Chapter Twenty-Three
The group that gathered around David’s table two nights later was a somber one.
No meeting had been called. Everyone had just felt the need to stay close. Not just to look after each other, but to be there for Seth.
They had succeeded in rescuing the gifted ones Gershom had abducted and removed all knowledge of them from the military, foiling his latest plan. But Gershom would be back. All knew it. And all now knew it would be even harder than anticipated to stop him. Because Seth and the immortals had a weakness he could exploit.
A weakness Gershom lacked.
They cared. About their brethren. About their Seconds and network family. About all humans and gifted ones.
Gershom would always be able to use that against them. And none knew how to guard against that.
Dana studied the men and women around the table.
Conversation flowed as plates filled with the scrumptious meal Dana wasn’t sure who had prepared for them. But the conversation was muted, reserved.
More leaves had been added to the long dining table along with more chairs. All the immortals in North Carolina were present, along with their Seconds. Cliff had come, too, she was pleased to see. And General Lane, who had abandoned his uniform in favor of civvies.
Melanie, Bastien, and Cliff sat on Dana’s right.
Aidan, Heather, and Ethan sat on her left.
Ethan had awoken shortly after the trucks carrying Dana and the other gifted ones from the military installation had arrived at network headquarters. He had been quiet and had spoken little when Heather, Aidan, Dana, Bastien, and Melanie gathered around him. And the words he had spoken had come slowly, sparking fear in those who loved him.
But after more blood infusions and a long healing sleep, he seemed to be his regular self again.
David presided at the head of the table.
Seth occupied the chair at the opposite end.
This was the first time Dana had seen Seth since Gershom had taken her.
Lisette and Zach sat at Seth’s right elbow, Jared beside them.
Apparently posing as General Gershom and having Seth pose as Marcus had been Jared’s idea. And his helping clean up the mess in Times Square had outed him to the Others. So he was bunking at David’s now.
Ami and Marcus sat on Seth’s left as usual. Adira sat in her mother’s lap, brow furrowed, two fingers in her mouth.
Aidan followed Dana’s gaze. I heard Marcus tell Roland that Adira is afraid to let her mother out of her sight now, he said softly in her mind.
I don’t blame her, Dana thought. Poor baby. Can’t they just bury her memory of what happened?
He shook his head. Seth is afraid burying the memory would do too much damage to her still-developing brain.
The front door opened. Chris Reordon strode in, his battered briefcase in hand.
All called greetings.
Tossing them a wave, he dropped his briefcase and hung his jacket up among the many black coats that adorned the long coatrack.
“Join us for dinner?” David asked.
Chris responded with a weary smile. “Thanks. I’d love to.” Shadows darkened the skin beneath his eyes. Had he slept at all since Times Square?
While Darnell grabbed another chair and pulled it up to the table, Sheldon retrieved a plate, heaped it full of food, and deposited it in front of Chris.
Thanking him, Chris tucked into his meal with a gusto that made Dana wonder when the man had last eaten a hot meal.
“So?” David said.
Chris swallowed a mouthful. “Times Square has been taken care of. Alena Moreno and Scott Henderson had their tech teams pitch in and handle everything that popped up on the internet while we handled phone calls and everything on the ground.”
Dana stared at him. “So no one knows?”
“No one knows,” Chris confirmed, taking another bite.
“That’s amazing.”
Chris shook his head and motioned to Seth. “What he did was amazing. No way would we have been able to contain something this big if he hadn’t brought everything to a screeching halt and bought us time.”
Seth seemed less than impressed with the feat he had performed. “Gershom still got away.”
“But he’s running scared,” Zach countered. “I followed the bastard for hours before I ultimately lost his trail. For all we know, he may still be running.” He shook his head. “He might have talked shit to you in Times Square, but you shook him, Seth. You caught him by surprise.”
Aidan grunted. “You caught me by surprise, too. I thought that was you by my side, helping me rescue Dana and the others. Having Jared take your place was a stroke of genius.”
Voices of agreement circulated the table.
Dana looked to Chris. “How are the gifted ones we rescued?”
“Pissed,” he answered. “They want payback but know they can’t get it without revealing their gifts to the public. And after what they just went through, they know that wouldn’t be wise.”
Dana nodded. “It would just make them targets again.”
“Exactly. We’re doing everything we can to help them resume their normal lives, smoothing things over with their employers and the like. We’re also providing any who need it with free medical care as well as sessions with therapists on the network’s payroll, if they desire it.”
