Marked (3 page)

An abandoned gold mine and adjacent ghost town comprised the demon temporary headquarters in a lost section of Idaho. Near enough to the peace talk site to make travel convenient, but far enough away to allow for a decent getaway if necessary, the lonely ghost town hinted of lives lost and fortunes wasted.

In the madam’s office of a refurbished whorehouse, Zane accepted the full punch to the jaw from his uncle, allowing his head to jerk back before slowly turning to face Suri. The hit pissed him off less than the futile eight hours underground at the so-called peace talks. Thank God the first day was over. “Was that supposed to hurt?” he asked. They stood eye-to-eye, and there was no doubt Zane cut a harder warrior now. The last few years warring in hellish conditions had guaranteed his fighting condition.

Being an assassin tended to rip the soul from a man.

Suri hissed out. “How dare you?”

“What?” Zane lifted a shoulder and sauntered across the room to drop onto a bright pink settee. The furniture groaned under his bulk. Odd that Suri had kept the feminine piece. “I improvised.”

“Improvised?” Moonlight glinted through the window to illuminate Suri’s eyes a pissed black. “
Janie Kayrs is mine
?”

“Janet Isabella Kayrs is mine.” Zane stretched and ignored the pounding pain in his jaw from the punch. “Using her full name had more impact, I think.” Plus, the words rang true. He knew her; she had decided she’d sacrifice herself to the Kurjans years ago. Even so, he was surprised she thought he’d allow it. She had set her destiny the first time she had invaded his dreams; she should’ve stayed out if she’d wanted to choose her own path.

While his own future remained uncertain, he couldn’t go out knowing Janie had sacrificed herself. He owed her more than that—just for being his friend.

Suri growled and swept an antique desk clean of a myriad of maps and papers. Three Degoller Stars fell to the floor, their deadly sharp points glinting. “Putting aside the fact that you acted independently and without orders, what in the hell was your purpose in making that claim?”

Zane kept his expression calm. “I meant what I said. Janie is mine.” Even if he never truly claimed her, she wouldn’t belong to the Kurjans. No doubt he’d die soon, but he’d ensure her safety first.

Suri’s upper lip curled. “I thought I’d beaten the vampire out of you.”

“You certainly gave it a try.” Every hit Zane had taken had protected his two younger brothers, and it had been fucking worth the bloodshed. “Each prophet, oracle, and seer in the world has decreed that Janie’s twenty-fifth year is crucial, and her powers will be known. She’s twenty-five. If we give access to her to the Kurjans, Kalin will force her to mate with him. The Kurjans can’t have her, and the vampires have no clue what to do with her. I do.”

“Oh, you do?” Suri snarled, his broad face contorting. “She needs to die.”

The simple words punched Zane in the gut. “No. We need her powers, her gifts, whatever they turn out to be. If I mate her, I’ll get those gifts.” He had no intention of binding Janie to him for a lonely eternity, but he needed to keep Suri off balance. Zane eyed his watch as he bluffed. His brother should be checking in any minute, and he needed to get away from Suri.

Suri picked up the Degoller Stars and leaned back against the desk. “My prophets have declared in no uncertain terms that the Kayrs woman will destroy the demon nation if she lives. She will die, and you will obey orders. Don’t ever forget I own you. One phone call, and your brothers die in battle, or your mother disappears.”

Anger slowly burned down Zane’s spine. “My mother? You mean
your sister.
You’d end her so easily?”

“Yes.” Suri lowered his chin, the medals on his chest proving his prowess in battle. The guy was a master in hand-to-hand and had never lost a fight. Most brutal bastards who enjoyed inflicting pain won every damn time. “She betrayed me when she mated a vampire and is lucky I didn’t kill her when she came crawling back.”

Zane slowly stood. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked to ensure her safety.” God. The things he’d done in battle, in the name of war, just to keep his family safe would plague him for eternity.

“Yes.” Satisfaction coated Suri’s deep tone. “Keep that in mind.”

Zane bit back a growl and gestured toward the devastating Degoller Stars. If thrown correctly, the weapon neatly sliced off an immortal’s head, leaving no chance of survival. All immortal races on earth had reached a rare agreement to refrain from using them. “Those are banned by treaty, and you know it.”

Suri glanced down. “We’re at war . . . and treaties be damned.” He shook his head. “After the talks tomorrow, we need to take the Arias book. Make it happen.”

Zane lifted an eyebrow. “Everyone agreed to keep the book on that rock ledge for the duration of the talks.” Though he could see how badly Janie had wanted to take the bound volume home. Her hands had actually shaken when she’d returned it to the ledge.

Suri shook his head. “I don’t care. Get the book.”

“Why?” What the hell was it about the ancient text?

“The book has prophesies beyond our oracles, and it has details about our enemies we need, and information about us we must hide.” A knock sounded on the hand-carved oak door. “Enter.”

