Shadows Strike(32)

He sighed, knowing she worried for Ethan and the woman. This was the third time she had checked on them.

Though he wouldn’t admit it, Zach was worried, too. He just couldn’t decipher the meaning of it all. The last time Gershom had tampered with human affairs, his game plan—when viewed in retrospect—had been clear. This thing with Ethan and Heather . . .

What the hell did it mean? Was this another scheme meant to kick-start an apocalypse? Or could Gershom simply be fucking with Seth?

Had Ethan died in that vampire skirmish, it would have been a major blow to the Immortal Guardians’ leader, who had just lost two immortals the previous year. And last time, Gershom had seemed to delight in propagating confusion and pitting Seth against his immortals.

When Lisette didn’t return, Zach drew on a pair of sweatpants and went looking for her.

He found her in the open doorway to Ethan and Heather’s room. One small shoulder braced against the door frame, she stared at the slumbering couple entwined beneath the covers.

Zach leaned against the door frame opposite her. “Does it bother you?” he asked, preternaturally soft so as not to wake Ethan. His stomach tightened when he failed to glean anything from her expression.

He had tried—really tried—to get past the fact that Lisette and Ethan had been lovers for damned near a century, but he just hated the thought of any man other than himself touching her. The fact that he knew Ethan and, thus, could picture the two together only made it harder.

Lisette gave her head a slow shake. “It’ll only bother me if she hurts him.”

Zach glanced at Heather. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. They haven’t known each other long, but she already cares for him and craves his company the way I do yours.”

“I think he feels the same way about her,” she responded, her face impassive.

“Do you miss him?” Zach cursed himself as soon as the words left his lips.

Lisette titled her head back and looked up at him. Although she stood at about five foot six, she was still more than a foot shorter than Zach. “Yes.”

His stomach sank so fast and hard he was surprised it didn’t crush his feet.

“I miss laughing and talking with him,” she continued. “I miss hanging out and watching games with him, arguing over a ref’s call or whether or not a player flopped.”

“You do all of that with me now.”

“I know. And I thoroughly enjoy it. I love you, Zach. I always will. The fact that I miss some of the things I used to do with Ethan doesn’t mean I love you any less or that I don’t enjoy doing them with you. It just means . . .” She shrugged. “Ethan was my best friend for a long time. Didn’t you miss Seth after he defected?”

Zach snorted. “I was too pissed.”

Smiling, she rolled her eyes. “After you stopped being pissed, did you miss him? Did you miss hanging out with him? I know you had the Others. But you and Seth were friends.”

Zach sighed. “Yes. I missed him.”

Reaching out, Lisette drew a hand up and down his arm in a reassuring stroke. “I can guess what you’re thinking. It kills you to know Ethan and I slept together. But sex with Ethan was never the way it is with you.”

Zach sent her a self-deprecating smile. “I’m sure it wasn’t. Ethan didn’t come to you a virgin.”

She grinned. Taking a step forward, Lisette leaned into Zach’s form and slid her arms around his waist. “You sure as hell didn’t make love like a virgin. Your skill and the speed with which you can make my body burn still astounds me.”

Zach locked his arms around her. “Flatterer.”

She shook her head. “Sex with Ethan was a release, Zach. Nothing more. A sandwich to sate a hunger. A balm for the loneliness that plagued us both.” Rising onto her toes, she kissed his chin. “When you and I make love, you hold my heart in your hands.”

His own heart began to pound.

“It isn’t just our bodies that become one. I feel complete when I’m with you. Whole. Happy. And find pleasure that I didn’t even know was possible. No one else has ever made me feel that way. No one but you. I adore you, mon coeur.”

Dipping his head, Zach buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I love you, Lisette. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” she promised.

“I don’t want my jealousy to come between us.”

“It won’t.” She patted his back. “Should it ever start to grate on my nerves, I’ll just kick your ass.”

Laughing, Zach raised his head. “You’re welcome to try anytime.”

