But Nick had been open with her from their very first meeting, confessing his feelings for his beautiful next-door neighbor. So she didn’t feel the need to hold back.
She gave him another squeeze, then released him. “What about Kayla? How’s she doing?”
“She’s good.”
Her brow puckered. “Rumor has it she saw you shape-shift.”
He loosed a sigh. “Yes. She pretty much knows everything now.”
She winced. “So much for breaking it to her slowly.”
Aidan and Dana studied him curiously.
Aidan was about six feet four inches tall with broad shoulders and a lot of muscle. Dana was a foot or so shorter with a slender build that looked downright delicate next to her husband’s.
Dana glanced up at Aidan, then at Nick. “I take it Kayla is your next-door neighbor?”
“Yes.”
“And you have feelings for her?”
“Yes.”
Aidan offered him a commiserating look. “How much did she know before last night?” His voice carried a Scottish accent.
“She knew I was immortal but not why. And she didn’t know I could shape-shift.”
“Yeesh,” Dana said. “And you…”
“Assumed the form of a cat to try to slip by her and ended up passing out and shifting back to my normal form right in front of her.”
Eliana bit her lip.
“Well,” Dana said, “if it’s any consolation, I didn’t know anything about this one’s”—she jerked a thumb in Aidan’s direction—“immortality or special abilities until Roland tried to kill him outside my shop.”
Aidan scowled. “The bastard outed me before I could find a gentler way to break it to you.”
Eliana stared at Dana. “I heard about that. Didn’t you taser Roland?”
A flush crept up her cheeks. “Yes.”
“That was ballsy as hell,” Eliana said with a grin.
Aidan smiled. “Yes, it was. And it all turned out well in the end because she accepted me for who I am.”
Smiling, Dana leaned into his side and wrapped an arm around him. “Because you’re so damn irresistible.”
He laughed.
They seemed to share the same closeness Nick and Kayla did, one he dearly wanted to continue.
“Hopefully Kayla will accept me, too.” Anxiety threatened to rise once more. “So far she has. But I don’t know what the hell else might come crashing down on her doorstep.”
Aidan shrugged. “Nothing will if we have anything to say about it. That’s why Seth sent us.”
Dana nodded.
Eliana smiled. “And it’s why I’m here.”
He frowned. “You make it sound like you won’t be staying.”
“I won’t.” She tucked her hands in her pockets. “I’m being reassigned.”
“You are? Where is Seth sending you? Somewhere close?” He hoped so.
“No. But don’t worry. I have enough time to help you take care of this before I leave.”
Damn. She was a good friend. He was going to miss her.
Before he could ask again where Seth was sending her, she clapped her hands together. “So. What’s the plan? I think the men should go hunting as usual while Dana and I stay home and have a girls’ night in with Kayla.”
Aidan shrugged. “Works for me.”
Nick hesitated. Dana and Eliana could certainly keep Kayla safe, but…
He sent Eliana a squinty-eyed look full of suspicion. “You aren’t going to pump her for information about our relationship, are you?”
She assumed an exaggeratedly innocent expression. “Who me? Would I do that?”
“Hell yes.”
She grinned. “Then I guess that’s a great big maybe, baby.”
Aidan and Dana laughed.
Nick groaned.
“So.” Oliver spoke from the passenger seat.
Kayla didn’t even have to look at him to know he was staring at her. He’d been doing it off and on ever since they left for the dentist. “So?”
“There’s something I think you should know about Immortal Guardians and their Seconds.” He had identified himself as Nick’s Second, whatever that meant. “Something Nick might have omitted mentioning.”
Dread coiled in her stomach, ready to strike. “What’s that?”
“We’re enormous gossips and constantly butt into each other’s business.”
Laughing, she glanced at him. “You do, huh?”
He grinned unabashedly. “Yep.”
She slowed to a stop at a red light. “Is that why you volunteered to accompany me? So you could pump me for information?”
“Nah.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “I volunteered out of a genuine concern for your safety. And for Nick. I love him like a brother and know it would crush him if you came to harm, so I want to do whatever I can to protect you. But I’m not above using my position to score some good gossip.”
She smiled. “I’m not really a kiss-and-tell kinda girl.”
“So you have kissed.” Narrowing his eyes, he pretended to write on an imaginary notepad. “Juicy gossip item number one: Nick and Kayla kissed.”
Again she laughed. “What’s a Second?”
“It’s what we call a mortal who is assigned to live with and watch over an immortal.”
She studied him. “Like a Renfield?”
“Yeah. Most are human. A few are gifted ones. Seth insists every Immortal Guardian have one.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Quite a few reasons. Before the past century, someone only coming and going at night would’ve drawn unwanted attention and suspicion. Unless they were of a criminal or salacious nature, almost all business transactions took place during the day. But immortals have to avoid exposure to sunlight. So having a trustworthy human around to conduct business for them while the sun was up and to provide a semblance of normalcy helped a lot.”
She eased the car forward when the light turned green.
“Seconds also provide protection and backup. If an Immortal Guardian gets into a bind and doesn’t make it home before sunrise, for example, his Second usually keeps tabs on him well enough to be able track him down and get him to shelter. If the immortal is injured, the Second is also trained to render first aid and, in extreme circumstances, can provide him with the blood he needs.”
She sent him a quick look. “Do you do that? Does Nick…?”
“Take my blood? No. Biting me repeatedly would cause me to transform. And that sort of thing really isn’t necessary anymore. We have our own blood banks to which employees of the network donate, and we always keep a few bags on hand.”
Kayla didn’t realize until then that she had been so distracted by the plethora of secrets she’d learned about Nick that she hadn’t devoted much thought to how he used the fangs he could grow.
“You know they don’t drink it, right?” Oliver asked hesitantly, as though reading her mind. “The blood? Did Nick explain that part to you?”
She shook her head.
“Well, they don’t. Drink blood, that is. Their fangs siphon the blood directly into their veins. It’s basically the same as you getting a transfusion in the hospital, except immortals don’t need the needles and the tubing. Their fangs do it all.”