Blade of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  “No, I can’t,” Seth corrected.

  Aidan stared at him. “What do you mean? Sure you can. Just read Cliff’s mind and you’ll find his memory intact and undamaged and you’ll know I was with him while this video was recorded.”

  Seth sighed. “The brain damage the virus is causing in Cliff has begun to progress more quickly. Cliff’s brain is so riddled with scar tissue now that I wouldn’t be able to discern with certainty what damage was caused by the virus and what damage might have been caused by you if ”—he held up a hand when Aidan started to interrupt him—“you did use mind control on him and erased the memory of it.”

  In other words, Aidan was screwed. He shook his head. “I didn’t do this. I don’t know how to convince you of that. I shouldn’t have to convince you of it. But I did not do this.” He pointed to the laptop. “I don’t know who that man is, but it’s not me.”

  Studying him thoughtfully, Seth drew his cell phone out and dialed a number.

  “Hello?” a male voice answered. Ethan, the American immortal who had only been transformed a hundred years ago.

  “Ethan, it’s Seth. Have you got a moment?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good. I need to borrow you for a few. Am I clear to teleport there?”

  “Give us a minute first.”

  “Okay.” Seth pocketed his phone. His lips curled up in a somewhat sheepish smile. “I teleported over once and caught him and Heather naked, so I always ask first now.”

  Under other circumstances, Aidan would’ve laughed.

  A minute later, Seth vanished.

  Quiet fell, thick with tension.

  Aidan met Chris’s hostile gaze. “In the two years I’ve been here in North Carolina, I’ve come to believe that you’re as exceptional a leader in the mortal world as Seth is in ours. Don’t let past grudges fuck that up and steer you in the wrong direction.”

  “I don’t hold grudges. I learn from past mistakes.”

  “I freely admitted that I used mind control on the guards two years ago. Why would I lie about this?”

  Chris shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Chris.”

  “Time will tell.”

  “Waste too much of it on me and Veronica will pay the price.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “No. I’m worried about her. And I know we’ll find her more quickly if you stop pissing away your time trying to persecute me and instead focus all your resources on trying to find the arsehole,” Aidan ground out, pointing at the screen, “who took her.”

  Seth reappeared, his hand on Ethan’s shoulder.

  Aidan liked the young American immortal. Ethan had a friendly, easygoing nature and lacked the darkness that wove its way into older immortals who had seen too much of life. Aidan even felt protective toward the younger man since Aidan had transformed Ethan’s wife for him.

  Smiling, Ethan nodded a hello to Aidan and Chris. His smile died, however, as the tension in the room reached him.

  Though Ethan was six foot four, he still had to look up at Seth, who towered over most of them at six foot eight. “What’s up?” he asked.

  Seth motioned to the laptop. “I’d like you to watch this video.”

  “Okay.” Ethan leaned forward. Bracing his hands on the table, he stared at the screen as Chris set the video in motion.

  After a moment, Ethan’s eyes slid to Aidan. “Is that you?”

  Aidan forced a tight smile. “That’s the question of the day.” And if anyone in this room could answer it without scouring Aidan’s thoughts, Ethan could.

  Frowning, Ethan again focused on the laptop.

  Though Ethan often bemoaned the fact that he had been born with a “boring” gift, in moments like this his gift could be crucial. Ethan had what he often described as a photographic memory raised to the nth power. He remembered every second of every day he had lived. Everything he had seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched. And he remembered it all with crystal clarity.

  Heather had even once told Aidan that Ethan remembered the day he had been born.

  The video ended.

  Ethan straightened.

  Seth motioned to the video. “Is that Aidan?”

  The American’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure. It’s harder to tell in profile. Do you have any images of him head-on?”

  Chris shook his head. “No. This is it.”

  Ethan watched the video again. “It looks like Aidan, but something’s off.”

  “What is?” Seth asked.

  Ethan motioned to the frozen image of the man speaking with Veronica. “His hair is about a quarter of an inch too long.”

  “Aidan could’ve gotten a haircut since then,” Chris said.

  “I haven’t,” Aidan told Seth.

  “And his smile isn’t quite right,” Ethan continued. “When Aidan smiles, his eyes crinkle a little more in the corners. I wish I could see this guy from the front, because Aidan’s smile is also a little crooked.”

  Aidan eyed him with surprise. “It is?”

  “Yeah, one side goes up a tiny bit more than the other, but the difference is so minute that I doubt anyone else would notice.”

  “Anything else?” Seth asked.

  “Well, this guy’s boots are a size larger than Aidan’s and less scuffed.”

  “He could’ve bought new ones,” Chris pointed out.

  “And his coat doesn’t have that little string that pokes up from the shoulder seam of Aidan’s coat.”

  Aidan glanced down at his shoulder.

  “Not that one,” Ethan said. “The other one.”

  Aidan looked at the other shoulder, the same one visible on the man in the video. Sure enough, a single black thread poked up from the seam, its frayed end about an inch long.

  Seth and Chris leaned forward a bit and peered at the coat, then leaned back.

  Chris frowned. “He could’ve been wearing a different coat.”

  “This is the only one I own,” Aidan protested.

