Provoked

by Rebecca Zanetti

  His frown made his fresh bruise ache. Speaking of which . . . vampires had fast reflexes. Not one of his brothers could’ve caught him before his face impacted the counter? Assholes. He glared at the king.

  Dage turned back to piloting the quiet craft.

  They rode in silence the rest of the way until the Arizona desert stretched far and wide beneath them. Kane studied a heat signature monitor in his hands—one he’d invented himself. “Four demons in building one, three in the second building, eight in the third.” Demons burned hotter than most and were easily recognizable. He sat up straighter. “Blow the buildings to hell—anybody important is underground.” He shook Amber awake. “Get ready, sweetheart—let’s test your skills.”

  She blinked twice, her pretty black eyes focusing on him, her face flushed.

  His heart thumped hard. “Stay behind me at all times.” Jesus. He really couldn’t lose her. What was going on with him?

  She nodded, her eyes widening as she sat up.

  Not by one inch did she belong in combat. He was doing a piss-poor job of protecting his mate.

  Not that she’d agreed to be his mate.

  He shook his head, trying to focus. Now he was thinking of her as his mate. Damn Kayrs marking.

  “Amber, take turns touching the arm of any soldier around you once we’re down. Everyone pay close attention to the result,” Dage ordered. “Engage missiles.”

  All three helicopters immediately fired missiles into various compounds.

  The explosions spiraled heat back at them. Huge clouds of fire rolled up, debris flying every direction. The helicopters set down with a hard thump.

  Kane shoved the door open and leapt out, turning to assist Amber. Heat blasted them from the fire. He instantly pivoted to shield her. “We stay here until the first floors are cleared.” She clutched the back of his shirt, pressing her face into the cotton. Her “okay” came out muffled, but he felt the word against his skin.

  Dage and Talen rushed through the rubble of the largest building while other vampire soldiers infiltrated the ruins of the other buildings. Talen kept to Dage’s left, protecting the king as usual. The king swept his weapon around, making a large arc, protecting his younger brother . . . as usual.

  Some things never changed.

  Kane could make out the bodies of the four demons who’d been in the building. His quick nod had two of his soldiers rushing to decapitate them while they were down.

  Talen gave Kane the high-sign. Good. They’d found the basement.

  Kane turned and tugged down Amber’s bulletproof vest. “Shield your face as much as possible so the heat doesn’t blister your skin. Stay behind me and slightly to the left—if you start to feel demons, protect your mind instantly. I want to know before you try to attack them back.”

  She nodded, her face pale, her eyes huge.

  Maybe he should leave her in the helicopter with a couple of guards.

  Her small hands shoved at his chest. “Get moving.”

  An involuntary smile lifted his lips. Bossy little mate. With a mental shrug, he turned away and jogged toward the demolished building. Not that she was his mate. Smoke attacked his eyes and nose, burning deep. He kept to the side of the fire as much as possible, acutely aware of the woman keeping pace with him.

  Her bravery made him proud. The thought made him pause. Why did her actions reflect on him? Could Talen be correct? Was he falling in love with the little vegan? An explosion outside ripped him out of his internal debate.

  They darted around rubble, ducking the still falling debris. Finally they reached Talen, who pointed to a set of cement steps leading down.

  He coughed out smoke. “Dage already went down. You two go next, and I’ll cover the rear.”

  Kane nodded, jogging down the narrow stairs. His flashlight illuminated the steps until they ended against a wall with a tunnel veering to the right.

  A warning trilled in the back of his head. He paused. Pivoting so he shielded Amber from the darkness below, he turned his head to listen. Silence met his search. “Do you sense anything?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her hand settling on his arm.

  Instantly warm, a soothing balm cascaded up to his head from where they touched. The woman had more power than he’d realized. “How many?”

  “I don’t know.” Her hold tightened.

  He blinked smoke from his eyes. “Keep your breathing shallow.” His lungs were safe from permanent damage, but Amber was still human. “If it gets too difficult to breathe, you tell me.”

  “Okay.” She gave a gentle push to his back. “Let’s go.”

  The skin pricked on the base of his neck. A low bellow wound through the haze.

