Dark Protectors: Provoked Part 36

Kane started. "A wedding? You're kidding."

"Nope." Talen pivoted to go.

Kane turned and grabbed his brother's arm. "You're not helping me clean up?"

Talen glanced over his shoulder at the devastation. "Not in a million f.u.c.king years. It's your own fault you haven't told her you love her. Dips.h.i.t." He shrugged free, whistling a jaunty tune as he sauntered down the hallway.

Kane took a tentative step into the lab, his loafer sliding on cheese. His arms wind-milled, and he crashed to the ground. Finally, the temper he didn't have roared through him.

Then humor.

He grinned as Walter swung to the far wall, licking cheese off his lips. Kane threw back his head and laughed.

The thought occurred to him that he'd laughed more since meeting Amber than he'd done in three centuries.

His heart warmed.

The brand on his palm pounded.

Reality smacked him hard in the face, nearly jerking his head back.

He loved her.

Not in a running-through-daisies way, but in a forever, he'd-be-devastated-without-her way.

As he finally allowed himself to believe in forever, love, and fate . . . his shoulders relaxed. The world finally made sense.

Oh, he loved the little minx.

But man, things were going to change.

Dage Kayrs skirted the large lab, not wanting to see the mess. He'd talk to Kane later. Maneuvering through the underground hallways, he found his mate at the small lab.

Emma's dark hair was pulled back in a clip while faded jeans hugged her s.e.xy hips. No makeup adorned her pretty face, and the logo on her T-shirt was faded beyond recognition. As usual, the queen of the Realm was at work, her amazing mind spinning as she tried to cure the virus. She stood, reading a file, muttering under her breath.

Dage leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "I told you to get some rest."

She looked up with a frown. "I'm just reading. How's Jase?"

"The same, though his neck has finally healed." Dage sighed deeply. "He won't even talk to me so I can help him."

Emma grimaced. "Give him time. They really messed with his head. Jase is strong; he'll heal emotionally, too."

"I hope so." Dage studied his mate. Lines of stress cut under her eyes. "You have a headache."

She shrugged. "A little."

He reached out and wiped his thumb across her head, drawing the pain into his skull. A quick push and the ache disappeared.

"That's so cool how you do that," Emma murmured.

Yeah. Too bad the virus was so strong, or maybe vampires with infected mates could yank it free. Talen had tried so many d.a.m.n times-without success.

Dage forced a frown. "Rumor has it Kane's large lab was destroyed by a mult.i.tude of animals and string cheese." Talen had reported in within minutes of escaping the disaster.

Emma bit her lip. "Now that's unfortunate."

Oh, her stunning eyes couldn't hide the truth from him. "I believe Amber Freebird probably had an accomplice or two, love."

Emma tossed the file to land on the granite countertop between two humming machines. Wincing slightly, she straightened her arms and stretched her graceful neck. "Maybe the monkeys did it."

Dage grinned. "Kane is murderous when planning paybacks, and you're on your own."

Her eyes darkened, and she took soft steps toward him. "You wouldn't protect me from big, bad Kane?"

"Nope." Dage allowed her amazing smile to send peace through his body. Finally, he could relax and focus on family. "You deserve whatever he comes up with as revenge."

She reached him, sliding her hands up to his neck. "Hmm. I wonder if I could change your mind."

The woman was dangerous as h.e.l.l and could actually destroy his mind. "I don't know. Just how persuasive are you talking?"

She licked her lips, pressing along his length. "I can be very persuasive."

He fought a groan, trying to keep his face set in calm lines. It wouldn't do to let the blue-eyed seductress know how easily she affected him. "We haven't been swimming in a while." Then he ducked, tossing her over a shoulder.

She yelped and smacked his back. "Why do you always do this?"

He grabbed her b.u.t.t in a strong grip. "So I can do this." She predictably tried to kick him, so he banded an arm around her legs while jogging down to the underground pool.

"I'm the queen, d.a.m.n it," Emma hissed.

"You only play the queen card when you want to get out of something." They reached the pool, and he swung her around to cradle easily in his arms. Her narrowed gaze almost made him laugh. "What?"

"Don't even think-" she screeched as she flew through the air to land with a splash.

She came up to the surface sputtering.

He laughed and yanked off his clothes. "Time to play, my queen."

Talen met the helicopter at the landing site and ripped open the door to gather his mate in his arms.

Cara laughed, snuggling close and kissing his chin as he lifted her out. "I take it you missed me?"

The d.a.m.n world finally righted as he held her, the scent of wild honeysuckle wrapping around his heart and squeezing. "Yes. I missed you terribly. You're never leaving me again, mate." He looked up to give a nod to his son.

Garrett jumped to the ground. The fourteen-year-old stood at six feet with odd metallic gray eyes and a charming smile. "Hi, Dad. I kissed a shifter."

