Claimed (13 page)
Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
“Jesus.” Talen shook his head. “You're supposed to be the smart one, Kane. How could you?” His hand covered Cara's on the table.
Kane met his gaze squarely. “Like I said, there was no alternative. Once I heard your mate was infected ...”
Cara paled even further, her skin a complete contrast to the black sweater covering her shoulders. “You did this for me? But ...”
“Damn it.” Talen's gaze went from Kane to his mate and back to his brother again. “Kane, you only found out last night. You wouldn't even know if the virus has taken hold in you yet.”
“I feel fine. We'll monitor my blood and will know for absolute certainty in twenty-four hours.” Kane reached for a pencil to tap against his papers. “But so far everyone infected has shown symptoms within hours. I'm fine.” He rubbed his square jaw. “Emma and I put our research together and discovered the Kurjans have been able to pare the virus down to two injections. But only the first one is truly necessary.”
“Yes.” Emma rolled closer to the table. “The heart-breaking films you told me about where the infected Kurjan mates went crazy from injection led to the Kurjans creating two separate injections. The first is the virus, which attacks the chromosomes, the second is a catalyst, which speeds up the process.”
Jordan stopped pacing. “Catalyst?” His eyes shifted to catlike gold, then back to brown.
“Yes.” Emma leaned forward. She'd love to see him shift into a cougar. “Look at it like radiation combined with chemotherapy to treat cancer. The two combined often get the best results.”
Kane nodded. “Similarly, while the virus itself is engineered to eventually reach the desired goal, we think this catalyst speeds up the processâso the Kurjans would acquire their werewolf slave class much faster. So far Maggie is the only person who has had two injections.”
Maggie blew out air, having arrived the night before with her test results in hand. “Yippee for me.” She watched her hand tremble on the table as if not quite sure the appendage belonged to her.
Emma reached for the applicable file, her gaze concentrated on the pale brunette. “The virus immediately attacked the twenty-seventh chromosome, which affects your shifting ability. The catalyst made the virus attack the twenty-sixth and twenty-fifth chromosomes, taking you down to twenty-fourâor to the genetic makeup of a werewolf.” The protein binding the virus to the chromosomes held like glue, and they needed to find an unraveling agent. They also needed to run another battery of tests on the wolf shifter.
“But I shifted into a wolf instead.” Maggie bit her lip.
“Exactly.” Kane nodded. “The virus is new and hopefully not as strong as we feared. So far your natural defenses are fighting the illness, and your chromosomes are struggling to repair themselves.” He cleared his throat. “You've beaten one full moon so I'm greatly encouraged you'll beat this bug.”
Emma nodded. Apparently when humans were bitten by a werewolf, the human went through changes during three full moons, remaining in full werewolf form for the rest of its short life after the third change.
Katie's gaze slid to the table's surface. “What about me? I can't shift.”
“Right.” Emma shifted her focus to the lioness. “You were just infected. You're sick right now, for a lack of a better term. Your body is fighting the virusâand we don't know the cycle. Without the catalyst in your blood, you may even beat the virus faster than Maggie is.” They hoped. The wolf shifter had been kidnapped by the Kurjans and kept at a hospital for an unknown amount of time and had no memory of the experience, or of her life before the capture, so they were just guessing at possible experimentations.
“So I'll be able to shift again?” Hope filled Katie's dazzling brown eyes.
Emma couldn't promise that. “I hope so.”
Jordan took up position behind Katie's chair and clasped both her shoulders with his broad hands. “You'll shift again, Kate. I promise.”
The young woman paled further and remained silent.
Dage frowned. “So if a feline shifter doesn't fight off the virus, will she turn into a werewolf?” He sent a sympathetic smile toward Katie.
“We think that's the goal,” Kane affirmed. “But again, we don't know if it actually
works
that way.”
works
that way.”
Talen stretched an arm across Cara's shoulder. “And mates?”
Kane sighed. “The virus initially takes away the individual mating aspects.” His gaze softened as he glanced at Cara. “So you're immortal right now but not tied to any particular vampire.” He grinned. “In fact, you could choose a different brother if you wanted.”
Cara smiled, rubbing her bare wrist where the cuff had been clasped. “I'll keep that in mind.” She pursed her lips. “But I can only mate with a vampire? I mean, I couldn't be mated with a Kurjan after this short time. Right?”
Talen stiffed next to her, a semblance of a snarl curling his lips. Emma crossed her legs under the table, fighting unease. Damn but her new brother-in-law looked deadly. Was Cara safe with him? From him? She'd need to get her sister alone for a discussion and soon.
Kane nodded. “Yes. The virus immediately removed, er, the bond with Talen.” He cast a sympathetic glance at this brother. “A long term progression of the virus is designed to turn you back into a human at twenty-three chromosomes. So you could be mated by a Kurjan.”
Talen's long fingers played in his wife's hair, and relief filled Emma. The guy may be able to kill on demand, but he adored Cara. Emma wondered for a moment if he had any idea how affectionate he was toward Cara. The big dangerous vampire was touchy-feely. Emma fought a grin.
He tilted his head in response. “So worst case scenario is that Cara ends up human again?”
Dread pooled in Emma's abdomen. She so didn't want to have this discussion. “Um, we really don't know yet.”
“Excuse me?” Talen's eyes hardened to gilded coins.
Emma focused on Cara. “The virus is designed to reduce the amount of chromosomes in your body from immortal to human, we think.”
Cara paled. “Ah. So what's to stop the virus from continuing the reduction?”
Talen frowned. “I don't understand.”
Cara bit her lip. “The Kurjans are creating an unknown virus. What if they screwed it up? Why would the little bug stop attacking at the twenty-third chromosomal pair? Why not keep reducing chromosomal pairs past human? To animal? To single cell organisms? To nothing?”
