“No, I’m good. David has everything I need here. See you tomorrow.”
Lisette tucked her phone away with a frown. “It must be about the vampires we fought tonight.”
“The meeting?”
Nodding, she picked up her fork. “That’s the second time I’ve come up against vampires like that. Not the skinny, slacker ones, but the large, ass-kicking ones. Some vampire must be following Dennis’s example and raising an army.”
Concern pricked Zach as he returned to his meal. “Did you notice anything different about the two tougher vamps?”
“Aside from their obvious fighting skills? No, not really.”
“Did you read their minds?”
“Briefly. They were more lucid than the other two. They looked down on the older vampires and intended to kill them as soon as they lost their usefulness.”
He drank several swallows of tea, buying time to decide how involved he could become without Seth’s discovering his part. “Did you find any blank spots?”
“Blank spots?” she repeated, expression thoughtful. “Like the blank spots brain damage can cause?”
“Brain damage,” he acknowledged, “or buried memories.”
As soon as he planted the suggestion, he could have kicked himself. If she said one word at the meeting about the vampires having blank spots caused by buried memories, Seth would come gunning for Zach and the gloves would come off.
Lisette frowned. “I don’t know that I would even recognize buried memories if I came across them.” Her expression cleared. “Vampires can’t do that, anyway. None of them are telepaths, so whatever vampire king is rising couldn’t have buried the memories of his followers.”
Zach resisted the urge to sigh. Even Lisette couldn’t stomach the thought of an Immortal Guardian working against them. He would have to monitor the situation and see what developed.
Whatever happened, he would let no harm come to Lisette. From vampires, rogue immortals, or from Seth.
The sun rose as they finished their meal.
Lisette carried their dishes to the sink, then turned to lean back against the counter. “You are going to stay, aren’t you?”
Once more his treacherous heart began to beat faster. “Do you want me to stay?” he forced himself to ask. He should go. He really should.
“Yes.”
But even the Others couldn’t drag him away now.
Zach rose.
“You can sleep in one of my brothers’ rooms,” she said, closing the distance between them, “or you can sleep downstairs with me.”
“I’ll sleep wherever you want me to sleep,” he told her, voice hushed.
Taking his hand, she led him down to her bedroom. Once there, she hesitated. The uncertainty that entered her pretty features erased his own.
Zach squeezed her fingers. “I just want to sleep beside you, Lisette. Hold you in my arms, if I may.”
Her smile returned. “You may.”
The minutes that followed were enchantingly domestic. Lisette brushed her teeth and found a new toothbrush for Zach to use. Then she closed herself in the bathroom and emerged wearing a silky nightgown that fell to her knees and somehow managed to appear both modest and alluring at the same time.
Drawing the covers back, she climbed into bed and waited for him to join her.
Having declined her offer of a pair of sweats or shorts that belonged to her brothers, Zach settled himself beside her in his leather pants. Pain gripped him as he eased down on his side.
Lisette sat up and leaned over him to help him find a more comfortable position for his aching wings.
He sighed. Much better. “Thank you.”
Smiling, she dipped her head and kissed his cheek. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Warmth filled him at the touch of her lips.
Turning off the lamp, she lay on her side, facing away from him, then eased back against him.
Zach spooned his large body around hers, her curves arousing him and making his blood sing despite the pain that battered him. Drawing her closer, he wrapped an arm around her and buried his face in her fragrant hair.
This, he thought, is all I need. And, after savoring the moment as long as he could, he let a healing sleep steal over him.
Chapter Six
Lisette’s stomach fluttered with nervousness as she strode up the walk to David’s front door. One of the last to arrive, she could hear the other immortals in the area gathered together inside, chatting with each other and their Seconds.
She had lingered in the forest a few miles distant, listening for the rest to ride or drive past, and timed her own arrival carefully. Not late enough to be late for the meeting. But late enough to, hopefully, prevent much conversation and keep Seth and David from having enough leisure time to pick her brain.
Étienne and Richart, along with their wives Krysta and Jenna, were already inside. Lisette bolstered her mental barriers as much as she could to keep Étienne from nosing around in there and finding Zach.
How she wished she could’ve remained snuggled up in bed with Zach instead of leaving him—still asleep—to attend this damned meeting.
Silently, she swore. Don’t even think his name, she admonished herself. She couldn’t risk the elders picking up on it and pouncing.
Several immortals and Seconds called greetings as she entered.
Smiling, she offered them a casual wave as she closed the door behind her.
“Hi, stranger.” Sarah came forward and gave her a big hug. “It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Like every other immortal present, Lisette had a soft spot for Sarah.
Sarah had been the first gifted one in history to ask to be transformed so she could spend eternity with her husband. Though Roland was about as antisocial as they came, he had always been kind to Lisette, so she was thrilled that Sarah made him happy.
And it had been fan-freaking-tastic to finally have another female Immortal Guardian in the area. Too much testosterone was not always a good thing. Lisette had needed a break from it and had felt instantly comfortable with Sarah.
She forced a grin. “It’s been so crowded around here lately, the only way I could quiet the voices and get some sleep was to spend more time at home.” A solid explanation, she thought, for the many ears attuned to their conversation.
