A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) Read Free Page A

me terminated.”
    “How much time do you have before you are scheduled to appear before the Council?” Kayle asks.
    “I have managed to gain up to six weeks before I have to appear. Tyler’s fledgling status gives me a legitimate and legal reason, under their own laws, not to answer their summons immediately. For now, I will need to finish the blood oaths of Hassan’s vampires. Their additions will strengthen my own get and allow me to prepare for Hassan’s next attack.”
    I raise my head that I am resting on Christien’s shoulder. “Do you think he is going to try to attack us again?”
    Christien rubs my shoulder soothingly. “He will not attack us anytime soon, but we must stay vigilant. We cannot allow our guard to drop for even a moment in regards to Hassan. He is a powerful vampire with a cruel disposition. I have my reasons for wanting him dead, but many others would consider him a formidable challenge in power alone. I strongly believe he is not here in America anymore, but I cannot be entirely sure.”
    “I do not believe he is here either. Our best trackers would have found some trail by now if he were.” Kayle agrees.
    “Tell me about what happened tonight with the Vampire Council’s representative, Jolene, before I arrived.” Christien turns his focus on me.
    I give Christien the details of Jolene’s visit from the Vampire Council. Christien reassures me that I did the right thing by not allowing Kayle to invite her inside.
    “Why is it so important that she not be allowed inside? I know about the vampire needing permission to enter, but she is part of the Vampire Council? The Vampire Council is the law, right? She wouldn’t be able to do anything to us would she?” I ask, showing my ignorance.
    My lack of knowledge of vampires and their politics really sucks.
    “The Vampire Council was founded by old vampires a very, long time ago. The law that the Council works under is often bended to their will since they are the ones that create and enforce the laws we abide by today. There are properties inside a vampire’s blood that binds all vampires to the Vampire Council through their tête de ligne de sang . The instinct to obey all of the Council members and their representatives is profound. All têtes de lignes de sang , or heads of bloodlines,must swear their allegiance to the Council or die. Therefore, all of the fledglings, underlings and masters under blood oath to them, automatically have to obey the Vampire Council. If a tête de ligne chooses not to swear their allegiance by blood, the Council hunts and destroys their entire ligne de sang , their bloodline. A Council member could blood oath those vampires, integrating them into their own get, after killing their tête de ligne, if they choose to. This is the only way the Vampire Council can remain our ruling body. They have very old and highly skilled assassins, called Governors, which work for them, carrying out their judgments. You saw many of them outside. You should consider them the Vampire Council’s police officers. A tête de ligne de sang is responsible for all vampires in their ligne de sang . It is the responsibility of the tête de ligne de sang to maintain control of their subordinates. If they allow their vampires to break the law, the council punishes the tête de ligne in order to keep the rest of the vampires in line. For Hassan to go to the Council and claim that I am a rogue vampire, he has in effect, requested that the Vampire Council send assassins to kill me. As tête de ligne , he has every right to ask the Council’s assistance in terminating me. At the same time, he is announcing to all other têtes de lignes de sang that he is no longer strong enough to control his ligne de sang . Masters from all around the world will start to challenge him. Now that we have killed Demetri and Jacques and I have taken over most, if not all, of his remaining vampires, he has no chance of defending himself from their attacks