Covet (Clann)

worms up to the public and the national media. It’ll be hard enough to keep it contained as it is, what with Sam’s standing as a local figure and a nationally recognized businessman. Not to mention your parents’ reputations among the charity crowds.”
    “But—”
    “Why don’t you walk with me a bit.” Dr. Faulkner went out the front door. Following him through it felt weird to me because my family never used it. We always used the garage entrance in the kitchen.
    Outside, he turned to face me. “I know you want to catch your father’s killer. Believe me, we all do. And the Clann’s going to be out for blood even more once they learn their leader’s been murdered. But if the media gets wind that your father was murdered by someone even pretending to be a vampire, every descendant alive will go off looking for the nearest vamp to stake or set on fire. Your father was greatly loved, and he’s going to be sorely missed. But you’ve got to let the Clann handle this discreetly or that peace treaty your grandpa and dad spent most of their lives working to bring about and maintain will be gone in an instant.”
    “So exactly what do you want me to do then?” Surely he didn’t expect me to just sit around like a dumb little kid waiting for all the grown-ups to handle this.
    “I’m saying let us figure this out as quietly as we can. We’re going to catch the killer, have no doubt about that. We have to, or they’ll never stop and none of us will ever be safe again. But let’s keep the situation among our own kind and the vamps and keep the media and everyone else out of it.”
    “What about Savannah and her father? Talbot sounds like he wants to go interrogate them. You know the vamp council won’t react well to that.”
    “Let me handle him. I’ll get him sniffing down the right track in no time.”
    I sighed, feeling tired and suddenly way older than seventeen. “What do we do about Dad?” My voice grew hoarse at the end, and I had to clear my throat. “I don’t think Mom can handle arranging another funeral so soon. And I’ve got no clue what he would have…” My tongue stumbled over the words, and I had to try again. “What he would have wanted.”
    Dr. Faulkner clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. The Clann will follow tradition and we’ll get all the arrangements set up. We can hold the funeral this Saturday. And then we’ll need to hold the elections that night while everyone’s still in town—”
    “Elections? For what?”
    He blinked at me behind his glasses like a dazed owl caught in the spotlights that had just shown up at the front of my family’s home. “For the new Clann leader, of course. With all the recent murders, the Clann can’t afford to be leaderless for longer than a week at best. Wait any longer than that, and you’ll have pure chaos on your hands.”
    This was one too many surprises to deal with in one night. “I never realized the leader was actually elected.” Colemans had been leading the Clann for the past four generations. My dad had already been the leader before I was born, so I’d never seen a new leader take over.
    “Usually it’s just a formality because everyone expects the next generation of male Colemans to step into the role. But this time, things are quite different, what with the unexpected loss of your father, your being underage—”
    “The leader has to be eighteen?”
    “Yes, in order to officially lead.”
    “Is there an actual rule against females being the leader?” Emily was already old enough.
    “No, not officially. But there’s never been a female Clann leader in the Clann’s history—”
    “Why not?” Some kind of desperation was pushing the words out of my mouth as soon as I thought them. “Emily’s old enough. And she’s definitely got the skills to lead.”
    Dr. Faulkner hesitated, cleared his throat, hesitated again. “The Clann is founded on ancient traditions—”
    “Which are obviously in need of an overhaul.”
    He stared at me for a long minute. “To be honest, son, your sister as Clann leader would be a tough sell even under the best of circumstances. But considering the situation as it is, with her loss of memory, her refusal to let others read her mind, and all the unanswered questions regarding her whereabouts at the time of your father’s death, no one’s going to vote for her. I’m sorry, but that’s the sad truth of it.”
    “Because she could know something about Dad’s