  Ethan nodded. “And it’s the only one I’ve ever seen him wear.”

  Aidan’s Second, Brodie, was particularly talented at removing bloodstains, so Aidan didn’t have to replace his clothing as often as other immortals did.

  “All the more reason,” Chris said, “for Aidan to buy another coat to wear when he kidnapped Veronica.” The man was like a dog clinging tenaciously to a bone, damn it.

  Ethan frowned. “The woman’s missing?”

  “Yes,” the rest of them chorused.

  “Why would you think Aidan took her?”

  Chris pointed to the laptop. “Because we have visual confirmation that he did.”

  Ethan shook his head. “I don’t think that’s Aidan in the video. If I had to guess, I’d say it was his twin.”

  “I don’t have a twin,” Aidan said at the same time Seth said, “He doesn’t have a twin.”

  Ethan shrugged. “Could Jared be up to something again?”

  Jared was one of the Others, ancient immortals who were almost as powerful as Seth but believed that any interference in the fate of mankind would result in the world’s destruction. Seth had defected from the Others’ ranks millennia ago to marry a human woman and lead the Immortal Guardians. Zach had defected three years ago to marry Lisette.

  Jared had secretly defected shortly after Zach when he’d had a vision that Gershom would succeed in his quest to launch Armageddon. But Jared had done so without the Others’ knowledge and had since adopted something of a secret-agent role, working with the Immortal Guardians while maintaining the status quo with the Others.

  Ethan looked at Seth. “Jared assumed Marcus’s appearance once, and Ami said Jared looked exactly like him. Maybe he did the same this time with Aidan.”

  Seth shook his head. “Jared would have no reason to kidnap Veronica.”

  “Then maybe it’s Gershom,” Ethan countered.

  Aidan looked to Seth. “Can Ger
shom assume the appearance of other men?”

  Seth frowned. “I know he can shape-shift into animal forms, but the human body is more complex. Getting every facial expression, every freckle or wrinkle or even the walk and posture just right is exceptionally difficult. Jared can do it because he’s particularly talented at such. But I don’t know about Gershom.”

  Aidan curled one hand into a fist. “It must be Gershom.” And the bastard had used Aidan’s form to trick Veronica into trusting him.

  Chris crossed his arms. “I’m still not convinced it wasn’t you.”

  Aidan lunged to his feet.

  Seth sped around the table and planted a hand in Aidan’s chest before Aidan could kick Chris’s ass. “Chris, stop provoking him.”

  “I’m not provoking him,” Chris said, no anger in his voice. “I’m viewing the situation as objectively as I can and have what I believe are reasonable doubts. A haircut and a shopping spree could explain all but one of the differences Ethan spotted in the video. And the smile being a little bit off could be because it wasn’t a genuine smile. Real smiles reach the eyes. Fake ones don’t.”

  Seth reluctantly met Aidan’s gaze. “He has a point.”

  Aidan’s stomach knotted. “You don’t really believe—”

  “No, I don’t.” He turned to Chris. “Which is why I need your word that you will consider all possibilities while conducting your investigation. If Gershom is responsible, we need to discover what his endgame is and why he took Veronica.”

  Aidan shook his head. “Could he have done it just to fuck with you, Seth?”

  Ethan nodded. “He knows how protective you are of immortals and gifted ones. It would be an easy way to get back at you for defeating him last time.”

  Seth swore.

  Chris removed a small spiral notebook and a stubby number two pencil from his breast pocket and began to scribble down notes. “I’ll look into Veronica’s background and see if I can find a reason beyond her being a gifted one that would make her seem to be a valuable tool Gershom could use against you.”

  Ethan pursed his lips. “You didn’t, by any chance, used to date her or anything like that, did you, Seth?”

  Hell, that hadn’t even occurred to Aidan.

  Chris either, apparently.

  All three stared at Seth expectantly.

  “No,” their leader answered.

  They breathed sighs of relief.

  “Did the woman work here at the network?” Ethan asked.

  “Yes,” Chris and Aidan answered in unison.

  “Then perhaps that’s why Gershom wanted her. We know he was manipulating Dr. Whetsman and using him to sneak vials of the sedative out of the network. Whetsman’s dead, right?”

  Seth nodded. “The brain damage from Gershom’s mind control combined with the damage that resulted from Cliff beating the crap out of him was too great. We couldn’t save him.”

  Ethan nodded. “Then maybe Gershom is simply looking for a new puppet or a new source of intel. He may not have even known she’s a gifted one.”

  Seth looked to Chris. “He has a valid point.”

  Chris scribbled some more. “I’ll look into all the employees who have called in sick or missed work this month and double-check to ensure they’re really sick and not missing like Veronica in case she wasn’t the only target. It may also be a good idea, Seth, for you to read their minds once they’re all accounted for and make sure Gershom didn’t tamper with them.”

  “Give me their names and I’ll do it.”

  “I’ll also have my guys look up all the other gifted ones in the area, just in case that’s the lure and not the network connection. Make sure they’re okay.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Ethan glanced at Seth. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “We’ll let you know,” Seth told him.

  Chris handed Aidan a stack of papers.

