Seth sighed. “We weren’t able to defeat Gershom. And we have not been able capture him. Although we did manage to foil his attempt to start a third World War last year.”
Dana’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“But Gershom has not abandoned his quest,” Seth went on. “And he is once more attempting to sow dissent amongst us.”
A short laugh containing no mirth escaped Dana. “Well, he seems to be succeeding.”
Seth nodded. “Whatever new plan he has hatched is more complex than the last. He knows Immortal Guardians and the vast network of humans that aid us watch over gifted ones. We have been watching over you, Dana, since your birth, as we do all others.”
Her brow furrowed. “That’s kind of creepy.”
Seth smiled. “Not really. We do it so that—if your advanced DNA should ever be discovered or come to the attention of those who may want to hurt you or exploit you for your differences or even dissect you to seek their source—we can protect you.”
Her frown deepened. “Okay. That’s even creepier.”
Again, Seth nodded. “It seems that someone has begun abducting gifted ones in North Carolina. Six women and three men have gone missing thus far.”
“Are they still alive?” she asked.
“We don’t know… in part because of the circumstances surrounding some of the abductions.”
Aidan shifted, uneasiness rising.
Dana noticed and gave his thigh another affectionate squeeze. “Now you look really nervous.”
“I am,” Aidan admitted.
“Dana,” Seth said, reclaiming her attention, “the six female gifted ones all went missing after having contact with Aidan.”
She narrowed her eyes at Aidan. “What kind of contact?”
“Casual,” he hastened to clarify. “I bumped into two at the grocery store. Changed a flat tire for another. Or for a couple. Ah, hell.” He rubbed his forehead. “Truth be told, I stole a list of gifted ones from the network and arranged to bump into them so I could strike up a conversation with them and see if, perhaps…”
She cocked a brow. “You might hit it off with one of them?”
“Yes.”
“Only gifted ones?”
“Yes.”
“Was I on that list?” she asked, a distinct edge entering her voice.
“Yes. But none of the others interested me,” he vowed. “Only you. I stopped looking once I met you.”
When Dana opened her mouth to say Aidan-didn’t-know-what, Seth interrupted.
“If you think about it, Dana, it wasn’t that different from trying an online dating service or letting a friend set you up with a blind date. Aidan did what most men and women do. He narrowed the field to gifted ones in hopes of finding someone he had something in common with, someone who was more likely to understand his differences, and instead of dying in a few decades and leaving him alone again would eventually trans—”
Aidan shook his head quickly. He did not want any of his brethren to start pressuring Dana into transforming for him.
Seth clamped his lips shut. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m helping this situation very much. So, back to the problem at hand.”
Dana looked from Seth to Aidan and back again with suspicion.
“It appears as though Aidan was the last person to see the missing women,” Seth informed her. “And three of those encounters were caught on video by security cameras that showed the women getting into vehicles with Aidan. They have not been seen since.”
Dana eyed Aidan with concern. “Were you trying to help them? Taking them to a safe house or something?”
That her mind would go there first and not jump to the conclusion that he was the villain who had abducted them made Aidan rejoice inside. “The man in the video wasn’t me,” he explained. “I didn’t know six gifted ones I’d spoken with were missing. I knew one woman was missing, but thought Gershom had taken her because of her connections to the network. I didn’t learn that five others I’d spoken with had also gone missing until last night. As soon as I did, I panicked and raced to your place to ensure you were safe.”
Seth shifted, drawing Dana’s confused gaze. “We believe the man in the video abducted those women. But we don’t think that man was Aidan. We believe it was Gershom.”
She shot Aidan a glance. “Gershom looks like you? I mean, all of you Immortal Guardians seem to look so much alike that you could be brothers, but does Gershom look enough like you to actually pass as you?”
“No,” Aidan corrected. “Gershom doesn’t resemble me. But he can shape-shift and make himself look like my twin.”
She stared at him a long moment. “Really?”
He didn’t blame her for her skepticism. None of the gifts she had witnessed thus far had altered one’s physical traits aside from healing wounds.
He looked to Seth. “A demonstration, please?”
Dana followed his gaze.
Seth’s form abruptly shrank. His long dark hair shortened, curled, and turned red. His masculine features softened into a pretty feminine face. His broad shoulders narrowed. Then Ami sat where Seth had previously been.
“Hooooooooooly crap!” Dana exclaimed.
Ami morphed into Seth once more.
“Holy crap!” Dana repeated. Her head snapped around. Wide hazel eyes met Aidan’s. “Can you do that?”
“No.”
“Most shape-shifting immortals,” Seth told her, “can only shift into the shapes of animals. Generic creatures, large or small. Changing one’s appearance to mimic that of a specific person requires enormous power and concentration. It’s very difficult because of the many unique nuances that must be perfected. Posture. Movement. Mannerisms. Tiny changes in facial expressions. I can do it. Zach can, too. But for the Others, it poses a greater challenge because they have kept their distance from humanity for so long that mastering all those little nuances… Well, I had not thought any of them capable of it until recently. And Gershom appears to have mastered it.”
She frowned. “So you’re telling me that there is an immortal out there who is as old and powerful as you are, can make himself look exactly like Aidan, and is abducting gifted ones? Is that why vampires attacked us at my home? Did Gershom send them to abduct me?”
“Yes,” Seth answered. “I believe so.”
“And I somehow fit in with whatever wild plan he’s hatched to end the world?”
“Essentially.”
Swiveling to face Aidan, she threw up her hands. “Well, shit. I kind of understated it when I said we couldn’t catch a break. This is bad, Aidan. This is really, really bad.”
He grinned, so damned relieved he wanted to throw his head back and laugh.
Dana eyed him with disbelief. “What the hell are you smiling about? This is not good news.”
“I’m smiling because you don’t believe I’m guilty.”
“Well, of course I don’t think you’re guilty, honey. Why would I?”
Aidan hugged her tight.
“Wait.” Dana drew back and looked at both men. “Do the other immortals know about this? Do Ethan and Heather and Roland and the rest know that someone is mimicking Aidan’s appearance to make him look guilty?”
“Yes,” Seth answered.