4 Vamp Versus Vamp (35 page)

It wasn’t until I was sitting here that I understood just how lonely and desolate a life my grandfather lived. He truly did sacrifice everything for his father, for a man who was as lost in his ignorant cause as he was. He had money, he had power, but he never truly experienced life. It proved that money didn’t automatically equate to happiness.

I looked to Kellan, seeking his input. “Do what feels right.”

I turned back to the stout lawyer. “Find war veterans, if possible, vets who were at war the year the cars were made. I want people who will appreciate the cars and take care of them. Preferably some that have been neglected or not given the recognition they ought to have. I want the final say on those as well.”

“Very well.” He made a few notes on the legal pad before him. “And per Kalel’s relay, you are to maintain ownership of the businesses and vampeen army.”

“Yes.”

“You are a strange one, indeed, Ms. Jackson; the opposite of most of my clients. I shall see to it that your requests are attended to, though. I’ll be in contact for the charity options. I just need you to review and sign these papers. Once you sign them, you will be the titled owner of all of Mr. Euskadi’s assets.” He slid the stack of papers towards me.

I didn’t understand half of the legal jargon, but I pieced together the parts I did comprehend to ensure they were indicating the correct outline of ownership. Kellan leaned in, scanning through the pages with me. He nodded, assuring me they were okay to sign.

I picked up the pen from the desk. The pen weighed a ton, the finality of my grandfather’s life in its ink. The weight of the world seemed to press on my chest as I scribbled my name along the line. I initialed where the lawyer indicated on a few other pages. I knew what lay ahead. I was accepting the responsibility to manage an army of people stuck in the same mental rut as my grandfather. I lifted my head towards Kellan. His strength and confidence encouraged me. I wasn’t in this alone. I was lucky to have my own army of people supporting me. It’s true what they say: The family you inherited at birth is rarely the family you have at your side on your deathbed.

“I’ll be in touch.”

I nodded, standing as Kellan stood with me. I leaned into him, allowing him to lead me out of the office.

Kalel met us in the hallway. “We’ve managed to rally them all together for you.”

“Really?”

“When will you stop underestimating me, Leka?” He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Someday.”

“Kai’s pulling the car around front. We’ll take you over to the
Palacio de Congresos y de la Música
now. The High Authorities are containing them, but it’s bordering on a bloodbath, considering half the vamp army is pure vampire,” he said.

“No pressure.” I chuckled nervously.

“None at all.” Kalel led us outside.

“You’ve got this, babe.” Kellan dropped his arm from around me and clutched my hand instead, his fingers threading mine. He gently squeezed my palm.

“Feel free to jump in.” I’d never given a public speech.

“You’re the talker, not me. I’m all action.” Kellan wagged his brows suggestively. I laughed. At least I could count on him to break through the tension coiling my limbs. “You’ll do great.”

“Get in.” Kalel pointed towards the waiting vehicle parked along the narrow, cluttered street of downtown Basque Country, Spain.

***

I stepped up to the podium and looked out over the coliseum; I bit my cheeks to keep my jaw from dropping. Nearly two thousand vampeens glared up at me. Serum rose up in the back of my throat as my heart pounded in my chest. I blew out a breath, knowing I had to face them at some point.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Gandhi’s famous words rang in my head.

I took a deep breath. “I don’t expect respect. I know it must be earned. I also know that it’s wrong to expect you to change overnight. That’s not what I’m asking.”

“Just make your fucking point or get off,” someone yelled.

Guards made their way towards the offending vamp, lifting him out of his seat and alerting me of his identity.

“Put him down.” I spoke with authority, projecting my voice. Whispers slurred together across the room. I waited until the army vamps returned the vampeen to his seat unscathed. Unfortunately, this vamp had proved that I was going to have to be tough on them. “Listen up and listen well, because I’m only going to say this once.” The audience silenced their chatter.

“My grandfather, Cesar Euskadi, was a man on a mission of hate and revenge. He brought you all together to do his bidding, to further his narrow-minded cause. You were his minions, whether you like the term or not.

“That’s not to say he wasn’t an honorable vampeen. He fought hard for what he believed in. He took a stand where others wouldn’t have. He was tough on you, but tougher on himself. Knowing that, I would never want all of his hard work and dedication to go to waste. Rather, I am suggesting that we re-route things.

“I don’t expect you to wake up tomorrow loving vampires. I don’t even expect you to respect them, though I hope that one day you will grow to respect the ones who earn it. What I expect is
for all acts of violence outside of self-defense to cease. This is no longer an offensive attack on our fellow kind.
Any vampeen caught in the act will be punished by the vamp army under the High Authorities
. I’m sure you’re
all familiar
with their judicial management and understand where you would end up.

“I also understand that for many of you, there was an underlying hope of branching out into mainstream civilization. I’m here to tell you that it’s not going to happen. It is for the good of all of us to keep our existence under wraps. If you want to discuss my reasons on a personal basis, feel free to make an appointment. I’ll gladly duke it out with you — verbally, of course. Anyone caught or suspected of creating a revolution to this effect will be tried and punished under the High Authorities’ judicial system.

“Now I know for most of you, this was your paying job; for a few, your lifelong career. I’m not taking that away from you.
Your pay will not be tampered with even by a penny
. I’m not going to be slowly picking through the pot and removing what I don’t like, either. I trust my grandfather’s judgment. I know he wouldn’t have retained you if you weren’t worth retaining. That doesn’t mean that I won’t fire your butt in a heartbeat. It means that if you continue to do what your title entails under the new outline, then you won’t lose anything, which I think is fair.