Talen slashed his gaze to Kane. “Is that possible?”
Kane stared at his brother before glancing at Cara, his gaze softening. “We don't know. None of the data from the Kurjans includes final results. They're still conducting tests. We're conducting tests now, but if nothing else we've discovered that the virus reacts differently in a test tube than it does in a human body.”
“So my mate is a guinea pig?” Talen roared, his face flushing with pure danger.
Cara flinched next to him before reaching out and patting his arm. “Knock it off.”
He turned his focus on her. “What did you say?” Deadly softness coated his words. Emma began to stand, pausing only when Cara flicked her a warning glance.
“I said to knock it off.” Cara's chin hardened in an expression Emma knew well. “We're all doing our best here and getting pissed won't solve anything.”
Talen sucked in air, a hint of a smile threatening on his full lips as his shoulders visibly relaxed. “But I like getting pissed.”
Cara grinned. “I know. But you're scaring my sister and I just can't have that.”
Talen caught Emma in his golden gaze. “Sorry.”
Emma frowned. What an odd interplay. “Okay.” She studied her sister. “Kane has designed a new software program that greatly reduces the time needed to map DNA and chromosomal differences. We should be able to keep track of the changes and know if you begin to go too far.” Maybe. Maybe not. The virus could continue deleting chromosomal pairs. Or just create single chromosomes, thus creating an aneuploidy, which would open Cara up to genetic diseases.
Talen threw an arm around Cara's shoulders. “So the solution here would be to remate my mate and her chromosomes would start increasing again?” Interest and something darker wove through the words.
Cara blushed to the roots of her hair.
Kane huffed out a laugh. “Well maybe. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about this virus. Since the bug is still in her very pregnant system, you may do more damage than good. I'd advise against it at this time.”
Maggie frowned. “Wait a minute. If my chromosomes keep deraveling, I could become human?”
Kane sucked in air. “We've been mapping your DNA for the past month, Maggie. Your twenty-seventh through twenty-fifth chromosomes have been attacked. The virus is progressing and we just don't know where it will end.”
Talen frowned. Not what the strategic leader wanted to hear. “So what do we do now?”
Emma stood. “Now we try to find a way to assist their bodies in dealing with the virus.” Maybe some of the new HIV antivirals would be of some assistance. One little bound protein was not going to ruin her sister's life.
Cara tilted her head to the side. “Are you going to contact Rachel?”
Blowing out a breath, Emma shifted her gaze to Kane. “We argued about Rachel earlier.”
“Who's Rachel?” Dage asked.
“My friend from Montana. She's the foremost expert on genetic research in the world right now,” Emma said.
“Let's go get her.” Talen stood.
“Wait.” Emma held out a hand. “She's in Europe on tour, lecturing at top hospitals on new cancer treatments. She won't leave in the middle of the tour.”
“I won't give her a choice.” Talen tugged Cara to her feet.
“Rachel will be missed.” Dage stood. “We don't want that type of attention right now.” He pinned his brother with a gaze. “How about we have Emma contact her and lay the groundwork while she and Kane continue their work?” While he phrased the suggestion as a question, the note of kingly command tinged each word.
Talen nodded. “You have one week.”
Dage fought the urge to beat the crap out of his brother. Two brothers, actually. What in the hell had Kane been thinking injecting himself? Smoothing on his diplomatic smile, he gave Emma a kiss on the cheek. “I need to fly back to Portland and meet with the prophets. Stay with Kane and I'll return later tonight.”
His mate lifted her pretty blue eyes to his. “Did something happen? I mean, you've been on the phone all afternoon.”
He paused. “I'm sorry. Have I been ignoring you, love?” Women needed attention. He knew that.
She smiled, her arched eyebrow rising. “I can entertain myself, Dage. I was concerned about the frown between your eyes.” Her tone lightened to teasing yet her gaze wandered his face, studying him.
The frown between his eyes? He made an effort to smooth it out, his heart thumping hard. He was the king. People asked him about the Realm, about war, about laws. No one asked about the man. Her concern warmed him throughout, from his toes to his earsâand he'd had no idea he'd been cold. The little scientist cared about him, the man and not the leader. He hadn't realized how much he needed someone to see the man. “Everything's fine, Emma.” Better than fine. He'd found his mate.
“Are you sure?” Now she frowned.
He wanted to laugh at the pure delight he'd just found. He should be worried; the woman held the power to destroy him. Yet only pure contentment slid through his veins. “Yes. A plan has come together quite unexpectedly and I need to meet with the prophets. Nothing to worry about.” Right. He may be preparing to tear the Realm in two. He had the strangest urge to confide in herâto ask her opinion. But the woman had enough on her plate dealing with the virus.
“Okay.” She dropped her focus to the papers before her, frowning and beginning to scribble furiously in the margin.
He ran his hand down her long length of hair, impressed by the scholarly side of her. He'd worry about her power over him later. For the moment, he wanted to bask in it. But duty called. “Talen, escort me out, would you?” No one who knew him even remotely would mistake his question as anything but a clear order.
Talen flashed a full grin in response. “It'd be my pleasure.” He settled Cara back into her chair. “Stay with your sister, mate. This shouldn't take long.”
Kane rolled his eyes. “Do you need a level head at the meeting with the prophets?”
Dage gestured for Talen to precede him out the door. “No. I need you to deal with this damn virus before it reduces our women to single cell organisms.” He stalked out of the room, following Talen down the hallway and into the summer day, neither man speaking to the guards posted at duty. Sighing, Dage squinted into the sun. “Three hundred years ago I offered you the crown, and you hit me in the face.”
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