“Thank you,” she said, thinking of Rick, Phil, and Grant.
Chris smiled. “Don’t worry. We’re taking good care of them.”
Seth cleared his throat. “Now tell them the bad news.”
Quiet descended.
Lisette frowned. “What?”
“Tell them the bad news, Chris,” Seth repeated.
All eyes went to Chris.
Setting his fork down, Chris sighed and drew a hand down his face. “Just once, I would like to come to this house and not be the bearer of bad news.” He leaned back in his chair. “After the dust settled at network headquarters and we counted heads, we realized that we didn’t recover all of the missing gifted ones.”
Aidan took Dana’s hand. “Are you saying we left some behind?” he asked, his voice and face expressing the same dismay Dana felt.
Chris shook his head. “No. We got all of them that were housed at the military installation, but fifteen of the missing gifted ones weren’t there. Scott Henderson’s team found three dead this morning in Texas.”
“Male or female?” Seth asked softly.
Chris hesitated. “All female.”
Aidan swore. “What about the other dozen? Do you think they met the same fate?”
“We don’t know,” Chris admitted, “but believe that’s likely the case. I’ve got everyone looking for them. Alena and Scott do, too. I’ll update you with any progress we make.”
Heavy silence.
“You won this battle, Seth,” Zach said. “You may think you didn’t, but you did.”
Lisette nodded. “Dozens of gifted ones are alive today, thanks to you.”
Zach took her hand and continued. “Gershom’s been working behind the scenes all this time, but you brought him out in the open. You scared him. You made him bleed. Until now, Gershom thought himself too clever for us. He thought he was untouchable. Invincible. But I got a good look at him while I was chasing him and he stopped long enough to throw more victims my way. You, David, and Aidan cut that fucker up.”
He said it with such satisfaction that even Seth cracked a smile. “At least there’s that.”
Chuckles lightened the mood.
Roland folded his arms across his chest. “Zach’s right,” he drawled. “We’re making progress. This time we cut him up. Next time we’ll bury him.”
Hearty agreements from all.
Chris tucked into his meal again.
Conversation resumed, flowing around the table more freely now.
Aidan nudged Dana. “You’re not eating,” he said aloud. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” she admitted, the butterflies in her belly resuming their flight.
Heather leaned forward to peer around Aidan. “What are you nervous about?”
Sheldon motioned to the immortals sitting around the table with a forkful of chicken. “These guys don’t make you nervous, do they?”
Tracy gave her a sympathetic smile. “Too much testosterone in the room?”
Dana laughed. “No. Aidan is going to transform me tonight.”
Exclamations of joy filled the air.
Ethan and Bastien clapped Aidan on the back.
Melanie gave Dana a hug. “Welcome to the family!”
“Thank you.”
Sarah motioned to Dana’s plate. “You’re smart not to eat. Anything you down now is going to come right back up.”
Dana grimaced. “That sucks.”
“It really does,” Sarah agreed with a laugh. “But if Aidan is anything like Roland and the rest of the married immortals present, he’ll spend the next three or four days pampering the hell out of you.”
Looking up at Aidan, Dana raised her brows.
“Your wish is my command,” he professed.
“Really?” She eyed him speculatively. Aidan had suggested that he transform her while they made love so the pleasure would dampen the pain of his bite. Sounds kinky, she’d said. But I’ll go with it. And she could think of quite a few commands she’d like to issue as soon as they got naked. “Could my wish be your command before you transform me?”
He winked. “Absolutely.”
Grinning, she squeezed his hand. “Then I’m not feeling so nervous.”
Raising their hands to his lips, he kissed her knuckles.
The tableware abruptly jerked and clinked.
Startled, Dana glanced at the table. Her tea splashed and danced as her glass began to tip. Hastily reaching out, she steadied it.
Aidan and several others did the same.
Dishes began to jump and rattle as the table began to vibrate.
All conversation stopped as hands grabbed silverware that migrated toward the edges.
Confusion and uneasiness filtered through Dana.
What was happening? The ground beneath her feet wasn’t shaking. Just the table.
“Seth?” Ami said, her soft voice full of concern.
All eyes went to their leader.
Seth’s head was bowed. His eyes glowed a vibrant gold. Arms straight, he gripped the sides of the table so tightly his knuckles shone white. A muscle twitched in his clenched jaw as he drew long jagged breaths in and out through his nose as though battling… what? Pain? Illness?
