Eternal Flame

Chapter 5

The bullet hit the middle of the handcuffs. It couldn’t break the Other proof metal, so the bullet ricocheted and blazed a path of fire down the side of Zane’s right thigh. Fuck.

Zane fell to the ground, dragging Jana down with him. He rolled, fast, putting his body on top of hers. Shield her. Keep her safe.

“Sonofabitch!” Not his scream, though it sure could have been.

He glanced up to see the cop charging him. “I just want her!” the guy yelled.

Why the hell was everyone after his bounty?

“He told me not to hurt you,” the cop threw out, the words directed at Jana as he strode forward and raised that gun. “But with him, deadly force is fine.”

The hell it was.

Jana trembled beneath him and her skin warmed. She was charging up, getting ready to unleash her fire on this jerk coming at her.

“We’re not armed!” he shouted at the cop. “Stand down!” What the hell was the guy thinking? And who was this “he” the cop was talking about? “I told you, I’m a hunter with Night Watch, you need to—”

The cop smiled and aimed that gun right at Zane’s head. His finger was already squeezing that trigger. Oh, screw this. Zane focused and sent a wave of power slamming into the cop. The trigger-happy jackass screamed and flew through the air. The gun fell from his hand just as he slammed into the front windshield of the patrol car. The cop didn’t get up.

Zane did. His fingers curled around Jana’s, and he pulled her up with him.

“Is he … dead?” she asked.

“No.” The guy would be starting to twitch a bit soon. Zane had knocked him out, not killed him. “Come on.” They weren’t going to stand around and wait for another bullet to come flying at them.

And if I killed a cop …

The paperwork would be a bitch.

They climbed onto the motorcycle. She wrapped her arm around him tightly. Blood dripped from his thigh. As they surged forward, he demanded, “Baby, why does everyone want a piece of you?”

Hell, he needed to get in touch with police Captain Antonio Young. Tony would have his back. He always did. Tony knew the score, and how to keep the peace.

Most days.

“I don’t know.” Her whisper came softly to his ears and only his enhanced hearing let him catch the words. But it didn’t take enhanced senses to know she was lying.

Fifteen more minutes until they were at Night Watch. Fifteen more minutes and he’d be there….

But a cop had just tried to kill him. A cop who hadn’t cared about his position as a bounty hunter with Night Watch.

He glanced in the side mirror. No sign of the patrol car following them. The road branched up ahead. One side would take him back to the city. The other would lead him down a longer, curving path that wound back to the swamp.

His hesitation lasted for only a few seconds. Then he headed toward the swamp.

“Zane?” Her hold on him tightened. The lady must have studied the area pretty well before coming to set up shop in the city. Figured. “Where are we going?”

He heard the faint hope in her words. Did she think he was going to let her go? Just walk away?

Let her.

His fingers clenched around the handlebars. “Got to make a phone call,” he growled back. His cell had burned in the flames, so he’d have to find another phone.

He’d planned to just drive back in to Night Watch, but now, no, now he was gonna check in first. Just to make sure there weren’t any more surprises waiting for him.

Surprises like a cop who’d been ready to blow his head off and steal his bounty.

Her hands were shaking. Jana balled her fingers into fists and stared at the faded walls of the gas station. Zane had stopped at the first phone booth he’d seen, one at a closed station that seemed to be falling into the swamp.

The windows of the booth were busted out. The phone book had long been snatched, but the phone, lucky for Zane—unlucky for me-still worked.

Now he was calling his boss. Probably arranging her pickup. And that was fine. She’d be better off once she was away from Zane.

But he’d covered her body with his. When that cop had been bearing down on them with that gun, Zane had protected her.

Freaking good-guy routine. Why’d he have to do that? Why’d he have to keep acting like she mattered?

A killer. That’s all she was to him. She needed to remember that. Hell, he probably would have jumped in front of any bounty that had been threatened. No matter what the crime, you had to protect the cash cow, right?

“Something’s wrong with this case,” Zane’s hard voice broke through her thoughts, and she knew he’d made contact with Night Watch. She glanced at him and saw that his brows were drawn low, and his jaw flexed with anger.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got her.” His gaze slashed up to meet hers. Hot. She swallowed. That green gaze seemed to burn with intensity.