“Oh, right,” Sarah said. “I keep forgetting it’s hard for you to tune out all of our mental B.S. Since Roland and I have been doing the opposite and spending more time here lately, you probably got tired of my picturing him naked.”
Across the room, Roland laughed.
Lisette did, too. “I have caught a stray image or two.”
Several immortal males faked a shudder.
Grinning, Sarah linked her arm through Lisette’s and drew her into the room. “Admit it,” she ordered the males. “You’re all just jealous because he’s hotter than you.”
Snorts and protests all around.
Tracy wound her way through the big, male bodies and stopped before the two immortal women. “Excellent timing. I just heard Darnell give David a call.”
“David isn’t here?” Lisette asked, surprised. David loved Ami like a daughter—as did Seth—and had stuck very close to home since she had become pregnant.
“No.”
Sarah shook her head and lowered her voice. “He and Seth are consulting a doctor in France. Melanie is with them.”
Tracy looked at Sarah. “You know the immortals can all hear you, right?”
“Yes, but Ami can’t.”
Ami had just begun her eighth month. Since pregnancies on her planet lasted seven months and pregnancies here lasted nine, they had no way of knowing when the baby would or should come. Or what the state of its health would be. With extraterrestrial and gifted one DNA combined and the virus thrown in, no one knew what to expect.
And, like the other women on her planet, Ami was having an extremely difficult time carrying the baby to term. She would ha
ve lost it months ago without either Seth or David—both powerful healers—always on hand.
“Where is Ami?” Lisette asked. She couldn’t see the petite Second for all of the tall males.
“Resting with Marcus in their room,” Sarah supplied. “So far she’s had a good day. No early labor pains or other complications.”
“Good.”
Roland wandered over, rarely far from his wife.
Richart and Jenna followed, holding hands like high school sweethearts.
“Hi,” Jenna greeted Lisette with a smile.
“Hi. How’s the training going?” Lisette asked.
“Great. I’m ready to start hunting.”
“No, she isn’t,” Richart corrected with a scowl.
Jenna swung their hands between them. “Yes, I am. You’re just being a worrywart.”
“Seth put me in charge of your training,” Richart insisted, “so I will decide when you’re ready.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Seth is the one who told me I’m ready.”
Richart shot her a look. “He did?”
“Yes.”
“Merde.”
Everyone laughed.
Étienne and Krysta joined them. As usual, the pair stood close together with Étienne’s hand resting on his wife’s lower back. “You made it,” he said with a quirk of his brow.
“Of course I did. Was there any doubt?”
He shrugged. “You haven’t exactly been a frequent visitor of late.”
Cameron, his Second, meandered over. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”
Nearly everyone in the room followed.
Yuri and Stanislav. Their Seconds, Dmitry and Alexei. Krysta’s brother, Sean, and his Second, Nichole. Edward and his Second, Desmond. Ethan, who gave her a quick once-over as if to assure himself that she was still in one piece, and his Second, Ed. Darnell, David’s Second.
The only ones who didn’t were Bastien and his Second, Tanner, who was Lisette’s sports-viewing buddy.
Several voiced comments, wondering why she hadn’t been around nearly as much and what—if anything—was wrong.
Lisette actually began to feel a bit panicky inside.
Especially when Seth and David appeared behind the group.
Together the two made an arresting sight and tended to draw stares wherever they went. Seth stood about six feet eight inches tall with broad shoulders, a leanly muscled form, beautiful patrician features, and long, wavy black hair (drawn back with a leather tie) that reached his waist. David stood about six feet seven inches with equally broad shoulders, a bit more muscle, the face of a pharaoh, flawless skin as dark as midnight, and pencil-thin dreadlocks that fell to his hips.
Both were totally drool-worthy. And both exuded power.
Melanie accompanied them, her five-foot form nearly eclipsed by theirs.
As Lisette tried to force down the fear that erupted within her, the two elders waited, expressions curious, for her to answer.
“What are you, her great-aunt Prudence?” Bastien drawled, quieting the throng as Melanie crossed to his side. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bitch and moan because she doesn’t visit as often as you’d like?”
In that moment, Lisette honestly loved that man.
Loud complaints erupted, accompanied by the usual slurs slung at the immortal black sheep.
Bastien shrugged them off as his gaze met hers.
Thank you, she told him telepathically.
His lips tilted up the tiniest bit.
Unfortunately, Seth and David both picked up on the thought and turned back to her with matching frowns, gazes sharpening.
Merde.
“Why haven’t you been around lately?” Seth queried.
An expectant hush fell.
Really? Her absence had been that obvious? It had raised that many eyebrows?
She supposed she would feel flattered if she weren’t so alarmed. “I’ve been around,” she prevaricated.
“We haven’t seen you in weeks,” David said.
“And your Second has been spending more and more days here of late,” Seth added.
Damn it. They would notice that. They noticed everything.
If Lisette didn’t come up with something fast, they would probe her mind to find the answer themselves. And these two were aware of her concern for Ami. They knew more bodies and more thoughts filling the house wouldn’t drive her away.
