Night Unbound (21 page)

Bastien stiffened. “What?”

A bead of blood formed on the tip of one finger. Frowning, Melanie slowly felt along the same path, then drew her hand back.

Dread curled in Ethan's stomach when she held up a tranquilizer dart.

It couldn't be.

Melanie listed to one side, eyelids drooping.

Bastien hastily wrapped his arms around her, his face darkening with concern. “Melanie? Sweetheart?”

She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. “I'm okay,” she said, but slurred her words as though drunk. Unsteady on her feet, she clung to the arms Bastien wrapped around her. “I just . . . I just pripped . . . pricked my finger.”

A pinprick had done
that? Shit!
How much sedative had been in that thing?

“They must've . . . must've upped the dosage again,” she continued.

Utter silence took the room. Men and women turned to mannequins, shocked into stillness.
They,
meaning the mercenaries who were all supposed to be dead, had upped the dosage
again?
The last time they had done that, it had taken double the usual dose of the antidote to enable immortals to rouse and function again. And they hadn't functioned normally. They had functioned, at least briefly, as if they were high on coke or something. Juiced up. Heart racing. Not thinking clearly before they acted.

Seth strode forward. “That isn't possible.”

“Stay back!” Zach barked.

“Fuck off!” Seth took the tranquilizer dart from Melanie's limp fingers and brought it to his nose. He drew in a deep breath. His eyes flashed gold again, and thunder rumbled outside. “How the fuck can this be?” he growled with a fury and disbelief Ethan suspected they all felt. “We didn't even bother to bury memories this time. We killed fucking
everyone!
”

“It doesn't matter how it happened.” Bastien spoke, the only calm voice and clear head present, it would seem, aside from David's. “Not right now. We need to get Melanie a small dose of the antidote and see what, if anything, we can do to revive Lisette.”

If anything
. The words hung like a pall over the room.

Keeping one arm around his wife, Bastien shifted to stand at Zach's side. He reached around and touched Zach's back beneath his wings, giving him a sympathetic pat. “Come on. The infirmary is just down this hallway. Let's make Lisette comfortable and see if we can't help her.”

Ethan had only ever heard Bastien speak so compassionately to Melanie and Ami.

The immortal black sheep had to give Zach a gentle push to get him moving.

Stiffly at first, as though his feet had grown roots and didn't want to leave the floor in front of the bay window, Zach allowed Bastien to lead him from the room.

Seth followed.

A raindrop hit the grass outside with a swish. Another followed. Then more, racing each other to their doom until the sky opened up and pummeled the land with liquid fists.

David eyed them sternly. “Not one word.”

Étienne glowered at him. “David—”

“Not. One. Word,” the elder repeated. “Your grievances will be heard at a more appropriate time. For now . . .” He motioned to the vampires. “Richart, take these two to the network and place them in separate holding rooms. Bring Chris back with you when you return. He needs to know what's going on. And ask him to send someone out here to replace my window. The rest of you, see to your wounds, then clean up this mess.”

He turned without another word and headed down the hall, disappearing through the infirmary's doorway.

Darnell and Tracy followed, closing the door behind them.

Ethan looked at the others.

Everyone seemed as shell-shocked as he felt, and he knew a hell of a lot more about what was going on than they did. They didn't even know who Zach was.

“You heard him,” Roland said. Turning to his wife, he began to brush the glass from her clothing, cutting up his hands—Ethan was sure—in the process. “Now isn't the time for questions.” He speared the d'Alençon brothers with a warning glare. “
Or
for recriminations. Now is the time to circle our wagons. We don't know who or what might come through that window next.”

Stanislav nodded. “We should post guards in case another of his ilk should follow.”

Not a bad idea, Ethan thought, since Zach had mentioned that
the Others
were searching for him, whoever the hell they were.

Roland nodded. “As the strongest present, Sarah and I will patrol the grounds. Stanislav, you and Yuri go below and keep your ears open. Ensure no one enters through the escape tunnels.”

The two nodded and zipped down to the basement.

“Étienne and Richart, I know you're concerned about Lisette, but do not go into that infirmary unless you can keep your shit to yourself. Am I understood?”

Jaws clenching, the brothers nodded.

“Richart, take care of the vampires as David instructed first.”

Richart crossed to the vampires, hoisted them over his shoulder, and vanished.

“Jenna and Krysta, stay here and stay sharp. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything that might indicate an intruder got past us. Your husbands are distracted and may not notice a sound or a shadow that doesn't belong.”

They nodded.

