And how odd was it to think Seth might need protection?
“We followed the surprisingly faint trail of the vampires’ travel,” he said, distracted at first, then more focused as he proceeded, “and found them holed up in Russia.”
Swears erupted.
Chris held up a hand to forestall questions. “Anatoly and the other network heads in Russia have confirmed that neither the Russian government nor the Russian military have any knowledge of the attacks. It took a hell of a lot of work, but we were able to track the vampires to their lair here, near the border of Kazakhstan.”
Ethan contemplated the map. “Then they are Russian?”
“That’s what it looks like,” Chris answered. “But as I said, the Russian government and military are not part of the operation and aren’t even aware that this group attacked two U.S. military bases.”
Roland scowled. “Who the hell are these vampires, then?”
Seth spoke. “Men who would profit from starting a war between the two superpowers.”
“A nuclear war?” Tracy sputtered. “Who the hell would win in that?”
Seth smiled grimly. “No one. But Gershom can be very persuasive. And, as many of you immortals have seen in your long lifetimes, getting rich almost always triumphs over doing good. The right things don’t seem so right when one can profit far more from doing wrong. The men who raised this covert vampire army for Gershom believe they stand to earn billions from World War Three.”
“That’s insane,” Tanner gritted.
Seth shrugged. “One man’s insanity is another man’s profit.”
“What are we going to do?” Lisette asked, brow furrowing.
“Strike the lair in much the same way we did Shadow River,” Seth told her.
Ethan shifted. “Will we be striking it or will the immortals stationed in Russia do it?”
“I would prefer that you do it,” he answered. “You’ve more experience with this particular kind of battle and know the unique challenges it presents. But I will ask some of the immortals in Russia to join us so that they will be prepared if another such group should arise there in the future.”
“When do we strike?” Aidan asked. As usual, the Celt seemed to anticipate the battle with peculiar eagerness.
“That depends on you,” Seth informed them. “I’d like to move quickly on this. They’ve attacked two bases in a very short time. I’d like to take them out before they have a chance to attack a third. Would you be up for a fight in the morning?”
All voiced affirmatives.
“Then we’ll attack at five a.m. our time and catch them midday. If we strike in daylight, we may have the advantage. Both of their attacks happened at night, so they may not have protective suits like yours.”
The vampires Immortal Guardians had fought in the past never had.
Chris seated himself at the table. “Anatoly’s network soldiers will back you the way my men did here when you descended upon Shadow River. How many of you speak Russian?”
Several raised a hand.
“Good. You can translate for the others. Seconds, you’ll all remain behind. I will, too.”
Protests erupted.
When Ed launched several of his own, Ethan winced.
A Second’s primary duty was to protect his or her immortal so that immortal would live to fight another day. Surrendering that duty to anyone else, let alone a complete stranger, would not sit well with them.
“Anatoly’s men can handle it,” Chris told them. “And you may be needed here.”
Seth held up a hand to silence the angry words. “We still don’t know the extent of Gershom’s plan. He put in an appearance at the last attack, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will do the same when we strike his vampire army. He may instead choose to handle unfinished business and target those he believes we have left unprotected.”
Unease made Ethan’s stomach churn as Seth turned his gaze upon Heather.
Heather swallowed. “You think he may come after me?”
“It’s a possibility.”
General Lane paled. “I can hide her. I can surround her with—”
Seth shook his head. “All Gershom would need to do is read your mind to find her. Once he did, your human soldiers would not even slow him down. Besides, we need you to go to work as usual and keep your eyes and ears open. Alert us to anything the military or other agencies you collaborate with may pick up on. Our network contacts are going to scramble all satellite signals in that area to prevent anyone from viewing the attack, but we can do little if a surveillance drone should happen by.”
Ethan took Heather’s hand and squeezed it. “So what should we do? How do I keep Heather safe?”
“Stay here. David’s home has long been considered off-limits by the Others. Gershom could have fostered mischief here long before now, but has not. Let us see if he will stay true to that. If not, the Seconds and a virtual army of network soldiers will be stationed here to protect Heather. I’d like some immortals to remain behind as well. You, of course, Ethan. Richart and Jenna. Marcus, I want you here to protect Ami and Adira.”
“I want to stay behind, too,” Roland said, surprising Ethan. “To help Marcus.”
Seth shook his head. “We’ll need your strength and speed in Russia. Sarah’s, too. Bastien, I want you, Melanie, Linda, and Alleck to guard network headquarters. If something goes down there and the vampires have to join the fray, you may be the only ones who can keep them in line.”
The two couples nodded.
“I think I should go to Russia with you,” Ami inserted, casting her husband a wary look.
Marcus’s head snapped around. “Hell no!”
She shook her head helplessly. “I have to. I’m the only one who can sense Gershom’s presence.”
“Absolutely not,” Marcus insisted, intractable. “I want you here. No, scratch that. I don’t want you here. I want you and Adira at the network where you’ll be more heavily guarded. The place is a virtual fortress. You’ll have me, four other immortals, an assload of humans armed to the teeth, and—if things get bad—the vampires for protection.”
