Provoked

  Dage took a deep breath. “Talen, call the pilots and tell them to stand by—and get ready to activate Hilde’s tracker. You and Conn figure out an attack plan once we find a location. Max, you’re in lockdown here at headquarters. . . keep everyone safe.”

  Talen and Max both nodded, hurrying from the room.

  Conn eyed Dage and Kane. “I’ll see you both soon.” His screen went dark.

  Dage continued looking at the dark screen, his broad back to Kane. “Do you think Jase is dead?”

  Pain settled so hard in Kane’s gut that he groaned. “No,” he whispered. Giving the king false hope wouldn’t help, but he couldn’t take away all hope.

  Dage whirled around, his eyes a stark blue. “Fucking tell me the truth—don’t handle me.”

  The vampire in Kane wanted to strike right back, but the brother just felt sorrow. “It’s possible for a vampire to die by bleeding out completely . . . but it’s more likely he’d just go brain dead. Keep in mind how long it’d really take to bleed out. My concern is that he tried to start the process.” Kane’s voice broke on the end.

  Dage lifted his chin. “We proceed as if he’s alive and needs to be rescued.” His movements jerky, he yanked his hair into a band to secure at the nape of his neck. “When we get to Ireland, we’ll engage Hilde’s tracking device. Chances are, she’s at headquarters.”

  Kane stayed silent, his gaze on his oldest brother.

  Dage ground a fist into his eye. “Will Amber be coming?”

  “Yes. We need her,” Kane said softly.

  “Kane, I know this isn’t the time, but if we attack the demons, some of us might not make it back.”

  “I know.” Kane would cover Dage’s back if it was the last thing he ever did.

  “My point is, if you love the woman, at least tell her before we go.” Wisdom lurked in the king’s eyes. “You’ll be surprised how much stronger the admission makes you.”

  Kane nodded. “Okay.”

  “Don’t appease me.” Dage shook his head and stalked toward the door. “Just once you might consider that other people know more than you do about something.”

  “I do.” But he’d been so up front with Amber about his feelings, or rather, lack of feelings. Sure, he wanted her. And, man, he liked her. Could it be something deeper?

  His gut told him it was something a lot deeper.

  “Is she still mad about her granny?” Dage pressed a button to open the door.

  “Wouldn’t you be?” Kane turned to follow his brother into the hallway.

  “Hell, yes,” Dage said. “Whenever Emma gets really irritated at me, I throw her in the pool. Then we make out. Always works.”

  Something told Kane that throwing Amber in the pool was a bad idea. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He needed something far more drastic than a good dunking to appease Amber’s anger. “Though I think that our saving her grandmother is the only thing that’ll make Amber not mad at me anymore.”

  “That’s probably true.” Dage paused and put his hand on Kane’s shoulder. “I need to go see Emma before we take off for Scotland.” The king sighed. “She’s not going to like it.” He hurried off for the elevator.

  “Well, the pool is probably free,” Kane called after him. Then he fell against the wall. Raw claws of poisoned pain ripped through his entire body. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he allowed them to fall without a care.

  Was Jase really done fighting? All logic and Kane’s own eyes said Jase wanted to be finished.

  His younger brother was chasing death. Hopefully he hadn’t caught it.

  CHAPTER 27

  The king’s words echoed in Amber’s head for the rest of the afternoon. Could Kane be in love with her? If so, he’d never admit it to her, much less to himself. More importantly, how did she feel? Feelings were supposed to be clear and absolute, not convoluted and confusing. Unlike Kane, she did believe in fate. That marking had appeared on his palm the first time they’d touched. That had to mean something.

  While she was angry with him about her grandmother, she also knew her grandmother. Hilde offered to go, heck, she probably wanted to go.

  If Amber had the right to fight, didn’t Hilde?

  With a sigh, Amber paused outside Kane’s underground quarters.

  The last time they’d slept together, something in her had shifted. Something deep—she’d given a part of herself away. Regardless, she steeled her spine and twisted the doorknob. If Hilde had a right to fight, so did Amber. And she needed all the power she could get.

