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"Son of a fucking bitch. Goddamn, Quinn. I'm sorry. I don't think Butch had any clue he'd be that sadistic of a fuck. Usually they show a little more restraint, especially since she's an asset to his territory."
"Apparently him proving he's not going to be made a fool is way more important to him. So Butch knew he was coming?" He might just have two overlords to kill.
"He suspected Laurent might try to confront her ahead of time, get his licks in before a decision is made. He warned Selene like he promised, offered her sanctuary at the house, which she refused. So he figured if Laurent showed, he might be a bit heavy-handed, but...damn, Quinn. He had no idea. He's not going to be happy about this."
"Well his happiness is at the top of my too little, too damn late list."
"Quinn." Dix's tone of warning was expected, but it was more than that which had Quinn reining back further venom. Dix's genuine regret on his Master's behalf reminded Quinn that Selene still had an ally they couldn't alienate. He let another, even more important worry rise to the top. "Did I do everything she needed? Does she need anything other than blood?" Anything other than someone capable of defending her? He pushed that jagged feeling down viciously.
"No, you did good. It's horrible and miraculous at once, how much of a beating they can take and heal up. The day me and Butch tussled with the bull, that asshole threw me out of the way and took a horn right in his gut, pinned him against the fence. Would have killed a human, but he took a good draught of my blood, about a day's worth of sleeping like the dead, and didn't even have a scar to brag about. That kind of pissed him off."
The fond affection in Dix's voice might have amused Quinn on a good day. Today wasn't that day.
"So she should be fully restored if she gets a good deep sleep." If she was completely oblivious to his doings, all the better.
"Should do."
"Will Laurent stay in the area until a decision is made, or is she expected to go back to him under her own steam if it's ruled in his favor?"
"She could, but I expect if he cared enough to come down and do that, he's somewhere in the area, waiting for the decision so he can take her home if it goes his way. But--" Dix broke off abruptly. "You're not asking on your Mistress's behalf."
"What gave it away?" Quinn bared his teeth.
"Okay, no bullshit now. I need you to listen up, Quinn." Dix's deadly serious tone was sharp enough to catch Quinn's divided attention. "Listen and listen good. You go after a vampire, there is no upside to that. He'll kill you and give your life as much thought as you spitting toothpaste in the sink. Though from what you've told me about him, he'll take particular pleasure in it, because he'll know it's another way to hurt her."
That last part gave Quinn, pause, but then he remembered seeing her bloody face, the torn skin of her back. "What happens if I kill him?"
"You won't. Damn it, Quinn, you're pissed off, I get it. But you're so new to this world. Going up against a vampire isn't like some heroic David and Goliath story. There are a handful of vampire hunters out there, and very few of them have any kind of success. Even those who do don't have long life spans. No need for a retirement plan in that profession."
Vampire hunters? So Selene could have human enemies he'd have to watch out for? He'd file that away to deal with another time and focus on the part of that he could use. "But some have managed it."
"Yeah. With exceptional talents for subtlety and surprise, capital ET. No offense, but you sound as if you're in about as subtle a mood as a Sherman tank. A vampire is about ten times stronger than a human and, if you hadn't noticed, they're faster than cars at top speed when they want to be. There are only a couple ways to take them out, a stake or decapitation, and neither of them is easy to pull off. Got it?"
"They experience pain the way we do though. It slows them down."
"Yeah, it can."
"I wasn't asking. I just found my Mistress in a blood-soaked bed, her skin torn to shreds. I saw firsthand."
"You should keep focusing on her care. Stay at her side, Quinn. Trust me. That's the best thing you can do for her." Dix blew out a breath. "I know you're not fucking listening to me. But promise me you'll remember one thing."
"What's that?"
"The most important thing a servant can do for his vampire is serve them. It means a lot more than bringing them a drink or having sex with them. I saw the connection between the two of you. You were starting to get everything that word means. Part of it is sometimes putting away what your gut tells you to do so you can fulfill the most vital part of serving them."
