Night Reigns (23 page)
He hadn’t even heard it. Immortals, because of their acute senses, were generally light sleepers unless they sported wounds that needed more than blood to heal. Then they slept heavily ... as he must have to miss hearing the phone.
She drew his lower lip between her teeth. “Let’s take the night off and spend it in bed.”
A spark of amber light reflected in her green eyes as his own flared bright with desire. “We can’t. We have to meet Roy.”
“We can meet Roy another day.”
He slid his hands down to her ass and wished that were true. “I have no way of contacting him to reschedule our rendezvous.”
She sighed.
Marcus bit back a groan when she unwound her legs and slid down his body until her feet touched the floor, leaving him hard and aching.
“Seth called a meeting at David’s anyway. We’re supposed to be there at seven.” Without looking at him, she turned and headed back to the desk. “Chris had your Hayabusa picked up and delivered. The Prius has been repaired and returned, too.”
Marcus studied her as he struggled to rein in his lust. “Something is troubling you.”
She paused, then turned and leaned back against the desk, face somber. “I have a bad feeling about our meeting with Roy tonight.”
He approached her slowly. “Trepidation is normal, considering. I think we’re all a little uneasy about it, wondering if it’s a trap or if he’s sincere as Cliff, Joe, and Vincent were. I know there are those at the network who think we care little about the lives we take to protect humans and
gifted ones.
But the truth is, we would all rather offer vampires refuge and hope for a cure than remove their heads.”
gifted ones.
But the truth is, we would all rather offer vampires refuge and hope for a cure than remove their heads.”
“It’s unfair of them to judge you,” she whispered, her gaze full of empathy.
“And yet some do.” He sighed. “Roland and I have lived hundreds of years. Nearly a millennium in Roland’s case. Neither of us has ever been sought out by a vampire driven by anything other than madness or malice. Yet, here we are, willing to risk our own existences on the off chance that a vampire might truly desire our aid.” He offered her a wry smile. “Even Roland—as fractious as he can be—still hopes for the best. He may
expect
the worst, but he wishes for the best.”
expect
the worst, but he wishes for the best.”
Her answering smile appeared forced.
“Is it more than that?” he prodded. “Is it ... ?” He clamped his lips together for a moment. “Do you regret what we shared this morning?”
Her brow furrowed. “No. Why? Do you?”
Relief rushed through him. “Not one second. I’m just trying to discern the reason for your disquiet.”
She gripped the edges of the desk on either side of her hips until her knuckles turned white. “You know how I said I had a feeling something bad was going to happen tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I had the same feeling last night. And the night thirty-four vampires attacked you.”
She seemed to expect some sort of condemnation or mockery.
Instead, Marcus felt a tremendous swell of elation. “By feeling, do you mean premonition?”
Biting her lip, she nodded.
“Ami,” he moved closer, “are you sure you aren’t a
gifted one?
” There had
never
been a
gifted one
with her hair and eye coloring; but humans didn’t possess psychic gifts. Only
gifted ones,
born with their unique DNA, did. If Ami was a
gifted one
and was amenable, she could be transformed.
gifted one?
” There had
never
been a
gifted one
with her hair and eye coloring; but humans didn’t possess psychic gifts. Only
gifted ones,
born with their unique DNA, did. If Ami was a
gifted one
and was amenable, she could be transformed.
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Have you been tested?” he pressed. The network labs could identify
gifted ones
with DNA tests.
gifted ones
with DNA tests.
“No, but Seth will confirm it if you need him to.”
And, just that quickly, his spirits plummeted. Marcus stood, mute, staring at her as crushing disappointment filled him.
Ami chewed her lower lip. “I told you before that I wasn’t a
gifted one.
”
gifted one.
”
She had. And he had thought he had accepted it until that one, brief hope had struck like lightning.
He forced a smile and struggled to keep the despair he felt from his voice. “I know.” He touched her shoulder, drew her into a hug. “Come here. Don’t look so worried, love.”
She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
“Everything will be fine tonight. We’ll have Roland with us. And I’ll call Richart just before we arrive at the rendezvous point and leave my cell on speakerphone so I won’t even have to dial him if we need him to teleport in reinforcements.”
Though she nodded, Ami said nothing.
Chapter 11
As Ami and Marcus approached the front door of David’s sprawling home, her emotions vacillated between eagerness and anxiety.
A cacophony of voices—mostly male—spilled forth from inside and she cursed the fear that rose within her despite all attempts to quash it. No one in that house posed a threat to her. Most (if not all) would risk their lives to protect her. Even those who had never met her. Yet her hands shook. Her throat thickened. Her feet constantly threatened to turn and run in the opposite direction.
The dread she felt whenever she considered the impending meeting with Roy didn’t help. Minor mental pep talks wouldn’t suppress that either. With Roland by their sides and the French immortals on standby, what could they possibly come up against that they couldn’t conquer?
Another arrow of foreboding pierced her as soon as the thought formed.
A large, warm hand slipped into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Ami glanced up as Marcus twined his fingers through hers.
