“Given how many campfires or bonfires they must have had while they did whatever it was they did, you’d think he would count that as some sort of appreciation. But he really can be like Mama – I’ve never known her to cross him. I’d put money on him being annoyed that Fire wasn’t headlining, as it were.” Madeleine tilted her head to one side, eyebrow arching. “I don’t think I want to see the result of Grandfather trying to eradicate tree-huggers. It’s bad enough when the news offends him.” That was the problem, she supposed, of having a family that really was so close knit for all their faults but knowing that someone may genuinely die if the next sentence uttered by the anchor woman had a word out of place. “I really don’t want to see either of them. I think I’ll throw up if Kennedy so generously takes the opportunity to steal supporting votes because, obviously, we all have the support and sympathy of vampires everywhere.” Christ, she could write that speech. She would just need someone else to read it because the words would never make it past Madeleine’s teeth. “Maybe she got blown up too. A righteously pissed off army of liberal vampires would be relatively useful for a time…” ‘Until you realised you couldn’t get rid of them?’ She had just been about to say that. She had not been going to dwell any further on what an incubus was. She did not want to. She—“He’s a vile bastard who needs to stay away from me.” An extreme but knee-jerk response to information that now she wished she didn’t know. She didn’t give a damn if he was related to Zaviar or not. “And even further away from my mother.” Really, it didn’t need to be said.
“You wouldn’t want to, it’s a loud muddle.” ‘Usually about y—’ “Althea.” That she hadn’t been going to add anything to her initial statement was neither here nor there. It was entirely true – annoyingly so – that she would need a bloody good reason before she turned around and just walked out of Zaviar’s house like that. A reason that she did not want. As long as she didn’t have it, she was content to follow what felt more like habit or nature than anything else. Madeleine was a fire elemental; she needed to be close to someone. That someone just happened to be Zaviar right now. She gave a small smile. “Now will you be sensible and at least lay down or something? If I need it, you certainly do.”