Page 51 of A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea #2)

JIN

Jin wanted to sit with Arthie a little longer, but she wasn’t having it.

She shooed him out of the cabin to find his parents, from whom he was deliberately staying away.

Jin closed the door behind him, gripping the wall as waves crashed against the ship.

Using his umbrella as a walking stick, he made his way to his parents’ cabin.

He knocked once. His hand was still midair when the door opened to his mother’s face.

“Jin,” she said, and if he closed his eyes, he could picture their house on Admiral Grove, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the smell of chestnuts from the polish she insisted they use on every wood surface, his schoolbag full of books sitting primly on his desk.

“Ma,” he said before he remembered she never liked when he did. Mother , she said to call her, because he wasn’t a child anymore.

He had never been as old as he was today, but he didn’t care. He stepped inside. His father was standing by the tiny round window. He looked as uncertain as Jin felt.

“We were waiting for you,” his mother said.

“I know.”

Did the years that had passed without them matter now that they were here, in front of him? He didn’t know how to respond. He could flirt with a tree if it came to it, but now it felt as though his mouth were stuffed full of pastries, his tongue tied up in knots.

“Sit down, lad,” his father said, taking up a seat on the cot and patting the space beside him.

Jin did as he was told. He always had when it came to his parents. He had always been able to trust them, which was a privilege that not many children received.

But what did it mean now that he knew what they’d done? He still trusted them. He still thought them to be well-intentioned people who wanted the best for vampires—but that wish hadn’t come without a cost. They had dirtied their hands; they had killed.

He felt the heat of his father beside him, heard the rushing of his blood more than the sound of his breathing. Before he could stop himself, he leaned into that warmth, resting his head on his father’s shoulder.

“I searched for years and years,” Jin whispered as his father pulled him tight against him. His mother came and wrapped her arms around them both.

Jin felt the rumble of his father’s laugh. “You always were tenacious. Though, in my experience, it was in regards to that sweet tooth of yours.”

Jin couldn’t laugh with him. “But when we reached Ceylan and I thought you had sided with the Ram, I”—he pulled away to look at them both—“hated you.”

“I see,” his father said, his features giving away nothing. “And do you still?”

Confusion pinched Jin’s brow. “Well, it’s not quite as simple, but no.”

“Then I don’t see why you’re looking so dejected.”

That, Jin could laugh at, and his father smiled before his eyes dropped to Jin’s teeth. More notably, to his fangs. Jin stupidly closed his mouth, trying to will them away.

They knew he was a vampire. The captain and his men had made sure of it back on Ceylan, but Jin thought it had to be said anyway. He needed to get the words out of his system, out there in the open so his parents could decide if they still wanted him.

“I’m—”

“When did it happen?” his father asked first.

“Under a fortnight ago,” Jin said. “You just missed the live version of me.”

“There isn’t a difference between the versions to us,” his mother said, tilting up his chin. “What does matter is that someone killed my son.”

She did not know how much those words meant to him. How high their effortless acceptance lifted his heart.

“Leaping to murder, Ma? I could have tripped over a knife.”

She clucked her tongue. “I taught you better than that.”

“It was the Ram.”

Both his parents were startled at the new voice, but Jin only sighed, peering past his mother to give Arthie a look.

“Have you ever considered knocking?” he asked.

“No,” she said. Matteo stepped in after her as though this was her office in Spindrift.

She was about to make herself at home in the single armchair when Jin’s father swept her into a hug. Arthie stiffened.

“You saved my life,” he whispered.

“Both of ours,” Jin’s mother said.

Arthie pulled away with a shrug. If she was going to say I needed you alive , Jin was going to slap her. “Saving the lives of your family is what I do.”

He couldn’t not smile at that.

His father gave her a wistful smile of his own. “ Our family. You’re Jin’s sister, are you not?”

The waves crashed against the side of the ship.

Muffled voices from above deck and below echoed like White Roaring’s streets outside of Spindrift.

Arthie remained silent. Jin saw the way her chin dipped a fraction, the way the right of her cheek twitched as she contained a gust of joy.

She wasn’t calculating her next words, nor was she angry—she was shocked.

“I—”

“Just answer the question, Arthie,” Jin said.

She flicked her gaze to his, suddenly shy. It was adorable. “Yes. I am.”

Matteo sank into the armchair. “Did you ever consider, Shaw and Sora, that you’re simply joining our family?”

Arthie laughed. “Well, this family is full of murderers, and we’re after the biggest one.” She nodded at Jin. “The Ram shot him, by the way, is what I meant.”

“Point-blank, if I may add,” Matteo said.

Jin’s father sucked in a breath. His mother bit out a curse. Jin rubbed at the spot where her bullet had made its home, burning through the layers of his clothes and his skin, tearing through his heart.

“I turned him,” Arthie said. “And I know your reunion was ten years in the making, but we cannot mistake it for a happy ending. It’s only the beginning. We need to plan.”

She was right. Irritatingly so. Could he not, for a moment, pretend to ignore reality and bask in his victory? Soon , he promised himself, surprised by his optimism. Flick would be proud.

“The tribute,” Matteo said. “Remind me: How many days away is it?”

“One,” Arthie said. “Thanks to that wretched storm.”

“How do you know?” Jin asked. “We don’t have a calendar.”

Arthie dangled her pocket watch. “No, but I have a clock and a brain. I’ve been keeping track.”

“What is this tribute?” Jin’s father asked.

“She’s sent invitations to the rich and powerful for an event to honor the members of the press that she massacred, unbeknownst to the public, and celebrate a vicennial of her monarchy.