David leapt to his feet and sped down the table in a blur. Resting a hand on Seth’s back, he leaned in close. “What is it?”
Zach rose on Seth’s other side.
Seth shook his head, then seemed to reel with dizziness.
The table lurched violently.
Zach hastily gripped Seth’s arm and shoulder to steady him.
“Seth?” Ami repeated, resting a hand on his where it clutched the table in front of her.
He closed his eyes. “The gifted ones,” he gritted, slowly gaining his feet, his arms supporting his weight more than his legs.
Dana saw Aidan and several other immortals surreptitiously grip the edges of the table to hold it steady.
“The ones that are still missing?” David asked softly.
Seth nodded. “They aren’t dead.”
Zach shared a glance with David. “Are you sure?”
“They aren’t dead,” Seth repeated. “They’re transforming.”
Shock rippled through the room.
David swore, his eyes flashing bright amber. “All of them?”
“Yes?”
“Where?”
Seth shook his head, again nearly losing his balance. “I don’t know. Gershom is blocking me or otherwise shielding them. I can’t lock in on them.”
Zach glanced at Lisette.
Nodding, she stood and rested a hand on his arm.
As soon as Seth straightened and staggered back from the table, he, David, Zach, and Lisette vanished.
Dead silence.
“Well, shit,” Chris whispered. “And I thought Times Square was the worst-case scenario.”
Dana examined the faces around the table and noticed how pale some had become. “I’m not sure I understand what just happened. Is Seth okay?”
Heather nodded. “I was wondering the same thing. Was he angry or sick? I couldn’t tell.”
“He was both,” Roland answered.
Dana looked at Roland, then Aidan, still not sure she understood.
Aidan sighed. “I hope I’m not breaking a confidence here, but some of the youngsters present may not know that Seth feels it whenever a gifted one transforms.”
Heather frowned. “Feels it how?”
“He once described it as a sick feeling of dread or a burning in the pit of his stomach. It’s how he found each of us when we transformed and helped us adjust to our new circumstances. The closer he got, the more he felt it, like a beacon.”
Ethan cleared his throat. “I had heard as much, but didn’t realize it actually made him physically ill.”
“It usually doesn’t,” Aidan told them, “not to this extent at least. But gifted ones don’t transform as often as you might think. Humans number in the billions. We immortals only number in the thousands. As far as I know, the only time more than one gifted one transformed at the same time was when Richart, Étienne, and Bastien all transformed within days of each other. This… twelve gifted ones transforming simultaneously… is unprecedented.”
Ethan frowned. “We’ve been using that word a lot since Gershom arrived on the scene.”
Sighing, Aidan shook his head. “And we’ll be using it again if Seth can’t locate the missing gifted ones and Gershom manages to raise his own private immortal army.”
“Merde,” someone muttered.
Days later, Aidan sprawled in a chair in front of Chris Reordon’s massive desk at network headquarters.
Chris sat behind it, his eyes on the computer that dominated the center of his desk.
“People,” Aidan said suddenly.
“What?” Chris murmured, his eyes still glued to the screen.
“You said people.”
“When?” he asked with little interest.
“The last time you bitched about my using mind control here at the network, you said my people, not my guards.”
Squinting at the screen, Chris leaned closer. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I must need sleep or something. I can’t seem to bring this shit into focus.”
Aidan smiled. “You don’t need sleep. You need reading glasses.”
“Bullshit,” the blond grumbled. “I’m too young for reading glasses.”
Rising, Aidan leaned over, braced one hand on the desk, and covered Chris’s eyes with the other.
“What are you—?”
“Shut it.” His hand heated as Aidan corrected Chris’s vision. Then he withdrew his hand and sank back down in his chair.
Chris scowled at him, then looked at the computer. His forehead smoothed out. “I’ll be damned. I did need reading glasses. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Now, what were you blathering on about?” Chris asked, no malice in his tone.
Aidan laughed. “When I expressed concern upon learning that Zach had mind-controlled Dana, you complained about my not having felt the same concern when I mind-controlled your people. Not your guards, but your people.”
“So?”
“So, I get it now.”
“Get what?” Chris returned his attention to the computer.
“Why you won’t let the matter drop. My messing with your guards’ minds just pissed you off. It was my using mind control on your assistant Kate that infuriated you.”
Chris’s eyes widened as his brows drew down. Leaping up, he crossed his office and closed the door. “You’re just guessing.”
