“Fine.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Ready to get the heck out of here—I still need to find a dress for the ball coming up.”
Talen snapped the golden cuff around Cara’s wrist and she jumped. “Hey—”
“It’s there or on an ankle, mate,” Talen said, standing and placing her back on the chair. “I’m going to check on Jase—stay here until I return.” He nodded toward Katie. “Jordan said he’d be back soon, so I’d stay in the bed if I were you.” He whistled the Canadian national anthem as he strolled out of the room.
Cara twirled the cuff on her wrist and focused on her friend. “Men.”
“Jackasses,” Katie replied.
Chapter 30
The group flew enmass to the underground Colorado headquarters to stay one night where Janie thoroughly enjoyed meeting the shifters. The idea of her new friends becoming mountain lions intrigued her, and she knew many of her future drawings would be of cougars and no longer of ponies.
She protested vehemently when it came time for bed, until Katie said she was going to bed as well. Janie figured if the way cool lioness went to bed at eight o’clock, then she could, too.
Her pink and white room surrounded her, and a butterfly night-light cast soft light into every corner. Mr. Mullet’s blue hair tickled her nose until she tugged him closer into her chest. She closed her eyes to the smell of baby powder and before long wandered through a snowy forest full of tall trees.
“Zane?” she called, mentally throwing on thick furry boots and a blue coat. She didn’t feel the cold, but wanted to pretend.
“Hi,” he said, moving from behind a large brown tree trunk. “It looks like you’re in my dream, now.”
“Is this where you live?” she asked, leaning down to make a snowball.
“I live close,” he answered, raising an eyebrow at the perfectly round weapon in her small hands. “From now on we meet somewhere other than where you live, okay?”
“But I want you to see where I’m living now.” She patted the ball into a harder shape.
A thick grey coat suddenly covered Zane’s black T-shirt. “No. We either meet here or in a make-believe place, Janie.”
“Why?” She readied her stance to throw.
“Because we don’t want whoever is trying to get into your dreams to know where you are.” Zane grabbed a handful of snow and starting patting it into shape.
“You won’t throw that at me,” she said, pulling her arm back and letting the weapon fly. It smacked dead center in Zane’s chest and snow exploded up to lodge in his dark hair. He turned twinkling green eyes on her and she giggled.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, winding up his arm.
Janie clapped her hands together. “Because you’re too strong.”
“Wrong,” he said, and let loose.
She shrieked in delighted protest as the snowball careened past her left shoulder to collide with a thick tree. It protested and cold powder fell from high above to land all around them.
“I missed.” Zane grinned even white teeth.
Janie rolled her eyes. She might only be four years old, but she wasn’t stupid. “Whatever.”
“So, Janie,” Zane strolled closer, “can you feel someone trying to get inside our dreams right now?”
Janie lost her smile. “Yes.”
Frowning, Zane reached her and tugged her collar up around her ears. “Can you tell who it is?”
She shook her head.
“Do you know anything about this person?” Zane focused eyes the color of Talen’s lake on her, and Janie fought the urge to squirm. “Janie?”
She shrugged. “No. We could let him in and see.” If she told him the name, Zane would leave to figure it out himself. They needed to work together.
“No.” Zane shook his head. “We never let him in. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed, reaching down for another handful of snow.
Later that week Cara found herself snuggled in her new bed at Talen’s home overlooking the large lake. The shifters remained at the underground headquarters, figuring they’d be back for the colloquium in a few days anyway. Dage had promised Katie he’d have an impressive selection of gowns delivered in order to get the young woman to agree to stay.
The last thing on Cara’s mind was finding a dress. Her concern for Emma created deep holes of acid in her stomach, and she’d tried to open her mind to find her sister, but nothing.
She rolled over in bed, reliving her last visit to the headquarters. She’d packed Janie’s clothing to take back to the ranch, thankful they’d be living aboveground for a bit. Before leaving, Cara had run to their small suite to retrieve Janie’s sketch pad and on her way back had overheard an argument between Max and Brack as they played pool in the nearby rec room.
