Kane hustled behind his brother through headquarters to a room hidden behind a blank wall. Sliding the door open, he took the cement stairs down to a tunnel that led to the underground labyrinth.

Dage shot into the darkness. "Are you sure you don't want Amber to come with us? We should test her skills."

"No. I'll mate her and get her skills." The words emerged from Kane's mouth before his brain caught their meaning. With a short nod, he acknowledged mating was the only way to both protect Amber and find Jase.

Dage stopped in the dark tunnel. "That's quite a decision." He didn't turn around.

"Yes, it is. And it's my decision." Kane's steps slowed.

The king shook his head and resumed jogging. The clomp of his boots echoed through the rocks. "Are you going to lie to yourself that you feel nothing? That branding Amber is all about duty?"

"No. I like her-a lot. She'll make a good mate." And a good mother to their children someday. The thought of Amber swollen with his son made Kane's heart skip a beat. Pleasure filled him. "I'd like your support in this."

"You always have my support." Dage shoved open a door to reveal an armory sporting every type of weapon imaginable. "Even when you're being an obtuse dumba.s.s." He stalked inside and stopped cold.

Kane barely kept from running into his back. "What?" He stepped to the side.

Amber and Emma stood near Talen wearing identical "don't f.u.c.k with me" expressions on their faces.

Emma glared at Dage. "You're the king-you don't need to go fight demons. That's why you have soldiers."

Kane ignored the argument. It was an old one, and Dage always put himself in danger if he asked soldiers to fight. As the royal family, they were the first to go if necessary. He eyed Amber. "I'll bring back your grandmother."

Amber paled, her gaze wandering along the myriad of swords lining the west wall. "I'm going with you."

"No." Out of the air, Kane s.n.a.t.c.hed the bulletproof vest Talen threw, quickly securing the Kevlar over his head. "You don't have enough training."

"And yet, I'm the best you've got." She reached for a smaller vest hanging on a hook. "Either tell me how to wear this thing, or I'll go without a vest."

Talen shuffled his feet. "We could use her help." He glanced at Dage for support.

Dage shook his head, gaze moving to Kane. "She's your woman-this is your call."

Emma's instant sputtering at the archaic language failed to drown out Amber's outraged hiss. Amber yanked the vest over her head, her eyes spitting anger. "I'm no one's woman, jacka.s.s."

Emma nodded in agreement, a high flush staining her cheeks. "Yeah. What she said."

"I'd like a moment alone with Amber." Kane reached for the nearest gun to tuck in his waist.

Dage grabbed Emma's arm and tugged her from the room. The queen protested, digging in her heels, but the king wasn't going to be deterred this time.

Talen smiled, a s.h.i.t-eating grin on his face.

Yeah, this was funny. Kane barely kept from slugging him as he went by. For so long, Kane had been the one laughing on the sidelines as his brothers' mates ran them in circles. Not for one second was Amber going to alter his life, and the sooner she figured that out, the easier she'd find her life as his mate.

He nearly swallowed his tongue when she grabbed a gun and pointed the weapon at him. Keeping her eyes pinned, he stalked forward until the barrel rested against his chest.

She gulped in air, her hand shaking. "I, ah, was trying to make a point."

His chest warmed. The woman had the sweetest heart. "Which was?"

"That I'm, ah, not afraid of guns anymore."

The pallor of her skin proclaimed that statement a lie. Kane gently removed the gun from her grasp. "Guns aren't scary. Having to use a gun, well now, that's frightening."

She nodded. "I know. To save my grandma, I'd use a gun."

Her voice wavered just enough to fill him with doubt. "You don't need to use a gun, Amber. Stay here and I'll bring her home to you. I promise." How the h.e.l.l he'd keep that promise, he didn't know. But d.a.m.n it, he would.

She sighed, pressing her hands against his vest and meeting his gaze. "I'm here for a reason. For now, I'm the only person you know who can shield against the demon mind games and maybe even mess with them enough that they leave you alone. I have to try, and I know you understand what I'm saying."

He did. She loved her granny as much as he loved his brothers. Nothing on earth would keep him from going after Jase if Kane had an inkling of where he was being kept.

