Quinn felt a spike of anger from the vampires as they whispered amongst each other. Some of them slipped further toward the back of the crowd. They were losing them, or at least some of them. They had expected as much, but it seemed too soon to already have some defecting. They had to keep them here until the vampires could hear everything they had to say. If they lost them now, they would never get them back.
She felt eyes on her and turned to meet the gaze of the giant near the front of the crowd. His steady brown eyes sized her up. She held his gaze with steely resolve before turning to face the group once more.
“This is a lot to ask of you, I know!” Quinn yelled over the growing noise.
The voices stopped the second she started speaking again. Beside her, Julian shifted closer, his shoulder turning so he could step in the way if someone came at her. She didn’t bother to try to wave him off, he wouldn’t budge, and right now she had to remain concentrated on the vamps.
“Remember, this is all based on trust on both sides. Eventually the Hunters and Guardians will be given your pictures, if you agree to it”—she was flying by the seat of her pants here, but she didn’t see why it couldn’t be done—”and that way, they will know when they meet you if you’re an enemy or not. But if you’re not killing innocents, then you’re probably not going to run into a Hunter or Guardian. They won’t be drawn to you, or your area unless they have a reason to be.”
“Will we be given pictures of the Hunters?” the giant inquired.
She didn’t have to think about that. “No. It would be too easy for those pictures to fall into the hands of vampires who don’t agree to this. It will put the Hunters at too high of a risk if we do that.”
“What if one of your Hunters or Guardians decides we’re all evil and goes rogue?” someone demanded.
“Then they will be destroyed too,” Quinn vowed. She felt a shifting behind her, but no one protested her words. “Fair is only fair after all.”
“So, no matter where we are, we will be offered this protection from all of you if we’re in danger?” another asked.
“Yes, but I will be the one you will deal with the most,” Julian replied.
“Are we going to get your number to call you, Julian, or do we click our heels and think of you really hard?” another vampire retorted.
Titters of laughter followed this question, and Quinn felt the corners of her mouth quirk toward a smile.
“You can try clicking your heels,” Julian replied, “but I’m certain it won’t work. We plan to recruit vampires as we go. Those vampires will also work closely with us and with you. They will help regulate any problems that arise which will allow us to cover more area and offer more protection if an emergency should arise. They will also contact me if they think it’s necessary for me to get involved.”
“And what will these regulators get in return?” the giant asked. “It sounds like they’ll be doing a fair amount of work for you; will it be out of the kindness of their own hearts?”
Quinn liked the term regulators the instant the giant said it. She used to enjoy watching westerns with her uncle when she was a little girl, and it brought to mind Billy the Kid.
Julian smiled at the giant as he spoke. “We’re vampires, even if we don’t kill, our hearts are far from kind.”
“True,” the giant agreed.
“The vampires who work closely with us will become a part of the governing system that will be established to lead all vampires, with myself and Quinn at the head of it. Those vampires will have power. They will hunt down and destroy any who break our rules, and they will also be able to keep the spoils of those they kill.”
An excited murmur went through the crowd. Power, security, and money, they were three things most vampires coveted. Julian had just waved them before these vamps like a red flag. She wouldn’t be surprised if the vamps stampeded them in their eagerness to get at what Julian offered them.
“These regulators will have the ability to make choices on their own regarding wayward vampires, if they deem it necessary. They will also be struck down as quickly as anyone else should they cross the line. I may not be able to be everywhere at once, but”—Julian held his hand up to the crowd—”it will only take one touch for me to know what you have done, or plan to do.”
“What will Devon be doing?” another in the crowd asked.
“Cassie and I will continue to train Guardians and Hunters. We will work to make sure they understand things are changing for the better and what will be expected of them. That doesn’t mean I won’t be there to help Julian, and you, if Julian calls me. I’ll also destroy you if it’s deemed necessary.”
“And who will keep you and Julian in check?” another asked. “You may not be slaughtering humans and vampires now, but we all know your histories, and as Elders, you are stronger than the rest of us.”
“I will!” Quinn declared. “If it becomes necessary, I will do what must be done. I won’t condone the murder of any innocent, even if it is Julian or Devon doing the killing. I may be a vampire now, but I’m also a Hunter who lost her family to vampires, and I won’t allow that to happen to others. Despite that, I’m also a vampire who understands the strain we all go through to resist killing.
“Throughout all of history, bringing the Hunters, Guardians, and vampires together is an idea that was never considered. Both sides have experienced heavy casualties because of ignorance; it’s time that stopped. I don’t care if you like it or not, but if you have faith in the prophecy, then you believe I’m to be your ally, and I know this is the first step to keeping all of us safer.”
Silence met her statement before more chatter erupted through the group. This time she let them figure out what it was they wanted on their own. There was only so much she could say to sway them one way or the other.
“I’ll say one thing for you, little one,” the giant said, “you got lady balls.”
