Rogue Darkness by Dianne Duvall

She knew him. “Reed?”

The anger in his features morphed into confusion as he peered at her. “Tina?”

“Tessa.”

His brow cleared. “Right. I didn’t recognize you. I thought you were an Immortal Guardian.”

Cautiously, she approached him. Reed had been one of the many vampires in Gershom’s army. Tessa had seen him around the compound several times but had only hunted with him once. “I thought you were dead.”

“Why would you think that?”

“The only vampires who didn’t return from hunts were those killed by Immortal Guardians. And the last I heard, you hadn’t returned.” He had disappeared the night before Gershom had tasked her with capturing Leah, something she had thankfully failed to do.

He shook his head. “There was something I had to take care of. It took longer than I expected. And when I texted Gershom for a pickup, he didn’t come.”

Gershom had insisted that no member of his army know the location of his primary base. It’s the only way, he’d explained, to keep treacherous Immortal Guardians from plucking the information from your minds. When he had sent Tessa and the others out to hunt, he had teleported them to locations that changed nightly and then returned to teleport them back when they called for a pickup. To this day, Tessa had no idea where he’d kept them.

“I’ve tried every night since,” Reed went on, “but he isn’t answering my texts. Did the pickup number change?”

She stared at him. He thought Gershom was still in power? How could he not know? “Reed, the number didn’t change—”

“Look, I really need to talk to Gershom. Would you text him for me before—”

“Gershom’s dead,” she blurted. Well, technically, he wasn’t. But Seth had ensured that Gershom would never see the light of day again.

Reed’s eyes widened. “What?”

“The Immortal Guardians defeated him. Gershom’s gone. Has been for months.”

He staggered back a step. “That can’t be.”

“It’s true. Immortals cleared out the place we stayed in. And they destroyed a military base Gershom took control of. There’s nothing left of it. It’s another reason I thought you were dead.”

Silence fell as she gave him a minute to absorb her words.

“Are you and that guy you’re with the only ones who made it out?” He looked beyond her shoulder. “Why are you dressed like Immortal Guardians? And why did you fight us? Were you pissed because we attacked the girls or something?”

One of the vampires Gershom assigned Tessa to hunt with had once bragged about doing more than drinking from the women he bit. Sickened and horrified, Tessa had beaten the shit out of him until Reed summoned Gershom to pull her off him. When Tessa revealed what the man had done, Gershom read the vamp’s mind to confirm his foul deeds and then killed him, warning the others that they would suffer the same fate if they ever did anything so heinous.

It had been yet another reason Tessa had trusted Gershom.

“No,” she responded. “The man I was with isn’t just dressed like an Immortal Guardian. He is one.” She thought it best not to mention that she was, too. Not yet anyway. Reed looked pretty twitchy.

He took a step back. “What? Then why the hell are you with him? Did they capture you?”

“Yes, but—”

His expression darkened. “Did they hurt you?”

She held up her hands in a calm-down gesture. “No. They helped me, Reed. And they can help you, too. Gershom lied to us.”

“Bullshit.” Anger tightened his jaw. “Is that what they told you? Did they brainwash you or something?”

“No. That’s what Gershom did,” she stated, keeping her voice placid. “He was controlling us, Reed, in ways I never guessed possible until I was away from him.”

“How do you know they aren’t the ones lying to you and controlling you?”

“Because they can prove it. They have proven it. Without a doubt. And they can prove it to you, too.”

He shook his head, but a hint of indecision entered his expression.

“Gershom had telepathic and empathic abilities he used to manipulate us,” she explained, “to keep us from doubting him or questioning his orders.” Pausing, she lowered her hands as uncertainty struck.

If Reed had been out from under Gershom’s influence for months, shouldn’t he have long since begun to question the wisdom of following Gershom’s orders? Shouldn’t doubt over past actions have crept in by now?

Her gaze shifted to the limp figure draped over his shoulder. “Why did you take the woman, Reed?” Sean had told her she’d be able to tell who was worth saving and who wasn’t. Did Reed fall into the latter group?

His hold on the woman tightened. “I didn’t want the other vampires to hurt her.”

Some of her anxiety retreated. “You were protecting her?” That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

“Yeah. Those vampires were crazy. You should’ve heard the sick shit they were bragging about.”

“If they were crazy, why were you with them?”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I couldn’t reach Gershom. Or find any of the rest of you. I knew Immortal Guardians were hunting us and figured… safety in numbers, you know?”