Shadows Strike

by Dianne Duvall

  He braced his elbows on the table, which began to vibrate.

  Heather knew that, were she to look beneath it, she would see his knee bobbing up and down even more violently than it had before as his agitation increased.

  Hell, she had to fight to keep her own knee from bobbing. The images in his mind were straight out of a horror movie.

  “They threw something at the lights,” he went on.

  “They?”

  “The things coming for us. Shattered all of them so everything went pitch black. Then the explosions started—flashes of light—as they tripped the land mines outside the walls.” He dug the fingers and thumb of his free hand into his eyes as if he wished he could rub away the memory. “Guys started screaming. It was so fucking dark. I couldn’t see shit and grabbed one of the night-vision monocles.” He ceased abusing his eyes and smoothed a hand back over his head. “Budget was tight. We didn’t have enough of the night-vision monocles to go around, so we just kept a couple in each guard tower to be used as necessary and usually never touched the damned things. Didn’t need to, because we always had the lights.”

  Heather leaned forward. “What happened, Nick?”

  “Guys were screaming. All over. In the other towers. On the ground. I grabbed the monocle and . . . something hit Wes. Took him down. When I turned around . . .” He swallowed hard. “His fucking head was on the floor beside him.”

  Had Heather not seen that and worse, up close and personal, lately, she would’ve been sickened by the images she found in his mind then. “Who attacked the base, Nick?” she pressed. “Who was it?”

  In his mind, she saw Nick attach the monocle to his scope, raise his weapon, and peer through it.

  Oh shit.

  “Vampires,” Nick said. “Vampires attacked the base.”

  And killed everyone in it except for Nick, whom they apparently left for dead.

  A slew of curses filled her mind, spewed by Zach from wherever he was outside the building. Apparently, he really could hear everything that went on in here.

  Heather jumped when knuckles rapped on the two-way mirror, her father summoning her back. Panic swamped her. What do I do? she asked Zach mentally. She couldn’t tell them it was all true, that Nick wasn’t lying when he said vampires had attacked the military base. The immortals didn’t want humans—particularly those in the military or mercenary profession—to know vampires existed . . . with very good reason.

  More mental curses.

  Another rap on the mirror.

  Zach?

  Don’t tell them it’s the truth, he advised. Tell them Nick is difficult to read because of his current state of agitation, but that he seems to believe the things he says are true. I’ll monitor their thoughts and . . . hell. Hopefully they’ll take that as confirmation that he’s nuts and look elsewhere for the culprits.

  And if they don’t?

  They aren’t going to believe vampires took out a military base.

  Heather supposed it would sound crazy to anyone else. Hell, even after dreaming about vampires every night for a year, she hadn’t believed they actually existed until she had come face-to-face with them.

  She rose.

  Nick’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist. “I’m not crazy. They were there. They were real.” His eyes begged her to confirm it, as though even he had begun to question his sanity.

  Heather tugged her arm from his grasp. “I’ll see what I can find out about Cindy.”

  Slumping back in his chair, he returned his gaze to the table.

  Heather knocked on the door. The suit opened it, then led her back to the room with her father and Mac.

  “Well?” Mac demanded as soon as the door closed behind her.

  Heather looked through the mirror. “I had a hard time reading him. He’s very agitated.”

  “No shit,” Mac snorted.

  Heather shrugged and shook her head. “He seems to believe everything he’s saying.”

  Mac swore. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got for us?”

  “Give us the room, gentlemen,” General Lane ordered.

  The soldier seated at the table instantly stood and headed for the door. Mac followed.

  Once both had gone, Heather forced herself to face her father.

  She really didn’t want to lie to him.

  But you have to, Zach reminded her.

  I know.

  General Lane reached over and flipped switches on several instruments. The red light on the camera mounted to the ceiling in one corner went dark. “It’s just the two of us now,” he said, straightening. “Tell me what you heard.” He must be desperate if he would ask her here instead of waiting until later.

  Heather crossed her arms beneath her breasts and shrugged. “As I said, he’s very agitated. His thoughts are all over the place. He’s worried about this Cindy, whoever she is.”

  “She’s his best friend’s wife. Her husband was decapitated in the guardhouse Nick manned.”

  “Does she know?”

  “No. We haven’t decided what to tell the families yet.” He sighed. “You didn’t see anything that could help us? No uniforms you could identify or anything that would label those carrying out the attack as terrorists?”

  She shook her head. “Just darkness and flashes of explosions and . . .” a man with long, sharp fangs and glowing eyes.

  “Vampires?” her father asked.

  “Nick’s friend, dead on the ground beside him,” she said instead.

  “Can you at least tell me if Nick was in on it?”

  “I don’t think so, Dad. If he had been part of the attack, he’d be worrying over whether or not he was going to get away with it. I didn’t see anything like that in his thoughts.”

  Her father studied the soldier in the next room. “Is he insane?”

  “I’ve never looked inside the mind of an insane person before. I can’t make that call.” She looked at Nick. “But I have read enough soldiers with PTSD to know that Nick is suffering from it big-time.”

  “PTSD doesn’t make you see vampires,” General Lane snapped.

