A loud beep sounded from the bank of computers nearby, spurring Gideon into a quick jog back to his monitors.
"Yes! You beautiful bucket of bolts," he shouted, dropping into a spin in his chair. "Guys, you'll want to see this. Especially you, Niko."
Lucan and the other warriors gathered around the monitor that bathed Gideon's face in a pale blue glow. Gabrielle, feeling a bit awkward standing alone in the center of the room, slowly trailed over as well.
"I just hacked into the security feeds over at the T," Gideon said. "Now, let's see if we can get some footage from the other night, maybe find out what the bastard who took out Conlan was really about."
Gabrielle watched quietly from the periphery as several computer screens filled with closed-circuit images from a handful of the city's train platforms, the feed scrolling by in fast-forward motion. Gideon rolled his chair along the line of workstations, pausing to type commands onto several of the keyboards before continuing on to the next, and then the next. Finally, his frenetic energy came to a halt.
"Okay, here we go. Green Line, coming up." He backed away from the monitor in front of him, allowing the others a clear view. "This is footage of the platform beginning three minutes before the confrontation."
Lucan and the others closed in as the feed displayed an influx of people pouring on and off the train. Peering between the massive sets of shoulders, Gabrielle caught the now familiar face of Nikolai on the monitor screen as he and his companion, a menacingly large male outfitted in dark leather, strode onto the commuter car. They had hardly gotten seated before one of the other passengers caught the attention of Nikolai's companion. The two warriors stood up, and just before the doors closed for departure, the guy they'd been watching suddenly leaped out of the car and onto the platform. Onscreen, Nikolai and the other man jumped to their feet, but Gabrielle's attention was rooted on the person they meant to follow.
"Oh, my God," she gasped. "I know that guy."
Five pairs of hard male eyes turned toward her in question.
"I mean, I don't know him personally, but I've seen him before. I know his name. It's Brent - at least, that's what he told my friend Kendra. She met him at the dance club the night I witnessed the killing. She's been seeing him every night since, pretty seriously, in fact."
"You're certain?" Lucan asked.
"Yes. That's him, I'm positive."
The warrior called Dante hissed a violent oath.
"He's a Rogue," Lucan said. "Or rather, was. A couple of nights ago, he walked onto the Green Line train wearing a belt of explosives. Niko and another of our brethren chased him down an old track. He blew himself up before they could take him out. One of our best warriors died with him."
"Oh, God. You mean that unexplained explosion I heard about on the news?" She looked at Nikolai, whose hard jaw was clamped tight. "I'm very sorry."
"If not for Conlan throwing himself on that suckhead coward, I wouldn't be standing here. That's for damn sure."
Gabrielle was truly saddened for the loss Lucan and his men had suffered, but a new dread had lodged itself in her chest when she thought of how close her friend had come to the kind of evil Brent had apparently delivered.
What if Kendra was hurt? What if he had done something to her, and she needed help?
"I have to call her." Gabrielle started digging in her purse for her cell phone. "I have to call Kendra right now and make sure she's all right."
Lucan's hand clamped down around her wrist, firmly yet beseechingly. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle. I can't let you do that."
"She's my friend, Lucan. And I'm sorry, but you can't stop me."
Gabrielle flipped open the phone, more resolved than ever to make the call. Before she could dial Kendra's number, the device flew from her fingers and appeared in Lucan's hand. He closed it, then slipped the phone into his jacket pocket.
"Gideon," he said conversationally, even while his steely gaze remained locked on Gabrielle. "Ask Savannah to come and see Gabrielle to more comfortable quarters while we finish here. Get her something to eat."
"Give it back to me," Gabrielle said, ignoring the current of surprise that ran through the other men when she challenged Lucan's attempt to control her. "I need to know that she's okay, Lucan."
He came toward her, and for a second she feared what he might do to her as he reached out to touch her face. In front of the others, he stroked her cheek tenderly, possessively. He spoke softly. "Your friend's well-being is out of your hands. If she's not yet been bled dry by this Rogue - and believe me, that's a very real possibility - then he poses no further danger to her now."
"But what if he did something to her? What if he turned her into one of those Minions?"
Lucan shook his head. "Only the most powerful of our kind can create Minions. That gutter trash who blew himself up in the tunnel was incapable. He was nothing but an expendable pawn."
Gabrielle moved out of his caress despite the comfort his touch gave her. "What if that's how he saw Kendra? What if he turned her over to someone who does have more power than him?"
Lucan's expression was grim, but unwavering. His tone was as gentle as she'd ever heard it, which only made his words harder to accept. "Then you should forget her entirely, because she is already as good as dead."
Chapter Twenty-one
I hope the tea isn't too strong. If you'd like a little milk in it, I can get you some from the kitchen."
Gabrielle smiled, truly warmed by the hospitality of Gideon's mate. "The tea is perfect, thank you."
She had been surprised to learn that there were other women in the compound, and felt she'd made an instant friend in the beautiful Savannah. As soon as she'd arrived to fetch Gabrielle on Lucan's order, Savannah had gone to great lengths to ensure that Gabrielle was comfortable and relaxed.
As relaxed as she could be, at any rate, surrounded by heavily armed vampires in a maximum-security bunker housed several hundred feet below the ground.
Not that she would have guessed that, seated as she was now, across from Savannah at a long, dark cherry table in a tastefully appointed dining room, sipping an exotic, spicy tea from a delicate bone china cup while music played softly in the background.This chamber, and the spacious residential suite adjoining it, belonged to Gideon and Savannah. From all appearances, they lived as a normal couple within the compound, in comfortable living quarters, surrounded by sumptuous furniture, countless books, and beautiful objets d'art. Everything was of the finest quality and all of it impeccably maintained, no different than one might expect to find in a pricey Back Bay brownstone. If not for the absence of windows, it would have been close to perfect. And even that lack was compensated for, with a breathtaking collection of paintings and photographs adorning nearly every wall.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Savannah gestured to a silver tray of pastries and cookies that lay between them on the table. Next to that was another gleaming platter of dainty finger sandwiches and aromatic sauces. Everything looked and smelled wonderful, but Gabrielle had pretty much lost her appetite the night before when she'd watched Lucan shred the Minion's throat with his teeth and then proceed to drink his blood.
