Death of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  “What will you do when you find her?” Imhotep asked, returning him to the present.

  “The same thing I did with Bastien when I captured him. Confine her and do whatever I can to convince her to trust me.”

  The quiet warrior nodded. “I will guard her for you, should you wish it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Seth just had to catch her first.

  Chapter Eight

  The next night, Seth paced David’s study. He had taken Ami out that afternoon to see if she could pick up Tessa’s energy signature. They had started where Gershom had teleported Tessa away, then had explored ever-widening circles. That Gershom had swept Tessa far enough away to keep her out of Ami’s range had come as no surprise.

  But it nevertheless infuriated Seth.

  According to information Chris had accumulated on Tessa during her lifetime, she was a warmhearted woman. The kind who would check on elderly neighbors to ensure they had adequate heat when temperatures dipped below freezing. The kind who would help her brother batten down the hatches for the same elderly neighbors if a hurricane threatened. The network had kept tabs on her all her life, the way they did for every gifted one to ensure humans wouldn’t discover her special ability and try to harm or exploit her because of it. The only reason her disappearance had gone unnoticed was because her brother had been killed in a car accident right before her disappearance and she had told her employer that she needed to spend time with her parents, who were taking the loss hard.

  Tessa was not the type to harbor hate. And yet she loathed Seth.

  What had Gershom told her? What had he done to her? Was he hurting her?

  The notion made Seth’s stomach churn.

  “You can try again tomorrow,” David said. Elbows propped on his desk, he followed Seth’s restive movements.

  “How is Gershom doing it?” Seth asked for the hundredth time. “How is he keeping me from sensing where she is the way I can with Immortal Guardians?”

  “I don’t know. That is something even I cannot do.” While David could conceal his own location from Seth (something he rarely did), he could not hide the location of other immortals from him.

  Seth continued to pace. “Any idea how Tessa could’ve become as strong as an elder?”

  “I am still pondering that one.”

  “Sean and some of the other immortals are wondering if Gershom turned her himself.”

  “We both know he can’t.” Gershom wasn’t infected with the virus. His immortality had been granted him at birth.

  Seth slowed to a stop and rubbed gritty eyes. “Vampire blood would not give her such strength and speed.” He refused to believe any of his Immortal Guardians were working with Gershom, so how had he done it? How had Gershom made his immortals so much stronger than they should be? Because logic suggested that the other missing immortals would be as strong as Tessa when he found them.

  A possible explanation teased the periphery of his thoughts, but Seth found himself reluctant to voice it. The idea both sickened him and lent him hope. And though he could do without the former, he wished to cling to the latter.

  “Seth?” David prompted. “What are you thinking?”

  He sighed. “You know me too well, damn it.”

  “I have often voiced the same complaint,” David replied with a faint smile.

  Seth met his gaze. “Do you think Gershom has Stanislav?”

  Sadness infiltrated David’s expression, bringing a faint glow to his eyes. “No.”

  “It would explain everything,” Seth argued, desperate to keep hope alive. “It would explain why I didn’t feel Stanislav’s death the way I did Yuri’s.” Seth always felt the death of an immortal deep inside but had only felt Yuri’s that day. “It would explain how Tessa could be as strong as an older immortal. If Gershom plucked Stanislav from the battlefield that day, he could’ve blocked me from sensing him all this time the way he’s blocking me from sensing the stolen immortals. And Stanislav is over four centuries old. If Gershom used his blood to transform Tessa and the others, she would be stronger than Sean and fight more like an elder.”

  “A plausible hypothesis,” David conceded softly. “But we found pieces of his protective suit.” They had attacked the mercenary compound during the day, so all but the eldest immortals had worn special suits to protect them from the sunlight. Seth himself was impervious to damage from the sun. David could withstand several hours of direct sunlight before he began to suffer the effects. But the younger the immortal, the greater his or her photosensitivity. Already severely injured, Stanislav wouldn’t have been able to withstand any sun exposure without burning, blistering, then worse.

