Night Unbound

by Dianne Duvall

  “Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

  “Because I’m a virgin?” He still couldn’t seem to comprehend that he appealed to her, not what he was or wasn’t or would never be.

  “Your first or your five thousandth, I just want to be with you, Zach. Is that so hard for you to understand?”

  His expression yielded the affirmative answer he wouldn’t voice.

  Rising, Lisette approached him slowly and held out a hand to him. “I appreciate your cleaning my face, but I need to take a shower and wash this grime off. Come with me. You can wait in my bedroom, keep me company in the bathroom, join me in the shower, whatever you wish. Whatever will make you happy.”

  A moment passed.

  Straightening, Zach placed his large hand in hers and accompanied her from the kitchen.

  Lisette led Zach down to her bedroom in the basement. The sheets on the bed were rumpled and still carried his scent.

  “As I said,” she told him. “The choice is yours. No pressure.” Releasing his hand, she began to remove the small arsenal of weapons she carried.

  Zach picked up one of her daggers and examined it.

  “Are you skilled with weapons?” she asked. He had said as much, but she had never seen him use one and knew he could kill just as swiftly without them.

  He nodded. “The Others thought it best to prepare.”

  She set her shoto swords on a wooden chair, stained many times over with the blood of vampires from similar disarm-ings. “Prepare for what? Seth?”

  He shook his head. “Seth wasn’t as powerful back then.”

  “Then, what?”

  He set the dagger aside and helped her tug off her coat.

  She pursed her lips. “Is this one of those things you can’t tell me because all hell will break loose if someone reads my mind and spreads the word?”

  “Yes.”

  She sighed. “That sucks.”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do.” His brow furrowed as he neatly folded her coat and draped it over the back of the chair. “Keeping secrets never bothered me until I met you.”

  She gave him a teasing smile. “So it’s all my fault, is it?”

  His face lightened. “I can go with that.”

  Laughing, she unfastened her belt, drew it through the loops, and dropped it on the chair with her weapons. “You haven’t said what you learned tonight when you spied on the Others. Are they still searching for you?”

  He nodded, face sobering.

  “And?” she pressed.

  “They are determined to capture me.”

  Not what she had been hoping for.

  “Fortunately, concealing my presence from them truly has become second nature,” he continued. “They received not so much as a hint of my whereabouts while I was unconscious and have no idea where to look for me.”

  At least there was that.

  “They don’t know I’ve sought refuge with you. They don’t know who you are or that you’ve helped me.” Something new entered his gaze. “Nor do they know what you mean to me.”

  That got her pulse jumping again.

  She started to ask what the Others would do to him if they caught him, but—considering the night she had had—decided to save that unpleasant reality for another time. Instead, she turned her attention to her shirt and began unfastening the buttons along its front. Her heart fluttered with a sudden hint of nerves as his gaze shifted to the pale flesh exposed as the fabric parted down the middle.

  Ethan was the only man who had seen her naked in the past century. Lisette wanted to be bold like the women of this time, but . . . as sheltered as her upbringing had been over two centuries ago, she was surprised she had even had the temerity to flirt with Zach upstairs and lure him down here.

  She shrugged the shirt off, wishing vampire blood didn’t coat so much of her skin or stain her lacy white bra red.

  Zach’s dark brown eyes turned a dazzling gold as she lowered her fingers to the button on her pants. She heard his heartbeat quicken, saw his hands curl into fists as if he fought the need to reach out and touch her.

  Down her zipper went. Then she pushed the soft material down to her ankles and stepped out of it, facing him in only her bra and panties.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

  “So are you.” Stepping closer, she rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “Remember, no pressure.”

  Turning, she strode into the adjoining bathroom.

  Zach stood as still as a statue, frozen by the sight of Lisette, barely clothed, strolling away from him. His hands burned with the need to touch her. His skin tingled where her lips had brushed him.

  He didn’t breathe again until she entered the bright tiled room and left his view.

  A door opened. A faucet turned. Water struck tile in a hot waterfall. Tendrils of steam slithered past the doorway, then ducked into the bedroom, seeming to beckon him with a curling finger.

