Provoked (30 page)

Authors: Rebecca Zanetti

BOOK: Provoked

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Putting the vase down gently because he knew it was one of her favorites, he grasped her by the upper arms and lifted her until they were eye-to-eye. “Now tell me again what’s wrong.”

Her lips pursed. “What’s wrong is that your best friend, and almost-brother, Kane Kayrs, is a complete ass who needs to pull his head out of his butt and make Amber happy.”

How the hell was that Max’s problem? “And?”

“And you need to talk to him and get him to fix this.”

“Why in the world do you think I can get him to fix this?”

Her voice softened. Her pretty chocolate eyes darkened. “You see things, Max. You notice things nobody else does, which is why you are such an excellent hunter, and the bodyguard most trusted around here.”

Charm. The woman was trying to charm him. Based on the warmth sliding through his veins, she was succeeding. “What else,
Milaya
?”

A light pink covered her freckled face, and not from him calling her “my pretty one” in Russian.

Max frowned. If he was reading her right, and he was, that was guilt in her eyes. And her big defense was a yelling offense that had quickly turned to charm, which was totally working on him. “What did you do?”

Her eyes widened and those long eyelashes fluttered. “Do? What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.”

“Sarah.” He lowered his voice to the growl he used when training the young vampires on the field.

She shivered and swallowed. Her tiny fingers began to play with the buttons on his shirt, while her gaze concentrated on his neck. “Well, I may have helped Amber, ah, sabotage Kane’s lab.”

“Sabotage?” Everybody knew not to mess with Kane’s lab. “Are you crazy?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. But Emma and Janie helped.”

“What did you do?”

Then she told him. Sure, he tried to keep a stern face, but when she got to the part about the monkey, he couldn’t hold in the laugh. He laughed until his eyes stung.

Winding down, he sat and pulled her to straddle him. “Kane is going to get you all back . . . you know that, right?”

Sarah shifted on him, rubbing her core against Max’s already aching erection. “I thought maybe you’d protect me.”

He threaded his large hand through her silky hair. His heart was at peace whenever she was near, and he thanked God daily for her. Yet a vampire had to have some fun. “Now, why would I do that?”

She grinned, slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt. “Because you love me.”

“That I do,
Milaya
. But it’s going to cost you.” His fangs dropped low.

Damn if her smile didn’t widen.

Dangerous women, all around.

Across the ocean, Connlan Kayrs rubbed a broad hand through his hair, glad the mass was finally reaching his shoulders again. He had yet to pay back Moira for singeing it all off. Sure, he’d been trying to mess with one of her spells, but the little witch hadn’t needed to booby-trap the spell.

While he liked Ireland, he was more than ready to go home.

Studying their spacious penthouse with the amazing view of the Liffey, he stretched his neck. Okay, this was home also.

He kicked back on the sofa, his gaze on the water, his boots on the sofa table.

His witch walked leisurely in from the kitchen, her hands full with a tray.

His eyebrows rose. “You made dinner?”

“Aye. Get your boots off my coffee table.” Her green eyes flashed with irritation.

“Our coffee table.” He dropped his feet to the polished wood floor.

“Our coffee table.” She slid the tray before him. “I figure we’d better eat all the steak we can before heading to Realm headquarters.” An adorable grin lifted her saucy lips.

Suddenly, he was hungry and not for steak. A quick grab had his woman on his lap.

She laughed, shoving at him. “I cooked, now you eat.”

He ran his mouth along her smooth skin. “I’m not giving up steak just because Kane mated a vegan. Period.”

“I know,” Moira breathed, tilting her head so he could continue his wanderings up to her ear. “But we might want to cut down for a while until she gets used to all of us.”

“No.” Conn nipped her ear. It was nice to see the smile on Moira’s beautiful face. He levered back to study the woman who held his heart. “Thank you for coming to headquarters with me. I know you’d like to stay here.”

She nodded. “Jase needs us, so we go. Once he’s better, we can come figure out what’s wrong with Brenna.”

Brenna Dunne was Moira’s youngest sister and a member of the council who ruled the witches. She was also an amazing artist. Lately she’d been pale and greatly overworked, so Moira had wanted to lighten her burden.

Conn tugged Moira’s hair out of the constricting braid and feathered her wild curls on her shoulders. “We’ll come back and help Brenna as soon as we can.”

“I know.” Moira reached for the plate, feeding him a piece of steak. “I do hope things have settled down at Realm headquarters by the time we arrive.”