“So what exactly are we moving towards?
A model of management.
Your new tasks will be aligned with the vamp army and the Bladangs. We’re all seeking balance here. I’m not asking you to work with vampires. I’m not asking you to vanquish your hatred towards them or be stoned. I’m asking you to help me implement a truce. Keep your fellow vampeen in line. If you see a vampire walking on the other side of the street, rather than take him down, allow him to continue on unharmed. Curse him for filth if you’d like, that’s only a reflection of the darkness within yourself, but never allow that darkness to take over again.

“I’m going to open up the floor to questions. I’ll provide as much information as I have at this moment.” I looked out over the crowd, surprised when no one spoke immediately.

The male vampeen who’d had the outburst earlier was the first to inquire. “Will we be assigned territories like before?”

“No.”

“Why?” he pressed. Several vamps around him murmured to each other, their eyes scrutinizing me.

I supposed it was a valid question. “You’re no longer a soldier at war, confined to one region of the world. Given that, I’m not going to fence you off. For some of you, not lashing out at vampires will be a true test of your will, something that a few may even not
be
able to handle. I am offering you a penance in that you can retreat to the most desolate of locations until you regain control of yourself.”

“And if Cecilia’s army attacks us?” another asked. Kalel had filled me in on the female vampire equivalent of my grandfather.

“Then it will be considered self-defense.” I frowned. It was as if these vampeens were looking for an excuse to fight, which didn’t sit well with me. “I want the oldest vampeen in this room to stand up.”

A blond male with ivory skin and deep brown eyes stood up. He crossed his arms in front of his chest; his feet were planted shoulder-width apart. He glowered at me.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“If you did your homework, then you’d know it.”

“How old are you?” I countered, ignoring his jab.

“Five hundred twenty-six.” His tone was anything but friendly, despite indulging me with an answer.

“Tell me, through your eyes, what have you seen over the years?”

“What’s your point?”

“How many times have you seen history repeat itself?” He stared at me, protecting his cards. “How many wars have been fought and won, yet the initiator, the prime reason for the war, still exists in some form today?
For instance, the Civil War.
It was a dirty war that began over slavery. Afterwards, slavery was no longer recognized; however, blacks were still treated the same. Fast-forward a hundred years, and slavery is still not recognized and you still have your core group of people who look down on the race over something they can’t change: their skin color. Am I correct in this assessment?”

He narrowed his eyes, rocking back on his heels. “I’ll agree.”

“Guess what, we’re no different. Vamps are suppressing other vamps over something they can’t change. You can’t change the family you were born into or the genes that created you. Likewise, they didn’t choose to be this way and can’t change it, either. We’re all attacking each other because of a title we didn’t ask for. Even worse, the rebels who hate on the African-American race most of the time have no personal reason to; instead, they are holding onto the same hatred their ancestors instilled in them. But this was their ancestors’ fight, not their own. This is Johanne Euskadi’s fight. This is his hatred, and his personal anguish traveling over generations.”

I scanned the crowd. “How many of you have had a negative personal encounter with a vampire? Raise your hand.” I waited patiently as six hands went up in the air. “Look around at the number of hands in the air: six. I would estimate there are about two thousand present, yet only six have raised their hand. Even if we bump the number up to ten, that is still only half a percent. So half
of one percent of the people in this room
have
a personal reason to feel threatened or to threaten vampires. I’m looking for honesty and understanding here. Why are so many of you involved in this? Why did you join this group?”

“The money,” several offered.

“Hell, yeah. Money makes the world go around,” another added.

“Needed a job,” a couple blurted.

“My dad pushed for it.”

I zoned in on the area those words were spoken from. “Why did you choose to listen to him?”

“Family honor,” the young male admitted. He seemed so young, about the same age as me.

“Would you have chosen this if it wasn’t for his insistence?”

“Probably not.”

“Do you regret your decision?”

“I’m indifferent.” His answers were quick, as if he didn’t stop to think about what he said, which meant he probably hadn’t stopped and thought about what he was doing.

“So you accepted a mediocre position in an army whose mission you truly don’t believe in, but went along with in order to make your father proud?”

“A job’s a job. Money’s money.”

“Not if you sell your soul for it. You’re quick to reply and too nonchalant to have really thought through what you signed up for and what you’ve been doing. Someone once told me that a vampire
will
always have the upper hand because they act on instinct. Well, we have something that will always trump instinct: heart. Heart and passion go hand in hand. Instinct is irrational, rampant at times, but heart is consistent and focused. So I’m asking you all to figure out what you’ve always wanted to do, aside from murder a hotel full of vampires, and go after it.”

“What’s the catch?” a female threw out from the front row.

“That’s the beauty of it. There isn’t one. Make yourself available for business-related assignments from time to time, and as long as you don’t offensively engage a vampire in combat or conspire or support the revelation of our kind to humans in an effort to live openly among them, then you’re golden. Free to do as you please.”

“To clarify, you’re going to pay us to travel the world doing whatever we want to do as long as we follow those three rules?” The woman was scrutinizing me, trying to pick me apart from her
position. It was expected that nothing in life was free. For me, this was a costly move, but one that was worth it if my goal of a peaceful existence could be cultivated.

“That’s correct.” The theatre filled with conversations that melted into one unified hum floating up towards me. “Auggy, a vampeen and member of the High Authorities, is going to take over from here. He’ll answer any further questions you may have. Over the next several days, we will be confirming all contact information. You are not permitted to leave this city until your information has been confirmed. Afterward, you may select direct deposit for ongoing paychecks or provide the address you would like your check to be mailed to once a month. Once you receive your confirmation contract, you’re free to pursue your dreams. I hope you all make your eternity worthwhile.”