Lisette watched her brothers for their reaction.
David raised a brow. “Richart? Étienne?”
“We’ll apologize for giving him a hard time,” Richart vowed.
Étienne nodded. “We’ll apologize.”
David nodded to Darnell.
As Darnell dialed, David turned to Zach and spoke softly. “I’m surprised you joined us tonight.”
Zach’s lips turned up in a wry smile. “As I said, I’m an enigma.”
Lisette grinned . . . until she caught Marcus scowling at Zach. “What?” she asked.
Marcus directed his response to Zach. “Do you have something against shirts?” His eyes dropped to Zach’s bare chest.
“Yes,” Zach retorted.
Tracy laughed. “I can live with that.”
“Me too,” Sean’s Second, Nichole, said with a smile.
And the mood, at last, lightened. Stress flowed from the room. Shoulders relaxed.
Good. Lisette loved Seth and knew what a hard time he was having with everything. He had always been quick to try to alleviate their suffering. What had they done to alleviate his? If ever there were a time for them to give more to Seth than they took from him, it was now.
Thank you, David spoke in her head.
She smiled.
Plump snowflakes fluttered to the ground. Some didn’t quite make it, landing instead upon Seth’s broad shoulders or alighting upon his thick eyelashes.
Swaying where he stood, he rubbed gritty, no doubt bloodshot eyes.
Fatigue clawed at him, doing its damnedest to drag him down. Little sparkly things kept flickering at the edges of his vision. A first, for him. He couldn’t remember that ever having happened before. Yet he couldn’t rest until he discovered who waged this new war.
Lisette could have perished. The heavier tranquilizer dose had nearly destroyed her. Had she been younger, Ethan’s age or Krysta’s, perhaps it would have destroyed her. They had no way of knowing. Just as they had no way of countering it on the battlefield.
Seth contemplated the snowy landscape around him. So tranquil and quiet.
Even this could not bring him peace. Not while such danger loomed.
He spent both his days and nights checking in with every telepath in the world. Sometimes they greeted him with a smile when he appeared, chatting and laughing with him while he secretly combed their thoughts for anything that would indicate they had been the ones who had erased those vampires’ memories. Sometimes they had no idea he had even visited, either sleeping through it or carrying on with their hunt or whatever they were doing while he watched and waited and sought the tiniest fragment of guilt from the shadows.
Younger telepaths, like Lisette and Étienne, were fairly easy to read, willing or nay. Older telepaths often had much stronger barriers that he couldn’t always breech without them knowing. Seth wasn’t sure if he wanted to go there yet, if he wanted to confront them, force down their barriers, and sift through their thoughts. Once he did, once he took that step, word would spread like wildfire that he suspected an Immortal Guardian of treachery. The many who weren’t guilty would likely react as those in North Carolina had. They’d be shocked, disturbed, pissed, and wonder if he suspected them. The immortal or immortals who were guilty, if they got the news before he could identify them, would hunker down or, worse, do something rash that might result in deaths.
How had it come to this? To one of his own rising up against him?
Sighing, he dragged his hands down his face, fingers rasping on the heavy stubble that coated his cheeks and chin. He hadn’t shaved in days. Too damned tired.
Disturb’s “Down With The Sickness” violated nature’s hush.
Too late. No time to shave now. That would be Darnell, calling to let him know they were ready to start the meeting.
“Yes?” he answered.
“We’re ready,” Darnell said.
“I shall be there shortly.” Seth tucked away his phone.
How he dreaded this. Seeing the accusation and condemnation on all of their faces.
Bracing himself as best he could, he teleported to David’s dining room.
Conversation ceased.
Seth nodded to all present, avoiding their eyes and the recriminations they must certainly bear, and crossed to his chair.
Étienne rose as Seth passed him. “Seth, I was an ass about the whole Lisette thing. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Seth’s steps faltered as he turned his disbelieving gaze on Étienne. No accusation. Just genuine remorse.
Richart nodded as he rose. “Me too. Everyone makes mistakes. We shouldn’t have condemned you for yours. And, after all of the trouble our sister has gotten us into over the centuries, I would’ve suspected her myself, had I been thinking clearly.”
“Hey!” Lisette protested with a laugh and stood. Circling around to them, she linked her arm through Seth’s and escorted him to his chair. “Believe it or not, it’s actually kind of a relief for us to discover that you aren’t infallible. Perfection can be annoying sometimes.”
“All of the time,” Marcus corrected with a smile. “It’s good to know we aren’t the only ones who screw up on occasion.”
“I never screw up,” Stanislav boasted with false disdain.
Everyone hurled insults at him.
Seth just stared at them as he let Lisette gently push him down into his chair.
As she returned to her own seat, the dark figure beside her shook his head.
“Zach,” Seth greeted him cautiously. “I’m surprised you joined us.”
“Apparently, he’s an enigma,” Marcus drawled, the words dripping with sarcasm.
Seth actually felt the urge to smile.
“And you’re the luckiest bastard on the planet,” Zach declared. “They love you, faults and all.”