"No, thank you," she said. "This is more than enough for me right now."
She was amazed she could hold down anything at all, but the tea was hot and soothing, and she welcomed its warmth both inside and out.
Savannah watched her drink in silence from across the table, her dark eyes friendly, her thin brows knit into a sympathetic furrow. She wore her tight black curls short against her shapely skull, but the effect was more sophisticated than gamine when paired with her striking features and pretty, feminine curves. She had the same open, easy demeanor as Gideon, something Gabrielle greatly appreciated, after having dealt with Lucan and his dominating ways the past few hours.
"Well, maybe you can resist temptation," Savannah said, reaching for one of the crumbly scones, "but I can't."
She spooned a dollop of thick cream onto the biscuit then broke off a piece and moaned happily as she popped the bite into her mouth. Gabrielle knew she was staring, but could hardly help it.
"You eat real food," she said, more a question than the statement it sounded like.
Nodding, Savannah dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "Yes. Of course. A girl has to eat."
"But I thought? If you and Gideon... Aren't you like him?"
Savannah frowned, shaking her head. "I'm human, same as you. Didn't Lucan explain anything to you?"
"Some." Gabrielle shrugged. "Enough to make my head spin, but I still have a lot of questions."
"Of course, you do. Everyone does, when we're first introduced to this new, other world." She reached out, gave Gabrielle's hand a gentle squeeze. "You can ask me anything. I'm one of the newer females myself."
The disclosure made Gabrielle sit up with piqued interest. "How long have you been here?"
Savannah glanced upward for a moment, as if counting time. "I left my old life in 1974. That's when I met Gideon, and fell madly in love."
"More than thirty years ago," Gabrielle wondered aloud, taking in the youthful features, radiant mocha skin, and bright young eyes of Gideon's woman. "You don't look even twenty years old to me."
Savannah's smile beamed. "I was eighteen when Gideon took me as his mate. He saved my life, actually. He took me away from a bad situation, and so long as we are bonded, I will remain as I am now. Do I really look so young to you?"
"Yes. You're beautiful."
Savannah giggled softly as she took another bite of her scone.
"How...?" Gabrielle asked, hoping it wasn't rude to press, but she was so curious and astonished that she couldn't help blurting out questions. "If you're human, and they can't turn us into... what they are... then, how can this be? How is it that you haven't aged?"
"I am a Breedmate," Savannah answered, as if that should explain it all. When Gabrielle frowned, confused, Savannah went on. "Gideon and I are bonded, mated. His blood keeps me young, but I'm still one hundred percent human. That never changes, even after we are bonded to one of them as his mate. We don't grow fangs, and we don't crave blood in the same way that they do in order to survive."
"But you gave up everything to be with him, like this?"
"What have I given up? I am spending my life with a man I completely adore, and who loves me just as much. We're both healthy, happy, surrounded by others like us, who are our family. Aside from the threat of the Rogues, we have no worries here. If I have sacrificed anything, it pales to what I have with Gideon."
"What about sunlight? Don't you miss it, living down here as you do?"
"None of us are forced to remain in the compound all of the time. I spend a lot of time in the gardens of the estate during the day, when I want to. The grounds are very well-secured, and so is the mansion, which is huge. I must have spent three weeks exploring it when I first came here."
From the brief glimpse Gabrielle had gotten of the place, she could imagine it would take some time to get familiar with everything.
"As for going into town during the day, we do that sometimes, too - not very often, though. Anything we need can be ordered over the internet and delivered to us." She smiled, giving a little shrug of her shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, I love salon time and shopping as much as the next girl, but it's always something of a risk to venture outside the compound without the protection of our mates. And they worry when we are somewhere they cannot provide for us. I suppose females living in the Darkhaven sanctuaries have a bit more daytime freedom than those of us who are bonded to members of the warrior class. Not that you will hear any of us complaining."
"Are there more Breedmates living here?"
"There are two others, besides me. Eva is bonded to Rio. You'll like the both of them - they're the life of any party. And Danika is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She was Breedmate to Conlan. He was killed recently, in a confrontation with a Rogue."
Gabrielle nodded soberly. "Yes, I heard about that just before you came to bring me here. I'm sorry."
"It's different without him, quieter. I'm not sure how Danika's going to cope, to be honest with you. They were together for many, many years. Conlan was a good warrior, but an even better mate. He was also one of the oldest members in this compound."
"How old do they get?"
"Oh, I don't know. Very old, by our standards, anyway. Conlan was born to the daughter of Scottish chieftain around the time of Columbus. His father was a Breed vampire of that current generation, five-hundred years ago."
"You're saying Conlan was five-hundred years old?"
Savannah lifted a slender shoulder. "Give or take, yes. There are some much younger, like Rio and Nikolai, who were both born in the 1900s, but none of them are as long-lived as Lucan. He's first generation, born to one of the original Ancients and the first line of Breedmates to carry their alien seed to full term. From what I understand, those first Breed offspring occurred long after the Ancients arrived here, by many centuries, according to the history. The Gen Ones were conceived unpleasantly and entirely by chance, when the vampires' wholesale rapes happened to include human females whose unique blood properties and DNA were strong enough to sustain a hybrid pregnancy."
Gabrielle got an instant, sickening picture of the brutality that must have taken place at that time. "They sound like animals, the Ancients."