Night Unbound(57)

“The Others would never allow so great a defection to take place again. I am their cautionary tale. They still believe I will bring about Armageddon with my meddling. Do you really think they would allow another to leave the path?”#p#分页标题#e#
“No. You’re right. It can’t be one of the Others. I just . . . don’t like the alternatives.”
Seth paced toward the soft waves that stroked the sand a few yards distant. “I must have missed another gifted one’s transformation.”
“You didn’t.”
“What other explanation can there be?” he asked. “As Étienne said, the vampires’ memories had to have been buried by a telepath.” And if Seth, David, Zach, and Étienne hadn’t done it, that only left . . .
David met his stare, face somber.
“No,” Seth said, “I refuse to believe it.”
David nodded. “The thought sickens me as well.”
“Lisette wasn’t the one who betrayed us by restoring Donald’s and Nelson’s memories. She has no reason to betray us now.”
“I agree.” A moment passed. “So why has she been avoiding us?”
“You didn’t buy the Tracy explanation either?”
“No. If Tracy’s dreams were bothering her, Lisette would have simply continued to spend the day at my place while Tracy slept at home. Not the reverse. Which would also have allowed Lisette to continue to keep an eye on Ami, as we both know she has been doing almost obsessively until recently.”
Lisette’s odd behavior disturbed Seth as well. “Why didn’t she want Richart to take her home after the battle?”
“I don’t know, but it had nothing to do with her motorcycle.”
“Perhaps she’s taken a lover?”
David frowned. “Wouldn’t Ethan be behaving oddly if she had taken a lover?”
“I would think so.” Ethan was crazy about her. “Why didn’t she want them to summon you or I or Roland to heal her?”
“I understand the Roland bit—”
“I’m really going to have to have another talk with him about that.”
“—but I don’t know why she would forgo our aid.”
“Perhaps it was as Krysta said? She simply didn’t like them offering her special treatment because she’s a woman.” Seth thought it a weak premise. She had never refused their aid in the past.
“Why do you think she didn’t mention the blank spots?”
“She must have missed them.” Seth sighed. “And I must have missed another gifted one’s transformation.”
“You didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t have believed I had missed even one before Bastien raised his army and waged war with us. Who’s to say I didn’t miss more?”
“I say it,” David insisted.
“You would be happier believing Lisette guilty of such treachery?”
“No.” More silence. “You might have missed Bastien’s transformation, but you didn’t miss his birth.”
Seth turned to him. “So?”
“We’ve kept meticulous records of every gifted one’s birth. I’ll pass the names and dates on to Chris and have him look into it. If there are any other anomalies like Bastien, he’ll find them. Then we’ll know who the culprit is and can use Chris’s connections to help us track down the unknown immortal.”
“What if he doesn’t find any anomalies?”
Only the lapping waves answered.

Chapter Nine
Lisette sat atop Davis Library, a faint smile pulling at her lips as she recalled Zach’s manner in bed earlier that day. There had been no need to “show him the ropes” sexually. He had taken the ropes firmly in hand and had enjoyed testing them since that first explosive foray in the shower several nights ago. Sometimes he was slow and tender. Sometimes he was demanding and aggressive, driving her to unbelievable heights as he took her in ways that both shocked and thrilled her. And sometimes, like today, he was playful and affectionate.
Lisette thought she liked the last the most, simply because he seemed happier in such moments. And she thought happiness foreign to him.
Around her, UNC Chapel Hill’s campus slumbered peacefully. No parties raged at the frat and sorority houses. No students blearily stumbled along the sidewalk after cramming long hours for exams or working the late shift. Even the animals all seemed to have sought their beds, no strays or pets out seeking mischief.
She had slain two vampires shortly after midnight. Both had been the usual vampire fare. Raving lunatics. So drunk with power they didn’t realize they couldn’t match hers.
It had been an easy victory. No new vampires in the mix.