“I wish that were how we had met,” he replied.
“But it isn’t. I don’t know you. Not really.”
His lips tilted up at the corners. “And I wouldn’t have waited a year to ask you over for coffee.”
She smiled. He was such a likable guy. Why had they had to meet under such screwed-up circumstances?
Dropping her hands, she stepped back with more reluctance than she cared to admit.
His arms fell away. “Thank you again for tending my wound.”
“You’re welcome.” She rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “Now what do we do?”
He loosed a long sigh and looked as disappointed that the moment was over as she was. “I’ll call the network and see if we can’t take care of the confidentiality agreement now so you can go on with your normal life.”
If going on with her normal life meant he would walk out of it and never return, it seemed to have lost some of its appeal. She didn’t want Ethan to leave, not if she would never see him again. He really did feel familiar to her. And she liked him, damn it. He was charming and funny with old-fashioned manners, a body that made her want to tear his clothes off, and...
He didn’t care that she was different.
She rather liked that he was different, too. Liked that she couldn’t read his thoughts. Her damned telepathy had destroyed every relationship she’d ever had, robbing her of the ability to form anything remotely long-term.
Everyone had dark thoughts on occasion. Hell, she had bitchy thoughts herself, sometimes wondering where the hell they had sprung from, and had been glad she hadn’t spoken them aloud. Her boyfriends had lacked that luxury. She had heard them all. Every nasty thought produced by stress, or lack of sleep, or jealousy, or just having had a bad day.
It was hard to forget those. Hard to brush them off once she’d heard them. Her telepathy had shut down every budding relationship she had ever begun before anything permanent could evolve.
Not hearing Ethan’s thoughts was a relief. Not knowing if he thought she was a total basket case or thought her ass was too big or thought she was weak because she had shaken like a leaf in gale force winds when faced with possible death.
For once, she didn’t have to give herself a migraine trying to tune out someone else’s thoughts.
And, again, she liked him.
It would be a shame to never see him again.
Chapter Four
Rising, Ethan retrieved his cell phone and dialed Chris at network headquarters.
“Reordon,” Chris answered.
“It’s Ethan.” Ethan gave him an abbreviated rundown of his morning, letting Chris know that a mortal woman had come to his aid in battle and he needed to bring her to the network to sign a confidentiality agreement.
“We can’t do it here,” Chris said, surprising him. “We’re on lockdown. No one enters or leaves until the situation stabilizes.”
Ethan scowled. “What happened?” Had network headquarters been attacked again?
The last time such had happened, the network had been so damaged by the barrage of mercenaries’ missiles, grenades, and more that they had had to abandon the site for a new one.
“One of the vampires had a psychotic break. Some men were injured and tensions are running high.”
Ethan’s stomach sank. “Which vampire?” Cliff had been infected the longest. He had also become a true friend and ally of the Immortal Guardians. All of them dreaded the day the madness he fought tooth and nail would prevail.
“I’ll give you the details later. Where are you? At the woman’s place?”
“Yes.”
“What’s her name?”
“Heather Lane.”
“Heather Lane?” Chris repeated, his voice lightening with interest. “Daughter of General Milton Lane?”
“Yes,” Ethan responded, waiting for Chris to flip his lid.
“She’s a gifted one.”
Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “How did you know that?”
“I definitely want to talk with her,” Chris said, ignoring the question. “Give me ten minutes to take care of a few things here, then I’ll be on my way. Can you confirm her address for me?”
Ethan dictated her address.
“Good. That’s the one we have on file. I’ll see you in a few.”
Ethan stared at his phone when Chris ended the call.
“Everything okay?” Heather asked.
He had no idea. “Change of plans. There was a problem at network headquarters, so we’ll have to do it here. Is that okay?”
“I guess so. Although, to be honest, I don’t know how comfortable I am with your friends knowing where I live.”
He didn’t tell her that, judging by Chris’s response, they knew a hell of a lot more about her than that. “No one will harm you, Heather,” he vowed. “They would have to go through me first.”
She smiled.
“What?”
She gave him a titillating once-over. “You’re hot when you’re all tough and protective.”
He grinned. “Stop tempting me. Chris is on his way, so I need to keep my head.”
She winked. And damned if it didn’t make him want to toss his phone, lock the door, and bend her over the sofa.
“Your eyes are glowing again.”
“I know, damn it.”
She laughed.
Trying without success to dampen his libido, Ethan dialed Lisette’s number.
“Oui?” she answered on the third ring, voice groggy from sleep.
“Hey. Did I wake you?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s okay.” She yawned. “What’s up?”
“I was having the best dream,” Zach muttered in the background.
As always, imagining the elder immortal in bed with Lisette irritated Ethan. Until his gaze slid to Heather, who watched him with open curiosity, her lips still curled in a playful smile.
Ethan’s irritation fell away. “I need a favor,” he told the French immortal.
“Okay.”
That was the great thing about Lisette. Whenever he needed her, she was there.
“Seth made it clear that we’re supposed to abide by Chris’s wishes and let him speak to any mortal we want to bring into the fold.”
