“Is that why you’ve worked so hard to keep everyone from finding out about gifted ones and immortals? You fear history will repeat itself?”
“Yes.”
Loosening her hold, she leaned back and clasped his face in her soft hands.
Seth met her gaze, expecting to find disappointment, disapproval, horror perhaps, but found only love and understanding.
“Keep whatever secrets you must, Seth, to prevent that from happening. I trust you.”
He shook his head. “It isn’t fair.”
“I know. But I understand the reasons for it and can live with that as long as it means I can have you. I want you to be happy.” Her lips turned up in a half smile. “I want to be happy.” She brushed her lips against his in a tender kiss that touched him deeply. “And you make me happier than I ever thought I could be again. Can you erase your wings from my memory or make that knowledge disappear?”
He offered her a rueful smile. “I could, but I fear such would prove futile. I seem to have no control when I’m with you, so they’re bound to make more appearances when we make love.”
She grinned. “Good. I like them.” She stroked the feathers, then met his gaze. “They’re soft. And beautiful.”
He drew his wings in and closed them around her, cocooning her inside. “Hopefully,” he suggested, “if any of the telepaths wander into your dreams and see them, they’ll assume I shape-shifted.”
“You see? Problem solved.”
Sighing, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I wish I could share everything with you, Leah.”
“I do, too.” Her look turned mischievous. “You’ve shared so much of yourself already. Soooooo much.” She glanced down at his body, making him harden once more. “You are a fantastic lover.”
Sliding his hands down to her tempting ass, he lifted her and settled her on his lap.
Her eyes widened at the feel of his long, hard length.
He grinned. “Why don’t we put that to the test, shall we?”
Desire flaring in her hazel eyes, she wiggled against him. “Hell yes.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tessa came awake slowly. Raising her arms above her head, she gave a leisurely stretch and sighed. For once, no nightmares had plagued her. They had besieged her on a nightly basis for so long that she had forgotten what it felt like to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.
Smiling, she opened her eyes… then stiffened. Her heart began to slam against her ribs as she took in the unfamiliar room around her. She was in what appeared to be an upscale studio apartment. Aside from the queen-sized bed that supported her, it boasted a very comfortable-looking love seat, a huge flat-screen television, a kitchenette with a bar and two stools, and a bathroom. She couldn’t tell if it was a full or half bath from her position, but the tile she glimpsed was of the pricey variety.
Two walls in the main living space bore windows that displayed a sunny meadow rife with wildflowers outside. The brightly colored blossoms danced on a breeze, the grass around it rippling like ocean waves.
Rolling out of bed, Tessa hurried over to the windows, eager to identify where the hell she was and make her escape.
Disappointment struck when she realized they weren’t actually windows but flat-screen digital displays made to look like windows.
Where the hell was she?
Voices filtered through the walls and ceiling, reaching her hypersensitive ears. There must be hundreds of them. Conversations blended together until she concentrated and tried to sort through them all, seeking as much information as she could gather. Most were of the mundane, daily routine variety. Others belonged to guards.
Guards? Guards where? And whom were they guarding? Her?
She caught the word vampires more than once. Not vampire singular. Vampires plural. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one the Immortal Guardians had caught. There had been two dozen with her when she had invaded Leah’s apartment. But the guards spoke as if Tessa was the only new vampire in the mix.
The last thing Tessa remembered was trying to attack Seth after he’d rid her of her weapons even though she’d known she wouldn’t survive it.
She glanced around. Apparently she had. Why hadn’t he killed her? Seth and his so-called immortals bore no love for vampires. They slew them all, willy-nilly, with no care or compassion. So she didn’t understand why she still lived and found it hard to believe there were other vampires here. Wherever here was.
Perhaps Seth had let her live so he could torture information about Gershom out of her.
She frowned when she heard the guards again reference the vampires.
“How long do you think she’ll sleep?” a woman asked.
Tessa zeroed in on that voice, because it seemed closer to her than the others.
“I don’t know,” a male responded, his words colored with a Scottish accent. “I admit to being surprised she’s slept this long.”
“Did you read her thoughts?” another male asked. His voice carried a British accent.
“Yes,” the Scot replied grimly. “Gershom did an excellent job of turning her against Seth.”
“What did he do?” the woman asked. She sounded American.
“He assumed Seth’s form,” the Scot told them, “and killed her twin.”
Bitterness invaded Tessa as memories bombarded her. For the thousandth time, she saw Seth gutting her brother—Seth, not Gershom—and hated herself for failing to slay the bastard.
“Oh no,” the woman said softly with dismay that was surely feigned.
“He killed the boy right in front of her and did it damned slowly,” the Scot went on. “Then he cut Tessa up.”
The Brit swore.
Blinking back tears, Tessa began to look for another way out of the swanky apartment.
“Does she not know that Gershom can shape-shift?” the woman asked.
Tessa snorted. Shape-shifting? Really? That was how they were going to malign Gershom’s name and try to clear Seth’s? By trying to convince her that Gershom had somehow morphed into Seth and done the fucked-up deed?
Utter bullshit.
