Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
Provoked (6 page)
“You’re a vampire.” Mason shook his head, his fear scenting the day with old grass and sulfur.
“Yes.” Kane scrubbed both hands down his face. “Vampires are just a different species from humans. We don’t take blood unless we need it in battle, we can’t turn you into one of us, and we mean you absolutely no harm.” Well, they took blood in sex, too. But Mason didn’t need to know that.
“Another species?” Amber stepped even with him, her gaze thoughtful as she peered up. The coat covered her to her toes.
“Yes. Different genetic composition.” Unease had Kane clearing his throat. One of their laws included keeping his people a secret from the humans—was he failing on this mission or what? “I’d appreciate it if you would make up a story for the rest of your group, Mason.”
The soldier frowned and shook his head. “This is unbelievable.” He gestured with the bat toward the farmhouse. “Were the two guys you killed vampires?”
“No. Demons, who are another species.” Kane was taking a huge risk in trusting the old soldier. “Bury them later today. The demon nation will leave you alone once I get Amber out of here.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Mason settled his stance.
“The demons will keep coming until they get her.” Kane glanced down at the quiet woman. “They’ll kill you all and then her.”
“Why?” she whispered. “Why do they want me?”
How in the world could she not know who she was?
“You have powers that hurt them, sweetheart.” Kane scratched his head. “Though I don’t know why you’re broadcasting your skills all of a sudden. Has anything changed in the last couple of weeks?”
Amber shrugged, then paled. “Well, Grandma Hilde has a head concussion and is in the hospital.”
The air whooshed out of Kane’s lungs. “You have a grandmother?” Holy hell.
A
mber clutched the armrest of the truck, her heart beating so hard she needed to throw up. “There’s no cell service this far out.”
mber clutched the armrest of the truck, her heart beating so hard she needed to throw up. “There’s no cell service this far out.”
Kane flipped his phone shut. “No kidding.” He drove the truck at unsafe speeds, somehow keeping all four tires on the ground as he sped over ice and around corners. He had nice hands. Tapered, strong, and capable, they handled the steering wheel of the Suburban with ease. As the SUV whipped around dangerous curves over black ice, Amber reached for her seatbelt. His nice hands wouldn’t save her from crashing through the windshield if he hit a Ponderosa pine.
He glanced her way. “How long has your grandmother been in the hospital?”
“Just a few days.” Amber settled in the seat and forced her shoulders to relax in case they crashed. “One of the horses got antsy and kicked her in the head.”
“Ah. Any other relatives? Do you have a mother or father?”
“No. I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was a baby—some weird cancer.”
“I’m sorry.” Kane turned his attention back to the road just in time to slam on the brakes, flip around a corner, and punch the accelerator. The rear of the SUV fishtailed before sailing straight. “Is your grandmother gifted, too?”
Amber dug her nails into the armrest, stiffening in her seat. “Gifted?” Psycho Bend was around the corner. “You need to slow down.” If he didn’t, no way would they make it around the hill.
“I’m fine. Years of defensive driving training.” Kane ran a hand through his hair. “Yes,
gifted
. You sensed the demons earlier, didn’t you?”
gifted
. You sensed the demons earlier, didn’t you?”
Amber sighed. “If you mean my head wanted to explode in pain, then yeah, I sensed them.” She retracted her nails from the leather and clasped her hands in her lap. Once the pain receded, her brain had been working overtime. “This is so confusing.”
Kane nodded. “I’m figuring your grandmother knows concealing spells—something probably handed down through your family. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with.”
That was too unbelievable. Amber took a deep breath. “Grandma Hilde performs both morning and evening prayers . . . more like chants.” Amber had promised she’d continue the tradition if anything ever happened to her grandmother, but she’d been so busy lately, she’d shrugged them off.
“Chants?” Kane maneuvered around Psycho Bend without a hitch. “In Gaelic?”
“No. Just a series of sounds . . . almost like humming an old song without words.” While there had to be some sort of logical explanation for everything, there was no doubt Kane had fangs. Real vampire fangs. Maybe the two guys sent to kidnap her had been demons. And if demons existed, maybe so did destroyers.
If somehow she had a gift, and it had been hidden since her grandma had taken ill, then the chants had to have been important. “I’m in the dark here, not clueless.” She said the words for herself as much as for Kane.
“Chants in song form without words. Very interesting.” He took a deep breath. “Do a chant. Now.”
“No.” The response came naturally, easily. “Do you boss everyone around, Kane?”
