Night Unbound (34 page)

Sighing, Seth sat beside him and leaned back against the wall. “You're right. I didn't see it.”

“Now that I know what you're dealing with here, I understand why.”

And Aidan didn't even know about Ami. “It's no excuse. I should have realized.”

“Seth, you can't be everywhere at once,” Aidan said, the words oddly familiar. “Because you
seem
to know everything, some of us sometimes forget that you don't and . . . I don't know . . . expect perfection. Miracles. Though we are far from perfect ourselves.”

“If it helps, even after seeing the surveillance video, I had a hard time believing you guilty.”

“You're sure it's an immortal?”

“Yes. Whoever it is can erase memories.”

“Shit.”

“Everyone in the area has been cleared, so a teleporter must be involved.”

“And I can erase memories and teleport.” Again Aidan swore. “Who else can?”

“Chaahk and Imhotep. Their thoughts bore nothing perfidious. You were the only one who hid something behind unusually strong barriers.”

“Thanks for the nosebleed, by the way,” Aidan commented with a wry smile.

Seth laughed. “Actually that was Zach.”

“The bastard who captured me?”

“Yes.”

“Who
is
he? He clearly is an elder. And older than I, judging by the ease with which he kicked my ass.”

“You might say he's my cousin.”

Aidan whistled. “He's as old as
you
are?”

“Yes. And thank you for that.” As if Seth didn't feel ancient enough.

“Is he as powerful as you are, too?”

“No. But, in time, he'll come close.”

“I sense you don't want to talk about him.”

“I don't. Maybe later. I have too much on my mind right now.”

“Do you trust him?”

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes.”

And once more, Seth and the others were back to square one. If the tracking device Cliff planted on that vamp didn't lead them to the vampires' lair . . .

“Let me help you,” Aidan said.

Seth shook his head. “You don't have to earn a transfer, Aidan. It's yours. Just don't tell anyone how you went about securing it. And Bastien, I expect you, Melanie, and the vampires to keep our secret as well,” he said, knowing they eavesdropped.

They agreed.

Aidan held out a healed hand. “Thank you, Seth.”

Seth clasped Aidan's arm and pulled him into a hug, clapping him on the back. “The North Carolina bunch is a lively one,” he warned.

“Sounds like just what I need.”

“And we have other secrets we will ask you to keep as well.”

“Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I'm sincere in my desire to help you, Seth. And I won't betray you again. I vow it.”

Seth nodded.

They sat quietly for several moments, Seth puzzling over . . . everything. Frowning, he looked at Aidan. “What do
you
know about being poor? You haven't been poor since you were transformed and I took you under my wing. And you weren't even poor before that.”

“You caught that, did you?” he said with a smile, then shrugged. “My best Seconds have always been those you rescued from poverty.”

“I didn't rescue them. I just offered them a well-paying job I knew would suit them.”

“And they appreciated it and never took the perks for granted the way some do.”

“Am I the jackwad boss who likes to fuck with people's lives in your analogy?”

Aidan laughed. “No. As far as bosses go, you kick ass.”

“When I'm not kicking
your
ass? Or sending my henchman to do it for me?”

“Don't dwell on it, Seth.
I
don't intend to. I'm too old and weary to hold a grudge. And you've lived thousands of years. You were bound to make a mistake
some
time.”

“Three mistakes. You're the third immortal I've wrongly accused.”

His eyebrows flew up. “Really? Damn. I've been missing all the fun. We have a true mystery on our hands if the evidence has pointed you in that many directions.”

“You make it sound exciting.”

“It is. Hell, just the idea of encountering vampires who aren't the same old same old sounds exciting to me.”

“Even when they endanger younger immortals' lives?”

“No. That just sounds infuriating.” Aidan smiled. “Aren't you glad you'll have me around now to help you take care of them?”

Smiling, Seth shook his head. “I believe I am.”

Lisette smiled when Zach took her hand and twined his fingers through hers.

He had just rocked her world, as Americans were fond of saying, more than once, yet this simple act—holding hands—made her heart leap with joy.

He closed the door to the quiet room David had invited them to use and headed for the stairs that led up to the ground floor.

Keeping pace with him, Lisette admired the broad shoulders and muscular chest left bare by his usual wardrobe of black leather pants and boots. Now that he no longer subbed for Seth or wore hunting garb, Zach refused to carry katanas or anything else that would require looping scabbards over his shoulders or back. He didn't want anything to interfere with his wings when he released them. So, instead, he wore a beltlike bandolier around his hips with daggers and throwing stars tucked into sheaths and loops.

As he traveled the corridor in long, ground-eating strides, Zach looked like what he was: a bold, powerful warrior of old. Strong and regal and utterly edible.

He glanced down and caught her staring. “What?”

She shook her head. “I just love you. That's all.”

