Blade of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  She stared at him. “How long have you lived?”

  Reaching up, he rubbed his forehead as though an ache slowly built there. “Please, don’t make me answer that. Not now. Not yet. It will only make this more difficult.”

  Really? How old was he?

  He had said he’d lived far longer than anyone else she’d met. She assumed that included grandparents. So how long had he lived? A hundred years? A hundred and fifty? Two hundred? How was that possible? And how could he look so young and heal at such an astounding rate?

  “What are you, Aidan?” she forced herself to ask. Please say human.

  Sighing, he lowered his hand. “We call ourselves immortals.”

  Crap.

  “But we aren’t truly immortal. We just”—he shrugged—“don’t age and are very hard to kill.”

  With his rapid healing ability, she would imagine so. “Are you an alien?” She felt ridiculous asking it, but he clearly wasn’t human. “I mean, how did you come to be like this?” She motioned to his smooth chest.

  “I’m not an alien. I began my life the same way you did. I was born a gifted one.”

  “What’s a gifted one?”

  “Someone who is born with advanced DNA that lends them special talents ordinary humans lack. Your psychic abilities are a result of the advanced DNA with which you were born. And that DNA was passed to you from your parents. Much like mine was by my mother.”

  “I don’t have advanced DNA.”

  “Yes, you do. All gifted ones have advanced DNA. It’s the source of our gifts.”

  “Gifted ones?” she repeated, stressing the s. “Are you saying there are more people out there with special gifts?”

  “Yes. Many more. All my brethren possess them. And there are thousands of others.”

  Every time she thought he couldn’t confound her more, he did. “Wait. Are you saying Sheldon and Tracy—the couple I met on our first date—have special gifts? Is that why your telepathy was no big deal to them?”

  He shook his head. “Neither Sheldon nor Tracy are gifted ones, but the men and women they work with are. Or were, before they became immortal.”

  “What about the others you introduced me to?”

  “Martin and Evie are gifted ones. Martin is like you and can see the future. Evie is an empath and can feel others’ emotions.”

  “And the rest?”

  “Étienne, Krysta, and Sean are gifted ones who have become immortals.”

  “They’ve become immortals? How does one become immortal?”

  “By being infected with a very rare symbiotic virus that behaves like no other on the planet. When one is infected with it on a large enough scale, the virus conquers, then replaces, the immune system, giving one the speed, strength, and healing abilities that will enable it—and its host—to survive as long as possible.”

  She grimaced. “It isn’t like those snake things in Stargate that live in their host’s stomach, is it?” Gross.

  “No. It’s nothing like that. It really is a virus. It just behaves unlike any other we’ve seen.”

  “Why?”

  “Our doctors and scientists are still trying to puzzle that out.”

  Dana pondered his words. “So Étienne, Krysta, and Sean are like you? They heal superfast, can outrun the Flash, and have glowing eyes?”

  “Yes. Étienne is telepathic. He has fewer scruples than I do and can be a nosy bastard. So whenever you’re in the same room with him, you can pretty much count on him reading your thoughts.”

  “You say that as though you think I will be in the same room with him again at some point.”

  “Krysta can see auras,” he continued. And Dana found the evasion unsettling.

  “Wait.” She frowned. “Auras? You mean those glowy things some people claim surround the body? Those are real?”

  “Apparently so. And her brother Sean can heal with his hands.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “So he can just lay hands on a wound and heal it?”

  “Yes.”

  Okay. That was actually kind of cool.

  Aidan’s look turned guilty.

  Or guiltier.

  “What?” she asked, already dreading whatever he would say.

  “Now might be a good time for me to tell you that I can heal with my hands, too.”

  Again she stared at him.

  “I did tell you,” he hastened to add, “the night of our first date that I had more than one gift.”

  She thought back to that night. Had he?

  I’m not pretending. I do have a special gift. More than one, if you’re to know the truth of it.

