Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill [131]
“And you do? You were human, Merit. And you gave up that life for what? So some vampire could put a little extra cash into his coffers?”
I looked up as she popped off the bed, holding up her arms. “Does it look like he’s hurting for money?”
“Stop it.”
“No. You stop mourning for the guy who took your humanity. Who worked with your father—your father, Merit—to kill you and remake you in his image.”
Anger began to itch beneath my skin, warming my body from the inside out. I knew what she was doing—trying to bring me back to life—but that didn’t make me any more happy about it.
“He didn’t do it.”
“If you believed that, you’d be out there, not in this musty room stuck in some kind of stasis. If you believed he was innocent, you’d be mourning like a normal person with the rest of your Housemates instead of in here afraid of the possible truth—that your father paid Ethan to make you a vampire.”
I stilled. “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know because it might be true.”
“I know, honey. But you can’t live like this forever. This isn’t a life. And Ethan would be pissed if he thought you were spending your life in this room, afraid of something you’re not even sure he did.”
I sighed and scratched at a paint mark on the wall. “So what do I do?”
Mallory sat beside me again. “You find your father, and you ask him.”
The tears began anew. “And if it’s true?”
She shrugged. “Then at least you’ll know.”
It was barely after dusk, so I called ahead to ensure my father was home before I left . . . and then I drove like a bat out of hell to get there.
I didn’t bother to knock, but burst through the front door with the same level of energy I’d applied to my week of denial. I even beat Pennebaker, my father’s butler, to the sliding door of my father’s office.
“He’s occupied,” Pennebaker said, staring dourly down from his skeletal height when I put a hand on the door.
I glanced over at him. “He’ll see me,” I assured him, and pushed the door open.
My mother sat on a leather club chair; my father sat behind his desk. They both stood up when I walked in.
“Merit, darling, is everything okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. Give us a minute.”
She looked at my father, and after a moment of gauging my anger, he nodded. “Why don’t you arrange for some tea, Meredith?”
My mother nodded, then walked to me, put a hand on my arm, and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “We were sorry to hear about Ethan, darling.”
I offered up as much gratitude as I could. At this point, there wasn’t much.
When the sliding door closed, my father looked at me. “You managed to get a mayor arrested.”
His voice was petulant. He’d been supporting Tate for years; now he had to build up a relationship with the new deputy mayor. I imagine he wasn’t pleased by that.
I walked closer to his desk. “The mayor managed to get himself arrested,” I clarified. “I just caught him in the act.”
My father humphed, clearly not mollified by the explanation.
“In any event,” I said, “that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then what brings you by?”
I swallowed down a lump of fear, finally lifting my gaze to him. “Tate told me you offered Ethan money to make me a vampire. That Ethan accepted, and that’s why I was changed.”
My father froze. Fear rushed me, and I had to grip the back of the chair in front of me to stay upright.
“So you did?” I hoarsely asked. “You paid him to make me a vampire?”
My father wet his lips. “I offered him money.”
I crumpled, falling to my knees as grief overwhelmed me.
My father made no move to comfort me, but he continued. “Ethan said no. He wouldn’t do it.”
I closed my eyes, tears of relief sliding down my cheeks, and said a silent prayer.
“You and I don’t get along,” my father said. “I haven’t always made the best decisions when you were concerned. I’m not apologizing for it—I had high expectations for you and your brother and sisters. . . .” He cleared his throat.
“When your sister died, I was struck, Merit. Deadened by grief. Everything I’ve done for you, I wasn’t able to do for her.” He lifted his gaze, his eyes so very like mine. “I wasn’t able