“Actually,” Chris said with some reluctance, “that may not be such a good idea.”
“Why?” Marcus demanded. “It worked before.”
“Before,” Seth said, “the vampires were eager for a fight to relieve their boredom. Now . . .” He looked to Bastien.
Bastien sighed. “Cliff hasn’t been himself since he suffered the break. And his behavior is beginning to affect the other vampires. I don’t know if they would be up for a fight.”
“Which, again,” Chris said, “is why I want the Seconds to remain here at David’s, along with the immortals Seth named. I suggest at least one elder immortal be added to the list if you can spare him, Seth, just in case. I know Roland wants to do it, but one who can teleport would be better.”
Aidan swore. “I’m going to have to miss the battle again, aren’t I?”
Seth sent him an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid so. Now that Zach has pointed out I may be a target, I can’t rule out that Gershom may attempt to strike at me personally by attempting to harm my adopted daughter and her child while I’m distracted.”
Ami bit her lip. “Seth, I can’t stay here. If I don’t go with you, Gershom could harm you or any of the other immortals and you would have absolutely no warning. You wouldn’t even know he was there or see him coming without me there to sense him.”
Zach leaned back in his chair. “He put in an appearance at the army base. I think there’s good reason to suspect he will do the same in Russia, particularly if he let us find the base on purpose and now waits for us to walk into a trap.”
Ethan could see the struggle their arguments precipitated in their leader. Had Seth alone been the one about to walk into a possible trap, he wouldn’t have hesitated to insist Ami remain behind. But his life wouldn’t be the only one on the line.
Marcus’s face darkened. “You can’t actually
be considering it!”
Seth opened his mouth.
But Ami spoke first. “Marcus, honey, you know what Seth means to me.” Her gaze encircled the table. “What you all mean to me. You’re my family now. You rescued me. Took me in. Saved my sanity. Gave me purpose. Gave me a place in this world when I couldn’t return to my own.” She met her husband’s distressed eyes. “I can’t remain here when we all know Gershom could put in an appearance at the battle like he did last time and strike without anyone even knowing he was there. If something like that happened and he managed to . . .” She shook her head. “How could I live with myself, knowing I could have prevented it?”
Marcus’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I can’t lose you, Ami,” he declared, voice hoarse. “You know what that would do to me.”
“You won’t lose me,” she vowed.
He shook his head. “If I could be there to protect you—”
“You can’t. Adira needs you here.”
Could there be anything worse, Ethan wondered, than having to choose between the safety—and perhaps the life—of your wife and that of your child?
“Marcus.” Seth spoke, drawing the immortal’s tormented gaze. “You know I love Ami. If I have to keep her at my side at all times to protect her during the battle, I will. I’ll also ensure that more than one teleporter will be present to whisk her away at a moment’s notice.”
Marcus nodded, but took Ami’s hand in a tight grip.
After a long moment, Chris cleared his throat. “Okay. Let’s talk strategy.”
When the meeting adjourned, Heather and Ethan did their best to reassure her father that all would be well. Heather hoped they didn’t lie. After a hug that lasted long enough for her to understand he feared he might lose her, General Lane left.
Heather and Ethan retreated to the room they’d claimed at David’s home and made love. Their touch carried an edge of desperation, a hint of good-bye that brought tears to her eyes.
“Don’t,” Ethan whispered. Cupping her face in his hands, he pressed a kiss to each eyelid and brushed away her tears.
“It feels like we’re saying good-bye.”
“We aren’t. We won the battle at the second base. We’ll win the one in Russia, too.”
“And if the fight comes here? If Gershom comes here?”
“Then we’ll win this fight, too,” he vowed.
Heather didn’t feel so confident. “He keeps tampering with my mind, Ethan.”
“I know. But we’ll stop him.”
“If you don’t . . .”
“We will. He isn’t going to get near you.”
She touched her fingertips to his lips. “I don’t want to become a pawn like that doctor at the network.”
“Dr. Whetsman?”
She nodded. “I need you to promise me that if Gershom screws with my head again and I end up trying to hurt any of you, you’ll stop me.”
“Heather—”
“I mean it. I want you to do whatever you have to do to take me out of the game. Okay?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“Promise me, Ethan. If Gershom made me his puppet and I hurt you or the others like that doctor did Linda, I would never forgive myself.”
He sighed. “Fine. I promise . . . to incapacitate you, not kill you,” he clarified. Then his lips turned up in a wicked smile. “But only if you’ll let me kiss it and make it better afterward.”
She smiled. “Kiss what?”
“Everything,” he said with a leer.
Heather laughed, so glad she had found him. “It’s a deal.”
He touched his lips to hers in a tender kiss. “Have I told you today that I love you?”
She smiled. “Yes, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
“I love you, Heather.”
She stroked his strong, stubbled jaw, met his luminescent amber gaze. “I love you, too.”
Drawing him down to her once more, she lost herself in the passion that flared between them and pretended—at least for the moment—that the rest of the world didn’t exist.