“Conn should get off his ass and go reclaim his mate,” Max snapped. “You know we’re all under orders to claim mates.”
“We’re not under orders,” Brack had returned while leaning over to make a bank shot.
“Yes, we are. You know the Ruling council is as strong as the Kayrs family—the prophets still proclaim laws.”
“Maybe,” Brack had allowed.
“Yes. We can’t wait any longer.” Max took a shot. “I mean, I don’t think we need to take mates right away. But the royal family does, just look at Talen.”
Cara’s heart dropped to her feet, and her skin started to ache.
“They fit, Max,” Brack retorted.
“Yeah, they do. But you know Kayrs would’ve mated her regardless.”
“I don’t know.”
With a soft sob, she had turned and ran as fast as she could for the elevator. God, was it true? Had he mated her because of orders? She had started to slide into love, but what if he married her out of duty? She had ignored his concerned glances on the ride home and turned immediately to bed after tucking Janie in.
Now here she sat in the dark, tossing and turning in a bed smelling of spice and man. But at least birds chirped outside and pinecones dropped to the ground periodically, reminding her nature kept watch over them all. She opened her mind again for Emma.
“Cara?” Talen asked, as he flipped up the comforter to slide into bed. “Why are you awake?” He lifted his head, as if scenting the air. “And why are you crying?”
She scrubbed her hands over her face, brushing away tears. “We still haven’t found Emma, Talen. What if the Kurjans find her?”
Talen sighed and pulled Cara into his body. Warmth and instant comfort surrounded her. “She’s tough, sweetheart. We have every ally out there looking for her, somebody’s bound to have seen or heard something. So far she’s been a master at hiding herself.” He tucked himself more securely around Cara, and she sniffled.
“I know,” she snuggled back into warmth. “But it’s time to get her here safely. She’s been on her own long enough.” Damn it. Only Emma would believe she could save the world by herself.
Talen ran a hand down Cara’s arm to settle around the golden cuff on her wrist. “We’ve gone through every bit of data from every raid, and we’ve contacted everyone. Don’t worry, we’ll know something soon. I don’t think Dage has even slept since finally finding his mate.”
Cara would worry about Emma’s reaction to Dage later. Right now she was grateful to her very soul that the determined king was on the hunt. May God help him.
“Thank you for bringing my plants,” she said softly. A row of lilies, impatiens, and irises now lined the dresser in pretty terra-cotta planters.
He nodded and his hand roamed to her hip. “Sure. Also, your house sold last week—the Marshal’s service will send you a check for the money.”
Money? She hadn’t even thought about living expenses or such. “Oh, well, um … I guess put it with the rest.” Frowning, she plucked at the comforter. “Do we need money?”
Talen chuckled against her. “No, darlin’—we’re good. I’ve invested a bit through the centuries.”
How odd. Centuries. The scientist rose wi
thin. “Centuries? What’s the best thing invented during your lifetime?” Planes? Electricity? Her money was on the Internet.
Rubbing his chin along the top of her head, Talen gave her a quick kiss. “Frozen pizza.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Seriously? Frozen pizza?”
“Yep. Dough, cheese, meat all in the icebox, and you just toss it in the oven. Heaven in every slice.”
As if on cue, her stomach revolted and she groaned. Was she coming down with something?
He stiffened. “Are you feeling all right?”
Cara shook her head and forced nausea down. She wouldn’t think about pizza for a bit. “No. Really Talen, I’m sleepy. We’ve had a pretty dramatic week.” She scrambled. “So, what have you done during your centuries of peace besides eating pizza?”
He tucked her more securely into his large body. “Believe it or not, running the Realm is a full-time job. Just keeping our allies happy with each other can cause a headache.” He shook his head against her hair. “Just wait until the ball tomorrow night.”
Okay, maybe she should worry about a dress. “I can’t go to a ball when my sister is on the run.”
