“I honestly don’t know,” Isaiah admitted. “King Eldon didn’t document anything to that effect, but that’s not to say it isn’t true.”
“You’re forgetting one important fact,” Braddon pointed out, sensing Quinn’s distress, and she turned to him expectantly, “Balthazar made it clear that they have little regard for the Guardianship. He basically accused us of usurping the gypsies’ position. Whether they seek to protect the wards or not doesn’t matter, the fact remains that they consider us their enemy.”
“What will we do with Jonas?” Piper asked.
“He will have to stay,” Daniel replied. “You made a good call, Quinn.” She didn’t need his validation, but it pleased her to hear it. Jonas was their bargaining chip – the most peaceful solution to ensure the gypsies did not try to enter the City.
“I’m more concerned about Monique,” Daniel continued. “Her actions went against everything we stand for.”
“Monique is young.” Quinn could understand what Monique had done better than most. “She made a mistake keeping the truth from us, but I believe she was trying to do what was best for everyone. It wasn’t her fault that the gypsies found the City, and, faced with an impossible situation, all she did was try to protect her friend.”
Isaiah wholeheartedly agreed.
“Monique cares too deeply for the wards for her to risk putting them in danger. Ultimately, she will make the right choices.”
“We will stay for a while,” Daniel said, speaking for the four Hunters. “The gypsy threat outweighs that of the vampires for now.”
Sensing there was nothing more to be said, Quinn got to her feet.
“Where are you going?” Braddon asked.
“I’m going to go and check what they’re up to.” To her chagrin he followed her to the door.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No,” she insisted. “I’ll be back soon.”
Reaching her car, she heaved a weary sigh.
“I said I didn’t need you, Braddon.” She turned around to face him. The sun was setting, low in the sky and casting long shadows across where they stood.
“You never have,” he answered cryptically. “I’m not coming with you, but there’s something I have to say.”
“Well?” she asked, after a pregnant pause.
“I know I treated you differently to your sister,” he began, and Quinn flushed with mortification. “It wasn’t because I favoured her over you,” Braddon continued, his voice growing in confidence. “I didn’t. Avery simply needed me more than you ever did.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I have never been disappointed in you, Quinn; quite the opposite, in fact. You are the most exceptional Guardian I have ever seen, yet you fight it. You question everything, and it’s exasperating!”
“Why? Should I just accept everything I’m told, without question? Is that what you want?”
“No,” he didn’t hesitate. “I don’t want you to accept it. I want you to embrace it. Because if you just stopped fighting for one moment, you would realise that you are the strongest, most valuable, of us all.”
Time seemed to stand still as his words hung between them. Quinn opened her mouth but no words came out, and, for the first time, she recognised what shone in the mirrors of his tanzanite eyes. Pride.
Unable to find words to respond, Quinn slipped behind the wheel and started her car. As she drove away she caught sight of her father in the rearview mirror, watching. He didn’t move, and eventually, as she crested the hill, she couldn’t see him anymore.
The second she passed through the portal her phone went berserk. She had a ton of voice messages and a stream of texts, but she opened the one from Drake first. It read simply:
The diner, Thursday 8 pm. Do not call me or reply to this message. You can trust her.
Quinn read the cryptic message with mixed emotions. She had received it just in time; the scheduled meeting was only an hour away and she felt both guilty and elated at the thought of seeing him again, but part of her wondered if this was a trick. It wouldn’t be the first time a text from Drake’s phone had led her into a trap. Heaving a sigh, she pressed harder on the gas. She knew she would go, regardless. She would just have to trust that he was being more careful with his phone after what had happened before. She was apprehensive to hear what he had learned from Genevieve. The message said Quinn could trust ‘her’. Did that mean that Genevieve had proven herself? That she had given up the information they needed? Impatiently Quinn checked the digital clock on her dash as the minutes ticked slowly by.
She took her time checking on Balthazar’s group, but there was no change. She spotted Rowena sitting slightly apart from the group with a look of infinite sadness on her wise face, and Balthazar standing near the fire, gazing into the flames as though they might hold answers.
Rowena was also watching Balthazar, but more importantly, she was watching the group on the other side of the clearing. Melchior had been stirring up trouble for days and Balthazar was too consumed by his own grief to notice. Rowena, however, had been paying close attention.
Melchior was not happy staying where they were. He was convinced that New Haven was a dead end and had urged Balthazar to get the group back on the road. Balthazar was claiming that Jonas’s disappearance was reason enough to stay, to search for his son, but Melchior was under the impression that Jonas had run away as so many gypsy kids had done before.
With Balthazar losing his fragile grip on the leadership of the group, Melchior was making his move. Rowena despised Melchior. Even before that horrific night he had visited her bed, he had made her skin crawl. She half-hoped that he would leave, even if it meant taking the others with him, just so that she would never have to see him again, but then she realised how selfish this wish was. The Blackman family had been leading their people for centuries; it was Balthazar’s destiny.
Rowena made her way over to where he sat oblivious of the coup taking place behind him.
“You have to tell them,” she murmured, and he turned to gaze at the small crowd surrounding his old friend. “They’re going to leave if you don’t. Balthazar!” she raised her voice when he didn’t respond.