And she did like the fire.

Jana licked her lips. His gaze dropped and lingered on her mouth.

“She’s not the problem.”

Uh, okay. Now her eyes narrowed.

“I’ve got her under control,” he said.

Oh, did he?

“It’s the assholes after her that I’m having trouble with. Shit, yeah, I know what happened to my ‘Vette-I was there.”

Jana almost winced. Okay. Sure, she’d been the one to torch his car, but there hadn’t been a lot of choice there. The car had already been smashed, anyway. Not like the thing had been in mint condition before her flames got to it.

“Some jokers came up and rammed us. Get this, they weren’t firing bullets. They used some kind of drugs instead.”

She really wished she had shifter hearing right then. She would have loved to hear what the person on the other end of the line said because Zane’s eyes flashed black for just the briefest of moments.

“No. I’m fine.” The green poured back and he stared at her. “Under control now.”

Was he talking about her again? Or himself? Jana pulled restlessly at the cuff. Her wrist was aching. She wanted that damn thing off. Wanted to be on the motorcycle, riding fast and free.

“A cop stopped us about fifteen minutes ago. He tried to shoot me. No, no, I’m not fucking kidding you. I identified myself, and he still took aim. He wanted Jana.”

Ah, so now she was “Jana” and not just his “bounty"? “That’s something,” she muttered.

“I took care of him.” His gaze sliced around the area. Probably searching to make sure the cop hadn’t found them. “But you need to talk to Antonio. Find out what’s going on.” A pause. “Right.”

Was the guy gonna talk all day? She exhaled and rubbed the back of her neck. A hot bath would be heaven. She had so many scrapes and bruises on her body. Hell, forget the bath, she’d even settle for a shower.

Maybe even a shower with Zane. Because one last wild ride, before her freedom was ripped away, oh, that was tempting.

She bet the man would look phenomenal wet, those muscles glistening …

“Do I want you to send out a retrieval team?”

His words had her heart racing and the gaze she’d accidentally dropped to his chest flew back up to his face. She couldn’t help it, Jana shook her head once. No. Better the demon you knew, right?

And if she knew those assholes after her, they’d trail any retrieval team. Zane would never make it back to Night Watch. Neither would she.

The handcuffs were keeping them together and, though Zane didn’t realize it, those cuffs were the only thing that had kept him alive so far.

His eyes tightened just a bit at the corners. “No, I’ll bring her in. We’ll be there within the hour.”

Then the call was over. He hung up the phone with a soft click of sound.

“You want to tell me why that cop was after you?” He stepped closer to her, his body brushing against hers.

“You’re in over your head,” was what she told him. “Haven’t you realized, things aren’t what they seem?”

“Things are never what they seem.” He let the glamour vanish from his eyes so that she could see him as he really was. All that darkness. The back of his left hand brushed her cheek. “Did you really start those fires in New Orleans? Did you kill those two humans?”

Ah, the humans. Humans equaled innocents, right? She stood on her tiptoes and let her mouth come close to his. She wanted his lips. Wanted his tongue.

So she’d take them.

Jana pressed her mouth against his. Her tongue snaked inside the crease of his lips, pushed inside to slide against his.

A rumble built in his throat. And then his hands were on her, the cuffs pulling her hand back as he curled his fingers around her waist. His hips rocked against her, and the long, hard heat of his arousal was more than obvious.

Take the pleasure. Enjoy the rush. Deal with the hell that comes later.

Oh, so tempting.

She opened her mouth wider, loving the thrust of his tongue. Wishing his cock was driving into her sex the same way.

His mouth hardened on hers as the need burned between them. Her legs shifted restlessly against him as the lust pumped through her. Her panties were getting wet. He wasn’t the man she should want. He wasn’t safe. But …

He was strong. Sexy.

And she’d touched his wild side once.

Zane’s mouth tore from hers, and Jana could have howled in frustration. “Did you do it?” The words were so deep that she almost couldn’t understand him.

Jana swiped her tongue over her lips and tasted him.

Zane’s cheeks were flushed. “Did you do it?”