“Sure you can. It’s part of the package, darlin.’” He tugged her hair up and kissed the nape of her neck. “Royalty has its price. Though, if you’re not up to it, we certainly won’t go. Now let’s get some sleep.”
With a sigh, Cara closed her eyes and let her husband’s warmth provide comfort. Sleep claimed her with uneasy dreams.
She’d barely entered dreamland when small hands shook her awake. “Mama, wake up,” Janie’s face peered close to hers. “You’ve been sleeping forever. Wake up.”
Cara came awake with a start and groaned as the room spun for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Janie sat back in concern.
“Yes. Just tired,” Cara said while pushing thick hair away from her face. Her gaze caught on the pretty flowers lining the dresser in cheerful planters. Tears instantly filled her eyes, and she brushed them impatiently away.
“I had a dream about Aunt Emma last night,” Janie said, her small face scrunching into a frown.
“Oh?” Cara sat up, trying to look unconcerned.
“Yeah. She was punching Uncle Dage in the nose.” Blue eyes went wide with concern, and Janie bit her lip.
Cara rubbed her hand over her eyes. Unfortunately, the scenario was more than likely if Dage thought he could mate with her hot tempered sister, though it did give her hope the Kurjans hadn’t captured Emma. “I’m sure they were just playing, sweetheart.” Not a chance in hell.
Janie looked doubtful, but shrugged and turned as Talen strode through the doorway.
Cara raised an eyebrow at her mate. Black combat gear covered him from the flack boots to the bulletproof vest. Knives and guns hinted at war. With his dark hair tied at the nape, he looked like someone prepared to grant death. “Going somewhere?”
He gave a short nod. “We discovered two more facilities and need to raid now before the Kurjans move again.” Stalking forward, he sat on the bed. “Janie, sweetheart, Max is waiting for you in the kitchen. He needs help finding the bagels.”
With a happy hop in her step, Janie skipped out of the room.
Talen rubbed a hand over his shadowed jaw. “Ah, I need you to stay calm here.”
Cara’s heart sped up. “You found Emma?”
His eyes darkened and he pressed a warm palm against her arm. “We found where she’s been hiding in North Dakota but she’s no longer there.”
North Dakota? Fear clutched Cara’s heart into ice. “She’s not?” Cara sat up, prepared to run.
Talen put both hands against her shoulders, holding her in place. “No. She’d rented a cabin at a private resort, but the cabin is empty now.”
“Oh God.” Cara pushed against him, determined to get out of bed. “We need to go.”
He shook his head, his hands tightening. “No. You and Janie are staying here with Max.”
“But, I can’t—”
Golden eyes turned to sparks. “You can and you will. We don’t know if the Kurjans have her. We’ll find your sister, Cara. I promise.”
Exhaustion swamped her for a moment. “But if they have, you’ll need me to sense her.”
“No. We’re sending a team to raid a facility in western Nevada while my brothers and I fly to a hospital in Utah. If the Kurjans took her, Emma will be there. We’ll find her, Cara.”
Cara opened up every sense she had, praying to a universe that rarely listened. Nothing. She could sense nothing from Emma. Damn it. “I need to do something, Talen.”
He stood. “Yes, you do. Stay here with Max, keep Janie safe and trust me. While you’re at it, there’s more research data coming in on the computer, feel free to figure it out for me.”
She sighed. He was right, the way she was feeling, she’d only slow him down. Fine. She held out her right arm. “I may do some yoga or even run—will you take the cuff off?” This asking permission to take off a bracelet was getting extremely tiresome. If they stayed together, they’d have to discuss this one.
He drew his eyebrows together.
Her temper began to inch toward boiling. “I am neither a dog nor a wild animal to be tagged, damn it. Now take it off.”
He grinned. “It’s not to tag you, darlin.’ It’s to locate you should something bad happen, like, I don’t know, maybe a New York gang kidnapping you.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “I think I’m safe from the gang here, Talen.” She held out her wrist in a clear dare.
