Dark Protectors: Provoked Part 21

She sighed, opening, kissing him back. Need flushed along every nerve.

His other palm spread out over her abdomen, sending heat inside her skin.

Slowly, he straightened. A dark flush covered his cheekbones, raw need glimmered in his eyes. Tension emanated around him-from him. Turning his head, he glanced at the monitors, which beeped wildly. "You might want to reconsider that no.' "

There was no need to look at the machines. Her heart smacked hard against her ribs, and her breath came in small pants. "What do my brain waves show?" she whispered. d.a.m.n curiosity.

His smile warmed her entire body. "Brain waves match the rest of your readings." Sliding a hand around her neck, he helped her to a seated position. "Deep breaths. Good air in, bad air out. Slow the breathing, and you'll slow your heart rate." His hand swept down her arm in rea.s.surance.

The beeping got louder.

Kane chuckled, stepping away. "Okay. Deep breaths now."

Jacka.s.s. Closing her eyes, she drew air in her nose and forced her muscles to relax. Slowly, the beeping ebbed to normal. She opened her eyes, a slight headache making her wince.

"You ready to start?" Kane leaned against the far wall, strong arms crossed.

"Yes." Amber shot him a glare. The d.a.m.n scientist would probably compare her readings when she was aroused to the ones he was about to create. He just had to figure out everything. Of course, he'd pretty much figured her out, now, hadn't he? She hadn't even known herself very well. Yeah, he was a jacka.s.s.

He took a deep breath. "All right. I'm going to create a very light attack. You send the images right back at me."

Invisible fingers slowly glided against her brain. She s.h.i.+vered. Talk about the heebie-jeebies. An image began to form in her mind, and she gasped. The image was of her nude on the moonlit gra.s.s. "I am not sending that image back at you."

Charm filled his grin. "That's all right. I already have that image quite strongly in my head." Then he sobered. "Okay-here comes the ugly image."

A picture of a s.h.i.+ny black widow spider filled her mind. A yellow hourgla.s.s covered its dark back, and its long legs twitched along with antennae. Two smaller spiders crawled toward the first one. Amber wrinkled her nose. "I admit I hate spiders, but you're taking it easy on me."

"Not really. Now try to send the image back to me."

Nodding, Amber shut her eyes and drew a deep breath. Tightening her eyelids, she tried to hurl the image toward Kane.

Pain cut into her brain.

She cried out, both hands going to her head. "That so doesn't work," she gasped. Shaking her head, she centered herself and slid an imaginary warm blanket over the spiders. They disappeared.

Her eyes opened.

Kane still leaned against the wall, but a puzzled frown made his eyebrows almost meet in the middle. "Hmm." He moved forward to study the monitors. "Now that's just odd."

"Maybe I'm a s.h.i.+eld and not a sword." Yeah, that sounded a lot like her.

"Maybe," Kane mused, reaching for a stack of papers being spit out by a printer. He studied them before focusing back on her. "So you can't throw images back. Let's try pain."

Dull aches set up around her brain. Her shoulders stiffened, and she blinked several times. Then she softened, allowing the hurt to spread. Clasping her hands together for balance, she mentally shoved the aches toward Kane.

Instant agony stole her breath. Tears filled her eyes. "Ouch." The room swayed, and Kane's face seemed to stretch.

"Whoa," he murmured, reaching her and lying her down. The pain instantly retreated. "Okay. Apparently you're a s.h.i.+eld."

That wouldn't help anybody in battle. Well, unless she could help s.h.i.+eld him. Pressing a hand against her forehead, she took another deep breath. "I'm okay. Should we see if I can protect your mind?"

"We don't have anybody to attack my mind." He smoothed hair off her cheek, his palm rough. Very rough.

What in the world? She grabbed his hand, lifting her head to view the palm. Raised and dark, a beautiful Celtic knot wound around with a strong K in the middle. Her heart kicked into full gallop again. The machines started beeping like crazy. "Um. Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes. The Kayrs marking in all its intricate glory." Kane kept his gaze on her face. "The brand appeared after I met you. I think it happened during the first night we had s.e.x."

