Marked

  Explosions detonated inside Zane at the mention of her name. Going on instinct, he yanked free his knife and lunged toward his enemy. They impacted with a boom louder than the thunder in Janie’s dream world.

  Papers flew and a stapler ricocheted into the window as they collided against the desk. The antique oak smashed to the ground, splintering into pieces.

  Kalin punched the knife out of Zane’s grip, following up with a shot to the jaw.

  Zane’s vision fuzzed, and he struck out, nailing Kalin in the nose. A desperate fury raced through Zane, and the need to kill ignited the beast within him. Blood arced and burned Zane’s neck as he continued throwing punches.

  “Stop it!” Suri yelled, kicking shards of wood out of his way.

  Rough hands, tons of them, yanked Zane off Kalin, who continued to punch.

  Zane struggled furiously, swearing in multiple languages at once. The Kurjan had to die. A treaty between demons and Kurjans would mean a disaster for Janie, without question.

  His uncle cocked a gun. “You want to get shot?”

  Zane stopped fighting and shrugged off the three demon soldiers who’d stopped him. “Who the fuck are you, Suri?” he asked. Demons held Kurjans lower than beetle shit, and his uncle went and aligned himself with them?

  Kalin shoved rubble out of his way and rose to his impressive height, taking a moment to dust off the medals at his breast. “We’re not done here, demon.”

  Zane snarled through a busted lip. “Name the time and place, asshole.”

  Kalin wiped blood off his face. “Don’t worry. Our time will come.” He turned and bowed to Suri. “The deal stands. Good day.”

  As simple as that, the ruler of the Kurjan nation sauntered out of the demon’s office. The three demon soldiers followed him.

  Zane spit blood onto the floor. “I never thought I’d see the day a demon conspired with a lowly Kurjan.” His uncle was a bastard, it was true, but even bastards had standards.

  Suri eyed his destroyed desk. “I never thought my sister would whore herself out to a vampire. Life often takes unexpected turns.”

  Zane’s hands clenched, despite his shredded knuckles. “Stop talking about my mother like that.”

  Suri lifted a thick eyebrow. “Or what? You finally going to try to kill me?”

  Zane turned and slowly surveyed his uncle. His mind spun and then cleared. “We both know I could.”

  Suri scoffed. “Bullshit. I’m twice the fighter you are.” He kicked kindling out of the way. “Besides, if anything happens to me, your mother and brothers will instantly pay the price. I do have my safeguards in place.”

  “Where is my mother?” Zane asked quietly. The day was fast approaching when he’d have to torture Suri for the information, but right now too many of Suri’s followers surrounded them.

  “Safe for now.” Suri shrugged. “Have you made contact with Janet Kayrs?”

  “No. Apparently she’s pissed I’m a demon and won’t enter the dream world.” Zane kept his gaze level as he lied. “Not that I’m surprised.”

  Suri smirked. “The vampires hate you because you’re part-demon, the demons despise you because you’re part-vampire, and the Kurjans just want you dead. You’re lucky I’ve provided you shelter all these years.”

  “Why have you?” Zane asked, not bothering to react to the truth of the rest of the statement. The reality of his birth had been dealt with long ago.

  “Your gifts with the chosen one,” Suri said. “You are about to become very handy.”

  Chills cascaded down Zane’s back. “What did you promise the Kurjans?”

  “None of your damn business.” Suri reached down to an orphaned desk drawer to grab another laser gun. “Your only concern is keeping your mother alive, and don’t you forget it.”

  Zane hadn’t been able to forget that fact since the first day he’d arrived at demon headquarters. “I deserve to know the plan with the Kurjans. Did you promise them Janie? If so, in exchange for what?” He couldn’t get his mind wrapped around that possibility.

  Suri shrugged. “It matters little what I promised Kalin, although I did say we’d fetch Janet Kayrs for them. Once I get what I want, all deals are off the table.”

  “What do you want?” Zane whispered.

  “This whole damn mess to be over, and for the vampires and Kurjans to go back to killing each other off without involving us.” Suri straightened his perfectly pressed uniform. “For decades, even before Janet Kayrs was born, the doom attached to her life hung over our heads. The Seers are never wrong, and they’ve envisioned a destroyed world if she’s allowed to fulfill her destiny.”