Lisette took one look at his glowing eyes, felt his body harden against hers, and laughed. “I still think you’re strange.”

“Because your kicking ass turns me on?”

“Yes.” Stepping back, she took his hand. “Now stop worrying about Ethan. For the last time, he and I were never in love.”

“I doubt he would agree with you. There was love on his part.”

She shook her head. “It was infatuation.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she held up her free hand. “If you and I spent a century together, then you lost me, would you be ready to make love with another woman a year later?”

“Hell no. I wouldn’t ever want to make love with another woman.”

“Then there’s your answer. Now come to bed and whisper to me all of the naughty thoughts that are making your eyes glow and your body strain toward mine.”

Smiling, eager to feel her bare body against his, Zach followed her back to their bedroom.





Ethan opened his eyes after the couple left.

“Hey, Zach?” he heard Lisette whisper as their footsteps faded down the hallway.

“Yeah?”

“I’m dying to know . . . How was the sex between Ethan and Heather?”

Ethan nearly groaned.

Zach huffed a laugh. “Based on what I heard? Very satisfying.”

“Good,” she said, a smile in her voice. “Now, back to those naughty thoughts of yours.”

Ethan smiled.

Hugging Heather closer, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and let sleep reclaim him.





The buzzing of a cell phone on vibrate roused Heather as the plastic gadget quivered on the bedside table.

“Holy crap, that’s annoying,” Ethan grumbled.

Heather laughed, wondering how many times it had vibrated before it had woken her.

“I have no idea where my cell phone is,” he continued, sprawled on his back, his voice rough from sleep, “so I assume that’s yours. Otherwise I would have long since hurled it against the wall.”

Curled up beside him, one leg draped across his hips and an enticing erection, Heather rose onto one elbow. “Hi there, Grumpy,” she said with a smile as she brushed her tangled hair out of her face.

He grinned up at her, all signs of crankiness evaporating. “Hi, yourself.” The man was just too good-looking. Even with his eyes heavy from sleep, his hair mussed, and stubble that was well on its way to becoming a mustache and beard, he made her body tingle.

The phone stopped buzzing.

Heather folded her hands on Ethan’s chest and rested her chin on them. “Today was . . . incredible.” They had spent hours making love, getting to know each other’s bodies, learning every curve, every millimeter of flesh that elicited moans when stroked.

“Yes, it was,” he agreed softly. “No regrets?”

“None.” She slid her body over onto his, covering him like a blanket, and eased up just enough to lower her lips to his.

The phone vibrated again, buzzing against the wooden table.

Ethan growled.

Laughing, Heather sat up and straddled his hips as she reached for her cell. “How many times has it rung?”

“Three times in the past hour,” he complained, his hands going to her hips and adjusting her position so that his hard cock teased her center.

Heather moaned. “Hold that thought.” Her eyes on Ethan’s gorgeous self, she answered the call. “Heather Lane.”

“Hi, sweetie,” her father said. “Where’ve you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour.”

“Dad!” Feeling absurdly as if he had just walked into the room and caught the two of them making love, she slid off Ethan’s body and drew the sheet up to cover her breasts. “Hi. What’s up?”

Ethan grinned, his glowing amber eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Are you working?”

“No. Not at the moment.” When Ethan reached over and tried to tug the sheet down, Heather slapped his hand.

He leaned back, laughing without making a sound, and tucked his hands behind his head, elbows splayed.

Wow, he was built. In that position, his biceps looked bigger than her head.

“Good,” her father said. “We have a situation here and could use your help.”

Damn. She so didn’t want to leave this bed. Or Ethan’s company.

Noting the frown that replaced Ethan’s smile, she wasn’t even sure she could. He must be listening to both ends of the conversation.

“How soon do you need me?” she asked.

“Now. I’ll send a car to pick you up in twenty minutes.”

Ethan shook his head.

“Now’s not a good time, Dad,” Heather stalled, trying to think of an adequate reason.