He pulled in a gust of air, removing the cuff. “There. But I think you should rest and not run.” Placing the back of his hand against her forehead, he frowned again. “You don’t have a fever, but you’re pale. Max was going to take Janie fishing, but maybe they should stick close.”
“No. Janie loves fishing. I’m all right, I just need some down time.”
“Okay. I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” With one last concerned glance her way, he left.
Janie poked her head in a few minutes later, saying she and Max were going fishing and would bring back lunch. Cara sent her off with a wave.
She lay in bed for several moments and let the peaceful quiet of the home seep into and calm her. God, please let Emma be all right. With a groan, she maneuvered out of bed and headed for a hot shower. A breakfast of toast and tea had her feeling a bit better, so she went into Talen’s office to continue deciphering the research they’d brought home. She also booted up his computer thinking she should at least check her e-mail. The computer gave a signal that it was updating and to be patient.
A chart on the printout next to her caught her eye and she scrambled in Talen’s deep desk for a highlighter. Then she pawed through drawers to find some paper, and a file in the bottom drawer grabbed her attention.
With a sinking feeling, she pulled the file labeled “Directive” out and spread it open on the thick oak desk. A letter from the Prophet’s Council directing the Kayrs brothers to seek mates of enhanced abilities. The letter dictated that the war with the Kurjus would gather force again, and it was time to shore up resources.
Cara read further, her stomach beginning to churn. Apparently, the marking on the palm of the hand could be forced, as had been done for centuries in order to procure mates. Arranged matings, sometimes marriages, were common and encouraged.
Once in the presence of an enhanced female, the vampire could will the brand to appear on his hand. It was simply a matter of mental energy.
She sat back and fought the nausea rising in her throat. Talen owned mental ability in spades. He’d said the brand naturally appeared on his palm, but had it? He’d meant to mark her—he told her he’d do so.
She flipped the page and her heart stopped as she read a copy of the letter sent by Talen in response wherein he agreed it was time to find mates. His bold signature sprawled across the bottom. He had agreed.
Cara slammed the file shut and sat back in the chair as if she’d been h
it in the gut. Talen had married her to bear sons to train for battle. She was nothing more than a brood mare to him. She thought about the mark on her hip. He’d even branded her. Son of a bitch.
Here she’d begun to believe there might actually be love between them. Their passion ran through her head, fueling her anger like lighter fluid. That bastard. Fury made the room spin as a red haze covered her vision, and she replaced the file and shut the drawer with a sharp snap. She really was going to kill him.
Reason barely overcame anger, and she turned back to the papers in front of her. She needed to find a way to protect herself from the virus right now; she’d deal with Talen later.
Her mind continued to spin until a migraine loomed over her head. The computer finished updating with a sharp beep. Finally. She typed in her e-mail account, hoping Emma had fled and was checking in.
A familiar return address came up, and she gasped at the message sent the day before. Emma must be all right. She opened the message with bated breath, and her stomach hit the floor as a picture of her sister unfolded on the screen. Emma sat bound in a chair with a furious glare on her face and a bruise on her cheek.
A phone number scrolled under the photograph.
Cara’s hands shook as she quickly dialed the number—with all of Talen’s security, the phone lines must be secured. She hoped.
A deep voice answered the phone. “Hello, sotie.”
Damn it. “I’m not your mate, Lorcan.” Her heart started pounding.
“You will be.” The sound of papers shuffling came across the line. “Thank you for calling.”
“Where’s my sister?”
“Ah, your sister. I have to tell you, I would’ve thought you were the pain in the ass sister after our last meeting, but I would’ve been wrong.” A bone chilling laugh slithered across the line, and a hard fear took residence in her stomach. “I’m quite pleased I have the more mellow sister.”
“Where is she?” Cara’s knuckles turned white on the phone.
“She’s perfectly fine, Cara. I have no desire to hurt the sister of my sotie and would very much like to let her go. Believe me.” His voice intensified, apparently her sister was being difficult. “I will gladly trade her for you. As soon as possible.”