Provoked

CHAPTER 5

Relief rushed through Amber so quickly she stopped struggling, her eyes widening on Kane. Two seconds later, her brain kicked in, and she shot a kick toward the guy’s knee. Her foot hit to the side and bounced off like she’d attacked a brick wall.

With a hiss, he took a step forward and swept his hand toward her head.

She ducked.

Then Kane was on him, grabbing the guy around the neck and throwing him into the living room. He settled his stance, his back to Amber. “Leave, now.”

The other guy in black smiled again and dropped into a crouch. “Killing a Kayrs will make me a legend. Hand-to-hand?”

“No.” Kane yanked out a glowing gun and shot the guy in the chest. Green lasers rippled from the weapon, impacting the man. The jerk stumbled back, blood squirting from the wounds. “You should watch more movies, asshole,” Kane muttered. Three steps had Kane at the end of the stairs, gun pointed at the man rising to his feet. “Where’s my brother?”

“Dead.” The guy lifted his chin, his lips tipping.

Kane shot him in the knee.

The guy fell to his one good knee, a low groan escaping his destroyed voice. “Still dead.”

Kane’s shoulders vibrated. “We both know that’s not true.” He spoke softly, a promise of death in the low tones. “You know who I am?”

“Yes. Kane Kayrs . . . the smart one. Useless in a fight.” Grabbing a sofa-end, the man shoved to his feet.

Kane chuckled, the sound emerging harsh. “Right. I’ve spent centuries learning your anatomy. There’s a reason you sound like a Halloween ghoul, and I know all about making your vocal cords hurt even more. I can keep you alive for months during torture. Maybe years.”

Yellow swirled in the guy’s eyes again, and his face paled. “Possibly. But I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what your brother goes through on a daily basis. No matter what you do, no matter whom the king sends, you’ll never get the youngest Kayrs back in one piece.”

Kane’s head jerked up. “Thank you.”

Surprise had the other guy stilling. “For what?”

“Confirming he’s alive.” Kane fired three strange green shots into the guy’s neck and sent him sprawling into the old brick fireplace. Turning toward her, Kane’s face lacked the charm from earlier, leaving a hard predator in its place. “Believe me now?”

“No.” She choked, coughing and glancing from the two downed men to Kane. “I don’t understand what’s going on. What is going on?”

“What’s going on”—Kane tucked the gun in his coat—“is that I have to decapitate these two, and then we need to get on the road. More demons will be coming.”

Jesus. Maybe she’d taken him too literally. Maybe “demon” meant some sort of weird cult. “So these guys are demons?” Regardless of their affiliations, and death threats, she couldn’t let Kane cut off their heads. They were dead. Someone needed to call the sheriff. Though, what could the two dead guys possibly have wanted with her?

“Yes, these are demons.” Kane removed an eight-inch double-edged knife from his boot. “Surely you sensed them—your head has to hurt.”

Actually, her head had stopped hurting the instant Kane shot the second guy. What was up with that? She dropped to the stairs and pressed a hand to her heated forehead. “I’m fine. Though now I’m really hot.” Biting her lip, she barely kept from swaying.

Kane lifted an eyebrow and glanced at her face. He reached out, placing a cool palm over her forehead. “You’re burning up.” Stepping back, he rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”

No wonder her head had hurt so badly earlier—she was coming down with the flu. “I don’t see how my being sick interests you.” She needed to get a grip on reality and call the police.

He shook his head. “No. You’re not sick. You were fighting their powers just like white blood cells fight any infection in your body, resulting in a fever. Damn. I wish I could test your blood right now.”

His eyes sharpened, his focus solely on her as if he’d forgotten all about the men he’d just killed.

Mason stirred and shoved to a seated position. His blue eyes took in her, the downed men, and Kane. “What in the hell?”

Kane eyed him. “You in charge?”

“I used to be in charge in the military. Here at home? Depends on the day.” Mason lurched to his feet.

“I’m the good guy”—Kane swept his hand toward the two dead men—“they’re the bad, and we need to get going.”

“Sure.” Mason leaned against the wall, his face pale, his shoulders down. “I’m confused.”

He probably had a concussion. Amber pivoted to shield Mason. “You’ll be all right. We’ll get some help.” Even though Kane had killed two men, something in her whispered he wouldn’t hurt her. Just like a psycho fan wouldn’t hurt the object of his affection. Well, until he did. Shit.