  Yes, he had. But Tracy and Sheldon had come up then. And Dana had been so surprised by their casual acceptance of his telepathy that she had forgotten.

  “You did,” she confirmed.

  He seemed only slightly relieved to hear it.

  “So you can heal with your hands?” she asked. Why, she wondered, did that seem less believable than the other revelations he had made?

  He nodded.

  Leaning over, Dana reached behind him and rummaged through his coat. When her hand found the hilt of a dagger, she curled her fingers around it and removed it from its sheath.

  Aidan eyed her warily when he saw it. “What do you plan to do with that?”

  She drew the sharp blade across her palm, cutting a deeper gash than she had intended. “Ow! Shit!” she cried, dropping the dagger. “That hurt more than I thought it would.”

  Aidan’s eyes flashed bright amber. “Are you mad, woman?” Reaching for her wounded hand, he cupped it in one of his and turned it up so he could examine the damage.

  Blood spilled out of the deep cut and filled her palm.

  Swearing, he pressed the palm of his free hand to hers.

  “Seriously,” she gritted, “how the hell could you act like your chest and arms didn’t hurt? Your cuts were way deeper than this one, and this hurts like hell.” It really did.

  Aidan’s hand heated, becoming as warm as a hot-water bottle.

  The pain in her palm decreased, then vanished altogether.

  “I’m used to it,” he commented absently as he lifted his hand and peered down at her palm.

  Dana did, too, and couldn’t believe her eyes. The wound was gone.

  Grabbing one of the damp towels she had used on Aidan, she wiped her palm clean.

  No wound. No scar. Nothing.

  “Holy crap,” she whispered and stared at him with no little awe. “You can heal with your hands.”

  He shrugged, his lips turning up in an adorably sheepish smile. “Amongst other things.”

  She groaned. “Aidan!” she complained. “You can’t do that!”

  “Do what?” he asked, all innocence.

  “Tell me you can read minds and don’t age and heal quickly and can heal me, then—just as I’m beginning to process all of that—imply there’s more.”

  He winced. “There is more. Quite a bit, I’m sorry to say.”

  She sighed. “It’s times like this I wish I were a heavy drinker.”

  He laughed. “Shall I pop over to the liquor store and fetch you some scotch?”

  Amazingly, amusement flitted through her. “No, thank you.” Then she frowned as she recalled the ultra-tall, scary guy with the long hair appearing out of thin air earlier. “When you say pop over there, you don’t mean—”

  “I can teleport,” he announced matter-of-factly.

  Her mind went blank. “Oh, come on!” she nearly shouted.

  Aidan laughed.

  And she had to admit, despite everything, that it was good to see his handsome features lighten and his eyes lose some of their sobriety.

  “Please, tell me you’re joking,” she begged, “and that teleportation only happens in sci-fi movies.”

  “I’m not and it doesn’t. You saw Seth teleport earlier tonight.”

  “Seth was the giant with the long hair?”

  He grin
ned. “Yes. He’s our leader or commanding officer.”

  “And he can do magical stuff, too?”

  “There’s actually very little Seth can’t do.”

  “What about Roland and the woman? They were immortals?”

  “Yes. Roland can heal with his hands. And his wife Sarah has prophetic dreams.”

  She sighed. “This is a lot to take in.”

  “I know.”

  “Too much for you to mention on a first date,” she admitted now that her brain was starting to process everything. “Or a second. Or even a third.”

  “Such was my thought.” Slowly, as though he expected her to jerk away, he reached over and covered one of her hands with his. “It’s also a lot for me to trust you with, Dana. These secrets are not solely my own to share. We’ve worked hard to keep knowledge of our existence—of your existence, of gifted ones, immortals, and our advanced DNA and abilities—a closely guarded secret. Our lives and the lives of many others depend upon it. And each time one of us trusts someone with that knowledge, we make our brothers more vulnerable.”

