Night Unbound(121)

It was damned close to the worst-case scenario.
“Who are they?” Sheldon asked.
“Shadow River.”
The name meant nothing to Lisette.
Judging by the expressions of the other immortals, it meant little to them as well.
The mortals in their midst, however, looked worried.
“I’ve heard of them,” Tracy said. “They don’t call themselves mercenaries. They call themselves a global security company. And their reach really does extend overseas.”
Chris nodded. “From what we’ve been able to ascertain thus far, they’re often hired to protect foreign dignitaries and important figures both here and overseas, to train foreign soldiers or police forces in war-torn areas, to protect American contractors. That sort of thing. But you haven’t seen the worst of it yet.” He removed another poster and tacked it up. “I had one of my contacts do a thermal-imaging scan of the compound this afternoon.” He stepped back. “The red figures on the training fields and scattered about the compound are human. The yellowish-green ones here in this housing building are vampire.”
Lisette traced her gaze over dozens of green figures who clearly slumbered in beds. Rows and rows and rows of them.
Those vampires weren’t prisoners.
Chris turned to Seth. “Do you still have that phone I gave you?”
Seth nodded.
“If any of my contacts call you, we’ll know just how far this company’s reach extends. If Shadow River is in bed with the military or has close ties with the government, my contacts’ actions won’t go unnoticed.”
A heavy silence ensued, as though all waited with bated breath to see if Seth’s phone would ring.
“The vampires on the compound . . .” Cliff said. “Do you think the mercenaries recruited them or turned them?”
Lisette answered. “Based on the skill with which these new vampires fight, I’d say they’re turning their own men. Any vampires they didn’t turn themselves were likely captured for study and so the mercenaries could acquire the virus.”
Chris nodded and took the seat across from Zach. “Shadow River has done what Donald and Nelson didn’t have the chance to do. They’ve implemented the virus and begun to build an army of supersoldiers. Whether they intend to hire them out to the highest bidder globally and rack up billions or land a big-ass government contract is anyone’s guess.”
Aidan shook his head. “You’re sure an immortal is helping them?”
David nodded. “They couldn’t have acquired the sedative—the only drug that affects us aside from the antidote Melanie developed—without an immortal’s assistance. Nor could they have known that the previous dose of the sedative wasn’t strong enough to incapacitate an immortal to such an extent that the antidote couldn’t counter it.”
“It’s inconceivable,” Étienne muttered.
Ethan cleared his throat and cast Zach a nervous glance. “Could it be one of the Others?”
Lisette held her breath.
Did anyone else present even know about the Others?
“No,” Seth and Zach answered in unison.
Bastien frowned. “Who the hell are the Others? Other what?”
Seth shared a look with Zach and sighed. “Zach is not the only elder immortal out there who is not one of us. Or who wasn’t.”
“Wait,” Marcus said, voice low so he wouldn’t disturb the babe. “There are other immortals as ancient as you two?”
“Yes,” Seth said.
“Why is this the first time we’re hearing of them?”
“Because, as I said, they aren’t Immortal Guardians. They don’t spend their nights hunting and slaying vampires. They chose a different path thousands of years before your birth and live in total isolation.”
Zach nodded. “They have no contact with mankind. Fight no battles. Choose no sides. And they believe Seth has been treading the wrong path all these years.”
“So . . .” Ethan frowned. “You’re saying they just sit on their asses and do nothing?”
“Yes,” Zach confirmed. “They merely observe.”
David leaned forward, drawing everyone’s gaze. “Have you ever seen one of the many time-travel movies in which those who travel back in time are warned to alter nothing? They’re told that even so tiny an action as killing a butterfly or stepping on a bug in the past could have a ripple effect that could change the present in disastrous ways.”
Nods all around.
“That is how the Others view immortal interaction with humans. They think it dangerous on any level and, in those early decades, tried numerous times to kill Seth for daring to stray from the path. Fortunately for us, he prevailed and grew so powerful they couldn’t touch him. Zach, on the other hand, is risking his life to join us and be with Lisette.”