A Vampire's Soul by Carla Susan Smith Page A

and balances. “Yes,” I answered, “but he didn’t go into specifics.” And at the time I’d been too pissed by his condescending attitude to want to know.
    â€œWell, we don’t have many,” Gabriel allowed, “but the most important is the protection of those who are truly innocent. Children. If a vampire harms a child in any way, the punishment is death.” He gave me a hard look. “And you should know there are never any mitigating circumstances . Our law is absolute. To harm a child is forbidden.”
    â€œBut you said she wasn’t a vampire,” I countered.
    â€œShe wasn’t. As a species, you prey viciously on your own kind, especially those most in need of protection. As a result, it was decided centuries ago to extend our law to include human offenders, and thereby protect those who are unable to protect themselves.”
    â€œAnd she was selling children?”
    He nodded and my stomach rolled, sending a wave of nausea washing through me. This changed everything, as I’m sure Gabriel knew it would. My hands began shaking again, only this time it was as if I was afflicted with some type of debilitating tremor. I didn’t doubt his words, but it was difficult for me to imagine the woman with the moonlight hair committing such despicable acts.
    â€œBut couldn’t you have turned her over to the police?”
    The faintly mocking smile that curled Gabriel’s mouth said he found my faith in human law enforcement, and the judicial system, naïve. “I usually do,” he told me, “once I am assured the evidence is strong enough to guarantee a lengthy incarceration. Unfortunately, her lawyer was able to get my evidence thrown out. On a technicality .”
    I didn’t know it was possible to articulate a single word with such contempt.
    â€œSo you took matters into your own hands because her lawyer found a loophole?”
    â€œIt was the only course left open to me. Sadly, your legal system continually proves itself incompetent to punish the truly guilty.”
    I wish I could have said I was outraged by his words, but I wasn’t. I’m not as naïve about our legal system as Gabriel might have thought. Seriously flawed, the process is, in my mind, most definitely not equitable. Whoever can afford the better attorney will, more often than not, win the day. So hearing that critical evidence was not admitted due to a technicality did not surprise me. I just wondered how much the woman’s attorney had charged her for that. I was beginning to understand Gabriel’s brand of vampire justice. The countless young lives he’d saved from future misery weighed heavily in the balance.
    â€œWhat else is troubling you?” he said quietly from the doorway. I flashed him a look, and he lifted his shoulders slightly. “I know you well enough to tell when you are distraught.”
    He was right. I was distraught, only this was something a little more personal. Heat rushed up from below the neckline of my T-shirt and slapped me in the face. “I understand your reasons for doing what you did, but couldn’t you have just offed her while she still had her clothes on?”
    â€œOffed her?” Now I knew he was struggling not to laugh. “Yes, I suppose I could have, but then the message I wanted to send might not have been as effective.”
    â€œMessage? What message?”
    He sighed and went back to being serious. I think it was at this moment that I realized just how big a deal explaining himself to me was. “There’s a certain degree of trust that comes with being naked. Even if you’re not consciously aware of it, you need to feel safe before undressing, but sometimes safety is nothing but an illusion.” Gabriel paused, and I picked up the pillow in my lap, hugging it to my chest. “Executing her in such an intimate setting also served as a warning.”
    â€œTo