Warmth slammed through her. Calm. She'd stay calm. Swallowing, she forced her face into curious lines, an effort dampened by the still ringing machines. "Really? Does the marking's appearance mean anything?"

"Yes. I asked you to mate me, and the brand appeared. The marking appears because we want it to appear, and that's what happened."

Well, wasn't that a logical explanation? Her heart ached. The beeping slowed down around them. Weird. "I see."

"My offer still stands." No emotion showed on his face, and pure confidence lit his eyes. "We'd gain each other's powers if we mated." He sighed, his eyes softening. "I like you, Amber. A lot. We would make a good pair, and I'd give you a good life. For centuries."

The temptation to live forever warred with her need for love. Sure, she wanted immortality-who wouldn't? But maybe she could find another vampire, one who loved her. Though the hurt in her heart whispered that she'd already fallen for a vampire. A logical, cold, purely methodical scientist. A silly little part of her wondered if she could make him love her. Yeah, that wasn't how dumb girls got hurt-not ever. Geez. "Thank you for your very kind, very logical offer. But no."

He sighed. "I think mating would be the best course for us both. Please say you'll think about my offer."

Stubbornness lined his jaw. While his words were phrased as a question, the determined set of his head made her wonder. How far would Kane go for what he thought was the best course? How far would he go to save his brother? Amber licked her lips. "I'm not entering forever like I'm signing a contract to buy a car. Period."

"Okay." He gently began removing electrodes from her body.

Well, he didn't have to accept her refusal so easily. Sure, growing up without a father, she might have fantasized about love and what it'd be like to finally have a man in her life. "A lot of people have love. I've seen Emma and Dage-they're in love."

"I don't want to argue about love." Kane finished his task and reached for a notebook, scratching odd equations on a page.

Amber frowned. "What's that?"

"A combination of string theory, quantum physics, and neurobiology," Kane said absently.

The paper crinkled more when she fidgeted. Science had never made a lot of sense to her. "Oh. Have you studied all of that stuff?"

"Yes." He rubbed his chin, frowning at the paper before jotting down more equations. "I'm not sure how many doctorates I have-the diplomas may be in a drawer somewhere."

"Oh." She started to swing a leg back and forth. The guy probably wouldn't be very impressed with her GED-the one proudly displayed in her room on the farm. "So, what about Emma? I mean, does she know physics?"

Kane shrugged, his gaze never leaving his paper. "Maybe some. But her doctorate is in genetics, which has come in very handy. Well, it's also how the Kurjans found her, so maybe that fact hasn't worked in her favor. Then again, Dage saved her from the Kurjans, and things have worked out rather well for them. Her sister's degree is in plant physiology-she always likes to have real plants around."

So everyone had serious degrees-the PhD kind. Amber swallowed hard and jumped off the table. "Well, if we're done here, I'm going to check on my grandmother." She didn't wait to see if Kane gave her an absent nod or not. This place wasn't any different from anywhere else she'd ever been-she once again didn't fit in.

Darn geniuses.

Kane looked up and frowned when the door closed. Where the heck did Amber just go? He shook his head. Man, he hoped she hadn't been talking to him before she left. The readings on the printouts were fascinating. When he'd kissed her, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in her brain shut down, which was to be expected since it signified control. Satisfaction centered him-the woman had not been in control.

In addition, the amygdala in the brain had lit up, which, considering it dealt with emotions, also made sense. Yet when she tried to attack him with pain or bad images, the thalamus lit up. That area was known to deal with sensory information coming in . . . not going out. Now what in the world did that mean?

Janie slid open the door and glided inside. Her pretty face had gone so pale her lips appeared nearly blue. A much lighter blue than her eyes. "I was trying to meditate and had a vision of Jase. It was seriously dark, and I'm scared."