Cara groaned. "Your son is a little Casanova. He had the feline fathers ready to cut off his head."

Pride filled Talen as he set Cara down on her feet. "That's my boy."

"Wrong response." Cara punched him in the arm.

Talen gathered his son for a hug. "We'll talk later," he whispered to the boy.

Garrett laughed, stepping back. "It's a deal." He sobered. "How's Uncle Jase?"

"He's getting better," Talen lied. A long time ago, the carefree look in Garrett's eyes had lived in Jase's. Sorrow had Talen forcing a smile.

Cara leaned into his chest, stroking gently. "Jase will be fine." The little empath always could read him.

Talen nodded. "I know."

Garrett glanced around. "Where's Janie?"

Talen turned to lead his family indoors. "She's learning to play bridge from Hilde Freebird." He paused. "I think something's up with Janie, but I can't figure it out. Probably girl stuff."

Cara raised an eyebrow. "Girl stuff?"

"Yeah, girl stuff." Thank G.o.d his mate was home to deal with the confusing girl stuff.

Cara slid her arm around his waist. "Speaking of girl stuff, how is Kane doing with Amber?"

"I think there will be a wedding in the very near future, whether the genius likes it or not." Talen smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in a month. Well, since Cara had left to help the shifters.

Cara gasped, a wide smile filling her face. "A wedding? Oh, how fun."

Garrett groaned. "Why can't they elope? You know Uncle Kane will want to just get it done."

Talen shook his head. "That's not how marriage works." Unfortunately. "Plus, just think how much fun it'll be watching Kane run in circles." Oh yeah, this was going to be a lot of fun.

Garrett frowned. "I don't understand."

"That's because you're a sweetheart, Garrett," Cara murmured.

The kid rolled his eyes. "Mom."

Talen grinned at his son. "Don't worry, we'll go later and try the new guns Kane created. They take a tree out at a hundred yards."

"Oh yeah!" Excitement sizzled Garrett's eyes into a deep silver.

They reached the entrance to headquarters, and Talen eyed Garrett. "For now, why don't you go learn how to play bridge?"

Garrett opened his mouth to protest, and then glanced from his father to his mother and back. A pink blush wandered from his neck to cover his angled face. "Um, yeah. I'll do that. 'Bye." He turned and all but ran in the other direction.

Cara chuckled. "You're terrible."

Talen swung her up in his arms, where she belonged. "Let me show you how terrible I can be." His mouth took hers even as he hurried for their quarters. Reaching the door, he kicked the heavy steel open. "I missed you."

She smiled, her eyes a deep blue. "I missed you, too."

The world was all right now that she was where he wanted her. "I'm so glad you're home, my mate."

Then his mouth descended on hers again.

Max Petrovsky frowned at the angry brunette currently shouting at him. His Sarah wasn't a shouter. Why in the world was she yelling? Finally, she wound down, pretty brown eyes sparking.

Her eyebrows lifted. "Well?"

s.h.i.t. He'd been so surprised at her yelling that he hadn't listened to her words. "Um . . . I'm sorry?"

Her gaze narrowed. "For what?"

He shuffled his humungous feet. "For whatever p.i.s.sed you off so much."

Wrong answer. He knew it the second the words left his mouth. The woman grabbed a vase to throw at his head.

At that point, he'd had enough. Plucking the flying vase out of the air by the little handle, he went for his woman.

She backed up, eyes widening.

Putting the vase down gently because he knew it was one of her favorites, he grasped her by the upper arms and lifted her until they were eye-to-eye. "Now tell me again what's wrong."

Her lips pursed. "What's wrong is that your best friend, and almost-brother, Kane Kayrs, is a complete a.s.s who needs to pull his head out of his b.u.t.t and make Amber happy."

How the h.e.l.l was that Max's problem? "And?"

"And you need to talk to him and get him to fix this."

"Why in the world do you think I can get him to fix this?"

Her voice softened. Her pretty chocolate eyes darkened. "You see things, Max. You notice things n.o.body else does, which is why you are such an excellent hunter, and the bodyguard most trusted around here."

Charm. The woman was trying to charm him. Based on the warmth sliding through his veins, she was succeeding. "What else, Milaya?"

A light pink covered her freckled face, and not from him calling her "my pretty one" in Russian.

Max frowned. If he was reading her right, and he was, that was guilt in her eyes. And her big defense was a yelling offense that had quickly turned to charm, which was totally working on him. "What did you do?"

Her eyes widened and those long eyelashes fluttered. "Do? What do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"Sarah." He lowered his voice to the growl he used when training the young vampires on the field.

She shivered and swallowed. Her tiny fingers began to play with the b.u.t.tons on his shirt, while her gaze concentrated on his neck. "Well, I may have helped Amber, ah, sabotage Kane's lab."

"Sabotage?" Everybody knew not to mess with Kane's lab. "Are you crazy?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. But Emma and Janie helped."