Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(19)
“By joining with us, you will have more safety, security, and power protecting you than you ever had when The Elders were still alive. They didn’t care if you lived or died,” Julian said.
“And you do?” the tall vamp snorted in disbelief.
Julian looked him dead in the eye while he responded. “No, I don’t,” he knew honesty was the only thing any of these vampires would respond to, “but I care about her life.” He rested his hand on Quinn’s shoulder, drawing her closer. “I am willing to defend any who remain behind and agree to follow us. I will offer you protection if you get into trouble; we all will.”
The tall vamp tilted his head to the side. “What do you expect from us in return?”
“Any who agree to join with us will also agree not to kill humans or any other innocents from here on out. This goes for Hunters and Guardians as well as vampires. Murder, unless it is done for self-protection or to defend another, will not be tolerated. Anyone who breaks this rule will be hunted down and destroyed.”
CHAPTER 8
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.”