“Yes.” The calm inflection in his deep voice didn’t change. “When it comes to experiments, medicine, and science, I do tend to give orders. I apologize.” His smile reached his odd violet eyes. He hadn’t bothered to put the colored contacts back in. “Would you please do me the honor of performing one of your grandmother’s chants?”
Amber’s lips twitched. “Do all vampires have charm, or is it just you?”
Surprise filled those eyes as he glanced at her. “Nobody has accused me of having charm. Ever.”
What a load of baloney. “I watched a movie once where the vampires were charming and handsome because they were the ultimate predators. You know, they drew in prey and then . . . bammo.”
Kane barked out a laugh. “Bammo?”
“Yeah.” Amber shifted in her seat, heat climbing into her face. “Bammo. They sucked the poor humans dry.”
“Sunshine, I promise you, I’ve never sucked a human dry.” His voice lowered just enough to cause a fluttering in her lower belly. “Now, how about a quick chant?”
“Why?” Could she trust him? The guy had fangs, for goodness’ sake.
“Good question.”
The approval in his voice should
not
cause such warmth in her belly. “Thanks.”
not
cause such warmth in her belly. “Thanks.”
“Most immortal species can sense other species as well as enhanced humans. You’re an enhanced human, and you’re broadcasting strong enough to bring wolf shifter scouts from miles away to check you out. That’s how we found you. I want to see if your chant shields you from detection.”
“Wolf shifters? Like people who turn into wolves?” Where had reality gone to? Maybe she was in the hospital with Grandma.
“Sure. Several of my friends can turn into animals.”
Amber shook her head, searching for calm. “What kinds of animals?”
“Most kinds. Shifters have three main classifications: feline, canine, or multis, who can turn into anything except felines or canines.”
She tilted her head to study him, her mind spinning. He couldn’t be serious. “You really are saying that shifters live among us.”
“Yes. You have my word.”
Wow. Not only was that incredible, it was awesome. Her mind ran through various possible scenarios. What would a person look like who could change into a wolf? Had she ever met a shifter and not known it? “Good God. Have you ever seen a jackalope?”
He laughed. “Of course not. Jackrabbit and antelope mixture? That’s a Pacific Northwest joke. No such thing.”
“I don’t believe you.” Her mind spun with the new knowledge. “Man, I want to see a jackalope.”
“There’s no such thing in the immortal world, sweetheart.”
She wasn’t so sure. A second ago she hadn’t thought wolf shifters existed. “So, immortal? You guys can’t die?”
“All species can die. Some of us are just harder to kill. You have to behead a vampire, otherwise, we can repair ourselves. And we only need your blood in extreme cases of battle . . . or well, sometimes sex.”
Amber swallowed hard. Okay. Taking blood during sex was gross. Definitely gross. The butterflies in her stomach were from nausea, not interest. No way. She was not interested in the sexy-as-hell vampire driving like a capable stunt driver. “So you take blood. What happens if you run out of blood?”
“We basically go brain dead. So we try to never run out of blood.” He flashed a grin.
That grin was beyond sexy. Concentrate. She needed to concentrate. “You say I’m enhanced. Some sort of demon destroyer. Am I immortal?” Now that would be cool.
“No.”
“That sucks.”
“You could always mate a vampire, shifter, witch, or demon.” Kane sped through the entrance to downtown. “Then your human chromosomal pairs would increase until you were immortal.”
“I am so far down the rabbit hole.” Much better to concentrate on the possibility of different species on earth than the word
mate
.
mate
.
“The chant?” While he phrased it as a question, the tinge of a command echoed in the low tone.
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and centered her thoughts.
Peace lowered her shoulders.
Calm stilled her movements.
The tune rose easily to her lips, soft and sure, the melody without words.
Humming through all five verses, she opened her eyes as Kane pulled into the parking lot for the hospital. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she finished the last note, pitching her voice just high enough to hit it.
The air in the front seat heated. Pressure popped her inner ears.
Kane’s eyes widened. He grabbed her head and shoved her face toward her knees. “Get down.”
With a shattering crack, the windows exploded. Cold wind whipped inside. The world stopped moving for two seconds. Amber lifted her head, her heart pounding. “What the heck?”
“That’s some power you have.” Kane released her seatbelt, gently wiping snow off her cheek.
“No.” She hadn’t broken all the windows. “That’s never happened before. We don’t break glass with the chant.”
“Well”—Kane rubbed his chin—“maybe since you haven’t shielded yourself in a week, the power came out stronger. Or maybe it’s because your grandma isn’t here to help temper the power. Either way, that’s all you, sunshine.”
