Night Unbound (17 page)

His tongue rasped across her nipple. At the same time, he slid a hand between them and stroked her clit. Ecstasy claimed her. Her body clenched and unclenched around his.

Zach stiffened as an orgasm gripped him.

Her climax seemed to go on for minutes, wringing the last of her strength until Lisette collapsed against him, hanging limply in his arms, breath coming in gasps.

Zach seemed a bit weak in the knees himself, resting his forehead on her shoulder as his breath slowly calmed.

Water continued to pound the tiles in the shower as she drew her fingers over his slick skin in languid movements.

He raised his head.

She met his golden gaze, saw the fierce emotion that lit his eyes, and . . . everything changed.
Everything
.

Framing his stubbled jaw in both hands, Lisette couldn't find the words to express what she felt for him in that moment.

He dipped his head. Their lips touched.

Her stomach growled.

Both laughed.

“I can't help it,” she said. “I'm always hungry after a hunt. Fighting with preternatural strength and speed burns a lot of energy. And this fight burned more than usual.”

Shaking his head, Zach withdrew from her and gently lowered her until her feet touched the floor. “Then let's see if we can't do something to replenish that energy.” As he reached for the soap and washcloth, he sent her a smile she thought half shy and half sly. “You'll need it later.”

She grinned. “How about dinner in bed? We could make a couple of sandwiches, grab some chips, and have a picnic down here.”

His smile broadened. “I like the sound of that.”

“Even though we'll get crumbs in the bed?” she teased.

He lathered up the cloth. “You could crush an entire bag of potato chips, sprinkle them on the sheets, and—as long as I held you in my arms—I wouldn't notice.”

Damn. He must be the only man on the planet who could make crumbs in bed sound romantic. “Maybe while we eat, you can explain to me how you can be so good at something you've never done before.”

He winked, the handsome rogue, and motioned for her to turn around. “I might not have done it, but I spent a
lot
of time thinking about it.”

Lisette laughed as he began to wash her back.

 

 

Seth leaned over David's desk, perusing the page full of barely understandable gibberish before him. At his elbow, David sat in his usual comfy chair and held the large medical text open to the passage he wished to discuss.

Weariness dragged at Seth, weighing his body down and forcing him to read the same damned paragraph several times before he could understand it. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept. Usually, he spent hours teleporting from this country to that, handling whatever crises arose and seeing to the various and assorted needs and concerns of Immortal Guardians worldwide, then sought sleep whenever his phone stopped ringing.

Now, instead of seeking rest, he returned to David's home to be near Ami, to monitor her condition, to prevent her from going into premature labor, and to pour over every medical textbook that might provide even the tiniest smidgeon of helpful information.

In the living room, someone cracked another joke about Tracy's racy dreams of Sheldon.

“Poor Tracy,” he murmured.

David grunted.

Seth knew the immortals and their Seconds meant no harm. They were just blowing off steam and easing tension the way so many family members did: by razzing and teasing each other mercilessly. But sometimes jests could cut deep.

And Tracy's figurative wounds were leaving her pretty battered.

“Do you want me to step in?” David asked softly.

That would put an abrupt end to it.

“Perhaps. Let us see how it plays out.” Frankly, Tracy's continued presence at David's home surprised Seth. Every chance encounter with Sheldon had to aggravate the situation, though Seth gave the boy credit for the kindness he had exhibited toward her. Sheldon had been nothing but respectful and had even leapt to her defense several times, ordering the others to cut the crap.

Seth wondered why Lisette hadn't insisted that
Tracy
be the one to stay home alone while
she
spent the day at David's. As long as the two didn't sleep in the same house, the dreams wouldn't affect Lisette. Lisette could easily avoid the erotic dreams
and
spare Tracy the humiliating jokes by staying here in her stead until some other titillating bit of gossip distracted the household.

Unless Tracy's dreams weren't the real reason for Lisette's absence.

Seth frowned at the thought.

A knock sounded on the closed study door.

“Enter,” David called.

Étienne strode in, his face liberally flecked with blood. Numerous cuts and tears marred his clothing, which glistened with wet patches. The younger immortal closed the door behind him and, a bag of blood held to his mouth, approached the desk.

“Everything okay?” David asked.

Étienne tossed the empty bag in the trash can.
Can we talk in one of the quiet rooms?

Seth motioned Étienne forward, then touched his and David's shoulders and teleported them to a secluded, moonlit beach.

Étienne looked around. “Where are we?”

“Rio de Janeiro.” Seth studied him. “What's troubling you?”

“Well, two things, actually. One, I fucked up. Sort of. Krysta and I didn't have any of the sedative on us. Or at the house.”

Seth scowled his displeasure.

“So we were headed to the network to pick some up,” Étienne hastened to add. “But, on the way there, we caught wind of some vampires at UNCG and detoured to take care of them before they could get their hands on any humans.”

David considered him thoughtfully. “Were they the new breed of vampires?”

“Three of them were.”

“How many total?” Seth asked.

“A dozen. Maybe a couple more. Anyway, I summoned Lisette to help us out.”

At least he had done that. Two young immortals against so many vampires at once could yield either victory
or
defeat.

“Did Lisette sedate them?” David asked.

“N-n-n-no,” Étienne responded with reluctance. “She didn't have any either.” He relayed the battle and subsequent victory for them.

“Did you and Lisette read their minds?” Seth asked, his concern growing. There had been vampire armies in the past, but none with such skilled fighters. Even Bastien's army had not been so well-trained.

“Yes. And that's the other thing that troubles me.” He shifted restively, a puzzled frown forming on his brow. “I found no information on the vampire who recruited them or trained them. Nothing on their plans beyond a desire to capture an immortal, which we already knew. But I
did
find blank spots. Not the kind that result from the brain damage the virus yields. The kind that indicate buried memories.”

