"Get to it." Charles nudged him.

"Valon was marked by the Guardians long ago when he turned eighteen and his powers began to emerge."

"And?" Jonny prodded.

"Valon is a godslayer," Charles spoke quietly.

Jonny's world froze for a moment. "That's how he was able to convince half the vamps to leave with him."

"I think so."

The hacker appeared braced for a beating. Jonny knew the rep of his predecessor through Charles. The former Black God, Czerno, had been mentally unstable, likely to kill anyone who brought him bad news. Jonny had no intention of shooting the messenger, but the tension building inside him was of a kind he hadn't experienced recently.

"No one hears about this," he said and touched the hacker on the shoulder. "You understand?"

Stuart jumped and then nodded vigorously.

Jonny met Charles' gaze and strode into the hallway. Charles followed the unspoken order, and the two of them walked onto the porch on the main level beneath his veranda overlooking the ocean.

For a long moment, Jonny stood and stared out into the dark night. Godslayers were rarely born more often than every ten thousand years or more, according to what he'd learned from the Guardians. He had accepted his immortality only to discover there really was a direct threat not just to him but to all he'd built. The first couple years of his reign had been plagued by doubt and the ferocious wish that he could change what had happened that led him to become the Black God.

Slowly, things had changed. He'd stopped viewing himself and his position with horror and regret and began seeing how he was going to make his reign different. Better. More sustainable, without the constant wars fought with the White God.

His mind racing, he reviewed everything he'd done and came to a conclusion that left him a little surprised. He wasn't about to give up his position, as ill suited as he once considered himself to be for the job. In fact, the idea of losing the empire he'd begun to rebuild infuriated him.

"Valon is too similar to your predecessor," Charles said finally. "Under you and the catch-and-release agreement with Damian, the vamps won't have to spend their lives in hiding. We have as much freedom as predators can ever expect."

"I have no intention of surrendering my position, if that's what you're thinking," Jonny replied. "My goal has always been to help the vamp life become a legit subculture that doesn't have to challenge the White God's obligation to protect humanity. I remember wanting to be normal when I was vamped. Maybe it's too late for some of the old guard, but for the next generation, my generation, I want this life to be better. I want all of us to have a shot at a shadow of normalcy."




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