  Zane reached down to retrieve his knife to sheathe in his boot. “Changed how?”

  “Nobody knows, and that’s the crux of the problem. Change for immortals is never good, and there’s a sense of the dystopian to the visions. Can’t you sense the danger?” Suri’s eyes flashed black and hard. “If you were a true demon, a real leader, you would instinctively feel the weight of disaster in the very oxygen around us.”

  The spit dried up in Zane’s mouth. “The Seers are wrong, and I don’t want to lead the fucking demons. Stop threatening me, stop threatening my family, and let us be.”

  Suri cracked his massive knuckles. “To think I had such high hopes for you.”

  Zane shook his head. “I care little for your hopes. What do you want?”

  Suri chuckled, and the sound coated the roam with invisible oil. “You’re a killer, plain and simple. The Ghost. So kill.”

  Zane’s blood heated until the liquid burned his veins. “My destiny isn’t to kill Janet Kayrs.”

  “No?” Suri kicked a mangled piece of desk out of his way. “The choice is, of course, yours.”

  “Meaning?” Zane asked softly.

  Suri smiled, fangs glinting. “Your mother or your whore. One will die by the end of the week.”

  A blade weighed heavily against Zane’s calf, almost pulsing with the need to slice into his uncle. “I’ve expected that ultimatum for a while now. But it does beg the question, if you want me to kill Janie, why make a deal with Kalin and the Kurjans?”

  “Plan B.” Suri glanced pointedly down at Zane’s leg. “I’m not entirely sure you won’t sacrifice your mother.”

  Zane’s head snapped up, rage heating his breath. He rushed across the desk, grabbed Suri by the shirt, and pummeled him against the wall. Old plaster rained down, covering them both. “I will never sacrifice my mother.” Zane leaned in close, surprised he had to look down a couple of inches. “Besides, as I recall, my mother has kicked your ass more than once.”

  Suri flushed. “Your memory is faulty.”

  Zane’s fangs lengthened as memories rushed through him. Once, during training, Suri had beaten Zane so badly he couldn’t see for several days. Felicity, although petite, had taken Suri down in a bundle of parental fury. Female demons were rare, notoriously tiny, and fucking deadly. “You’re afraid of her, aren’t you?” he asked.

  Suri growled. “No.”

  “Liar.” Zane leaned in even closer, pleased to see Suri’s pupils dilate. “Female demons are dangerous as hell and stronger than their counterparts. Why else would you have her sequestered by soldiers away from here. Coward.”

  Suri slammed both hands against Zane’s chest and shoved him across the room. Zane’s shoulders hit the wall, knocking in old wooden beams. Pain flared along his spine. Sometimes he forgot how much power his uncle leashed daily.

  “Watch yourself, boy.” Suri yanked down his uniform top. “We both know I could end you in a second. In addition, the fact remains that I have your mother contained and surrounded. The moment I give the order, she dies. So, nephew, you have one week to figure out how to end Janet Kayrs in that dream world you share.”

  Zane loped into a run through the old mining town, jogging past a ramshackle saloon fronted by one sagging door. If he concentrated, he could still hear the clatter of horses and bustle of women’s skirts. Even as he tried t
o calm his thoughts, fear punched him in the gut. He’d lost contact with both of his brothers as well as his mother and could only hope Suri hadn’t ordered their deaths yet.

  That time was coming.

  Suri allowed Zane’s family to live only to use them against him, and the second the mess with Janie was straightened out, Zane and his family would be of no further use to Suri. In fact, their royal blood made them a threat to the demon leader and his rule, which meant they needed to be eliminated.

  So Suri could rule his fiefdom alone.

  Crazy bastard.

  Zane exited the town and increased his pace to wind through a barely there dirt road through the forest. How many dreams had been lost in the old town? How many loves had been sacrificed for silver and gold?