Then she realized what he was asking. The building in New Orleans. The humans. The fire. She smiled at him and, still on her toes, she came in close and licked his upper lip.

His body tensed. Rock hard.

The two of them together-it would have been a fantastic ride. Her lashes lifted, and she gazed up into his eyes. “Yes, I burned them.” She let her smile widen. “I burned that pit to the ground, and I didn’t care that they were inside.” She’d actually made certain they were inside.

Sometimes, she was a stickler for details like that.

Because she knew Zane was going to turn her in, she went for broke. She whispered the secret she’d kept. “I could hear them screaming. The fire killed them, not the smoke.” They hadn’t died easily.

Pain for pain. The bastards had deserved to suffer. But would Zane believe her if she told him that? No one had ever believed her before.

Not her mother.

Not the doctors.

Not her lovers.

Why should he be any different? Hell, his job was to take her down. He’d read her bio. Seen everything she’d done.

Maybe that’s why she wanted him. He knew everything. Knew the hell she’d brought, and he still touched her. Still kissed her with passion and lust, like she was any other woman.

But then, he wasn’t just any other man. “No regrets?” he asked her, voice gruff. She eased away from him. “Not a one.” His fingers touched her mouth. “When you lie … the right side of your mouth kicks up.”

What?

“It almost looks like you’re smiling, but it’s a lie, too, right?”

Jana turned away from him. She’d have to watch herself with Zane. But she wouldn’t be with him much longer. “Why’d you say it would take an hour to get back to Night Watch?” She stared at the swamp. Those trees were so twisted and hunched. And the water such a dark green.

“Because we don’t want to risk running into our cop friend again. We’re taking the long way home, baby.” His hand pressed against her back, urging her toward the motorcycle.

He climbed on first. She followed, moving to hold him tight. She was getting pretty tired of following him, but her leash didn’t give her much choice.

“Did they deserve it?” he asked, not starting the engine. “Did they deserve to have the flesh burned from them by the flames?”

She pressed her cheek against his back. Sometimes, she just felt tired. “Yes.”

Since he couldn’t see her face, he wouldn’t know if she was lying … or telling the truth.

Antonio pulled to a stop at the scene just as the ambulance arrived. The patrol car was parked on the side of the road, its light still flashing. The cop-a rookie named Peter Harris- was propped up beside the car. Blood trickled down his face, and his head sagged back.

Antonio jumped out of his car and ran to Harris. “What the hell happened here?” When he’d gotten a report of the 10-108, officer needing assistance, his gut had cramped. Then he’d heard the radio call: Wynter and the woman had been on the scene.

Harris tried to stand, but he slid back down to the ground with a groan. The car’s front windshield was smashed, and glass shards lay scattered all over the road and the nearby grass.

But there was no sign of Zane. Or of the woman.

“Saw the woman … APB …” Harris sucked in a sharp breath when the EMT began to check his head wound. “She was … riding on a motorcycle with some guy-the bastard attacked me.” His gray eyes stared up at Tony. “Threw me ten feet … but I-I swear I never saw him … move.”

Antonio didn’t let his expression waver. “Describe the bastard, officer.”

“B-big guy …” The EMTs were loading Harris onto a stretcher. “About six-foot-two, maybe three.” His lashes lowered and he blinked a few times. “Two-two hundred pounds.” His head sagged a bit.

“What color was his hair? His eyes?” Antonio pressed

Harris didn’t answer. The EMTs tried to take the injured cop to the ambulance. Antonio stepped right in their path. “Harris isn’t going anywhere yet.” Not until he could figure out what was happening.

“Harris!” He injected a note of steely command into his voice. The cop’s eyelids jerked open. “Describe the man, now.”

“B-black hair. Caucasian … early th-thirties.” Okay, that description only fit thousands of men in the area.

“Heard her call … his name.” The cop blinked, then met Antonio’s gaze. “Z-Zane … she said Zane.”

What the hell are you doing, man? “I gave strict orders that the woman wasn’t to be approached. I was to be notified before any apprehension effort.” Cold, clipped.

Harris licked his lips. “They were … on a motorcycle….”

“He’s got a concussion, Captain,” one of the EMTS said, breaking through Harris’s words. “We need to get him checked at the hospital.”