  This was going to happen.

  Shoving open the door, she paused as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. His back to her, Kane stood near the mantel, staring at gas flames in the fireplace. His broad shoulders sent shadows to dance on the sofa. Music wound from hidden speakers, but not the smooth jazz or classical tones she would’ve expected. Instead, a fierce metal tone beat through the room, dark and angry.

  “Amber, this isn’t a good time.” His voice rumbled low and gravelly across the short distance.

  She shivered and moved inside, closing the door. “What happened?”

  Kane slowly turned, the harsh angles of his face hard, his eyes a fathomless black. “Please leave.”

  “No.” The pain cascading off him was palpable. She had strong, very strong feelings for the vampire. There was no way she could leave him hurting. “Tell me.”

  “Jase tried to kill himself.”

  Her head jerked back. Pain shot down to her stomach. She’d never met Jase, but the words still cut deep. “Did he succeed?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  “Thank you. Now leave.” Kane turned back to the rhythmic fire.

  She wouldn’t leave an animal in so much pain, much less a man she’d been intimate with. Careful steps took her around the sofa so she could place a hand against his back.

  He stiffened and growled low.

  Muscles shifted restlessly again her palm. “Kane. Let me help.”

  “How?” His tone lacked inflection and contradicted the tension pouring off him.

  Good question. “Talk to me.”

  “I did. Jase has given up.” Kane threw a shoulder and dislodged her hand. “Now you need to go.”

  “What about my grandmother?”

  “She’s on her way to Scotland. We’re heading after her as soon as she reaches a location.”

  Amber inhaled and attempted to calm her nerves. The dark music beat through her skin, making her heart speed up. Thoughts zinged furiously around her brain. The man needed comforting, and she needed his powers. For a woman used to feeling her way, the logical conclusion to their problems came too easily. “We need to mate.”

  He froze. Slowly, he turned his head, dark eyes flashing. “This is not a good time.”

  “It’s the only time.” She grabbed on to his arm, digging in. “I’m sorry about Jase, but I can’t let my grandmother die—I know we’ll find her. I need your powers to save her.” More than anything, Amber needed to be able to attack. If they mated, she’d gain the skill. “Plus, if Jase has given up, we need to save him and now. No more waiting.”

  Kane whirled so suddenly she would’ve fallen had he not grabbed her biceps in an unbreakable grip. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “I do.” The words came out more a vow than a simple statement.

  “Mating is forever,” he growled.

  “Maybe.” She kept her voice soft, soothing. “Maybe not. Virus-27 will erase the mating mark if I choose.” She’d spent some time talking to Emma before making the decision.

  Anger twisted his lips. “You’re joking. The infection would probably kill you at some point. That’s not an option.” His eyes went wild, much more animal than man. Was this the vampire side of him? The hold on her arms tightened. “You mate me, sweetheart, there’s no turning back. No taking a virus. It’s immortality . . . forever.”

  She swallowed. Fear cascaded shivers down her back.
She didn’t know him like this. Deep down, she knew her logical argument was a smoke screen. Having fallen in love with Kane Kayrs, the only way to keep him, the only way to teach him to love, was to mate him. She was a gambler at heart, apparently. “Fine.”

  He dropped his hands. “I agree that mating is the best course of action, just not right now.” His voice shook, while a vein pulsed in his corded neck.

  “Why not?”

  He faltered. “This isn’t a good time. We’ll approach the matter later when we’re both in more control.”

  So that was it. The vampire, for once, wasn’t in perfect control of his emotions. Well, it was about time. Grabbing the hem of her T-shirt, she yanked it over her head. The cotton hit the floor seconds before her bra followed suit. “I know you want me.” Standing in the ripped jeans and plush socks, she faked a confidence she truly didn’t feel.

  His nostrils flared. “Yes. I want you.” Even so, he took a step back. “Our mating right now won’t make a difference in time to get your grandmother. We have time to plan this right.”