  “What’s this?”

  “The list of female gifted ones you stole. I want you to go over it and circle the names of every woman you’ve had contact with.”

  Aidan slammed the papers down on the table. “This is ridiculous! You make it sound like I’m the carrier of a contagious disease or something.”

  “I just want to make sure none of the others have been harmed in any way,” Chris retorted, unperturbed by Aidan’s anger.

  Aidan swung on Seth. “Seth—”

  Seth held up a hand. “Indulge him in this, Aidan. He isn’t going to let it go. And the faster he can eliminate you as a suspect, the faster we’ll determine what and whom we’re dealing with.”

  “Fine,” Aidan grumbled and retook his seat. Catching the pencil Chris tossed him, he swiftly scanned the list and circled the name of each woman he’d met.

  When he reached Dana’s name though, Aidan hesitated.

  He’d seen her every night since their first date. He had taken her to dinner. She had cooked for him in her home above her shop. He had cooked for her at the country home he rarely used. They had slumped down, hip to hip, on her sofa and watched movies together, feet propped on her coffee table, hands brushing as they shared a big bowl of popcorn. They had walked along the stream behind her home, holding hands as the night serenaded them.

  She was so warm and funny. So affectionate.

  They had talked and laughed and kissed and touched and teased until his body burned.

  And he had loved every minute of it.

  It had been the best two weeks of his entire existence.

  But they had not made love.

  Though Aidan thought she was ready to take that next step, he hesitated.

  Yes, they had learned a lot about each other. But she still didn’t know that one oh-so-important fact: that he was immortal.

  It just didn’t seem right to make love to her without telling her first.

  And he sure as hell didn’t want Reordon to be the one to tell her. Chris might claim to lack bias, but he would always think the worst of Aidan.

  Aidan wouldn’t put it past Chris to sabotage his relationship with Dana out of pure spite.

  “What’s wrong?” Seth asked.

  Glancing up, Aidan found the Immortal Guardians’ leader studying him carefully.

  Aidan shook his head. “Nothing. Just trying to puzzle it all out.” Returning his attention to the papers on the table, Aidan skipped Dana’s name without circling it and continued down the list.

  Aidan spent damned near every spare minute he had with Dana. He didn’t need Chris to confirm that she was all right. Aidan would keep her safe himself.

  Besides, she didn’t work for the network. And Aidan thought it likely that Veronica had been targeted for her network connections.

  Why Gershom—and it had to have been Gershom—had chosen to adopt Aidan’s appearance to abduct her, Aidan didn’t know.

  Hopefully Chris would get the bug out of his butt quickly enough to help them figure it out so they could find her.

  Chapter Six

  Dana glanced at the clock. Aidan was due any minute. And she was eager to see him again. The day had been a long one, the visions she’d had compelling her to deliver more bad news than usual. The high point had been telling LeAnn, who had just discovered she was pregnant and didn’t want to wait to hear it, that her baby was a girl. The midpoint—or the good news/bad news point—had been telling Connie that her husband wasn’t cheating on her and spending their savings on a mistress, he was blowing it gambling. And the low point had been telling Ashley to stop procrastinating and see her doctor because the cancer was back.

  The tinkling of the bell over her door alerted her to a new arrival. Turning, she watched Aidan duck inside. He was dressed casually tonight in black pants and a black button-down shirt with the collar open. They had decided not to venture out tonight and instead planned to order in from that fantastic restaurant he’d taken her to on their first date and watch a movie.

  “Hi, handsome,” she said with a smile. As always, the stress of the day
fell away and her heart began to beat faster as he grinned down at her.

  “Hi, yourself, beautiful.”

  Grabbing his tie, she tugged him down for a kiss.

  Lightning struck at the first touch of his lips, sending heat coursing through her body.

  Humming his approval, Aidan curled an arm around her waist and drew her up against him.

  Dana rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  How he made her body burn. No man had ever made her feel the way Aidan did, so desperate for his touch.

  Aidan wrapped his other arm around her, clutching a fistful of her hair and urging her closer. Her breasts pressed against his muscled chest, nipples hardening at the delicious contact. When he slid his other hand down over her bottom, urging her against his growing erection, she moaned.

  It was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to make love with him.

  Was fourteen dates long enough to wait? She had wanted to take things slowly and proceed with caution but really didn’t think she could go another night without feeling his bare skin against hers.

  He was so damned hot. And Dana had never felt happier than she had during the past two weeks. It felt almost as though she had been merely sleepwalking until Aidan had found her and woken her up. He made her laugh, made her heart light, and eradicated the loneliness that had begun to weigh on her as her damned gift ruined every relationship she tried. She had really begun to think she would never find that special someone, that she would spend the remainder of her life alone.

  But Aidan wasn’t threatened by her gift. He rarely even mentioned it. Visions still came to her. The same two of Aidan sword fighting with his reenactment buddies. She’d had more visions of them making love as well, which made it all the harder to resist temptation. But the other things she had seen had been pretty mundane. Him standing in a sunny meadow with his hand on a man’s shoulder. Aidan had told her the African-American man was his friend Cliff, who was ill.