In a minute. Antonio didn’t move.

“I just stopped them … because they didn’t have on … helmets. I stopped … them.” A hard swallow. “And he attacked.”

But that didn’t make any sense.

“Sir…” The EMT’s face was flushed a dark red. “He needs to be in a hospital.”

Clenching his teeth, Antonio moved to the side.

“You never said”-Harris’s voice had grown weaker- “she had a … partner.”

Because he hadn’t known that Zane was working with the woman, and he sure hadn’t expected the hunter to attack a cop.

What are you doing, Zane? What the hell are you doing?

Antonio turned away and marched back to his car.

Threw me ten feet… but I-I swear I never saw him… move. Harris’s words echoed in his mind. The cop didn’t understand. Zane hadn’t actually moved. He was such a strong demon, he didn’t need to move. With just a stray thought, Zane could have thrown the cop. With a wave of his hand, he could have killed the guy.

But he hadn’t. Zane had let the cop live, and he’d protected the woman.

“Sir!” Another uniform hurried toward him. This time, the officer was female. The uniforms were swarming the scene like bees now. “Do you want to launch a search in the area for the woman?”

Antonio let his stare drift down the road. No sign of a motorcycle now.

“And what about the man?” she pressed. “Do we need to put out an APB for him—”

“Forget the man. Just concentrate on her.” Jana Carter.

“But a cop was assaulted, one of our own.” Her red brows snapped low. “We need to—”

“You need to do whatever the hell I say.” He sounded like a prick, but she’d have to deal with it. “I’ll take care of the man. You focus on her.”

Before he threw his friend to the wolves-or the cops-he needed to find out exactly what was happening with Zane. If he found out that the demon had crossed the line, well—

Then I’ll be the first one in line to take him down.

Zane eased the motorcycle to a stop near the curb. The Night Watch building waited, just a few blocks away. He could easily see the stark lines and the old bricks of the hunting office.

He braced the kickstand and killed the motor. This was it. Time to turn in his bounty.

Zane looked over his shoulder. Jana’s face was as smooth and blank as marble. No heat in those dark blue eyes. No fiery emotion on her face. Just… blank. Empty.

He didn’t like that. The woman was many things, but “blank” wasn’t one of ‘em.

“Come on,” he said, rising. “It’s time to get you inside.” But, dammit, something felt wrong.

I burned that pit to the ground and I didn’t care that they were inside. Hard words, but when she’d said them, Jana’s voice had trembled.

He stared down at her hand and frowned when he saw the dark skin around the handcuff. “Fuck.” He reached for her wrist, lifting it lightly. A circle of dark bruises had already formed on her flesh.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, and her voice was as cold as her face. “I bruise easily. A human trait. We just aren’t built strong enough.”

His fingers feathered over her skin, and Zane heard the soft rasp of her breath. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He’d thought she would be deposited at Night Watch less than an hour after he’d cuffed her. He’d never planned on all … this.

Her gaze held his.

The woman was beautiful. No, sexy. He could still taste her, and he wanted more.

But… killer. If the file was right, he was staring at a cold, calculating killer. One who torched for money. An assassin.

Until now, she hadn’t struck him as cold. With her face locked in that icy mask, with her eyes so blank-yeah, frigid came to mind.

Before, though, she’d been a different woman. Wild. Passionate. Never cold. And when she’d talked about New Orleans …

His fingers curled around her right wrist. “Tell me about New Orleans. Tell me what really happened.”

Night Watch waited just over her shoulder. The place could keep waiting.

Her smile was sad. “Why? Are you going to save me, demon? Are you going to help me? Turn your back on everything you know and protect me?”

That last line caught him. “Just what do you need protecting from?” Not what, who.

She didn’t blink, but the right side of her mouth kicked up, just a bit. “No one. I’m the badass Ignitor, remember? The world needs to fear me.”

She was, but she was also right about something else: Humans were weak. So easily broken. Killed.

She tugged away from him, shifting her body to face the Night Watch building. “Let’s get this over with. If we stand around out here, we might as well paint bull’s-eyes on our backs.”

“I can help you. “ The words were torn from him. It didn’t have to be this way. She didn’t have to keep charging up, didn’t have to keep killing. There was more to her. He knew it.