  Instinct whispered that their mating would make a difference. A smart woman listened to her instincts. “You don’t know that our mating wouldn’t help in the next battle.”

  “No, I don’t.” His gaze dropped to her bare breasts. A dark flush wound over the harsh angles of his face. “Amber, I’m more than willing to lose myself in you tonight. But there’s no way I’ll be able to keep from marking you this time. If I were you, I’d turn and run. Now.”

  Her heart hurt. For him, because of him, for her grandmother. . . maybe even for herself. “I’m so tired of being alone.” The words slipped out, coming from somewhere deeper than her brain. “Please, Kane.” Going on instinct, she moved forward and pressed herself along his length. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she flicked his lips with her tongue. Her hips bumped his erection. Yeah, he wanted her.

  He barely seemed to breathe.

  Both her hands dove into his thick hair. Giving him a wicked smile, she bit his bottom lip. Hard.

  His top lip pulled back in a snarl. Then he slowly licked the blood clean, his gaze locking on hers.

  “I want you, Kane.” Hell, she was half in love with the man whether she liked it or not. And she was lying to herself about the “half” part. “I’ll give you anything you want.” Too bad he didn’t want her heart, considering he already had it. “Stop being a coward.”

  His chin lifted. “I can’t be manipulated, sweetheart.”

  Oh yeah? Her chin lifted just as high as his. “How about the direct approach, then?” Releasing his hair, she ran her palms down the hard planes of his chest, the silk tickling her skin until she reached the button of his slacks. A quick tug had them released. Throwing dare into her eyes and defiance into her smile, she slid her hand inside his pants. His already black eyes somehow darkened further.

  Feminine power flushed through her. “I’ve never seduced anyone before,” she said softly, stroking him. The man had gone commando. Yet another surprise.

  “Be careful what you wish for, little girl.” The warning held both threat and promise.

  Her sex softened. “You don’t scare me.”

  “Yes, I do,” he said softly.

  Maybe a little. Considering she literally had him by the balls, he seemed far too confident and self-assured. So she squeezed.

  He moved without a hint of warning. Both hands manacled around her wrists, and he hauled her up against him. Surprised, she tried to yank away. His strength made her slight struggle laughable. Yet neither of them broke a smile.

  “Last chance,” he murmured, his gaze intense on her face. Too intense.

  It was by far too late. “You talk too much, Kayrs.”

  Slowly, pointedly, he tangled one hand at her nape, tethering her. The movement held the deliberateness of a predator playing with its prey. A quick jerk tilted back her head and made her lips ache for his.

  Then he waited.

  Her heart thundered in her ears. Manic butterflies winged through her stomach. Anticipation tapped imaginary fingers down her back.

  The man didn’t move.

  Apprehension replaced anticipation. She tried to shove him away.

  They remained in place.

  He easily, effortlessly, kept her immobile. His head lowered until his breath heated her ear. “Am I making myself clear?”

  She shivered and stifled a groan. “Like I said, you talk too much.” Her voice came out husky.

  Dangerous teeth enclosed her earlobe.

  Her knees went weak while her panties soaked.

  He sucked, releasing her earlobe to run his mouth along her exposed jugular, those deadly fangs a mere hint against her skin. “I’ve wanted you to wear my mark since the first time I saw you in that bar.” The dark timbre of his voice vibrated against her neck and shot spirals of desire straight to her sex.

  Was it possible to orgasm just from a voice?

  Her blood pumped in rhythm with his breathing, with the heavy metal music winding around them. “Kane.”

  “You were so sexy, winding through tables, your hair wild and that low-cut blouse showing perfect breasts.” He ran his lips up the other side of her neck, taking time to nip her other earlobe into a throbbing bit of need. “I couldn’t decide whether to grab you right there, or cover you up so nobody could see you but me.”

  Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged.

  He lifted his head, his features unyielding. “I don’t share, Amber.”

  She took the statement for the warning it was. “Neither do I.”

  A low growl, much more animal than man, rumbled up from his chest.