  “We found pieces of his mask,” David reminded him, “torn and mangled by shrapnel. We found his sword, broken in two, so great was the blast when the armory blew. And Imhotep saw the explosion engulf him.”

  “Imhotep said too much chaos ensued afterward for him to see what happened next. With all the fire and smoke and the battle still raging, he could have missed seeing Gershom pop in and teleport Stanislav away.”

  “He didn’t miss it last night when Gershom teleported Tessa away.” David sighed. “I wish you were right, Seth. I do. Like you, I still grieve for Stanislav. But I think it more likely that Gershom took Aidan’s blood the night he attacked him and kidnapped Dana.”

  Seth hadn’t thought of that.

  “Aidan would have no recollection of it,” he continued. “I repaired the damage Gershom wrought inside his head myself. And Aidan needed a lot of blood to recover. At the time, we believed it was because his wounds were so severe. But Gershom could have siphoned much of Aidan’s supply to use for his own purposes. Aidan is nearly three thousand years old and a healer, which we have come to believe is what truly imparts the greater strength. Even mixed with the blood of a vampire, his would make any gifted one transformed with it very strong.”

  His chest tight, Seth resumed his pacing. Self-recrimination bombarded him.

  How many times would he fail those he had vowed to keep safe? He had failed to protect Aidan, Dana, Ethan, and Heather that night. He had failed to realize Gershom had taken Aidan’s blood, something that would have forewarned him of Gershom’s intention to build his own army of immortals. He had failed to protect Stanislav when they had blitzed the mercenary compound. He had failed to find Tessa, both before Gershom had transformed her and again last night. He had failed to find the other eleven missing gifted ones Gershom had transformed. He had even failed to keep Gershom from harming Ami, something that had traumatized little Adira.

  He halted abruptly as yet another of his failures confronted him.

  Dread and grief filled him as the spirit of Yuri passed through David’s closed study door and strode toward him.

  Seth took an involuntary step backward.

  Yuri’s expression darkened.

  How he must hate me.

  Closing his eyes, Seth teleported away.

  Leah stared up at her bedroom ceiling. Sleep eluded her yet again. No big surprise. Insomnia was a frequent visitor, especially this time of year.

  At least tonight the thoughts that rambled around in her head and kept her awake focused upon something new. Or rather someone new.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about Seth.

  Leah hadn’t heard from him since he’d left in such a hurry the previous night and hoped he was all right. Clearly he was different. The man’s eyes glowed and he could disappear into thin air. But different didn’t mean invincible. She had seen the look on his face before he’d left and wondered if one of those enemies he had mentioned had somehow struck at him again.

  She bit her lip. I hope he’s okay.

  Thunder crashed outside, as loud as a bomb detonating.

  Jumping, Leah jerked her gaze toward the nearest window while her heart did its damnedest to burst from her chest. Holy crap, that had startled her!

  Bright light flashed behind the closed blinds as thunder roared again. Raindrops hi
t the glass, so large they clacked against it like pieces of gravel.

  She frowned. There wasn’t any rain in the forecast, not until next week. For months now most of the state had been burdened by a historic drought.

  Throwing back the covers, she rose. Her toes curled against the chilly wood floor. While the pajama bottoms she wore kept her lower half somewhat warm, her arms and shoulders—left bare by her spaghetti strap tank top—instantly beaded with chill bumps. She always slept better when the room was cold, so she’d turned off the heater before going to bed.

  Rubbing her arms, she crossed to one of the two windows her bedroom boasted. This one overlooked the street in front of her shop.

  Grabbing the rod hanging beside it, she turned it until the blinds opened enough for her to peer outside. Her eyes lifted to the sky. Lightning flashed again, clawing its way through clouds that churned above as another deafening crash of thunder vibrated through her.

