She nodded. “I’m fine. It was just a little tight. No worries.”
Roland caught her attention. “Are you saying you would transform and become immortal?”
“Yes. Would that help? Would that make it harder for Gershom to read my thoughts and know I’m bait?”
Aidan stared at her, both elated and terrified. He wanted so badly for her to transform and spend the rest of eternity with him. But he didn’t want her to feel forced into it. “Dana…”
“Don’t say it again,” she said, irritation creeping into her features. “You keep telling me I have choice as if you’re trying to talk me out of it.”
“I keep telling you you have choice because I can’t bring myself to believe you’ll make the one I’m hoping for.” He shook his head. “And I don’t want Gershom to force your hand. I don’t want you to make a hasty decision you may come to regret. This isn’t reversible.”
She smiled, a soft curling up of her lips that warmed his insides and coaxed his racing heart into calming the hell down. “I’m not doing it because Gershom is forcing my hand. And I’m not doing it because I felt so helpless standing on your back porch, doing nothing while I watched you fight Gershom. Ethan and Heather both leapt to your side to help you. Cliff did, too. And all I could do was just stand there,” she told him, her smile gone.
Aidan hadn’t thought much about that aspect of things but felt her frustration.
“That was terrifying and horrible and I never want to feel that helpless again,” she continued. “But that still isn’t what’s compelling me to transform.”
“Then what is?” he asked.
Her smile returned. “You. I love you, Aidan. And the opportunity to have hundreds, if not thousands, of years together instead of a few decades is just too tempting to pass up.”
There went his treacherous heart again, slamming against his rib cage. “You’re sure? We’ve been seeing each other for less than a month.”
“I’m sure.” She shrugged. “And we aren’t the first couple to fall in love so quickly.”
Roland grunted. “Hell, it only took me twenty-four hours to fall for Sarah.”
Sarah looked up at him in surprise. “Really?”
“You know you’re irresistible,” he countered.
Grinning, she leaned up and brushed a quick kiss across his lips.
Ethan glanced at Heather. “We fell for each other after only a couple of dates.” He frowned. “Wait. Does fighting vampires together count as a date?”
Heather laughed.
Farther down the table, Krysta laughed, too. “It did for us. That’s how étienne and I met and fell in love.”
étienne smiled. “If memory serves, you tried to decapitate me the first time we met. The second, too. What kind of date is that?”
Krysta winked. “A fun-filled, flirtatious one?”
Laughter all around.
Aidan paid little attention. His eyes continued to cling to Dana’s. “You’re sure?” he murmured beneath the chuckles.
“I’m sure,” she said.
“No doubts?” he pressed, elation beginning to overcome fear.
“None at all.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her tight. “Thank you.”
She nodded against his chest. “I didn’t mean to tell you in front of everyone.”
Aware of the quiet that had settled around them, Aidan released her but kept an arm around her shoulders.
A faint blush climbed her cheeks when she noticed everyone watching them. “But if now would be a better time for me to transform…”
Seth sent her a kind smile. “Becoming immortal wouldn’t keep Gershom from reading your thoughts.”
“Oh.” Her brow furrowed as she looked from Seth to David and back again. “Then you can’t use me as bait?”
“No,” Seth said.
“We appreciate the offer though and admire the courage you showed in making it,” David added.
Thank you, Aidan told both elders telepathically.
“Then what are you going to do?” Dana pressed.
Chris spoke. “My contacts are going to see if they can dig anything up.”
Heather leaned forward. “Do you mean your contacts in government agencies?”
Chris nodded. “FBI, CIA, NSA, NRO and a few others. I want to ensure the military is not in any way involved.”
Heather frowned. “Why would you think the military might be involved?”
“Because my forensics team said the weapons used to kill the gifted ones we found are commonly employed by the military. The grouping of the gunshot wounds also pointed toward someone with military training.”
Heather looked at Seth and David, then returned her gaze to Chris. “One of your contacts wouldn’t happen to be my father, would it?”
Chris hesitated. “Yes.”
Heather swore.
Dana caught Heather’s gaze. “Who’s your father?”
“General Nathan Lane.”
Dana’s eyes widened. “The one I see on the news sometimes?”
“Yes,” Heather ground out, her eyes on Chris. “I thought we had agreed to keep him out of this.”
“I agreed to try to keep him out of it last time. I made no such agreement this time. And he’s in a position to access even more classified information than my other contacts, so I gave him a call.”
Heather turned to Seth. “You knew about this?”
“Actually,” Seth said, “this is my first time hearing about it.”
“Then kick his ass,” Heather demanded furiously. Clearly she didn’t like the idea of her father taking dangerous risks to acquire information for them.
Seth’s face reflected regret. “In this instance, I’m afraid the decision was your father’s to make.” He eyed Chris. “I assume you didn’t pressure him?”
“I did not,” Chris confirmed. “I merely informed him of the situation and asked if he thought he could be of some assistance. He said yes.”
Heather’s eyes flashed bright amber. “Of course, he did! He—”
Seth held up a hand, silencing Heather and catching Chris’s eye. “Does General Lane have my number?”
“Yes,” Chris said, then looked at Heather. “And I told him to call it if he feels even the tiniest hint that he may be in danger.”
Heather sighed.
They all did as tempers calmed.
“So, what do we do now?” Krysta asked.
“Wait to see what Chris can find out,” Seth said. “See what we can find out ourselves.”
David nodded. “You should all hunt in groups now. Not pairs, but groups. If possible, it would be best to include a telepath in each group.”
“I agree,” Seth said. “Telepaths, read the mind of every vampire you encounter. We don’t know if the vampires are congregating in the same place the gifted ones are being held, so look for any clues in their memories that may lead us to where they are staying.”
“And carry the sedative with you,” David added. “Seth, Zach, and I can examine the minds of any vampires you tranq to see if there’s something buried that you couldn’t see yourselves.”
Alena closed her file folder. “Scott and I will continue to work on things from our end and see what we can ferret out since we don’t even know in what state the gifted ones are being held.”
Seth inclined his head. “Thank you.”
Zach leaned back in his chair. “There’s one problem we’ve yet to address.”
All waited for him to continue.