Pushing the body away, he hustled to the man he'd shot, plunging the blade in the unconscious body. His aim was off this time, and he had to fight the hyoid bone. He was the one panting when the Kurjan's head slid free.

Wiping the Kurjan's blood on the snow-covered body, Kane stood to face Amber.

Her skin was whiter than the snow.

Standing, she swayed in place, the storm battering her. Those black eyes were wide, the pupils huge as she stared at the dead Kurjans.

She was going into shock.

"Amber!" He lowered his voice to command and slid the knife back in his boot.

Her head jerked up, and she stumbled back.

Wind blistered his face, but he leapt forward and grabbed her arms. He shook her. "Snap out of it. Now."

He was such an a.s.shole. But they didn't have time for her to fall apart right now. Pulling her to him, he gave her a quick kiss to the top of the head. "Hold it together."

Amber looked up at the fierce warrior. Had he just kissed her on the head?

Two more Kurjans ran up the embankment from the lake, and Kane pivoted to shield her.

Movement echoed behind her and she spun around. Fear rammed into her gut. More monsters.

Scooting so her back settled against Kane's, she dropped into what seemed like a fighting stance. Maybe.

"How many?" Kane ground out.

"Three." So, five more scary monster freaks against two good guys, one of whom was a pacifist. Life sucked sometimes. Odd that her mind had blanked and was thinking rational thoughts instead of her heart stopping in a huge attack. Maybe it was the adrenaline ripping through her veins yelling at her to flee. But there was nowhere to go.

The Kurjan closest to her sniffed the snow-filled air and then frowned. He sniffed again. "Destroyer?"

Kane stiffened against her.

Instantly the other Kurjans focused on her, all sniffing the air.

Okay, that was just weird. What in the world did she smell like to these guys?

"Amber," Kane hissed in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, "as soon as you feel me move, hit the ground."

"You can't take out all five of them," she muttered back, panic threatening to send her to the ground anyway.

"Not much of a choice." Hopefully the wind camouflaged his voice from the Kurjans. "Drop, I'll take these two guys out and then flip over you for those three."

Maybe she should've kept a gun. She could've at least threatened them with a weapon. Evened the odds at least.

"This is crazy." How many times had she said those words since meeting Kane? "What if I charge these guys-try to throw them off balance?"

Kane paused before answering. "No."

Too bad the guy hadn't realized she wasn't very good at taking orders. She bunched her muscles to leap- And a helicopter spiraled out of nowhere to drop next to the shed. Snow scattered in all four directions, completely obscuring the area. Two huge men jumped out, bullets already spraying. The Kurjans dropped to their bellies, returning fire from the safety of the snow.

Kane whirled and tossed her over his shoulder, running full bore for the open door of the 'copter. Leaping inside, he shoved her behind him, gun out and already firing.

The ma.s.sive bird lifted into the air. The two men from the 'copter sprayed bullets and kept their opponents on the ground as they ran and jumped for the seat facing her. The door shut, and the helicopter rose into the storm.

Gasping, she plastered herself to Kane's side.

One of the men leaned a gun out an open weapon and continued firing until they were roaring away. Then he leaned back with a grim smile. "Nice morning."

The wind beat against the machine, sending it rocking.

Kane shook snow from his hair. "Good timing. How?"

"Satellite. Saw the Kurjans send a force this way, figured the soldiers were coming for you." The guy's golden eyes swirled with emotion-maybe anger, maybe fear. Perhaps both.

Kane nodded. "Amber, this is my brother Talen." He pointed at an equally large guy with deep green eyes. "And my brother Conn."

"Ma'am," they said in unison.

They were as big as Kane and had metallic eyes. And she had been dead wrong about Talen being a pacifist. He was all ma.s.sive soldier, intense and deadly. She coughed out air. "More vampires."

Conn nodded. Talen let fangs flash, his eyes glowing. Oh, for goodness' sake. For some reason, Amber had figured it was just Kane having odd eyes. "Thanks for the rescue."

Talen c.o.c.ked his head to the side, and he studied her like a wolf considering dinner. "I'm getting very faint vibrations from her, but nothing that would lead a pack of shifters to her door. Are you sure she's a destroyer?"

"Yes." Kane settled back in the seat, somehow keeping her close. "There's some sort of shielding spell-very powerful. Once the shielding wears off, she's like a beacon."

The pilot, his hands working the stick, turned around. Silver eyes took her measure. "I'm Dage."

"The king?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Yes. Thank you for agreeing to help us." His gaze returned to the snow outside.

So the king went on dangerous missions. Interesting. Or maybe he'd come since his brother was in trouble. Well, Amber understood family. "Ah, I heard you found my grandmother?"

"Yes." Conn's gaze raked over her. "The storm is still over Utah and Hilde's being treated by Realm doctors at wolf headquarters. The doctors are watching the head injury closely, but she's strong. And stubborn."

"That's an understatement," Talen muttered. He flushed and then leaned back with an apologetic smile. "I, ah, video-conferenced with her about safety and protocol. She, ah, didn't care to listen."

Dage flashed a quick smile Amber barely caught.

Great. Her grandmother was causing havoc already. "Does she, ah, know . . ."

"Yes." Conn leaned forward. "Your granny is well aware of demons, vampires, and Kurjans."

"Then she has some explaining to do," Amber murmured. How could her grandmother keep such information from her for so many years? If the demons were eventually coming calling, Amber should've been told. Head injury or not, Hilde was going to come clean.

Wind gushed against the helicopter, sending the machine spiraling to the side.

