Free Dead and Everything (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 2) by P. S. Power

Possibly not, but if they didn’t have an option,
they couldn’t, even if it was going to be what they wanted to do.
    Still,
Eve didn’t really expect the phone to pick up, and especially didn’t think it
would in the middle of a meeting with everyone else being there. At least on
the phone. She could tell the difference in how everyone sounded. No one else
was in the room with Marissa. Not directly. That probably meant they were all
staying away from each other, suspecting treachery and back stabbing. They were
all Vampires, so it was probably the right call.
    “Good
evening? This is the Council. We’re all listening.” That was spoken in a mild
tenor, but a warning if Eve had ever heard one. Polite, but with a hint of
steal underneath, just in case she was getting ready to call in and use a bunch
of foul language with the hermaphrodite?
    She
nearly froze, but simply took a breath and tried not to act like she was being
caught off guard.
    “Eve
Benson, here. I was calling to suggest that we pick up production on our
project. I don’t know what’s needed though, so wanted to get with you.”
    There
was muttering in the background, coming from a youthful sounding voice. Gene.
The one person she knew for sure sort of wanted her dead. That he was in charge
like he was wasn’t a great thing for her, but so far he hadn’t actually tried
anything. At the moment he didn’t even whine about her annoying him.
    No, he
was a lot more suspicious about her than that.
    “Probably
being sent in to spy on us.” Every one heard it, too. It was right there, out
in the open, in front of the whole Vampire world, practically. Edom was
fighting a laugh, and Lenore covered her mouth, as if it were charming and funny that one of the Council didn’t like her already.
    She
sighed, forcing it to be loud enough it was clearly fake.
    “Yep,
that’s right. Sent in to make sure that… Um, sorry, what is it I’d be spying on
again? The animal blood production? That’s clever of me. Notice how I
got in right at the start, and keep pushing for it too? I must be the bestest
spy ever. I’m in place to know everything about that one!” She grinned, but
went on, because being a bitch to a person that could just order her dead was
stupid. “Anyway, on a more serious note, that was all I had. I just wanted to
pass that along in case there was anything we could do about it. I’ll try to
get distribution going. U.S. first?” That was for Marissa, but she didn’t get
to speak, since Harland, the Manthori, interjected.
    He
seemed a bit bossy that way. Eve had noticed that before.
    “That
seems like a good idea to me, if possible? Also, I hear that you’re the
one slated to dispose of Mr. Swerlin, if that becomes needed? Other tasks as
well, if they come up? It will be good to be able to have more than one way to
deal with serious issues. Bey has been speaking most highly of you to us all.
We should, perhaps, meet soon?”
    There
was a snort from the background, but the words were louder this time.
    Gene
spoke, his voice sounding out of place. Too young by far to be an ancient being
of power. He was though, and forgetting that might well have her dead if
she wasn’t careful.
    “Stop
flirting with the girl, Harland. We have a crisis on our hands, perhaps the
most serious this body has ever faced, and you’re trying to get laid ? We
need to act quickly, or else we’ll lose control of the situation. What are we
doing to prevent the destruction of our kind, and the death of millions of
Humans, that’s what’s important here. How do we handle the press for
instance? We have no experience in doing that, as a group. In the past if a
reporter got too close, we simply wiped the idea from their minds. I doubt that
will work in this case however. Things have gone too far, far more quickly than
they should have. We were caught off guard and need to find our feet, but I
fear we may not have that chance.” He sounded calm, but stern. Like a