Nikolaj Veis, Suri’s head strategist, walked in. His gray eyes sizzled, and his white-blond hair had been ruffled. Harsh lines cut grooves into the sides of his generous mouth, proof of the difficult exile he’d endured the last decade when Suri had sent him to the Arctic to fight after he’d plotted strategy regarding land holdings with a beautiful witch. Suri had required Nick’s help with the peace talks and had finally ordered him home. He’d only been back in civilization for a week. “We need to talk.”

Suri nodded. “Zane and I are finished.”

The hair on the back of Zane’s neck rose from the tension now vibrating through the room. What were the two demons planning?

Nick eyed him. “How did the talks go?”

Zane strode toward the door. “Just peachy,” he muttered. Then he paused. An odd vibration shivered through him. He pivoted just in time to catch a view of a red laser beam sliding toward Suri’s neck. “Duck,” he bellowed, leaping across the room and pummeling Suri to the floor. The entire wall exploded over their heads.

Without missing a beat, Zane turned and jumped through the window, falling two stories to the muddy street. He landed on his feet, crouched, and let the demon in him free.

The night narrowed in scope to heartbeats and unfamiliar scents. He ran through the town, quicker than any vampire, faster than most shifters. A heartbeat echoed in the distance, and the smell of an unfamiliar oil coating a weapon flared his nostrils. His
prey.

His boots made no sound as he scaled rocks, bending against the wind, single-minded in his focus. Sights and sounds exploded in a myriad of colors, in a million individual scents. As he reached the top of the nearest hill, he paused to listen. The guy was good. Only the tiniest sound wisped through the night as the other soldier jogged down the mountain, probably heading for transport.

Zane sniffed the air. Shifter. Wolf shifter. Interesting.

He ducked his head and forged on, dodging tree limbs and branches with an instinct he’d learned to accept. Sliding around a tree, he lunged for the would-be assassin and took him down. They skidded across mud, and Zane flipped him over, straddling the wolf. “Who are you?” Zane asked, sliding his knife from his boot.

The man’s eyes widened. “The Ghost,” he whispered.

“You’ve heard of me.” Zane pressed the razor-sharp blade against the wolf’s carotid artery, shoving any humanity he might have once had to hell. “Answer my question.”

The shifter blinked. “You’re, ah,
real
.” The stench of fear clogged the oxygen molecules around them.

“Yes.” He’d earned the nickname fighting across the globe because of his uncanny ability to reach an enemy, to kill, without warning. “Who are you working for?” Slowly, Zane sliced into rough skin. “I won’t ask again.”

The guy’s eyes widened. “The Baltic Consortium. It’s just a mission.”

Zane nodded. He’d figured the loosely organized shifter organization in the Baltics would make a move at some point. Suri had been laying siege to the Baltic States for the last century. The mines there were rich in minerals, and war took money. “You failed,” Zane said, shoving the knife in just as the wolf tried to shift.

A cacophony of boot steps pounded behind them.

Then Zane twisted the knife, slicing through cartilage, bone, and thick muscle. The wolf’s head rolled a foot away.

Zane wiped his blade off on the guy’s shirt and stood, turning to find Nick and two soldiers standing near.

The first soldier coughed. “Jesus. You cut off that guy’s head like it was made of butter.”

The other soldier nodded, his gaze wide on Zane. He appeared as if he’d like to cross himself but didn’t dare.

Nick raised an eyebrow, his gaze inscrutable. “Wolf shifter?”

“Yes. Baltic Consortium.” Zane slipped his knife back home, his gut rebelling at saving Suri’s life. But Suri most certainly had orders in place to have Zane’s mother killed if Suri died, so Suri couldn’t die. Yet.

Zane pushed past the men, ignoring it when the two demon soldiers stepped hastily out of his path. “Have them dispose of the body,” he told Nick. Without waiting for a response, he jogged down the hillside.

Even so, he didn’t miss the second soldier’s rough question, “What the hell is he?”

Zane exhaled. He was a demon, vampire, shifter mix . . . but that wasn’t all. Even he didn’t truly understand the beast deep inside him resulting from those dangerous unions. What was he?

A purebred killer. Plain and simple.

 

Zane shrugged off his reaction to the killing, to who he really was, and plastered on his soldier persona. Things were going south and fast. He reached the whorehouse and hurried up two flights of just repaired stairs to a room on the top floor with a spectacular view of the mountains. Dragging his cell phone from his pocket, he dialed his brother.

Sam came into view on the screen. “How did the peace talks go?”

Zane paused. A gash marred his younger brother’s forehead, and mottled bruises covered his face. Dirt and grime were embedded in the wound. “Holy hell. What happened to you?”

“Big fight in Iceland where a bunch of werewolves jumped in. Fucking hate werewolves,” Sam muttered. “Did you get anywhere in the negotiations?”