The odd tickle in the back of her head sprang to life.

Seconds later, the man Kane had shot in the torso leapt up, arms encircling Kane’s chest and knocking him into the wall.

Amber shrieked. How did the guy get up after being shot three times?

Kane snarled. Fangs ripped down from his mouth. He blinked twice, and contacts fell from his eyes. Deep violet swirled with black as he gave a cry from hell, arms shooting up to break the guy’s hold, his head darting forward with a head butt. He impacted with the crunch of bones breaking.

The other guy went down again.

June cried out, “Devils. Oh my god. Devils.”

The pain ebbed in Amber’s head, but her gaze remained on Kane’s fangs. He had metallic violet eyes. Reality took several long seconds to arrive. Could he be wearing some intricate costume? If so, why in the world would he do that? “You look like a vampire.”

Irritation swirled through the odd shine of his eyes. “Of course I’m a vampire.” He dropped to one knee and flipped the unconscious man facedown. Quick motions had his knife plunging in the center of the neck before Kane sliced left and right.

Decapitation sounded like fabric tearing. Who knew. Amber swayed, the blood deserting her head.

Kane grunted at the last pull of the knife, and the guy’s head rolled toward the living room, thumping along the uneven floor. Blood spurted out on the way and left a trail of glistening red. The body relaxed in death.

Amber gagged and stumbled back against the wall. Bile rose quickly, and she shoved the nausea down, her brain fuzzing.

Without bothering to wipe off the blade, Kane rose and stalked toward the other fallen man. His movement was measured and sure, his flak boots clomping rhythmically with each deadly step. Blood dripped from the blade and dotted the floor with splatters.

“No,” Amber whispered. Her knees trembled with the urge to run, but her feet wouldn’t cooperate.

Kane leaned over and plunged the knife into the guy’s throat, sawing until the head shoved free with a squish of sound.

Air whispered by Amber’s arms as Mason rushed by, syringe in hand. Panic fired her brain to life again. She reached out to stop him and missed. Jumping forward, the ex-soldier pushed the needle into Kane’s neck.

Roaring, Kane reared up and flipped around. Mason flew into the side of the couch and dropped to the floor, inches away from the dead guy.

Kane’s eyes morphed black through the violet. Fangs dropped lower than before, and rage cut into his hard face.

Oh, Mother Earth. Amber gasped, her head jerking to the side. That was no costume.

Growling, blood dripping from where it had sprayed across his jaw, he pried the syringe out of his neck. “What?” He staggered forward, his head rolling to the side.

“Horse tranquilizer,” Amber whispered.

The black of Kane’s eyes completely covered the violet. He dropped to his knees and dented the floor. The fangs retracted. His dark hair flew as he shook his head like a dog with a face full of water. “We need to . . . go.” Swaying, his eyes shut and he plunged face-first onto the wooden floor slabs.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Mason staggered to his feet. “June, go get four stakes and some rope. Run.”

The ex-dentist nodded, grabbed her cane, and hobbled from the room.

Amber ran a hand through her hair. The smell of blood and death threatened to suffocate her. “We can’t kill him. That’s not who we are.” Vampire or not, Kane was alive. And her family did not kill. The fact was even listed in the charter for their community.

Mason rubbed a swelling bruise on his jaw, his eyes hard. “We’re not going to kill him. The sun is.”

Wet and cold snow permeated his body before Kane’s mind cleared. They’d removed his coat. He opened his eyes to a cloudy sky. He lay on his back on the frozen ground, arms and legs stretched and secured tight to rusty posts. The wind whispered through evergreens and pines, spraying snow across his face. The sun lit the eastern sky with the golden hue of a western winter, its tendrils of light beginning to wander through the gray. The light crept closer to his booted feet.

He shook his head and winced as barbells ripped behind his eyes. Good God. What had been in that syringe?

Forcing his chilled hand into a fist, he yanked against the restraint. Nothing happened. Whatever they’d given him was still slugging through his veins. If his brothers could see him now, there’d be no living at headquarters. Ever again.

Grimacing, he turned his head toward the main house. Several pairs of eyes stared out the window. “The sun doesn’t hurt me,” he croaked, not nearly loud enough for them to hear. At least they hadn’t plunged a wooden stake into his heart. Oh, it wouldn’t have killed him, but man, healing a heart took some time.