Conn sighed. “Kane is the smartest person on the planet. I have no doubt by the time we get home that he’ll have figured out he loves the woman. I mean, he has to.” Thoughtfully, Conn grabbed another piece of steak to feed to his woman. “But if he doesn’t, I guess we’ll have to beat some sense into him.” Now that sounded like fun.

Moira punched his arm. “You’re such a brute.”

He allowed his fangs to drop. “Let me prove it to you.”

Amber finished wiping off the table, her mind spinning. Okay, letting the animals go and giving Walter an entire case of string cheese might have been a bad idea. Had she gone too far?

Sure, she wanted Kane to want her around, and hopefully he was figuring out that no matter what havoc she caused, he wanted her.

At night, he really wanted her. The sex was amazing and full of emotion.

Why couldn’t the stubborn vampire see it was love?

Suddenly, he filled the doorway to the kitchen.

A scratch marred his forehead. He wore dark jeans with a T-shirt, and his hair curled over his nape. He’d obviously just showered.

Amber tossed the dishcloth to the sink, forcing a polite smile on her face. “Hello, mate.”

“Where’s Hilde?”

Amber shrugged. “She went to teach Janie how to play bridge. What happened to your face?”

His smile seemed predatory. “Walter scratched me when I took his can of cheese away.”

She bit her lip as humor bubbled up. “Well, cheese is bad for monkeys. You did the right thing.”

“Yes. And I explained to him that there are repercussions for actions, so he doesn’t get a treat for the rest of the week.” Kane slowly rolled up his sleeves on both arms, revealing strength and muscle.

“Well, that’s just mean.” She put her hand on her hips. There was something threatening about the way Kane was staring at her. She took a step back.

He moved before she could blink.

The world tilted and she found herself over a pair of strong thighs. Five hard slaps hit her ass before she could breathe out.

He lifted her to stand between his knees.

Her eyes widened as she realized what had just happened. Her butt smarted. “You ass.”

With a shrug, he upended her again, smacking her a good five more times.

The world tilted again as she stared into an amused pair of metallic eyes. “Stop that.”

He shrugged. “Are you going to stop messing with my lab?”

Probably not. She tried to step back. “Are you going to admit you love me?”

He studied her for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Yes. I love you with everything I am and everything I’ll ever be.”

She stilled. Her eyes widened. “You do?”

He grinned. “Of course. You’re perfect. Stubborn, impossible, horribly devoted to a way of life I don’t understand. I’ll love you until the day I die.”

Her heart swelled. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do. Have I ever lied to you?” His eyes darkened.

“No. But love, I mean . . . love.”

“Yes, love.” He smiled, the curve of his lip happy.

She struggled not to fall into bliss. “What brought this on?”

“Well”—he tugged her to sit on his lap—“when I was cleaning up string cheese and rabbit poop, the realization dawned on me that I was putting up with such nonsense for only one reason. I can’t live without you.” He brushed hair off her forehead. “Truth be told, I think I fell in love the first time I saw you in that bar. But it took me a while to realize that it was love.”

She played with the wet hair at his nape. “Well, you are kind of slow.”

He nodded. “True. It’s my cross to bear.”

She squirmed to find a more comfortable position considering her smarting butt. “I believe that spanking was inappropriate.”

Both eyebrows rose. “You are the definition of inappropriate.”

“New deal. No more of that.” She tugged hard on his hair.

“No deal. I have no doubt there will be more of the same.” He stood, smiling at her surprised squeal. “However, I’m rescinding the deal that you only stay for a hundred years. I want forever from you. Let’s go seal the new deal.”

She threw back her head and laughed as he carried her into the bedroom. “I love you, Kane.”

“I know.” He tossed her on the bed to yank off his shirt. “I love you, too, my sweet demon destroyer.”

E
PILOGUE

J
anie Kayrs stared at the pretty blue bridesmaid dress hanging in her closet. Uncle Kane was getting married in less than two weeks, and preparations had been wild. He’d only been engaged for a week to Amber Freebird.

Talk about two opposites who were perfect for each other.

And better yet, Amber came with a grandmother who’d quickly become a grandmother to both Janie and Garrett.

A grandmother definitely young enough to find love again. Oscar had already made his intentions well known. Though Hilde was mated and would need the virus to take that away. Well, once they mastered the virus and figured out how to use the benefits without harm.

Janie sighed. She had a lot of work to do.

But her father had been correct. It had been so much fun to watch Kane try to get into having a big wedding. But he’d finally put his foot down when Amber wanted him to wear a light blue tuxedo.

