***
“Now, what do we do with you?” the exceedingly deadly vampire across from her inquired.
Quinn’s teeth grated together. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this mess with her life still intact. She had enough power to take out at least two of the humans but she hoped she wouldn’t be forced to do that. Besides, after watching this group she knew they were more than human, or at least some of them were. She should still be able to drain one and at least jolt another in order to escape the bar, but she doubted she’d be able to outrun him. Not after what she’d just witnessed.
He was ruthless, he was brutal, but more than that, he was fast. Even if she could shock him enough to knock him off of her, she’d never be able to outrun him. “You’re not going to do anything with me,” she retorted with far more bravado than she felt.
She held her hands up before her and looked pointedly at the two humans standing closest to her. Their eyebrows shot up, they took an abrupt step away from her. “She has to touch you,” the man with the glasses said, drawing her attention back to him. “She’s powerful.” She didn’t like the inquisitive, excited gleam in his eyes one little bit. “But she has to touch you in order to drain you.”
“Drain us?” the beautiful black haired woman inquired.
“She’s a Soul Master; it’s an exceptionally rare gift…”
“Gift,” Quinn snorted. “We have different ideas on what constitutes a present.”
The man gave her a small smile. “It’s a gift if you know how to use it.”
“I know how to use it, and I know what it can do.”
“I’m sure you do.” He took a step away from her and walked over to sit on the edge of the pool table in a gesture meant to put her at ease. It failed to make her feel any more relaxed. “I just witnessed the damage you can do, but you can also breathe life back into things. Humans, animals, plants, you can give them all life again.”
Her mouth parted as she gazed at the people gathered within the room. She’d suspected they were more than human when she’d seen them move, his words only solidified it in her mind.
But none of it made any sense, what would a group of Hunters be doing with a vampire? Her gaze drifted back to the imposing figure standing near the front door. Julian folded his arms over his chest while he held her gaze.
She turned her attention back to the man on the pool table. “You’re a Guardian.”
He smiled as he waved his hand toward the lanky youth on her other side. “We are.”
She glanced between the other girl and two boys. The ones who had been faster and more lethal while killing the vampires. “And you’re Hunters.”
“We are,” the boy with sandy blond hair confirmed.
A strange tug pulled at the area of her heart but she shoved it aside. The past was the past, and she definitely didn’t have time to get caught up in her memories right now. “I’d heard most of you were dead.” She kept her face completely impassive when she uttered the words, but she felt like she had a big sign over her head screaming liar. She’d never reveal she’d done more than heard to this group of strangers.
“We took a big hit during The Slaughter, but we’re working to find more survivors and rebuild our numbers,” the man on the pool table answered.
“Have you heard what happened to The Elders?” the vamp inquired as he stepped forward.
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I have, but I don’t do a whole lot of talking with vampires.”
His gaze slid over her once more. “You run into our kind often?”
“I try to avoid it at all costs.”
“And why is that?”
“I don’t exactly have a good track record with them,” she replied with a wave at the dead bodies. “They certainly didn’t seem pleased to see you either.”
His eyes actually sparkled as he flashed her a smile that revealed his perfectly even, white teeth. She imagined his smile had disarmed many women around the world; she scowled back at him. His grin only widened. He dropped his arms to his side and came at her with a mesmerizing grace. She shifted defensively and gripped her stake tighter.
“There are reasons for that,” he told her.
“I’m sure there are,” she retorted.
Julian didn’t look amused by her now as his face hardened. “You’ve attracted attention to yourself. After seeing what you can do, and hearing about this vision, I can guarantee they’re going to keep coming for you.”
“They don’t know where I am or who I am.”
“If someone has had a vision of what you can do, they could also see where you are and possibly your face.”
“You can’t know that,” she protested.
“I can and I do. There are more of them, many more out there looking for you.”
She folded her arms over her chest as she looked him up and down. “Is that your super power? You can tell when people are lying.”
“I’m not a comic book character. I don’t have super powers.”
No, he most certainly wasn’t fictional, but she didn’t know how else to describe it. “Whatever you want to call it then.”
“Not that,” the boy with the sandy blond hair said. “But Julian is right, the man wasn’t lying.”
Julian’s eyes remained pinned on hers as he took another step forward. “They want you, and they’ll do everything they can to find you.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” she replied with a casual air she didn’t entirely feel. “I’ll make sure to stay on the lookout.”
“You’re not a killer,” Julian said.
She waved her hand toward the shrunken body near his feet. “I think that guy would disagree with you.”
“You know what I mean.” His gravelly voice sent a shiver down her spine. “Do you kill humans?”
“No.” Or at least not in six years, she added silently.
“And that’s why we haven’t killed you yet.”
Her hands clenched. “I’m not easy to take down.”
“No, you’re not,” he agreed. “But we both know it can be done.”
Her upper lip curled back, she was half-tempted to give him a blast he would never forget. The only problem was she didn’t know how much it would actually affect him, and she still wasn’t up to full power. “Try it.”
His smile, no matter how dazzling, grated on her nerves. “If I planned to try it, I already would have. We’re all on the same side here.”
“Your side is a freak show,” she muttered.
“Been called worse,” the sandy blond said. His sapphire colored eyes held hers as he extended his hand toward her.
Quinn’s gaze fell to his hand before shooting back up to him. “You want to touch me?”
“I understand you jolting Julian earlier. Believe me, I know how much he deserves it, and so did that other vampire. I’m trusting you.” There were few who had ever known about her ability and been willing to touch her. They were all gone now, but she’d never expected a stranger to say those words to her. Especially after what he’d just witnessed. She cautiously took hold of his hand. “I’m Chris.”
“Quinn.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Quinn.”
The slender, raven-haired girl stepped forward next and enfolded both of Quinn’s hands within hers. “Melissa.”
The others introduced themselves to her, Julian came last. A daring sparkle lit his eyes as he extended his hand to her. “Julian, but you already know that.” The tempting urge to give him a zap still ran through her, but when his hand enfolded hers she ended up being the one to experience a shock. Her hand instinctively tightened around his. Heat sizzled over her skin, up her arm, and into her chest. His eyes flickered as they ran over her face before she pulled her hand away. “There is a lot of power in you,” he murmured.
“In you too.”
His smile wasn’t nearly as one thousand watt or as careless as it had been before. “I’ve got some age on me, but I’d guess you’re
no older than twenty in vampire years. You feel at least a hundred if not more though.”
There was no way she would ever tell him the truth about her. She already felt too exposed around him and his merry group. “I guess some of us are just different.”
He leaned closer to her and though neither of them breathed, the minty scent of his breath washed over her. “That we are. Some of us can even see things others desire to keep hidden.”
Unable to suppress a shudder, she stared defiantly back at him. “And you are one of those vampires I take it.”
“I am.” Before she could question him further about his ability, he turned on his heel and walked away from her. “We have to get rid of these bodies before daybreak.”
Questions spun through her mind as he bent and tossed the body of the one he’d staked over his shoulder.