Shadowed

by Rebecca Zanetti

  People scattered like cockroaches.

  He turned toward Brenna. “Get in the car.”

  She swallowed and yanked open the door to climb inside.

  Without looking at anybody, Jase stalked around and slid into the passenger side. “Drive.”

  Heated air blew out of Brenna’s chest. She started the ignition and drove carefully over icy roads toward Nine headquarters.

  Silence filled the car with a heaviness that made breathing difficult.

  Finally, Jase stretched his legs out. “Why are you getting marriage proposals and death threats regarding the winter solstice?”

  Nothing much got past the vampires. Brenna flipped on the windshield wipers. “You’re aware half the world thinks I’m a freak, right?” She kept her tone even, as if the truth didn’t still hurt just a little.

  “You’re not a freak.”

  “That’s not what I asked you.” She’d been coddled and protected by her family since birth and didn’t need any more. “You know.”

  “Yes.” He settled his bulk into the seat. “For your ridiculously superstitious people, a seventh sister of a seventh sister is always a powerful witch. Whenever in history there has been one born, that daughter is the last child born in the family.”

  “Exactly.” Brenna took a deep breath. “Moira is the seventh, and man, is she powerful. I’m the eighth sister of a seventh sister. An unheard-of anomaly.”

  Jase shook his head. “That’s all just so damn stupid.”

  “Maybe.” Hell yes, it was stupid. Except, well, odd things had happened since her birth, including economic decline, new cults, and more powerful atomic reactions. Physics itself had changed with her birth. “My seven older sisters all have red hair and green eyes. I have plain brown hair and weird gray eyes.” She shrugged. “It seems odd, even genetically.”

  “Genetics are genetics, and you know it. Do the protesters want you off the Council of the Coven Nine because you were appointed by Moira?”

  “No.” Brenna sighed. When Moira had beaten another witch for a council seat, she’d elected for Brenna to fill her spot so she could continue being a soldier. “There’s a book about prophecies, one that doesn’t exist as far as you know, that predicted my birth.”

  Jase glanced at her, eyebrows up. “Really?”

  “Yes, and it predicted the convergence of my birth, a comet, and the solstice. The day I was born, on a winter solstice, the Pagurus Comet came too close to the earth and messed with our atmosphere and tides on a molecular level. Witches were all sorts of screwed up for a couple of months. My people were helpless.”

  Jase leaned forward. “This is news.”

  She shrugged. “Yeah. The comet wasn’t close enough for anybody to spot, yet close enough to mess with us.”

  “So?”

  “The comet is coming back the night of the winter solstice, and supposedly will somehow affect me, infusing me with some sort of power from the universe. In four days.” She sighed. “I have a group that thinks I’m charmed and destined to be their queen of weirdoes. The other group wants me off the Nine and hopefully out of Ireland.”

  “So is it the comet or is it the winter solstice that’s supposed to affect you?”

  “It’s the conjunction of the two.” Brenna swept hair away from her face. “The winter solstice is always a time we gain power, but all witches gain it, and it’s just a temporary enhancement. The comet messes with everyone’s skills, and supposedly, I gain power somehow because I’m the only eighth sister born of a seventh witch sister ever, much less last time the comet was here. I’m such a wacko.”

  Jase snorted. “You’re not a wacko. Do you know anything more than the comet will somehow give you power?”

  “Nope. The legend is rather vague and unsettling.”

  “Okay. For now, maybe we should set the two groups up to duke it out,” Jase said.

  “The CRAP group will kill the Warriors.” She bit her lip as she pulled into the parking lot outside the Nine’s aboveground headquarters. “Though it would be funny.”

  Jase uncoiled from the vehicle and reached her door before she could open it. Helping her out, he tucked her hand at his arm. “How dangerous are these goofballs?”

  A silly flutter spread through her abdomen from his touch. “I don’t really know.”

  As they reached the wide glass doors, they opened, and Deb rushed out. She gasped for air. “Just had to warn you.”

  Jase frowned. “About what?”

  Deb held up a hand as she regained her breath. “Everyone is waiting in the large conference room.”

