"You just worry about speaking to Iconia about us. That will be your duty."
He smiled. "I think I will have the harder task."
"I think it's best done while you're alone."
Next, they took the hunters via the way of the vampires to see the fringe hunters, both her brother and one of his friends getting sick from the vampire way of transportation. At least they were only somewhat disoriented and didn’t throw up.
Then the vampires left, and the hunters went together as a group to speak with the hunter in charge of the rabble. They hadn't established a rapport with them like Atreides had with the fringe vampires.
She thought it was a good idea if the League would reach out to try and develop one though. But she assumed they were too high and mighty to think the hunters who wouldn’t be part of the “establishment” were worthy of working with at all. Who knew if some of them might change their mind and leave the fringe and become legitimate hunters working for the League?
She thought it was a mistake that they wouldn’t even consider working with them, especially after she saw how well Atreides worked with the fringe vampires.
Atreides knew he would have a fight on his hand when he told Iconia he was seeing Selena. When he arrived at Iconia’s place, she was having a tea party with a couple of her woman friends and Ragnar was there. Atreides would have been mad if he'd been interested in continuing to date her and she'd taken up with the Viking warrior.
Ragnar smiled at him as if knew Atreides was ending the relationship with Iconia and he was there to take his place. That would help to take the edge off. Atreides said, "Can I speak with you alone, Iconia?"
"No, tell me what you have to without all the secretiveness."
"I'm dating Selena. She needs someone to teach her our ways and I'm the one to do it."
Iconia snorted. "You don't think I know that? After the way the two of you danced at the club, and she returned to seek your help? And then we learn she’s one of us? Save your breath. I'm with Ragnar now. I think you and I both have known it was over between us for some time."
Which was why she was late coming to the club that night. She was always late for events, when he was always early, and it frustrated him to no end. He was glad that she wasn't angry about it. He had been afraid she would try to take it out on Selena. She already had enough to deal with after having been turned. Ragnar was a good enough guy so he knew Iconia couldn't do much worse by him.
"You know, I might not care that you've taken up with the huntress, but others won't like it," Iconia said.
"She's one of us, Iconia."
Iconia let out her breath. "I won't disparage her name any further."
"I appreciate that. She's going to be going through a lot with the transition, and she still wants to do everything in her power to help our people. Even now, she's going with her brother and sister and some hunters to speak with the hunters on the fringe of society."
"Alone? Without you?"
"Yeah. We figured the hunters would object more if a vampire showed up with them."
Iconia narrowed her eyes at him. "A vampire has shown up with them."
"If they can help it, they're not going to let on that Selena is one of us now," Atreides said.
"How did your trip to the vampire border towns go?" Iconia asked.
"They are going to provide a list of the women’s names who are missing from their areas." Atreides was greatly relieved about Iconia and her decision to not cause trouble for Selena. He inclined his head to Ragnar, who smiled and inclined his head also in acknowledgement. Atreides said, "Ladies," and then he vanished and returned to the house.
He wanted to check on Selena and was amused at her last night when she came to join him in bed. And he knew when she was telepathically communicating back to him, she was becoming more vampiric. That was another reason he was staying with her. He and Iconia had separate places to live. With Selena, he already wanted to stay with her always.
"How are things going with you?" Atreides asked Selena telepathically, while he paced across the living room. The other men were off looking for leads as to who the wolf might be and who the rogue hunters could be.
"We haven't found any hunters willing to talk to us. And we haven't found any hunter name for someone who might be in charge of the riffraff in the border towns. We're hoping that if we hang around long enough, we might learn something. What about you and Iconia?" Selena asked.
"Surprisingly, she is supporting my decision to date you and ditch her. She's already dating Ragnar."
"Well, I'm glad for that at least."
"I agree. She even said she wouldn't spread any more bad words about you."
"That's good. I figure I'll be having to deal with enough vampires who don't like me. What about your brother? What will he say?"
"He'll be glad I'm settling down." At least Atreides figured he would be after he got over the initial shock. In fact, he had no intention of telling Dameon about all the issues he'd had. Just that the huntress had been turned and he had taken her under his wing, fell in love with her… He had fallen in love with her! He couldn’t believe it. With all the years they lived, he had dated countless vampiresses, but Selena was the only one he had such deep feelings for. He felt totally connected to her and ultra-protective of her. If Daemon was angry about him being with her, he would leave the clan to go with her anywhere that she wanted to live. He had never felt that way about any woman, that he would leave his brother and their clan behind to live with a huntress turned vampiress somewhere else.
"I love you," Atreides said to Selena.
"We found a hunter who's in charge. Hold that thought."
He was glad they had found someone who might help them discover who the hunters were who were killing vampiresses, but he'd declared his love to her, and he felt a little bereft that she hadn't declared the same back to him, even though she’d done so before. He couldn’t believe how needy he could be when it came to Selena. He had work to do, but he casually asked his manservant, Jacque. "You love Catherine, don't you?"
Jacque smiled at him.
"Have you ever told her so?"
"Not in so many words."
"Tell her. If you really feel that way, you need to spell it out."
"Are you projecting?" Jacques asked.
"What?"
"Catherine and I have discussed that you and Selena seem like a good…fit. In truth, we've never seen you act like this around any other vampiress you've been around. So we know she's the one for you. Don't listen to what Daemon has to say about it. If he's angry, remind him about Tezra. You didn't turn Selena, you've protected her. So it's not the same thing," Jacque said.
"He turned Tezra to give her more power against the vampire who was targeting her."
"Yes. But Daemon only has to realize how you feel about Selena to recognize that it was the same as he felt for Tezra. So what are you going to do now?" Jacques asked.
"No one is to tell Daemon about all the issues we're having. Not even after they're resolved, and he returns home."