Even though we stood at the back of the group, we still managed to gather a crap-ton of stares. Somehow they all knew we were there.
“What’s with all the gawking?” I asked a nearby female vampire, blunt as always.
She had long, midnight-black curls and eyes the color of rich, newly-turned soil. She was stunning, and not much taller than I was. Her fangs were hidden, I knew, because she snarled at me.
“We do not trust strangers, and not all of you are marked. The mystics told us that you were the protectors of the marked twins, but you’re quads. Quads are hunters.”
I understood their fear, they didn’t know and love the Compasses the way I did. And the Four were scary effers. But how had they even known my boys were quads? Clearly the mystics had big friggin’ mouths.
Maximus took a little step closer. “If you pose no threat to our pack, we mean you no harm. But spread the word that if any of you come at us with hostile intentions, we will respond in kind.”
Seeing the vampires face to face, I was reminded that Maximus needed to feed, and soon.
Braxton closed in on his brother, broad shoulders side by side. “What Max is so eloquently saying … we will kill anyone who touches our girls. End of story.”
The pale skin around the female vamp’s eyes tightened. But there was also something more in her expression, respect and acceptance. “Message received loud and clear. You will find no trouble from me or my nest mates.”
Speaking of, I could see quite a few hefty males moving in our direction. Definitely vamps, and they had that look in their eyes. It was a look I was more than familiar with.
“I’m Cardia. Feel free to find me if you need the rundown on the workings of the sanctuary.”
There was less sneer and more smile on her face as she turned. It was then I noticed the small mark on the back of her neck, visible above her strapless top. It was a miniature version of my dragon mark, about a hundred times smaller.
Shit. Did they all have marks that tiny? No wonder Gerard had freaked when he saw mine.
Cardia didn’t look back as she used vamp speed to intercept her worried nest mates. The four of them leaned in closer and I knew she was spreading our message. It would be in the ear of every supernatural by nightfall. Some would see it as a challenge and come at us accordingly, others would respect the sentiment and deal with it by leaving us the hell alone. I couldn’t wait to see which was which. I had plenty of aggression and sexual frustration to work off. Beating the shit out a few morons might just be the ticket I needed.
“What are you looking so animated about?” Mischa asked, examining my face.
Jacob and Tyson both chuckled. “That’s her happy-violence face,” the wizard said. “If that face is ever directed toward you, I suggest you run.”
“Shut it, you not-so-funny-fu—” An excited shriek ran through the crowd and cut me off. Supernaturals screamed and called out names.
Braxton, who was about a head taller than most here – everyone except his brothers – only had to crane his neck slightly to see. “They seem to be finding friends and family in these new arrivals.”
I wondered which prison they had been rescued from. It could be anywhere in the world.
The recently arrived supes – from those I could see – remained separate from the current residents of the sanctuary. Staying together in a group, their movements were jittery and nervous as they closed in protectively around the young in their midst. It looked like there were only three children and no babies. They were a little cleaner than the group I’d seen in Vanguard’s secret marked room, but not by a lot, their clothes old and tattered, eyes heavy and weary. If the king thought he was coming back to an army, he was in for a shock. These supes were damaged. The Four were so far up on my shit list … I didn’t even know I could feel hate this strongly.
A witch standing near us broke down into tears. The scent of her emotions floated through the crowd. She drew more of my attention when she started to murmur, “Lacey … Lacey…” over and over. Her tears increased as a witch with short, ragged black hair broke away from the new arrivals and without hesitation ran straight into her arms.
They embraced as if they had not seen each other in years, which was probably true, and I was pretty sure they were sisters, or cousins. They had the same Asian features and thick, coarse hair, though the first female was decidedly better kept.
How many dragon marked were still out there, hidden, tortured? I turned back to my pack. “I know twins are often marked, but does the mark generally run in family lines?”
Quale appeared out of thin air or something – like bam, popped in right next to me. I didn’t jump though, I have reflexes like a ninja. Okay, maybe not, but I took a moment to be thankful I managed not to squeal like a bitch.
The mystic’s voice was low. “Dragon marked are mostly in the same family line, so not always siblings, but sometimes aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins. Most marked supernaturals will have other marked family somewhere along the line of the last thousand years.”
I wondered if Mischa and I had any relatives in this group. No one had ever mentioned other marked in the Lebron line, but I should ask Dad about it one day.
My heart clenched then. I missed my father … even my mother, although she hadn’t been in my life for long, so it wasn’t that strange to not have her around. But Jonathon, well, we were a team, and I was missing the heck out of him. I knew he would be worried about Mischa and me too. I hoped Louis was keeping him updated.