Once more, regret that he had failed to keep both Tessa and Will safe from his enemy gnawed at Seth. He watched over gifted ones as assiduously as he did Immortal Guardians. Gershom knew that and had killed Will, then recruited Tessa specifically because he knew how much those actions would hurt him.
Seth’s inability to save those Gershom had slain haunted him.
“It isn’t just that he died,” Jared continued. “It’s how he died. Tessa can’t think of him without seeing it over and over again.”
Seth sighed as the grief he’d harbored for thousands of years resurfaced. “It was the same with my wife and children.” For so long, he had not been able to think of them without remembering the way he’d found them after enemies had taken their lives. The pain on their beloved faces still haunted him. “But I can remember them now with joy. It will be the same for Tessa once the wound is not so raw. Until then, there is little we can do other than be here for her and support her as you did today.”
Jared studied him for a long moment. “There is something we could do that would help her.” He slid Tessa a glance. “We could remove the memory of her brother’s suffering and—”
“No,” Seth snapped, the word an order, not a mere expression of disagreement. “You will not alter her memories, Jared. None of us will. We will not betray her trust.”
Jared grimaced. “Even suggesting it felt like a betrayal. I just…” His shoulders rose and fell with a dejected shrug. “I don’t want her to suffer.”
Closing the distance between them, Seth clapped a hand on his shoulder. “None of us do. But Tessa knows what we are capable of. If she wishes us to bury the memory, she will ask us.”
He nodded.
“And tampering with the minds of others—their thoughts, their memories, or even their dreams—is tricky… as you learned firsthand.”
Jared winced. His earliest attempts to alter minds had nearly resulted in Heather’s death. “True.”
Seth dropped his hand. “What happened when she walked toward the sunlight? Did she intend to… end it?” He hated to even verbalize it.
“No. She stopped at the edge of the shade, buried her hands in the soil, and poured every bit of energy she had into filling the field with more flowers. Once done, she collapsed.” Again, he stared down at her. “Her last thought was that now, perhaps, she would sleep.”
Seth’s heart went out to her. Losing a loved one was always hard. Knowing they suffered before dying—and witnessing that suffering firsthand—only made it harder.
“Why are you here?” Jared asked suddenly. “You usually spend your days teleporting to the other side of the globe to help Immortal Guardians in need.” It was always night somewhere.
“Zach and David are fielding my calls.” Seth motioned to the hallway. “I was scouring the mind of the vampire Nicole tranqed.”
“What did you find?”
“We may have a greater problem than we believed.”
Jared studied him. “You think Reed and this other vampire weren’t working alone?”
“Correct.”
Leah abruptly appeared beside Seth. “Hi, babe.” Rising onto her toes, she pressed a kiss to his lips.
Seth smiled and slid an arm around her waist to keep her close, warmth and affection filling him as they always did in her presence. “What are you doing here?”
She studied him intently. “I sensed something was up. You okay?”
Had she felt his turmoil from so far away?
Pride filled him. Leah’s power was growing. They often communicated telepathically while apart, much like Zach and Lisette. And shortly before he’d come to network headquarters, she had teleported to Nigeria to heal an injured immortal.
“Reed and the other vampire weren’t working alone,” he told her, keeping an arm around her.
Her brow furrowed. “Were you able to see who else is involved?”
“No. But I have my suspicions and want to look into a few things.”
Giving his waist a little squeeze, she smiled up at him. “Want me to tag along?”
He grinned “Absolutely.” After nodding to Jared, he teleported them to Texas.
Slumber slowly slipped away. Since Nicole had assumed her Becca guise, she’d been sleeping later than usual. There wasn’t much to set her alarm and get up for. Chris had worked his magic to ensure she wouldn’t have to attend Becca’s classes.
Normally, Nicole would rise earlier and take care of business for Sean, which didn’t require as many daylight hours as she’d initially thought. The most strenuous task she performed was mowing the lawn, something Sean had objected to until she’d convinced him she enjoyed it. It was a task she’d seen many kids do at their parents’ bidding in television shows and movies, and one she’d heard her high school classmates complain about. But Nicole had always been too inundated with schoolwork to perform that chore, so she viewed it as yet another bit of normalcy she’d missed out on.
Who’s mowing the lawn now? she wondered. They’d had enough warm spells that the grass still grew despite approaching winter.
Maybe Cliff was mowing the lawn and watering her plants. If so, he probably reveled in the normalcy of it as much as she did.
She sighed as discontent with her current circumstances crept in. For years, her life had revolved around working as either a network special ops soldier or Sean’s Second. But she couldn’t perform any of the duties those positions required in case someone was monitoring her.
Unaccustomed to this level of inactivity, Nicole was bored off her ass. Perhaps if her parents had given her enough free time to find a hobby or something to occupy herself with when she wasn’t studying or working…
Determined to slip back into slumber, she snuggled into the covers and hugged the hand she held to her chest.
She stiffened.
The hand she held?
Instantly alert, she belatedly registered the big warm body behind her.
Her eyes flew open. “Oh shit.” She wasn’t in Becca’s dorm room. She was in her room at Sean’s house. Which meant the big body curled up against her was… “Sean?”
A sigh ruffled her hair as the muscled arm wrapped around her tightened. “Hmm?”
What the hell had happened? Why was she home? And why was Sean snuggling up to her as if they were lovers?
Wait. They weren’t lovers, were they?
A quick glance down revealed she wore a tank top and pajama bottoms.
Oddly, Nicole alternated between feeling relieved and disappointed.
She peeked over her shoulder.
Sean slept on top of the covers in a T-shirt and sweatpants.
Nope. They were definitely not lovers. So why was he in her bed, holding her so tightly?
Her mind raced.
Something must have happened.
No. Something must’ve happened to her.
Nicole’s gaze strayed to the blinds around which bright sunlight peeked.
It was daytime. So whatever occurred must have taken place last night.
She struggled to recall the events of the previous evening and could dredge up nothing. Vaguely, she remembered heading to her favorite restaurant for dinner but had no memory of reaching it.
Had she reached it?