Troublesome trouble

—Lucius

Bloody hell. I had known she was strange, but this was more than I had expected. She was powerful as well and, if rumor was true, her blood was a potent thing.

Dangerous, that, in the world of vampires. Potent blood was what had eventually driven the fae into hiding. It was hard for a creature so steeped in thirst to resist something that gave it more violence and more power to go with that violence.

We had learned long ago that if we fed on a fae we gained some of their magic for a short time, like leeches. We could feed on a woodland sprite and then lift flowers and gardens at a touch and a word.

But it was only for a few short hours and then we were left wanting more of that power. It was like any drug for a human.

Fortunately, Mira had more protection at her disposal than did a small fae. By nature alone, she was a more devious type of creature.

Still, though, I was getting concerned and my concern only deepened the next day when I felt the thing I had already predicted to Mira.

It was a vampire guest whom I couldn't ignore. As soon as she tripped my warnings, I knew who it was.

That scent was one I would recognize anywhere. "Please stay here for a moment, Mira. We have a new guest." I glanced at Levi, who wouldn't meet my gaze, and sighed.

I met her at the gateway, inclining my head to her. She was ancient, even older than I, though she was not as powerful as me anymore, thanks to my demon.

I don't know what her human name originally was, but she went by Ishtar now. "Hello, grandmother," I said softly.

"Lucius, you shouldn't be so proper around family." Her eyes sparkled and I smiled politely. I couldn't like Ishtar because of the vampire nightmare she had created, but I had to be polite to her.

After killing Astarte, I had divorced her family line to be my own clan in the eyes of the Court.

On the one hand, it meant being a clan of one and only having myself for protection. On the other, I was just f*cking fine with that after I'd seen what other vampires were capable of.

I didn't want anything to do with them for a long while and only Levi had managed to earn my friendship initially.

Well, Levi and Sadra, but that was because I had Levi turn the scholar myself, since I couldn't do it. So I wasn't sure that counted.

"We're not technically family now, Ishtar. Come in. Levi is already here." Damn it, I really did not want to do this.

My family.

Once the vampire had seen my offspring, of course the word would have traveled up the chain and this was the cleverest person the Court could have sent.

The ancients had left me alone because I was a loner vampire, not a threat to anyone. But of course, now I had an offspring and I had already had friends like Levi, who had also divorced Ishtar's line.

What were the odds they hadn't heard that my offspring was something strange? I had managed to keep my own demon a secret after all.

"Of course he is. But I'm more interested in another little creature I've heard about, Lucius. Something a little more than a vampire."

Damn it. "You lot are the bloody worst. None of you can mind your own damn business, you know that?"

Ishtar laughed openly.

"Oh, I have missed how rude you are. All the others bow and scrape as soon as they feel my age near them. You have only ever shown as little courtesies as you had to in order to keep the Court away from you. It's a breath of fresh air to be around someone with whatever power you managed to find, Lucius. Sebastian has been asking for you often lately. He told me to send you his regards and greeting when I saw you."

She stopped in the foyer and I swallowed. Mira had followed my request and stayed inside, but she had waited right by the door where she could hear everything, smell my emotions and safety, where she would be back by my side as soon as possible.

What was more, the stress of company seemed to be getting to her. I had to find private moments multiple times a day to give her a bit of wicked playtimes.

The wooden spoon from the kitchen had become something for me to use regularly, not just a reward. I had to spank Mira in increasingly degrading ways.

Just before Ishtar had arrived, I had had to go so far as to having her say "thank you, daddy" with each and every strike.

She was fraying, but she needed to get used to the presence of other creatures as well. This was a trial by fire for her in a way, one with steady pressure being applied to her sanity.

But so far she had bent to the strain and not broken. I was proud of her. "Mira," I said softly. "Say hello to Ishtar. She is one of the Court's elders and my grandsire. You remember how I taught you to behave with the hierarchy, yes?"

She nodded at me, fighting to keep shreds of sanity, but she looked every bit the princess I had dressed her as now that she had company.

I had considered briefly letting her play with Vika, but I didn't dare leave them alone together. She didn't need the extra temptation to let go of her clarity.

As it was, her smile was only slightly wicked with Depravity's genetics, and she curtsied exactly as I had taught her. "Hello, Your Grace." She even intoned it with respect.

Ishtar did not answer for a moment, but then she inclined her head. "Good evening, Lilith's granddaughter."

Goddammit. If Levi knew the legends and had seen it, of f*cking course she would have as well. Her eyes turned to me. "I'm very curious as to how your Sire survived turning you."

I kept my face expressionless at that and Mira tilted her head. "It was just he and I when he turned me. No warlocks."

I couldn't stop the smile at that and Ishtar nodded. "Understood, dearie. Have you learned how to focus your magic yet?"

Mira glanced at me and sidled closer. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean that you can narrow your attention on one person and only affect that one instead of an entire room. Most never learn how. Your kind is dangerous but we leave you alone, since you're usually insane. And yet, you specifically are mostly aware. Have you learned focus?"

Mira curled into me. "My Sire is the head of my family, Your Grace. These questions are for him, I think."

Ishtar's eyes glittered and she bared her teeth in a grimace of annoyance at the political evasion. "That is a very aware thing to say." She narrowed her eyes. "Let's see how stable you are, shall we?"

It occurred to me, too late, what she planned to do. I had forgotten the way some elders could project thoughts into another creature's mind. Oh, they couldn't read and violate the privacy of the mind. But they could implant. "No, wait!"

Mira gasped and skipped backwards, her eyes going wide. "No! No, stop it, stop it please! It's so hard to focus as it is and the mirrors are always there and-" She broke with a mad sound somewhere between a giggle and a sob.

"And the fairies are supposed to protect from anything. And why are you showing me these things of my Master? Why are you showing me him suffering? Who did it? Who hurt him?"

I snarled and slapped Ishtar before I could think, shaking in rage.

I knew exactly what she was showing Mira, one of the few memories she had of me kneeling to Astarte.

***