Night Unbound (42 page)

Seth took a step toward Jared, eyes still glowing gold. “No, he doesn't.”

“I fail to see how you alone can stop us.”

A slow smile curled Seth's lips. “Me alone? I don't know. I think I could give you a run for your money. But . . . I don't happen to be alone.” He raised one arm and waved it in a circle.

The trees and foliage that formed a circle around them began to whisper with movement. Zach's mouth fell open as men and women with glowing amber eyes stepped from the shadows and moved forward to stand atop the hills. Hundreds of Immortal Guardians, hands curled around weapons that glinted in the moonlight. All of them ready to battle ancient immortals to the death, if necessary, so Zach could remain among them.

His heart began to pound with some unidentifiable emotion. His astonished gaze alighted upon Lisette.

The Others drew weapons and put their backs together.

“Really?” Seth asked. “Are you
that
stupid?”

“Why are you doing this?” Jared hissed.

“Because it's the right thing to do.” Seth shook his head. “Don't you ever think about that? Any of you? Don't you
ever
stop thinking about what the
safe
thing to do is and consider what the
right
thing to do is?”

Of course, they didn't. The Others weren't going to ferret out the betrayer and take him out of the game because it was the right thing to do. They were going to do it to save their own asses, because they—like all intelligent people—feared what the Apocalypse might bring.

No. They feared what they
knew
it would bring.

The Others put away their weapons.

“And don't think you can grab him later,” Seth added. “If you try to take Zach, everyone you see around you will be out for your blood . . . with me in the lead.”

Movements stiff and radiating displeasure, the Others stretched their wings, leapt into the sky, and soon disappeared into the night.

As silence enfolded them, Zach stared at Seth. “How did you do it? How did you conceal their presence?” He motioned to their Immortal Guardian audience. “I didn't hear a single heartbeat. Didn't scent them on the breeze.”

Seth offered him a weary smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Trade secret.”

“One I hope you'll share someday.”

“I may have to,” Seth said wryly.

Lisette raced down the hill and joined them with a smile.

“How did you bring them all here?” he asked Seth as he wrapped an arm around her and drew her up against his side. Lisette had still been at David's house when he and Seth had left. As had Roland, Marcus, and several other immortals.

“Aidan, Richart, and the other teleporters helped me.”

Some of whom had already begun to teleport immortals away.

“Welcome to the family, you lucky bastard!” someone yelled.

Seth actually laughed. “That would be Wulf. He was smitten with Lisette for a time.”

Zach looked down at Lisette.

She shrugged. “I trained him.”

“Did every immortal male you trained fall in love with you?”

“No,” she said at the same time that Seth said, “Yes.”

Laughing, Zach hugged her close.

Alone in a room large enough to be a ballroom, Seth sat in darkness. No windows offered a moonlit reprieve. No carpets softened the cold stone floor beneath his butt. No furniture graced the room. The only ornamentation that prevented the cavernous room from being a large blank slate was an elaborate carving that whorled across the floor and up three of the four pale-gray marble walls. Hidden amongst the many shadows and crevices the massive engraving created were names, dates, and small notations made in an ancient language that would confound all but the one who had etched them. Only the wall encasing the door bore no markings.

Immortals and humans alike were forbidden to enter. Should any grow curious, they would discover—much to their frustration—that they couldn't open the door and peer within no matter how hard they tried. Though no visible lock could be found on the large oak door, any who sought to open it in Seth's absence would find the task impossible, even when force and power tools were applied.

This place . . . this room . . . was his alone.

Seth didn't know how long he sat there, staring at nothing. Hunger and thirst were ever-present companions, but neither could distract him from his thoughts.

Self-recriminations and doubt pummeled him, grief urging them on. Beneath those, he heard the sounds of bare feet meeting stone and the faint rustle of clothing moving closer.

Déjà vu
.

Through the open door his visitor came. Into the room.
His
room. The forbidden room. Unafraid of inciting his wrath. Padding toward him. Slowing. Hesitating.

From the corner of his eye, he saw small, pale toes curl against the cold stone. This time, instead of being nearly hidden by the frilly hem of a demure white nightgown, they peeked out from under black cargo pants.

Ami.

She touched his head, drew one of her small hands gently back over his hair.

Seth didn't look up. He couldn't.

She lowered herself to the floor beside him, her shoulder brushing his arm. Seated with her back to the wall, she stretched her legs out and crossed them at the ankles.

Quiet embraced them.

Long minutes passed.

“You should be with your family,” he murmured. With her baby and her loving husband. Their immortal family in North Carolina. Not here in England, holding his hand.

“
You're
my family,” she said. “And Adira's fine. She's downstairs with her daddy. She won't miss me for a while.”

He hadn't even heard their arrival.

