Provoked

  The rancher sighed. “Listen. I have no clue where Hilde Freebird is. We went to the hospital to get her, and she was already gone. You have my word.” He gingerly reached for the protruding letter opener, grimacing as his fingers touched. With a groan, he yanked the weapon out. “Leave my house now, and I won’t call the police.” Blood slid down his shirtfront and over his protruding belly.

  Chuck made a move.

  Terrent stopped him, knocking the guy down and landing on his chest, teeth bared. The wolf ’s paws were wider than a normal man’s hands, his claws dangerous and extended. But he hadn’t used them. Yet.

  Chuck whimpered. “Get him off.”

  Hanson’s other two thugs remained still and silent.

  Kane didn’t have time for this shit. Reaching over the desk, he grabbed Hanson by the collar and threw him across the room. The man hit the mantel and fell hard. He cried out as his face impacted the floor. A second later the stuffed wolf head landed on his legs.

  Grabbing the bloody letter opener, Kane stalked across the room and dropped to his haunches. He placed the sharp end against Hanson’s good shoulder. “Tell me where she is. Now.”

  “I, I, don’t know,” Hanson sobbed.

  Kane pressed the metal into the man’s flesh.

  The rancher cried out, his entire body shaking. The smell of urine filled the air. “I really don’t know,” he gasped.

  Sometimes Kane just couldn’t get a break. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to feel. Just for a second. Hanson’s fear and pain slammed into him, and he shoved the sensations aside. Then he delved deeper, using the empathic abilities he hated. Irritation and frustration mingled in his gut.

  The guy was telling the truth. Shutting off all emotion, Kane tightened his hold on the weapon. “Okay. Here’s the deal. We’re leaving here, and you and your men won’t tell a soul about us. Got it?” He shoved slightly.

  “Yes,” Hanson groaned, his entire body shaking.

  “And you’ll forget your plans for the northern rocks and never bother the village again. Right?”

  “Yes.” Hanson’s shoulders slumped against the floor.

  Kane turned so the other men couldn’t see and allowed his fangs to drop and black to shoot through the violet of his eyes. “If you bother them again, I’ll be back. And I’ll eat you for dinner.”

  The man gasped, and then his eyes rolled back in his head. He relaxed in unconsciousness.

  Kane rose, facing the wolves. “We’re good here. If you wouldn’t mind, would you keep an eye on the village for the time being?”

  Terrent growled twice, his saliva dropping onto Chuck’s neck.

  Kane fought for patience. “I know you’d like to kill him, but I’d consider it a favor if you allowed him to live this time.”

  Terrent gave a disgusted snort, tossing his head toward the mounted wolf head.

  “Fine. If you want to kill him, hurry the hell up.” Kane didn’t have time for this crap.

  The wolf smiled.

  Chuck whimpered.

  Panting, the wolf seemed to consider the situation. Then he gave almost a bored, canine shrug. With a quick swipe to Chuck’s nose, he turned and leaped through the window. Joshua followed suit.

  Mason scratched his head, eyes alight with intelligence. “Something tells me that was no ordinary wolf.”

  “No. And I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself,” Kane said.

  Slowly, Mason nodded. “That would be best.”

  Kane pivoted to find a pale Amber in the doorway. Shock covered her face as she stared at the still bleeding Hanson. “You stabbed him again.”

  “He’ll live.” Kane strode forward and grabbed her arm. “Say good-bye to Mason and let’s go.”

  A rustle sounded in warning. Kane shoved her out of the way and turned in time to hear the firing of a gun. The bullet impacted his chest in a burst of pain. Leaping across the room, he grabbed the gun from Chuck and slammed his forehead into the guy’s already scratched nose. Chuck flopped into unconsciousness. Kane crushed the weapon into bits.

  Mason’s eyes widened as he leaned against the broken door frame. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Kane took a deep breath, his chest hurting like hell.

  The ex-doctor ran into the room, his spectacles lopsided on his face. “I heard a gunshot.”

  “Everyone is fine,” Kane said mildly, wanting to snarl instead.

