Page 17 of Hunters and Prey

There were exactly two ways they could help Tom turn. Both were equally dangerous, and would require all of their attention.

He needed to ingest the blood of one of his vampire elders after the death of his mortal shell. That either meant the blood of an Eirikrson, or the blood of the one ancestor all of them had in common: the goddess who'd turned them.

Disturbing Eirikr, or seeking the blood of the goddess…

Ariadne might consent to sharing her blood. Might. But that would mean revealing Tom's existence to all of her court. Viola bit her lip. Yes, all of them needed to go, to show a united front and make it clear that attacking Tom would mean incurring the wrath of all six slayers. Even that would not be enough to stop the royals from attacking him, but at least it'd make them pause.

That left the issue of Chloe, and the mysterious enemy who'd sent men after Tom already.

For the first time since she'd turned, Viola felt a pressure at the side of her temples. She was going to get a headache.

"One thing at a time," said Ayita. "I say the priority is seeing to Tom’s transition. That'd mean not having to babysit him anymore, and it would free up some time for the rest of this mess."

"We're not leaving Chloe undefended," said Phillipe in a low, protective growl that made the corner of Viola's mouth hitch up.

The girl definitely was a whisper, and a powerful one at that, if she'd earned that prickly guy's affection already.

"I wasn't suggesting that. We could call the Wolf. He doesn't ask many questions if the price is right."

Viola stiffened. She worked closely with the Wolf who called himself Knox these days. Not only had his investigators found Tom, but they also informed them of rogue sups that needed to be taken down; those too elusive for the huntsmen and too strong for the mortal authorities. Over the years, they'd grown a tentative friendship of sorts. It didn't mean that she trusted him with this, with Chloe Miller's—Chloe Eirikrson's—safety.

The siblings headed back toward them, both stiff and pale. Tom's arm was around his sister's shoulders. He hugged her tight, their bond so painfully obvious Viola hated what they had to do next:

separate them.

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