Page 65 of Midnight Kiss
I didn’t say anything.
“We have been working hard against Sanguine Nox, and this discovery,” Elder Finnian said, “changes everything. Everything.”
“The Guardians are human beings who are not what they seem,” Saskia said, excitement bubbling through in her tone. “They are magical beings in their own right because they help protect vampires. Both strengthen and weaken them.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Vampires bond with Guardians by feeding on them and turning them. Except they don’t turn, not entirely, and they wind up stronger, faster, and with psychic abilities. The Guardians do. And the vampires—their ability to fight, to survive, is far stronger. A bonded vampire’s strength is the equivalent of three vampires. Three! Do you know how that would turn the tide of our war against Sanguine Nox?” Saskia bounced on the balls of her feet.
“You said that they’re weakened by Guardians too.” The sooner we got past this, the better. Emily needed me.
“That’s correct,” Saskia said, but she didn’t sound any less excited. “They’re connected. So if one dies, so does the other. Which makes it incredibly important to protect the weaker party—the Guardian, in that case.”
“That’s a problem.”
“Protecting humans would be easy,” Elder Finnian inserted. “For us. We could have them live at the U.C.”
“You mean entrap them?” I bristled.
“Not entrap them,” Saskia said. “Never that. But those with the potential to be Guardians would need to be protected.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are humans who have a natural potential to be Guardians, at least according to the book,” Saskia said. “And once they’re ‘unlocked’, they start attracting vampires. This ‘unlocking’ can happen when they encounter a vampire, mostly through sexual contact.”
I frowned.
“Which means that most vampires who have come into contact with humans haven’t activated any of them,” Saskia said. “Because, of course, most vampires are interested in feeding on humans, not having sex with them.”
“Which brings us to our next point,” Elder Finnian said.
A strange calmness fell over the room, and the skin on the back of my neck prickled.
“It’s for this reason we need you to bring your friend, Emily, to the U.C. headquarters. Today.”
“What?” The word came out as a bark.
“We know, Mr. Knight. We know that you have had relations with Emily. We know that she has the potential to be a Guardian. And we need to protect her from the vampires that are going to keep attacking her. Sanguine Nox will try to get to her so they can capture her and use her, if you don’t bring her to us. And when you do,” Saskia said, “she will be given to Elder Finnian to bond with so that he is stronger and protected.”
Rage hollowed out my chest.
“We understand that you may have formed an emotional connection with this human through doing your work for us,” Finnian said.
“I have not.” The lie tasted terrible to me, but I said it, regardless. I didn’t need them believing that I cared for Emily.
“Then you go about sleeping with humans regularly?” Saskia asked, arching an eyebrow.
“No. It was necessary to do whatever it took to get the book.”
“And that didn’t include killing her,” Saskia murmured. “In retrospect, that was a fine decision. Not only have you brought us the book, but you have activated a Guardian. A Guardian who will help keep the entirety of our New York coven safe. You will be richly rewarded for what you’ve done. But you will have to bring her to us. Do you understand, Mr. Knight?”
“Why me? Why not send someone else?”
“She will trust you,” Saskia said. “And we are giving you this task directly. Do not disappoint us, Mr. Knight.”
“The consequences will be swift.” Elder Finnian gave me a look that sliced through to the core.
I gave them a nod and then left the room and headed for the end of the hallway, quietly seething. I wasn’t going to bring Emily to them. I would find another way to save her that didn’t include “bonding” her to me or anyone else.