Settling his face into calm lines, Kane tossed the papers on the counter. "This isn't the place." Taking her hand, he opened the door and led her through several tunnels to his quarters. Once inside, he settled her in the one overstuffed chair and took the sofa for himself.

Serenity flowed through his small s.p.a.ce from the deep browns of the rug covering rock to the stunning pictures on the wall. He allowed peace to settle his shoulders. As much as he disliked feeling, he opened his senses as wide as he could. Sometimes he could get readings from a talented psychic. "Okay, sweetheart. Tell me what you saw."

Janie rubbed delicate hands down her faded jeans. "I saw Jase surrounded by brown rock that kept morphing into faces. The faces told him he was going to die."

The girl's fear slammed Kane right between the eyes. His heart kicked into gear, and heat ran along his skin. Taking several deep breaths, he drew enough of a s.h.i.+eld into place to block some of the fear. He needed to think, and feelings got in the way of thought. His mind cleared while his heart slowed down. "Tell me more about the faces."

"I didn't recognize the faces-they didn't seem real," Janie whispered. Her gaze dropped to her hands. "I felt him. He's . . . drifting away."

Chills cascaded down Kane's spine. "Jase is strong-he'll survive."

"Maybe." Doubt clouded her eyes when she looked up. "Mentally, he's almost done fighting. I could feel him letting go."

Kane leaned forward. "But you know he's alive. Jase is alive, and that gives us hope. We need hope, Janie." A stone lodged into Kane's gut. The world was cla.s.sically unfair to make this precious twenty-year-old child see and feel such despair. If he could take the feelings from her, or teach her to s.h.i.+eld herself from them, he'd do so in a heartbeat.

Janie reached out to hold his hands and closed her eyes. "Help me get it out of my head."

Kane scrutinized her pale face. "Deep breaths. One, two, three . . ." He counted to twenty and back down, helping center the girl into almost a hypnotic state. "Now, when you open your eyes, you'll feel refreshed and full of peace. Open your eyes, now."

Deep blue eyes flashed open, clear and calm. She smiled and released him. "Thanks, Uncle Kane." She stood and tugged her threadbare Snoopy s.h.i.+rt into place before stretching her back with a soft sigh. A quick peck on his cheek rea.s.sured him and he grinned. Graceful steps propelled her across the room to the door. "I'll talk to you later."

He frowned after her, his mind kicking awake. Janie usually wanted to chat after a meditating session and had never hustled off before. "How odd." With his own sigh, he tried to turn back to the papers, but his mind kept going to his niece.

What was that girl up to?

CHAPTER 20.

Janie hustled through the underground hallways, her mind calm and her body relaxed. She knew she could count on Uncle Kane to get her in the right state of mind. Oh, she'd been having the visions of Jase for some time now and hadn't thought sharing them would help anyone. But Kane liked to be in the know, so she'd been meaning to tell him anyway. She'd just waited for the right time.

Arriving at her quarters, she shoved open the door to an empty living room. A thick green couch and two matching seats faced a huge television mounted in the wall. A walkway to the left led to the kitchen, a hallway to the right to the bedrooms. Plants of all different kinds took residence on tables and furniture throughout the entire apartment. Her mother did love a nice jungle wherever she found herself living. Of course, so did Janie.

Gliding inside, she settled herself on a chair and crossed her legs, perching her hands on the armrests. Several deep breaths returned her to the hypnotic state Kane had just created for her.

Drawing deep, she threw herself out of reality.

Her feet padded on a rough trail while jungle surrounded the path. Thick leaves bigger than her father's hands swayed in the gentle breeze while birds twittered high above. Rain filtered down, but only in drips. Interesting that her imagination had created a jungle; she'd have to watch her thoughts before trying this again.

For years she'd created a dream world to meet friends, and now it was time to up the gift. Time to meet on her timeline.

A stick cracked behind her and she whirled around.