Alas, the time to get ready for battle swiftly arrived.
Heather followed Ethan up to the armory and watched Ed help him pack on the weapons. She couldn’t help but stare at some of the other immortals who milled around the huge armory. Those who would fight in Russia wore odd, rubbery suits—like the one Ethan had donned the day Seth had taken her to the base—that fit their muscular forms like a diving suit.
Ready for battle, the immortals began to amble from the room, leaving the Seconds behind to arm themselves.
Ethan rested a hand on the small of Heather’s back. “I want you to gear up, too. I want you armed with every weapon you know how to use and as much ammo as you can carry.”
She nodded. “Absolutely.” She would’ve insisted upon it had he not mentioned it.
“I’ll take care of it,” Ed said. “You go ahead with the others.”
Ethan hesitated, glancing at Heather.
Ed snorted. “I’ve been arming your ass for thirty years. You think I can’t arm someone half your size? Go. You need to familiarize yourself with where Chris’s men are stationed and see if Seth has any last-minute instructions before he and the others leave.”
When Ethan lingered, Heather smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As soon as Ethan left, Ed began to load her up with weapons.
The room emptied as everyone else finished gearing up and wandered out.
Ed cleared his throat. “Listen, if something goes down . . .”
She eyed the gruff Second curiously. Ethan had said the man was in his fifties, but damned if he didn’t look thirty.
“I want you to stick close to me. Ethan told me you’re good with weapons and fierce in battle. But he also said you have a propensity for trying to sacrifice yourself for him.”
She grimaced. “I can’t help it. When things get crazy, I forget he’s hard to kill and just . . . act.”
“Which is why I want you to stick close to me. Ethan has waited a long time to find you, Heather. You make him happy in a way I’ve never seen him before. I don’t want him to lose you.” He made an adjustment to her shoulder holster. “How does that feel?”
She rolled her shoulders and shifted around a bit. “Okay.”
“What about the extra ammo? Does it restrict your movement?”
It was heavy as hell, weighing down her pockets, but didn’t hinder motion. “No.”
“Good. Let’s go protect our boy.”
Chapter Twenty
Ethan spent several minutes roaming the grounds around David’s place, familiarizing himself with the many, many network special ops soldiers now stationed around the house and throughout David’s property. Three even perched upon the rooftop, he noticed as he strode up the walk toward the front door.
Had his vision not been preternaturally sharp, Ethan wouldn’t have seen most of them in the darkness. All were cloaked in midnight-hued clothing, their faces blackened with he-didn’t-know-what. Their weapons were likewise black and failed to glint in the moonlight. Atop each man’s head rested night-vision goggles or monoculars.
The soldiers guarding the front of David’s home all nodded a greeting.
“Thank you all for being here,” Ethan said, hoping their presence would not be needed. “We appreciate your support.”
The man closest to Ethan smiled. “Here’s hoping we’ll all be bored off our asses.”
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder and stepped inside the front door.
Immortals and their Seconds milled around. The mortals all radiated tension, the immortals seemed as relaxed as though they were heading out to see a movie.
Except for Marcus. Ethan could understand that one’s disquiet as he stuck close to his wife and toddler.
Seth strolled into the room from the hallway, accompanied by three men Ethan didn’t recognize. Pausing, Seth said something to the trio that was lost amongst the cacop
hony of other voices. The three men nodded, then vanished.
“Who were they?” Ethan asked Sheldon, who loitered nearby.
“Three of the Russian immortals who will fight today,” Sheldon replied.
“They’re teleporters?”
“Yeah. Seth wanted to familiarize them with David’s home so they can teleport here if the need should arise.”
“Ah.”
Ed and Heather entered.
Ethan felt his pulse kick into high gear.
Garbed all in black, Heather had tactical knives strapped to her thighs, sidearms in shoulder holsters, and a few small daggers in sheaths on her belt. She also carried a wicked-looking automatic rifle.
Holy shit, she made his blood heat.
Sheldon laughed and shook his head.
“What?” Ethan asked.
“Your eyes are glowing and you look like you want to devour her.”
“I do. She’s fucking hot.”
Catching his words as she approached, Heather grinned. “I take it I pass muster?”
“Hell yes, you do.”
Sarah laughed nearby. “You guys get turned on by the craziest things.”
“Not really,” her husband corrected. “We just adore strong women.”
Beside him, Ami hugged little Adira, then handed her over to her husband.
Marcus settled the baby girl on his hip and drew Ami to him for a tight hug.
Ethan thought Marcus looked positively tormented when he let her go.
“Masks on,” Seth instructed as Ami crossed to stand at his side.
The immortals who would accompany Seth to Russia—with the exception of David, Zach, Imhotep, and Chaahk—donned the rubbery masks that would protect them from sunlight.
“Everyone ready?” Seth asked.
All responded in the affirmative.
“Then let’s do this. Huddle up.”
The immortals formed a huddle. An instant later they disappeared.
And the long wait began.
Ethan guided Heather over to a love seat. As she sank down on the comfortable cushions, he settled beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Shadows Strike Page 32