“But I guessed correctly.” Aidan met his eyes as Chris returned to his seat behind the desk. “And I offer you my most sincere apology. I understand mind control better than you, yet I still panicked when Zach admitted he’d tampered with Dana’s brain.”
“Because any damage is unacceptable,” Chris finished for him. “Even that which can be healed.”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Reordon?” Kate’s voice emerged from one of the many devices on Chris’s desk.
He pressed a button. “Yes?”
“Roland and Sarah Warbrook are here to see you.”
“Thank you. Send them in, please.”
Aidan and Chris both stood as the couple entered, holding hands.
Aidan wasn’t quite sure how this was going to go but hoped for the best.
“Thanks for coming,” Chris said. “Would you have a seat, please?”
Roland and Sarah exchanged a glance, then sank down on Chris’s sofa. Aidan turned his chair to face them while Chris leaned back against his desk.
“What’s this about?” Roland asked, blunt as usual.
Chris released his breath in a long sigh. “I didn’t want to tell you in front of the others, but… Veronica Becker didn’t make it.”
Roland stiffened.
“Oh no,” Sarah whispered.
Leaning forward, Roland braced his elbows on his knees. “How did she die?”
“She was shot in the head, execution style. According to the memories Zach combed through at the installation, she refused to cooperate and repeatedly tried to escape. Because those at the facility thought her gift was one that would aid them the least, they opted to use her as an example to compel the others to cooperate.”
Roland swore foully. “Did they torture her?”
“No. She just suffered the one fatal gunshot wound. I’m sorry we couldn’t get to her in time,” Chris told them with genuine regret. “I really am.”
Sarah wrapped an arm around Roland and rubbed his back. “What about her little boy?”
“That’s the other reason I wanted to talk with you. Roland, since you’re Veronica’s only living relative, Aidan suggested I ask if the two of you would like to adopt her son Michael.”
Their eyes widened. They turned to each other and stared without speaking for a long moment. Their heartbeats picked up, pounding a rapid beat.
Roland looked to Chris. “Does Seth know about this?”
“Yes. And he’s already given his consent if you’re interested.”
Roland squeezed Sarah’s hand and again met her hopeful gaze. “Do you—?”
“Yes,” she blurted, then bit her lip. “I mean, only if you—”
“Of course I do.” He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. “You don’t know how much I regret that I can’t give you children, Sarah.”
“But you can,” she said softly as she touched his face. “Michael is your descendant. He needs us.”
“And,” Chris added, “as a gifted one, he’ll need special guidance. Which is why we don’t want to place him with a human family. They wouldn’t understand his differences.”
Aidan eyed Chris curiously. “Do you know what his gift is?”
“Not yet,” Chris said. “Seth might, if you ask him. But whatever it is hasn’t drawn the notice of our caregivers yet.”
Roland frowned. “Will he be safe with us? We’ve not yet vanquished Gershom and—”
Aidan spoke before he could finish his thought. “With Gershom still out there, no one else would keep the boy safer. If you adopt Michael, he’ll be surrounded by powerful immortals every day. Hell, you’ll probably spend most of your time at David’s so he and Adira can play together.”
Sarah’s face lit with excitement as she squeezed her husband’s hand. “That would be so great! You know Marcus and Ami have been worrying about Adira not spending enough time around other children.”
Roland’s features lightened with hope, then darkened again with uncertainty. “What if he doesn’t like me? I haven’t been a father in nine hundred years. And you know the other immortals all say I’m antisocial.”
Everyone in the room laughed.
“What?” Roland asked, expression puzzled.
Sarah patted his hand. “Sweetie, everyone knows you’re Adira’s favorite uncle. She adores you. And Michael will, too.”
His lips curled up in a smile. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yes.”
He looked at Chris. “Then let’s do it.”
Squealing, Sarah threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
Roland grinned. “When can we see him?”
Chris looked up at Aidan. “Tell Melanie and Dana we’re ready to see them.”
We’re ready for you, Aidan told the two women telepathically.
Brimming with excitement, Sarah damned near danced in place while they waited.
Roland looked back and forth between Chris and Aidan. “Seth is really okay with this?”
Aidan smiled. “He thought it a grand idea.”
“I’ll handle all the paperwork for you,” Chris said, business as usual. But Aidan didn’t need to read his thoughts to know he was enjoying this. Chris really didn’t get to give good news very often. And after recent events, he had needed this as much as Roland and Sarah did.