  Mason nodded, his lips twisting as he glanced at Amber. “She’s not safe with us, is she?”

  “No. But we’ll keep her safe.” Kane took a deep breath.

  Mason nodded, holding out his arms.

  Amber rushed into them for a huge hug. “I’ll miss you.”

  “Ditto, Freebird.” Mason dropped a fatherly-type kiss on her forehead. “When things calm down, you’d better call.”

  “I promise.” She wiped away a tear as she hurried over and hugged the doctor. Then she turned toward Kane.

  He nodded. “We have to go.”

  Quick steps had them through the house and across the lawn. The storm had opened up to shoot clumps of snow down on their heads. The wind whirled more white around them and made sight difficult.

  He opened the passenger side of the Chevy and lifted her inside, pushing her to the driver’s position. “Drive while I heal.” Blood dripped down his chest, not nearly as warm as the irritation filling his gut. Terrent had warned him about the presence of weapons. Two seconds using his empathic abilities, and he forgot logic. Which was why he never used them. What if he’d allowed Amber to get hurt?

  With a growl, he ripped off his shirt as Amber pulled the truck onto the main road. A bullet hole dotted an inch above his heart. “Good thing Chuck is a lousy aim.”

  Amber clutched the steering wheel, struggling to stay on the road. Wind threw snow against the windows in a fierce tantrum. She blinked back tears at the thought of leaving Mason, Dr. Bill, and the rest of the family. As soon as she found Grandma Hilde and figured out a safe path for them, she’d call the others.

  Kane’s blood filled the cab with a copper scent. She coughed, her mind spinning. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

  “No. Get on the interstate going north. There’s a place we can ride out the storm.” Kane wiped blood off his chest. Grabbing his cell phone, he glanced at the face and grunted. Dialing, he lifted it to his ear. “Hi. Amber has a grandmother who was taken from Pinecone Hospital a couple hours ago, probably by demons. Send scouts out and find her.”

  He paused and waited. “I have a plan. No. We have a hell of a storm going on and you can’t land. Find the grandma. I’ll bring Amber in when the storm passes. She needs to be trained first, anyway.” He sighed and listened, hand tapping on the armrest. “No. No training whatsoever. I need some time, Dage.” After listening for another minute, Kane hung up.

  Amber’s mind fuzzed at the thought of her grandma with the demons. “We have to find her, Kane.”

  “We don’t know where to look.” He eyed the angry black sky. “But our scouts will find her. Dage will send them to the hospital, and then he’ll contact our sources in the demon nation. Chances are they didn’t take her far, and we’ll get her back soon. For now, we need to get to safety.”

  The wind rocked the car, and Amber cried out, struggling to stay on the road.

  “Pull over.” Kane reached two fingers in his chest and extracted the bullet. His flesh made a squishy sound as the lead sprang free. “Ouch.”

  Amber swallowed down bile. “Now that’s just gross.” She rolled the truck to the side of the road, fighting to keep the vehicle stable.

  “Switch places with me.” Kane threw the bloodied shirt on the floor.

  “No way. You’re injured.” The guy was crazy.

  Apparently he was done talking, too. With a sigh, he grabbed her arms and hauled her over his lap and into the passenger seat while sliding toward the driver’s seat. Smooth movements had the truck back on the road.

  Blood st
ill coated his chest, but the hole was slowly closing. His defined abs tightened as he settled into the seat.

  Amber reached for the seat belt. The storm swirled around them, all white and gray. Her grandmother was probably alone with demons. Actual demons. And Amber sat in the middle of a storm with a vampire who tortured a man as easily as most people picked up bread. No emotion, no regret, just pure coldness in execution. As she eyed the still bleeding immortal, her heart sped up.

  Who was Kane Kayrs?

  CHAPTER 9

  The gorgeous cabin fronted a stunning lake with views from every window. Right now the lake churned dark and angry, reflecting the tumultuous sky as the storm raged all around. Amber finally felt herself relax in the plush surroundings. She’d bet almost anything there was a deep jetted bathtub close—and she was heading to soak.

