Seth moved on to Ethan, healing both his wounds and his blistering skin. “You didn’t know either?”
Ethan shook his head. “His wounds and the blood that poured from them explained away all the little differences I noticed. I had my suspicions, but wasn’t sure until he hurt Cliff. I know you wouldn’t do that, even when enraged.”
Withdrawing his touch, Seth backed away. “Take Cliff to the network, then go straight to David’s. I need to help Zach track Gershom.”
“Wait,” Aidan blurted. “Gershom claimed he was wounded at the missile silo. He said the vampires had freed themselves and—”
Seth shook his head. “I was there when you summoned me. All is well.”
Before any of them could reply, Seth vanished.
Aidan hastily grabbed Ethan and Cliff’s shoulders and used his healing gift to keep them from blistering again as the clouds above dissipated, letting the sun fight its way through to them. “Call Chris,” he told Ethan, “and tell him we’re on our way.”
Dana wrapped her arms around him, resting her face on his chest. “Do you think they’ll catch him?”
“I sure as hell hope so,” Aidan murmured.
Dana’s stomach burned with nerves as she stood in the shade of a huge barn that served as a garage for Immortal Guardians’ vehicles.
“We’re going to head inside now,” Ethan said.
Aidan nodded.
Ethan took Heather’s hand. The two blurred as they darted forward, their indistinct forms racing down the drive and around to the front of the house, disappearing from view.
Aidan had followed Seth’s instructions and teleported them all to the network. While Dana had struggled to get her hands to stop shaking, the immortals and Cliff had availed themselves of bagged blood to replenish what they had lost in the battle with Seth.
Or rather Gershom.
Dana’s stomach continued to tie itself up in a knot.
How could they defeat an enemy who was so good at camouflaging himself as someone else that he could stand right next to them and they wouldn’t even know it?
Even after siphoning new blood into his veins, Aidan had admitted he wasn’t at full strength and had borrowed a network car with dark-tinted windows to drive them all to David’s home instead of teleporting them.
Aidan curled his fingers around hers.
Dana clutched his hand in a death grip. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine. I just need a deep, healing sleep. I’ll be able to get one here without worrying over our safety.”
She looked again at the sprawling house. Apparently this was the hub of the Immortal Guardians’ world here in North Carolina, their favorite place to relax and unwind after a night of hunting and slaying vampires. So who knew how many of them were in there.
“It’ll be all right,” Aidan murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple. “There’s no reason to be nervous. They’re all just like me.”
Right. She was just rattled from the close call with Gershom.
“Ethan and Heather are already in there, though it sounds like they’re retiring,” Aidan murmured. “Since Seth and Zach are chasing down Gershom, we shouldn’t have to worry about the bastard popping in and pretending to be me or anything like that. And even if he did, Ami would know it in an instant.”
“Ami is in there, too?”
“Yes, as are her husband and daughter.”
Aidan must have sensed her anxiety, because he seemed in no hurry to move despite his need of sleep.
But he did need sleep. His energy hadn’t just been taxed by the wounds he’d incurred. It had been taxed by teleporting them to and from the network and by healing Ethan and Cliff in real time to keep the sunlight from harming them.
“Okay.” She straightened her shoulders with determination. “I’m ready.”
Aidan squeezed her hand, a warm smile lighting his handsome features. “I really do love you, you know.”
She smiled. “I love you, too.” The feeling was undeniable. And the two of them could very well be living on borrowed time, so she saw little reason to waste a minute of it playing the Is-it-too-soon? game.
The barn was located behind and to one side of the house. She and Aidan strolled down the shaded drive, then turned onto a sidewalk that led to a large front door.
Aidan didn’t knock when they reached it. He just opened the door and escorted her inside.
Unable to completely quash her nerves, Dana glanced over her shoulder and watched him enter behind her. The half dozen or so immortals who had made that impromptu appearance at Ethan and Heather’s house hadn’t unnerved her as much as she would’ve thought. But for all she knew, there could be dozens more here in David’s home.
Smiling down at her, Aidan winked. “They’re just like me,” he mentioned again.
Was he reading her thoughts, or was her face really as expressive as he’d claimed?
Aidan looked over her shoulder. His eyes widened.
Dana swung around, followed his gaze, and gaped at the man who exited the kitchen.
“Okay,” Aidan murmured. “Maybe they aren’t all like me.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sheldon looked up at the sound of Aidan’s voice. “Hey, man. How’s it goin’?”
Aidan dipped his chin in a nod and slowly approached the young Second. “Sheldon.”
Balancing two substantial sandwiches on a plate, Sheldon shifted his gaze to Dana. “Hi, Dana. Great to see you again.”
“Nice to see you, too.” She tried not to stare. She really did. But failed miserably as her lips stretched into a broad grin.
The handsome redhead wore a tight black T-shirt that revealed muscled arms and a chest as broad as Aidan’s. He also wore badly scuffed combat boots that were in dire need of replacement, worn black cargo shorts that ended just above his knees, and—atop the shorts—a fluffy pink tutu that began at his waist and fell almost to the hem of his shorts in delicate, filmy layers. A pretty yellow sunflower decorated the center of the waistband.
“I heard about the attack at your place,” Sheldon said, his eyes on Dana. “That sucks. But from what I understand, you really kicked ass and took names.”
That attack seemed so long ago now. “Those names being numbnuts and dumbass?” she asked, trying not to laugh.
He grinned. “Those would be the ones. I also heard you tranqed Roland. Well done. I wish I could’ve seen that.”
“Sheldon?” Aidan said.
“Yeah?”
“What the hell are you wearing?”
Sheldon sighed. “Dude, don’t dis my boots. I know I had to glue the soles back onto both shoes with superglue, but these are the most comfortable boots I’ve ever owned, so I don’t want to replace them.”
Dana glanced up at Aidan, whose expression remained deadpan.
“The tutu, Sheldon,” Aidan said.
Sheldon glanced down. “Oh, that.” He shrugged. “I thought Ami and Marcus could use some alone time and offered to take Adira to the playground. Adira didn’t want to go without her mommy, so I promised her if she would let me take her she could go to my closet and choose what I would wear.”
Aidan arched a brow. “And she chose a tutu?”
“Yeah.”