“If the inevitable,” Heather insisted, “is Seth killing you, then I say we delay it until we can prove you’re innocent! You gave me this life, Aidan. You made me as strong as I am. You ensured I wouldn’t have to give up sunlight for the rest of eternity. I’m not going to just stand by and let Gershom make you look so guilty that Seth will execute you.”
The fact that Aidan looked as though there were no point in fighting it anymore scared the hell out of Dana. “Can’t we convince Seth that the man in the vampires’ memories is Gershom?”
Aidan shook his head. “Your vision was clear. Seth will want to kill me. And, after everything he’s overlooked thus far, this will give him good reason.”
Ethan stepped forward. “But you don’t even know that it was Seth in Dana’s vision. What if it was Gershom?”
“It wasn’t Gershom,” Aidan responded.
“But you don’t know that!” Ethan retorted. “Not with any certainty.”
“Yes, I do know it,” Aidan said, a sharp edge entering his voice.
“Bullshit,” Ethan barked. “If Gershom can imitate you, then he can just as easily imitate Seth.”
Aidan shook his head as anger darkened his features. “You aren’t thinking clearly,” he bit out. “You’re only seeing what you want to see.”
Dana looked at the others.
Both Ethan and Heather radiated frustration.
“Why do you think Gershom chose to mimic me in the first place?” Aidan asked them. “Because I’m the new guy. And the first thing I did when I came here was defy Seth.”
Heather frowned. “You’re not the new guy. I am. I just transformed last year.”
Aidan shook his head. “But you’re already a cherished member of the family. You have close friendships with many of the others stationed here. You spend a lot of time with them. They’ve all welcomed you and Krysta and Sarah with open arms and fall all over themselves to ensure you feel welcome. But I linger on the outskirts. I’m just an acquaintance. I’m not really part of the family. I’m just… along for the ride. And temporarily at that. I’m just backup. None of you really know me well.”
Heather and Ethan shared an uncertain look.
“I don’t think that’s true,” Heather said, her words hesitant.
“Most of you rarely see me outside of meetings at David’s home. I’ve spent more time with Cliff than with any of you. And even when I do spend downtime at David’s with the rest of you, your attention is usually focused on each other. Or on Adira. You haven’t known me long enough and don’t know me well enough to notice little alterations in my appearance or mannerisms that may be present when Gershom takes on my form.” He looked to Ethan. “Only Ethan can spot those.”
Confusion flooded Dana. They had all been so eager to defend Aidan. Did they really not know him well enough to see the difference if someone tried to mimic him?
“But you all know Seth,” Aidan continued. “And you all know him well. Every one of us does. We know how he speaks… when he’s angry, when he’s tired, when he’s amused or exasperated. We know his laugh. His growls of aggravation. We know how he moves. How he fights. How he reacts to just about everything. Because so many of us, upon transforming, admired him so much that we wanted to be just like him. Do you really think Gershom could convince any of us that he was Seth? Do you really think he could fool us? That we wouldn’t know the difference even without Ethan’s gift?”
Silence descended, the music still booming in the distance like a struggling heartbeat.
Neither Ethan nor Heather refuted his words.
Guilt crashed down on Dana’s shoulders, so heavy she wanted to sink to her knees and weep with it.
If she hadn’t tranqed the damned vampires…
If she had just thought before she acted…
“It would’ve only delayed the inevitable,” Aidan told her gently as he drew out his cell phone.
Heather looked to her husband, tears in her eyes as Aidan dialed a number. “Ethan.”
He shook his head. “Maybe Gershom abducted another gifted one while Aidan was with us. That’s all the proof we would need to dispute this latest evidence.”
Unconsoled, Heather nodded and sheathed her weapons.
“Chris,” Aidan said. “It’s Aidan. Ethan and I just fought thirteen vampires at Duke. We killed ten and tranqed three, so we could use a cleanup.”
Dana’s stomach knotted as he narrowed down their location on campus for the network leader.
How long would they have before Seth found out?
Ten hours.
Ten excruciatingly tense hours passed.
Aidan sat with Dana on a sofa across from Ethan and Heather in the couple’s living room. Dana had pretty much glued herself to his side ever since they had returned home, not letting him out of her sight, which was fine by Aidan. Things were looking pretty grim, so he wanted to keep her as close as he could for as long as he could before whatever confrontation came.
She was wedged in against his side so tightly now that she might as well have sat on his lap. Aidan thought she probably would have if the other couple weren’t present.
He wished he could tell her everything would be all right. But the grave looks on Ethan’s and Heather’s faces told him they feared the same thing he did—that his long-standing friendship with Seth wouldn’t stop the Immortal Guardians’ leader from doing what he felt he had to do in order to protect the other immortals as well as the gifted ones. If that meant executing Aidan, Seth would do it.
And Dana’s vision would come true.
A program played on the television, but none of them watched it.
All stiffened when Aidan’s phone vibrated on the table beside him.
Dana’s hand tightened around his.
Giving it a squeeze, Aidan took the call. “Yes?”
“Aidan. It’s Chris Reordon. Are you still with Ethan?”
“Yes. We’re at his and Heather’s home.”
“That’s what I thought. Listen, Seth needs to see you and Ethan for a minute. He could use your help with something.”
Ethan and Heather, who had no difficulty hearing both sides of the conversation, shared a look.
Chris was all business, his voice lacking the dislike for Aidan that it usually carried whenever the two spoke. And nothing in his tone indicated that an ax would soon fall.
“Sure,” Aidan said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine.”
Aidan actually felt a twinge of hope. Had Seth disregarded the captured vampires’ memories after all and given Aidan the benefit of the doubt?
“Since the sun’s up and Ethan is young, you’ll have to teleport over,” Chris went on. “We don’t want Heather to be left alone guarding Dana, so we’d like you to bring them, too.”
“Okay.”
“Seth is worried that you might not be infusing yourself now that Dana is with you all the time. How’s your strength? Would you like Richart to help you teleport the three of them over?”
“Is he there with you now?” Aidan asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then yes, I would appreciate the help.”
“Okay. He’ll be there in a minute.”
Aidan returned his phone to his pocket.
“What is it?” Dana asked.
“Seth wants to see me and Ethan down at network headquarters.”
She bit her lip.
Heather leaned forward. “Aidan, do you need blood?”
He shook his head. “I’m at full strength.”