“What do you think they will do if I tell them I’ve found the City’s location?” he finally snapped “They will storm in there,” he answered his own question, “and those people will murder my son.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“The only thing I can,” he sighed. “Let them go.”
Rowena heard the crunch of heavy footfalls behind them and steeled herself for the inevitable. “Balthazar,” Melchior barked from behind them. “We need to talk.”
“What is it?”
“It’s time for us to move on. We have stayed here too long already.”
“I am not leaving without my son.”
“Jonas is gone. You have to accept that he’s not coming back.” Balthazar got to his feet.
“Jonas is coming back. If it’s the last thing I do, I will get him back. But,” his voice dropped as he spoke the words Rowena dreaded, “if you wish to leave, then so be it.”
“What are you saying?” Melchior croaked, his elation tempered with disbelief.
“I’m saying that the City is not here,” Balthazar raised his voice so the others could hear. “I was wrong. I’ve kept you here too long already, but I will not leave without my son. I’m sorry. I guess this is where we part ways.”
A collective gasp of astonishment filtered through the bystanders surrounding them. Melchior looked as though Balthazar had struck him, but then a slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.
“We took an oath to find the City,” he reminded everyone at large. “We cannot stop searching because your son has left us.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Balthazar sighed, knowing Melchior would not be content until he had spelled it out. “You should continue the search… without me. My priorities have changed. I am no longer the best person to lead us.”
“If that is what you want, we will leave at sunrise.”
A low murmur of assent ran through the crowd and Rowena felt tears of humiliation prick at her eyes.
“You should start packing up the truck,” Melchior ordered.
“I’m staying,” she drew herself up to her full height.
“You are a member of this community; you don’t have a choice.”
“I am a human being and I will make my own decisions, thank you. This community doesn’t own me.” Melchior narrowed his eyes at her scornful tone.
“True. But it does own your truck… hand over the keys.” Rowena threw them at him. To her irritation, he caught them easily.
“Oh, I will miss you,” he leered, making her skin crawl.
A flurry of activity followed as the entire camp set to work packing up their belongings and preparing for their departure. Rowena and Balthazar sat side by side at the fire, already forgotten.
“I don’t want you here,” Balthazar said half-heartedly. He had not wanted to give Melchior the satisfaction of publicly rejecting her, but he couldn’t ask her to stay. Rowena belonged with their people. He had no idea how he was going to get Jonas back, and he would not draw her into his prison, whatever it might be.
“I know you don’t,” she said, “but you’re stuck with me. He’s my son, too.”
“Rowena,” a timid voice interrupted and she found one of the younger girls trembling beside her.
“What is it, Cosima?” she asked kindly.
“I… I’d like to stay with you.”
Cosima was closer to Rowena than any of the other girls. Only a few years older than Jonas, her dirty blonde hair hung in her face, hiding the astonishingly pretty green eyes she had inherited from her mother. Introverted and shy, she was terrified of men and Rowena had been protecting her for years. Cosima’s mother had joined the gypsies after meeting her father at a fairground, but she had not stayed long, abandoning their community when Cosima was only four years old. Cosima had been raised by her father and Rowena suspected that old Ismay, who had died a few years back, had mistreated his daughter terribly.
Now, taking in the pitiful sight of the girl, Rowena found she couldn’t abandon her too. Without Rowena’s protection, Cosima would be an easy target for the likes of Melchior. Conscious of Balthazar’s silent warning, Rowena forced a smile.
“Of course,” she nodded, getting to her feet and hugging Cosima, who sagged with relief, “of course you can stay.”
The only person who didn’t want to leave, surprisingly, was Cara. Rowena was touched to overhear her arguing with Zebulon, but Zebulon was adamant. They would travel with the others. Balthazar’s decision to act in the best interests of his own family over the group proved that he was no longer fit to lead. Cara spat at the ground as he pushed past her, but Rowena knew her old friend would abide by her husband’s wishes. Meeting Cara’s gaze, Rowena nodded in farewell, and Cara did the same in return, tears shimmering in the olive depths of her eyes.
Chapter 34
Quinn, who hadn’t lingered once she had confirmation the gypsies were still in the area, missed the entire episode back at the gypsy camp. She made it to the diner twenty minutes early and accepted coffee from a passing waitress as she settled down to wait. She couldn’t help but feel relieved that she would be seeing Drake again.
Lenora approached the diner cautiously. Once inside, it took her only an instant to identify the Guardian who glared at her with ill-concealed venom. Every male eye in the room followed her progress as she swept toward Quinn. Under the table, Quinn slowly withdrew the stake from her boot.
“You won’t be needing that,” the vampire said pointedly as she came to stand over her. “Drake sent me.” Recalling the cryptic text, Quinn realised she had misinterpreted his message.
“Why?” she asked, keeping a firm grip on the stake.
“Because you’re in danger,” Lenora replied, as if it were obvious, “and because, for some reason, your safety seems to be of great concern to him. May I sit?” Quinn nodded. “You really don’t need it.” Stowing the stake, Quinn placed both her hands deliberately on the table. “My name is Lenora, by the way.”
