Darkness Rises(66)

Seth nodded. “The older the immortal, the stronger his or her gifts.”
Beside him, David smiled. “The two of us have lived so long and seen so much that very little surprises us.”
“You two surprised us,” Seth admitted. “We are very impressed with your successes and all that you have accomplished.”
“Really?” She had been more impressed herself before she had found out that they hadn’t even made a dent in the vampire population.
“Mortal vampire hunters, particularly those who hunt alone or in small numbers, have traditionally had very short careers. The fact that you have been doing what you do for six years now and still possess all of your limbs is nothing short of extraordinary.”
“Please,” David said, “have a seat.”
Krysta and Sean took the two chairs in the middle. Étienne sat beside Krysta with Cam on his other side. Chris sat beside Sean. Darnell carried another chair from the corner over and placed it beside David, who took the chair behind the desk. Seth sat beside him.
Darnell stood beside David.
“As I said earlier,” Seth began, “I am the leader of the Immortal Guardians. David is my Second in Command. We are the highest authorities in the Immortal Guardian world. We know you are both gifted ones. All immortals were gifted ones before being infected with the virus, so we hope you will consider us your brethren.”
David nodded. “It is how we think of you. As one of us. As family.”
That was not what she had expected. What were they saying exactly?
Seth smiled. “We would like you to join us.”
Sean looked at Krysta. “Are you saying you want to infect us with the virus?”
“Not necessarily. Because you are gifted ones, you can safely transform without suffering brain damage and losing your sanity. But it is not a requirement. Many mortals, both humans and gifted ones, work with us and aid us in our desire to eliminate the vampire threat.”
Krysta stared at them. “I’m sorry. I thought you were going to interrogate us or threaten us or castigate us for whatever wrong this one here”—she hooked a thumb in Chris’s direction—“imagines we’ve committed.”
Darnell laughed.
Chris sighed. “Had I met with you earlier today, I would have interviewed you.”
Darnell coughed. “Interrogated.”
Chris scowled. “But since Seth and David have cleared you and determined you aren’t a threat, that won’t be necessary and I would welcome you on our side.”
Krysta slid a look in Étienne’s direction. You’re being awfully quiet.
He arched a brow. This is your decision. I thought you wouldn’t appreciate my weighing in on it.
Do you think I should join you?
Hell, yes.
She returned her attention to the elders. “In what capacity?”
Seth looked to Reordon. “Chris?”
“Sean, since you’re a healer and are already studying medicine—”
“Do I even want to know how you know that?” he asked.
Chris shrugged. “Once I had your name, I traced you to Duke. And Seth told me you were a healer. Anyway, we could use someone with your gifts and knowledge in our medical department. Should you decide to join us, we will pay off all of the student loan debt you’ve accumulated.” Which was considerable. “And pay all future tuition. I’m sure Dr. Lipton, the immortal woman who sat beside me at the table, would be happy to mentor you and appreciate your aid in her pursuit of a cure or treatment for the virus.”
Krysta met her brother’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing she was.
It sounded incredibly good. Too good. What’s-the-catch good.
“We also,” Chris continued, “would immediately put you on the payroll, so you could quit your current job as early as tomorrow. I recommend that you do that anyway to ensure the mercenaries can’t trace you there as we did. Krysta, we’d like you to train as a Second. Your fighting skills already exceed the needs of the position, so we would—”
“Wait,” she interrupted. “A Second? Do they hunt vampires?”
“Not actively, no. They guard and assist the immortals who do and back them up whenever necessary.”
“I’m not giving up hunting.”
Étienne swore. “You would be accomplishing the same goal without subjecting yourself to so much risk.”
“I don’t care. I’m not giving up hunting,” she insisted stubbornly.
“Not even for a six-figure salary?” Chris asked.
Six figures? Really?
No. Despite the temptation, she couldn’t do it.
Sean shook his head. “Krys, don’t be stupid. This is perfect.”
“Perfect!” she exclaimed. “You still thought these people were our enemies and in league with the vampires an hour ago!”