  Kane stalked into the room, having found a dark shirt that fit him perfectly somewhere else in the house. A pink backpack hung over one broad shoulder.

  “Nice backpack.”

  He nodded. “It must’ve been Janie’s.”

  Amber finished surveying the cozy room with its soft furniture and antique blankets. “Your brother lives here?”

  “Talen did live here for a very short time.” Kane tapped his cell phone against his hand, his frown deep. “When we went to war with the Kurjans, we consolidated at headquarters, and he moved in with his family.”

  “I thought you were at war with the demons.”

  “We’re at war with both.” With a disgusted snarl at the cell phone, Kane shoved it in his pocket. “Did you get enough to eat?”

  “Yes.” They’d hit a drive-through window of a fast-food joint an hour after leaving Hanson’s. “I’m still full.” She moved to sit on a comfortable cloth sofa, very pleased it wasn’t leather. She hadn’t met Talen, yet she already liked the guy. He was probably a sweet-hearted pacifist like her people. “So, demons fight with mind control. What about Kurjans? What are they like?”

  Kane tugged her up. “We don’t have time to sit, darlin’.”

  She frowned and stumbled behind him through a beautiful hallway lined with Western oil paintings. What about a quick bath? “About the Kurjans?”

  Kane shoved open the door to a home office that had a huge bookshelf lining one wall. “Kurjans have fangs and take blood like vampires. But they’re white-faced, creepy, and the sun fries them.”

  The image made her wrinkle her nose. “Like vampires of legends.”

  “Yes.” He grabbed two books off the top shelf and revealed a keypad.

  “Why are you at war with the Kurjans and the demons?” One would think immortals could freaking get along.

  Kane punched in a code. “The Kurjans declared war on us because they want Janie, my niece. She’s been prophesied to change the world, and no, we don’t know how. So when Talen got to her first, war ensued. Plus, they can only mate with enhanced females, just like vampires. So we’re always competing, I guess.”

  “And the demons?”

  “That’s more personal. We made one of their enemies our friend, and well, the demons are basically assholes.” Kane stepped back as the entire shelf slid to the side.

  Guns.

  All different kinds, a myriad of guns, lined the two walls. Vests and shields hung from another wall. Knives and swords lined the fourth. Kane grabbed a black vest he tugged over her head, fitting the Velcro tight. Following suit, he began shoving weapons in vest pockets, his waistband, and finally in his boots.

  She tried to step away. “What are you doing? We don’t need vests and guns.” She needed a bath, darn it.

  “Yes, we do.” Grabbing a green gun, he pressed the cold metal into her hand.

  “No,” she protested, trying to shove the weapon away, “I don’t shoot people.”

  “You do now,” he said grimly. “Keep ahold of it.” Taking her hand, he yanked the cell phone from his pocket to glare at the screen. “Still no service—probably from the weather.”

  As if on cue, the storm increased in force outside, smashing debris into the windows.

  Amber jerked her arm free. “Is somebody here? I mean, do you sense demons—or Kurjans? Or whoever else wants you people dead?”

  “No.” Kane took her hand and led her around the house, grabbing his coat from the chair to yank over her vest before heading to the back deck. They stepped outside to be bombarded by blowing snow and cold. The sun had disappeared to leave a dark storm in its place. “There’s usually a boat hidden down by the trees. We’ll have to go for it.”

  Taking a boat in a storm like that? “You have got to be crazy.”

  “No. Crazy would be staying here,” Kane shouted above the storm. “The demons may know about this place, and I guarantee the Kurjans do. I’d be very surprised if the Kurjans don’t have satellite surveillance on Talen’s old home.”

  She tried to balk, but his stride didn’t slow. The icy snow ripped across her skin. Freezing air dried out her eyes. His coat dragged on the ground—way too long for her. They slugged through the ice-covered snow on the deck to at least a foot of powder on the small lawn leading down to the churning lake.

  Glancing behind her, she took one last, longing look at the luxurious cabin. So much for the jetted tub.

  The storm raged around them and smashed frozen pinecones into their legs. Kane kept his stride steady, his mind on the human. She stumbled again, and he turned to shield her from the storm.

