Night Unbound(67)

Darnell and Tracy followed, closing the door behind them.
Ethan looked at the others.
Everyone seemed as shell-shocked as he felt, and he knew a hell of a lot more about what was going on than they did. They didn’t even know who Zach was.
“You heard him,” Roland said. Turning to his wife, he began to brush the glass from her clothing, cutting up his hands—Ethan was sure—in the process. “Now isn’t the time for questions.” He speared the d’Alençon brothers with a warning glare. “Or for recriminations. Now is the time to circle our wagons. We don’t know who or what might come through that window next.”
Stanislav nodded. “We should post guards in case another of his ilk should follow.”
Not a bad idea, Ethan thought, since Zach had mentioned that the Others were searching for him, whoever the hell they were.
Roland nodded. “As the strongest present, Sarah and I will patrol the grounds. Stanislav, you and Yuri go below and keep your ears open. Ensure no one enters through the escape tunnels.”
The two nodded and zipped down to the basement.
“Étienne and Richart, I know you’re concerned about Lisette, but do not go into that infirmary unless you can keep your shit to yourself. Am I understood?”
Jaws clenching, the brothers nodded.
“Richart, take care of the vampires as David instructed first.”
Richart crossed to the vampires, hoisted them over his shoulder, and vanished.
“Jenna and Krysta, stay here and stay sharp. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything that might indicate an intruder got past us. Your husbands are distracted and may not notice a sound or a shadow that doesn’t belong.”
They nodded.
“Edward, you stay with them.”
Edward nodded.
“What about me?” Sean asked. He was the newest inductee into the Immortal Guardians’ ranks, having been turned at his request shortly after his sister Krysta had transformed.
“Arm yourself heavily, then track down Marcus and Ami. Make sure they’re safe and guide them to network headquarters. If anything has happened to them, anything, call me immediately.” He rattled off his cell phone number.
“What should I tell them?” Sean asked.
No one knew what would happen if Ami were upset. For all they knew, it could cause her to go into labor again, and Seth and David needed to be able to focus their attentions on Lisette.
And Zach.
Roland looked to the others. “Any ideas?”
Ethan thought furiously. “Some of us were sparring,” he suggested. “Bets started flying. Things got a little out of hand. And Seth and David want her to hang at the network until the mess is cleaned up.”
Sarah looked at them. “You guys do bet a lot.”
Roland nodded. “Good enough for now. I’ll call Marcus and fill him in later.”
Ethan looked to Roland. “What do you want me to do?”
No one questioned Roland’s command. The British immortal was hundreds of years older than the rest of them and had led men into battle even as a mortal.
“Clean up the broken glass, then—”
“We’ll do it,” Sheldon said, stepping forward. “The Seconds will take care of the cleanup. As soon as we’re finished, we’ll arm ourselves out the ass and help Jenna, Krysta, and Edward keep watch.”
Roland nodded. “Then, Ethan, you take the back door. No one,” he said, catching every eye, “and I mean no one gets in this house unless he or she is a regular visitor.”
Nods all around.
“Okay. Let’s do this.”

Chapter Ten
The infirmary was larger than Zach had anticipated. A wall—tiled from the floor to about waist high, then double-paned glass above with blinds in between that could be closed—divided the room in two. The room on the right sparkled, antiseptically clean, beneath lights so bright they hurt his eyes. Several surgical or exam tables occupied much of the floor space, bordered by a conglomeration of machines whose purposes eluded him.
The room on the left bore a row of neatly made beds, bracketed by comfortable-looking chairs and bedside tables. Large-screen televisions hung at intervals upon the opposite wall. Shelves beneath them bore all kinds of electronic gaming devices, along with a couple of rather tattered decks of cards and a large selection of books.
“Zach,” Seth prodded.
Ire rose at just the sound of Seth’s voice.
Zach followed Melanie, Bastien, David, and Seth into the room on the right. The mortals who had trailed after them in the hallway filed into the room on the left and stood just on the other side of the window.
Bastien led Melanie over to a counter and leaned her against it. Opening a drawer, he drew out a syringe and a small bottle of clear liquid.