"Every tribe recognized by the council contributes to a general fund, but the supply of synthetic blood is always free to its members."
Quinn pointed a finger at Dmitri. "And that right there is the problem. It's free to its members. Well, guess what? We're not members, which means we can't afford it. No one who isn't a registered member of a tribe can afford it. Where do you think rogues come from? I'd bet you anything that a majority of them are simply poor and have no affiliation with one of your recognized tribes."
"Nothing is stopping them from joining a tribe."
"Bullshit!"
Dmitri's head snapped back. "The only reason to not join a tribe is because they want to feed from humans and it's against our laws."
"Or you're mated to a human." Quinn's jaw clenched as the old hurt he'd lived with most of his life grabbed him. "If you're a vampire and you make the mistake of bonding with a human, and then you get knocked up by said human, neither your mate or the child, who is a product of that mating, are accepted into one of your precious tribes."
"That's not true," Dmitri insisted. "I'll admit we're not allowed to tell humans about us unless we are mated to them or under special circumstances, but that doesn't keep them from joining our tribes. Even Prince Nikolas's mate is a human."
"Then why was my family denied?" Quinn snapped. "We were told humans weren't accepted. Half vampire, half human children were not even accepted. Our mother is a vampire. Our fathers were human. We've been called worthless, half-breeds, abominations, you name it. We were told that we would never be allowed into a vampire tribe because we weren't good enough."
"No, that's wrong," Dmitri said. "Who told you that?"
"Your precious vampire tribe. Nikolas Vaile's vampire tribe. Every damn vampire tribe in the city." Quinn tossed his hands up into the air as he spun away. "I've been to them all. I've begged and pleaded for them to at least take the kids. They need blood. I don't. I was turned away every single time and warned not to come back."
Those hateful words still resonated inside of him.
He planted his hands on his hips and turned to look at Dmitri again. "How many others are there out there like me? Like the kids? How many others have gone rogue because they had no choice?"
"Look, you need to understand, that's not the way it's supposed to be. I'll give you, humans haven't always been accepted, but times are changing."
"Too little, too late." And it was as far as Quinn was concerned. "Because you vampires don't accept humans, even if times are changing, we're labeled rogue and face execution because we need blood."
Dmitri's gaze dropped to the gauze tape on Quinn's arm. "Is that what happened there?"
"Once a week, I go down to the local clinic and the doctor there withdraws enough blood for the kids. That way, they aren't harming anyone. They're not biting anyone or attacking them. It's my blood, which means it's mine to give."
"What clinic?"
Quinn pressed his lips together, refusing to share that information. Dr. Webster had been good to him and the kids. He wasn't about to betray that goodness by turning the man in to the one group of people who could not only put him out of business, but kill him.
Quinn shook his head. "I'm not telling you, so you can stop asking."
"You need to tell me. I need to know if this clinic is going to be a danger to us."
"Oh, hell no!" Not in this lifetime or the next. "That clinic has saved me, the kids, and every other person in the area who can't afford simple medical care. If you think I'm going to tell you anything just so you can go shut it down, you're dumber than you look."
"Look—"
Quinn held up his hand. "Just go."
"I can't."
Quinn's shoulders slumped. "Why not?"
"You really have to ask that?"
Quinn felt like banging his head against the wall. "Yes, I really have to ask that."
"Because my prince will skin me alive if I don't bring you back, find out how much the people at this clinic know about us, and track down the rogues. I'm his second-in-command. That's what I do."
Holy shit.
Of all the vampires in the city he could have run into, it had to be Prince Marcus's second-in-command. Somehow, it didn't surprise Quinn. That just seemed to be the way his luck was running as of late.
"Fine, whatever." Quinn started walking across the room. "Stay, go, I don't care. I have to go to bed. I'm dead on my feet."
Dmitri grimaced. "Maybe I can get Prince Marcus to wait until morning to meet with you."
"That would be great." Of course, he'd be gone by morning, but Dmitri didn't need to know about that. "You can let yourself out."
"I'm afraid I'll have to stay here until you meet with the prince."
"Whatever." That was going to make things a little more interesting, but Quinn still planned to grab the kids and run. "I'll get you some blankets and a pillow and leave them on the couch and then I am going to bed. Six o'clock in the morning comes awfully early."
Dmitri's eyebrow arched. "Six o'clock?"
"That's when the kids wake up. I have to get Robby ready for school and Hannah goes to preschool. I have Arthur with me until the others get home and then the sitter comes over and I go to work."
"I'll hang out in the living room."
"Don't turn the TV up too loud or you'll wake the kids, and then you'll have to deal with them. I need at least six hours of sleep in order to function." Quinn waved his hand toward the front door. "And make your phone call out on the porch. I'm serious about you dealing with them if you wake them up."
"I'll be quiet, but I have to check in."
Quinn nodded and started down the hallway again. He cracked the door of the kids' room, peeking in on them. They were both sound asleep. Quinn hated the idea of waking them, but he didn't have a choice. When he closed the door, he left it open just a crack.
Quinn grabbed a folded blanket and spare pillow out of the closet at the end of the hallway and then carried them back to the living room. He set them on the edge of the coffee table.
When he glanced toward the front of the house, he could make out Dmitri's tall form pacing back and forth across the porch. The low timber of his voice was barely discernible through the closed door, but whoever he was talking to did not seem to be making him happy.
Quinn hurried down the hallway to the kids' room. "Robby, Hannah, you need to get up." He walked over and shook each of them. "Wake up, but be very quiet. Get dressed and then get your go-bag. Do not leave your room until I come for you."
Robby's lips trembled. "Is it—?"
Quinn hated the fear that came to Robby and Hannah's eyes. Children this young should never know such fear. "No, it's not rogues, but we still need to go. Help Hannah get dressed. Shoes and jackets."
He left the kids to dress and made his way to his room. He hated leaving the two kids to fend for themselves, but he still had to get the baby.