“No,” the Scot replied. “Gershom has not revealed that particular talent to her. She thinks it impossible.”
“More impossible than teleporting,” the Brit asked, “moving things with his hands, healing with his hands, reading her thoughts, manipulating those thoughts—?”
“Aye. He played her well,” the Scot interrupted with regret. “She thinks Gershom saved her. She thinks him her friend.”
A loud sigh ensued. “Well,” the Brit said sadly, “who the hell am I to criticize? I thought Roland responsible for killing my sister for two damned centuries before I came to understand that my best friend had done it instead.”
“Bastien, honey,” the woman said softly, “I wish you’d stop beating yourself up about that. It wasn’t your fault. Blaise was your best friend. You loved him like a brother and had no reason to doubt him. Of course you trusted him when he told you Roland killed her.”
“I protected that bastard for years,” he countered. “Blaise killed Catherine with their babe still in her belly, and I fucking protected him. I raised a damned army of vampires to help me kill Roland and take down the Immortal Guardians because I believed that bastard, only to discover that Roland—the man I had viciously hated and hunted for so long—was instead the one who had brought my sister’s killer to justice.”
“Well,” the woman said helplessly, “maybe it would be better if you speak to Tessa then. You’ve actually been in her position. You once believed Seth and the Immortal Guardians were the enemy. Seth captured you instead of killing you. He wanted to save you, just like he wants to save her. Who better to help her see the truth?”
Tessa’s heart thudded heavily in her breast. It was bullshit, right? They knew she was awake and hoped to manipulate her into believing they were the good guys and Gershom—who had saved her and helped her in so many ways—was the bad guy?
Gershom, who had tr
ied to save her brother’s life.
Gershom, who had saved her own, enabling her to live and seek revenge.
She shook her head. It was bullshit. Gershom had told her they would try to fuck with her head if they ever got their hands on her. Just as they had Veronica.
Fury and sadness flooded her.
The Immortal Guardians had kidnapped Veronica Becker’s son and attempted to use him to gain her cooperation in their hunt for Gershom. And even though one of the immortals had deceived her, Veronica had gone to them.
Tessa hadn’t blamed her. She would’ve done the same thing to save her brother. But whatever information Veronica had given the Immortal Guardians hadn’t been enough. Gershom had found her body three days after she went missing. And he had blamed himself for her death.
“Shite,” the Scotsman spat.
“Aidan?” the woman asked. “What is it?”
The Scot’s name was Aidan? The Aidan? The one who had kidnapped Veronica?
“Gershom told her we killed Veronica,” Aidan disclosed.
“Veronica Becker?” Bastien asked in surprise.
“Yes.”
Dismay struck. Was Aidan reading her mind?
“Veronica was Roland’s descendant!” Bastien exclaimed. “His relative. We would never have harmed her.”
“Hell, look what happened when Roland thought I had harmed her,” Aidan said. “He tried to kill me even though he knew Seth doesn’t like fighting amongst the ranks and would be furious.”
“Seth was furious,” the woman reminded them wryly. “Poor Roland. He took Veronica’s murder hard. Is there any way we can prove to Tessa that Gershom killed her, not you or Seth?”
“I don’t see how,” Aidan replied.
“We could tell her about Michael,” Bastien said.
Tessa gasped. Michael was Veronica’s son.
“Perhaps,” Bastien continued, “once she knows Roland and Sarah adopted him and how well they’ve been caring for him, she’ll begin to question the lies Gershom fed her.”
Michael was alive? Gershom had told her he’d died alongside his mother.
Aidan swore. “That bastard Gershom told her Seth killed Michael, too.”
Because Seth had killed Michael.
“Well, that’s easy enough to disprove,” the woman said. “We’ll just show her Michael.”
“You know damned well,” Bastien retorted, “that Roland isn’t going to let Michael anywhere near Tessa. Not while her mind is still chock-full of lies. He won’t risk her harming him.”
As if she’d harm a toddler! That was such bullshit! All of this was! Empty words. Nothing more. No proof.
“She wants proof,” Aidan stated.
That’s right, asshole, Tessa thought. Put up or shut up.
“Is she awake?” the woman asked with surprise.
“Aye.”
“Aidan!” she reprimanded. A chair scraped the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me? She’s probably hungry. Let me get her something to eat and introduce myself.”
“No, Melanie,” Bastien said softly. “Let Aidan do it. She’s dangerous.”
“More dangerous than the vampires who live across the hallway?” Melanie retorted. “I can handle her.”
“No,” Aidan said. “I’ll do it. I may have a way to clear things up for her.”
Bring it on, asshole, Tessa thought. Clearing her mind, she began to sing a song in her head to keep him from reading her intent. Then, crossing to the kitchen, she appropriated every weapon she could find.
Seth lay in bed with Leah pressed up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder while he toyed with her hair.
“Do you feel guilty?” she asked softly.
“No,” he responded and was a little surprised by that. “Do you?”
“No.” She was quiet for a moment. “I thought I would. I thought I would feel like… I don’t know… I was being disloyal to my husband or something.”