He stopped short. Turning to face her, he locked an arm around her waist and dragged her up against him. His lips crashed down on hers, stealing her breath and kick-starting her pounding heart.

Lisette's body reacted as though they hadn't just made love. Twice. Heating up and straining against him.

“Dude. Seriously. Get a room.”

Zach raised his head. Lisette saw Sheldon, standing just outside the training room.

Sheldon must not have liked what he saw in Zach's eyes, because he swallowed and ducked back into the room.

Zach's eyes glowed with golden fire when they met hers. “You don't know what hearing you say that does to me,” he said, voice guttural.

“I have a pretty good idea.” She arched into the hard length of him, hissing in pleasure.

He groaned and closed his eyes. “I don't think I'll ever get enough of you.”

“Good. Because I
know
I'll never get enough of
you
.”

Yuri's voice, thick with a Russian accent, floated out of the training room. “Well, I've had enough of the both of you. Either return to your bedroom and go at each other like rabbits, or continue on and spare us all the love and lust you're oozing.”

Stanislav laughed. “Go easy on them, Yuri. They've only just found each other.”

Yuri grumbled something in Russian.

Zach smiled and shook his head. Still clasping Lisette's hand, he stepped back.

She sighed as cool air swept between them, dampening her ardor. A little.

By the time they climbed the stairs and reached the ground floor, Zach had gotten his body under control.

Lisette wished
she
had been as successful.

They entered the infirmary and, again, stopped short.

“You've got to be fucking kidding me,” Zach snarled.

Seth and David sat beside Ami, pouring energy into her as usual. Marcus sat on the other side of her, the babe snoozing in his arms. At Ami's feet, stood a male immortal Lisette had never seen before.

“Aidan didn't betray us,” Seth announced.

This was Aidan? The Celt? The one Zach had captured?

Zach's hand tightened almost painfully around Lisette's. “We saw the surveillance video of him breeching network headquarters, using mind control—”

“He breeched network headquarters for another reason,” Seth said. “He is in no way connected to the new vampire army that has risen against us. I read his thoughts.
All
of them. Even those you couldn't access without killing him.”

“Then who is?” Lisette asked, at a loss. “Who is our enemy?”

“I don't know.” Seth sighed. “I feel like I'm being fucked with.”

She nodded. First the evidence had pointed to Zach. Then to her. Then to Aidan.

“Perhaps that's the point,” Zach suggested, still scowling.

Aidan nodded. “Someone may be trying to sow seeds of dissent, to pit you against the ranks.”

“How could they have known I would accuse the wrong Immortal Guardian? Three times,” Seth added with self-disgust.

“Technically,” Zach said, “I'm not an Immortal Guardian.”

“You'd damned well better be. You answered my calls for two days.”

“Oh.” Zach looked surprised. “Okay.”

Lisette nudged him with her shoulder. “Welcome to the ranks.”

“Anyway,” Aidan addressed Seth, “it's just fortunate that you accused
us
.”

Zach grunted. “How the hell is that fortunate? I got my ass kicked because he thought I was guilty.”

“As did I,” Aidan reminded him darkly.

Lisette grinned. “I didn't. I got a hug.”

The men laughed.

“Down With The Sickness” filled the air.

“I'm not kidding, Seth,” Zach warned. “I'm going to crush that phone if you don't change the ringtone.”

Smiling, Seth answered the call.

“Can you come and get me?” Chris asked. “I want to show you something, and I'm too tired to drive.”

“I'm on my way.” Seth released Ami and disappeared. Seconds later, he reappeared with Chris by his side.

Chris handed a cooler to Marcus. “I brought more milk.”

“Thank you.” Rising with the baby cradled in one arm, Marcus took the cooler to the kitchen.

Chris nodded a greeting to Lisette, Zach, and David, glared at Aidan, then held something up for Seth to inspect. “The tracking device Cliff planted.”

Seth frowned. “How did
you
get hold of it?”

“I expected movement once the sun set. When nothing happened, I ordered an infrared satellite scan of its location. The scan found no signs of life, so I sent men to the scene to check it out.”

“You should have let me do it,” Seth admonished.

“It wasn't necessary. I knew no one was there, so the risk was minimal.”

“Your new contacts provided you with the satellite imagery?”

Launching a satellite into space tended to attract attention, so the network didn't itself own one they could use when needed. That was where Chris's contacts came into play: men and women recruited from agencies, bureaus, and other groups shrouded in secrecy who were willing to risk all to help the Immortal Guardians whenever they needed special intel.

“Yes.”

“How did that go?” Seth asked.

“Smoothly for them. Hard as hell for me.”

Chris's last group of contacts, as well as their spouses and children, had either been tortured to death or shot execution style by Donald and Nelson's mercenaries. A quick peek into his thoughts told Lisette that Chris feared history would repeat itself.

“Speaking of which . . .” He drew a cell phone from his back pocket and held it out to Seth. “I instructed the men who got me the satellite photos to call this number if they have even the tiniest suspicion that they're being followed or have been compromised.”