Amber stepped closer. "Sometimes I can get a sense of what's ticking in a brain-I've been practicing secretly since you told me about my gifts. Maybe I can get a sense of where Jase is."

Clever little female. "You're not ready."

She shrugged. "That doesn't matter-I'm all you've got. Deal with it."

Throwing his words back in his face wasn't nice. He frowned. "I don't think I can."

"I can shield." Her eyes implored him to trust her. "Please give me a chance."

His brain bellowed in refusal even while he spoke, "Okay. But the second you're in distress, we're leaving, whether we have Hilde or not." He blinked twice. What the h.e.l.l? He'd just agreed to take her into a demon foothold.

She shot out of the room, leaving him frozen in place. While her argument made a logical sense, one he'd responded to naturally, doubt clouded his brain. What kind of a mate was he going to be if he allowed her to seek danger?

"I took Cara raiding a Kurjan hospital where we saved several allies," Talen said quietly from the doorway.

Kane whirled around. He'd forgotten Talen had taken his mate on that raid so long ago. "We used her empathic abilities."

"Yes." Talen's eyes swirled a dangerous green through the gold. He shuffled his feet, his frown deep enough to flash his dimples. "We needed to do so at the time-I don't think I'm strong enough to put her in danger again."

Kane stared at his big brother. Talen was the strongest man he'd ever met. "You would. If you had to." Or maybe not. From the second Cara had given birth to their son fourteen years ago, the man had protected her even more so.

"No." Talen gave a rueful smile. He grabbed several knives from the wall to tuck along his boots and vest. Three more guns found safe purchase where he could grab them quickly. "But for now, in this time and place, there's a reason you're falling in love with Amber Freebird." Quick strides and he was out the door.

Quiet reigned for the smallest of moments. "I'm not falling in love," Kane said to the empty room.

The words echoed off the weapon-filled walls.

Mocking him.

Taking a deep breath, Amber tried to still the trembling in her knees. She sat between Kane and Talen in the backseat of a Black Hawk helicopter gliding silently through the night. Heat cascaded off the vampires, keeping her snug and warm. They all wore ear communicators. Talen's legs twitched, and he drummed his fingers on his legs to some tune only he heard.

Kane sat perfectly still. No movement, no agitation, just pure calmness. Pure, cold, calm.

Amber tugged the vest tighter around her waist, her mind spinning. Her heart beat rapidly against her ribs. Was Grandma Hilde all right? What if she wasn't? Hilde had said she lacked power. How much? Could she shield a little from the mind attacks?

Two similar helicopters followed silently behind them, also filled with dangerous soldiers.

She shivered.

Dage turned the beast into the setting sun, nodding his head toward the ma.s.sive vampire in the copilot seat. "Oscar, tell the rest of the crew about the last time you dealt with demons."

Amber had met Oscar right before takeoff. The ancient soldier had more experience fighting demon mind games than anybody else in the Realm. His metallic aqua eyes were bright with intelligence, and laugh lines cut into the sides of his mouth. She'd liked him immediately.

Oscar pressed his ear to engage the comm line. "Demons don't incapacitate us completely, but you'll be at about fifty percent of your usual fighting skill. It takes that much energy to combat the brain attack of an experienced demon soldier. Of course, with younger soldiers, vampires might retain about seventy percent of concentration and skill."

Dage nodded. "We're getting close. I'll drop quickly and we'll go. Kane, what's our best move?"

"We go in fast and hard." Kane's voice remained so calm he could've been talking about his favorite beer. "We need their minds occupied as much as possible . . . go either for the instant kill or the most painful injury." He kept his gaze straight ahead. "Amber and I will try to sense her grandmother. Amber, you concentrate on shielding and not on injuring. The injuries will come from weapons drawing blood."

She nodded, even knowing he couldn't see her. Or maybe with his vampire sight, his peripheral vision was good enough.

Dage banked a hard right. "Did the satellite shots give us an idea of numbers?"

"No." Talen's drumming increased in speed. "But the area is rather small-probably something thrown together as they prepare to move Hilde."

How small? Amber turned to view Kane. How was he so calm?

