The Vampire's Surprise - Stormy Glenn Page 0,34

somehow."

Okay, now he felt like crap.

"I also provide synthetic blood to human medical and research facilities around the world. So, yes, I have made a crap ton of money, but I've never denied someone my product if they truly could not afford it."

"Then why are there so many rogues?" Quinn asked.

Nikolas's eyes hardened. "Vampires who do not follow the laws set down by the council are labeled rogue for a very good reason."

"I see families every day that have been labeled rogue because they were denied entry into one of your fancy tribes, and they can't afford synthetic blood so they have to make do with what they can get their hands on. And there are humans out there who are willing to sell their blood for a little cash. Neither of those makes them bad people. Just people caught up in a system they can't get out of, and yet the humans are considered blood slaves and the vampires are considered rogue. Why is that?"

Nikolas's eyes flickered to Prince Marcus for a moment before coming back to Quinn. "You do know we are at war with the rogues, don't you?"

Quinn shuddered as that first inkling of fear he'd had before he walked in here came back with a rush. "No, I was not aware of that."

Although, he couldn't think of why they'd be at war with the rogues. Most of them were just trying to live their lives as best as they could.

"Why are you at war with them?" Quinn asked. "Is it because they're not members of one of your tribes?"

"No, it's because they go against our laws about drinking directly from humans."

"I don't understand."

"I told you, rajaaka," Dmitri said. "Our council has very strict laws about how humans are treated. They forbid us from drinking the blood of humans, except under extreme circumstances. Rogues flaunt those laws, attacking humans indiscriminately."

"So, that means you go to war with them?"

"They've been attacking humans and using them to draw us into fights," Marcus said. "It's been going on for a while now. Usually, we only have problems with one or two of them, but lately, there's been an influx of attacks."

"We don't go out hunting for rogue vampires, Quinn," Nikolas said. "We only respond when there has been a report of an attack. We have a duty to protect humans as much as we do to vampires. If word got out that vampires existed, it would destroy us."

"There are a lot of vampires out there who have been labeled rogue that just want to live their lives. Some have left their tribes because it wasn't safe for them to stay. Others have human mates. The reasons vary, but the story is always the same. They've been deemed as outlaws, even if they do follow your council rules."

"If they are not drinking from humans, they are not rogues, Quinn," Nikolas said. "That's what a rogue is."

"If they don't belong to one of your tribes, they are labeled rogue," Quinn countered. "I can think of five vampires off the top of my head that don't drink from humans, but have been labeled rogue simply because they don't belong to a tribe. They are terrified of being found out because they know it's their life if they are."

"That's not true," Nikolas insisted.

"Yes, it is. You think it's not because you live here in the middle of your tribe, but I've spent my entire life out there on the streets. I know what it's actually like out there. You don't."

"I have a question," Dmitri said. "If you're so in support of rogues, then why did you warn us back at the apartment?"

Yeah, he'd been expecting that question.

"Because, as much as I hate to say it, not all rogues are good people. Some really should be labeled rogue. Those three vampires at the restaurant were hunting their next meal."

Nikolas's head cocked to one side, his brow furrowing. "How did you know?"

"I'd seen them around the neighborhood a few times. They usually travel in packs of at least five, sometimes more, sometimes less. I couldn't take the chance that they were there to start trouble."

"Packs of five or more?" Nikolas asked as he glanced toward Marcus. "You've seen more than one or two rogues hanging out together?"

"Yeah." Quinn got the feeling he was missing something. "Is that important?"

"Rogues usually only travel in groups of one or two," Nikolas said. "They hardly ever travel in bigger groups. Lately, we've noticed that their groups are growing bigger, and