Amber blinked against the freezing wind, taking in the damaged window. Glass had flown far enough to hit the few snow-covered vehicles in the silent parking lot. “Butch is going to kill me.” The bartender loved his refurbished Suburban.
“Windows can be fixed.” Kane jumped from the vehicle and quickly crossed to open her door. “You’re shielding now. I can’t get a sense that you’re enhanced.” Intrigue and calculation filtered across his amazing face. “We’ll have to figure out how that works. For now, let’s get your granny before the demons find her.”
Amber jumped down, her boots spraying snow as she landed. Panic had her shoving away from Kane and all but running toward the door. She tripped in the snow. Strong arms caught her seconds from falling.
He held on until she regained her balance, his heat reaching through the back of her coat. “Slow down, Amber. I’m sure your grandmother has continued to shield herself.”
Maybe. But the woman was in a weakened condition, so maybe not. Amber nodded and stepped gingerly around clumps of snow to reach the door of the small, two-story building. Cedar lined the sides, creating an atmosphere of safety and coziness rather than a sterile hospital feeling.
She slid on the sparkling tiles toward the front desk, which was empty. Grabbing Kane’s sleeve, she tugged him to the left and down a long hallway, passing several empty rooms. “She’s at the end.”
Amber quickened her pace, her heart thrumming. Everything was going to be okay. They’d grab Grandma Hilde and head straight for the sheriff ’s office. It was time to involve the police. Even if Kane was telling the truth and wasn’t crazy, even if Amber wasn’t crazy, Grandma Hilde would need police protection from the demons. Or the cult that thought they were demons.
She shoved Hilde’s door open.
The bed lay empty.
The world stopped cold. The room tilted. A swirling began in Amber’s head. She stumbled toward the wrinkled covers on the bed, reaching out a hand. The blankets were still warm.
Kane rushed across the room to the slightly opened window.
Amber followed, crashing into his back. She stared out the fogged glass. A black truck careened out of the parking lot, a H
ANSON
Farms logo on the side. “That bastard.” Pivoting, she bunched to sprint.
ANSON
Farms logo on the side. “That bastard.” Pivoting, she bunched to sprint.
A strong hand held her in place. “Wait.”
“No.” Amber turned and shoved Kane in the gut. “We have to get to the police.” Who knew what Hanson would do to Hilde. It wasn’t like Hilde would remain quiet. She’d try to escape no matter how weak she felt.
“No police.” Kane’s grip firmed around Amber’s bicep.
“Tell me everything about Hanson and these northern rocks.”
“Let go of me.” Amber tried to break free with little success. “I’ll scream.”
“You scream, and I’ll gag you.” Calm and reasonable, Kane’s voice remained pleasant as he issued the threat. “No police.”
Ass-hat. Amber opened her mouth to shriek.
Kane’s palm instantly fit over her lips, stifling the sound. His free arm banded around her waist, lifting her almost two feet so they were eye-to-eye. Then he waited, no expression on his angled face.
Fury shook her shoulders. She kicked out, aiming for his knees. Kane turned them, smashing her between the wall and his body.
His body was harder than the cedar.
Amber struggled, mostly immobilized, the heat from Kane sending her senses reeling. Anger melded with something hotter in her blood. She tried to bite his palm.
He pressed harder so her teeth couldn’t find purchase. “I bite back, sweetheart.” His fangs dropped low with the warning.
She stopped struggling. Her eyes widened to let in more light, and heat slammed down to her abdomen. His obvious control over himself even while trying to frighten her gave her an odd sense of security along with a bizarre desire to challenge his control. What was the vampire like when he actually let loose?
When had she truly begun to think of him as a vampire? His fangs remained low, leaving her no mental way out. Vampires truly existed.
One of his dark eyebrows rose. “Have we reached an understanding?”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Good.” He removed his hand, and his fangs retracted. “Now I’m going to put you down, and we’re going to walk nicely through the hospital to the parking lot. Understand?” Waiting for her second nod, he set her down.
She bit her lip as she calculated the odds of getting away from him. But did she even want to? A vampire, one as strong as Kane, would come in handy with Hanson and his men. “Will you help save my grandma?”
Other books
Sun-Kissed Christmas (Summer) by Applegate, Katherine
ProvokeMe by Cari Quinn
Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend
Best Bondage Erotica 2 by Alison Tyler
Taken by You by Mason, Connie
Small Magics by Erik Buchanan
Thicker Than Blood by Annie Bellet
Serengeti Heat by Vivi Andrews
Plains Crazy by J.M. Hayes
Plans Change by Robin, Juli