  “Why?” Tingles of dread spread down Brenna’s spine.

  “To negotiate the terms.” Deb tightened her coat and sidled toward her vehicle.

  “What terms?” Brenna asked as Jase grabbed the door before it could close.

  Deb gave a sympathetic grimace over her shoulder. “Your mating, of course.”

  Chapter 3

  Brenna shook off the feeling of walking into a principal’s office. Her aunt Viv, her sister Moira, and two witch lawyers sat on one side of a long conference table. Kane Kayrs and Conn Kayrs sat on the other side. Opposite ends of the table held empty chairs. Viv motioned Brenna toward one.

  “No.” Jase took her hand in his warm one, grabbed an extra chair lined by the door, and dragged it over to where he was apparently supposed to sit. “We sit together.”

  His palm warmed hers right along with her heart.

  She sat, her gaze on her sister. “Moira? When did you get home?”

  Moira’s green eyes flashed. Her rioting red hair curled around her shoulders. “We jumped on a plane the second we heard about this crazy scheme. You are not mating for business reasons.”

  Conn, Moira’s mate and Jase’s brother, nodded. “I agree.”

  Even sitting on opposing sides of a table, the pair was united. A pang nicked Brenna’s heart. She’d probably never have that sense of belonging. “I’m dying, Moira.”

  Moira paled. “You’re not.”

  “She is,” Kane said quietly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve examined her medical records. There’s no cure to the internal poisoning from planekite, and she’s declining quickly.”

  Brenna took a deep breath. “To be honest, I may have waited too long.” She needed her sister to be prepared. “Even mating a vampire as powerful as Jase might not save me. I’m so sorry.”

  Blue mist smoldered along Moira’s arms—proof the witch was agitated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought our doctors would find a cure, and I’m tired of everyone being worried about me.” Damn, Brenna missed being able to make fire and plasma balls. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “There was nothing you could do.”

  “She’s right,” Kane said. “Her doctors have tried methods I’ve never heard of—probably because you witches are so secretive.” Only fact existed in the brilliant vampire’s tone. No judgment.

  Moira shifted in her seat. “What’s up with the eyeglasses?”

  “I can’t see,” Brenna said. Just saying the words hurt. Even ancient witches retained perfect eyesight.

  “Oh.” Concern bracketed Moira’s mouth. “Jase? Why are you agreeing to mate?”

  His chin slowly lifted. “Besides the fact that Brenna is beautiful, smart, and sexy as hell?”

  Heat slid through Brenna stronger than her uncle Paddy’s homemade liquor. As the plain one in the family, nobody ever called her sexy.

  “Yes.” Moira’s shoulders went back. “You’ve been avoiding all of us since you returned home, training constantly, all but consumed with the need to go and fight. Yet now you’re willing to take a mate?”

  “Yes,” Jase said.

  Silence pounded around the room. Apparently the vampire wasn’t willing to expand on the subject.

  “No,” Moira finally said.

  Brenna leaned forward. “My mind is made up, and I’ve agreed. So we’re finished here.” She moved to stand.

  Viv waved
her back into her seat. “I agree. But now we need to negotiate.”

  Brenna slowly regained her seat. “How so?”

  “Well, our treaty with the vampires is tenuous at best. This will cement it.” Viv nodded toward two male lawyers on her side of the table.

  “Wait.” Brenna eyed Moira, who sat with her arms crossed. Their discussion was in no way over. “When Moira and Conn mated, we created a treaty, right?”

  Kane cleared his throat. “Ah, kind of. Basically, after their, ah, accidental mating one night, that treaty prohibited Conn from contacting Moira for a century in order to prevent war. That’s all. No future promises or obligations were created.”

  Conn flashed Moira a grin. “A whole lot of promises and obligations were created, if you ask me.”

  “Nobody asked you.” Moira smiled back.

  “I see.” Brenna counted the distance from her chair to the door. They all knew that mating meant crazy, vampire monkey sex, right? How in the world did they plan to negotiate that one?