  Every cell in Kane’s body froze. He knew that voice. “Jase.”

  Turning his head, he caught Talen’s wide eyes. Then he turned and ran.

  Their boots clomped against the stairs as they hurried down, and the air become heavier, more oppressive. Kane opened his senses wide, wincing as Talen’s emotions slammed him hard in the gut. Hope, despair, anger . . . so many feelings from his older brother.

  Fear and hope cascaded off Amber, as well as determination.

  Breathing in the stale air, Kane tried to center himself and seek beyond Talen and Amber.

  As he reached the bottom and turned the corner, he stopped short. Two demons flanked Dage with weapons jammed into the king’s neck. Dage’s eyes had morphed to a fierce vampire blue that emphasized the raw rage on his broad face.

  Kane shoved Amber completely behind him and drew his weapon. Talen angled so his shoulder touched Kane’s, his gun also pointed at the demons.

  Dage shrugged. “I heard Jase and started running.”

  Both demons had a myriad of silver metals on their left breasts—high-up soldiers. White hair and deep black eyes marked them as probable purebreds. If so, they weren’t using their psychic powers at the moment.

  The tunnel veered off into darkness to the right, while a rusty metal door was cut into the earth behind the demons.

  Kane opened his senses more to seek beyond Dage. Dark emotions of pain and rage shimmered from beyond the doorway. Was Jase in the cell? Kane’s knees tightened with the need to rush past the demons and open the door.

  Another deep cry echoed—sounding like Jase.

  Talen growled and stepped forward.

  One of the demons shook his head and shoved the gun harder against Dage’s jugular until he hissed. “No. We have reinforcements arriving in ten minutes. Let’s all remain where we are until then.”

  “That’s a shitty idea,” Kane muttered. “King? Now’s the time.”

  Indecision flickered in Dage’s eyes.

  “Now, Dage.” Kane met his brother’s gaze. “If Jase is in that cell, we’ll get him.”

  Energy instantly shot out from behind Kane. A hard attack, devastating images, and shards of pain spiraled toward the demons. Amber gave a soft cry as she attacked.

  Damn it. Kane settled his stance. “Stop attacking, Amber. We’ve got this.”

  “They have Dage,” she whispered, the sound full of pain.

  The demons both growled. The shorter one gasped, his eyes widening in pain.

  Interesting. Amber was actually hurting the guy. Good for her.

  The demon who’d spoken jerked his head.

  Agony instantly slammed into Kane’s brain. Amber cried out, while Talen grunted. Images of Jase being tortured, the skin peeled from his body, caused Kane to blink rapidly.

  A small hand pressed against his back. A soothing blanket filtered over the terrible images, snuffing them out. He took a deep breath. Talen exhaled next to him. Kane glanced to the side—Amber had pressed her other hand against Talen’s back.

  The woman was amazing.

  The hand at his back trembled.

  “Now, Dage,” Kane ordered.

  Tension spiraled through the air, and Dage disappeared. Talen instantly fired into one demon’s neck, and Kane took care of the other.
Both demon soldiers crashed down.

  Leaping forward, Talen yanked a knife from his boot and stabbed it into the neck of the closest demon.

  Kane pivoted. Amber’s shoulders shook, and her face had lost all color. Well, except for her blue lips. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, while spots of blood dotted under her nose.

  He wiped the blood away with his sleeve. Heat from her skin made him frown. Another fever? “Are you all right?”

  She gulped, her wide-eyed gaze on Talen as he decapitated a soldier. “Where did Dage go?”

  Kane shifted so he blocked her view. “Dage can teleport anywhere in the world—it’s one of his gifts. But teleporting weakens him for a little while.”

  “Teleports.” She arched both eyebrows. “Wow.” Then she winced as the sound of Talen cutting through cartilage and bone echoed around them. Her hand trembled as she pushed hair from her face.

  “You need to stop attacking demons—it isn’t working. Shielding is fine, but no more attacks,” Kane said.

  She nodded. “Yes. As a demon destroyer, I suck.”

  “No. We just haven’t figured out your gifts completely.” These things took time.

