Phantom Shadows Part 6

He tossed her a flirty grin. "You didn't. But if you're of a mind to . . . have I by any chance mentioned that at university I-" etienne's file folder flew up and hit him in the face a moment before his chair was telekinetically yanked out from under him, landing him on his a.s.s.

Even Bastien had to laugh.

Grabbing the chair with a curse, etienne regained his feet and once more seated himself beside his siblings. "Are you going to do this every time we have a meeting?"

"Are you going to flirt with her every time we have a meeting?" Roland ground out.

etienne muttered something in French.

The chuckles quieted.

Seth leaned back in his chair. "All right. Now that we know a little more about the attack on Bastien last night, let us discuss how to address this latest threat while Chris pursues his leads."

Chapter 3.

Melanie listened quietly as their words flowed. She had never been privy to an Immortal Guardians' meeting before and was surprised by the teasing banter the powerful men and women shared.

She hadn't expected that. Even Seth and David smiled.

While the talk continued, Melanie wondered if meetings like this had even been necessary before Bastien had sought his revenge. Vampires may have launched occasional uprisings over the millennia, but none had been anywhere near as successful as his.

Or the subsequent uprising led by Montrose Keegan and the vampire king.

This really was a first for the immortals. The network, too. Without knowing the extent of the enemy they faced-who Emrys was, how many men he commanded in his shadow army, and what his ultimate goal may be aside from getting his hands on Ami again-she didn't know how they would combat this threat. How could they even know what kind of attack the immortals would face next? The threat seemed to constantly evolve. As did the drug the enemy used. The only drug that affected immortals.

One by one, the immortals and their Seconds bounced ideas off each other that mostly entailed heightened security protocols.

Having a swift antidote to the drug would be a tremendous help if not an outright game changer, but Melanie had yet to test the one she had concocted. Had not even told them she may have found one. How could she when she didn't know how to test it without significant risk?

"I think we should bring the vampires into the loop," Bastien announced abruptly.

All conversation ceased.

"What?" Darnell asked as though he questioned what he had heard.

Melanie certainly did.

"I think we should bring the vampires into the loop, maybe even enlist their aid," Bastien repeated.

Dead silence filled the room, so thick one could practically swim in it.

"Are you insane?" Chris demanded incredulously.

"Chris," Seth warned.

Perhaps, like Melanie, he was growing tired of the hostility the network's leader continually directed at Bastien. There must be more to it than Bastien's breaching network headquarters.

Melanie touched Bastien's arm. A zing of electricity zipped through her as it always did when she touched him. Or when he touched her.

His warm, brown eyes lowered to meet hers.

"Do you mean Cliff and Joe?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They're already in the loop."

Melanie felt Chris's accusing gaze before he spoke. "Have you been discussing cla.s.sified information with the vampires, Dr. Lipton?"

Trepidation claimed her. Chris Reordon could and would fire her if he thought she had circ.u.mvented the rules. And she feared what he might do to the vampires if he found out just how much they knew of the inner workings of the network.

Technically, it wasn't her fault-Cliff and Joe knowing so much they weren't supposed to. But she didn't think that would matter to Chris, who fiercely fought any threat to those who worked for him or to those for whom he worked.

"Answer me, Dr. Lipton. If you've been sharing information-"

"Leave her alone, Reordon," Bastien snarled. "I'm the one who has been talking to Cliff and Joe."

Chris turned to Seth and motioned furiously to Bastien. "You see? This is why I tried to prevent him from visiting the vampires at the network, why I didn't want him on the premises."

"Yes, and look how well that worked out for you," Bastien drawled.

Chris shot him a fulminating glare.

Melanie kicked Bastien under the table, then caught her breath. What the h.e.l.l was she doing?

Bastien looked down at her, face full of surprise for a few heart-stopping seconds.

Melanie waited for a caustic comment.

Instead, the corners of his lips twitched before he looked away.

She heaved a silent sigh of relief and told her heart to stop pounding. Bastien was irresistibly handsome when he almost smiled.

Seth held up a hand. "Neither Bastien nor Dr. Lipton has betrayed the network, Chris."

"Then how-"

"The vampires have hearing that is almost as sensitive as ours. They hear things while in their apartments, in the labs, and in the other areas they are allowed to frequent. Not that it matters. They never leave the building and neither possesses telepathic abilities, so who are they going to tell?"

Chris actually seemed to think about that as he turned back to Melanie. "You should have told me they could hear us."

"To be honest," she replied, "it never occurred to me that you didn't know."

He nodded. "You're right, of course. I should have known and should have taken that into consideration."

Melanie hoped he didn't plan to soundproof everything at the network now. The restrictive lives the vampires led sometimes bored the pants off them. And Joe had once confided that listening to all of the "bulls.h.i.+t goings-on" at the network was a bit like watching a soap opera.

Would Janet finally agree to go out with Charles? Would Kevin get the promotion for which he and Sam competed? When would Tara tell Jack she's pregnant?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Bastien s.h.i.+fted in his seat.

Realizing she was still holding his arm, Melanie flushed and withdrew her hand.

At David's end of the table, Ami leaned forward. "Bastien, if you weren't talking about Cliff and Joe, then what did you mean when you said we should bring the vampires into the loop? What vampires?"

"All of them."

Melanie had to admit she could understand the What the h.e.l.l? looks sent his way.

Darnell said, "You're kidding, right?"

"There was no way those soldiers could have known whether they were hunting an immortal or a vampire," Bastien said.

Tanner nodded. "No way they could have kept up with the chase from UNC to Duke at the speeds Bastien and the vamps traveled either. They had to have been waiting, hidden somewhere at Duke, hoping one or the other would happen to come along."