Jana tossed him a quick look over her shoulder. “No, you can’t.” The cold glass had shattered in her eyes. He could see her pain and sadness now.

Then she looked away, and he felt like she’d slugged him. “Jana…”

The doors to Night Watch burst open. Three hunters ran out and headed for them. Jude led the other two men, his blond hair shining in the sun as he charged for Jana and Zane.

“Guess that’s the welcome party.” Her attention focused on the hunters. Her silky black hair dipped down her back. “We don’t want to keep them waiting.”

She stepped forward, tugging him with her. His eyes focused on Jude. This was what he wanted. What he had to do. Turn her in. They’d take her inside Night Watch and—

The explosion shook the street. The blast threw the three hunters to the ground as the windows of Night Watch exploded and fire blazed from the windows. Car alarms screeched down the street, and smoke billowed into the air.

And Jana just stood there, staring at the burning building. The building that housed his co-workers. His friends.

She’d gone back too easy.

“Fuck!” He spun Jana around. “What the hell did you—” Horror was reflected in her wide eyes. Shock. Her eyes- they were blue. Not the red of an Ignitor charging up. Still blue.

She hadn’t set the fire. If not her …

His gaze flew to the building. People were running out, coughing, screaming.

He raced for the building.

“Zane!” Jana stumbled after him. Shit, the cuffs. “We’ve got to stop it!” They could. Or at least they could push the flames back long enough to get the people to safety. But, dammit, those flames were so hot that he could already feel their breath on his skin.

Pak stumbled out with ash coating his face. He had his hands around one of the female hunters, and they were both gasping. Charmers didn’t have the enhanced strength of the shifters and demons. They were almost as weak as humans.

And there were humans inside that building. Humans who wouldn’t last long-humans who were probably already dead.

Too hot.

He sent a blast of power at the flames, forcing them back. “See if you can get control of it,” he told Jana. “We’ve got to get them out, we—”

Jude surged to his feet. His fangs were out, his claws ready to rip and slash. “What the hell? That bitch burned Night Watch!” He lunged for Jana.

Zane stepped between them. “It wasn’t her.” He shoved his left hand against Jude’s chest. “Dammit, shifter, stand down. We can help!”

Jude growled at him.

“Trust me,” Zane snapped right back.

Jude’s eyes searched his. Then the shifter inclined his head in a grudging nod.

They all ran for the building, with Zane in the lead. They plunged right into the smoke and the screaming flames.

Survivors. They had to find the survivors and get them out. The heat scorched his skin and Zane threw his power at the fire, sending the flames sputtering back. Jude grabbed an unconscious hunter from the office on the left and threw the guy over his shoulder.

Jana coughed behind him. Human. Weak.

He glanced at her, his eyes watering. Her stare was red now, reflecting the flames, and he knew she was using her power to control the flames. No, to make her own fire in an effort to gain control of the other flames. Fighting fire with fire actually fucking worked.

They advanced slowly, painfully, through the smoke and fire. He passed two bodies. A secretary and a hunter who wouldn’t be making it out. Then they found a demon, low level, cowering in the storage room. They pushed back the fire and sent the guy running for safety.

The fire had eaten too much of the walls. Groans echoed from above them, and Zane knew the roof wouldn’t last much longer.

Jude was back, coughing and panting beside him.

“Anyone else?” Zane had to shout the words.

Jude’s head tilted to the right. That shifter hearing was far stronger than a demon’s.

The shifter pointed. They raced for the door. Ripped it open.

Penelope Evans, a new hunter, lay slumped on the floor. Her red hair stuck to her face. Jude grabbed her and hoisted her into his arms.

“Anyone … else?”

A hard shake of Jude’s head. “Not alive.”

The ceiling groaned again, and plaster fell to the floor. Time to get out of hell. Zane waved his hands, shoving back the fire as Jude raced for the door.

“Come on,” he told Jana, covering his mouth with his left hand, “let’s—”

She slumped beside him. Fell into his arms.

Too much smoke.

Dammit, how dumb could he be! Ignitors could start the fires, they could shoot out those flames, but their bodies couldn’t handle the smoke. That’s why they worked better from a distance. Long-range assassins. See the target, send the flames, escape.

