderle

Author:Philippa Norcross & Michael Anderle [Norcross, Philippa & Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2023-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Madam Antonova regarded Cora in silence for several long moments. Long enough that Cora started to get very uncomfortable. She decided then and there that she would never play poker against the vampire matriarch—she had a flawless poker face. Cora had no idea what the woman was thinking.

“Ella, would you please go with Mira and find Jack?” the woman said calmly. “It seems I need to explain a few things to dyevushka Roede.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The speed at which the little girl abandoned her tea and cookies didn’t help Cora’s state of alarm.

Once Ella was out of sight and out of earshot, Madam Antonova turned back to Cora. Was it just her, or had the lights dimmed slightly? Was the room closing in around her? Was she about to die? Strangely, vampire matriarchs had a way of making you feel incredibly intimidated despite sitting on a beanbag chair and being surrounded by children’s books.

“Um,” Cora began, trying her best to look down and away while being terrified of breaking eye contact. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”

Madam Antonova chuckled, and Cora’s heart caught in her throat. It was a terrifying chuckle. “Ah, dyevushka, yes, you did. But it is all right. I understand. This is not a part of our business of which you were aware, and it is one which many outsiders do not understand…and for good reason. Let me explain. Please hold your comments until the end.”

Cora settled into her beanbag and stared at Madam Antonova. She was going to do her absolute best to not piss off this immensely powerful woman even more than she already had.

“I do not condone killing as a matter of course.” Antonova sounded for all the world like she was just discussing the weather. Her voice was light and relaxed, not a hint of an edge. No, the edge was all in her eyes. “But sometimes, it must be done.”

Cora felt herself start to open her mouth, and bit down on her lip hard enough to hurt instead. Antonova would undoubtedly answer why in short order. She hoped, anyway.

“You remember our discussion of Evgeni Volkov. He was hardly the only one to create horrific dictatorships and living conditions for those in his immediate purview. He is but a salient example.

“The sad and stark reality for many millennia was that vampires rapidly became isolated, and in isolation, turned bitter and resentful of those they had lost and those who turned their backs on them, even those who had every reason to turn their backs. In those who did not perish of starvation or at their own hands, this most often turned to cruelty. Vampires are frequently considered to be inhuman, my dear, but we are most certainly still afflicted by the foibles of the human mind. When we are left alone, hated by those whom we loved, we fare no better than you. Worse, I believe.

“This is where the stories come from. Vampires, lonely and desperate, would lash out. Those who survived

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