Page 14 of Blood Stone

Sebastian shook his head. “To you, she’sjusthuman.”

“This is all just an intellectual exercise for you,” Nial added.

Garrett swallowed. “I agreed to everything,” he said. “I’m cooperating.”

“You’re going through the motions,” Sebastian said. “A hired actor could do better.”

Garrett pulled his wrist out of Nial’s loosened grip. “A hired actor couldn’t play me,” he said shortly. “And you need me. I’ve been playing roles for five hundred years. Believe me, Kate Lindenstream won’t notice the difference. No other human ever has.”

Sebastian shook his head.

Nial leaned back against the counter. “You need to relearn what it is to be human, Calum.”

“Do I?” Garrett gave a dry laugh. “Why? I’m never going to be one again.”

“You still are one,” Nial amended. “You just have to remember that.”

“Words,” Garrett said dryly. “You always did talk a man to death, Nathanial.” He straightened his jacket. “Is there anything else?”

“I’m curious,” Sebastian said. “What do you think of Winter?”

“Winter?” Garrett recalled the woman who had married both of them, in their very unconventional ménage. He remembered stunning red hair, and eyes that were a strange replica of Sebastian’s. A statuesque woman with all the right curves and a way of looking inside people with her gaze. “I don’t see the relevance of your question,” Garrett said.

“In other words, you don’t think of her at all, because in your mind, she’s human, and beyond thought,” Sebastian concluded.

“She can hardly be human if—” Garrett began, and stopped, realizing what he had been about to say.

“If we married her?” Nial finished.

Garrett found he couldn’t look Nial in the eye.

“What does that make me, then, Garrett?” Sebastian asked softly. “I eat. I no longer need blood. I can walk under full sunlight and stare at the sun without harm...just like a human. What am I to you, Garrett?”

Garrett shook his head. “You have all had time to adjust to this. To think it through. One does not simply shrug off the habits and mindsets of a long lifetime overnight.” He pointed at Sebastian. “You have always had others around you — Nial — to point out your attitudes and prejudices. Try walking alone for a few centuries, Irishman, and then be judged for ways of thinking that were invisible to you because there has been no one to highlight your ignorance.”

Sebastian’s expression sobered.

Nial pressed a hand against Garrett’s shoulder. “You’re not alone now, Garrett. That’s all we’re trying to tell you. It’s safe to let down the shields a little. We all get to help each other now.”

Garrett realized that deep inside, he was trembling. He nodded. “Fine,” he said shortly. It was all he dared say aloud.

Nial clapped his shoulder and stepped back to lean against the counter again. “Kate slapping you down is a good sign,” he said, smoothly changing the subject. “It confirms she has the backbone we’ll need. She really is perfect for this. I’m more curious about how Roman came into her life. It’s interesting timing.”

Garrett frowned. “The only people who knew in advance about the plans for Kate are us three...and I presume your—Winter.”

Sebastian grinned but didn’t comment about Garrett’s change of name for their wife.

Nial crossed his arms. “Then Roman has to be there for his own reasons—or for Pro Libertatis reasons.”

“What possible reasons would the Pro Libertatis have for seeking her out, before we give them one?” Sebastian said.

“None,” Garrett said flatly. “Kate Lindenstream is exactly what she seems to be. A Hollywood producer/director who makes successful big budget action adventure movies, and has a growing amount of political power in the industry because of it. She has a lot of friends in high places, and probably has a number of skeletons in her closet, just like all the power players do. She can do interesting things with money. If she wasn’t so wrapped up in La-la land, I would have coaxed her over to one of my Boston corporations a year ago and put her in charge of finance.”

Nial lifted a brow. “You did your homework.”

“I’m not stupid, Nathanial,” Garrett shot back. “This woman has a tested IQ of 160. She would have spotted holes in a cover story from ten miles away. The approach had to be flawless and long term.”

“And now that you’ve met her in person, what is your reading?” Nial asked.