Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

"Maybe they wanted to watch your reactions."

I went cold. "But that would mean - "

"If they're holding Rhoan for what he is," he said gently, "then they undoubtedly suspect what you are, too."

"But no one - " I broke the words off. If Jack had guessed, maybe others had too. "There's nothing on our birth certificates, and we've told no one." I fixed my gaze on him. "I can't believe Rhoan told you."

"He didn't. I guessed. Werewolves generally do not make good guardians because they cannot sense the dead. Yet he has senses as keen as my own." He paused. "And you blurred in an effort to avoid that bullet. Something else werewolves cannot do."

I slipped off the desk and began to pace. "What I don't get is the why? They're creating their own freaks. Why would they need me or Rhoan?"

He caught my hand as I passed him, stopping me in my tracks. "You are not a freak."

There was anger in his voice, in his eyes, as if the mere idea I could think such a thing offended him greatly. I found myself smiling. "Easy for you to say. You're just a common old vampire."

"And you are a miracle of existence. Never think otherwise."

My smile grew. "You know, I could really get to like you."

His sudden grin was devilish. "Does that mean I get to dance with you sometime soon?"

"It just might." Once I'd gotten Rhoan out. Once I knew for sure Quinn was playing it straight

"Good." His gaze went back to the floor plans. "I can think of two reasons why they might want you and Rhoan. First because you both appear to have integrated your dual heritage very well."

I went back to pacing. It was better than sitting still. Or sitting close to a treat I wasn't able to sample just yet. "And the second?"

He looked at me. "Your almost identical looks."

That stopped me. "What?"

"All the clones so far have been the image of the guardian known as Henri Gautier."

"Apparently so."

"Meaning they come from the one source."

"The friend you thought was dead."

He nodded. "Well, the dhampire found in my plane looked nothing like Gautier, meaning he came from a totally different source material altogether."

"Yeah, so?"

"So what if they don't know, or believe, that dhampires can be born naturally? What if they think you and Rhoan are lab creations? Successful lab creations that they didn't create?"

I stared at him as the implications sank in

If that were true, my brother and I were in deep shit That really makes as much sense as them choosing to clone the same butt-ugly image over and over again." I paused, remembering as soon as I'd opened my big mouth that the butt-ugly image had apparently originally belonged to his friend. Presuming, that is, his dead friend was the source of the clones and not another clone himself. To cover my gaffe, I quickly added, "And surely if the people who attacked me already had Rhoan, I'd feel a greater sense of danger where he was concerned."

"Not necessarily. Not if Moneisha is merely a collecting point. Maybe the people behind that lab are merely getting samples and don't know yet what they really have."

I eyed him for a moment. "So you knew Rhoan was in St. Kilda investigating the disappearances of the pros?"

He nodded. "I was with him most of the night."

"Why did you leave? It's not as if dawn would have threatened you."

He grimaced. "No, but hunger could."