Seth corrected him. “Three dozen guards and one immortal. Melanie is very strong. As strong as Roland despite her youth.”
Chris swore. “I keep forgetting she’s immortal now.”
“And Bastien lingers here most nights.”
Bastien caught Seth’s gaze and tapped his temple. Can you hear me?
Yes.
Would you take the four of us somewhere private for a moment? Somewhere the vamps can’t hear us.
Seth teleported them to Chris’s home and used telekinesis to flick on the lights.
Giving their surroundings a hasty inspection, Melanie wrinkled her nose.
Bastien took in the piles of clothes, stacks of papers, discarded pizza boxes, and assorted other crap that cluttered the living room floor and furniture and frowned. “Where the hell are we?”
“My home,” Chris said, glaring at Seth, “and don’t say a word.”
Bastien wisely held his tongue. “Look, the whole purpose of recruiting vampires is to get them to help us spread the word and get other vampires to avoid the mercenaries. Or help us fight as they did tonight, if it comes to that. They can’t do that cooped up at the network.”
Seth agreed. “What do you propose?”
“I think we should see if Melanie can find a way to surgically implant tracking devices on the vampires, so we can turn them loose every night.”
Melanie regarded him with surprise.
“Richart can teleport them to my old lair each evening, so they won’t be able to disclose the location of the network. They can then roam where they will and get the word out to other vampires. When they return to my lair before dawn, Richart can then bring them back.”
Chris arched a brow. “And we’ll just go on faith that they aren’t preying upon innocents while they’re roaming where they will and getting the word out?”
“We can reduce the chances of that by keeping them supplied with blood at the network and having Lisette or Étienne read their thoughts nightly or weekly, however you want to do it. I’ll hunt while the vamps are out and about. And, when they’re not, I’ll serve as guard at the network. At least while Melanie is working.”
Chris gaped at him. “You serve as guard? Are you shitting me?”
Bastien shrugged. “It would allow me to spend more time with Melanie. Cliff and Stuart like me being around. The new vamps will likely be more comfortable with me around. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Yeah,” Chris said, “except most of the emergencies we’ve had at the network in recent years—which spawned many injuries and a hell of a lot of damage to the property—were instigated by you.”
“So?”
Chris just pointed at Bastien and looked at Seth.
Seth shrugged. “Bastien is with Melanie now. He has a vested interest in keeping things calm and safe around there. And, if he gets out of hand himself, Melanie will kick his ass.”
Melanie smiled.
Bastien grinned. “She’s strong enough to do it, too.”
Chris shook his head. “You are so fucking weird. Fine. Seth, if you want the new vampires to live at the network with the others, I’ll begin construction on the apartments as soon as you give me the go-ahead.”
“Go ahead.”
“Done. What about Bastien’s desire to let the vamps roam North Carolina freely?”
“Let’s wait on that, give the vamps some time to settle in, and see if Melanie will be able to make the tracking devices work.”
She bit her lip. “The challenge will be finding a way to keep the virus from expelling the devices the way it does bullets and other foreign objects . . . without the aid of the tranquilizer, that is. We know the tranquilizer slows down the healing process, and could probably help, but the vamps will need their wits if they’re going to be mingling with other vampires.”
“And they can’t know about them,” Chris added, “or they’ll just dig them out.”
“I’ll bury the memory of them,” Seth said.
Bastien spoke up. “If she can make it work, I’d like to take Cliff and Stuart hunting with me while the other vampires are out spreading the word.”
Chris stared at him. “Hunting? You want vampires to help you hunt and destroy other vampires?”
“Yes.”
“In violent, bloody battles, armed with weapons.”
“Yes. Both Cliff and Stuart have proven their loyalty to us.”
The two vamps had indeed proven their loyalty, but . . . “Cliff has been infected long enough to suffer the consequences,” Seth reminded him gently. He didn’t need to see the MRIs to know the damage had begun.
“I know. But he’s holding it together,” Bastien insisted. “And I think he’ll hold it together a little longer if he can get some fresh air and exercise. He’s been cooped up at the network too long without reprieve.”
Bastien loved Cliff like a brother. A quick look into his thoughts told Seth Bastien wanted the young vampire to experience a last taste of freedom before the madness claimed him. And Seth, after his own attempts to help the young vampire, held the same desire. Cliff had proven to be incredibly strong and fierce in his determination to hold off the madness. It was going to break Bastien’s heart when he finally lost the battle. Melanie’s, too.
“If Cliff broke and made a run for it, do you think you could catch him?” Seth asked.
“Yes.” And the dread in Bastien’s face and voice told them all without words that he would do what had to be done when he caught him, just as he had with Vince.
Melanie took his hand.
“Very well,” Seth decreed. “Cliff has always been loyal to you, Sebastien. You need not wait and can begin taking him hunting with you now. Stuart and the others, however, will have to wait for the tracking devices.”
“Thank you.”
The fact that Chris made no objection confirmed that even he had a soft spot for Cliff.
“Excellent. I’ll meet with the vampires now.”
“May I accompany you?” Bastien asked.
Seth grinned as Chris’s mouth fell open once more. “Melanie has been a good influence on you.”
Bastien grimaced and swore. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“What?”
“Being nice,” he said with much disgust.
Melanie smiled.
Seth laughed. “Yes.” He teleported them back to the holding room with the mercenaries. “Shall we?” He could have just popped them into the room with the vampires, but knew the network guards liked to keep track of their movements for safety’s sake.
Bastien kissed Melanie, then led Seth out into the hallway and to the holding room next door.
Melanie returned to her office while Chris headed for the elevators.
A guard standing in front of the vampires’ holding room took a security card from his pocket.
Seth shook his head and waved a hand in front of the lock. A thunk sounded. Opening the heavy door, he stepped inside, Bastien right on his heels.
A thought closed the door behind them.
Five vampires stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes wide with trepidation, heavy titanium chains weighing down their right arms and anchoring them to the walls.
Seth said nothing as he scanned their minds.
The virus had not progressed far in these. The brain damage was minimal. They must have all been turned during the past year.
“Good evening, gentlemen. I’m Seth, leader of the Immortal Guardians.”