Seth met every glance, examined every face, and found none of the anger he had expected. No condemnation. Only acceptance. And, as Zach had claimed, love. He really was the luckiest man on the planet.
Feeling lighter than he had in weeks, Seth smiled and shook his head. “Shall we get down to business?”
Lisette hoped she had made it clear to everyone present that she harbored no anger toward their leader.
Seth looked like hell, at least as much as he could look like hell. Lines of fatigue creased his face. Dark shadows created hollows beneath his bloodshot eyes. His chiseled jaw hadn’t seen a razor in days.
The last thing he needed was to deal with hostility from his immortal family.
“So,” Seth began, “we seem to have a problem.”
The men and women present nodded and murmured their agreement.
“A vampire army, more powerful than any we’ve fought before, is amassing, and even their thoughts don’t reveal who leads them,” Seth told them. “Étienne found blank spots in the minds of members of this vampire army. Blank spots that he thought indicated buried memories. However, the specimens Zach so thoughtfully provided us with a few nights ago revealed that at least some of the memories had not been buried. They had been permanently removed.”
Lisette wished she could have been conscious when Zach had tossed the vampires through the bay window. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Magnifique.
Roland scowled. “Doesn’t that cause brain damage?”
“Yes,” Seth said, “which is why David and I prefer to bury memories rather than erase them. The vampires whose memories have been removed will descend into madness at a much swifter rate, because they are suffering brain damage spawned by two different sources: the virus and our new enemy.”
“Clearly our new enemy isn’t concerned about the health or longevity of his army,” Roland drawled.
Seth’s gaze circled the table. “Any ideas regarding the identity of this mysterious foe?”
“An Immortal Guardian with a grudge?” Zach suggested.
“Anyone know of such an individual?” Seth asked. “Or two? Or three?”
Liset
te sure as hell didn’t. The only immortal she had ever met—aside from Zach—who didn’t credit Seth with every ounce of happiness he had found since transforming was Bastien. And he seemed right as rain with Seth.
Stanislav cleared his throat. “We all owe you a great debt, Seth, for aiding us in finding contentment in our new existence. I don’t know anyone who would wish you ill.”
Darnell folded his hands on the table, his handsome face troubled. “I haven’t seen anything on the Web site that would indicate animosity. No subtle digs or stray comments that might indicate discontent.”
“I haven’t either,” Chris mentioned. “There’s also the problem of how this new army came to possess the sedative.”
“Not only that,” Marcus tossed in, “but how they knew that they needed to increase the dosage.”
Roland leaned back in his chair and looped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Once more, I say it’s someone at the network. If an immortal can dirty his hands in this venture, it isn’t out of the realm that he would seek the aid of a human.”
As expected, Chris’s face mottled with anger. “It isn’t someone at the network. We checked and double-checked and triple-fucking-checked that the last time this came up and have since instituted even stricter protocols for handling both the sedative and the antidote.”
David caught Roland’s eye. “I read the mind of every mortal employee myself. None were guilty of betraying us.”
“It might be worth reading them again,” Roland suggested, “to ensure none have changed their minds. Or to ensure no one has changed their minds for them.”
Hell. Lisette hadn’t thought of that. Could an elder telepathic immortal have manipulated the thoughts of a network employee to get what he wanted, making him or her his unwilling minion?
David looked to Seth.
Seth nodded. “No stone should go unturned.”
David looked to Chris. “We’ll discuss how to go about it after the meeting.”
Chris nodded, more worried now, it seemed, than pissed.
Yuri cleared his throat. “So essentially we’re looking for a telepath.”
“Yes,” Seth agreed.
“Can you not read their minds and discover who the culprit is?” he followed.
“I’ve been doing little else since the vampires nearly killed Lisette,” Seth stated. “I’ve yet to discover the betrayer.”
Lisette frowned. “They must be guarding their thoughts exceedingly well.”
Seth nodded. “I’m inclined to believe it is an older immortal. But those with the strongest mental barriers will know when I’ve invaded their thoughts and forced their barriers down.”
“And word will spread.” Ethan’s glance flickered to Richart and back to Seth. “Have you read the minds of the teleporters?” He sounded apologetic, as though he hated to suggest it in front of Richart. “The telepath would need a teleporter to get him in and out of the area undetected, wouldn’t he?”
“If he can’t teleport himself, yes. Although I still have a number of telepaths to scan, I’ve read the minds of all but a handful of the teleporters,” Seth replied. “None appear guilty, and none have blank spots that would indicate their memories have been erased.”
“Is that possible?” Lisette asked, unsettled. “Can a telepath erase portions of an immortal’s memory?”
“I have never attempted such,” Seth said, “so I’m not sure.”
“I would think the virus would prevent it,” Lisette said.
Melanie shook her head. “Not necessarily. If erasing a memory damages the brain, then the virus could conceivably heal it in an immortal. But the virus can’t restore what isn’t there to recover. Once the memory is gone, it’s likely gone forever.”
Roland swore. “So an immortal may not even realize his brain has been tampered with?”
“Yes,” David concluded, face grave. “And Seth and I would find only an undamaged brain when we scanned him. We would have no way of knowing he’s missing a memory or two or that anyone had tampered with his thoughts.”
