This is a reprint of an original post that appeared at the Novel Thoughts blog. (http://novelthoughts.wordpress.com)


Today, were joined by husband and wife Martin and Monica Davenant. Thank you both so much for joining us today.

Monica: Its a pleasure.

Martin: Yeah. Charmed, Im sure. (He fishes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and puts one in his mouth.)

Q: Im sorry. Theres no smoking allowed in here.

Martin: (lighting the cigarette) So sue me. Ill give you my attorneys card.

Monica: Martin

(They exchange long, mutual glares, and then he sighs heavily, tucks the lit end of the cigarette under the toe of his shoes, grinding it out against the floor.)

Martin: There. Happy now?

Monica: I must apologize for Martin. Weve been on the road for several days now. Im afraid its taking its toll on him,

Q: Youre following Tessa, arent you? Your wife?

Monica: His SIXTH wife.

Martin: My BITCH of a wife. Yes. Were following Tessa. Shes a liar and a thief and a goddamn lousy bitch and when I find her, Im going to wear out her ass with the back side of my belt.

Q: A thief? What do you mean?

Martin: I mean she took something that didnt belong to her. She took something that belonged to me something very goddamn important to me. Something I want back. Im going to get it back, too and by Christ, I tell you, shes never going to walk without a limp again.

Q: What did she take?

Martin: Thats none of your business. Its not important its mine and thats all you need to worry about.

Q: Shes pregnant with your child, isnt she? Are you concerned about the safety and well-being of the baby?

Monica: Of course we are. Children are precious among the Brethren. A single male heir could make all of the difference for the Davenant clan.

Q: How do you mean?

Monica: I mean the Nobles have had power over us all. The clan with the most male heirs has authority over the Brethren and controlling interest in our collective wealth the Bloodhorse distillery, tobacco company, the race horses, all of it. And for centuries, all of that power, all of that money its belonged to Augustus Noble.

Q: Tessas grandfather.

Monica: Hes a bastard. And dont shush me, either, Martin. Im not a goddamn child. Whats he going to do? Hear me? Hes a hundred miles away at least, and not even his telepathys that good. Hes a goddamn bastard makes the rest of the Brethren men like Martin scrape and slave while he lives like a king, spending our money OUR money, all of the Brethren clans on anything he wants. Look at this (She holds something up from around her neck a necklace with a large green gemstone pendant) He bought this for his first wife, Eleanor. With money that belonged to ALL of us. Hed fly her all around the world, shower her with clothes and jewelry, fur coats and handbags, and the two of them would flaunt it, all of it, all over the compound. Hed all but dare anyone to say anything about it, challenge him. Bastard. Id suffer a dozen again of his ill-begotten granddaughters in the Davenant house if it means theyll give us enough sons to take him down, once and for all, strip his power once and for all.

Q: If he gave that to Tessas grandmother, how did you?

Monica: get it? I took it from the haughty little bitch when she married my husband. She had the audacity to wear it into my house under MY goddamn roof, can you believe it? And then she had the nerve to say that it BELONGED to her, as if she was still in her grandfathers house and had any claim to anything in the world. I dont care whose granddaughter she is shes a Davenant now and a Brethren woman, besides and a SIXTH wife. She has nothing. She IS nothing.

Q: But as first wife, you have more privileges?

Martin: She doesnt have ****. (He reaches for his cigarettes again, gets a glower from Monica, then sticks them back in his pocket)

Monica: Not yet. But I will. We will. (She slips her hand against Martins.) Martin is next in line to be the Davenant clan Elder, you know. And if the Davenant house has the most male heirsand dominanceof course, there will be some benefit to me. Just as there was to Eleanor Noble.

Q: What will happen when you find Tessa?

Martin: Ill beat the **** out of her, thats what

Monica: (interjecting, her voice nearly overlapping) Well return her to Kentucky, of course, where shell be allowed to see her pregnancy safely through

Martin: with her goddamn arms and legs tied to the bed posts

Monica: until she can deliver the baby.

Martin: And then Im going to wear her out with my fists and thats if its a boy. If she gives me a goddamn daughter, Im going to throw them both in a goddamn ditch and bury them alive.

Monica: I keep trying to tell him theres another way to dominance, but he wont listen. If we find Tessa, we could find her brother, Brandon, too

Martin: She thinks if we kill Brandon, then wed be one heir closer to dominance. The clans would be even, then, the Davenants and the Nobles.

Monica: They would have to share power.

Martin: No my father would get to share power. Im not the clan Elder yet. Allistair is. You think Augustus is a son of a bitch? (laughs) Allistair Davenant makes him look like Barney the Goddamn Dinosaur. If he gets his hands on any sort of power among the Brethren shared or otherwise youd better bet your ass that things will change. Everything we know all of the Brethren will change.

Monica: (smiling sweetly) And I, for one, can hardly wait.