Their talk of premonitions earlier had thrown him. He had made a valiant effort not to show it, but she hadn’t missed it. And if something as simple as a little clairvoyance rattled him, how would he react to the
source
of that clairvoyance and her many other oddities?
source
of that clairvoyance and her many other oddities?
“Don’t forget,” he murmured. “Seth, David, and Darnell are in there somewhere, too.”
At last, she found a smile. Anticipation dampened everything else. She hadn’t seen the three members of her surrogate family in a couple of weeks and had missed them.
Marcus punched a code into the keypad by the door, grasped the knob, gave it a twist, and pushed the door inward. Ami clung to Marcus’s hand as they stepped inside.
The house had an open floor plan that resembled Marcus’s on a larger scale. On her left, Chris Reordon and two other humans she assumed worked at the network slowly circumnavigated the long, stately dining room table, which she was surprised hadn’t buckled under the weight of the heaping mounds of food placed upon it. On her right, Étienne, Richart, and Lisette lounged on one of the three long sofas in the adjoining living room.
Theirs was a sad tale. Lisette had been transformed against her will by her husband, who had turned vampire. Her twin brothers, not understanding the nature of her illness, had tried to help her hide her condition by insisting she feed from them. Repeated exposure to the virus, however, had transformed both into immortals before Seth could find Lisette and prevent it. According to David and Seth, neither brother had ever expressed a hint of regret and wouldn’t hesitate to do the same again. Yet Lisette lived with constant guilt over infecting them. No amount of reassurance would soothe her, though Ami thought she concealed it well.
Lisette looked up, her face lighting with a smile. She gave Ami a friendly wave, then winked at Marcus.
A woman and two men—all human—stood near the immortals. Ami recognized the woman as Tracy, Lisette’s Second. The other two must be Étienne’s and Richart’s. Both men flirted shamelessly with the leggy blonde. One said something that made Tracy laugh and the younger man flush as red as his hair. Ami hazarded a guess that he was Sheldon.
Her eyes narrowed as she recalled the danger in which Sheldon had placed Marcus.
“Now, now,” Marcus said. “I know you’re protective of me, but don’t go charging over there to rip him a new one. I’m sure several others have already beaten you to the punch.”
Ami grinned up at him.
Eyes twinkling, he smiled back. “Try to refrain from eating the callow cubs, lioness. Most won’t attain your hunting skills even after years of practice.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “Sweet talker.”
“He wishes!” Richart called out.
“You’re just jealous,” Marcus retorted.
Étienne laughed and shoved his brother.
“Hey!” a deep voice shouted from the back of the house. “Is that Ami?”
Ami jumped when everyone in the room chorused, “Yes.” They knew her?
Pursing her lips, she eyed Marcus balefully. “I think being your Second has made me notorious.”
He shook his head. “Remaining at my side and standing against thirty-four vampires made you notorious. You’ve only yourself to blame.”
Darnell emerged from the hallway on the opposite side of the room. Tall and lean with medium brown skin and a shaved head, he hurried forward with a broad grin. “There she is!”
Happiness flooding her, Ami dropped Marcus’s hand and slung her arms around Darnell’s neck as he swooped down and lifted her into a tight hug. She laughed as he twisted from side to side so her feet swung back and forth like a bell’s clapper.
“I missed you,” she declared.
“I missed you, too,” he said. “And damned near passed out every time someone informed me of your latest exploits. What the hell, Ami?” Setting her on her feet, he peered down at Ami with a concern that warmed her heart. “Thirty-four?
Thirty-four?
”
Thirty-four?
”
She sighed. “I wish everyone would focus less on the
number
of vampires we fought and more on the fact that we defeated them.”
number
of vampires we fought and more on the fact that we defeated them.”
“Trust me. That fact does not go unacknowledged. Everyone on the Immortal Guardians Web site considers you a legend.”
“What do they consider me?” Marcus asked behind her. Darnell scowled at him. “Insane.”
Ami punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t pick on him.”
“You almost died for him,” he snapped.
She raised one eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you do the same for David?”
He grumbled a bit, then said, “David doesn’t take unnecessary risks.”
“He did a year and a half ago,” she pointed out, reminding him of the day Seth and David had risked their lives to rescue her.
He gave her a sweet smile. “That risk was necessary.”
Ami turned back to Marcus and found him watching her carefully. When Darnell moved to put a companionable arm around her shoulders, Marcus reclaimed her hand and tugged her away from him.
Was he jealous?
Two immortals she had never seen before entered from the hallway.
“Who are they?” Marcus asked.
Darnell glanced over his shoulder and gave the two men a friendly nod. Most of the other inhabitants of the room stared at them curiously. “Stanislav and Yuri. They’re passing through on their way to Virginia.”
“Time for a changing of the guard?”
Seth liked to move immortals around every so often to keep them from getting bored. New environments tended to revitalize them, particularly if the immortals found themselves out of their element or comfort zone.
But Darnell shook his head. “Beefing up the numbers. Whatever the hell is going down here is beginning to spill over into neighboring states. O’Kearney left for Tennessee half an hour ago. Apparently the vampire gathering taking place now is a hell of a lot larger than the one Bastien instigated.”