“You want to bring a mortal into the fold?” Lisette asked, sounding more alert. “Is it a mortal woman, by any chance?”
“Yes.” Ethan decided to let her draw her own conclusions. “Seth said we could be present when Chris talks to her and recommended a telepath be present as well to make things go more smoothly. Would you do it?”
“I’d be happy to.”
“There’s a catch. Chris wants to do it now.”
She chuckled. “Freaked out a little, did he?”
“I couldn’t tell if it was that or if he was stressing. Something went down at the network earlier.”
“What happened?” she asked, all levity fleeing. “Does he need us?”
“No. One of the vampires had a psychotic break.”
“Oh no! Not Cliff,” she pleaded. The young, courageous vamp had grown on them all.
“I don’t know. Chris will tell us when he gets here. Do you think Zach could pop you on over here?”
“No,” Zach grumbled in the background. “Zach wants to get back to dreaming about making love with his wife on a sunny beach. On second thought . . . screw that. I’m going to make love with her here in our bed. Hang up, love.”
Ethan heard a thump.
“Behave,” Lisette admonished with a laugh. “And get up. We’re going. I want to meet Ethan’s mortal girlfriend.”
“Ethan has a girlfriend?” Zach asked.
He didn’t have to sound so damned surprised. Or was he relieved? Zach knew Lisette and Ethan used to be lovers and didn’t even try to hide the fact that he loathed Ethan for it.
When Ethan had been turned by vampires a century or so ago, Seth—the leader of the Immortal Guardians—had taken him to Lisette to be trained. Ethan had instant
ly been smitten with the fierce, female immortal and had become even more so once he had coaxed her into his bed. Alas, Lisette had not loved him in return, so they had transitioned into what his Second called friends with benefits. It had been a comfortable relationship that had staved off the loneliness for decades until Lisette had fallen hard for Zach last year.
“So, are we a go?” Ethan asked, not bothering to correct Lisette’s assumption that Heather was his girlfriend.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Glancing at Heather, he swiveled away and lowered his voice. “And tell Zach to put some damned clothes on and to tuck his you-know-what away.”
Lisette laughed. “I will. I’ll call you when we’re ready.”
Pocketing the phone, Ethan turned back to Heather.
She arched a brow. “What is it you want him to tuck away?”
He laughed. “Not what you’re thinking. Let’s just . . . save that for another day.” Until Chris and Lisette confirmed what Ethan already sensed—that Heather was worthy of their trust—he thought it best not to mention the fact that Zach rarely wore shirts because they interfered with his big-ass wings. Wings he could tuck away or make vanish at will.
“If you say so,” she drawled. “Was that your Second again?”
“No. That was Lisette, one of the telepaths I told you about. She’ll be coming here to do the same thing you do in your work. She’ll assure Chris you aren’t bullshitting him when he talks with you.”
Her look turned uneasy. “She’s immortal?”
“Yes.”
“And she’s going to read my mind?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I know it’s an intrusion. But it’s the fastest way to get Chris out of our hair. An interview with him”—he opted not to use the word interrogation—“would take hours otherwise until we convinced him you could be trusted.” And Ethan would’ve likely become so angered by whatever intimidation tactics Chris would’ve used that Ethan would’ve hurt the man and earned Seth’s wrath.
“As often as I’ve read others’ minds, I guess I shouldn’t balk.” She sighed. “All right.”
Ethan studied her for a moment. “You look nervous.”
“I am.”
Closing the distance between them, he took her hand. “Don’t be. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
“Thank you.”
Damn, she appealed to him. “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Heather was almost a foot shorter than Ethan and seemed so fragile. So very mortal. It terrified him a little to recall her standing with him against seven vampires earlier. “Why did you welcome me into your home?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Temporary insanity?”
He flashed her a quick grin. “No, seriously.” Even though he had done his damnedest to convince Heather that he wouldn’t harm her, it still surprised him that she hadn’t continued to run away from him.
“You defeated seven vampires,” she said.
“With your help.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t that much help. You clearly were the strongest and most skilled fighter in the bunch.” Hard not to preen a bit over that declaration. “And I figured, if you had wanted to kill me or harm me, you would have done so in the clearing.”
“You had a weapon with a full mag trained on me in the clearing.”
“But my hands were shaking so badly that I didn’t have a hope in hell of hitting one of your major arteries. I would have only gotten one—maybe two—shots off before you jumped into hyperspeed and disarmed me.”
“I did disarm you.”
“After trying to talk me down.” Shrugging, she offered him a smile. “As you pointed out earlier, you could have easily killed me on the spot. Or you could have forced me into your car and whisked me away. Or you could have forced me into my house. Instead, you politely asked me if I’d like to discuss matters inside. And you trusted me enough to confirm that vampire folklore had gotten it right with regard to your not being able to withstand exposure to sunlight. You revealed a weakness to me. A vulnerability. It made me feel . . . not safe exactly, but safer.” She studied him. “Your eyes are glowing again.”