  One of Viv’s lawyers—Brenna could never remember the guy’s name—shoved a stack of papers toward Kane. “This covers all contingencies,” the lawyer said, yanking on his Burberry tie and flushing.

  Interesting. The natural power vibrating around vampires often made witches uneasy. Brenna glanced at Jase. While he made her uneasy, it wasn’t in exactly in a witch-type way. More like a female one.

  Kane pressed his stack toward Viv. He then scanned the first page and reached for a marker to cross out several lines. “We agree to join our forces with yours to combat both demon and Kurjan attacks—but we will not follow your armies. We’ll bring our own.”

  Viv nodded. “Fair enough.” She took a pen from her lawyer and added words to Kane’s document. “We’ll agree to share all scientific knowledge gleaned regarding genetic diseases and/or viruses that affect witches and vampire mates, but we will not agree to share knowledge gained regarding quantum physics or string theory.”

  “Then neither will we,” Kane said. He flipped his top page and frowned as he read out loud. “Any such mating will occur within the next week, and thus this document becomes final.” He lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Brenna and Jase. “You two okay with that?”

  Brenna’s mind spun. They expected her to sit quietly during such a discussion? She lifted her chin. “My lady parts will be available for said mating during the next two weeks.”

  Jase barked out a laugh. “As will, ah, my gentlemanly parts.”

  Heat climbed into Brenna’s face. “I believe we have an agreement.”

  “Wait. You should demand multiple orgasms,” Jase said.

  Brenna coughed. “Excellent point. I so demand.” Her shoulders started shaking as she tried to hold in laughter.

  Jase chuckled, sounding much more like the man she used to know.

  Viv’s eyebrows slanted down, and she pursed her lips. Conn looked at them like they were crazy.

  Brenna bit her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

  Kane frowned. “Okay.” He read further and then crossed out several lines. “Any child born will be a vampire, and we will train him.”

  “A vampire-witch,” Viv said. “We want equal time with any children to train them in our ways.”

  Jase tapped his hand on the table and lost his smile. “My sons are not included in the document.”

  Brenna started. Wow. She hadn’t thought about kids. If they had children, they’d be male. Vampires only made males with their mates, and the whole turning somebody into a vampire by biting them was just fiction. “There’s a good chance I’ve sustained enough internal damage that I’ll never have kids.” The idea cut a path of pain through her body. But Jase needed to know the truth before signing.

  He slid his hand over hers. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Conn narrowed his gaze. “Jase is planning to fight demons and go out with a glorious fire. I don’t think he’s planning to be around long enough to procreate.” Pure, pissed-off male echoed in Conn’s tone. Along with concern.

  Viv swallowed. “In that case, why don’t we turn to the last page and discuss what happens if either party passes on?”

  Brenna glanced toward Jase’s hard profile. He hadn’t denied his brother’s statement.

  Damn. She’d truly be alone again.

  Well, if she didn’t die first.

  The rhythmic clomp clomp of Jase’s boots kept time with his beating thoughts as he jogged. Was he making a mistake? By mating sweet Brenna, he was quite possibly keeping her from ever mating again. From ever finding love.

  Love existed for some people.

  Vampires and their mates only got one mating . . . for eternity. Shouldn’t Brenna have a chance at the real thing?

  He ran full-bore across the bridge, sending snow spraying. The storm continued to blast him with ice and snow. He ignored the pain and ran until his lungs compressed. Even then, he pushed on.

  After sitting inside and listening to Kane negotiate his duties, Jase had all but leapt out the window for the outdoors. Even now, five years after being freed from an underground hell, the walls still closed in on him if he was inside for too long. He’d never again venture underground.

  Brenna’s humor during the negotiations had caught him off guard. His laugh had been genuine.

  A real laugh.

  He frowned and increased his pace. Tree boughs extended over the quiet street, dripping with icicles. Beautiful and deadly.

  Brenna was beautiful and delicate. Her pretty gray eyes held both humor and kindness. While her illness had thinned her, very pleasing curves filled out her business suits. His groin tightened.

  His gut ached.

  He hadn’t been with a woman since before he’d been taken. Before, he’d been with a lot of them. But now, damaged and so damn angry, he didn’t trust himself.