  Sheesh. The meteorologists had really gotten it wrong this time. The oak tree beside her building bent and swayed as a strong breeze tore through it. Those large, sporadic raindrops multiplied at an insane rate, transforming into a downpour so thick she could barely see the building across from hers.

  Leah looked down after a moment to see if water was already beginning to pool along the curbs… and sucked in a sharp breath. Seth stood in the middle of the street, garbed in a black T-shirt and black cargo pants, his long coat missing.

  Unnerved, she ducked out of sight. What the hell? He hadn’t knocked or rung the buzzer. She would’ve heard it.

  Leaning over, she peeked through the blinds near the edge of the window.

  He hadn’t moved.

  She frowned. Seth wasn’t watching her shop. Nor was he peering up at her window like some perv trying to catch a glimpse of her naked. Instead, he just stared into the distance… and did so in a way that made her think he wasn’t really seeing the road before him. His face held a faraway look. His brow was furrowed. And sadness emanated from him as rain drenched his clothing and flattened his long hair.

  The unease that had set her pulse to racing vanished. He looked… lost.

  She swallowed, empathy rising. How many times had she seen that same expression on her own face when she peered into a mirror?

  Turning away from the window, Leah left the bedroom and grabbed her keys. Her bare feet made little sound as she unlocked her apartment door and hurried down the stairs. She jogged across the back room and through her darkened shop. Upon reaching the glass door at the front of her store, she parted the blinds.

  Seth still stood there, unmoving, as though the weight of the world held him in place.

  Leah unlocked the door and threw it open. More thunder rumbled as lightning flashed. Wind buffeted her. Cold rain ducked under the awning and dampened her skin. “Seth?”

  He didn’t react in any way.

  “Seth!” she called again, louder this time so he could hear her over the storm.

  Blinking, he looked toward her. Surprise lit his face for a moment before his brows drew down and he looked around as though he wasn’t sure how he had come to be there.

  “Are you okay?” she shouted.

  “Yes,” he responded but looked far from it.

  Stepping back, she held the door open and waved him toward her. “Come inside.”

  He shook his head. “Forgive me for disturbing you, Leah. Go back to bed. I’m fine.”

  “Bullshit.” He was not fine. “Get your ass in here.” She narrowed her eyes. “And don’t argue with me.”

  His lips twitched. Then some of the darkness left his countenance.

  The rain let up a little as he strode toward her. Ducking, he entered her shop.

  Though he brushed against her—he was so big he took up the doorway—she felt no desire for once. She was too concerned about him.

  Shivering, Leah closed and locked the door. Maybe the storm heralded an early cold front blowing through.

  “How did you know I was out there?” he asked softly.

  “The storm. It was so loud, I couldn’t resist looking out the window and saw you down in the street.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She smiled. “It isn’t your fault.” He wasn’t responsible for the weather. “Blame the meteorologists for not giving me a heads-up.” With her keys clutched in one hand, she twined the fingers of her other through his and tugged him after her through the shop.

  He dragged his feet. “I’m dripping water all over your floor.”

  She snorted. “Oh please. This floor has been drooled on, sneezed on, vomited on, peed on, and pooped on twice if you can believe that. It’s also had ice cream, chocolate, fruit juice, and sticky candy crap dribbled all over it. I’m sure it can survive a little rainwater.”

  His expression lightening even more, he allowed her to guide him through the back room, up the stairs, and into her apartment.

  Leah paused long enough to lock the door. Tossing the keys on the narrow table beside it, she reclaimed his hand. Aside from the living room, kitchen, and laundry room, the place boasted two bedrooms and two full baths. She led him to the guest bathroom and flicked on the light. Seth didn’t speak. But she felt him watching her as she opened a cabinet and removed three large towels.

  “Here.” She shoved them at his chest. “Get out of those wet clothes and dry off.”

  He arched a brow.

  “Don’t worry,” she promised with a grin. “I’m not going to take advantage of you.”

