Demon Blood

“At most, it could be a onetime distribution, and there’s not enough for everyone. What if I wanted to hold some back? What if Vin and Gemma decided to become vampires? Wouldn’t I want to keep some for them so that they wouldn’t be . . .”
    Like a normal vampire. Like Deacon had been before the nosferatu blood, before the nephil blood.
    He didn’t let her trail off and take the easy way out. He finished for her, “One of the weaker ones.”
    “Yes. Right or wrong, that’s how I would feel. If what I am brings violence into my son’s life, then I want him to have the defenses to handle it. Right now, as a human, his best defense against demons and nephilim is the Rules. He wouldn’t have that as a vampire. So I’d want him to be one of the strong ones, too.”
    “Right or wrong?” He shook his head. “You think I’d blame you for that? Who wouldn’t want it?”
    “Exactly. Everyone would want it, but not everyone could have it. What happened to you—or when one of the nosferatu-born is made—that difference in strength almost always comes by luck or chance, and it doesn’t happen often. But for Guardians or vampires to gather the blood and distribute it creates a difference. It creates widespread envy and superiority in communities where there is none.”
    “Except for what is already there from when we were human.”
    “Well, yes. Because vampires, Guardians—in many ways, we’re still all human.” She paused, holding his gaze. And despite every claim she’d just made, despite the reasons behind her uneasiness, she had to admit, “And because of that, I would have given anything for my friends to have been strong enough to fight the nephilim. Or for you to have been strong enough to fight back against Caym.”
    “So, if you could, you’d let vampires have the nephil blood.”
    “Probably. But the better solution is: Slay all of the demons and the nephilim. Then vampires won’t need it.”
    His wide grin exposed his fangs. “One thing’s for certain: When you have a plan, Rosie, you stay focused.” His gaze dropped again. Leaning forward, he cupped her breasts in his large hands. “But when you’re sitting naked like this, I can’t say the same for me.”
    She breathed slowly, fighting the urge to throw herself against him. “I’ll hang bells from them, next time.”
    “And win every argument we might have.” His thumbs stroked her nipples, and he smiled when she shivered. “Are we still getting out of bed?”
    “Yes.” And with another sigh, she made the effort. Aware that Deacon was watching her, she formed her panties and put them on as humans did, a long slow glide up her legs.
    “Rosie,” he warned.
    Laughing, she pulled in a brassiere—a scrap of lace that supported very little and displayed too much.
    “I’m going to rip that off with my teeth.”
    Oh, she hoped so. “Later,” she said, and to remove temptation, covered the lingerie with her black trousers and shirt. As she walked across the room, the hunger in his gaze told her that she hadn’t buried temptation very deep.
    He reached for his jeans. “If you did have to choose vampires to give the blood to, who would it be? Community elders?”
    If Deacon hadn’t already been strengthened, he’d have been at the top of her list. She didn’t think he’d believe her, though.
    “No, not necessarily the elders. I’d find vampires who would fight with the Guardians—like those vampires who’ve begun training at Special Investigations. God knows we need the help.”
    “ Guardians need the help?”
    “Considering that there are only fifty of us left . . . Yes, we do.” When he stared at her, she said, “I thought you knew. That Irena or someone—”
    “No. She didn’t.”
    “Oh. Well, the Ascension happened ten years ago, and even I didn’t know until six months ago. The Guardians have kept it quiet, so that the demons don’t find out. They don’t know about Michael, either.”
    Deacon still looked slightly stunned. She couldn’t blame him. Fifteen years ago, there had been thousands of Guardians. She couldn’t even imagine how empty Caelum must seem with so many gone. Just sun and stone and water—beautiful, but more like a tomb than a city.
    In a low voice he said, “So Belial’s demons could wipe you all out.”
    “If they knew, yes. And unfortunately, Taylor is the only Guardian who can transform humans and create more of us . . . which also depends on a human sacrificing himself