Seth and David shared a sharp look. “You're sure?”

“Yes.”

“Lisette saw it, too?” Seth asked.

“Actually, Lisette said she only had time to read the mind of the vampire she fought and didn't find anything odd. Just the usual rage and pain.”

“Yet you did.”

“Yes.”

“Let me see what you saw,” Seth said.

Étienne nodded. “Just close your telepathic eyes if you come across any images of Krysta naked up there.”

Forcing a smile, Seth perused Étienne's memories. The battle replayed itself before him, as did the conversation that had followed it. He sensed David's presence in the young immortal's mind and knew he saw the same.

“What does it mean?” Étienne asked.

Seth said nothing.

“Are these vampires men we've encountered in previous battles?” he pressed. “I know we let some humans live the first time we came up against Donald and Nelson, and you two buried their memories.”

“I don't recognize them,” Seth said.

“Nor do I,” David pronounced.

“Only a telepath can bury memories,” Étienne said, “so a vampire couldn't have done it.” Once more, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, every movement expressing unease. “Could there be another Bastien out there, Seth? Another
gifted one
whose transformation you missed?”

There were three phenomena Seth always felt internally, no matter how far away they took place. The birth of a
gifted one
produced a sort of breathless tingling sensation in his chest. The death of either a
gifted one
or an immortal provoked a feeling of emptiness. And the transformation of a
gifted one
into an immortal prompted a sick feeling of dread. If Seth focused on that dread, the individual's fear and pain would serve as a beacon he could follow to track him or her down. While Seth had no control over the first two, he had
always
felt and followed the third, guiding each newly initiated immortal through the difficult transition and helping him understand his new existence.

With one exception: Bastien. So many immortals had been transformed that year, so many voices had called out to him, that Seth had somehow missed Bastien's.

Or
had
it just been the one exception?

“I don't know,” Seth responded at last.

A heavy silence descended upon them.

“I didn't want to say anything in front of the others,” Étienne murmured.

David nodded. “We appreciate your discretion and will look into it.”

Étienne just seemed glad to end the conversation.

“Thank you,” Seth added. He teleported Étienne back to David's study, then returned. “Could I have missed another one?” he asked David, dismayed by the thought. If he had missed two
gifted ones'
transformations, how many others might there be? How many other immortals had lived their lives believing themselves vampires destined to descend into madness?

“No,” David answered, utter conviction in his voice. “Could Zach have returned?”

Seth shook his head. “Even the merest
hint
that Zach might defect as I did and meddle in mortal affairs would have made the Others shit their shorts. After his little deviation a few months ago, they will have taken him well in hand and won't let him loose again. You can consider him under house arrest for the rest of eternity.”

“He couldn't escape?”

“With so many eyes constantly monitoring him? I don't see how.”

“Perhaps all eyes aren't monitoring him.”

“What do you mean?”

“All of the Others are telepathic. Tampering with vampires' memories would be child's play for them. Perhaps one of
them
is guilty of raising this army.”

“To what end? You know how fanatical they are. The Others believe any interaction at
all
with humans is dangerous. It's why they live in total isolation. They observe. They don't act. They
never
act. They fear even the slightest contact with humans would interfere with the natural course of mankind and bring about not only their
own
destruction, but that of the world.”

“The irony, of course, is that if
you
had not strayed and dabbled in mortal affairs, vampires would have roamed unchecked and would have long since slain every human on the planet.”

“And brought about the end of the world. Or at least, would have ended humanity's role in it. But the Others don't see it that way and never will. They believe humans must make their own destiny. And have good reason to think thusly.”

“I admit they do.”

Seth shook his head. “When I abandoned the path we all chose, they spent years trying to capture me and force me back into the fold. And, when that didn't happen, they spent years trying to kill me. And I was
helping
humans. The rest of them stayed true to their beliefs. Thousands of years have come and gone, and I was the only one who deviated.”

“Until Zach.”

“Until Zach.” Seth looked out over the darkened ocean. “If there is such a thing as lockdown mode where the Others reside, they will have instituted it for the long haul. I do not doubt that, even as we speak, Zach is being tortured for his defection. And all he did was unbury the memories of two men. He played no role in the rest of their game.”

“Well, whoever we are facing now isn't just tampering with vampires' memories. He's raising and training the army himself.
Choosing
them himself.
Infecting
them himself.”

“The Others would never allow so great a defection to take place again. I am their cautionary tale. They still believe I will bring about Armageddon with my meddling. Do you really think they would allow another to leave the path?”

“No. You're right. It can't be one of the Others. I just . . . don't like the alternatives.”

Seth paced toward the soft waves that stroked the sand a few yards distant. “I must have missed another
gifted one's
transformation.”

“You didn't.”

“What other explanation can there be?” he asked. “As Étienne said, the vampires' memories had to have been buried by a telepath.” And if Seth, David, Zach, and Étienne hadn't done it, that only left . . .

David met his stare, face somber.

“No,” Seth said, “I refuse to believe it.”

David nodded. “The thought sickens me as well.”

“Lisette wasn't the one who betrayed us by restoring Donald's and Nelson's memories. She has no reason to betray us now.”

“I agree.” A moment passed. “So why has she been avoiding us?”

“You didn't buy the Tracy explanation either?”

“No. If Tracy's dreams were bothering her, Lisette would have simply continued to spend the day at my place while Tracy slept at home. Not the reverse. Which would also have allowed Lisette to continue to keep an eye on Ami, as we both know she has been doing almost obsessively until recently.”