“I—”
“It’s my fault,” Tracy blurted.
All eyes went to Lisette’s Second.
As did Lisette’s. What the hell was Tracy going to say that Seth and David wouldn’t know was a lie?
“I . . .” Tracy licked her lips and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I’ve been having a lot of . . . dreams lately and have been inadvertently pulling Lisette into them.”
Everyone stared at her with Yeah, so? expressions.
“Erotic dreams,” she continued.
Étienne suddenly swore, his eyes widening. “You’ve been having sex dreams about Sheldon?”
Tracy flushed a vivid red as gasps sounded and laughter erupted.
Seth eyed the immortals with disapproval. David shook his head at the others and offered Tracy a look full of sympathy.
Sheldon had made quite an impression as the proverbial kid brother here. Young. Full of enthusiasm. Not the brightest bulb in the box. And that first impression had lingered. No one here could imagine a woman seriously taking an interest in him.
“No wonder Lisette stayed away,” Yuri chortled. “I wouldn’t want to be pulled into those dreams either.”
The comment sparked another round of laughter.
Every ounce of attention had been yanked away from Lisette, who wondered how the hell she was going to make this up to her friend. Tracy would never live this down.
Sheldon entered the living room with Jenna’s son, John.
“What’d we miss?” Sheldon asked with a smile.
While Seth and David abandoned the group, all eyes went from Sheldon to Tracy to Sheldon to Tracy and back to Sheldon again.
It was like watching a tennis match.
And poor Tracy . . .
Lisette had never seen her look so stricken.
“Well?” Sheldon prodded, when no answer came.
Sean cleared his throat. “Tracy’s been having sex dreams about you.”
Krysta swatted her brother on the back of the head.
“Ow! What? Like no one was going to tell him?”
For a moment, Sheldon went utterly still. His eyes went to Tracy.
To her credit, Tracy didn’t hide her face. She met his gaze straight on, face flaming.
Lisette stiffened, ready to kick Sheldon’s ass if he made one of his usual smart-ass remarks and made Tracy even more miserable.
Tearing his eyes away, Sheldon directed a derisive snort at the others. “What, and you’ve never had one?”
Ethan grimaced. “Not about you.”
More laughter.
Sheldon raked them all with a look of scorn. “Standing around, snickering like a group of ten-year-old boys looking at a dirty magazine for the first time. Grow the fuck up and leave her alone.”
Several mouths fell open, including Tracy’s.
Chris chose that moment to enter through the front door.
From the adjoining dining room, Seth said, “Shall we begin the meeting?”
No one moved. All were stunned that Sheldon hadn’t pounced on the opportunity to . . . well . . . be himself.
Chris stopped short and raised his eyebrows. “What’s going on?”
“Children,” David prompted.
That got them moving. One did not ignore that tone.
Lisette wrapped an arm around Tracy’s shoulders as they followed the others to the long dining table. I can’t believe you did that.
Tracy sighed and leaned into her. How red is my face?
Remember that big baboon butt we saw on the news a few weeks ago?<
br />
Don’t tell me . . .
It’s redder than that.
Great.
Marcus and Ami entered as Lisette seated herself between Sarah and Tracy.
Ami looked the same as she used to—slender arms and legs encased in stretchy materials—except for her huge stomach. She looked, to Lisette, as though she had swallowed a beach ball. A tiny body with a big, protruding belly that offset her center of balance enough that she had to lean back a little and tended to waddle more than she walked.
Marcus walked with his arm around her shoulders and one of hers looped around his waist. Lisette didn’t need to look into his thoughts to know he was stressed as hell, worrying about his wife, the baby, and what the hell would happen when Melanie and Dr. Kimiko gave the go-ahead and Seth and David finally let Ami go into labor.
Everyone greeted Ami with smiles and spoke kind words to her as Marcus seated her across from Lisette and sat beside Ami.
Once everyone settled, Seth turned to Reordon. “Chris?”
Chris nodded and addressed them all. “I called this meeting because a new problem has arisen. A couple of weeks ago, Lisette and Richart encountered a vampire with fighting skills that nearly matched their own.”
Richart nodded. “He was skilled enough that I feared for a moment he might be like Bastien, an immortal who mistakenly thought himself vampire.”
Bastien frowned. “Was he?”
“No,” Seth answered for them.
“But,” Chris continued, “Lisette and Ethan encountered two more vampires with the same skills last night.”
Lisette addressed the group. “All three vampires had been trained in martial arts and knew weapons as well as we do. The two last night were accompanied by a couple of your standard fare vamps—lanky and essentially useless—whom we swiftly defeated.”
“The two with skills,” Ethan added, “were a real challenge. They actually proved to be very difficult to defeat. It was like sparring with an immortal.”
Roland leaned forward. “Sarah and I encountered a similar vampire a week ago.”
Sarah nodded. “If I weren’t as strong as Roland, I don’t know that I would have defeated him.”
Edward swore. “I came up against one, too. Just a couple of nights ago. I thought it was a fluke.”
“One skilled vampire is a fluke,” Chris said. “Five isn’t. Five is a problem.”
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