“Whatever it might be, the return will happen next week. The Humans have decided not to wait for Maddie Garcia to take office.”
“I don’t see . . .” I swallow. Gather myself. “It’s for the best. It’s a stupid practice.”
“It has been ensuring peace between the Vampyres and the Humans for over one hundred years.”
“Seems a little cruel to me,” I counter calmly. “Asking an eight-year-old to relocate alone inside enemy territory to play hostage.”
“ ‘Hostage’ is such a crude, simplistic word.”
“You hold a Human child as a deterrent for ten years, with the mutual understanding that if the Humans violate the terms of our alliance, the Vampyres will instantly murder the child. That seems crude and simplistic, too.”
Father’s eyes narrow. “It’s not unilateral.” His voice grows harder. “The Human