  Zach slowly approached the doorway and entered.

  Lisette’s delicate bra and panties lay discarded on the floor.

  Through frosted glass, he saw her slender form. Head back, elbows aimed at the ceiling, she combed the cleansing water through hair that now tumbled down to her hips in a curtain of black silk.

  Zach’s pants, boots, and socks swiftly landed beside her bra and panties. Grasping the handle of the shower door, he pulled.

  Lisette’s chin dipped. Her arms lowered. Moisture-spiked eyelashes framed eyes that flared bright amber as they met his.

  Stepping into the cocoon of steam, he closed the door behind him.

  Blood no longer stained her. Water had already rinsed it away, leaving flawless alabaster skin dotted with clear, shining droplets that raced each other down her curves.

  Neither spoke.

  Zach closed the distance between them until he could feel her warmth. He settled his hands on her waist, heard her heart begin to pound. As he slid his hands up her sides, over the faint ridges of her rib cage, he still found it hard to believe that he was here with her, touching her, skin to skin, nothing between them.

  Her perfect breasts beckoned. Zach cupped one in the palm of his hand, heard her breath catch as he smoothed a thumb across its taut peak.

  Touching his chest, she slid a small hand up to curl around the nape of his neck and drew his head down.

  He eased even closer, his erection brushing her stomach and sending a shock of pure pleasure through him the same instant her lips met his.

  Everything he had endured up to this point . . .

  The millennia spent locked in a stark and lonely existence.

  The confusion that had gripped him when he had lost faith in the path he had chosen.

  The torture to which he had been subjected when he’d turned his back on the Others.

  It had all been worth it for this moment.

  Thousands of years of control began to slip away as Zach curled an arm around Lisette and drew her against him. So warm and soft and enticing.

  She rose onto her toes, wrapped her other arm around his neck, met his lips with increasing hunger. It felt so good. Everywhere her long, lithe body pressed against his, he burned with delicious heat. And the more she touched him, the more he wanted to explore.

  He hated to abandon her breast, but needed to get closer to her. And closer. He couldn’t get too close and crushed her against him, his thoughts full of nothing but needs and wants and must haves. He slid a hand down over the beautiful ass she hid too often beneath her long coat and squeezed.

  Moaning, she arched her hips against him.

  While Lisette wasn’t a short woman, Zach still towered over her at six foot ten and couldn’t reach and touch and taste everything he wanted to.

  Turning them, he lifted her up and pressed her back against the wall.

  The cold tile against her skin didn’t cool Lisette’s ardor even the slightest. It seemed as though she had wanted this for months.

  Wrapping her legs around Zac
h’s waist, she ground her core against his erection.

  He groaned and dragged his lips from hers, scorching a path down her neck to her breasts. First one, then the other, he tongued and nipped and drew on hard. There was nothing tentative in his explorations. No uncertainty or any of the timidity that had plagued her the first time she had made love. Zach was bold, his touch firm, his hands aggressive as they roamed her bare body.

  And she had never wanted anyone more, never felt such intense heat and need.

  “Zach, please,” she gasped. “I need you.”

  He raised his head . . . and Lisette was mesmerized by the intensity in his golden gaze. He had no difficulty supporting her with one hand as he positioned his hard cock at her entrance.

  Wet and desperate for him, she held her breath, waiting.

  When he plunged inside, a cry of pure pleasure escaped her. Zach was a big man, filling her with such delicious friction that she nearly came from the first penetration. All the way to the hilt he pressed, then ground against her as if he wanted to go even deeper, get even closer, rubbing against her clitoris.

  Lightning crackled through her, heating her blood even more.

  Then he withdrew almost entirely and plunged inside again. And again. Driving into her with hard, powerful strokes. His hands once more roving and exploring. His lips and tongue tasting . . . everything.

  All Lisette could do was hang on and try to breathe as the pleasure and pressure continued to mount. Her fangs descended as they sometimes did when she experienced strong emotion. Her legs tightened around his hips, urging him on. Her fingers clutched his hair.

  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.