Patience, he schooled himself. If this was going to work, he had to keep control of his temper. He had to be willing to do the dirty work that would need to be done, but he’d also have to be calm and fair.
Quinn released his hand, and before he knew what she intended, she hurried away from him. The vampires stepped out of her way as she moved through them with her hands raised in the air. Julian’s non-beating heart leaped into his throat before he rushed after her. He pushed his way through the crowd already closing in around her.
“Will any of you volunteer to come forward?” she asked as she walked. The vampires she focused on looked hastily away from her.
Julian glared at every vampire he passed. Some of them moved back from him; others were too focused on Quinn to notice he was there and he had to shove his way through them. He wanted to throttle her for putting herself into this position, but the vamps continued to step away from her, their eyes fearful as they watched her.
She stopped before the tall vampire in the back and tilted her head back to stare defiantly up at him. “If you’re not going to volunteer to see if I can turn you to ash, then I’m going to take that to mean you do believe what we’re saying and you’re just being difficult.”
Julian resisted the urge to yank her against him when he stopped behind her. However, he didn’t want anyone here to think he didn’t believe she was strong enough to handle this. His eyes slid ominously over the crowd before he concentrated on the vampire before her. Julian had never seen the man before, but judging by the power coming from him, he was at least a hundred years old. Julian snarled and bared his fangs when the vampire stepped closer to Quinn.
Quinn glanced over her shoulder at him before focusing on the vamp again. “If you would like to test me, then hold out your hand. Otherwise, stop being an asshole.”
The vamp folded his arms over his broad chest as he studied her from his easily seven-foot height. The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile before he bobbed his head. “Fair enough, little one.”
The guy could have called him little, and it would have fit next to this vampire’s towering height. Quinn looked like Jack against the giant compared to this vamp. She turned to face the rest of the vampires. Their faces were guarded as they watched her, but Julian didn’t get an overwhelming sense of hostility from them.
Julian slid his arm around her waist, pulling her against him as he led her back through the crowd. “Don’t do that again,” he said through his teeth to her.
“They would have kept questioning us and pushing if I hadn’t,” she replied. “We would have gotten nowhere until I was forced to draw blood, breaking the safe passage pact, and ensuring all of this fell apart. I think that’s what some of them were angling for.”
“I know, but give me some notice next time before you plunge into a sea of vampires.”
“I will.”
He kissed the top of her head as he held her closer. It didn’t matter if the other vampires knew she was his mate. They would realize that, if they ever tried anything with her, they’d be facing the full wrath of his fury, and he’d unleash Hell upon them.
As they rejoined the others, Devon gave him a sympathetic look over Quinn’s actions, but he was biting his lip to keep from laughing. Julian resisted giving him the finger before turning to face the crowd again.
The mass was parting to allow the giant of a vampire through as he came toward them. He didn’t look doubtful anymore, but more curious as he kept his gaze on Quinn.
“How do we know the Guardians and Hunters won’t turn against you, and then us?” another vampire asked.
Quinn glanced questioningly at Julian. Before coming here, they’d discussed whether or not to reveal that she and Cassie were Hunters turned vampires. In the end, they’d decided to see how everything went tonight and play it by ear.
“They’re responding to you,” he told her. “If they believe in the prophecy, they’ll look to you for guidance. This is your call.”
“You’re right,” she said to him. She faced the crowd again as she spoke. “I was born a Hunter. I was also born part vampire.”
Murmurs of disbelief traveled through the crowd. “Vampires cannot be born!” someone yelled.
Quinn lifted a hand for silence. Julian’s eyebrow rose when the crowd quieted at once. The vampires were doubtful of her and everything they were being offered tonight, but Quinn still had them eating out of the palm of her hand.
“Let me explain,” she said.