Quinn didn't want to hear it, but he bit out the words. "And that is?"
"Staying alive," Dix said bluntly. Then he cut the connection.
Quinn put the phone down. For a few brief seconds, he sat in the truck, staring at the empty road, the open land around him. In the distance he could see cattle grazing. His hands would already have been up a couple hours, their day well started. He longed to be out working the cattle today, feeling the simple pleasures of sweat and hard work. Anticipating the pleasure of a butterfly landing light on his hat, fluttering around his face so close she sometimes brushed his lashes with her wings.
But today he had other things that had to be done. The hands knew how to manage without him when needed. They knew what was expected of them.
As far as what was expected from a servant, Dix had been pretty damn clear about that. Quinn was supposed to sit on his thumbs and do nothing except clean the blood off his Mistress. But Quinn couldn't do that. He couldn't get past it, couldn't not act. The whole world would be better without this bastard in it. He'd never taken a man's life, never even contemplated such a thing, but there was a code a man lived by, and standing back when some bastard beat the ever-loving shit out of the woman he loved wasn't part of it.
So where would a vampire who believed New York City was the center of the universe decide to stay? He'd compromise his standards big time, staying anywhere in Nightfall, but he'd want to stay close to Selene. Because of his age, he'd be like Butch, not needing to be underground in daylight, but he'd need a place where his privacy was guaranteed, where he could make it full dark during the day. There weren't a great many hotels around Nightfall that would work for that, but Quinn could think of one location that was ideal.
He clicked open his phone again, looked up information. After the operator put the number through, the phone rang several times. Just when Quinn was about to curse, the line picked up, an older man with a smoker's growl answering.
"Morning, Don," he said, with a casualness he didn't feel in the least. "I figured you'd be minding the desk early. Hey, did you rent out one of your cabins to a fellow out of New York? Yeah, I have some business to conduct with him and I thought he mentioned your place, but I dropped his darn card while working yesterday and wanted to make sure I had the right place to look him up..."
It was a long shot, but his instincts had been sound. His fingers tightened on the phone as Don verified that four men meeting that description had checked
in under the name Claudio Beringer. They'd rented two of Don's cabins.
After he concluded the call, Quinn put the truck in drive and headed for Last Chance, his mind whirling. There were four of them, but three were vampires. They had to sleep during the day. Ironically, Claudio would be his biggest danger. He remembered how much stronger Dix had been, the benefit of him being a third mark longer, but he also remembered what Dix had said about the vampire hunters who had succeeded.
Skill, subtlety. Cunning.
As dumb as it sounded, since he was connected to a vampire himself, he wished he knew the number for one of those hunters to get more input, but he'd figure this out. Yeah, he preferred the Sherman tank method, but he could do the unexpected. If it increased his chances for success, he'd become the most cunning bastard that ever lived. Laurent had weaknesses. Sunlight. Arrogance.
His mind full of ideas, he accelerated. He had to get some things from the ranch, get off property without Annette giving him the third degree and be onto Don's property as soon as possible. Daylight was burning.
Chapter Sixteen
"They rented the ones on the far end of the property, Quinn," Don had said. "You can get there from the service road I use for the landscape maintenance, save you having to take the main drive."
Even with planning, he'd have to think on his feet, adapt to whatever situation he found when he got there. Laurent liked having an entourage, being the head guy. So would he share his space with the other three? Quinn was pretty certain he wouldn't bed down with two vampires he considered his underlings.
Again, Claudio was the wild card. Would Laurent want his servant near while he slept, or would he relegate him to sleeping with the others?
A vampire might keep his servant in the same room to watch his back during daylight, particularly in a new environment. Or would he? He didn't see Laurent having the same relationship with Claudio that Quinn had with Selene. If Laurent figured there was little danger to a vampire here in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, and the door could be bolted to keep out maid service, maybe he'd want to underscore Claudio's underling status by having him stay in the cabin next door. After all, Claudio could just as easily keep a daylight lookout out the window over there.