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Were there no other survivors?”

  “None.”

  Heather felt like crap, letting him down this way. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

  He nodded. “I think this is a first. The shrink must be right. Nick must have had some kind of breakdown if even you can’t sort through his thoughts and tell us what happened.”

  Hell.

  “Maybe they can find some meds to help him. If they do, will you come back in for us?”

  Heather nodded, knowing no medication on the planet would alter the fact that vampires had just destroyed a U.S. military base.

  Chapter Twelve

  Heather could feel Zach’s impatience while the soldiers drove her home. Every minute seemed like an hour. And with the passing of each, her thoughts grew more chaotic.

  Once home, Heather thanked the soldiers and stood in her empty living room, listening to them back the car out of her driveway.

  Zach appeared in front of her, looking even more grim than usual. He rested a hand on her shoulder. The lights went out. When they came back on, a large, beautiful study or home office had replaced her living room. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined every wall, boasting thousands upon thousands of books. Two desks consumed some of the floor space. One small and vaguely feminine. One large and as overtly masculine as the figure seated behind it.

  David looked up from the book he perused.

  “Summon Seth,” Zach said. “And tell him to bring Chris. The shit has hit the fan.”

  Releasing Heather, Zach vanished.

  David met Heather’s gaze and arched a brow. “I take it things did not go well with your father?”

  She bit her lip. “It isn’t so much that the visit didn’t go well. It’s what we learned while we were there. Zach’s right. It’s bad. It’s . . . it’s really, really bad.”

  Setting
his book aside, David closed his eyes.

  Seth appeared at his elbow, breathing hard. The black clothing and long, black coat he wore glistened with wet patches Heather assumed were blood. Crimson liquid coated the katana he clutched in one hand. Speckles of it dotted his face and neck. “What?” he asked David.

  “Zach has news. Bad news, apparently. He wants you to fetch Reordon.”

  Seth glanced at Heather, took in her no doubt worried-as-hell look, and nodded. “Let me clean up first.” He vanished.

  Heather looked to David.

  David shrugged. “It’s always nighttime somewhere in the world. And where there is nighttime . . .”

  “There are vampires.” That sucked. Did the powerful Immortal Guardians’ leader ever get a break?

  Zach reappeared with Lisette and Ethan.

  The tightness in Ethan’s face eased when he saw Heather. Crossing to her side, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. “You okay?”

  Nodding, she leaned into him. They’d had such a nice morning together. Who would’ve thought the day would take such an unpleasant turn?

  Seth strode through the doorway behind them, sans katana. Clean clothing now adorned his tall frame. His long hair was wet and slicked back from his face, his skin clean.

  He showered that fast? she thought with awe, releasing Ethan and shifting to stand beside him.

  Winking at her, Seth drew out a phone.

  “Where’s Reordon?” Zach asked.

  “I’m calling him now. Chris?” Seth spoke into the phone. “Seth. Are you busy? Zach has news and wants you to be privy to it . . . Okay. I shall be there momentarily.” Pocketing the phone, he looked to Zach. “How big is it?”

  “Gargantuan.”

  “Gargantuan warrants a meeting.” Seth tucked his phone away, then withdrew a silver pocket watch on a chain from a front pocket. He flipped it open and regarded its face. “The sun will set in about two hours. I want everyone and their Seconds here no later than an hour after that. David, have Darnell start making the calls. I’m going to fetch Chris.”

  As soon as David nodded, Seth vanished.

  “Darnell,” David called.

  A handsome African American man poked his sleek, bald head into the study. “Yeah?”

  “Call a meeting,” David said. “Have everyone here an hour after sunset.”

  “Will do.” Darnell started to withdraw.

  “And, Darnell?” David added.

  Darnell looked at him expectantly.

  David motioned to Heather. “This is Heather Lane.”

  Eyebrows rising, Darnell stepped into the room and regarded her with interest. “Ethan’s Heather?”

  “Yes,” Ethan confirmed, surprising Heather with his claim. “My Heather.”

  Darnell strode forward with a smile and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Darnell, David’s Second.”

  Heather liked him instantly. He had one of those open faces that told you he was a no-shit guy and a smile too charming to resist.

  Smiling back, she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. If you’re a Second, does that mean you’re human?”

  “Gifted one, actually. From what I hear, you’re telepathic?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then all I ask is that you avoid intruding upon my thoughts whenever possible. It took me forever to get the rest of these guys to stop examining them at will. But I like my privacy.”

  “I totally understand and haven’t taken so much as a peek.”

  His smile widening, he patted their clasped hands with his free hand before releasing her. “I appreciate that. And I have to tell you, I’m impressed as hell by what I’ve heard about you. Not many of us have been able to use our gifts outside of the network without others learning that we’re different. The FACS thing was a stroke of genius.”

  She warmed under his praise. “Thank you.”

  Ethan slid an arm around her waist and drew her up against his side.

  “And shooting the vampire—the one who bit you—in the head?” Darnell continued. “That was gutsy as hell.”

  Heather laughed. “Not really. I was scared to death.”

  “Which made it even gutsier.”