  He actually smiled then. “Would you be offended if I expressed disappointment?”

  She laughed, relieved to see a spark of his usual playful self emerge. “No. I would question your sanity. Go ahead. Get naked. My brother plays handyman for me whenever I need one, so he keeps some spare clothes over here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Though she was tempted to leave the door open, she closed it behind her. Seth needed a friend, someone to talk to who could lift his spirits, not an older woman who drooled over his muscles and tried to jump his young, handsome ass every time he came around.

  Lame pep talk, she criticized herself.

  Her brother Ben wasn’t as tall as Seth, but he was equally muscled. The sweatpants Leah found would probably be too short, but the T-shirt should fit. She didn’t bother with underwear. Men in movies and TV shows always seemed to balk at borrowing other men’s skivvies.

  With the folded garments balanced on one hand, she left the guest room and detoured down the hallway to raise the temperature on the thermostat. She was freezing.

  Seth probably was too with all that long wet hair.

  She tapped on the bathroom door. “Ready for clothes?”

  The door swung inward.

  Leah stared. “Holy crap.” Seth was naked, save for a towel he had wrapped around his hips. And his body was pure perfection. His arms and legs both bore beautiful, thick muscle. But not too thick like some of the bodybuilders she’d seen whose arms and legs were so bulky they couldn’t rest their arms against their sides and seemed to walk bowlegged. Seth was built more like a professional basketball player. Broad shoulders. A well-developed chest. Even his abs rippled with muscle and begged to be touched.

  Realizing she had been staring—aka drooling—she looked up at him. “Seriously, how are you still single?”

  But Seth wasn’t looking at her face. His eyes were fastened on her body.

  Her breath caught when a faint golden glow illuminated his dark brown irises.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he murmured, his voice deeper than usual and husky with what she thought might be desire.

  A thrill rippling through her, Leah glanced down. Her eyes widened.

  The rain that had found its way past the awning out front had plastered her pajamas to her skin. Her white tank top had been rendered transparent, clearly defining her breasts and hard pink nipples. It had also ridden up when she’d retrieved the towels, exposing a strip of bare flesh at her waist. Her striped pants weren’t
quite as transparent but hung low on her hips, clung to her thighs, and showed a shadow of the dark curls at their juncture.

  “Oh shit.” Heat crept up her neck into her cheeks. She shoved the clothing at him. “Here. I’ll be back.” Hurrying up the hallway, she ducked into her bedroom and closed the door.

  He might as well have seen her naked!

  Leah didn’t know why that unnerved her more than his glowing eyes, but it did. Perhaps because no man had seen her naked in over a decade.

  It only took her a couple of minutes to shuck her wet pj’s and pull on panties, a matching bra, a pair of her favorite black yoga pants, and a red V-neck T-shirt. Unbraiding her hair, she dragged a brush through it.

  Wait. She paused as a thought occurred to her. Did Seth’s eyes glow when he was turned on? Is that what that meant? They had glowed whenever she had touched him or rubbed against him in the video of them dancing. And they had glowed just now as he’d studied her body. Had he wanted to—?

  Get your mind out of the gutter, she admonished herself with a frown. The man is hurting, not trolling for an easy lay.

  Right. She couldn’t let herself forget how he had appeared when she had first seen him out there, standing alone in the rain.

  And don’t pester him with questions about his eyes. If he wanted you to know his eyes glowed, he wouldn’t have tried to hide it from you.

  Right again. Seth had been nothing but courteous and friendly and fun since she’d met him. She wasn’t going to start fearing him or treating him like a freak just because he was different. She’d seen too many people pull that shit with Ben and her father.

  Quiet curled around her. She glanced toward the windows, then tilted her head to listen.

  No thunder. No pitter-patter of raindrops. The storm must have already passed. Crazy-ass weather.

  Hanging on to the hairbrush, she wadded her pj’s into a damp ball and left her bedroom.