A moonlit meadow replaced David’s study. Long grasses and weeds swayed in a gentle breeze and brushed their knees.
The ground around them gradually sloped upward on all sides, as though he and David stood in the bottom of a massive salad bowl. At the top, verdant grasses gave way to a forest so dark and dense that even Seth’s eyes couldn’t penetrate it.
Stars winked above them in a cloudless sky.
Zach appeared beside them.
“We have a problem,” Seth announced without preamble.
David’s brow furrowed. “Aside from the missing gifted ones, the gathering vampires, our waiting to see if Aidan is being mind-controlled, and several immortals going astray?”
“Not to mention Chris Reordon’s vendetta,” Zach mumbled.
“Yes,” Seth responded.
Zach grunted. “What now?”
Seth recalled his search of Dana’s mind. “You know the woman Aidan is seeing is psychic.”
“I assume,” David said, “her gift is stronger than that of most other gifted ones of her generation, since she is able to earn a living with it.”
Most gifted ones born in recent decades had gifts so mild that they weren’t even aware of them. Melanie was psychic, too, but her gifts had been so dampened by centuries of human DNA winding its way through her family tree that she only got what she called feelings now. She might know the phone was about to ring. Or if something bad were about to happen she might feel a sense of foreboding.
“Dana’s gift is surprisingly strong,” Seth confirmed. “Even stronger when it comes to Aidan. I don’t know if it’s because he’s a gifted one, too, or perhaps a result of the bond growing between them, but she’s been seeing his future in brief, vivid visions since the day they met.”
“And you saw her visions when you read her mind,” David guessed.
“Not the first time, when Roland attacked Aidan and brought her to my attention. Her thoughts were too chaotic and time was short. The same held true at her home after the vampires struck.”
Zach frowned. “Wait. If she saw Aidan’s future in visions, how did she not know what he is?”
“Most of her visions were of an intimate nature.” Seth smiled. “There have been more of those than Aidan knows about.”
David’s lips twitched. “Good for him.”
Zach laughed. “Clearly those need no explanation. And I see no problem with that.”
“Nor do I,” Seth agreed. “But I performed a more thorough search of Dana’s mind after you”—Seth scowled at Zach—“and the others left a few hours ago and was able to access more of her visions.”
“What did she see?” David asked curiosity lighting his dark features.
“Roland doing his damnedest to kill Aidan. She foresaw the battle that outed Aidan as an immortal.”
Zach grunted. “And she didn’t think that odd?”
“She did,” Seth said, “but Aidan told her he was a member of a reenactment group.”
“Smart thinking,” David said. “What else did you see?”
“Me, doing the same.”
Zach frowned. “She foresaw you trying to kill Aidan?”
Seth nodded. “Or maim him at the very least. We were both wielding swords with sharpened blades, and I looked furious. That’s why she tried to tranq me earlier. She thought the vision was about to come true, that I was there to kill Aidan.”
Zach sighed. “That’s a damned shame. I had actually begun to like Aidan.”
David looked at Zach in surprise. “Really?”
Seth did, too. He hadn’t realized Zach liked any of the other immortals aside from Bastien. He had thought Zach just tolerated them all for Lisette’s benefit.
Zach shrugged. “When I thought he was in league with the men who had nearly killed Lisette, I kicked Aidan’s ass. I mean, I really beat the shit out of him. And Aidan has never held it against me. Nor did he hold Seth’s actions against him. Kind of hard to dislike the poor bastard when he’s been so understanding.” He looked to Seth. “If you’re going to want to kill him, I guess that means Reordon was right. Aidan really did abduct those women. Gershom must be mind-controlling him.”
“Not necessarily,” David said. “If Ethan is right, it could’ve been Gershom posing as Aidan in the visions.”
Zach shook his head. “If Dana was seeing Aidan’s future, the Aidan in the vision would have to have been him, not someone posing as him.”
“True,” Seth said.
“Then perhaps,” David inserted, “Gershom is using mind control to have Aidan do his bidding. Has Aidan let you read his thoughts yet?”
“I haven’t asked him,” Seth admitted. “But I doubt he will agree, because he probably doesn’t want me to see Dana’s vision.”
Zach grunted. “Can’t really blame him there.”
“There’s another option,” David pointed out.
Seth nodded. “We know Gershom has assumed your appearance in the past, Zach. If he is assuming Aidan’s as well, then there’s no reason for us to believe he can’t assume mine, too. What if the Seth in Dana’s vision isn’t me?”
Both men swore.
Seth himself had mixed reactions to the notion. On the one hand, it would be a relief to know that he wouldn’t want to kill Aidan in the future. But the idea that Gershom might be moving about the immortals’ ranks, pretending to be Seth, was disturbing as hell.
Zach’s brow furrowed with doubt. “You had no difficulty determining that the man who met with the mercenaries two years ago wasn’t me, that it was one of the Others. If the man in Dana’s vision wasn’t you, I would think you’d be able to tell.”
“Not,” David interjected, “if Gershom has been practicing and honing his shape-shifting skills.”
“Such is my fear,” Seth told them. “So I’ve called in a little backup.”
Zach frowned suddenly and tilted his head as though listening to something.
Jared, one of the Others, abruptly appeared a few yards away.
Like Zach, he wore no shirt. Just black leather pants and boots. He was less lean and more muscled than he had been when Seth had last seen him. Seth guessed the Other was strengthening himself for battle now that visions of Armageddon had scared the hell out of him.
Huge wings spread behind Jared, the semitranslucent feathers that graced them the same tan of his skin at their base and darkening to black at their tips. Folding the wings in against his back, he strolled over to join them.
Seth smiled. “Just in time.”
Zach drew back an arm and slammed his fist into Jared’s face.
Bone cracked and blood spurted from Jared’s nose as he flew backward and landed with a thud several yards away.
“Damn it!” Seth, David, and Jared all ground out.
Zach managed to look both innocent and wickedly satisfied at the same time. “What? The bastard tortured me.”
Jared’s eyes glowed golden as he sat up. Cupping his nose, he glowered at Zach. “How long are you going to keep punishing me for that?”
Zach’s features hardened. “Until I’ve repaid you wound for wound.”
Seth wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he kind of sided with Zach on that.