Set up strategically around town, they would start searching for the rogue hunters who would attempt to kill the vampiresses. The women would be in pairs, for the most part. A hunter, or two, would be waiting in the wings, watching for trouble, stepping out to protect the vampiresses. The vampiresses would telepathically communicate they were in trouble, the hunters helping Atreides would identify the rogue hunters, while others were transported to the scene of the battle if there was a fight and to apprehend the rogues. The hunters couldn't move easily like the vampires, and that meant they would have to aid the hunters, so the killers couldn't easily escape.
At least that was the plan, and Atreides prayed it would work out to everyone's benefit—the rogue hunters taken into custody and no other hunters or vampires injured or killed in the process.
Daniel and his friends were helping in a cause that neither Selena nor Rosa thought they would.
Selena said to her sister before they parted company, “Be safe, Rosa.”
Renault and Colt were taking care of her while she did her part.
“Be safe, Rosa,” Atreides said.
"You be safe, Selena. You're the one some of the hunters want to take down, and there could still be a vicious vampire after you," Rosa said.
"I know. But maybe the wolf was there to help me, to guide me, not to hurt me. And besides, you put yourself in harm's way all the time."
"When it comes to a broken heart, yes, but when it comes to real danger, the kind you put yourself in, no. But you have a good heart and I'm proud to be your sister." Rosa gave her a hug and she hugged her back, then Atreides whisked Selena away to her place in the city to watch for the rogue hunters who were in this game.
Chapter 10
Glad Daniel and his friends were now helping them to catch the hunter rogues before they killed again, Selena was watching for the vampiresses to arrive, Atreides at her side. And she was glad he was here for her. But she wasn't feeling quite herself and she didn't know what was wrong.
Sometimes hunters came down with common colds or the flu, but they healed twice as fast as humans, so it was no big deal. But she was just feeling off as she and Atreides moved again, making their way to where they would monitor the vampiresses and ensure they would be safe. They couldn't always do this or be everywhere either. And the vampiresses would feel they could just take down the hunters if they so much as threatened them, instead of calling on Atreides and leaving the area in the vampire way. It was ludicrous, but they were as arrogant as the vampires when it came to fleeing in the sight of danger.
She took a deep breath and saw the three vampiresses they were supposed to watch, including Iconia. Selena sighed. She wished they were protecting another vampiress other than Iconia, but she should have realized Atreides would have wanted to protect his girlfriend and yet he still wanted to take care of Selena.
Selena suspected Iconia would not be happy with the arrangement, and worried Iconia might even take her on when she learned she was here with Atreides instead of helping with the mission.
About half hour into the night while the ladies walked the streets headed for a different vampire club, they saw nothing but buildings and sidewalks glistening with raindrops from an earlier rainstorm and shops with their security lights on, the shops having closed four hours earlier.
Selena was feeling tired, like she could sleep for weeks. She thought it was from the blood loss after the vampire had bitten her. Or maybe the concussion she might have suffered. Or the trauma from the whole experience. She was definitely off her game.
The women's pointed heels clicked on the pavement as the vampiresses chatted about what vampire bash they were attending next. Iconia had been quiet the whole while as if she hadn't been interested in vampire bashes or anything else the women had to talk about. But then Iconia said, "If that huntress stays with Atreides for very much longer, she's dead meat."
Amused at Iconia's comment, Selena smiled. The vampiress could try and kill her, but Selena was really good at taking down vampires. Then she sighed. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not the way she was feeling. She realized she really should say something to Atreides about it. If she couldn't fight hunters well enough, she couldn’t protect the vampiresses and she could get herself killed. And for what? For not being honest about the way she was feeling so under-the-weather?
Then they saw a couple of hunters on the prowl and immediately, whatever strangeness she was feeling subsided and all her senses were attuned to the potential crisis in front of them. Selena and Atreides stiffened. Atreides immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and she knew he was going to grab her up and deposit her in between the vampiresses and the hunters, should they attack the women. But all they did was stop to talk to them.
That surprised Selena. Unless they were after a particular vampire and they thought the female vampires might know who he was or where he was. They had an uneasy peace between the vampires and hunters at times. If a rogue vampire was killing innocents, the hunters would deal with it and usually the vampires would turn the rogue over to the hunters if they knew who and where they were. They didn't need a war between both groups just because the vampires were protecting one of their own. Just like the hunters shouldn't have been protecting those who had murdered the vampiresses.
Atreides still had a hold of Selena though, ready to transport her so she could protect the vampiresses. But if he did transport her there, would he then have to protect Selena from Iconia's wrath to see her there with him? Selena suspected so.
The vampiresses had all folded their arms and looked at the hunters with disdain. But then they shook their heads and moved around the hunters.
The hunters watched them for a moment but didn't make a move to attack and continued on their way.
"If we don't find the rogue vampire soon, the League will give the mission to someone else," one of the hunters said.
The blond shook his head. "We've had good leads, supposedly, from vampires and humans alike and every time it has turned out to be dead ends. We’ll keep looking, even if the League assigns someone else to the mission."
"All right by me."
The men were two of Selena's brother's friends. She was glad they hadn't acted threatening in any way toward the vampiresses. But she and Atreides had to keep after the women and ensure their safety. They sure didn't want the vampires to kill hunters, if Selena could intervene. Though she figured if she killed another hunter, the League would believe she was in with the vampires. Particularly since she was staying with Atreides for a time.
Though she was glad her brother was helping her and their sister now, she really did wish her sister hadn't gotten involved. What if all three of them perished in this fight? Her brother and her sister and Selena? Their parents would be devastated.
"They killed her," a voice said in Selena's head and she thought she was hearing things, that her head was giving her issues. That she needed to lie down for a while. That fighting rogue anythings wasn't in the cards for her tonight. "You shouldn't have lived," another voice said to her.
Okay, so she really was losing it.
She rubbed her temple and Atreides looked down at her. "Are you all right?" He looked more than a little concerned.