Lisette looked up at Zach. Are you really as fast as the Concorde was?
He reclaimed her hand with a faint smile. Shall I show you later?
Hell yes!
“Include the Seconds of shape-shifters,” Seth agreed. “I’ll commence reading shape-shifters’ minds tonight.”
After you get some sleep, Lisette implored mentally.
Seth sent her a tired smile. I’ll sleep when I’ve identified this latest threat.
“Are you sure,” Roland asked, “that the man we’re looking for isn’t sitting at this table?” His gaze, full of suspicion, slid to Zach. “If Zach is as old as you are, he is certainly capable of teleporting and erasing a few memories.”
Lisette held her breath, not knowing how Zach would respond.
Zach’s lips curled into a smile, but his expression held no mirth.
Even Lisette found it a little scary.
“This vampire army nearly took Lisette from me,” Zach responded. “Had I raised and trained it myself, I would have done to these vampires what Bastien tried to do to you. I would have staked every one of them to the ground in an open field and let the sun roast them.”
All but Roland seemed satisfied.
“It wasn’t Zach,” Ami said, entering the conversation for the first time.
Roland gave her a gentle smile. “You’ve a kind heart, Ami, and sometimes have difficulty seeing the bad in people.” He glanced at Bastien as he said it. “Zach might not have shown you his true face when you met him.”
Judging by Marcus’s expression, he feared the same.
Roland looked to Seth.
“It wasn’t Zach,” Seth said.
Lisette couldn’t help but wonder if Seth really believed that.
Chris took a small notebook out of his pocket, along with a stubby number-two pencil, and began making notes. “I’ll add shape-shifters and their Seconds to the list. Be subtle when you contact them. Darnell, would you coordinate their efforts? I don’t want some teleporter’s Second to wonder why a dozen Seconds from North Carolina are suddenly chatting him up and mention it to his immortal.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Of course.” Darnell addressed the other Seconds. “Once you’ve received your list, examine it closely and let me know which names are familiar, which Seconds you’ve communicated with in the past. A top-five list will do for now. Then I’ll get back to you and let you know with whom you should touch base.”
Nods.
“Cliff,” Seth said.
The young vampire’s eyebrows flew up. “Yes, sir?”
“Have you had any luck recruiting the vampires with whom you’ve been rubbing elbows?”
“None so far. The ones I’ve encountered are either so far gone they would be too dangerous to recruit or recently turned and so high on using their new strength and speed to kill that they think themselves invincible. Any suggestion otherwise, any insinuation that they would be better off joining you guys, usually results in mockery, hostility, and my coming dangerously close to getting my ass kicked. I can’t seem to find any middle ground, any vampires who are beyond that first burst of power, but not yet to the he-could-snap-at-any-minute stage.”
“Have you encountered any of this new breed of vampire?” David asked.
“No, sir. Not yet. Should I . . .” Cliff looked back and forth at the elders. “If I do encounter one, should I try to infiltrate the group? Try to join them and gather whatever—”
“No,” Bastien interrupted. “It’s too dangerous.”
Cliff contemplated the immortals seated around the table. “No offense, but you don’t seem to have a lot of avenues open to you right now. No stone should go unturned, remember? If I come across one of these bad-ass vamps and feign interest in his cause—whatever the hell it is—then I could find out faster than anyone else who exactly you’re dealing with.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Bastien repeated.
Cliff shrugged. “I don’t have that much to lose.”
Melanie reached past Bastien and touched Cliff’s arm. “Please don’t say that, Cliff.”
“Look,” he continued, resolute, “the Immortal Guardians have been good to me. You all helped me hold my shit together a lot longer than I would have if I had been left to fend for myself. If I’m gonna go out—and we all know it’s gonna happen some day in the not too distant future—then being taken out while helping you conquer the bad guy wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.”
“Actually,” Zach countered, “it could be a very bad way to go.”
Seth nodded. “Whoever our new nemesis is reads and alters the minds of every recruit. He would know the instant he met you that you were there to collect information for us. I doubt he would reward you with anything less than torture.”