“No. We go back tomorrow.” Zane paused and glanced around. His uncle would be watching him, and ears were everywhere. “Are you prepared?”

Sam sat up, green eyes sparking. “Yes.”

“Good.” Enough said.

“How did it go? Did the king react to your being half-demon?” Sam asked.

“No.” In fact, the king had appeared bored the entire day. Impressive effort to remain unaffected, actually. Zane’s gut rolled. “Don’t worry about me—you need to find Logan before all hell breaks loose.”

“I know.” Sam wiped a grimy hand over his brow. “I have feelers out everywhere, but I don’t have a location yet. There’s no way to get word to him.”

Zane swallowed. Their youngest brother Logan was only in his early twenties and shouldn’t be fighting alone. “My guess is Suri sent Logan to deal with the African shifter uprising.” A group of African shifters was trying to force all demons, vampires, and witches out of southern Africa, and the fighting had reached a brutal level. By keeping Logan so far away, Suri held a deadly trump card over Zane. “Suri won’t tell me where he is, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

Sam frowned. “Be careful. Suri’s twitchy with peace near, and he’s gonna want to get rid of you at some point. You’re too much of a threat to his rule.”

Zane had already figured that one out, although nothing in him wanted to rule the demon nation. Ever. Once he took care of Suri, he’d be a dead man, anyway. “For now, I’m useful because of my ties to the Kayrs family. Janie and I have spoken for years, and I saved Garrett Kayrs from the Kurjans a while back.”

“The Kayrs family probably wants your head on a mantel about now,” Sam drawled, the concern in his eyes contrasting with his low tone.

Zane nodded, keeping his face stoic. Sometimes in life there wasn’t any choice. “Not sure I blame them.”

“They’re all about family and should understand that we are, too. Even when it fucks up our lives royally.” Sam scratched his chin. “For now, keep on your toes. The second you’re no longer useful, Suri is going to have you killed.”

Zane was more worried about his brothers. “I’ll have a contingency plan in place for Mom, just in case.” At the very least, he’d be able to get their mother to safety.

Sam shook his head, his eyes blazing. “I need to get home to back you up. Now.”

Zane hardened his face into an expression he’d learned from his sadistic uncle. “No, you need to find Logan and get to safety. Period.”

“Zane—”

“Enough. You have your orders.” They couldn’t go into details on the phone. “Wait for my signal.” He clicked off.

Lead weights seemed to hold down his shoulders. A clock ticked over his head, and he truly had no clue how to protect the people he loved.
All of them.
But as the moon glared over the snowcapped mountains, he continued to plan.

He’d have just one shot, and if he failed, all was lost.

Janie Kayrs eyed the three full shot glasses lined up at the bar. A tumultuous Oregon storm raged outside, throwing up whitecaps from the turbulent ocean, but the entertainment room behind her remained quiet and empty. She lifted a glass and tossed down two fingers of tequila.

The liquid burned her throat, and she sputtered, taking a deep breath.

“I’ve found tequila doesn’t fix much.” Cara Paulsen sauntered into the room, her voice clear and concerned.

Janie turned to see her mother skirt the pool table to sit on the adjoining bar stool. Cara’s blue eyes were clouded, her face pale. Smudges of dirt marred her sweater and jeans. “You’ve been in the lab?” Janie asked.

Her mom nodded. “Yes. I was working on genetic mutations of some African plants that might have healing properties for Virus-27.”

Janie took a deep breath, her face heating. Feeling sorry for herself was stupid, especially since her mother was fighting a deadly virus and apparently losing, if her pale skin provided any indication. “Any luck?”

“No.” Cara eyed the alcohol and grabbed a glass. “What the hell.” She tipped back her head and swallowed, coughing immediately.

Janie smiled and patted Cara on the back. How odd that they now appeared to be about the same age. “You just said alcohol doesn’t help.”

Cara set down the empty glass. “True, although it does numb things a little.” She pushed Janie’s hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry about Zane. A demon? I truly would’ve never guessed it, although it does make an odd sort of sense, considering we’ve never been able to find him.”

Janie nodded, the lead ball in her stomach heavy. “I just can’t figure out why I’ve never had an inkling about Zane. So many psychic visions have flashed through my head for years, and not once did I see the truth.” Maybe she hadn’t wanted to see the truth? Hurt cut through her chest. “How could he not tell me?”

“I don’t know.” Cara slid one arm around Janie’s shoulders for a hug. “But I can’t imagine it was easy for him to leave the vampire encampment as a child and go live with Suri. Suri is such an ass.”

Janie leaned into her mother’s strength and shut her eyes. “I know, but I can’t afford to see Zane’s side in this. Not right now with everything so up in the air.”

Cara kissed her forehead. “Maybe you’ll have to see Zane’s side.”