  For years he’d sacrificed, doing Suri’s deadly bidding. Not even his brothers knew all the terrible things he’d done. Now Suri demanded the ultimate sacrifice on Zane’s part, and he couldn’t do it. He kept running through the chilly night to prevent himself from jumping back into a dream world where Janie would be warm and willing. There had to be a scenario where both his mother and Janie Belle lived through the week, but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t find a plan.

  Footsteps echoed in his wake, and he kept pace until Nikolaj Veis reached his side.

  “Running from or to something?” Nick asked evenly, falling into step.

  Zane glanced at the scarred soldier dressed in sweats and a ripped T-shirt. The Veis whom Zane had known a decade ago wouldn’t have been caught dead in damaged clothing. “Nice shirt.”

  Nick shrugged. “What else would one wear to a midnight run?”

  Zane grinned. “Good point.”

  “We could just spar, if you wish. I’ve missed sparring with you.”

  Zane nodded. For years, they’d trained, and the older demon had often tried to find some sort of protection for Zane from Suri. But it had been ten years, and now Zane and Nick stood as equals. “Neither one of us needs more violence.” Zane ducked a branch. “Was the witch worth it?” he asked.

  Nick jumped over a boulder. “Absolutely. What’s ten years of hard labor and exile compared to the fire of a witch?”

  Zane’s feet pounded rhythmically on the path. “What exactly were you doing conspiring with Simone Brightston of the Coven Nine?”

  “Have you seen the woman?” Nick said dryly.

  Zane stretched to hurdle a mass of huckleberry bushes. “Yes, and I agree that she’s a stunning witch. But you helped her with land use matters in Russia against Suri’s interests, and I’ve never figured out why.” He’d missed his friend when he’d been sent away. Frustration clenched Zane’s hands into fists.

  “Simone and I have a history . . . one I don’t want to discuss right now.” Nick shoved a small pine tree out of his way. “As for Russia, let’s just say the witches have a problem with our land holdings there.”

  Zane slowed to a lope and then a walk. He’d already surmised Nick and Simone had once been lovers. But the land dispute didn’t make sense. “Russia? They did ask for the territory during demands yesterday.”

  “I’m sure,” Nick said, stopping to twist his torso.

  Zane leaned back against a white pine, wondering how well he really knew Nick. “What’s in Russia?”

  “Russians?” Nick rolled on his feet. “Witches and their issues are irrelevant to us right now. Focus.”

  Zane scratched his jaw. “Is there an us?”

  Nick stilled. “What are you asking me?”

  Zane eyed the dark face of someone he’d once considered a friend. But years of hard labor often destroyed a man, especially when demons designed the labor. They hadn’t talked in too much time, and even now, Nick might be desperately loyal to Suri. Demons lived for subterfuge. “Are you broken?” Zane asked.

  Fire flashed through Nick’s gray eyes. Muscles rippled along his arms and broad chest. “No. Are you?”

  “No.” Zane’s shoulders settled into place.

  “Well then.” Nick studied him. “I wonder where this leaves us.”

  Everything in Zane wanted to trust his old friend, but he’d learned young that trust could be bought. “Can you get into the main control room?” Zane asked.

  Nick jerked his head, blinking. “Yes. Why?”

  “Suri and Kalin. I need to know the plan.”

  “I already know the plan. Tomorrow Suri is going to double-cross Kalin and take out the Realm forces in order to kill Janet Kayrs.” Nick rocked back on his heels. “The strategy is nearly perfect, actually.”

  So Suri had given up on Zane’s killing Janie? “How do you know?” Zane settled his stance, realization dawning. He had no allies.

  The smile Nick flashed could only be termed malevolent. “Because I came up with the plan.”

  Chapter 6

  The Realm helicopters spread out in a defensive formation, all unmarked, all fully armed on the way to the underground cavern. Far below, the ocean rioted, flinging up whitecaps like a child throwing a tantrum. Rough weather issued an ominous warning against the second day of peace talks.

  Janie sat back in her seat, her mind spinning. Instinct raised the hair on the back of her neck, foretelling a monumental day about to occur.

  Why or how, she didn’t know.

  As always, the mantle of destiny weighed down her shoulders, and as always, she shrugged through the heaviness with a smile for those around her.

  A smart-assed smile Zane had apparently seen right through.

