Chapter 19
Laurence led them to the library within the mansion. It was a sunny room filled with pots of herbs that scented the room. There were dozens of bookshelves and a few leather couches and two large, heavy wooden desks, one with a computer on it, quite a new model.
A guy lazily reclined on one of the maroon leather couches, raising his head to gaze at Sarah and Susie, and raise an eyebrow at Blade. "Two for the price of one?" he asked glibly.
"You wish," Susie tossed her hair. "Cousin Jack. Now he's a real Harman. Jack Harman. Didn't even have to change his name. But he got disowned by the family, sadly. Carried out a forbidden love charm on a girl engaged to another man. Thrown out of the family like a mongrel."
Jack Harman raised an eyebrow. "Learn your facts," he said simply, then picked up a book at his feet, opened it to a bookmarked page and resumed reclining and reading.
"I'd like to see the family tree map," Susie told Laurence; he shrugged. "Can't remember where it is."
Susie gave an exasperated sigh, leaned forward and gave him a brusque kiss on the lips. "Now do you remember?"
"Of course," he gave her a vibrant smile. "You're a blast of sunshine to my fogged brain, Cousin Susie."
"Last time I do that," Susie said darkly and Laurence led the way to one of the shelves, pulled out a handful of books, tossed them to the floor. Cousin Jack rolled his eyes. "Can't you pile them up neatly?" he demanded. "It took me ages to track those books down!"
Laurence ignored him, sliding open a secret panel behind the books, and pulled out a leather wallet. Kneeling on the floor, he took some large old scrolls from the leather wallet and spread them open. "One comprehensive guide to the Harmans," he said. "And one guide to the wonderful Redferns."
"And here's Kierlan," Susie said swiftly, pointing out one name at one end of the scroll. "And there's me." Her name was at the other end of the scroll. She frowned slightly, looked back at Kierlan's name, then picked up the Redfern scroll. "How absurd," she said, amazed. "His name's on both, not just the Harmans."
"He doesn't show any vampire blood," Blade said flatly. "That, I can tell you."
"It's his mother," Susie said softly, "she's a Redfern. That's why."
"But it's genetic, being a lamia…" Blade's voice trailed off.
"Made," Susie said flatly. "Kierlan's mother was made into a vampire. After Kierlan was born."
"That's right," Laurence said with a shrug. "Quite a scandal at the time. She was a Harman, upstanding, got into a feud with one of the Redferns, and they made her into a vampire. When Kierlan was four. He spent the rest of his life being foisted around witch families."
"And what happened to his mother?" Sarah asked quietly.
"Went mad for a while, tried to get her son back, and then gave up bitterly and joined the Nightworld side," Laurence replied. "Tale has it that she has vampire lovers aplenty and is quite vicious and bloodthirsty. Almost attacked her own son when she woke up for the first time. Witches had to pull her away, lock her up and they were so disgusted, they handed her to Hunter and his vampires and took Kierlan's custody as an emergency measure."