“David told us you haven't had any luck finding Stanislav.”

Seth had spent weeks searching for him to no avail, striving to find some shred of hope that the blast hadn't killed him.

“Do you think, maybe, that he just . . . retreated somewhere to grieve? Alexei told us Stan and Yuri were as close as brothers.”

Seth shook his head. “He would have told us, had that been his intention. He wouldn't have wanted us to worry. And . . .” He fell silent.

“And?” she asked softly.

Seth swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I can't feel him anymore. Can't sense him when I reach out to him. There's just . . . a void.”

Ami sandwiched one of his hands between hers.

Seth forced himself to continue. “Alexei must be right. Stanislav must have been killed, seconds after Yuri was, in the explosion. Otherwise I would have felt both deaths.”

“I'm so sorry, Seth.”

“I could've saved them. I could have prevented their being slain.”

“No, you couldn't have.”

“The Immortal Guardians know how powerful I am. I know some of them don't understand why I let the battles rage instead of merely killing our enemies with a thought and keeping the immortals safe.”

Her shoulders moved in a slight shrug. “They're young.”

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Most of the immortals are hundreds of years older than you.”

“But my
race
is ancient. As a people, we've seen more than even you and David could conceive,” she said simply. “And we've learned from our mistakes. The immortals might not understand why you work so hard to maintain a balance, but I do. Their very lives depend upon it. As do the lives of humans.”

“That doesn't make it any easier.”

“I know.”

Time ticked past.

“I'm so sorry for your loss, Seth,” she whispered.

He nodded, eyes burning. Drawing her hand to his chest, he shifted until he lay on his side with his head in her lap.

Ami drew her free hand over his hair in long, soothing strokes, offering him silent solace.

Closing his eyes, Seth finally let himself weep for those he had lost.

 

 

“Before I'm Dead” sang through the kitchen.

“Ignore it,” Zach implored, his mouth tempting Lisette's as no other's ever had.

She nipped his lower lip. “I can't. I promised Richart I'd always answer, remember?”

Groaning, he pressed his forehead to hers. His hands tightened on her hips, then relaxed as he took a resigned step backward.

Less than thrilled by the interruption herself, she took the call.
“Oui?”

“Is this a bad time?”

She straightened, her eyes meeting Zach's as he, too, perked up a bit. “Seth. No, not at all. Hi.” Ami had confessed to being worried about him. Even had she not, all knew Seth was taking the deaths of Stan and Yuri hard.

“Zach, is it a bad time?” Seth asked. “Lisette is too polite to say otherwise.”

Zach laughed. “No. We were just about to have dinner. Would you care to join us?”

Lisette wouldn't have thought it possible to love Zach more, but—in that moment—she did.

“Actually that sounds good, if I wouldn't be imposing.”

She smiled. “Our home is your home, remember? You could
never
impose.”

Zach winked. “Well, I wouldn't go
that
far.”

Seth chuckled. “I shall be there shortly.”

Lisette set her phone on the counter and smiled at Zach. “That was kind of you.”

Zach shrugged. “He's hurting.”

Seth appeared in the kitchen and nodded to them both.

Lisette crossed to him and gave him a big hug.

Sliding his arms around her, Seth hugged her back. “What's this for?”

“For being you,” she said. Releasing him, she winked and cast a sly glance at Zach. “And because they say jealousy makes the heart grow fonder.”

Seth smiled, amusement brightening his haggard features. “I believe it's
absence
that makes the heart grow fonder.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Really?”

Zach narrowed his eyes. “Don't even think about it.”

“You know I can't stand being parted from you.” She waved at Seth's coat and clothing. “Make yourself comfortable. I was just about to take the turkey out of the oven.”

“Is that what smells so delicious?” Seth shrugged off his coat.

Lisette grabbed a couple of potholders and drew the enormous turkey from the oven. As she turned to set it on the stove, she caught Seth staring. “What?” she asked as she retrieved a carving knife from a nearby drawer.

“You cooked a whole turkey?”

“Yes.”

Zach took Seth's coat and left to hang it on a hook near the door.

“Are you expecting guests?” Seth asked.

“No.”

“I told you,” Zach mumbled as he returned, “the woman is always hungry.”

“I heard that,” Lisette said.

“You were meant to.”

Seth smiled, his shoulders relaxing.

Lisette motioned to him with the knife. “I'm serious. Make yourself comfortable. You can be yourself here.”

He glanced at Zach.

“I think she has a thing for wings.”

Grinning, Seth removed his shirt and draped it over a chair, then released his wings.

As soon as she filled all of their plates with warriors' portions, the three of them sat down to dinner: Lisette in the chair at the head of the table, the men seated across from each other on the bench seats.

