“Simeon and Napoleon put them between a rock and a hard place, and while the council wasn’t sure any others like me existed, they erred on the side of caution. The last thing they wanted was a war, especially one they felt they couldn’t win, and in order to assure that peace, they offered me a seat at the table, which I think I mentioned before. And, since it now appeared there were two factions of vampires, it was only fair that both were represented on the council.”

“So they made you one of the bosses, even though they weren’t sure other daywalkers were around?”

“Yes,” Bennett said, shifting slightly. “They did attempt to add on a few provisos, rules whereby I would keep a running tally of all daywalkers discovered, and report to the council their names and locations; however, that fell on my very stubborn deaf ears. If they wanted a détente, then it would be done my way. I would represent daywalkers. I would be their voice; however, if any chose to identify themselves to me, that information would remain with me. No one other than me would ever get their names.”

“And they bought that?”

Bennett laughed. “They didn’t have a choice. They went from thinking they were virtually indestructible to realizing they could very easily become just another part of the food chain.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A few minutes after closing time on Monday night, Bennett let herself into the gallery and locked the door behind her. The sound system was off, and the lights were dim, and they would remain that way until the gallery reopened after New Year’s.

Before she took another step, she heard someone coming up the hallway. Their walk was too heavy for Lisa, so it didn’t surprise her when Gunnar appeared.

“I’m glad I caught you before you left,” Bennett said, smiling at the man. “Are Finn and Lisa here, too?”

“Lisa’s in the office, but Finn already left. He had some shopping to do.”

“Let me guess. A few last-minute things?”

“More like his entire list,” Gunnar said, his eyes glinting with humor.

“Oh, he’s one of those, is he?”

“Yeah, but I can’t bust his chops too much,” Gunnar said, fastening his coat. “I have a couple of things I still need to get, too.”

“Then, by all means, don’t let me keep you.” Bennett placed a couple of foil-wrapped packages on a nearby pedestal and pulled two envelopes from her inside coat pocket. “These are for you and Finn. I hope you both have a happy and safe holiday.”

“Thanks, Bennett,” Gunnar said, sliding the envelopes into his pocket. “We wish you the same, and my folks said they extended an invitation, so if you change your mind, you’re more than welcome. You know that—right?”