The men didn’t look real happy to hear it.
“If you can’t live by the rules, you can leave now. My family will let the police know they’re not to pay your bounties if you kill any vampires not on the terminal list. And you’ll be on a terminal list instead.”
“And if we make a mistake?” the one man said, an evil gleam in his eye.
“Don’t. For your own sake and the sake of your friends.”
“So if one of us makes a mistake, we’re all responsible?” the one man asked, incredulous.
“If you’re together fighting as a unit, figure it out yourself. Are you staying at the hotel?” Adonis asked.
“Yeah, we got a couple of rooms here.”
“The vampires have been here. Some others might return, believing that the ones we killed were eliminated by hunters staying here. Just a warning,” Adonis said.
“No need to warn us. That’s why we’re here. To take care of them.”
“Just hope that if a rogue ever turns any one of you, your friends will stand by you,” Adonis added.
They looked at each other and Zachary thought maybe the notion might have sunk in a little.
“If you have any questions, call me,” Adonis said, giving them his cell number and they reciprocated. “We truly are in this together. Zachary, if you don’t need me?”
“I’m returning to the house in a bit,” Zachary said. “We’re good here.”
“I’m on my way to mine then. Let me know how Gregory is when you see him.”
“I will.” Zachary watched as Adonis left the hotel, then he said to the men, “I’m keeping track of everyone’s whereabouts to ensure if any of us are in trouble, we can send reinforcements.”
They looked a little like they didn’t believe him.
“You think I have time to keep track of you for the purpose of spying? Think again. We’ve had our share of fights with the vampires since we got here. All we care about is evening the playing field, and then taking them down.”
The men shared their phone numbers and room numbers with him, and he told them where he was staying if they needed to drop by for some reason. He didn’t tell them how many hunters were staying there, or anything about the kids or others staying here. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them not to harm the hunters there, but he didn’t want them to be taken in by the charm of a vampire and tell all that they knew.
Zachary had halfway wanted to show them he was a vampire, to prove he was one of the good guys, and to see their reaction. If they moved to kill him, they would have to leave the city. But he didn’t want Rutherford or the others to know he was one, if he should convince the humans to talk through his vampiric persuasion. Zachary wasn’t sure he really trusted the human hunters. It was easy for the vampires to control them. And they weren’t as strong as the hunters born that way.
“See you around.” Zachary left the hotel, but then appeared in the room adjoining the one where Carissa, the baby, Grandma, and her twin charges were staying. He walked into the adjoining room and raised his brows to observe Gregory helping the boys put a sea life puzzle together.
Zachary was glad to see it. Maybe by making a connection with what was left of their clan, Gregory would be more accepting of what had become of Adonis and the others, once he learned Danai and Zachary were just like him now.
But then Gregory glanced in Carissa’s direction as she rocked her baby to sleep in her arms. Zachary wondered if the hunter thought, if he played his cards right, the newly widowed huntress might be interested in him.
He’d have to overcome one major obstacle—besides the fact she had to be grieving for the loss of her mate—Gregory had tried to kill Adonis in a dishonorable way. And he was kin to Carissa, who found it totally acceptable as to what Adonis and the others had become.
If they did fall in love, Gregory would have no choice but to accept the vampire turned hunters in the family. At least Zachary sure hoped he and Pasha would stay together and he would be part of the family.
Chapter 22
Zachary told Pasha and the rest of the gathered hunters who were watching over the kids about the Van Helsing hunters here, who planned to go after the rogue vampires.
“What about the Crichton vampires?” Pasha asked.
“Do you need me and the men with me to protect them?” Gregory asked, before Zachary could respond and his question surprised the hell out of him.
“I told them the consequences of murdering the vampires who were turned against their will and want no part of the killing of hunters, or vampires, for that matter. But I imagine if Rutherford’s vampires attack Crichton’s, they’ll fight to defend themselves. At least I hope they do. But yeah, if you want to help the others protect them, by all means, do so,” Zachary said. “As far as the human hunters? We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. I’ve heard of a few cases of them being turned, when they thought to fight the vampires, some of the hunters killed outright, a few of them eliminating the rogues, and a couple of cases where they killed vampires that weren’t rogues. Our hunter kind had to terminate the Van Helsing hunters involved in killing law-abiding vampires before the rest of the vampires were up in arms over it.”
Zachary was surprised Gregory would offer to help the vampires rather than stay here and protect the young ones and those watching over them. Maybe he felt if he offered to protect the newly turned vampires, he could prove to Carissa, and the others, that he had changed how he viewed them.
In any event, Zachary hoped Gregory truly felt that way and wasn’t just pretending to have a change of heart. Then again, sometimes living the lie could help to make it come true and he would be behind them all the way in the end.
Pasha couldn't believe it when Gregory wanted to protect the Crichton vampires, though she hoped he really meant it and would be a great help to them. She knew just why he'd offered though. Everyone in the family knew he'd tried to kill Adonis for being a vampire and "stealing" Rachael away from him, but she also saw the interest he had in Carissa. Mourning the loss of her mate came first, though. Carissa was still so bent on revenge and avenging her mate, that even thinking about taking another, especially a hunter who had nearly murdered her cousin, wasn't going to be easy for Gregory to overcome.
At least Gregory was taking the first step toward showing he could change. Still, Pasha wondered how Carissa would view how Gregory was so hung up on Rachael. Would he be just as devoted to Carissa, or was she just another huntress to him, when there were too few of mateable age? Pasha had every intention of protecting her cousin if Gregory made a nuisance of himself regarding her. She was surprised when he started to put together a puzzle with the twins. They were eager for some hunter attention, and Grandma was glad to relinquish her role and take a break.
"So what do we do now?" Pasha asked Zachary.
"We go back to the house. I guess we'll go with Gregory and his men to the other house first, just to ensure they know all is right and he's wanting to help them, Pasha.” Then Zachary said to Carissa and the Grandma, “Call us if you need any further assistance."
"We will, thanks," Carissa said. "Be safe."