He held her tight against his chest and ran for the door, dodging the lingering flames and the falling debris. Hold on, baby. Hold on.

Zane burst through the broken remains of the front entrance just seconds after Jude. He rushed forward, nearly slamming into the firefighters who charged toward the building.

EMTs were there. They tried to take Jana from him. Tried to pull her from his arms. “No, dammit!” He coughed and tasted ash. “We’re cuffed!” They weren’t taking her any place without him. He held her tighter and hurried to the ambulance. She’d need oxygen, fast. She needed to breathe clean air. Her mouth and nose were stained with ash. He put her on the stretcher. The EMT placed a mask over her face.

“Get her a blanket!” Zane held her hand, probably too tightly but screw it. “She’s freezing.” Her body had begun to shake. “Jana?”

She moaned into the mask.

He was such a fucking idiot. She couldn’t handle the heat. He knew that. All the Other knew that about Ignitors. They could bring the heat, but the smoke-hell, it was fucking poison to them. They could control the flames, not the smoke.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Pak staring at Jana.

“It wasn’t her!” Zane fired. “Look, I know what you’re thinking,” what he’d thought, “but it wasn’t her. She helped me. We saved as many as we could!” But Zane had seen the dead, and he would remember them for the rest of his life.

Hollings, the charmer who had a way with the ladies. Giles Lang, the hybrid demon who’d been trying to fit in. Stacey Keith … ah, hell, she’d been a year away from retirement.

All gone.

His thumb brushed over Jana’s knuckles. “She didn’t do it,” he said again.

“Then who the hell did?” The fierce question didn’t come from Pak. Jude had stalked up to the ambulance, and he watched Jana with eyes that glowed too bright. “There was no accelerant. I didn’t catch so much as a whiff of scent—”

Jana’s fingers tightened around Zane’s. His gaze snapped back to her face. Her eyes were opening, slowly, and the twinge of red still remained.

“A fucking Ignitor.”

She flinched at Jude’s snarl.

Zane hunched over her. “Back off!” He took a breath. Her eyes were on him. “It’s okay.” His voice was still rough, but softer, for her. “You’re going to be all right.” She looked so vulnerable. So defenseless. Another one of her tricks? A quick deception?

No. She’d fallen in that inferno. She’d sagged in his arms, and fear had iced his heart. “Just breathe, baby.”

But she was shaking her head. She shoved off the mask and started coughing.

“Jana!”

Tears leaked from her eyes. “How … many dead?” His lips thinned. “At least three.” The fire had been too strong.

As he watched Jana, the vulnerability slowly disappeared. She swiped away the tears from her cheeks. The fear and the horror disappeared from her face until … nothing remained.

Now she’s pretending. The mask was back, and he didn’t like it one bit.

She pushed up on the gurney and the blanket fell away. “We need to get out of here,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from the smoke. “This was an attack, it was—”

“Wynter!”

Aw, hell. Not what he needed right then. His gaze flew to the left. Jude was already edging back, and Captain Antonio Young was shoving his way through the crowd to get to them. The guy’s badge gleamed on his hip, and the butt of his gun poked from the holster on his side.

“Zane?” A thread of worry whispered in Jana’s voice. “A cop?”

Their last encounter with a cop hadn’t gone so well. But this time would be different. He realized he still had a hard grip on her hand. Zane forced himself to let her go. “It’s okay, baby, he’s on our side.”

Then Tony was there. His glittering eyes swept over the group and lingered on Jana. “Ms. Carter?”

She nodded. The red still lingered in her gaze. Her eyes appeared bloodshot now.

“Jana Carter, you’re under arrest.” Tony reached for her hand and hauled Jana to her feet.

“No, man, wait!” The other cuff glinted between their outstretched hands.

But Tony shook his head. “You know she’s going in.” He jerked his thumb back at the burning building. “Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?”

Jana laughed. A hollow, mocking sound. “Guess he’s not on our side.” Her chin tilted up, just a bit. “Maybe he’s just on yours, hmm, demon? Use me, then throw me to the wolves.”

No, that wasn’t—

Tony started reading Jana her rights. Fuck.