Cliff knew, too? How?
Oh. Right. Her heartbeat was racing. And everyone else could hear it.
“I forgot your visions are touch-sensitive,” Cliff continued. “Had I remembered, I wouldn’t have shaken your hand.”
“I’m sorry,” she returned, not knowing what else to say. “It kind of sucks that even when I keep a straight face, you guys can hear my heart race and know I’m unnerved.”
Aidan’s lips turned up. “Actually, your face is very expressive. We would’ve known even if we hadn’t heard your heartbeat pick up.”
“Really?”
Cliff nodded. “It was pretty obvious.”
“Damn it,” she grumbled. “I thought I was better than that.”
Cliff grinned, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You sound like Ami. Ami can’t lie worth a damn and actually considers it a flaw.”
Aidan laughed. “She really can’t. It’s an endless source of amusement for Marcus.”
At last Dana relaxed.
“Gossip is flowing freely at the network,” Cliff mentioned, his eyes still on Dana. “Did you really tranq Roland Warbrook?”
Dana smiled. “Yes.”
“And Seth,” Aidan added with what sounded oddly like pride.
Cliff’s jaw dropped. “You tranqed Seth?”
“I tried to,” she admitted with some disgruntlement, “but apparently the tranquilizer doesn’t work on him.”
Both men laughed.
In the next instant, as though summoned by their speech, Seth appeared.
Dana gasped.
Perhaps twenty yards away, the powerful Immortal Guardians’ leader bent forward and braced his hands on his knees. Blood coated half his face and matted his hair on one side. His shirt and coat boasted dozens of holes torn by large caliber bullets. Blood saturated the shredded fabric, glistening beneath the sun’s rays.
The porch swing squeaked as Ethan and Heather leapt to their feet.
Aidan took a step forward. “Seth?”
A low growl rumbled forth from Seth’s chest, raising the hairs on the back of Dana’s neck. Little lumps of metal fell from his clothing and hit the grass as the ground began to tremble.
Oh shit.
“Seth?” Aidan repeated, keeping his hand on Cliff’s arm. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“What happened?” Seth snarled, then spat blood. “I teleported over to the missile silo to read the vampires’ minds only to discover them wreaking fucking havoc as they attempted to make what was very nearly a successful escape.” Reaching into his back pocket, he drew out a white handkerchief and wiped his blood-slick mouth.
“You caught them?” Aidan asked.
“Of course I caught them,” Seth snapped. “After they killed or seriously injured most of the guards. I caught them, incapacitated them, read their fucking minds, then destroyed them.”
Clouds began to gather overhead, fluffy white swiftly thickening and darkening to gray.
Thunder rumbled as a breeze picked up, tugging at Dana’s hair.
“Oh shit,” Cliff whispered, his hands once more curling into fists.
Dana’s treacherous heart began to race again.
“Seth,” Aidan said, his voice full of reason, “you know that wasn’t me in their memories. Just like it wasn’t me in the security footage. Even Ethan confirmed it wasn’t me in the videos.”
“I know that wasn’t you in the videos,” Seth said, tucking his handkerchief away. “It was Gershom.”
Dana didn’t breathe a sigh of relief though. Seth’s words continued to resonate with fury.
“But that was you,” he continued, “in the vampires’ memories, taking advantage of Gershom’s bullshit and telling the vampires to increase their numbers and attack your immortal brethren, to attack you and Dana so Dana would feel compelled to transform for you.”
Reaching out with his free hand, Aidan settled it on Dana’s hip and eased her behind him. Heather, she heard him instruct mentally, get Dana to safety.
“No,” Dana blurted.
Heather zipped up beside her, picked her up, and zipped back to the porch. “Get inside,” she ordered as soon as Dana regained her feet.
“No,” Dana refused. “I’m not leaving him.”
Aidan swore.
“Seth,” Ethan said behind them, “that wasn’t Aidan. It couldn’t have been. He’s been with us ever since the attack at Dana’s home.”
Dana glanced back at him just as Heather grabbed her husband’s arm to keep him from stepping out of the shade of the porch. Was Ethan so photosensitive that even with clouds gathering and dampening the sun’s rays, he couldn’t go out without burning and blistering?
“Aidan,” Seth growled, “is the one who orchestrated the attack at Dana’s home.”
The trees began to thrash and sway as though beaten by his anger.
Just teleport away, Dana thought desperately, hoping Aidan would hear her.
Instead, he took another step toward Seth.
Aidan stilled when Seth held up a hand, silently commanding him to halt.
Backing up a step, then another, Seth turned and paced away.
In an attempt to regain control over his temper?
“It doesn’t make sense,” Aidan said, keeping his voice calm. “I love Dana. Telling the vampires to attack her would’ve put her in danger. I would never do that. No more than I would put my fellow immortals in danger. You know that, Seth. Because you know me.”
“Yes,” Seth acknowledged. “I know you. Well enough to tell the difference between you and someone mimicking you.”
Aidan frowned. “I thought… No. Even you couldn’t tell that wasn’t me in the videos. Not until Ethan confirmed it.”
“I… lied!” he roared. “Of course I knew it wasn’t you. I also knew Reordon wouldn’t believe me, that he would assume I was just being cautious because I felt guilty for misjudging you once before. That’s why I brought Ethan in. I wanted Reordon to think that whoever was mimicking you was so good that even I could be fooled! I was trying to help you!”
What? Aidan frowned. Seth had known that wasn’t him in the videos?
“I didn’t expect you to betray me!”
“I didn’t,” Aidan vowed.
Halting, Seth swiveled just enough for Aidan to view his bloody profile.
Beside Aidan, Cliff stiffened and began to strain against Aidan’s hold. Violent thoughts slithered into Aidan’s mind via his gift. Cliff’s thoughts. His sudden, desperate need to rip Seth apart for threatening his friend.
Heather, Aidan warned telepathically, I may need you to keep Cliff in check if this escalates. Don’t let him attack Seth.
Seth laughed, a chilling sound that held no mirth. Only anger and bitterness.
Even from this distance, with Seth not fully facing him, Aidan could read the hurt in his leader’s—his friend’s—glowing golden eyes and felt his stomach sink.