“Edward, you stay with them.”

Edward nodded.

“What about me?” Sean asked. He was the newest inductee into the Immortal Guardians' ranks, having been turned at his request shortly after his sister Krysta had transformed.

“Arm yourself heavily, then track down Marcus and Ami. Make sure they're safe and guide them to network headquarters. If anything has happened to them,
anything,
call me immediately.” He rattled off his cell phone number.

“What should I tell them?” Sean asked.

No one knew what would happen if Ami were upset. For all they knew, it could cause her to go into labor again, and Seth and David needed to be able to focus their attentions on Lisette.

And Zach.

Roland looked to the others. “Any ideas?”

Ethan thought furiously. “Some of us were sparring,” he suggested. “Bets started flying. Things got a little out of hand. And Seth and David want her to hang at the network until the mess is cleaned up.”

Sarah looked at them. “You guys
do
bet a lot.”

Roland nodded. “Good enough for now. I'll call Marcus and fill him in later.”

Ethan looked to Roland. “What do you want me to do?”

No one questioned Roland's command. The British immortal was hundreds of years older than the rest of them and had led men into battle even as a mortal.

“Clean up the broken glass, then—”

“We'll do it,” Sheldon said, stepping forward. “The Seconds will take care of the cleanup. As soon as we're finished, we'll arm ourselves out the ass and help Jenna, Krysta, and Edward keep watch.”

Roland nodded. “Then, Ethan, you take the back door. No one,” he said, catching every eye, “and I mean
no one
gets in this house unless he or she is a regular visitor.”

Nods all around.

“Okay. Let's do this.”

The infirmary was larger than Zach had anticipated. A wall—tiled from the floor to about waist high, then double-paned glass above with blinds in between that could be closed—divided the room in two. The room on the right sparkled, antiseptically clean, beneath lights so bright they hurt his eyes. Several surgical or exam tables occupied much of the floor space, bordered by a conglomeration of machines whose purposes eluded him.

The room on the left bore a row of neatly made beds, bracketed by comfortable-looking chairs and bedside tables. Large-screen televisions hung at intervals upon the opposite wall. Shelves beneath them bore all kinds of electronic gaming devices, along with a couple of rather tattered decks of cards and a large selection of books.

“Zach,” Seth prodded.

Ire rose at just the sound of Seth's voice.

Zach followed Melanie, Bastien, David, and Seth into the room on the right. The mortals who had trailed after them in the hallway filed into the room on the left and stood just on the other side of the window.

Bastien led Melanie over to a counter and leaned her against it. Opening a drawer, he drew out a syringe and a small bottle of clear liquid.

Zach remained motionless, Lisette still cradled in his arms, as Bastien filled the syringe with the antidote and turned to his wife.

Taking one of her arms, Bastien pushed up her sleeve and positioned the needle at the bend of her elbow. “Say when,” he said softly, his eyes locked on hers.

She nodded.

Pushing the needle into her flesh, he began to slowly inject the liquid.

“When,” she said.

Withdrawing the needle, Bastien tossed it into a nearby step-on medical waste bin and cupped her face in his hands. “Okay?”

She straightened with a smile. “I'm okay.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, then released her and stepped aside so she could see to her patient.

Zach stiffened as she walked toward him and motioned to one of the surgical/exam tables.

“Would you please place Lisette on the table?” she asked, her voice and demeanor so gentle she almost made Zach forget he wished to kill the eldest member of their party.

Everything inside him balked at the idea of relinquishing his hold on Lisette.

“It's okay,” Bastien said, stepping up behind his wife and meeting Zach's gaze. “Melanie will take good care of her. And you can still touch her and hold her hand if you need to.”

Zach decided that, aside from Lisette, Bastien was his favorite of all the Immortal Guardians. With monumental reluctance, he lowered Lisette onto the exam table.

Bastien zipped across the room, grabbed a metal stool on wheels, and rolled it across to Zach. “Here. You can sit on this.”

“Thank you.” Zach parked his butt on the stool and leaned his elbows on the table. Fearing his wings would get in the way in the enclosed space, he retracted them. Then, taking one of Lisette's hands in his own, he brought it to his lips for a kiss and clung tightly to it as Melanie renewed her inspection.

“Are you telepathic, Zach?” Melanie asked. “I'm sorry. May I call you Zach?”

“Yes to both questions.”

“See if you can reach her telepathically.”

“I've tried,” he told her, despondent. “I've
been
trying. Over and over again. There's nothing there. No response. No thought. No dreams. Just silence.”