  She could see the truth in that. Society had always, it seemed, been dominated by people who would rather hate, harm, kill, or exploit those who were different from them than seek to learn from them and live in peace. “But you’re immortal. How vulnerable could you be?”

  He squeezed her hand. “Remember, I said we’re mostly immortal. We can still be killed. Two of my brothers were slain not long ago when our secret was shared with the wrong people. A third immortal nearly lost her life as well.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “And I’m sorry I didn’t find a way to tell you all this sooner.”

  “I guess I can understand why you didn’t. But I can’t help feeling a little hurt that you didn’t trust me with it.”

  “Had it only been my secret to share…” Brow furrowing, he combed the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “Hell, I probably still wouldn’t have told you. I care about you, Dana. More than I was beginning to think I could, if you’re to know the truth. I’ve enjoyed so much our time together. Every minute we’ve shared. And I feared losing that if I told you and you found it all to be too much.”

  Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out in a long sigh, then turned her hand over and twined her fingers through his. “Okay. You can read minds, heal superfast, teleport, don’t age, can heal other people with your hands, run superfast, are superstrong and can make your eyes glow.”

  “The last is more of an involuntary response.”

  “Is there anything else you can do?”

  His face crinkled up in a Welllllllllll, now that you mention it expression.

  She groaned. “Just tell me.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to fetch you that scotch first?”

  She laughed. “No, thank you.” His reluctance to confide more didn’t anger her. Oddly, it made her feel better, because she believed him when he said it didn’t stem from distrust but from a fear that she wouldn’t want him anymore if she knew it all.

  “I have telekinetic abilities, too,” he confessed. “I just don’t use them very often.”

  “You can move things with your mind?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you show me?”

  A pillow suddenly leapt up and hovered a couple of feet from her face.

  Dana gaped. “What?” Even though she had expected something of the sort, it still shocked her.

  Aidan’s look turned mischievous a second before the pillow flew forward and gently bounced off her face.

  Dana burst out laughing and caught the fluffy projectile as it fell to her lap. Slinging it playfully at Aidan, she hit him in the face.

  Aidan grinned, fell backward as if she had hit him with a fist instead, then sat up again.

  “That is so cool.” Much cooler than prophetic visions.

  He shrugged modestly.

  “Can you only move little things? Or can you move bigger things, too?” she asked.

  Turning toward her dresser, he stretched a hand out toward it dramatically.

  Dana watched the dresser. After a second or two, it began to vibrate.

  She sent Aidan an encouraging smile.

  He winked.

  Then Dana rose into the air.

  Shrieking in surprise, she threw out her arms but found nothing to grab.

  Aidan laughed.

  When she looked down at him, he twirled his index finger.

  Dana laughed as she spun in a circle, then floated down onto his lap.

  He wrapped his arms around her.

  Still smiling, she slid her own around his neck.

  “Still like me?” he asked softly, the glow in his eyes failing to hide the vulnerability that lurked there.

  She nodded.

  “You’re not afraid of me?”

  “No.” Whatever his abilities, he was still Aidan.

  Her Aidan.

  Closing his eyes, he hugged her tight and buried his face in her hair. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Eight

  Seth drove only far enough away from Dana’s shop to leave the sight of any late-nighters. Stopping the car, he closed his eyes and teleported himself and the vehicle to the barn behind David’s home, which served as a huge garage. Parking the car in Ami’s spot, he cut the engine, got out, and left the keys above the visor.

  By the sounds of it, the Immortal Guardians and Seconds who had assembled at David’s home for the meeting remained where he had left them—at the dining room table. Voices overlapped as everyone speculated over what might be happening with Seth, Roland, and Aidan.

  Seth strode down the drive and around to the front of the house, taking a couple of minutes to dampen his anger and gather his thoughts.

  He’d had no idea Aidan was seeing someone.

  Aidan had said nothing. And, contrary to popular belief, Seth didn’t like intruding on his friends’ thoughts, seeing all their secrets and private moments, so he didn’t do so nearly as often as most assumed he did.