Ami frowned. “How is that possible?”
“We can’t be absolutely certain yet,” Darnell said, “but when Bastien plotted his revenge, he only recruited vampires who had already been turned. We think whoever the ringleader is this time has ordered his followers to turn humans at will.”
Marcus swore.
Darnell nodded, his handsome face somber. “The missing person reports are piling up. And it’s the only way we’ve been able to explain how their numbers have remained so high despite the vamps you and Ami took out over a week ago and the vamps you all managed to destroy in last night’s sting.”
“What was the final count on that?” Ami asked.
“Last night? Eighty-three.”
The astonishingly high figure sent chills through her.
Beside her, Marcus stiffened. His hand tightened around hers, his grip almost painful. “What the hell is
he
doing here?” he growled.
he
doing here?” he growled.
Surprised by the menace that darkened the words, she followed his gaze beyond Darnell’s shoulder and the two Russians to the immortal entering from the hallway.
Upon hearing Marcus’s question, Bastien said, “Fuck you, too.”
A cold breeze ruffled Ami’s hair as the door behind her opened.
Bastien’s gaze drifted to hers. His features softened. “Hello, princess.”
Marcus’s silent disapproval swirled around her like fog.
Ami raised her chin and thrust it out stubbornly. She might still struggle against the weakness that infused her whenever she met strangers, but she was sure as hell strong enough not to let others pick and choose her friends and enemies. Bastien had been nothing but kind to her. She wouldn’t believe the things people said about him without more proof than gossip.
So, she gave him a warm smile. “Hi, Bastien.”
While Marcus stewed beside her, Bastien lowered one eyelid in a delighted wink.
“What the fuck is
he
doing here?” A gravelly voice demanded behind her.
he
doing here?” A gravelly voice demanded behind her.
Ami looked around as Roland and Sarah entered. Roland slammed the door. Holding hands, the couple moved to stand on the other side of Marcus.
Looking back at Bastien, Ami wondered if she was the only one who caught the tightening of his lips and the muscle that leapt in his jaw before he sent Sarah a taunting smile. “Hello, darling. How’s the head?”
Ami winced. The fractured skull Bastien had given Sarah had nearly killed her and was not something anyone should make light of.
Hair and clothing stirred as Roland swept past humans and immortals alike and tackled Bastien, slamming him into the wall. Sheetrock and soundproofing insulation exploded outward in a cloud of dust and black scraps. Splinters flew as a two-by-four cracked.
The humans in the living room raced to the relative safety of the dining room. Yuri and Stanislav observed the immortal pair bent on killing each other with curiosity. Étienne, Lisette, and Richart pretty much ignored them, continuing their conversation.
Ami looked up at Marcus and tugged his hand.
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to stop them?”
“I hadn’t planned on it, no.”
On his other side, Sarah said, “You know Seth won’t like this.”
Marcus caught Darnell’s eye. “Is Seth here?”
“Yes. He and David are downstairs training a couple of youngsters Seth is stationing in South Carolina.”
David and Seth referred to just about any immortal turned in the past century and a half as a youngster.
Marcus sighed heavily. “Fine.” Releasing Ami’s hand, he leaped across the room and inserted himself between Roland and Bastien.
Ami expected Roland to keep pounding away. But spilling his friend’s blood must not have appealed to him. He stopped when Marcus wouldn’t let him shove him out of the way.
Eyes glowing, blood flowing from a split lip, cut cheek, and broken nose (all of which healed as she watched), Roland locked gazes with a bloodied Bastien, who Marcus held at bay with one hand planted in the center of his chest.
“Why are you here?” Roland snarled.
“Haven’t you heard?” Bastien sneered. “I require David’s protection. Some of you immortals want my head on a platter for a little murder and mayhem I committed.”
You immortals.
Bastien still didn’t think of himself as one of them. Perhaps he never would.
Bastien still didn’t think of himself as one of them. Perhaps he never would.
“For killing the vampire at the network?” Étienne asked. “I find it hard to believe any immortal would object to that.”
Lisette nodded. “I killed seven last night.”
Cautiously, Marcus lowered his arm and moved to stand beside Roland.
“He didn’t just kill a vampire,” Chris Reordon inserted. “He took out several of my men.”
“Humans?” Richart inquired with a frown.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t kill them,” Bastien pointed out dryly. “None were permanently damaged. Didn’t Seth and David patch all the wankers up?”
“The crimes you committed at the network last night aren’t the only reason so many are calling for your execution,” Chris snapped.
“Execution?” Tracy repeated.
“What
is
the reason?” Sheldon posed.
is
the reason?” Sheldon posed.
Darnell spoke up, shoulders stiff, jaw clenched. “That isn’t why you’re all here.”
Bastien’s lips turned up in a bitter smile. “Oh, come now. Why not give them what they want? They’ll find out soon enough anyway.”
“Bastien,” Darnell warned.
Ami didn’t know what was going on, but silently willed Bastien to remain silent.
“The mystery has been solved,” Bastien announced instead, glancing at each immortal in turn. “Vampires didn’t kill Ewen Donaldson.”
Marcus stiffened.
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