“Ah…” Quinn had no idea how to respond to that. “Thank you… I think.”
“One question,” the giant said to her in a voice so low the crowd couldn’t hear him. “Vampires crave power. Many give into the lure of blood and death because of the power that comes with it. But you, you can take power from another without your fangs and with only a simple touch. Many of these vamps see you as their savior, but I want to know who will regulate you if you give into the temptation and start taking from others?”
“It is a possibility,” she admitted, “but all of you will regulate me, and so will Julian. He pulls me back from the edge when I’m tempted to lean too far over.”
“One of the most prolific and legendary killers of all vampires keeps you stable, interesting,” the giant murmured and lifted his hand to rub at his chin.
Julian stiffened beside her. She scowled at the giant while he smiled at her in amusement, revealing crinkling lines around his brown eyes. “Julian has changed,” she said.
“And I’m wondering if one day you’ll change and become more like he used to be.”
“If you knew her better, you would know that will never happen,” Julian said.
“Such assurance could spell trouble,” the giant replied.
“You’re right,” Quinn admitted. “It is possible something in the future could change me.”
She had no idea what she would become if something were to ever happen to Julian. She’d destroyed Zach to save him; she didn’t doubt she would kill again if it became necessary to save someone she loved.
“I’ve tasted what my ability can really do to another, experienced the thrill of a power you could not begin to imagine, but there are many in my life who love me and who I love,” she continued. “They keep me grounded every day. I’ve lived with the temptation of my power my entire life, but I have kept it in control. However, there are enough with power who could take me down if it became necessary. Devon and Cassie wouldn’t hesitate if they believed I was a threat. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that never has to happen.”
“I like that you acknowledge what you are and what you could be capable of becoming,” the man replied. “Denying the possibility is a sure way to end up traveling a treacherous pathway.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
Julian tugged her back a step when the man thrust a thick, beefy hand toward her. “I have no intention of trying to harm your mate, Julian. I’ve survived one hundred and five years as a vamp. I’d like to survive many more. My name is Vern. I killed one Hunter who was trying to kill me, no humans. I was turned when I was thirty. I have telekinesis, and I would like to become one of your regulators.”
“If that’s true, you won’t mind me touching you then,” Julian replied.
“Not at all,” Vern replied. His casual shrug caused the brown hair hanging to his shoulders to scrunch with the movement.
Julian seized his hand and stood for a minute before releasing it. “Chris,” he said when he stepped back from Vern.
Chris moved forward to take hold of Vern’s outstretched hand. “He means no ill-will,” Chris said as he released Vern’s hand. “His words are true. I sense he is mostly driven by curiosity over power in this.”
“That I am,” Vern admitted and turned back to Quinn with his hand still extended. “Little one?”
“What is it with you vamps and your freaking nicknames?” Quinn muttered as she took hold of Vern’s hand. “I’m above average height for a woman, you know.”
“You’re still little to me,” he replied with a laugh. He gave her hand a warm squeeze. “I think you’re right; bringing us all together instead of keeping us apart is the way to go. Killing that Hunter is still the biggest regret of my life.”
“It’s one of the biggest regrets of mine that I did the same,” she admitted. Honesty was the only way to keep Vern with them, and she sensed he could be a loyal ally. Wisdom and calm radiated from him, and those were two things not often found in a vampire.
He released her hand and stepped back. Quinn swallowed before turning to face the crowd again.
“If you are willing to refrain from killing and work with us, then stay!” Julian announced loudly. “However, if any vampire should happen to discover a member of The Commission, they can be killed on sight. If you don’t wish to be the one who kills them, then let me know where they are and someone else will gladly do so. We will never know true peace until they are all eradicated.”
Enthusiastic nods followed Julian’s statement.
“What if we don’t want to stay?” another vampire asked.
“If this isn’t something you agree with, it is time for you to leave,” Julian replied.
“And you’ll allow us to go?” someone shouted from the far back.
“We will not force anyone to join us. Everyone who stays behind will be expected to help forge a future of relative peace. Forcing someone into that is not the way to establish goodwill. However, if you leave and if you kill, you will be hunted down, ruthlessly. All of those who remain will agree to work as a unit, to report any vampire or Hunter who kills indiscriminately. Murdering a vampire who is killing for sport is something that will be accepted by all parties involved.”
“What about those of us who only want to live in peace with no one bothering us?” the woman from the couple asked.
“You will be allowed to do so,” Julian replied. “Stay here. We will take your name and your picture if you wish, and you can slip away to never be seen or heard from again as long as you don’t kill. I plan to touch all of those who remain to learn what their true intent is. If you have killed in the past, but are willing to agree to refrain from killing now, and Chris and I believe you mean it, you will be accepted. If you think to try to lie to us about it and pretend you will only stop killing, believe me, we will know.”
At least fifty of the vampires slipped away into the night. Quinn realized the ones who remained were the first of their followers.