Of course, Amber had just been messing with him. The woman did have a wicked sense of humor. When she’d suggested Walter the monkey be a groomsman, Kane’s head had almost blown off.

But she’d been dead serious about inviting her family from the commune, and she hadn’t backed down. Humans were actually going to attend the wedding. Very cool.

Closing her eyes, Janie allowed herself to drift into almost a dream state. Slowly, she forced tension from her toes, legs, hips, and all the way to her head.

A mental call almost stopped her heart.

Somebody was calling her. For the first time in years.

Zane?

Taking several cleansing breaths, she slid into the dream world, picturing a relaxing bank next to a bubbling river.

Zane emerged from a stand of cottonwoods.

The dark combat clothes matched the expression on his face.

Janie kicked a pebble across the rocky beach. “You called me. I didn’t drag you here. ”

He stopped a foot away from her. “I know.”

“So, what?”

He sighed, the green of his eyes darker than usual. The scar along his face stood out in a wicked line, a warning about the life he led.

She tilted her head to the side. “How did you get the scar?”

“A pissed-off demon cut me.” He rubbed his jawline absently.

“Those bastards.” Someday, she’d pay them all back for what they did to Jase. Of course, he’d be healed by then and would probably want to help. Apparently Zane would want to jump in as well.

“Yes.” Zane grabbed a pebble to skip along the water. “I called you because I want to tell you the truth. I’m sorry about how things have gone and hoped I could just—”

Another tall figure exited the cotton stand.

Zane growled. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Janie gulped air.

Kalin picked his way around boulders until reaching the edge of the beach. He wore his Kurjan uniform, red metals shining in the fake sun. The expression on his face was all arrogance. “Looks like I can enter the little world here uninvited.”

Damn it. Janie lifted her chin. “I’m sure that ability is temporary.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Kalin flashed sharp fangs. “But I promised you an answer to your question.”

Zane jerked his focus to her. “You’ve been meeting with Kalin?”

She kept her gaze on the Kurjan. “Once. I needed something.” She lifted an eyebrow.

Kalin barked a short laugh. “Jase Kayrs was not killed by demons.”

No kidding. “Your news is old.”

“My apologies.” He bowed at the waist, all sarcasm. “Next time I’ll . . . satisfy you quicker.”

Unease had a shiver running down her spine. The heat from Zane’s temper actually warmed the air around her. “We’re not meeting again, Kalin. I’ll figure out a way to keep you out of my dream worlds.”

He licked his pale lips. “Now that I’ve had your blood, probably not.”

Zane stiffened, his eyes flashing. “He’s had your blood?”

Kalin laughed, the sound grating. “That’s not all I’ve had.” Then he turned his head toward the woods. “I have to go—duty calls. I’ll see you both again soon.”

The air relaxed slightly as he exited the private world.

Tension still vibrated from Zane. He stepped closer. “How did the Kurjan get your blood?”

Janie faced him squarely. “That’s really not your concern. I have his blood, too. As well as yours.”

Irritation had Zane’s eyebrows drawing together. “How the hell did you get his blood?”

“I tricked him.” Janie shrugged. “Why do you care?”

Anger sparked the oxygen around them. Zane stepped forward, hauling her up against him. “The only way you could’ve gotten his blood was to bite him. How did you get close enough to bite a Kurjan?”

“I kissed him.” Janie lifted her chin.

Zane’s hold tightened. Disbelief curled his lip. “You kissed that . . . monster?”

“Yes.” Temper flashed through her so quickly her knees went weak. “You’re not the only one with plans for the ending of this war, Zane. Don’t you ever forget who I am.”

His lids half closed. “I don’t think I knew until right this second who you were.”

Butterflies zinged to life in her stomach. He was so warm and so close. The vampire was also hard—head to toe. Such muscle, so much strength in her childhood friend. “What did you want to tell me?”

His eyelids lowered to half-mast. “Apparently I don’t need to tell you anything—you’ve got it all figured out.” He grabbed her chin, his hold warm and firm. Tilting her head to the side, he planted a hard kiss on her lips. “We’re nowhere near done here, Belle.” Releasing her, he stepped back.

Her lips tingled while her entire body lit on fire. “Then why are you leaving?”

His nostrils flared. “I have plans to make. You might want to do the same.” Pivoting, he strode toward the forest.

“What the heck does that mean?” she called after him.

He turned, eyes blazing, jaw set hard. “It means, get ready. I’m coming for you, Janie Belle. Soon.”

The dream world disappeared.

Janie Kayrs sat up in bed, her hand going to her still tingling lips. “Well, it’s about time.”