She looked to Seth. “Seth, can you reach her?”

Seth stared at Lisette for a full minute. “No. It's as he said.”

“I've never seen one of you slip into stasis before,” she murmured. “Does it look like this? Could that be what this is?”

Zach had forgotten about that, the eerie state of hibernation immortals would slip into if they lost too much blood. They wouldn't die like vampires. Rather both their breath and their pulse would slow to the point that even an immortal couldn't discern them. Zach had never seen an immortal in such a state, but thought hours could pass between heartbeats.

“Her pulse would not be detectable as it is now if it were stasis,” Seth responded. “And blood alone would bring her out of it.”

“You're sure she was hit with the same drug the mercenaries used?” Melanie asked.

“Yes.”

“Bastien, honey, would you please get me a double dose of the antidote?”

Bastien retrieved two auto-injectors from another drawer and handed them to his wife.

Melanie injected Lisette with the first.

No response. No increase in pulse. No increase in breath. No sudden burst of thought in her subconscious.

She injected Lisette with the second.

All held their breath.

When Krysta had received a double dose of the antidote, she had reacted instantly. Leaping up, she had happily jumped back into battle, heart racing, breath short, judgment a tad hampered.

Lisette's pulse picked up and began to race. Her chest rose and fell with short, choppy breaths. But her eyes remained closed. Her limbs didn't move. Her delicate fingers didn't squeeze Zach's. And he heard nothing in her mind.

Melanie looked at each of them. “I can't risk giving her another dose.”

Zach's heart sank. A lump rose in his throat.

“I can give her blood—”

“Give her mine,” David said and looked to Seth.

Seth nodded. “Do it.”

Melanie nodded. “I'll set up an IV for her. Bastien, would you draw some of David's blood for me?”

“Of course.”

“I could infuse her with my fangs,” David suggested.

Melanie shook her head. “I don't want you exposed to the drug. Why don't all of you head into the next room and do it there. Send Tracy in when you do, and we'll clean Lisette up and make her more comfortable.”

Bastien grabbed everything he needed and headed into the next room, David right behind him. Tracy entered and stood back, face uncertain.

“Seth,” Melanie spoke kindly, “I'm pretty sure Lisette wouldn't want you to see her naked.”

“You're right, of course,” Seth said. “Zach?”

“I've already seen her naked,” Zach muttered, his eyes clinging to Lisette.

Seth sighed. “I meant—”

“I'm not leaving her.”

Something unspoken might have passed between Seth and Melanie. Zach wasn't sure and really didn't care. Then Seth retreated into the next room.

“Tracy, would you please close the blinds?”

Lisette's Second closed the blinds.

“Draw the curtain, too,” Melanie instructed, “in case Richart and Étienne come in.”

Tracy pulled a curtain Zach hadn't even noticed across the doorway. As the mortal woman approached the exam table, her eyes filled with moisture. “I can't believe this is happening.”

Nor could Zach as he rose. Moving to the end of the table, he unlaced one of Lisette's boots, pulled it off, and let it fall to the floor with a thump. Her sock was wet at the ankle from the blood that had dripped down and soaked it. Her skin beneath was cold.

Zach removed the sock and cupped her small foot between his hands, trying to warm it. When he looked up, he found Tracy watching him.

A tear spilled over her lashes and raced down one cheek. “Are you the reason she needed the house to herself?”

He nodded.

“You care about her?”

“Deeply,” he responded, voice hoarse.

She offered him her hand. “I'm Tracy, her Second.”

Zach removed one hand from Lisette's foot long enough to shake Tracy's. “Zach.” He shifted his attention to Lisette's other boot and began to unlace it.

Tracy turned her tragic gaze on Melanie. “Will David's blood help her?”

“I don't know,” the doctor confessed.

Another tear slipped down Tracy's cheek as her throat moved in a hard swallow. Nodding, she stepped up to the table, took the angled scissors Melanie handed her, and applied them to the sleeve of Lisette's coat.

 

 

Seth teleported to the lobby of the network.

John Wendleck, head of security, greeted him with a smile, having been forewarned with a call. “Good to see you again, sir.”

“Good to see you, John. Do you, by any chance, know where I might find Marcus and Ami?”

John touched the walkie on his shoulder. “Todd?”

“Yes, sir?”

“What's the immortal's latest pos?”

“He and his wife are in Cliff's apartment.”

