“What do you mean?”
“They introduced you to your husband. They must have guessed, after the fact, how he had treated you as his insanity grew, that he had hurt you. They blame themselves for it all, not you.”
Another long pause followed as she considered it. “You’re just guessing. You can’t—”
“I hear things,” he interrupted. “I heard them.”
“While you were up on the roof?”
“Pulling gargoyle duty,” he said wryly. “You should harbor no guilt. Your brothers don’t blame you. And both are revoltingly happy now.”
She laughed. “Yes, they are.” Still smiling, she smoothed her hand over the back of his, sending tingles of warmth dancing up his arm. “I thought you didn’t like to be touched.”
He found he had to clear his throat before he could speak. “I said I’m not accustomed to being touched.” He drew a circle on her silky skin with his thumb. “Or to touching.”
She cast him a flirtatious look through her long lashes. “Is it something you think you could get used to?”
He smiled. “With you? Absolutely.”
Raising his hand to her lips, she pressed a tender kiss to his knuckles.
And Zach was lost.
“I have one more question, then I’ll let you finish your meal.”
He just hoped he would be able to answer it.
“Can you make me like Ethan?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You wish to be cocky, arrogant, self-absorbed—”
She laughed. “I’ll give you the cocky and arrogant part, but he isn’t self-absorbed. And you know that isn’t what I meant. Can you make it harder for other telepaths to read my thoughts and memories?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what makes him so difficult to read. Anything you don’t wish others to find, I would have to bury.”
“So I would forget it, too?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it was worth a shot.”
Muffled rock music again filled the kitchen.
“Excuse me for a moment.” Releasing his hand, she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and answered the call. “Oui?”
“It’s me again,” he heard Tracy say. “I just wanted to let you know that Chris has called a meeting for tomorrow night, an hour after sunset.”
“I’ll be there. Do you want me to bring you anything?”
“No, I’m good. David has everything I need here. See you tomorrow.”
Lisette tucked her phone away with a frown. “It must be about the vampires we fought tonight.”
“The meeting?”
Nodding, she picked up her fork. “That’s the second time I’ve come up against vampires like that. Not the skinny, slacker ones, but the large, ass-kicking ones. Some vampire must be following Dennis’s example and raising an army.”#p#分页标题#e#
Concern pricked Zach as he returned to his meal. “Did you notice anything different about the two tougher vamps?”
“Aside from their obvious fighting skills? No, not really.”
“Did you read their minds?”
“Briefly. They were more lucid than the other two. They looked down on the older vampires and intended to kill them as soon as they lost their usefulness.”
He drank several swallows of tea, buying time to decide how involved he could become without Seth’s discovering his part. “Did you find any blank spots?”
“Blank spots?” she repeated, expression thoughtful. “Like the blank spots brain damage can cause?”
“Brain damage,” he acknowledged, “or buried memories.”
As soon as he planted the suggestion, he could have kicked himself. If she said one word at the meeting about the vampires having blank spots caused by buried memories, Seth would come gunning for Zach and the gloves would come off.
Lisette frowned. “I don’t know that I would even recognize buried memories if I came across them.” Her expression cleared. “Vampires can’t do that, anyway. None of them are telepaths, so whatever vampire king is rising couldn’t have buried the memories of his followers.”
Zach resisted the urge to sigh. Even Lisette couldn’t stomach the thought of an Immortal Guardian working against them. He would have to monitor the situation and see what developed.
Whatever happened, he would let no harm come to Lisette. From vampires, rogue immortals, or from Seth.
The sun rose as they finished their meal.
Lisette carried their dishes to the sink, then turned to lean back against the counter. “You are going to stay, aren’t you?”
Once more his treacherous heart began to beat faster. “Do you want me to stay?” he forced himself to ask. He should go. He really should.