“I just, I don’t know. Feel like I’ve lost something.” The reality failed to make sense, and she struggled to relax as she straightened on the stool.

“You have.” Cara tapped on the remaining tequila shot. “Zane has always been your soft place to land in this crazy world we forced you into. Turns out he’s not so soft.”

Janie blinked. “I love this world.”

“I know.” Cara’s voice softened. “Do you ever think about what you gave up? A normal childhood, schooling, vacationing with friends?”

Yes, but then she felt guilty. “No. I need this family we’ve built.” Hell. She
owed
the family. Everything.

Cara chuckled. “It’s all right to regret what you missed and even be angry at this pressure cooker of a destiny you’ve been slammed over the head with. You didn’t get a normal childhood, and it looks like your adulthood isn’t going to be much different. That’s what you feel you lost.”

Janie bit her lip. True. She’d spun dreams about her and Zane ending the war and having a happily-ever-after that included kids, trips to Disneyworld, and even the PTA. “God. I’ve been so stupid.”

“No.” Cara patted her hand. “Not stupid. Your path isn’t an easy one, sweetheart. But it might just end up being spectacular.” She turned brilliant blue eyes on her daughter. “You have to fight for what you want, and I know you’ll win. Every damn time.”

Warmth flushed through Janie. Now she just had to figure out what she wanted and how to fight for it. Did she even know Zane enough to factor him into the equation? “I love you, Mom.”

“Love you more.”

Heavy boot steps echoed down the hallway, and they both turned as Talen stalked into the room.

He lifted one dark eyebrow over a golden eye. “You two drinking?”

“Yes.” Cara tilted her head toward the remaining glass. “Want one?”

“No.” He frowned and strode closer, his gaze on his wife’s face. The massive vampire loomed over them, in an awesome shelter of protectiveness. One Janie had always counted on. “Headache?” he asked.

Janie blinked and turned toward her mother. No wonder Cara was so pale. “I’m not sure alcohol is a good numbing agent for headaches,” she said slowly.

“No, but this is.” Talen wiped two knuckles across Cara’s forehead, smiling when she leaned into his touch.

Cara moved back, her eyes clearing. “Now you have the headache.”

Talen shrugged. “It’ll go away within seconds. Besides, you know I can’t stand to see you hurting.”

Janie’s heart warmed. Her dad could be half-dead, and he’d still try to take their pains away. She’d always thought it very cool that vampires could take most illnesses or aches from their mates. Unfortunately, Virus-27 seemed impervious to the vampires’ talents and refused to be unwound from mates. Her dad would definitely get rid of the virus if he could. She shook herself into the present. “Any news on the peace talks?”

Talen sighed and shoved a large hand through his dark hair. “Just the same. We go back tomorrow to fight some more.”

“Fighting for peace?” Cara shook her head. “Was anything accomplished today?”

Talen lifted a muscled shoulder. “We all gave our demands after the demons dropped the bomb about Zane.”

Janie rubbed her eyes as the alcohol started to slow the blood pumping in her veins. “Why wouldn’t he have told me?” She lifted her head.

Talen grimaced. “It’s irrelevant at this point. I’m sorry, but there can be no more contact with Zane, and you know it. Whatever they’re planning is now in motion.”

Cara slipped off the stool. “Do you think the demons are against peace?”

“Yes.” Talen tangled his fingers with hers. “Let’s grab something to eat. You hungry, Jane?”

“No.” She’d probably never be hungry again with this stone in her stomach. “You two go ahead. I need to think.”

Talen leaned in and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Make sure you eat something today.”

Janie nodded, wanting nothing more than to dive into his arms and have him fix the world for her like he’d done when she was young. Even now, as an adult, she knew Talen Kayrs to be invincible. But it was time to grow up and fix her own problems. “I just need a little time to think and will see you both later.”

Cara paused, her blue gaze taking in her daughter. Understanding lifted her top lip. “Don’t think too hard, and be careful.” She stressed the last with a knowing tilt of her chin and then allowed her husband to lead her from the room.

Janie watched them go, her head reeling. She’d never sleep if she didn’t at least talk to Zane and find out what was going on. Yeah, she was thinking with her heart and not her head. Silly woman. More than anything, she wanted him to tell her that she was right about him and that he cared for her. That they’d work together to save their peoples.

Realistically, she needed to find out his agenda. Friend or foe?

So, with a resigned sigh, she crossed the room and headed through the main lodge and outside into a drizzly day. Ducking her head against the rain, she hurried down the sidewalk to her home with its spectacular view of the ocean.

Once inside, she flipped on the fire and settled down at a pillow. Warmth surrounded her, and the fire’s crackle helped soothe raw nerves. She took in several deep breaths, exhaling slowly. The alcohol helped her to drop into a meditative state almost immediately.