Zane Kyllwood stood on the trail, his stance set, his gaze sweeping the area. He wore dark jeans and a green T-s.h.i.+rt that matched his amazing eyes. In the two years since they'd seen each other, he'd grown even more, probably topping out at six-foot-six. His black hair had been cut short, and the scar leading from his forehead to his left ear had faded slightly.

Janie stilled to show she wasn't a threat. "We're the only people here."

He kept his hand on the knife handle protruding from a sheath strapped to his leg. "This feels different."

"It is." She spoke softly, trying to rea.s.sure him. "I'm awake. Well, kind of. I'm meditating."

"But I'm asleep." He c.o.c.ked his head to the side, prominent dark eyebrows emphasizing his rapidly narrowing eyes. His eyes were set deep, his cheekbones high, his jawline strong. "Explain."

For the first time, he truly looked like a warrior. In all the years they'd met in dreams, she'd known he'd grow up to fight. But she'd never seen him so distant-as if it weren't the two of them against the world anymore. Sure, with the six-year difference in their ages, he'd stopped visiting her while she was younger, but she was an adult now. There was no reason not to meet each other. Or was there?

She eyed him. "I've learned to meditate and thought if I tried hard enough, I'd be able to reach you this way."

"What else?" He released the knife handle.

"You saved my life once." She'd been in a coma four years ago and had sought out Zane, who'd given her blood in a dream and healed her. n.o.body else on earth could've done that. He had powers none of them could understand. "I'm not sure, but when you gave me blood, I think it connected us somehow."

He rubbed his head, his upper lip twisting. "I saved your life, and now you're using my blood against me? Really, Belle?"

The nickname didn't warm her like it used to. The first time they'd met, when they were just children, he'd determined that "Janet Isabella" was too grown up for her and decided to call her "Janie Belle." He'd shortened the nickname to "Belle" some time ago, and he used to say it with affection.

She shook her head. "No. I just wanted to see if it worked. There has to be a reason we've been connected for so many years, Zane. You know this war comes down to you, Kalin, and me." The outcome of the war might affect the entire planet.

Zane rubbed his short hair. "There's no way the three of us will work together-you know that. So, we're working separately. All of us."

The man just didn't understand. She studied him, her gaze going to the masculine lines of his neck. There was something about the cords along the sides of a tough guy's neck that had always intrigued her-Zane was no exception. Tingles set up in her stomach. "I always thought you and I would work together. Where are you?" Rather, who was he? But one question at a time.

He looked at her in silence.

Man, he'd changed. Years ago, he could pa.s.s as human. Not now. No way would a human mistake the obvious predator lurking beneath his smooth skin. Seconds ago the dark foliage had dominated the area-now he did. He went beyond handsome to dangerous in a frightening s.e.xual way. Worse yet, her body was responding to him in a new way.

Her breath caught, and fingers danced down her spine. She cleared her throat. "I asked you a question."

"I told you we couldn't meet again. I asked you to find another path and to stay out of the war as long as possible." The deep timbre of his voice failed to give her a clue as to where he was living.

"And I told you that was impossible. We need to work together."

He sighed. "I'm not with the Realm-I never have been."

"I know. Even when your daddy was alive, you were part of an isolated faction of vampires." A group of former a.s.sa.s.sins who caused the Realm no trouble but refused to belong. When his father had died, he'd moved to live with his mother's people. A people the king had never been able to identify. Chances were he was some type of s.h.i.+fter.

Surprise flashed across Zane's face. "You know who I am?"

She bit her lip in indecision. Could she fake him out? All she really knew was that he was half vampire. "Sure."

Two broad steps forward and he gripped her arms in an unbreakable hold. He lowered his head until his eyes pierced hers an inch away. "Oh yeah? Who am I, Belle?"

She swallowed. Even in the created world, heat cascaded off the man. But no smell. For years she'd wondered what he smelled like. Probably something masculine and strong. "You don't even know who you are, do you?"

Irritation flashed in those deep eyes, and his hold tightened. "Don't play games with me, sweetheart. You don't know me anymore."