“I’m Quinn.”
“I know.”
“What can I get you?” the waitress asked Lenora, passing by on her way back to the counter.
“Nothing, thank you.”
Quinn waited until the girl was out of earshot. “What do you mean, I’m in danger?”
“You have a traitor in your midst. Two, actually. The first is a wolf named Caleb.”
“Caleb? Wait a minute… did Drake find out who killed my sister?”
“Your sister’s death is of no concern,” Lenora dismissed the sensitive subject. “You have bigger things to worry about.”
“Caleb is dead.”
Lenora looked impressed, but Quinn’s satisfaction was short-lived.
“Well I guess that only leaves one problem then... the Guardian working with the vampires who are hell-bent on destroying you.”
Quinn didn’t hesitate. In a flash, she had her stake in her hand, but as fast as she was, Lenora was faster. Before Quinn could even get to her feet, Lenora was standing across the aisle, out of reach, her lip curled in a snarl.
“I told him this wouldn’t work. Put it away, or everyone in this room will be dead before you have the chance to use it.” Left with no choice, Quinn tossed the stake onto the seat Lenora had vacated. “Now, let’s have a civil conversation, shall we?” Lenora picked up the stake and slipped it into her over-sized handbag.
“You’re lying,” Quinn insisted. “No Guardian would work with a vampire.”
“And yet you seem to be remarkably close to one yourself,” Lenora remarked wryly.
“Why isn’t he here, telling me this himself?” For the first time, Lenora looked worried.
“Have you ever heard of a vampire named Charlotte?”
“No. Who is she?”
“My nemesis,” Lenora muttered under her breath before getting back to the point. “Charlotte was Drake’s great love,” Quinn stiffened involuntarily, but Lenora continued, seeming not to have noticed. “She was human when they met; seventeen; innocent, sweet. Nothing like us,” she added casually. “Anyway, he fell for her, hook, line and sinker. Being with Charlotte changed him. He wanted to be better, to be worthy of her love. On second thoughts, I think I’m going to have that coffee after all.” She stopped abruptly and signalled the waitress.
“So, what happened?” Quinn prompted. Masochistically, she wanted to hear more.
“One of your people was killed by our kind. We stole her crystal. The Slayer came to retrieve it.”
“The Slayer?” Quinn realised that all of this must have happened over five hundred years ago if a Slayer was involved.
“He didn’t mean to kill Charlotte, if that’s what you’re worried about. In fact, it wasn’t even him who did it. It was one of your Hunters. Anyway, he meant it to be Drake.” Quinn’s relief was replaced by an irrational surge of anger. “Charlotte got in the way,” Lenora continued. “She would have died to protect him. It’s ironic, really.”
“What’s ironic about it?” Lenora didn’t answer, instead continuing with the tale.
“Drake turned her that night in order to save her. Don’t judge him,” she warned, seeing the look of disgust on Quinn’s face. “He loved her more than you could ever imagine and he acted in the heat of the moment. He’s regretted it ever since.”
“So Charlotte lived and became a vampire. That doesn’t explain why their relationship ended. If they loved each other as much as you say they did, why aren’t they together?”
“Charlotte’s transition changed her into the very worst breed of monster. It took Drake a while to accept it, but she is evil incarnate. Cruel, sadistic… and now she has the might of the council behind her.”
“The council?”
“The most powerful vampires on earth, whose sole mission it is in l
ife is to finish what Aleksei started.”
“And Charlotte has convinced these people she’s got a Guardian working for her?”
“She claims she wants to end the Quest – to find the City and destroy its inhabitants. That’s the story she’s fed the council, anyway.”
“But you don’t believe that?”
“I’m sure it forms part of her plan, but if I know Charlotte, she won’t stop there. But, back to the point... no matter how much you don’t want to believe it, Charlotte is working with a Guardian.”
“Who?”
“I have no idea. The only thing Drake is certain of, is that it’s not you.”
“But you’re not so sure?” Quinn could tell by her dubious expression that Lenora didn’t share Drake’s faith in her.
“I don’t know you,” she replied simply.
“Do you trust Drake?”
“With my life.”
“Then I guess you’re just going to have to deal with me.” Lenora eyed her thoughtfully. “I can see why he likes you.” Quinn didn’t respond and Lenora narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I get it. You think he’s beneath you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know that he’s risking his life to help you. I know that he feels something for you, and it’s fairly obvious you feel something for him too, but you’re trying desperately to deny it. Take it from me, Quinn, you will never find anyone as good as him. Never. And if what he says is true, you may not have much time left. Put your God-damned Guardian pride in your pocket and open your eyes.”
“I can’t!” Quinn’s outburst attracted the attention of a few patrons at the other tables. Taking a deep breath she tried to steady her emotions. “Don’t you see that I can’t? You want me to admit it, fine. I do care about him; more than I want to… more than I should. But what you’re asking is impossible.”
Lenora loved to be proven right, but now she felt only a deep sorrow. She had thought that Drake’s feelings were not reciprocated and she had been prepared to hate this Guardian who was toying with his emotions, but instead, she saw the truth, that Quinn was just as torn and tormented as Drake himself.
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