“He isn’t just taking them,” Chris inserted. “As of this morning, six of them have been found dead.”
Aidan’s stomach sank.
“What?” Ami whispered, horror stamped across her pretty features.
“And Scott’s team found three more an hour ago. All dead.”
Curses filled the air.
Marcus glanced down at his daughter in reflex, but she appeared to be concentrating wholly on the picture she was coloring.
Nine dead.
“Why?” Aidan asked, frustration beating him. “What’s his goal? What’s his endgame?”
“To strike at Seth,” Lisette proposed.
Zach draped an arm across the back of her chair. “What do little asshole schoolyard bullies do? They take away the other children’s toys. They break the other children’s toys and get off on the misery such spawns.” He cast Seth a look of regret. “Gershom has already managed to break two of your toys.”
Lisette swallowed hard, grief entering her eyes. “Yuri and Stanislav.”
Seth’s gaze dropped to the table, but not before Aidan caught the golden glow that entered them.
“Everyone knows,” Zach continued, “how important immortals and gifted ones are to Seth. And we’ve all come to the conclusion that—for whatever reason—Gershom hates Seth’s ass. Yuri and Stanislav were a heavy blow. But both of those immortals at least had a fighting chance. How much harsher will the blow be if gifted ones who can’t fight back are slain this time?”
Aidan ground his teeth. “Gifted ones are so much weaker than Gershom that it would be like slaying children. What the hell is the appeal in that?”
Zach waved a hand in dismissal. “Bullies are all pussies deep down. They only pick fights with those who can’t fight back or those who can’t win if they do fight back. So instead of manning up and fighting Seth one on one—we all know Seth would defeat the fucker if he did—Gershom is choosing easier targets that will cut Seth deeply when slain.”
When grumbled protests rose in volume, Seth held up a hand.
All quieted.
“The problem is,” Seth announced, his gaze circling the table, “we don’t know where Gershom is taking the gifted ones. Where he’s keeping them.”
Roland scowled. “How do you know he’s keeping them at all? Are you sure they aren’t all dead?”
Seth looked to Chris.
Chris shook his head. “He’s definitely keeping them somewhere. All the bodies we’ve recovered were dressed the same way and looked as though they had been killed while trying to escape. And we believe humans killed them—not Gershom or vampires—because they were shot. All except one, whose neck was broken.”
Silence.
“So what do we do?” Aidan asked when he couldn’t take it anymore. “How do we find them? How do we stop him?”
Seth glanced around the table. “Any ideas?”
No one spoke as they exchanged troubled glances.
Dana cleared her throat. “Use me as bait.”
Aidan’s neck popped his head snapped around so quickly. “What?” he demanded incredulously.
She swallowed hard, dread clouding her features. “Use me as bait.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Hell no!” Aidan blurted. “Are you mad, woman?”
“No,” Dana said and looked around the table. “What other option is there?”
“That’s not an option,” he retorted. “That’s not even close to the table, let alone on it. We are not using you as bait. Absolutely not.” What was she thinking?
“Look,” she said, her face and voice sober as she addressed them all, “I’m not real keen on the idea either. But we already know that in North Carolina, Gershom has been targeting female gifted ones who have been in direct contact with Aidan. We know he has ordered vampires to attack me in the past. I assume he knows Aidan and I are lovers. And since he’s been sticking his nose into everybody’s business, he probably also knows that you’ve all taken me under your wing and are trying to protect me. What better target could he have?”
“Ami,” Marcus offered. “Or Adira.”
Adira looked up at the sound of her name and tilted her head back to smile up at her father. Marcus kissed the top of her head.
“All the more reason to use me as bait,” Dana said, “and direct his attention away from them.”
“No,” Aidan said again, still having difficulty believing she would even contemplate such a thing. Hadn’t she heard Chris tell them that several of the gifted ones had been found dead?
Roland caught Dana’s gaze. “The immortals present can all hear your heart racing with fear at just the idea of baiting a trap for Gershom. Why would you do this for us?”
She looked around the table. “Because I love Aidan. And you all stood up for him when Gershom made him look guilty as hell. You all broke the rules to stand by his side and try to help him. To help us both. To keep us safe.” She shook her head. “I don’t have a family of my own. I haven’t in a long time. And three days ago, having never laid eyes on me before, you all welcomed me into yours and showed me what it would be like to be one of you. To be part of this family.”
Aidan’s heart began to pound. “Dana…”
She held up a hand. “I know. I have choice. And that’s what makes all of this mean so much more to me. None of you have placed any conditions on my being here. None of you have pressured me to transform for Aidan and become immortal. I honestly think that all of you would welcome me and let me be part of your family whether I transformed or remained as I am.”
“We would,” David interjected.
“We would,” Seth agreed.
“Of course we would,” Aidan told her.
Reaching up, she pressed a hand to his cheek. “You’ve been trying so hard to protect me, Aidan. Well, I want to protect you, too. I love you. I really do. And watching Gershom do his damnedest to kill you yesterday before Seth and Zach showed up…” Tears welled in her eyes.
Aidan covered her hand with his and held it to him.
“You’re worth fighting for.” She looked around the table. “You’re all worth fighting for. And if the only way you can get a leg up on Gershom is by shoving me out there as bait, then I say do it.” She forced a smile. “And do it quickly, before I change my mind.”
A few chuckles lightened the heavy atmosphere.
Dana lowered her hand, taking Aidan’s with it and linking their fingers as she rested them on her thigh.
Seth visually consulted David.
Aidan frowned at them. “You aren’t actually considering it, are you?”
David never took his gaze from Seth. “He would read it in her memories.”
“Such was my thought.”
Aidan shook his head. “Even if he couldn’t, it’s out of the question.”
Dana looked back and forth between the two elders. “Would it work better if I were immortal?”
Aidan’s breath caught. “What?”
Dana winced. “Ow—ow—ouch! Honey, you’re squeezing the crap out of my hand.”
He swiftly relaxed his grip. “I’m sorry.” Glancing down, he examined her hand and noted the pale marks he’d left that slowly regained their color. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’d never hurt you on purpose. Are you okay?”