  How would he keep Brenna safe? He wanted her—more than he’d hoped. More than he could control.

  A buzz alerted him, and he tapped his ear communicator. “What?”

  “Brenna just headed home,” Kane said. “You wanted me to inform you, right?”

  “Right.” Jase pivoted to head toward the Liffey.

  Kane cleared his throat. “I know you both signed the contract, but I don’t think that tonight, I mean—”

  “Jesus, Kane. I just want to talk to her.” When the hell would his brothers stop tiptoeing around him? Sometimes Jase felt like he was still lost, and they were all still searching for him.

  “Oh. Okay,” Kane said.

  Jase closed his eyes and kept running, tuning in his other senses to guide him. Just in case the demons blinded him someday. “Why don’t you go home to your mate?”

  “I will. Soon,” Kane muttered. “Amber staged a protest against some cosmetic company in Portland yesterday.”

  Jase snorted. “I bet she’s running Dage ragged while you’re out of town.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt. Be careful, Jase.” Kane disconnected the call.

  Careful with what? Brenna? Or his plans to destroy the demon nation? The scent of winter, salt, and spruce filled Jase’s nose, and he opened his eyes. While he hadn’t broadcasted his intent, his brothers knew him. Or at least they used to know him.

  Now he didn’t even know himself.

  He reached the outside of Brenna’s apartment building within a few minutes. Tall and elegant, the structure housed three penthouses on the top floor. One belonged to Brenna, one to Moira, and the third to their cousins, three male enforcers. Somehow Brenna had talked one of the enforcers into selling her his place for an excellent price when she’d taken the seat on the Nine. Or so Moira had informed Jase.

  Ice crackled beneath his heavy boots when he slowed to a stop. Twisting his torso, he stretched aching muscles. The hour of inverted push-ups before the three-hour run had strained his biceps more than he’d liked.

  The hair on the back of his neck rose. He lifted his head, searching the nearly empty street. Nothing moved. Narrowing his ey
es, he loped across the road to reach the gaping mouth of the parking garage. The slope headed underground.

  His heart seized and then bolted into a faster pace than when he’d run. Even the thought of being underground made his head spin. Besides, something was down there.

  Sweat broke out on his brow to be instantly chilled by a freezing wind.

  A rumble echoed in the distance. Brenna’s red compact zoomed into view.

  Vertigo caught Jase by surprise as the world began to swirl around him. Trees, falling snow, the top of the building, all seemed to roll like a drunken tornado. But he couldn’t let Brenna drive into the structure. Every instinct he had bellowed for him to stop her. He stepped to the middle of the entryway.

  Brenna’s brakes engaged with a squeal, and her car skidded several feet to stop. The metal impacted his shins with pain, but not hard enough to knock him down.

  She lurched forward, her eyes wide on his through the icy windshield. A crease formed between her brows, and she jumped out of the car. “What in the hell—”

  Long strides propelled him around the vehicle to grab her arm. “I don’t know. Something—”

  A beaten-up black van rolled around the north end of the street. Seconds later, another van blocked the south.

  Jase swallowed. Inside him, ever-present anger bubbled closer to the surface. He searched for an escape. An engine ignited inside the garage, and a box van cut across the entrance, blocking the entryway.

  “We’re surrounded,” Brenna whispered, her body stiffening.

  “Yes.” Jase pressed her closer to the vehicle to better block her from all three waiting vehicles. “How strong are you?”

  “Huh?” she asked.

  “Since taking my blood. Can you fight?” How many people might be in the vans? If he locked Brenna in the car, would he have time to take them all out before somebody could get to her?

  Her arm trembled. “I felt a little stronger for about an hour, but that’s it. My strength is . . . subpar.”

  The angst in her voice cut through him. “Your own body has poisoned you from the inside for a decade, Bren. Anybody would have lost strength.” Damn it. He’d probably scare the shit out of her if he went all psycho to defend her. He eyed the van blocking the garage. The front window had been tinted so darkly he couldn’t see past it. A thought paused him. Were these witches or demons? Maybe they were there for him.