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“And has to be killed? I don’t think it's that black and white. Listen Deven, he and I just found each other again. Neither one of us is ready to see him die.” It simply wasn’t going to happen. As tough as Deven might look she had to believe he was no match for Zeven, especially since she wouldn’t sit by and be a spectator in any fight for his life either. “We’ll get a chance to talk it out soon enough.”
“I take that to mean he was only taking a short drive and not abandoning you here?”
“He’ll be back.” She started to pace but stopped when Deven glared harder with every step. She retreated to sit on the corner of the bed. “Tell me this. Will you at least give him a chance, or do you plan to kill him as he walks in the door?”
Deven sighed heavily. The burden of this must mean more than he admitted to. “I don’t want my brother to die. I will give him a chance to right his wrongs.”
What the hell did that mean? It wasn’t like Zeven could bring people back to life. How could he right his wrongs? And a bigger question, would the option be something Zeven would agree to?
She truly would know soon. The Charger roared back into the parking lot.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Quinn carefully opened the door to their “recovery room” which just happened to be a guestroom that had been reinforced with steel walls, iron bars on the window and restraints on the bed. For the most part, the room still looked welcoming and comfortable. Just because someone wasn’t allowed to leave didn’t mean they had to feel caged.
In this case, the guest was the only victim of the serial killing vampire that they had managed to get into custody. Asides from the ones that had been killed or had died during transition, he had to assume that at least a few had successfully been turned and were following the insane vampire who was creating them.
That meant this newborn vampire was their only real lead to understanding the killer’s motives.
Now that the sun had dipped below the horizon, he needed to talk with the young man again. The window had protective tinting as did all the ones at headquarters. The only light was a small bedside lamp with the dimmer set on low.
“Good morning, Joseph. How are you feeling today?”
The embroidered comforter shifted, but only enough to ball the nearest edge under the man like a protective shield.
“I’m glad you seem to be awake. Would you care for some breakfast?”
“No food.” The refusal was clear but quiet.
He settled into the plush chair nearest to the door. It had been a long time since he’d been turned into a vampire. But those terror-filled memories were not easily forgotten. His biggest fear back then had been wrestling with his hunger and his humanity. Joseph too was probably struggling with something similar. As well as the grief of losing his family. So far, the man had refused to interact and mostly just stayed wrapped tight inside his blankets.
Back in those early days, he would have been just as lost if not for his brother and sister. Not that they’d been related by human genetics, but they had been killed and reborn by the same blood demon. One might say there were no closer kind of blood relations.
Bella and Georgie. They’d been his classmates. And then sibling victims.
In the centuries since then, he’d tried to offer help to newly created vampires to help them avoid some of the mistakes that he’d made when he was young. Some took to it well and were able to build a kind of life living in a world filled with humans. And the others…
He’d saved eleven young vampires. He tried to not focus on the number that had failed. In his role with Division Eight, he couldn’t risk turning a murderer loose. The higher ups would be just as happy to put Joseph and others like him down just to eliminate the risk of them becoming dangerous.
Even if he was able to help Joseph start off right, he certainly might someday in the future lose himself to the blood thirst. If that happened…
He’d had to hunt one of his proteges once. That had been heartbreaking. Or at least he assumed it should have been. His own emotions had mellowed greatly over the centuries. The most he’d truly felt at the time was regret.
With determination and support, Joseph might become one of the success stories. But for the time being he would stay here in their care.
The bigger problem was his current state didn’t allow for any productive questioning. Knowing more details about the attack on Joseph and his family might prove essential to stopping it from happening again.
He crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair, trying to project an air of calm that might relax Joseph.
After several minutes the blankets shifted slightly again. This time a pocket appeared near where his head should be.
“Maybe it’s time for me to introduce myself again. You may have been too stressed during our first meeting to take it all in.” He was careful to keep his body motionless. “You were moved from the crime scene directly to this location which is also our headquarters. I lead this government agency with the purpose of preventing paranormal interracial violence.”
There was no particular response from Joseph. Was he listening and comforted by the new knowledge?
“The agency is called Division Eight. This room is designed to offer a sanctuary to trauma victims such as yourself. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you can’t leave, but I don’t want you to think of it as a prison. As far as we can tell you have done nothing wrong and have no reason to be punished. The protection here also provides safety for you while you adjust to your new life.”
This time the blankets shifted just a little. The boy’s pale face came partially into view. “Is it safe here?”
