Dark Stranger Immortal (The Children of the Gods #3)(49)

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes when the sense of someone creeping around the room woke him up. He jumped, alarmed and ready to pounce on the intruder. But as the cobwebs of his dreamless slumber cleared and his mind registered who had made the sounds that woke him up, Kian slumped back into his chair and blew out a relieved breath.

“You scared the crap out of me, jumping like that!” Bridget held her hand over her racing heart. “I thought you were asleep.”

The spike in adrenaline used up what little boost he’d gotten from his few minutes of sleep, and Kian felt just as exhausted as he had been before. “I was…” He sighed.

“I brought you your breakfast—courtesy of Okidu. It’s on the rolling tray behind you, but be careful when you reach for it; the coffee is hot.”

“Thank you.”

Pulling the cart to him, Kian lifted the coffee mug to his lips and took a few sips of the hot brew. “How is Syssi doing? Any improvement?”

“Much better. Her fever is almost back to normal, and her blood pressure has stabilized. Heart is doing well; brainwaves are fine… By the look of it, she is dreaming. She should be waking up any time now. Just as soon as her body is done accommodating the main changes that are taking place.”

Turning away from Syssi, Bridget looked him over, and with a hand on her hip, cast him a disapproving look. “Kian, you need to eat, drink, wash your face… No offense, but you look like shit. I have toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet. Use one!” she ordered, pointing a finger at the bathroom door and waiting till he returned from freshening up, then scowled at him until he took several bites of his sandwich.

Satisfied, she opened the door to leave just as William poked in his flushed face. “I’ve got it!” he exclaimed, and pushing past Bridget shoved a tablet at Kian.

Frowning at the guy, Kian whispered, “Slow down and keep your voice down… What is it?”

“Sorry,” William continued in a hushed, breathless tone. “I checked the security camera recordings from all of the stores I could hack… on and around Rodeo Drive… Amanda’s last known location… My boys helped… It was really hard to find all of them… and then it took a long time… to go through all that footage… But we got it… Press the play arrow on the tablet… and see for yourself… I just wish there was an audio… but at least we have the face… of her kidnapper.” William’s relatively short explanation was delivered between one pant and another. Evidently, the guy had exerted himself running all the way from his lab with his exciting news.

With Bridget and William hovering behind his shoulders, Kian braced for what he was about to see.

It began with what he immediately recognized as a Doomer entering the store, up until the hulking guy had left with Amanda. Kian replayed it two more times, starting with Amanda’s terrified expression when she had seen the Doomer, through the disturbingly sexual way she had reacted to his bite, and ending with her leaning her head on his shoulder when they had left the store. It wasn’t her fault, Kian kept reminding himself, sickened by the overtly sexual display—she had been high on the venom and had no control over her reactions.

“Interesting…” Bridget commented from behind his back before quickly turning away.

“Interesting? That’s what you have to say about it?” Already livid from what he had seen, Kian lashed out at her for what he considered to be a grossly inappropriate response.

“I apologize. I know how disturbing it must have been for you to watch this. It’s just that it was the first time I had an opportunity to observe the way it works between an immortal male and female, and couldn’t help but be fascinated by the physiology of it. I wasn’t commenting on the fact that Amanda was kidnaped, and that we fear for her safety… Of course, I’m distraught over it.”

“What the hell was so fascinating?”

“You’ve experienced women’s reaction to the venom, Kian. But I haven’t… I… just wondered how it would feel… I’m sorry…” Bridget blushed and turned away.

Her discomfort finally clued him in. The woman had been aroused by what she had seen. Rationally, he could understand her yearning for that which she couldn’t have, but emotionally he was repulsed by her response.

Afraid his disgust would show on his face, he turned to William.

“Good job, William, give Onegus a good close-up of the fucker’s face, and have him distribute the picture to each of the Guardians and the police.”

“I will. Is there anything else I can do?”

“If there is, I cannot think of it now. Go get some sleep, you look beat.” It was already late morning, and judging by the guy’s red eyes, he had spent the whole night staring at computer screens.





4 4

Y A M A N U

P ropped against the clinic’s hallway wall, Yamanu glanced up from the book he had been reading to see Michael winding between the bodies of Guardians sleeping on the carpeted floor.

The kid was heading his way.

“Yamanu, I need your help, man.” Michael’s pained voice grabbed his mentor’s immediate attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I need to see a dentist, and I’m not allowed to leave. Is there anybody you could bring in here? I wouldn’t ask, but I can’t take it anymore.