“I thought the same thing, even though David assured me my wife wouldn’t want me to remain alone for the rest of my life.” He stared up at the ceiling. “I think I would have felt guilty if I had slept with someone else, someone who meant nothing to me.”
“Me, too.” She drew circles on his chest with one finger. “Is it weird that I asked?”
“No. I was lying here wondering if you felt any guilt or regret.”
“I don’t.”
He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Good.”
Shifting, she propped her chin on his chest and looked up at him.
Amusement rose as he stared at her. “Something else on your mind?”
“Yes.” She wrinkled her nose. “But I’m afraid to ask you. It seems a little morbid.”
“Go ahead. You can ask me anything.”
She bit her lip. “Do I remind you of your wife?”
He chuckled. “Afraid you might look like her and that’s what attracted me to you?”
“Only maybe one-half of one percent of me. The one-half of one percent who has seen too many made-for-TV movies in which men seduced women, then tried to convince them to dye their hair and wear different clothes so they’d look just like their dead wives.”
He laughed. “Aside from being close in height, you look nothing like her.”
She smiled. “Good to know.”
“I’d ask if I look like your husband, but I saw the pictures in your home.” Her husband had been several inches shorter than Seth with closely cropped dark blond hair and blue eyes.
Skillet’s “Monster” disrupted the quiet.
Seth frowned at the cell phone he’d left on the bedside table, then reluctantly reached for it. “Yes?” he answered, wincing a little at the resignation in his tone.
“I would’ve spoken to you telepathically,” Zach said, his deep voice tinged with mirth, “but I thought it unwise considering what you might be doing in there.”
Seth sighed. “I assume you heard what happened earlier?”
“Yes, and laughed my ass off.”
“Of course you did.”
“I thought you should know that Tessa is awake and Aidan has something he wishes to discuss with you.”
Voices carried over the line. Many voices. “Where are you?”
“In David’s living room.”
“Is everyone still here at the house?” He had felt the sun set a couple of hours ago and would’ve thought they’d all be out hunting by now.
“Yes. Your little immortal family isn’t quite sure how to react to daddy’s romantic escapade and are reluctant to leave until you make an appearance.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Zach said around a chuckle.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Seth asked balefully.
“Hell yes, I am.”
“Fine. Tell them we shall see them shortly.”
“Feel free to make them wait,” Zach taunted before he ended the call.
“What’s up?” Leah asked. “You’re all tense now.”
“It looks like I’m going to have to share you with my brethren earlier than I’d hoped.”
“You mean those guys from the hallway?”
“Yes. Them, their wives, their Seconds, and more.”
“Second what?”
Right. He hadn’t told her about Seconds yet. “I’ll explain that while we dress.”
A soft thump sounded.
Seth looked toward the door. A neat pile of clothing now rested on the floor in front of it, teleported in by Zach, no doubt.
“Did that just appear out of thin air?” Leah asked.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Fresh clothing for you would be my guess.”
Rolling off the bed, Leah crossed to the neat bundle and picked it up. Seth admired her lovely bare body as she inspected the garments.
“Cool,” she declared with a grin. “They’re all my size.”
Zach had better not have plucked those sizes from her thoughts.
Seth rose. “Let’s take a quick shower before we dress.”
“Okay.”
The shower ended up not being so quick. Once Seth watched water cascade over Leah’s beautiful breasts and started running his soapy hands over her delicious curves… Well, who could blame him for giving in to the desire that struck and taking her against the wall?
“You did it again,” she declared breathlessly as he lowered her feet to the tile floor. “You made the earth move.”
He shook his head with a wince. “Sorry about that.” It had probably stormed outside again, too. How long would that keep happening when they made love? It hadn’t done that thousands of years ago. But he was far stronger now than he had been then, and he could manipulate the weather now, something that—since he’d grown in strength—tended to slip out of control when his emotions ran high.
“Don’t apologize. I enjoyed it immensely.” She sent him a teasing smile. “But we should probably hurry and get dressed before those guys from the hallway come busting in here to see if you’re okay.”
Seth shook his head. “So humiliating. What you must think of me…”
Rising onto her toes, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I think you’re an amazing lover.” Her hazel eyes twinkled with merriment beneath eyelashes spiked from the water’s spray. “And now that I know making love with you could end the drought that has stricken the area, I think it my solemn duty to nail you as often as I can.”
He laughed. “You’ll hear no objections from me.”
Leah didn’t seem nervous at all about meeting his Immortal Guardians. Seth found that a relief. After what had happened earlier, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He still couldn’t believe they’d thought Leah had harmed him in some way. Roland, he could understand. But everyone else? Really?
The clothing Zach had provided fit Leah like a glove. Black cargo pants. Black T-shirt with a V-neck that taunted Seth with glimpses of cleavage. Black socks and black boots. Seth assumed Lisette had chosen the underwear, because it wasn’t the generic, plain white fare David kept on hand for any immortals or Seconds who might arrive coated in blood and in need of a change of clothes. No. Both the panties and the bra were tiny, black, and lacy. It just made Seth want to drag Leah back to bed again. But then, so did seeing her garbed like an immortal warrior.
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