“Shit,” Ethan breathed.
“Precisely,” Seth said. “Seconds, I want you to keep your ears to the ground. If an immortal is behaving oddly, his or her Second may mention it online.”
“Unless the immortal blanked his Second’s memory, too,” Roland countered.
Tracy shook her head. “Immortals rarely pay attention to what their Seconds do online. We should chat up the Seconds of telepaths and see if anything leaks.”
Seth looked to Chris. “Can you get them a list of all the Seconds who serve telepaths?”
“The Seconds who serve teleporters, too. I can have it in their hands tonight.”
“Excellent.”
Zach shifted. “You should expand your scrutiny to include shape-shifters and their Seconds.”
“Why?” Lisette asked.
Rising, Zach took a step back from the table and released his wings. “With these and preternatural speed and strength, I can race a commercial jet.”
Sheldon stared up at him in awe. “Really? You’re that fast?”
“Were the Concorde still flying, I could give it a run for its money.”
“Damn,” someone whispered.
Zach’s wings vanished (Lisette hoped he would tell her one day how he did that) as he retook his seat at the table.
David eyed Seth. “He makes a valid point. While no shape-shifter other than you or Zach would be able to carry another across an ocean in a mere three and a half hours, if the distance weren’t that far and they had all night . . .”
Lisette looked up at Zach. Are you really as fast as the Concorde was?
He reclaimed her hand with a faint smile. Shall I show you later?
Hell yes!
“Include the Seconds of shape-shifters,” Seth agreed. “I’ll commence reading shape-shifters’ minds tonight.”
After you get some sleep, Lisette implored mentally.
Seth sent her a tired smile. I’ll sleep when I’ve identified this latest threat.
“Are you sure,” Roland asked, “that the man we’re looking for isn’t sitting at this table?” His gaze, full of suspicion, slid to Zach. “If Zach is as old as you are, he is certainly capable of teleporting and erasing a few memories.”
Lisette held her breath, not knowing how Zach would respond.
Zach’s lips curled into a smile, but his expression held no mirth.
Even Lisette found it a little scary.
“This vampire army nearly took Lisette from me,” Zach responded. “Had I raised and trained it myself, I would have done to these vampires what Bastien tried to do to you. I would have staked every one of them to the ground in an open field and let the sun roast them.”
All but Roland seemed satisfied.
“It wasn’t Zach,” Ami said, entering the conversation for the first time.
Roland gave her a gentle smile. “You’ve a kind heart, Ami, and sometimes have difficulty seeing the bad in people.” He glanced at Bastien as he said it. “Zach might not have shown you his true face when you met him.”
Judging by Marcus’s expression, he feared the same.
Roland looked to Seth.
“It wasn’t Zach,” Seth said.
Lisette couldn’t help but wonder if Seth really believed that.
Chris took a small notebook out of his pocket, along with a stubby number-two pencil, and began making notes. “I’ll add shape-shifters and their Seconds to the list. Be subtle when you contact them. Darnell, would you coordinate their efforts? I don’t want some teleporter’s Second to wonder why a dozen Seconds from North Carolina are suddenly chatting him up and mention it to his immortal.”
“Of course.” Darnell addressed the other Seconds. “Once you’ve received your list, examine it closely and let me know which names are familiar, which Seconds you’ve communicated with in the past. A top-five list will do for now. Then I’ll get back to you and let you know with whom you should touch base.”
>
Nods.
“Cliff,” Seth said.
The young vampire’s eyebrows flew up. “Yes, sir?”
“Have you had any luck recruiting the vampires with whom you’ve been rubbing elbows?”
“None so far. The ones I’ve encountered are either so far gone they would be too dangerous to recruit or recently turned and so high on using their new strength and speed to kill that they think themselves invincible. Any suggestion otherwise, any insinuation that they would be better off joining you guys, usually results in mockery, hostility, and my coming dangerously close to getting my ass kicked. I can’t seem to find any middle ground, any vampires who are beyond that first burst of power, but not yet to the he-could-snap-at-any-minute stage.”
“Have you encountered any of this new breed of vampire?” David asked.
“No, sir. Not yet. Should I . . .” Cliff looked back and forth at the elders. “If I do encounter one, should I try to infiltrate the group? Try to join them and gather whatever—”
“No,” Bastien interrupted. “It’s too dangerous.”
Cliff contemplated the immortals seated around the table. “No offense, but you don’t seem to have a lot of avenues open to you right now. No stone should go unturned, remember? If I come across one of these bad-ass vamps and feign interest in his cause—whatever the hell it is—then I could find out faster than anyone else who exactly you’re dealing with.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Bastien repeated.
Cliff shrugged. “I don’t have that much to lose.”
Melanie reached past Bastien and touched Cliff’s arm. “Please don’t say that, Cliff.”
“Look,” he continued, resolute, “the Immortal Guardians have been good to me. You all helped me hold my shit together a lot longer than I would have if I had been left to fend for myself. If I’m gonna go out—and we all know it’s gonna happen some day in the not too distant future—then being taken out while helping you conquer the bad guy wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.”
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