Vance held up one hand. “I'm sorry, but it won’t work unless she appears to be my date.”
Date?My bear roared inside me, and Vance cocked his head. Could he sense my animal’s discontent at the idea of Emma being his date? Who knew what the blood suckers could do or not? But if he could sense my bear, he should know he was walking a very thin line right now. We might not technically be enemies, but I'd be glad to take a chunk out of him if he kept connecting Emma with the word date.
He smiled smoothly. “I’m not out to steal your girl, shifter. I only want to figure out who is killing my vampires. She can help me do that. We’ll feign a bit of interest in one another and then go on about our business.” He arched an eyebrow, almost a challenge. “Think you can handle that?”
Handle that? I could handle anything. Still, I hated that this man knew just how much this bothered me. Just the idea of Emma on a "date" with this blood-sucker wanted me to tear his twiggy, little limbs off and beat him with them. But when I thought about her in my arms, I had to remind myself that it took two to tango, and I trusted Emma with my whole heart.
Not that that was the kind of thing one man said to another.
“As long as you fully understand that Emma is taken,” I retorted, choosing the manly route to this conversation. “She ismine.”
His eyebrows flew up this time. “You’ve claimed her?”
Damn. He knew shifter ways too well. Technically, a woman wasn't officially claimed by a shifter until he bit her. But Emma and I had everything but the bite already. In all ways that mattered to this vampire, he should see her as my woman.
If he knew what was good for him.
“Not yet. But it’s only a matter of time.”
That seemed to be good enough for him for now. “The vampire on the beach sometimes did things we didn’t approve of. He’d make friends with the locals, then convince them to join his coven when they turned eighteen.”
“That sounds like it was the kids’ choice,” I said, although that wasn't what I'd heard about the man.
Vance shrugged. “Maybe. Technically the only rule is that the initiate has to be eighteen and able to make their own decisions. But there were rumors about some sort of loophole. And while it’slegalin our world to Turn a freshly adulted human, it’s ridiculous to expect a child of eighteen to make such enormous decisions as whether or not to potentially live forever, especially if they spent the months prior to their birthday being brainwashed by an intelligent and powerful vampire.”
His words surprised me a bit. I knew there weren't a bunch of vampire children running around, but outside of that, I didn't pay much attention to what the vampires did or didn't do, as long as no one ended up missing or dead. It was nice to hear they actually had rules in place to protect kids from being Turned, and that although they considered eighteen an adult, like we shifters, they wouldn't ever consider an eighteen-year-old "adult" enough to make life or death decisions.
At eighteen, humans, shifters, or vampires, it didn't matter... they just weren't "fully cooked." Heck, if I did everything I wanted to do at eighteen, I'd have a bunch of tattoos dedicated to bands and garbage that I didn't care the least bit about now. I'd also probably have a garage full of motorcycles.
So, as much as I didn't like him, or most vampires, I was glad that turning eighteen-years-olds was still considered bad form. Although I wondered if there was more to it than that. Vampires, traditionally, didn't seem to care all that much about what was morally right.
“Are young vampires more volatile?” I asked, thinking that might explain it.
Vance nodded again. “They can be. And now their leader is gone. I’m worried about things in town getting…bloody. The seconds will be fighting for leadership of the coven.”
"The seconds?"
Vance lifted an arrogant brow. "I forgot how little you shifters know about our workings." He sighed. "Quillan Laire was the head of the Dusk Coven. Every vampire he Turned became a part of his coven. Unlike Clan Scarlet, my clan, Quillan really liked to bring in more vampires. While Clan Scarlet is known for being small, wealthy, and powerful, Clan Dusk is known for... having many members. For pushing the line about what is allowed to do, or what breaks our rules. They're not poor by any means, but they also aren't particularly respected by Clan Scarlet or Clan Descent."
"Clan Descent is the other clan in Mystic Hollow, correct?" I wasn’t sure how such a small town hosted three vampire covens. They must’ve been getting their blood from out of town.
Vance looked surprised. "So you are somewhat aware of vampire culture?"
"You can't work with supernaturals in Mystic Hollow before learning a bit about every group, including the vampires," I tell him. The thing is, the last thing I wanted was for Vance to have a real sense of how much I know or don't know about his people. Knowledge is power, and this man doesn't need a drop more power than he already has.
After a second of staring at me, he nodded his head. "Now we just must wait to see which of his seconds fight for the position. Some of them... well, it won't matter much. They'll run things much the same as Quillan, and the young vampires will be brought back in line before too much trouble comes to our little town. The others, well, we'll cross that bridge if we have to."
Blood. Death. Vampire fights. None of this sounded good. But I guess there was no use worrying about what could happen when so much was already happening.
I sighed and nodded. “I do appreciate the heads up, about all of this. Is that why you came out here?”
He stood and nodded once. “It is. And to make sure you hadn’t claimed Emma yet.”
My hair stood on end and my bear, if I’d been shifted, would’ve been pacing the yard. He was not happy about this vampire being near Emma. Vance knew if I’d already claimed her, I never could’ve allowed her to go to that dinner. Not that I wanted to forbid it, but I wouldn't have been able to let her go into such a dangerous situation alone, my bear wouldn't allow it. And like the vamp had said, it would’ve defeated the purpose to have me along since Emma and I would both obviously be there for the investigation.
"Just remember," I tell him, my voice a low growl in my throat. "She's still mine."
He started to walk away from me, then stopped in the middle of the yard and turned back to give me a single nod. “Seems like a retired cop might have a hard time keeping up with Karma.” Then the jerk used his preternatural speed to essentially disappear from the yard.