  She started, reminded once again that the man wasn’t human. “Ah, Kane—”

  “Too late. I gave you the chance to run. Now you’re mine.”

  His lips took hers. Hard, relentless, determined. He dove deep, taking, whatever beast slumbering inside him suddenly unleashed.

  She could taste the difference.

  His tongue swept in a claiming. Nipping her bottom lip, he lifted his head to study her.

  Her lips tingled. In fact, her entire body throbbed. “I’m not running.” Even if her brain insisted she escape, her body wasn’t going anywhere. Need had her trembling in his arms, fighting the very real urge to rip off his clothes. Shifting her shoulders enough to get her hands between them, she tugged on his zipper.

  He kicked out of his pants, unsnapping her jeans. “These are in the way.”

  She paused, blinking, shoving them and her socks to the floor.

  His gaze swept her from head to toe, and an appreciative smile curved his lips. “Now the panties.”

  The vampire sure liked to give orders. With a challenge in her smile, she slid both thumbs into the straps and scooted the skimpy material down her legs, shimmying her hips as they went, making sure to take her time.

  His low growl made her smile widen. Oh yeah. He may be issuing orders, but they’d see just who kept in control. She had him, and she knew it.

  She nodded at his shirt. “Now you.”

  A wicked smile curved his lips as he yanked off his shirt. Both hands went to her waist, and he lifted her against him. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  Instinct already had her doing so before he spoke. Maybe she’d taken on too much with the pissed-off vampire. “Are you still angry?”

  “No.” Tugging her head back, he nipped the underside of her jaw.

  He turned so the fire warmed her bare backside. “I am going to mark you tonight, Amber,” he rumbled against her collarbone.

  “I know,” she sighed, gyrating against him.

  “Now is your chance to choose where.” His hand swept down her back, the raised marking feeling hotter than the fireplace, hinting at a danger she was about to meet. Then that heated flesh cupped her ass.

  “Um, the small of my back,” she whispered. For years she’d meant to get a tattoo there anyway. The Kayrs marking would be perfect.

  “Excellent,” he murm
ured, pressing his palm to the base of her tailbone.

  She stilled. “Are you tattooing me now?”

  “No.” His hand ventured lower to cup her other buttock. “I need to be inside you to mark you.”

  The low words sent fire right to her core. “Then we should get to it.”

  “You know me better than that.” His mouth dropped to flick a nipple.

  Her breath caught. The man did like to take his time. “Do that again.”

  “Gladly.” He flicked again and then engulfed her nipple in so much heat her eyes fluttered closed. Her hips gyrated against him of their own accord.

  He chuckled low, sending fire from her breast to her sex. Even so, she tried to keep a grip on reality as she opened her eyes. “You’ll have to twist your hand so the marking isn’t crooked.” Last thing she wanted was a half-assed tattoo.

  “That won’t be a problem.” He kissed his way up her neck to peer into her eyes. “I plan to be behind you.”

  Before she could respond, his mouth was on hers. Heat exploded between them like a gas fire. He held her still as he took her mouth, no games, no playfulness, no teasing.

  Just pure, raw passion. Honest and true.

  Dangerous as hell.

  This was the first time she’d initiated sex with him, the fact giving her a sense of power. Feminine power. Even if she lived forever, she’d never forget the taste of him—rich, spicy, and male. He smelled like cedar and felt like steel. Pivoting, he set her on the sofa table, leaning her back just far enough she had to wrap both arms around his neck to stay balanced. His hands cupped her face, thumbs tracing her cheekbones gently, even as his mouth continued to destroy her.

  The gentleness of his fingers compared to the fierceness of his kiss shot her entire body into a mode of hunger she’d never felt. She craved the vampire. The desire was so intense the feeling went beyond pain to necessity.

  His hips rocked against her, his erection pulsing. He wanted in her . . . now. Even more, she wanted him inside her, stretching her, pulsing her into that orgasm that seemed so close.

  Releasing her mouth, he ducked down, his shoulders hitting her abdomen.