"Sorry," Dage muttered.

Kane exhaled loudly. "All three of you out in this storm isn't wise. You know that."

"We're family," Conn said simply.

Kane shook out his wet hair. "I thought you were heading to Ireland."

Conn nodded. "I leave in the morning to help my mate out with a small problem the witches are having." He shrugged. "Nothing big-someone misusing magic. I'll bring her home after that."

Amber fought a yawn. "How does somebody misuse magic?"

Conn gave her a gentle smile that somehow made him almost seem approachable. "Witches use quantum physics to alter matter and make spells. If somebody misuses quantum physics . . ."

"They might blow up the world." Even at the dangerous thought, Amber's eyelids grew heavy.

"Exactly," Conn said softly. "My mate is an enforcer for her people, so she deals with such threats. With me by her side, of course."

With the large vampire in front of her, most likely. Amber nodded.

Kane smiled at his brothers. "Thanks for coming."

"Sure." Talen kept his gaze on Amber, making her heart beat faster.

A strong arm banded around her shoulder. Kane's scent surrounded her. He leaned to whisper in her ear. "Take a rest, sunshine. We'll continue training once we get safely home."

Amber nodded, her brain all but shutting down, but not before catching an odd look that pa.s.sed between Talen and Conn. What was that about?

Warmth from Kane's body seeped into her skin, into her bones. After the fear of the day, after having her mind messed with several times, and after a night of amazing s.e.x and no sleep, she went under just enough to relax.

Kane kept his voice soft. "She's had no training and we need to step it up. While she's promised to help, I don't want her anywhere near danger. We'll take turns training her, but nothing too intrusive. I mean it."

"We'll do what we have to do," the king countered from the front of the craft.

"No. We'll train her the right way," Kane said calmly.

Amber giggled, half-asleep. "I thought he was the king."

Kane started. "He is."

"Then why are you the one barking orders?" she mumbled sleepily.

She wasn't sure whether it was Conn or Talen who burst into laughter. Either way, it was a nice laugh to fall asleep to.

CHAPTER 12.

Jase hadn't been tortured for some time. In addition, fresh female blood had been provided for him every day. He'd even received new shorts. For whatever reason, the demons had altered their approach. So when his door finally rattled, he gazed up with more curiosity than dread. What were the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds up to?

Two beefy guards dragged him through the same labyrinth of tunnels as last time but continued past the meeting room. Several hallways later he was shoved into a dimly lit room smelling of spiced oranges.

His eyes had become accustomed to dimly lit rooms. The door shut behind him, and he surveyed the plushest bedroom he'd ever seen. A red velvet duvet covered a bed large enough for several vampires. Pillows in sensual colors-ranging from purple to midnight-scattered across it. A dresser lay to the right, a fully stocked bar to the left.

A painting of a naked woman, strapped down for a man's pleasure, adorned the entire wall above the bed. All four limbs were stretched tight, her body hair free and finely toned. On her face sat an expression of antic.i.p.ation melded with fear. Definitely not one of Brenna Dunne's works.

Willa stood near the bar in a long red negligee that revealed more than it covered. Black sparkles adorned the hem and rode up the slit for one leg.

Her hair was down and long, and midnight blue makeup enhanced her immortal eyes.

Against his will, his body sprang to life.

The lights were low and a dark melody hummed from the speakers. Nothing lighthearted or full of love . . . the song was haunting and s.e.xy . . . almost as if claiming the inevitable.

He stepped into the room, his bare feet smashing the thick carpet. "Seduction won't work on me, demon."

Her dark gaze dropped to his groin, and she licked her lips. "Your body says otherwise."

"My body has been without a woman almost four years." He stalked into the room, heading for the bar. If she wanted to play games, he'd join in. "And you don't count."

She nearly purred, running her finger around the rim of a crystal goblet. "Have you ever made it with a demon, Jase?"

"No. I've never made it with a snake, either."

She pouted her full lips, anger swirling in her eyes. "You don't have to be so mean to me. It's not like I have much of a choice in this life, either."

Maybe not. Five years ago he'd have felt sorry for her . . . probably would've come up with a way to rescue her. These days he couldn't even rescue himself. Sympathy for a demon was no longer an option. "f.u.c.king me isn't a choice that's open to you, either."

"How about you f.u.c.k me?" She gestured toward the painting depicting the BDSM scene. "I have more toys under the bed than you can imagine."

d.a.m.n if his c.o.c.k didn't swell more. "No."

A slight probing filtered along his brain and slid down his spine. He mentally shoved back.

She faltered, her eyes narrowing. "You have some serious power."

Not as much as a demon. Well, not as much mind power as a demon, but enough to combat a seduction of his brain. Some time ago he'd been able to harness the elements. Gathering his strength, he shot liquid into oxygen.

Nothing happened.

Surprising that sorrow could fill him after so long of a time. He reached for a decanter of scotch, pouring a shot and gulping the harsh liquid down, knowing the entire time it was a bad idea. No way was his system prepared for booze.

Turning, he flashed his fangs at the demon. "Stop the attempts at seduction. You help me get out of this h.e.l.lhole, and I'll keep you safe for life." Even if he couldn't, Dage would. Chances were, even if Jase found freedom, he wouldn't last long. He wasn't sure if he wanted to last long. Going back to his old life wasn't possible. The Jase Kayrs they'd all known had been as good as dead for years.

He faced the demon, forcing all expression off his face. "Your people can't break me. You know that, they know that, and this is just a new tactic." No, they hadn't broken him. Broken things could be rebuilt-they could eventually be fixed.