Bastien didn't seem pleased by the other man's input, though Tanner had made a good point. Melanie wondered why. Cliff and Joe had mentioned Tanner nearly as often as they had Bastien and seemed to think the two men were good friends.

Chris began to scribble in his notebook again. "Did you make a phone call before you left to pursue the vamps, Bastien?"

"Who the h.e.l.l would I call?"

"He didn't," Seth answered for him.

"What about you, Richart?"

"No. I took care of the vampires left behind, followed Bastien's trail long enough to discern the others were leading him toward Duke, then teleported to the campus to search for them."

Chris stopped writing.

Darnell leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Montrose Keegan told the vampire king to have his vamps stake out all of the garages with tow trucks and wait for an immortal to call for a cleanup. If Keegan told Emrys that college campuses are prime vampire hunting grounds, he may have done the same thing, just divided his soldiers amongst a few of the campuses and . . . waited."

"Or all of the campuses," Lisette added. "We don't know how many men this Emrys commands."

Bastien leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Those men could have had no idea who would've made an appearance last night: a vampire or an immortal."

Seth nodded. "The odds were greater of it being a vampire."

Melanie looked up at Bastien. "Would they even know how to tell the difference between vampires and immortals?"

Vampires were humans who had been infected with the virus. Immortals were gifted ones-men and women born with extremely advanced DNA-who had been infected. That DNA, whose source remained a mystery, not only lent immortals special gifts, it gave them all certain similarities in appearance: namely black hair and brown eyes. Only Sarah had brown hair and hazel eyes, a result of the gifted ones' DNA being diluted with human DNA over so many millennia.

"No," Bastien responded, meeting her gaze. "Keegan only knew there were genetic differences, that immortals' DNA is different." Yet again, he had said immortals' DNA rather than our DNA. "He wasn't aware of the physical characteristics immortals share. Even vampires seem to be unaware of those. h.e.l.l, I wouldn't have noticed it myself if Sarah hadn't pointed it out to me. Vampires don't survive encounters with immortals often enough to compare notes."

Melanie considered the consequences of Emrys's capturing a vampire. She had read the files on Ami, knew the gruesome details of her capture and subsequent torture. Their study of her.

They had justified the inhumane treatment in their notes by insisting they must study her in such fas.h.i.+on in order to protect themselves from a possible alien invasion. But no doctor would consider what they did to her merely studying her.

Melanie studied the vampires who lived at the network. She carefully scrutinized their blood, examined tissue samples, searched their DNA for anything dormant that could be stimulated to act as the immortals' DNA did and protect humans infected with the virus from the brain damage it caused. She routinely ran tests-CT scans, MRIs, and more-to seek the same. But all of this was done with the express permission of the vampires. And none of it harmed them.

Ami had basically been dissected while she was still alive. They had cut her, burned her, removed fingers and toes, even entire organs . . . all while she lived, while she was alert, without anesthesia and with a complete disregard for the agony they inflicted. If her body did not have astounding regenerative capabilities, she would be dead.

And Ami had approached them in peace.

Melanie doubted Emrys and his crew would show any vampires they managed to corral more regard or handle them with more care than they had Ami. Particularly since, unlike Ami, there were plenty of other vampires around to torture, making them expendable.

"Emrys could learn almost everything he needs to know about you-your strengths and weaknesses-if he got his hands on a vampire," she murmured. "I'm sure any doctors he employed would be utterly ruthless in their study."

Bastien nodded. "Because he was too afraid to work with vampires when I knew him, there was much Montrose still didn't know. But Emrys clearly doesn't have such fears. He also may have the b.a.l.l.s to go public with whatever he learns without worrying about facing the scorn or disbelief Montrose feared. That's why we need to keep the vampires out of his hands."

"By befriending them?" Roland asked dryly. "Hunting and destroying them will keep them out of Emrys's hands just as efficiently."

The other immortals all nodded.

"No, it won't," Bastien insisted. "There are too many of them. And you can't divide your attention between hunting vampires and hunting Emrys's men. Immortals are already stretched too thin because vampires continue to flock to this part of the country."

"And whose fault is that?" Marcus queried.

"Marcus," Ami stated softly, "Bastien was there for us when the vampire king took me. At least listen to what he has to say."

The eight-century-old immortal frowned down at his wife. Seconds later, his eyes began to glow faintly and a decidedly not irritated look entered them. A slow smile slid across his features. "You don't play fair," he told her.

She grinned. "I know."

Shaking his head, he motioned for Bastien to continue.

"The only way we can possibly succeed in keeping the vampires out of Emrys's clutches is by bringing them into the loop and warning them that humans armed with this drug are now hunting them. Word of mouth is what keeps luring them here in the first place. They've heard about the uprisings and want to see what's going on firsthand. Word of mouth can also warn them of the new threat and work to our advantage."

"Have you never heard the saying the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Roland drawled.

Bastien's lips tightened. "We all have. That's precisely my point. If we can convince the vampires that they have a new enemy-one the two of us share-who poses an even greater threat to them than we do, then perhaps we can work together to defeat Emrys. For whatever reason, the vampires today are more willing to band together."

"Again, I think we know whose fault that is," Roland drawled.

"Why not use that to our advantage?" Bastien persisted. Melanie silently applauded him for not rising to the bait. "Why not have them band together and work with us instead of against us? Find a way to make it worth their while?"

Roland emitted a bark of laughter. "If you think I'm going to work with vampires, you're out of your b.l.o.o.d.y mind. And I'm sure as h.e.l.l not going to let Sarah work with them."

Sarah's eyebrows flew up. "I'm sorry. Did you say you're not going to let me?"

He cleared his throat. "I meant I'm sure as h.e.l.l not going to let them work with you."

"Shouldn't that be my decision?"