"What about the safe room?" Simon wanted to know. "It's got a great communications centre, with wifi and satellite connections. I could set all my stuff up in there. I have communication headsets for all of us, and I could help coordinate everything. We also have some monitors on the grounds that I can keep an eye on, and let you guys know as soon as I see anything suspicious. Lucy can hang out with me - she'll be safe in the safe room. Obviously," he added dryly.
"Right," said Fergus. "I'll help Simon set everything up in the safe room. Marcus - you and Rebecca can help carry all this and the firearms to one of the older sections of the house. Julia and Oliver can show you where. But first..." he held out a tub of iron tablets. We passed the tub between us, each counting out a dozen or so tablets, and swallowing them. Oliver took a few more, Julia a few less.
I watched them all, feeling sick. I had brought them all to this, this awful situation, where they might have to risk their own lives to fight for mine. I was desperately and blindingly afraid of Jack, but I fleetingly considered handing myself over to him to spare these people this future that awaited them - one which they had not chosen for themselves.
Oliver glanced up from the table where he was gathering up a several pieces from his armoury, and his eyes met mine. His brows drew together in a frown as he sensed my thoughts, and his expression hardened.
"No, Rebecca, " he said. "Our family owes Jack a debt, and we choose to do this." He smiled without humour. "And I really like to fight."
I gazed into his eyes for a few moments, and I saw the truth of his words, and I was suddenly a bit frightened of this uncannily good-looking vampire, of his intensity and fierceness. Another part of me, a base, traitorous fragment of my soul, felt a tug of attraction to this man. He must have sensed it, because his eyes softened, and his lips curled in a wistful smile.
Then it was all action, people moving about purposefully, gathering up weapons. We followed Julia down a couple of passages until we came to the massive old room that had been the scene of my abduction yesterday. Today it seemed different, safer somehow. It helped that Marcus was there, and Julia. And Oliver, who stood at the enormous wooden table in the centre of the room, explaining to Marcus how to use a wicked looking crossbow, that looked like it was modified to fire repeatedly - a type of magazine was fitted below it, and several of these were gathered in a heap at one end of the table. He removed the magazine easily, demonstrating the mechanism to Marcus who nodded and looked impressed.