  Her pale skin was too delicate for the angry wind. Tucking her close, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “We’ll be safe soon.”

  She nodded, her eyes blinking rapidly.

  Did he just kiss her head? Where was his brain? Comforting her would lead to her breaking down. Kane pivoted and led her down the path to the lake, trying like hell to block her from the wind.

  Branches and clumps of snow beat against them as they wound down the obscure path. Kane dragged his feet to clear the way, hoping Amber’s boots would keep her dry. Frostbite would be disastrous at this point.

  Finally, they reached the beach. Snow mingled with sand to slam into their faces. When would the wind abate?

  The metal rowboat sat securely between a massive pine tree and the rocky hill, snow covering most of the bottom. Kane darted forward and yanked the boat free before flipping it over. The metal scraped along the snowy sand as he dragged it to the violent lake.

  Waves crashed in, angry and nearly black. But at least the water wasn’t frozen.

  He held out a hand for Amber.

  Drawing the coat tighter with nearly blue fingers, she shook her head and backed away.

  He didn’t have time for her to fall apart. “Come here. Now.” He pitched his voice low to cut through the storm and her panic.

  She mouthed the word “no” and kept backing away.

  If the woman went any farther, she’d be heading back up the trail.

  The cold cut through his silk shirt and pants. If he was chilled, Amber would be freezing. Maybe he could entice her. “Let’s go find some warmth, sweetheart.”

  Snow coated her hair when she shook her head wildly.

  So much for enticement. He leapt for her, grabbing both arms and swinging her into the air. Three strides had her butt slapping the metal seat, and he shoved the rowboat away from the beach.

  With a cry, she jumped for him, arms stretched for the shore.

  He sat her down again—this time harder. “Stay still or you’ll fall in.”

  She gasped, gaze slashing to the churning water all around them. Black and merciless, the water mirrored the storm bashing the boat.

  He shook her—waiting until her gaze met his. “Hold on for a couple more minutes, and I promise we’ll find safety.” The second his brother had purchased the lake house, Kane had memorized the layout and properties on the entire lake. There was a cabin on the far side that was only used for two weeks in the dead of summer by owners who lived in Alaska the rest of the year.

  She nodded and settled down, her
teeth chattering.

  Kane grabbed the oars and started rowing, staying along the shoreline as much as possible. Getting caught in the middle of the angry lake was not in the plan.

  Amber took a deep breath, her entire chest moving. “Do you need help?”

  What a sweetheart. “No.”

  She blinked snow off her long eyelashes. Odd that Kane had never noticed eyelashes before. But Amber’s were thick and dark . . . giving her an ingénue look that distracted him.

  Rubbing her nose, she shivered. “You do everything logically, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like when you stabbed Hanson. I mean, without being mad. No passion. You just . . . stabbed him.”

  Sure. “Passion gets in the way when you’re fighting.” Hell, as far as Kane was concerned, passion got in the way, period. Not that he didn’t like a wild night with a woman. But in a fight, cold logic most often won.

  “Do you regret hurting him?” Her eyes somehow darkened.

  While Kane wanted to ease her mind, he wasn’t going to lie. “No.” His shoulders moved rhythmically, smoothly eating up the shoreline as he angled to the north. “I’m sorry.” Well, he wasn’t sorry he’d stabbed the bastard, but he could feel an apology for her distress. She seemed to need the apology, so he gave it a shot.

  She nodded. “When you kissed me earlier—was that manipulation? I mean, did you feel anything?”

  “Yes.” While he hadn’t wanted to feel anything, his cock had fired to life. There was something so sweet and sexy about the woman. “I wanted you—still do.” They were going to need to warm up soon. Skin on skin was the best way to make that happen.

  A logical thought, yet his heart sped up instantly. Man, he needed some rest.

  The tiniest of blushes filled her too-pale face for a moment. “I don’t like being manipulated.”

  “Okay.” Really, who did? A quick turn into a small alcove, and Kane found the cabin he wanted. “We’re here.” Ramming the boat onto the shore, he forced a smile and helped her from the boat. “Everything will be all right.”