  Talen grunted. “All done. And as a demon destroyer, you rock. You completely shielded my mind. Thank you.”

  Relief had Kane turning and examining the door. Triple-locked, solid steel. “We need to blow the lock.”

  Talen nodded and crouched to set the charges.

  Emotions ripped right through the steel. Kane took a deep breath of the death-scented air. Had they finally found Jase?

  CHAPTER 23

  Amber snuffled back a frightened sob, her face cradled in Kane’s chest. Man, musk, and smoke filled her senses. He stood several steps below her, and she was still shorter.

  Her mind reeled. For an instant, she’d hurt that demon. With her brain. Then the other guy had retaliated and pretty much shut her down. While she wanted to be one of those tough warrior women from a romance novel, she wasn’t. She didn’t want to fight in a war.

  Talen stood on the bottom step after having planted the charges. “Fire in the hole,” he muttered.

  The explosion rocked the underground area. Shards of rock and a piece of rebar slammed down. Kane tucked Amber closer, shielding her from the debris.

  He was always putting himself between her and danger.

  The dust settled. She lifted her head and wrinkled her nose at the burning air. Even in the midst of hell, the vampire protected her in a way that made her feel safe. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you actually liked me.”

  His eyes darkened, and he brushed dirt off her shoulder. “I do like you. Probably too much.”

  Was there any such thing as “too much”? She doubted it. Her vision wavered. Darn mind attacks. She had to get that under control.

  Talen shouted, “I need help with the door.”

  Kane grabbed her hand. “Stay behind me while we get Jase.”

  She clutched his hand as they hurried back down the steps. Talen bent at the knees and pressed one shoulder to the steel door, which hung drunkenly from one corner.

  The sounds of battle continued aboveground.

  Kane studied the situation for a moment and then released her. “Get ready to shove,” he said right as he kicked the door square in the center.

  Talen shoved.

  The door shot open.

  Talen threw the metal against a side wall. His loud exhale filled the sudden silence.

  Amber peered around Kane. Two men and one woman sat on the dirty floor wearing filthy and ripped clothing. Bruises covered their exposed flesh. They were emaciated, their eyes darker than black.

  Neither Talen nor Kane moved.

  “Um, is Jase here?” Amber asked.

  “No. Jase isn’t here.” Kane reached for his gun and nodded at Talen. “Make the call.”

  Talen glanced at Amber and back at Kane. “You sure?”

  “Make it.” Kane kept his gaze on the prisoners.

  Talen grabbed his phone and texted something. “It’s done.”

  Kane stepped toward the trio. “Jase isn’t here. Who are you?”

  The nearest man shoved to his feet and then swayed. Long, matted blond hair reached his shoulders. Knife wounds dotted his torso. “Ivan Newtrovsky, vampire.” He nodded to the other prisoners and leaned against the wall. “Geo Meloni, vampire, and Sally Rhine, wolf shifter. We were having a nice drink together in Prague six months ago when the demons took us.”

  Kane kept his gun pointed at the floor. “Why were there only two demons guarding the door?”

  Geo pushed to his feet. “They brought us here yesterday. More forces are supposed to arrive today.”

  A buzz sounded from Kane’s pocket. He grabbed his phone and answered it. Listening for a few minutes, he finally nodded and hung up. “That was Dage. They’ve tracked eight helicopters and several trucks heading this way.”

  Sally allowed Geo to help her up, fear widening her eyes. A cut above her left eye bled profusely. The shifter had that shell-shocked look of most victims. “They’re coming. We have to go. Please.”

  The desperation in her tone had Amber’s stomach lurching. Fear weakened her knees until she wanted to run. “Let’s go.”

  “Not yet.” Kane eyed the ceiling, nodding toward the far corner. “I hear a slight hum. We’re being recorded.”

  Talen pointed toward the far wall. “Speaker. They must’ve played recordings of Jase earlier either to mess with us or to trap Dage. It worked, but they must not have known Dage could teleport.” Talen’s face held no expression, but his voice rumbled with rage.

  Kane shook his head. “No. Dage would’ve been a nice surprise. They wanted to trap a demon destroyer, or at least record one in action.”