  Ethan’s arm tightened. “Stop flirting with her, damn it.”

  Darnell rolled his eyes. “Dude, you’re practically wrapping your body around her to stake your claim. I’m not flirting with her. I’m just being friendly.” Leaning closer to Heather, he whispered, “I would totally flirt with you if you weren’t into Ethan. I love strong women.”

  Again Heather laughed. “And I might just be tempted to flirt back.”

  Ethan growled.

  “If I weren’t into Ethan, that is,” she added with a grin.

  Darnell winked. “That’s my cue.” He nodded to David. “I’ll go make those calls now.”

  “Yes,” David advised with a wry smile, “I think that would be best.”

  Seth reappeared with Chris Reordon as Darnell left and closed the door behind him.

  Chris dumped his shabby briefcase in one of the chairs that faced David’s desk.

  Seth crossed to stand beside David. “So, what’s the news?”

  Ethan kept an arm around Heather as she and Zach recapped her visit with her father and took turns relating what they had found in Nick’s mind.

  “Vampires attacked an American military base?” Ethan asked, finding it difficult to believe.

  “And killed everyone in it save this Nick fellow,” Zach confirmed.

  “How the hell is that possible?”

  David frowned. “And how could we not have heard about it?”

  “It sure as hell wasn’t on the news,” Chris said. “Nor have any of my contacts said anything about it. An American military base that the sole survivor claims was attacked and destroyed by vampires? My phone should be ringing off the hook. This base—and the attack—must be one hell of a secret.”

  Seth’s brow furrowed. “You’ve heard nothing at all from your contacts?”

  “Not a peep,” Chris answered.

  Heather shifted. “My father said it was all highly classified. If the base is top secret, the military can’t exactly tell the public it was destroyed. Do your contacts have access to classified information?”

  “Some classified information. Not all,” Chris said. “Honestly, that’s why I was trying to recruit you.”

  Damn it. Ethan wished Chris would let that drop.

  Seth wagged his head slowly back and forth. “It had to have been an army of vampires to defeat so many well-trained and well-armed soldiers. Yet no immortals have reported seeing any signs that vampires may be amassing again. Even with the increased numbers we have here in North Carolina, we’ve seen no evidence of an army forming, no signs that they may be organizing. And I would think, if one were to form anywhere, it would be here.”

  Ethan agreed. “Other than hunting in larger packs—and they’ve been doing that for years now, thanks to Bastien—the only unusual vampire activity we’ve seen of late is the second attack at Heather’s place. The first fight, in the field, felt random to me even though we suspect it was orchestrated by Gershom. Those vampires didn’t see me coming and sure as hell didn’t expect to run into Heather and her 9mm. The second group of vampires seemed to have no knowledge of the first group. If they were all part of a growing army and the second group was there to avenge the first, I would think they would’ve at least mentioned it.”

  Lisette’s brow furrowed. “Where was this military base? It couldn’t have been on any island guarded by an immortal. As soon as the immortal heard the battle and saw what was transpiring, he would have summoned Seth.”

  Zach began to pace. “That’s the hell of it. I don’t know. Nick and the other men weren’t told where the base they manned was stationed. Not the name of the island. Not the general location. Hell, not even in what ocean it may be found. It’s all very hush-hush.”

  “Was it another Gitmo?” Ethan
asked.

  Zach shook his head. “I don’t think so. I saw no prisoners or detainees in Nick’s memories. But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it weren’t some kind of bioweapons research facility, because Nick did see a lot of doctors there.”

  “Well, shit,” Ethan said. “That’s even worse. A vampire army in possession of potentially lethal bioweapons? Fuck!”

  “Nick may not know the location of the base,” Seth said, “but General Lane must.”

  “I’m sure he does,” Zach said, his every word and gesture radiating frustration, “but I couldn’t find the information with a standard, harmless search. He has unusually strong mental barriers for a human. Had I delved any deeper, it would have hurt him.”

  Ethan’s stomach sank.

  All eyes went to Heather.

  Heather straightened away from Ethan and took his hand in a death grip. “He does.” She licked her lips nervously. “Have strong mental barriers, that is. My mother was a telepath, too, and . . . over the years he learned to guard his thoughts and erect mental barriers neither one of us could penetrate easily. They aren’t as strong as Ethan’s, but . . . they’re there. I can’t get past them without him knowing, because just trying to gives him a headache. It’s why I don’t read his mind anymore and never hear his thoughts when I let my own guard down around him.” She looked up at Ethan, then at Zach, Seth, and David. “You aren’t going to hurt him, are you?”

  The quiet that followed stretched every nerve tight.

  Heather raised pleading eyes to Ethan’s. “Please, don’t hurt him.”

  He swallowed hard, not knowing what to say, unwilling to lie to her.

  Seth’s voice carried regret when he spoke. “We need to know the location of that base.”

  She closed her eyes, face pained.

  “If we can examine the scene ourselves,” Seth continued, “and read the minds of anyone else we find on the island, we may be able to discover something that can lead us to this vampire army. We have to destroy them, Heather, before they launch another attack. And we have to know if they’ve gotten their hands on bioweapons.”