A chill swept along his skin. The snow spread far, coating a decrepit wooden fence about a mile away. Sighing, he glanced at the sun visible through a row of bristlecone pines. At some point, the light would hit him. What would the humans do when nothing happened?

A struggle sounded from the farmhouse porch. He turned his head again.

Amber shoved against the ex-soldier, Kane’s coat in her hands. Her eyes sparked a deep black, and her cheeks had turned a lovely crimson. The soldier held her upper arms in his beefy hands.

Kane let a low growl loose.

Amber turned her head, eyes widening. “The sun is coming.” Kicking the soldier, she jumped off the porch, heading straight for Kane with his coat.

He opened his mouth to stop her when she took a flying leap and landed full force on him, covering him with his overcoat.

Her knee hit him squarely in the balls.

“Holy fucking Christ.” He bent at the waist as pain shot down both his legs. Nausea swirled in his belly. A frightening numbness followed the pain. He opened his eyes and only saw dark fabric.

“It’s okay.” Amber pressed down on his throat, frantically patting the coat around him. “I won’t let the sun get you, but you’re only covered to your knees. Will you burst into flames?”

He coughed for air. “Get . . . off . . . my . . . windpipe.” His breath bounced off the material and warmed his face.

She released him and tucked the wool around his head. “Sorry.”

He’d laugh. Really, he’d laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation if his testicles weren’t on fire. And not in a good way. “Amber?” The coat muffled his voice.

She stretched across him, keeping him covered. “It’ll be okay. Should we try to run for the house?”

Enough. “Hold on, sweetheart.” With a growl, he yanked both arms up and in, using physics and his rapidly returning strength to rip his arms free. His shoulders protested, but the ropes gave. His hands gripped her thighs, hauling her into a sitting position as he sat up. The coat fell between them.

Surprise widened her eyes as she straddled him. “Kane?”

“The sun doesn’t hurt me.” As he spoke, the sun filtered down to warm their heads. He lifted an eyebrow, his groin feeling suddenly better with her perched on it.

“Oh.” She frowned, thoughts scattering across her face. “I, ah, don’t understand.”

She really didn’t. How was that possible? “You don’t know anything about vampires . . . or demons, do you?”

“Um, no.” She gently pushed against his chest and attempted to rise.

He tightened his hold to keep her in place. “Stay.” Releasing one thigh, he grabbed the rope tied around his ankle and jerked it free, following suit with the other leg.

The soldier edged toward them, a baseball bat in his hands.

Amber shook her head. “Mason, now isn’t the time to hit people.”

Kane stood in one swift motion and shoved Amber behind him. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Why didn’t you fry?” the soldier asked, his knuckles turning white around the bat handle.

“Legends are bunk.” Kane stiffened as the sound of Amber’s teeth chattering filled the quiet morning. Half-turning, he slid his coat around her shoulders while keeping his gaze on Mason. “I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

“You’re a vampire.” Mason shook his head, his fear scenting the day with old grass and sulfur.

“Yes.” Kane scrubbed both hands down his face. “Vampires are just a different species from humans. We don’t take blood unless we need it in battle, we can’t turn you into one of us, and we mean you absolutely no harm.” Well, they took blood in sex, too. But Mason didn’t need to know that.

“Another species?” Amber stepped even with him, her gaze thoughtful as she peered up. The coat covered her to her toes.

“Yes. Different genetic composition.” Unease had Kane clearing his throat. One of their laws included keeping his people a secret from the humans—was he failing on this mission or what? “I’d appreciate it if you would make up a story for the rest of your group, Mason.”

The soldier frowned and shook his head. “This is unbelievable.” He gestured with the bat toward the farmhouse. “Were the two guys you killed vampires?”

“No. Demons, who are another species.” Kane was taking a huge risk in trusting the old soldier. “Bury them later today. The demon nation will leave you alone once I get Amber out of here.”

“She’s not going anywhere.” Mason settled his stance.

“The demons will keep coming until they get her.” Kane glanced down at the quiet woman. “They’ll kill you all and then her.”

“Why?” she whispered. “Why do they want me?”

How in the world could she not know who she was?

“You have powers that hurt them, sweetheart.” Kane scratched his head. “Though I don’t know why you’re broadcasting your skills all of a sudden. Has anything changed in the last couple of weeks?”

Amber shrugged, then paled. “Well, Grandma Hilde has a head concussion and is in the hospital.”

The air whooshed out of Kane’s lungs. “You have a grandmother?” Holy hell.