“Maybe to some, but there are others who would want more,” Stefan said, and Brian nodded.
Charlie got the impression Stefan and Brian were the others who would want more, and theywouldget it.
“Even if they decide to get more revenge, they’ll know not all vampires are evil,” Isabelle said, and gave Paige a pointed look. “Which is more than most other hunters have known, includingyou.”
“Youwere a hunter?” Mal demanded.
“When I was human,” Paige said. “But I didn’t know the difference and believed all vampires were evil.”
“These humansdoknow the difference,” Mal said.
“Maybe so, but that might not stop them. I found my mate in a vampire,” Paige said. “Ibecamea vampire.”
“We’re not changing them unless they agree to it,” Charlie said. “Those people are our friends and our family. We’ve lived with them for years, they helped me raise Dylan, and they’ve fed us. I understand your concerns, but you don’t understand the bond we all share.”
“Wearea family,” Mal insisted, “and if any of them decide to come with me rather than returning home, I’m taking them with me. They have the right to return to the lives they were torn away from ashumans. They don’t deserve to be abused by more vampires simply because they were unfortunate enough to be caught and brought here.”
“If Mal and Charlie think this is the right thing to do, it’stheirrisk to take,” Maggie said.
“They could convince others that vampires exist,” Stefan said. “And those others will become a risk toallof us.”
“No one, who hasn’t seen proof of a vampire, will believe they exist simply because someone tells them so,” Mal said.
“Right now, Darlene, Lucia, and Gio are our family, but if you take away their freedom, youwillmake them our enemies. They’ll be far more powerful enemies as vampires than as mortals,” Charlie said, giving Jack a pointed look. She could feel his uncertainty about this through their bond. “And you can’t outright kill them.”
“No, we can’t,” David said.
“By letting them leave here as humans and return home, I’m trusting them with myson’slife. That should tell you something about the bond we’ve all developed,” Charlie said.
They were silent for a minute before Liam spoke, “It does.”
“So that settles it; the humans will remain human. You can wipe away their memories of you, but Mal, Miguel, and I will remain,” Charlie said. “And if we find any survivors, you can erase their memories too.”
That would be a necessity, but Charlie wasn’t all that hopeful about finding survivors. There probably hadn’t been many still alive from the hunt, and the fire had probably wiped out any who remained.
When she looked at Jack, she saw his disapproval in his clenched jaw and reddened eyes. She closed the distance between them and took his hand in hers. “It will be okay,” she assured him. “Wecantrust them.”
Uneasiness still shimmered in his eyes. She understood that unease, she’d feel the same way if their roles were reversed. “Trustmeon this,” she said.
His shoulders slumped, and drawing her closer, he kissed her forehead as he held her close. “I trust your judgment.”
“Good. Now let’s get this search over so we can leave here with the knowledge these bastards are all dead.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
They searchedthe rest of the island but didn’t find anyone else. When the search was over, they returned to the beach to go through the caves and the boathouse. Set down below the cliffs, the boathouse survived the initial fire, but after having been shot by someone inside it before, Mike suggested torching the place rather than entering it again.
No one argued with the suggestion and, after gathering some still smoldering wood from above, they set the boathouse ablaze. When the building was fully engulfed, a Savage and a human burst out the back and raced away from it.
The Savage only made it a few feet before the sun caused a fire to spark to life on his back. Screaming and half mad with pain, the Savage grabbed the human and sank its fangs into her throat. The woman shrieked and slapped at the Savage over her back.
Charlie suspected the creature was hoping the woman’s blood would heal it enough to enable it to reach the safety of the cliff’s shadows, but the fire continued to spread across it. Then the Savage’s legs gave out, and it fell on top of the woman. Their screams rebounded off the cliffs before the fire silenced them.
They stalked across the beach to examine the bodies. Mike kicked the Savage off the woman. The stench of their smoldering flesh caused Charlie’s nose to wrinkle, and her stomach churned.
“Pretty sure she’s the woman who shot me, and probably Doug,” Mike said as he examined her flaming body.
“Not a bad end for her,” Ethan said.