Taking the phone, Seth nodded. “I'll teleport them and their families to safety if such should occur. Then you can work with the other network heads to create new identities for them and relocate them, preferably out of the country.”

“Thank you.”

“What did your men find?” Lisette asked.

“It was a small frame house. The little bit of furniture we found inside was broken and turned over. From the looks of things, the vampires scuffled. You know how volatile their tempers can be, even when newly turned.”

All nodded.

“We found the tracking device under a chair and assume it came off during the fight.”

Lisette shook her head. “That was our only lead.”

“I know,” Chris said. “And Cliff risked a hell of a lot to get it for us. I didn't tell you at the network, because I didn't want him to overhear.”

“Give me the tracking device,” Zach ordered.

When Lisette looked up, she damned near took a step back at the fury she saw reflected in his face.

Chris frowned. “What?”

“It still works, doesn't it?” Zach asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it waterproof?”

“Yes. My tech guys made it damned near indestructible.”

“Then give it to me, and I'll make sure it doesn't fall off the next vampire.”

“How exactly do you plan to do that?”

Tired of waiting, Zach took the tiny device from Chris. “I plan to shove it down his fucking throat.” He tucked the tracker in a front pants pocket. “If the vampire swallows it, it won't fall off. It can't be knocked off in a fight. He can't lose it. And I'll make damned sure he doesn't remember swallowing it. This shit needs to end.” Zach looked to Seth. “Does that work for you?”

Seth nodded. “Sounds good. And, since he'll swallow it, the virus won't view it as shrapnel and eject it.”

Lisette tightened her grip on Zach's hand. “I'm going with you.”

“The hell you are,” he denied.

“Then let me put it this way,” she said sweetly. “I'm going hunting tonight, with or without you. If I should happen to come across one of these new supervamps, I'll try to tag him myself. I can't make him swallow a tracker because I can't wipe his memory or do the mind control thing, but I guarantee you I'll get close enough to plant it on him
somewhere.
”

Zach swore.

She grinned. “You can't love that I kick ass, then try to keep me from kicking it.”

“Why the hell not?” he grumbled.

She laughed.

“Fine.
I'll
shove it down his throat.
You
can cheer me on.”

Lisette winked. “Let's just see how it goes, shall we?”

Zach and Lisette found no newbie vampires that night. Or the next. On the third, they fought two skirmishes with the usual vampire fare. Few in number. Easy kills. Zach spent more time admiring Lisette during the fights than he did combating the vampires.

She was such a fascinating combination of fragility and strength, of vulnerability and ferocity. The way she wielded her shoto swords, the agility with which she evaded the weapons of her opponents . . .

It just made him want to pounce.

The last vampire in the second battle fell.

Zach collected the vampires' weapons and tried to get his mind off all of the things he would be doing to Lisette if they were in the privacy of her bedroom.

The bowie knives, folding knives, and machetes were all of poor quality. Some of the blades had broken upon contact with Lisette's superior shoto swords. “What do you think?” he asked, holding them up. “Toss them?”

She nodded.

Zach zipped away to toss them in a Dumpster, then returned to her.

Lisette finished tucking her weapons away and handed him his.

“Thank you.”

She smiled and grabbed the vampires' sticky clothing.

“What?” Zach asked as he helped.

“Nothing. It's just . . .” She straightened. “I like that you let me be me,” she said with a shrug. “I like that you think I'm strong.”

“You
are
strong.”

“But you also appreciate my femininity.”

“I
more
than appreciate it,” he said with a leer.

She grinned. “Yet you aren't overprotective like my brothers and Seth, all of whom can drive me up the wall sometimes.”

“Oh, but I am. I cringe every time a battle arises. And my inner Neanderthal awakens whenever I think you're in danger.”

“Your inner Neanderthal?”

He nodded. “I believe you met him when I ordered you to never defy me again.”

She winked. “Your inner Neanderthal gave me multiple orgasms.”

And wanted to give her more.

“And if you really
were
Neanderthal-ish, you would have found some way to keep me at David's and gone hunting without me these last few nights.”

“I knew you would never forgive me if I did,” he admitted. “And I didn't want to—I don't know—stifle you.”

She crossed to him and rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek. “You see? You let me be me.”

“Because I love you as you are. Even when you scare the crap out of me by putting yourself in danger.”

“Sweet-talker.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips, then a second and a third. “You are so tempting.”

“Do you want to call it a night?”

“Yes.”

“But?”

“We need to find a newbie vampire to tag. It's taking too long. And I was serious when I said I want this shit to end.”

She nodded, face full of regret. “Me too. Let's get going then and tag one of these bastards before another immortal gets tranqed.”

“Where do you want to search next? UNCG?”

“I think Krysta and Étienne are hunting there tonight.”