“You’re beautiful, you’re smart, you think quickly in a crisis, and you kick ass. Do you have any idea what a desirous combination that is?”
“Since I could say the same about you, yes.”
He grinned. “You’re bold, too? Be still, my heart.”
The phone rang before she could respond.
Still holding her hand, Ethan answered. “Yeah?”
Zach and Lisette appeared three feet away.
Heather jumped and emitted a little shriek of surprise. Tilting her head way back, she gaped up at Zach’s six-foot-ten-inch glowering form, then sidled up to Ethan.
Releasing her hand, Ethan wrapped an arm around her and glared at the elder immortal. “You could have given us a little warning first.”
Zach arched a brow. “I did. I called.” He curled an arm around Lisette’s waist and drew her closer as if to remind Ethan of his claim on her.
Lisette smiled and offered her hand to Heather. “Hello. I’m Lisette.”
Heather shook it. “Heather.”
Lisette patted Zach’s chest. “This is my husband, Zach.”
Heather eyed the two of them, her face full of curiosity. “You’re both immortal?”
“Yes,” Lisette answered.
“How did you . . . ? I mean, you just . . . appeared out of nowhere.”
“I can teleport,” Zach told her.
Heather turned wide eyes on Ethan. “Can you do that?”
“No,” Ethan confessed, hoping she wouldn’t be too disappointed. “Remember I told you we all have different gifts? Well, that’s one of his.”
“One of his?”
“Yes. Zach is an elder, so he has several gifts. I only have the one.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell as they all studied one another.
Lisette’s curious gaze kept darting back and forth between Ethan and Heather as if she were already sizing them up for wedding finery.
“I don’t think you want to do that,” Zach drawled, his dark gaze zeroing in on Heather.
“Do what?” Ethan asked, frowning.
“Read my mind. There are things up there you really don’t want to see.”
Great. Way to make her feel more comfortable, asshole, Ethan thought dourly.
Lisette’s lovely face lit up. “You’re telepathic?” She turned bright eyes on Ethan. “She’s a gifted one !” She can be transformed, she whispered in Ethan’s mind with glee.
Ethan shook his head, unable to tell her she was getting ahead of herself. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he had told Heather telepaths like Lisette couldn’t read his mind. She could send thoughts his way, but couldn’t receive them.
Awkward silence engulfed them.
Ethan wasn’t sure he liked the way Heather was studying Zach.
Zach’s lips twitched. “It isn’t what you’re thinking,” he told Heather, who blushed.
“What?” Ethan asked.
Zach nodded to the mortal in their midst. “She’s still wondering what you wanted me to tuck away.”
Lisette and Ethan both laughed.
Heather did, too.
Even Zach finally allowed himself a smile.
The tension eased.
Heather motioned to the sofa. “Would you like to sit down while we wait?”
“What exactly are we waiting for?” Zach asked.
“Chris Reordon,” Ethan told him.
“He’s at the network?”
“Probably. He said he had to wrap some things up there before he left.”
“I’ll go get him.” Leaning down, Zach pressed a quick kiss to his wife’s lips, stepped away from her, and vanished.
“That is so cool,” Heather declared.
Ethan silently agreed and again bemoaned the fact that he had been born with such a boring gift.
�
��My brother can teleport, too,” Lisette informed her with a smile. “I admit I’ve always envied him that gift. It seems much more fun than constantly being bombarded with others’ thoughts.”
Heather smiled. “I agree.”
“And few can defeat him in battle.”
“I imagine so. Hard to defeat someone who’s there one second and gone the next.”
“Precisely.”
Zach abruptly reappeared, his black T-shirt peppered with holes and glistening with blood. Leaning forward, he braced his hands on his knees as blood trailed from his lips and dappled the floor.
Heather gasped.
Lisette did, too, and leapt to Zach’s side, wrapping an arm around him. “Zach! What happened? Are you all right?”
Zach released a growl of fury, then straightened, his eyes glowing golden.
Ethan rested a hand on Heather’s hip and eased her behind him.
“Did you neglect to tell me something, Ethan?” Zach snarled.
Ethan took in the bullet holes. “Oh. Right. The, uh . . . the network’s on lockdown.”
Lisette sent Ethan a reproving look.
“What?” he said. “I told you one of the vampires had had a psychotic break. How did you think Chris would react?”
Lisette went to work, unbuttoning Zach’s shirt. “I take it someone was injured?”
“Several someones, apparently. Chris didn’t go into details. He just said everyone is on edge and he doesn’t want anyone in or out until tensions ease.”
“Thank you,” Zach sneered, “for the heads-up.”
Well, hell. Ethan had been just a tad distracted.
As Lisette untucked Zach’s shirt and parted it, little chunks of metal fell to the floor.
“What are those?” Heather asked. Prying Ethan’s hand from her hip (he hadn’t even realized he still gripped her), she stepped up beside him.
“The bullets that didn’t pass through me,” Zach gritted. His chest and abs, leanly muscled, bore a dozen or more holes that wept blood.
Shadows Strike Page 6