"What?" Xander demanded.
This sucks. Jonny hated to admit weakness, especially when he knew how far he'd come the past few years. He wasn't the same scared teen who killed a god and assumed his place. He was the master of a broken domain without the knowledge of how to fix it.
"My vamp problem is bigger than I let on," he allowed.
"Figured." Xander drew abreast of him, his red eyes glowing in the night.
"Half my vamps have gone rogue in protest of me being the Black God. They've started acting out, and it won't take long for Damian to get involved."
Xander listened. Jonny looked at him briefly. If Xander had any idea what he was doing with Brandon and Ash, he'd have confronted him rather than waited for Jonny to summon him. This secret was safe, at least for now.
"I need some space and time to hunt them down," he finished.
"Hmm. How are you handling the traitors?"
"The way you taught me. No mercy," Jonny said. "I'd rather have half as many who are loyal than risk the others betraying me again."
"Betrayal's a bitch."
Jonny glanced at him. Uneasiness slid through him for reasons he couldn't really identify, aside from the fact he'd heard those words from Ashley the day before. He wanted to think he hadn't betrayed her, that he'd put space between them when he realized she was more than a means to an end. He'd done it out of concern for her best interest as well as his. At the end of the day, she was a good girl, and he was the leader of creatures that preyed on humans.
"I knew you had potential." Xander smiled. "In that case, I'll talk to Damian. No guarantees. He won't take the loss of human life lightly."
"Have him give me a month."
"You think you can clean up the mess by then?"
"I have a plan," Jonny replied. "If I can't handle it, I'll go to Damian."
He wasn't about to admit it had been four months and he was struggling to track the rogue vamps. But with Brandon's help and their new talisman, in addition to the Trackers they planned to vamp, he had a shot at succeeding.
"I owe you. Again," Jonny said unhappily.
"We've got an eternity to settle up."
Jonny didn't want to think about how many favors he'd owe over a lifetime of being an immortal. He promised himself not to come to Xander again. He had already lost track of what he owed Xander. The vamp was dangerous, even if he did seem to want Jonny to succeed.