  Sally tried to rush forward, but her legs gave out on her. Geo grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. She shook her head, blood spraying from the deep cut to hit the walls. “Please. We need to go.”

  Talen tucked his gun away, grabbing a picture from his pocket. “Have you seen my brother?”

  The three prisoners all looked and then shook their heads.

  Talen sighed. “I didn’t think so.” He eyed the injured trio. “We can send them to the Realm hospital up north.”

  Kane shook his head. “No. They go to the hospital in Minnesota.”

  Geo frowned. “Everyone knows about that place. The Realm hospital, wherever the secret location, is better. We’ve been tortured for six months. At least send Sally for treatment.”

  Sorrow rushed through Amber at the plea. “Kane, please . . .”

  He glanced down, his face cold. “They go to Minnesota.”

  A chill swept down Amber’s spine. He had no mercy . . . none. “Why?”

  “Because that’s what I’ve decided,” he said grimly. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her toward the steps. “Talen, get those three secured on a helicopter heading for Minnesota.”

  His hold was unbreakable, his face unreadable, and his heart untouchable.

  His arms strung to the ceiling, his bare feet scraping the floor, Jase faced his attacker, a low buzzing filling his skull. For a couple of hours he’d counted strikes, and then he’d lost count. So he had started over.

  Suri wiped blood off his hands, sighing at the red stains coating his dark uniform. He’d even gotten blood in his silver hair this time, and the red goo covered his two guards. Of course, they’d taken plenty of shots at Jase with poles.

  Suri shook his head. “Well, your brothers sure as hell fell into my trap in Arizona, now, didn’t they?”

  The demon leader had showed Jase the video of the Kayrs brothers infiltrating the demon compound. Seeing his brothers had brought a sharp ache to Jase’s chest. “Yet they got away.”

  “Yes, they did. With prisoners of mine who’ll do anything I want.”

  The demon leader thought he was an expert at brainwashing. Jase forced a chuckle. “My brothers are smarter than you.”

  “Maybe. But it
was also interesting to see the destroyer in action. Her skills are, well, subpar.” Suri wiped more blood off his chin.

  She didn’t seem nearly as talented as Jase had expected. Of course, gifts often manifested themselves in odd ways. The woman would learn to use hers. More interesting was the way Kane seemed to shield her, as if he actually had feelings for the woman. Had stoic Kane finally fallen?

  Suri stretched his neck. “Those three were relatively easy to break—I did so enjoy myself with them. Of course, you’ve been much more of a challenge. I have to admit, I figured you’d be broken by now.”

  Jase smiled and hiccupped back a laugh. “That’s a lame goal, asshole.”

  Suri flashed fangs. “Think so? I know the king rather well—if I send you back broken, he’ll never forgive himself. Never forget what going to war with me cost him.”

  The feeling had completely deserted Jase’s limbs. “Bullshit. This is a game to you—one I’m winning.” Demons couldn’t stand losing, and so far, Suri had failed. Jase blinked blood from his eyes. “Besides, if you know my brother at all, you know he’s going to rip your skin from your body the first chance he gets.”

  The whip flew out and caught Jase around the neck, cutting deep. Pain flared inside his throat. He hadn’t seen the whip.

  Suri coiled the leather at his side. “Just give in to the pain, Kayrs.” Low, seductive, the soldier’s voice wound past Jase’s ears to his brain. “Give in, and this ends.”

  Jase spit out blood. “I trained my entire life to combat you, dumbass.” He’d known Suri’s plan from the beginning. Break Jase, rebuild him, and send him back home as a demon spy. “You really don’t understand family.”

  “Family?” Suri roared, his eyes flashing yellow and then back to black. “I know family. And I know my sister met with you—offered herself to you.” Rage mottled his face an ugly red.

  “I refused.” The faces in the wall nodded in satisfaction along with Jase. Shit. He was seeing faces in the wall again.

  Images of pain and death instantly shot into his mind. He fought back, trying to draw shields into place, when the whip hit him across the face. The images buried deep. Pictures of his family, of sweet Janie, being destroyed by werewolves, being eaten by monsters he’d never imagined.