Finally, he glanced at her with those odd violet eyes. No emotion showed in their depths. "Do you want a gun?"

Slowly, she nodded. He reached in his back pocket and handed her a small weapon. "If you point a weapon, you use it. No hesitating, no thinking, no feeling. When the gun is in your hand, you're all soldier. Nothing else exists."

Cold metal weighed heavy in her palm. Death had a sensation. Before the night was over, she might turn against everything she believed in to save the one person she'd always counted on. "I understand."

"Good. There are no pacifists or second chances in battle," Kane said, turning his gaze back to the front.

Dage swung left again and shot toward the ground. "Two seconds and we hit."

The helicopter slammed down and the soldiers leaped out. Amber didn't have time to worry about keeping up as Kane grabbed her around the waist and all but carried her toward a sprawling brick building set against a small outcropping of rock.

With twin booms, the other two helicopters slammed into place and surrounded the demon stronghold.

Talen dropped to one knee, a large rocket launcher on his shoulder. "Fire." A missile exploded forward and ripped into the front of the building, shooting bricks high into the sky.

Then everybody moved at once.

Gasping, her eyes tearing, Amber allowed Kane to lead her into h.e.l.l.

CHAPTER 18.

Smoke gave the night a surreal quality. The shouts from angry men came from what seemed a great distance. Particles of brick rained down, and it took several seconds for Amber to realize Kane was protecting her head. In fact, the vampire was protecting her, period. Shielding her with his body, he maneuvered gracefully around debris and two downed bodies in what had been a small room.

Downed demons.

They wore the same black uniforms as the two who had tried to kidnap her from the farm.

Dage dropped and jammed a knife into the closest demon's neck.

Bile rose in Amber's stomach and she turned away.

Pain crept along her cheekbones to pierce her lower eyelids, sliding directly for her brain. With a cry, she smoothed shields into place.

Calmness. Peace. Strength.

Kane stumbled and growled low. Blood trickled out his ears.

Amber grabbed his hand, trying to send strength to his mind. "Don't fight the pain-go around it."

He frowned and then his shoulders relaxed. Blood dripped from his nose. "That's better. Seek your granny."

Three demon solders rushed from a doorway to the left. Talen and Dage pounced on them, even while emitting growls of pain.

Kane tugged her toward the doorway while Oscar flanked her other side. "Keep shielding."

She nodded, her heart flaring to beat against her ribs in a painful cadence. Seeking with her mind, she caught a faint whiff of something pure. Her grandma. "She's here."

Kane nodded. "Yeah, I can sense her. She's not shielding-must know we're here." His gun in one hand, he grabbed Amber's with his other and darted into the doorway.

A long tunnel wound directly into the rock.

"I was afraid of this." Kane shook his head. "Stay behind me. The second you sense them, let me know."

She gripped his hand tighter. An odd connection flowed beneath her skin and escaped where they touched. Her abilities might help him fight the mental pain. "Don't let go."

He frowned, glancing down. "Are you shielding my mind, too?"

"Maybe. But trying doesn't hurt me or diminish my shield over my brain, so there's no reason not to try." Probably. Heck, maybe not. Her head was actually starting to ache a little bit.

He nodded and glanced over his shoulder. "I have lead. Flank her."

Talen and Oscar both stepped up behind her.

Kane maneuvered around burning bricks, leading her carefully. "I sense two ahead." He pushed her against the rock wall and released her. An instant grunt of pain came from him. Talen jumped to his side, and they both leapt forward into the darkness. The echo of flesh hitting flesh filled the tunnel along with grunts and the shattering sound of bones breaking.

Brutal images of war and death slammed into Amber's brain. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Settling her hands against the rough rock wall, she breathed deep and tried to shove the images away. Sharp spikes ripped the back of her eyelids. Digging deep, she eased air into her lungs, gently sliding the bad images away and replacing them with good images.

The pain receded.

She opened her eyes in time to see a demon stop short, his eyes going wide as he struggled as if the air held him back. Talen stood before him, one hand out. Talen jumped forward and stabbed the demon, taking him down to the ground. Seconds later, the demon's head flew down the tunnel.