horrified expression suddenly descended on his face, and his head jerked towards the two agents also running up to the house. They gave him an inquisitive look, seeming as baffled as I felt by his strange reaction.
Without a word, Zain turned back towards me, his face having reverted to one of concern for me. My man yanked the screen door open with such brutality he nearly tore it off its hinges before drawing me into a bone crushing embrace. To my shame, tears of both fear and relief burst out of my eyes, and I began to sob pathetically on his shoulder. Zain carried me inside the house. He sat on the couch, settled me on his lap, and gently cradled me in his arms. He caressed my hair without speaking a word, allowing me to expend the overwhelming emotions that had been choking me since that encounter.
By the time I regained my composure, Tate was sitting at the other end of the couch, and Thomson was extending me a glass of water, which I gratefully accepted. Feeling a little embarrassed, I wiped my face with the back of my hand and gulped down nearly half the contents of the glass.
The men gave me a thorough interrogation about everything that had just happened.
“His power is insane,” Zain said grimly. “That he was able to stand there and converse with you that long after you had banished him says a lot. But how can he have a different face? When was your last video of him recorded?”
“The last one where we actually see his face was before the last Mist,” Thomson said pensively. “Even though he has been quiet for the past few weeks, I doubt he underwent some kind of aesthetic surgery. So, we can only assume that during the last Mist, he chose to be reborn in a new body. But why?”
“It would have made sense if you wanted to hunt incognito,” Tate reflected out loud. “But then why show his face to Naima? Why reveal his identity?”
“Because he wants to send us on a wild goose chase,” Zain said in an angry tone. “And because he also wants to flaunt just how powerful he is. No one recreates a body just for the heck of it considering the energy cost involved. He's making a statement about his endless resources. He's telling me to run because I will never be able to defeat him.”
Silence settled over the room with every eye locked on my man. He had stated the last sentence in a factual, almost nonchalant, manner. I hated that I couldn't read his mind to know his mental state. Over the past few weeks, Zain had learned the art of the poker face.
“I will enjoy watching the light fade from his eyes when I drain the last of his lifeforce,” Zain finally said with such hatred in his voice that goosebumps erupted all over my skin.
I didn't know how he intended to defeat Darryl, but something had changed in my man. My money was on the fact that the Nightmare had made it personal by attacking his mate.
“What I want to know is how the fuck does he know my name and yours? How does he know where I live?” I asked, still shaken by the events.
“For your address, he might have followed you from the base,” Thomson said, frowning. “Many of the sentient Nightmares have realized the Observatory is a governmental agency. Even though your name isn’t indicated on your mailbox, he could still have gotten it off your mail. But that doesn’t explain how he knows of Zain.”
“Could he have witnessed us killing the other Nightmares that roamed the city?” Tate suggested. “After all, we would have mentioned Zain’s name. And when he stood outside your screen door, he could have felt your energy, recognized it as matching Zain’s and put two and two together.”
I nodded slowly. Technically speaking, it actually worked. But I wasn’t fully sold. Zain, staring at the floor with an unreadable expression on his face didn’t help.
“Let’s take my mate back to the base. Time is ticking. The Mist approaches. I can feel it in my bones,” Zain said in a stern voice.
The others agreed and stood as one. They patiently waited as I went around to lock the rest of the entry points of the house and activated the shutters. Zain sat in the passenger seat of my car as I drove back to the base. Thomson and Tate followed in