  Joy crept in. Aidan had found someone. After seemingly endless lonely centuries, he had found a woman he loved who was also falling in love with him. Or who had been before Roland had mucked it all up.

  Bitterness invaded. Why did all hell have to break loose whenever an immortal found love? Couldn’t one damned courtship go smoothly?

  Grinding his teeth, Seth opened the front door and closed it behind him with a little more force than he’d intended.

  All conversation ceased.

  Entering the dining room, he crossed to the foot of the table and retook his seat.

  A long minute passed.

  “Seth,” Ami said tentatively, “are you okay?”

  “Yes,” he gritted, though anger continued to pummel him.

  The men and women seated at the table exchanged uncertain looks.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because your eyes are really bright. And I’m pretty sure I just heard thunder.”

  He swore, then muttered, “Give me a minute.” But when he closed his eyes, he saw again the dread that had darkened Aidan’s features. The fear that he would lose Dana. The dying hope.

  Thunder rumbled outside, louder this time.

  Opening his eyes, Seth pointed at Chris. “You need to get your shit together and stop persecuting Aidan. From now on, when you come to this table, you will damned well leave all bias at the door.”

  Chris stiffened and held up a sheaf of papers. “This isn’t bias,” he insisted.

  “Bullshit,” Seth countered. “You’re holding a grudge.”

  “I don’t hold grudges.”

  Laughter erupted around the table.

  Some of his anger easing just a bit, Seth arched a brow.

  “Okay, okay,” Chris ground out when the laughter was slow to die down. “I get it. You all think I hold grudges.”

  “Hell yes you do,” Bastien uttered.

  Chris shot him a scowl, then met Seth’s irate gaze. “But, Seth, wh
en it comes to Aidan, can you really blame me?” He motioned to their audience. “You consider all the immortals and Seconds at this table—as well as the immortals and Seconds who aren’t at this table—members of your family. And you worry about them and protect them accordingly. Well, that’s how I feel about the network employees. I think of them as my family. And Aidan erased the memories and damaged the brains of several of them.”

  Eyes widened.

  “What?” Marcus murmured. “Aidan did that? Why?”

  Seth shook his head. “I won’t go into that right now.”

  Bastien cleared his throat. “In his defense, Aidan only erased a minute or two of their memories, so the damage done was negligible.”

  “Only a minute or two?” Sheldon snorted and waved a hand. “Hell, I probably damaged my brain more than that binge drinking with my buds in high school.”

  Étienne eyed him curiously. “Is that why you’re the way you are?”

  Sheldon and Tracy both laughed.

  Chris clenched his teeth. “Any damage is unacceptable.”

  Seth held up a hand. “I have no problem with your being pissed about that. But I do object to your letting it cloud your judgment.”

  Chris sent him an incredulous look. “How is it clouding my judgment? We know for a fact that Aidan was the last person to see the six women who have disappeared. We even now have three of those encounters on video.”

  “Yes,” Seth said. “But those aren’t the only gifted ones who have gone missing. You conveniently left out the fact that three men have disappeared as well. And there is no evidence whatsoever that Aidan had any contact with them.”

  Everyone looked at Chris, awaiting his rebuttal.

  Chris frowned. “I just hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”

  David spoke up. “Because you were focusing all your suspicion on Aidan.”

  Seth nodded. “I know you dislike him, Chris. I know he gave you reason to. But you need to get past that now. If all I knew of this matter was what you told us right before Aidan left, I would believe Aidan guilty of harming those women.”

  Sheldon nodded. “You did kinda make Aidan sound like a serial killer.”

  More nods.

  “Had you instead,” Seth continued, “begun your presentation by saying that nine gifted ones have gone missing, three males and six females, then explained that we have strong reason to believe that someone bearing Aidan’s appearance was seen with several of them shortly before they vanished—”