“What about Michael?” Sarah asked. “How is he doing?”
Chris lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “About how you’d expect. He’s disconsolate. He misses his mommy and doesn’t understand why she didn’t pick him up from day care or why she hasn’t come for him since. The child psychologist we keep on staff recommended that you stay at David’s place for a while. Michael will need time to get to know you both and to adjust to his new family life. And she believes his being able to play and interact with Adira will help ease the transition.”
“Of course,” Roland agreed.
The door opened.
Dana entered and held the door for Melanie.
Melanie entered with little Michael on her hip. The somber toddler rested his head upon her chest and sucked on the index and middle fingers of one hand, just like Adira, as he stared at them listlessly.
Roland and Sarah rose.
Dana closed the door and moved to stand beside Aidan, slipping her hand into his with a smile.
Melanie crossed to Roland and Sarah. “Michael, this is Roland and Sarah.”
“Hi,” Sarah breathed with a smile as she held her hand out to the boy.
Michael reached out and closed his plump fingers around her index finger. After a moment, he lifted his head, studying her with more interest.
Roland smiled and drew a gentle hand over the boy’s dark hair. “Aren’t you a handsome lad?”
Sarah winked at Roland. “He has your genes.”
He laughed.
Michael leaned toward Sarah, removing his fingers from his mouth long enough to reach for her. Thrilled, Sarah drew him into her arms and cuddled him close.
Aidan quirked a brow at Chris. “Perhaps he’s a telepath.”
“Or an empath,” Chris countered.
“Or maybe psychic?” Dana suggested with a teasing smile.
Aidan grinned and wrapped his arm around her. “My personal favorite.”
Leaning up, she kissed his cheek.
Releasing a contented sigh, Dana rested a hand on the arm Aidan had draped around her. The two were curled up on his porch swing, her back to his front, watching twilight gently lower its blanket upon the earth.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We’ll have to go soon.”
Nodding, she drew in a deep breath and marveled over the plethora of scents she could detect and isolate now that she was immortal.
In deference to Seth, Aidan had not transformed her the night Gershom’s captive gifted ones transformed. Neither had wished to add to whatever illness burdened Seth. So they had waited a couple of weeks until Seth was himself again.
Dana had been so ill for three days after Aidan bit her that she barely remembered it. But now…
It was weird to feel so normal yet have so much power, strength and speed at her disposal. In the week since her transformation, Aidan had trained her vigorously. Long hours. Every day.
Dana didn’t object. She knew her abduction had terrified him.
Hell, it had terrified her, too.
Fortunately, thanks to the how-to-kick-ass manual Zach had planted in her brain, she already possessed most of the combat skills she needed to defeat multiple vampire attackers. She just had to learn to moderate her strength and speed, which was tougher than she had thought it would be.
Her gaze slid to the large boarded-over hole in the exterior wall of the house.
There had been a few… incidents.
“Hey, guys?” Brodie called through the screen door. “It’s almost time.”
“Okay,” the two answered.
Immortal Guardians and their Seconds would all be dining at David’s tonight. David said he and Seth wanted to gather everyone together to formally welcome Dana to the family.
She felt a familiar flutter of happiness.
She had a family again. Aidan had given her that. And so much more.
Ready to embrace her new life, she had sold her little duplex home and shop and had moved in with Aidan.
She grinned.
And Brodie.
It was a little odd, having Brodie there with them. But he was Aidan’s Second and a likable guy, and the three of them were adjusting.
Aidan touched a finger to her chin and tilted her head back for a kiss. “Do you regret it?”
“Regret what?” she asked, pressing her lips to his for another kiss.
“Do you regret not sending me on my way when I came to you for that first reading?”
Smiling, she shook her head. “Not for a second.”
His eyes darkened with sadness. “I’ve brought such violence into your life.”
“The love and happiness far outweigh that,” she replied. “And you’ve given me the huge family I’ve always wanted plus immortality.” She shook her head. “My only regret is that I didn’t meet you sooner.”
He slid a hand over her hair, brushing it back from her face. “We’ll have forever together now.”
“Forever still won’t be enough.” Curling a hand around his neck, she drew him down for a longer, more thorough kiss. “I love you, Aidan.”
His handsome face lit with a smile. “I’ve waited nearly three thousand years to hear you say that.”
She laughed. “No pressure.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “You have by far exceeded all my hopes and expectations. I do love you, Dana. More with every breath I take.”
She stole another kiss. “I love you, too.”