aren’t happy with her. She shouldn’t have gone to a club, not right now. She should have waited a bit.”
Atreides shook his head. “She could have been seriously hurt when he kicked her out of the club when she was on her own. Her car had been stolen even.” He wasn’t going to mention about the fact she was armed with a sword when she went to the hunter club.
"Her car was stolen also?"
"Yes. When she was attacked. So she was walking back to her apartment alone." He wasn't going into all the details because he felt guilty enough about just dropping her off at the hunter club. Yet, he had felt she needed to be with her kind. What a mistake that was!
"Oh, I didn't know. You didn't tell me!"
“I didn't know that she was your sister, or I would have had you take care of her! I didn't know who her family was. She wouldn't tell me."
"Oh." Rosa frowned. "Well, as to our brother, he only cares about how this affects his standing with the rest of the hunters. He has an image to keep up. He's one of the good guys, and I would hope that if he had witnessed something like Selena had, he would have stood up for the vampiress and defended her against the hunter. I would think he would have. But since he hadn't been there, he doesn't want the backlash to taint his good name within the hunter community."
“So he doesn’t care about your sister being in the right and being on her own—subject to humiliation and threats to her life?”
“I’m sure he’s conflicted. I don’t believe he thought she would be in danger. But it’s easier to be angry with Selena than face his friends’ ridicule.”
“Then he’s an ass.”
Rosa smiled, then she frowned. “You don’t have any designs on my sister, do you?”
“I saved her three times. I never thought I would be put in that position because hunters would want to throw her to the wolves.”
“Or a sadistic vampire?”
“Yes. She nearly got herself killed looking for you.”
"I'm sorry." Tears glimmered in Rosa's eyes.
It wasn't enough, he felt. “I’ll be back soon.”
Rosa was up on her feet at once, looking hopeful. "I have to tell her how sorry I am. Are you returning with my sister?"
“Yes.” Atreides disappeared and returned to his house. He found Selena sitting with his friends in the living room having coffee.
Colt jumped up from his seat where he was sitting too close to Selena, for Atreides’s comfort, and smiled broadly as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Atreides gave him a growly look. “Selena, you need to come with me.”
“To go where?” She rose from her seat.
“Yeah, where are we going?” Colt asked, eager to go with her too.
“To see her sister, Rosa.”
Everyone gasped.
“You have her sister?” Colt asked.
“Yes, she’s the huntress who was supposed to help us lure the hunter or hunters who are out to take down our female vampires,” Atreides said.
“My sister? And you didn’t tell me that she was safe?” Selena asked, her voice angry.
Now Selena was upset with him!
“You hadn't told us who you were, or who your family was when I wanted them to protect you. Rosa actually came to me to offer her services after you killed the hunter who tried to kill you and Charlene, though she hadn’t said why. I had to talk with her before I told you what was going on. Since you were already involved in this, I was going to tell her that she was being replaced. She hadn’t told me anything about you or the trouble you were in with the hunters. She should have been there to protect you. I didn’t even know the two of you were related. I only learned of it when Twilight mentioned it at the house.”
“But Rosa is still going to help you?" Selena sounded hopeful that her sister would be on her side in this.
"Yeah, but she should have been there for you all along."
Selena frowned at him. "You could have told me that she was helping you before you went to see her and taken me with you then."
“I didn’t want anyone knowing she was helping us. It could have gotten her killed. Since you are already being targeted, I had the idea you could swap places with her and she could return home, but she still wants to help, and she wants to see you. I’ll take you there