Vampire in Denial by Dale Mayer Page B

this?"
     
    "Moltere?" Sian's shocked voice cut through the noise. Sian was so beautiful, everyone instinctively paid attention when she spoke. "Are you sure it's him ?" Her penetrating gaze locked onto David's face.
     
    "No one is sure of anything yet. But he's certainly the first one that comes to mind," responded David.
     
    Taz slid an arm around Sian’s shoulder then dropped a kiss on her forehead. "It's okay. It's not likely to be the same thing again," he said, lifting his head and explained the group watching, "I was kidnapped by Moltere's men a long time ago. Sian here, rescued me." He smiled tenderly at his partner.
     
    Goran stepped forward, understanding dawning in his eyes. "On the other hand, Taz, if you're right, he's been quiet for so long he could have built an army in secret. We assumed he died a long time ago."
     
    "Maybe he did. But think about this. Someone old, with a taste for blood, who has money and the power to create new vampires for his own purposes. Someone of the ancient lines, maybe with ancient beliefs." David stared the adults down.
     
    Tessa stepped forward. "Who it is at this point isn't the issue. We can't jump to conclusions or we might miss seeing the truth." Except if David was right, the fight ahead of them was huge. The more she thought about what little she knew about Moltere, she realized the points David had brought up were all true. And no one had said he was dead. Moltere was one of the originals, along with her father and Goran. There were others, but their names rarely came up. In fact, no one discussed anything from that era. Something big had gone down – so big it split their group apart.
     
    She almost missed the horrified looks passing between Sian and her mom. She barely caught Sian's whispered, "Not again."
     
    Rhia reached out to hug her.
     
    Tessa watched, wondering if they'd all get an explanation – but doubting they would. Adult vampires were great at not sharing. There had to be a mess of hidden history. She saw her father look over at Sian and Taz, one eyebrow raised. Taz reached around Sian, one large hand sliding across her belly as if to comfort. Serus gaze widened and he grinned. He smacked Taz on the shoulder. "Congratulations! I hope you'll man the house in case of any injuries and also help coordinate with Sian?"
     
    Taz nodded, his brows pulling together. "Of course, anything you need. Let's not have a repeat of what I went through."
     
    Tessa barely tracked the conversation. Confusing, it jumped from some history that her mom knew about, to the possibility that Sian was pregnant – and that was something to ponder seriously as Taz was human – then to a reference about some nasty event from the past…one they'd do a lot to avoid happening again. Why couldn't adults make things clear?
     
    Sian beamed at Serus. "That we can do. And work out a plan to approach Council."
     
    Tessa shook her head, wishing she understood the undercurrents. Still, David was right. The issue wasn't just about Jared's abduction, although his kidnapping was a problem. The crisis was bigger. Much bigger. If this rogue group were turning humans to vampire, they had to have a reason. The idea someone was creating an army for their own purposes, to be used against the common good of vampire and human alike, couldn't be ignored.
     
    That thought spurred her to action. She didn't want to be disrespectful, she loved her father, but he did need prodding occasionally.
     
    "Hey, Dad, you can stay with Sian and Taz, if you'd prefer. Afterwards, we'll let you know how it goes." She deliberately turned her back on him, hoping to hide her grin. There's no way her Dad would let her get away with that comment.
     
    He spluttered. She grinned and bowed her head. Cody nudged her gently. She glanced up at him, to see the same laughter reflected in his eyes. "Ready?"
     
    "Oh, yeah. Let's go." Tessa's shoulder was grabbed before she could take a step.
     
    "No way you're going to