It’ll be anything but that. We stole her incriminating ledger that led us to you, and she’s lashing out.

She started with renewing chaos on the streets by kidnapping humans to stir up hatred and fear of vampires once again. ”

“Humans?” his mother asked. “Whatever for?”

“For a public uproar,” Arthie answered. “Blaming the press massacre on vampires was the first step, but she needed to keep that thread of fear alive.”

Jin’s mother’s lip twisted in disgust. “While she throws a celebration.”

“I hadn’t realized we were nearing a vicennial,” his father said. “Those usually bring in officials at every level.”

“Even the Council?” Arthie asked.

He pursed his lips. “Yes. If we’ll be able to attend, their presence could work in our favor. What is our plan to dispose of her?”

Sora asked. “Death?”

But when Jin thought of killing the Ram, he thought of Flick. The Ram was a monster undeserving of a daughter like Flick, but she was still her mother, the woman who had raised her from a young age.

“Death is an easy punishment,” his father replied. “I much prefer a suffering in which she can watch us flourish, don’t you?”

Yes . Jin liked that very much.

“If we must,” his mother said with a sigh. “What is your plan to take her down?”

“Unfortunately, we dipped into this battle long after it started,” Arthie said, “but there are three parts to the Ram: monarch, businesswoman, and lady. We’ve burned down the heart of the EJC.

We’ve put a dent in the monarch’s plans for weaponizing vampires.

Now we’ll expose all three, ruining the lady’s image by unmasking her in front of her handpicked audience. ”

“How do you plan to unmask her?” Sora asked. “The rich and the powerful might have been invited, but she won’t risk standing among them.”

“Perhaps Shaw and Sora can convince the Council to demand that she unmasks,” Matteo suggested, looking at the Siwangs.

“The Council appointed her; they know who she is,” Jin said. “Are they masked too?”

“They are indeed,” Shaw said.

“Of course they are,” Matteo drawled. “Still, the person they appointed isn’t the person who she is today. Nor do they know a fraction of what she’s done. Once they know of her deeds, they’d want to help.”

Arthie worked her jaw. That’s not enough , the set of her mouth said. “We don’t want help; we want to hurt her image. Irreparably. Let’s move on so I can think. Do we have to fear Ripper vampires in Ettenia?”

“Would the Ram risk deploying them?” Jin asked. “She’ll have little ability to control them, and White Roaring is far more populated than the Ceylani colony.”

No one responded because the answer was clear. The Ram would risk it. She didn’t care for her people. She was kidnapping humans off the street simply to build a lie, to cause havoc.

Shaw shook his head. “The moment we caught the mutation, we contained the vampires. There are inoculated vampires in Ettenia awaiting shipment, but none of them sit there long enough for the possibility to mutate. The Ram believes it’s a new serum we developed but haven’t perfected and delivered yet.

Once we arrive, we’ll ensure the inoculated vampires are cared for as well. ”

“Pity we can’t strap the Ram to a chair and demand the answers we need,” Matteo said.

Arthie looked as though she’d considered the same. She always did like going to the source.

Shouts echoed from above deck, and Jin straightened, reaching for his umbrella before someone threw open the hatch and shouted, “Land ho!”

“Home,” Jin murmured. He almost laughed at that.

He didn’t have a home. The home from the first decade of his life had burned down just like the second one had.

And yet he was eager, for home had never been about the walls he’d stood within, but the people standing around him. Like Arthie, like his crew.

Like Flick.

“I don’t say this because I doubt Flick’s capabilities,” Arthie said, following his line of thought, “but we need to dock with the possibility that the Ram might ambush us.”

“It’s a good thing we have an army of vampires down there, then,” Jin said with a sigh, gesturing to the hold.

“An army that needs rest,” Jin’s father said.

Jin and Arthie had prepared for as much.

Sidharth promised to have runners monitoring the seafront for their return, after which he’d send carriages to take the vampires to the Athereum and provide aid, care, and eventually reacclimate them into society.

They’d have to tell him about the coconuts too.

“And a balm for their pain,” Matteo countered. “If the Ram ambushes us at shore, we won’t be able to hold them back.”

“That may be true,” Shaw conceded, “but it must end there. If you want vampires to infiltrate the tribute with you, we’ll need allies capable of blending in with high society lords and ladies. Our vampires are too angry to hold themselves back, nor are they in the best of shape.”

Jin and Arthie shared a glance, for they knew exactly where they’d find such vampires: the Athereum.

“Hold on—‘high society lords and ladies,’” Arthie repeated, straightening with an idea.

“We’re counting on Flick to forge invites to people who aren’t fond of Lady Linden, but how many of her own guests do we reckon were denied a contract with the government because Lady Linden could handle it herself through the EJC? ”

Jin had never considered that. Even he and Arthie had partnered with a lord who owned multiple shipping warehouses, to store their teas for Spindrift. A country was bound to need all that and more at any given time, but if the Ram could pay herself to do what was needed, why distribute the wealth?

“Even more reason to unmask her, then,” Jin said. “Make high society angry, and they’ll tear her down themselves. We’ll have ruined her forever.”

As the Ram had ruined each of them in some way. They wouldn’t even have to worry about convincing the Council. High society would do the work for them. No one was more dangerous than a rich man scorned.

“You’re a clever one, Arthie,” Shaw said. “See, that is a far more excellent end than death.”

Arthie said nothing. She didn’t voice a concern or make a comment, but Jin knew that look: She was scheming. Unmasking the Ram was well and good, but was it enough?

It was indeed a pity they couldn’t sit the Ram down and get answers out of the woman themselves.