She had to admit, it was heady to share a meal with two such incredibly handsome and powerful men, their dark, arresting wings cascading to the floor behind them.

They settled into easy, comfortable conversation, taking turns talking as they sated their hunger. During a lull, Seth removed a folded piece of paper from a back pocket and slid it across the table to her.

“What's this?” she asked, unfolding it to find it covered in tidy script.

“Exercises Aidan believes will strengthen your mental barriers.”

Lisette's gaze skipped from Seth to Zach.

Zach studied Seth while he finished chewing. “Do you believe him?”

“It's how he says he made his own so impenetrable.”

“How strong will her barriers become?”

“Aidan thinks they could potentially rival his own.”

“Even though I'm so much younger than he is?” Lisette asked.

“Yes.”

Her heart began to thump a bit faster. “So no one would be able to read my thoughts?”

Seth met her gaze. “Zach and I would always be able to if we forced it. But I'm hoping that performing those exercises according to Aidan's instructions would make it impossible for anyone else to read them.”

“Even when I'm sleeping or don't have my guard up?”

“Again, that's what I'm hoping.”

She looked at Zach. Would he then be free to share his secrets with her?

Zach clasped her hand.

“We will only be able to share our secrets with you if Aidan is correct,” Seth warned.

“But you've given me hope,” she said. “Thank you, Seth.”

Zach nodded. “Thank you.”

There was so much she wanted to know. She glanced at the paper. “Did he say how long it would take?”

Seth's look turned apologetic. “Years, I'm afraid, since you're so young.”

Damn. “That's okay. I'll take it.”

“Until then, it occurred to me that there is something you need to know now.” He cast Zach a meaningful look. “But if I tell you, you will have to keep your guard up while you're around your brothers, Aidan, and any other telepaths who may visit the area.”

“Okay.”

“You can't slip, Lisette.”

“I won't.

“And you can't sleep near any telepath who may venture into your mind before the walls you erect become permanent.”

“I won't sleep at David's anymore and haven't spent the night at either of my brothers' homes since Zach and I started sleeping together.”

“I'm sure they'll miss you, but this is important.”

Zach began to stroke the back of Lisette's hand with his thumb.

Did he know what Seth intended to reveal?

“In light of Marcus and Ami's situation . . .” Seth began.

Lisette frowned. “You mean the baby?”

“Yes.” Leaning forward, Seth braced his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. “You need to know that Zach and I aren't infected with the virus.”

She stared at him, uncomprehending. “What?”

Seth glanced at Zach. “We aren't infected.”

She followed his gaze and met Zach's dark brown eyes.

Dark brown eyes she had seen glow golden.

“But . . . your eyes glow like ours . . . and you have fangs.”

“Actually, we don't,” Zach corrected her. “If you think back on it, you'll recall that, even when Seth was at his most furious, you never saw fangs. Nor have you ever seen me sport them.” And fangs, like glowing eyes, were involuntarily triggered by strong emotion in those who were infected.

“But you're so old.”

Both men winced, but she couldn't worry about that right now.

“I mean you're both ancient. You're older than the damned pyramids!”

Zach continued to stroke her hand. “Yes.”

“How is that . . . ? I don't understand how that could be possible if you aren't infected with the virus. What
are
you?”

Seth shifted, drawing her attention once more. “That we cannot tell you. Not until your mental barriers rival Aidan's.”

“So . . .” She studied Zach. “You aren't infected.”

He shook his head.

“That's why you wouldn't let me give you blood after you were tortured.”

“Correct.”

Seth sighed. “I fear we have a rough road ahead of us. The Others have successfully identified our enemy, but have been unable to locate him. I'm beginning to lose confidence that they can capture him and neutralize him. Zach and I may soon have to say to hell with them and take matters into our own hands. But, if he's strong enough to elude our detection and still bent on breeding chaos, things could get ugly.”

“An understatement,” Zach muttered.

Seth nodded. “I thought you needed to know that you shouldn't infuse Zach if he is ever wounded badly enough to lose consciousness.”

“Oh.”

“And, also . . .” Seth hesitated.

“What?” Lisette asked, wondering why Seth seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“Ami is a mortal with incredible regenerative capabilities,” he said at last. “Marcus is an Immortal Guardian. Together . . .”

Her heart gave a funny leap. “Are you saying I could get pregnant?”

“I believe it's possible, yes.”

Lisette hadn't realized how much she wanted to have a child—
Zach's
child—until happiness at learning she actually
could
flooded her. She smiled at Zach and squeezed his hand. “We can have a baby,” she whispered, awed by the possibility.

“No, we can't,” he said, regarding her with a sad smile. “Because she's from another planet, Ami appears to have some resistance to the virus. A resistance that she passed on to the babe, protecting her. I don't have that.”