  She didn’t feel the smart-aleck persona, and she never had. Fighting to find the lightness in their situation wore on her, and sometimes she just wanted to escape.

  Her father sat next to her, his gaze out the window, tension vibrating from his tough body.

  Uncles Dage and Max sat in the front of the helicopter fully armed and prepared to wage war. Well, continue waging war.

  Could peace actually be accomplished? If so, how could she make it happen? There must be some truth to all the prophecies, so there had to be something she could do to end the war. To end the bloodshed.

  Leaving the Arias volume in the cavern the previous day had actually hurt deep inside. As if she’d left a part of her, one aspect she needed for survival. To breathe and live.

  What in the world was she meant to do?

  Could the book actually help her meet destiny? Finally?

  A wisp of sound echoed, and water whooshed through the early morning. Gray and fast, a spinning missile barely missed her side of the helicopter.

  Fear flushed down her body like pricking needles. Janie’s scream caught in her throat.

  Dage yanked the controls to the right, and the helicopter banked dangerously to the side. “Evasive maneuvers, attack from water,” he growled into his earpiece.

  Janie smashed her palm against the side of the craft, her heart racing, her breath rushing out. Cold metal scraped her skin. She reached out and clutched her father’s thigh for support.

  He turned toward the window on his side and drew a gun from his waistband. Fury vibrated along his back. “Missile from the ocean?” Leaning against the opening, he scanned the ocean below. “Three rafts—very small.”

  Another missile winged by, barely missing the craft. The helicopter banked sharply, and Janie cried out. Only Dage’s incredible reflexes kept them from being hit.

  “How do they know this is us?” Max growled, yanking open the passenger-side door for a better shooting angle. He fired rapidly down, half-leaning outside, one large hand keeping him from falling.

  Dage banked hard left. “They’re attacking every helicopter.”

  Janie swallowed and tugged a gun from her back pocket. Her terror panted out. She wouldn’t have much range, but if they went down, she wanted to be prepared. Although the missiles were kill shots and not an effort to merely take them out of the air, they might get a chance to fight.

  “How the hell did they get near enough to bring in rafts?” Talen yelled.

  Janie peered clos
er, her nose pressed to the bulletproof glass. “We’re far enough away from headquarters that we wouldn’t have seen them.” Plus, the rafts were incredibly small—it was possible the vampire’s security measures wouldn’t have tracked them.

  The gun lay heavy in her hand, and she fought the urge to fire. Her gun was too small to reach a target this far up, and she might need the weapon upon landing.

  Dage punched a yellow button in the ceiling. “Load up.”

  Parachutes dropped from the roof. Janie reached for one, buttoning up with trembling fingers and getting ready to fly. The blood echoed as it roared between her ears. The vampires suited up.

  An explosion rocked the sky.

  Panic swept Janie’s mind clean. Who had been hit?

  Dage jerked his head around. “Shit. Jase? Come in.”

  God. It had been Uncle Jase. Emotion clogged Janie’s throat, and she pivoted to look out the window. Blazes of fire and smoke spiraled through the gathering rain. Jase’s craft spun, descending in slow motion toward the churning ocean.

  She squinted as hard as possible but failed to see through the debris and smoke. Were there bodies? Her breath held while she tried to make out yellow parachutes. Nothing but black smoke and billowing fire filled the sky.

  Her gaze took in the gray day and the other helicopters, and her throat closed.

  Talen ripped open his door and leaned out. A burst of cold air swirled inside. “Does anybody see Jase?” he yelled.

  “No.” Max kept firing down and nailed a raft. The rubber exploded, spraying salt water up. Several men fell over the side into the dangerous water, and the other two rafts maneuvered to fetch them.

  Max bellowed a warrior’s cry and aimed at the rescuers. Talen leaned out and added his firepower to Max’s.

  “Get us down to the water,” Talen ordered. “We need to find Jase and his squad.”

  Dage nodded. “Give me a minute. We’re still taking fire.” He glanced over his shoulder at Janie. “Get ready to shoot.”

  “Not a problem.” Janie took several calming breaths, but her heart still beat erratically against her breastbone.