The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,74
to none, but… hey, she had to try.
Marcus took a step forward.
Lisa aimed the rifle at him. “I said stay back!”
Though he raised his hands in surrender, a muscle leapt in his jaw.
“Seth,” Amiriska said, her words a little strained. “A little help, please?”
The taller man raised a hand, palm out toward her.
Amiriska sighed, the strain leaving her face as though her burden had lightened. She met Lisa’s gaze. “It’s okay. Marcus is my husband.”
Lisa gaped at her. “What?”
“Marcus is my husband. And Seth there”—she nodded at the supertall one—“is like a father to me. You and Taelon are safe here.”
Like a father? Lisa shook her head. But they were vampires.
Dismay rose. Were the books and movies right? Could vampires hypnotize humans and trick them into doing their will? Had they done that to Amiriska? Had they made her believe they were her family so she would do their bidding without question?
Seth shifted, catching Lisa’s eye. “We aren’t vampires. We’re immortals. And Ami is here of her own free will. No one is forcing her to remain with us.”
Marcus snorted, though he kept a watchful eye on Lisa’s weapon. “If anyone tried to force Ami to do something she didn’t want to, she’d kick his ass.”
“Hell yes, I would,” Amiriska declared with a watery chuckle as she shifted Taelon a little bit in her arms. “What’s wrong with my brother?”
How was Ami even holding him upright? She was half his weight!
A chilling thought intruded. Had they turned Ami into a vampire?
“We aren’t vampires,” Seth repeated.
Shit. He wasn’t reading her mind, was he?
“Yes, I am.” He looked at Ami. “He was tortured.”
Ami’s face paled, then filled with fury. “What? Where? By whom?”
Seth’s lips tightened. “By the medical personnel Gershom controlled at the base. He and Lisa were both held captive there and escaped the night we blitzed the place.”
Lisa just stared at him, so confused she didn’t know what to think.
Ami looked at Marcus. “We need to get him inside.”
Marcus moved so fast he became but a blur of motion, plucking the rifle from Lisa’s grasp before she could even stiffen in surprise.
A cry of fear escaped her.
Marcus stilled and handed the weapon to Seth. “I’m sorry. I had to do that. Your hands are shaking, and I can’t risk you accidentally shooting Ami or Adira.” He took a step toward the siblings.
Instinct driving her, Lisa swiftly shifted to stand in front of them—a short, big-bellied, trembling shield that even she knew would do little to slow him down if he tried to hurt Taelon, but damn if she wouldn’t try.
Marcus’s features softened. “It’s okay. You’re both safe here. I love Ami and would give my life to protect her. I just don’t want her brother to die in her arms here on the front porch before I even have a chance to meet him. Please step aside and let us heal him.”
Movement down by his knees distracted her.
Bright orange curls preceded a plump face as a toddler pushed her way between Marcus and Seth and stopped in front of them.
Lisa stared down at the child.
The lovely little girl stared back with curious green eyes, then grinned. Reaching up, the child wrapped a tight fist around one of Lisa’s index fingers.
All of Lisa’s fear and anxiety fell away like water slipping down a drain. The pain in her stomach eased. The damn tears that threatened receded. And she felt… good. She felt safe.
“Step back, Adira,” Amiriska said softly. “Give Mommy and Daddy some room.”
Mommy and Daddy? This was Amiriska’s daughter? Taelon’s niece?
Marcus stepped out and bent as though he intended to toss Taelon over his shoulder.
“Watch his chest and abdomen,” Lisa said as Adira tugged her out of the way.
He paused. Tucking one arm beneath Taelon’s knees and wrapping the other around his back, Marcus lifted Taelon as easily as he would a child, taking care to jostle him as little as possible.
Lisa’s anxiety rose once more as she watched him carry Taelon inside, Amiriska close on his heels. She looked up at Seth. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
He sent her a kind smile. “We won’t. You’re both safe here, Lisa.”
“How did you know my name?”
“I’ve been searching for you ever since you went missing, hoping to free you.”
“I don’t even know you.”
He nodded and backed away. “The story is a long one. Come inside, please, and let us heal you both. Then we can talk.”
Unwilling to let Taelon out of her sight, Lisa stepped into the house.