“Thanks. Seth is on his way down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Whenever Seth and the other immortals visited the East Coast hub of the human network that aided them, they refrained from teleporting unless an emergency warranted it. They also moved around at mortal speeds. Such not only reduced the unease some of the employees felt in the presence of the powerful beings, it also aided the soldiers and guards manning the hallways in telling friend from foe and cut back on surprises that could cause itchy trigger fingers.

Seth took the elevator down to the fifth sublevel.

Every human guard on the premises wielded an automatic weapon and a tranquilizer gun, more necessary than ever now that seven vampires resided there.

Seth greeted Todd and the other guards and strode down the hallway to Cliff's apartment. He offered the young vampire a courtesy knock.

“Yeah?” Cliff called.

“It's Seth.”

“Come in.”

Seth waved a hand over the security pad. A clunk sounded, and the heavy door swung open.

Marcus, Ami, and Cliff sat shoulder to shoulder on the sofa, wielding PlayStation controllers as bright images flashed on the large-screen television across from them.

“Hi, Seth,” Ami called cheerfully.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

“Did you get everything cleaned up?” she asked, eyes still on the screen.

Marcus looked at Seth over his shoulder, needing no words to convey his doubt of the sparring tale.

“Almost,” Seth said. “You mind if I borrow Marcus for a moment?”

“As long as you tell me whatever you're going to tell him when you get back. I'm not as fragile as you think, you know, and am getting a little tired of everyone treating me like I am.”

“I don't think you're fragile, Ami,” Cliff threw in. “I bet, even pregnant, you could kick my ass.”

She laughed and motioned to the television. “I can at
this
anyway.”

He groaned.

Marcus joined Seth out in the hallway and closed the door. They crossed to Melanie's empty office and sealed themselves inside.

“What happened?” Marcus asked. “I figured it must be bad if you wanted me to get Ami out of there so quickly.”

“I wanted you to bring Ami here to keep her safe.” All had agreed Ami should not be teleported while pregnant. “
And
so I could tell you something in private in case you blew a gasket.”

Seth relayed the events of the night.

“Lisette didn't awaken after Melanie infused her with David's blood?”

“No.”

“Shit.” Marcus paced away. “How could
vampires
have gotten their hands on the only drug that can sedate us?”

“That's what we're trying to piece together.”

“And who the hell is Zach?”

Seth didn't really know how to answer that one. “You might say he's my cousin.”

“You have a cousin?”

“For all intents and purposes, yes.”

“Okay. Why have I never heard of him? Immortal Guardians that age—”

“Because he isn't an Immortal Guardian.”

Marcus studied him. “He isn't one of us?”

“No.”

“You don't like him.”

“I don't trust him.”

“And he's at David's house. Right now.”

“Yes.”

“Then I'm sure as hell not taking Ami back there.”

“Zach won't harm Ami.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they know each other.”

Marcus's eyes narrowed. “Know each other how?”

“Ami has met with him secretly on half a dozen occasions up on David's roof.”

“What?”

“The anger flooding your face right now is why I'm telling you this privately.”

“You're damned right I'm angry! What the hell?”

“Marcus, calm down. Ami would never cheat on you—”

“I'm not worried about Ami cheating on me. Ami loves me, and I trust her. I'm worried about why this asshole you don't trust has been luring her up onto the roof. And while she's
pregnant?
Who the hell
is
this guy? What does he want?”

“He's one of her strays,” Seth attempted to explain.

“One of her strays?”

“Like Bastien,” he clarified. “You know how tenderhearted Ami is. The months of torture she endured at the hands of Emrys left her full of sympathy for anyone or anything that suffers at the hands of others. It's why she took to Bastien so swiftly when I pretty much imprisoned him in my home in England in an attempt to win him over to our side. She knew he was in pain, both mentally and physically. And it's why she loves your manic cat.”

“Slim isn't manic. Not all the time, anyway.”

At least Marcus seemed to be listening. “The same sympathy drew her to Zach. Zach didn't lure her up onto the roof. She sensed his pain and went looking for him.”

“What pain?”

“He was riddled with wounds the first night she met him.”

“If he isn't an Immortal Guardian and doesn't hunt vampires, how was he injured?”

“That's a story for another time.”

Marcus considered that for a minute. “Fine. Why didn't Ami say anything to me?”

“Gee, I don't know, could it have anything to do with your inclination to be overprotective?”

Since Marcus couldn't protest the accusation, he remained silent.

“You don't even like it when she spends time with Bastien, Marcus. And there really isn't that much to tell. Lisette has been worried about Ami and, while watching over her, saw the two together on the roof. I read it in Lisette's thoughts a few months ago.”