A right cross to Jase’s jaw jerked his attention to the last shifter. He hissed, his fangs dropping.
The shifter’s eyes widened. “Vampire.” Dodging left and then right, he ran behind the bar.
Jase frowned. “You can’t run.” Damn it. He hurdled the bar and followed the guy down a narrow hallway to a flight of stairs leading down. He made it three steps down and into darkness.
Heat and panic rushed through him. His ears rang. A low growl rumbled up from his gut. Slowly, his hands shaking, he backed up the steps. Reaching the hallway, he took a deep breath and slammed the door. Sweat rolled down his back.
Smoothing his face, he turned and ran into his brother. The sympathy on Talen’s face almost broke him.
Talen smacked him on the shoulder. “Let’s go before they call the cops.”
Swallowing, Jase nodded and followed him back into the bar.
Conn emerged from the restroom and glanced around the demolished room. “What’d I miss?”
Chapter 12
Alone in the big bed, Brenna pushed her glasses up her nose as she read the latest report from the Coven Nine regarding witches misusing magic. The problem seemed to be getting worse. She sighed and glanced around the empty bedroom as dawn slipped under the shades. While she’d never really thought about mating, if she had, this wouldn’t have been her dream.
For several hours, she’d tried to sleep. Finally, she’d given up and decided to get some work done.
The front door swished, and something fell inside.
She stiffened.
A low, male curse echoed before lumbering steps came down the hallway. Jase staggered into the bedroom.
“Good lord,” she murmured.
His clothes were ripped, and blood dotted his shirt. A purple bruise spread under his right eye. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She frowned. “Who hit you?”
“Got in a bar fight with a bunch of shifters.” He flashed rare dimples and awkwardly kicked off his boots. Then he swayed. “Don’t worry—nobody died.”
“Good to know.” She set down the reports. “Do you need help?”
He sagged against the wall. “I need more help than is possible.” His lips turned down. “We stopped at several bars on the way home, or I’d be sober by now.” Inching forward, he fell to his knees by the bed. “You’re so pretty, Bren.”
“You’re drunk.” She slid from the bed and grasped under his arms. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He stood, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be clean.” Stumbling into the bathroom, he allowed her to pull his shirt off. “You’re pretty.”
“So you said.” Jase was an affectionate drunk. Brenna smiled, warmth spreading through her. What in the world was she going to do with him? “Um, take off your jeans.”
His eyes darkened. “We’re mated. You take them off.” A hiccup took the edge off the order.
Aye, they were mated, and he needed help. She’d always been a nurturer, and being able to assist him filled her with pleasure. Even so, her hands shook as she unsnapped his jeans and shoved off his clothes. A dark purple bruise cut into his muscular thigh. “What happened?” she asked, running her fingers along the wound.
“Training yesterday. I fell.” He closed his eyes and hummed. “You have great hands.”
“Thank you.” She reached in and flipped on the shower faucet. Steam quickly rose. “Get in.” She nudged him in the back.
He slipped inside, groaning as steam swallowed him.
The doorbell rang. What in the world? She turned and padded through the house to open the door. Moira and Emma stood on the front porch, Moira in training gear and Emma in sweats. “It’s a little early.” Brenna motioned them toward the empty living room.
Moira swept inside. “I know. We don’t sleep much around here, especially when drunk vampires pass out on our floors.”
Emma tapped a manila file. “I was in the lab.”
As usual, apparently. Dread filled Brenna. She already knew the lab results. “Did Dage get drunk, too?”
“No. He spent all night negotiating a treaty between two shifter clans out of Iceland.” Emma pursed her lips. “There’s nowhere to sit.”
“Just tell me.” Brenna sighed, her gaze on Moira as her big sister tried to look stoic.
“There’s no change in your blood.” Emma handed the file to Brenna. “Your results are the same as the ones sent over from your doctors. The mating hasn’t slowed down the poison in your system.”
Moira grabbed her arm. “You just mated and need to give the cure time.”
“I agree,” Brenna lied and forced a smile for her sister. “I’m feeling better even if the blood results don’t show that.”
“Bollocks.” Moira pushed her. “Don’t placate me, you brat.”
“You’re the brat, Dailtín.” Brenna pushed back.
“Ladies”—Emma rolled her eyes—“knock it off and grow up.”
Moira snorted. “Look who’s talking. You called your sister a jackass the other night.”
The queen sniffed. “Cara was cheating at poker. She was being a jackass.”
“Using empathic abilities isn’t cheating,” Moira countered.
“You’re always on her side,” Emma huffed.
Brenna grinned. “You two sound just like sisters.”
Emma slipped an arm through Brenna’s. “We mated Kayrs men. We need a sisterhood—blood or not.”
Jase loped into the room, a towel loosely tied at his waist. He stopped cold at the gathering.
Brenna shoved down desire. A chest like that should never be hidden behind cotton. “Feel better?”
“I’m fine.” A shadow lined his jaw. Combined with the purple bruise, he looked like a rogue searching for a rumble.
A firm knock echoed on the door. Emma glanced at Moira. “Yours or mine?”
“Mine’s passed out on the floor,” Moira said, yanking open the door to reveal Dage. “Told you.”
The king appeared . . . ruffled. His eyes shone a dark silver, and his dark hair had escaped the band he always tied it in. Tension emanated from him so heavily the oxygen in the room diminished. His gaze met Jase’s.
Jase took a step back. His face hardened to blank granite. “What?”
The king didn’t move. “The Kurjans have our nephew.”
After being briefed by Dage, Jase stood in the armory and slammed a clip into his gun, his mind swirling. Not the Kurjans. An evil vampire race, they had white faces and a serious aversion to the sun. They’d also created Virus-27, a strong entry into germ warfare. Now they had Garrett, the fun-loving kid he’d helped to raise. While he understood the plan, he couldn’t figure out why they needed a damn plan. “What the fuck happened?”
Talen shook his head, tightening his bulletproof vest. “He and two of his buddies snuck out and partied in town all night. I don’t know if the Kurjans happened upon them, or if it was a calculated move.”
“It was a calculated move.” Jase grabbed two more knives. “Makes sense. Everyone knows our headquarters is here . . . figures the kids would head to town at some point.”
Talen staggered and slapped a palm against the wall. “I knew,” he whispered. “I knew they were sneaking out and having fun, but they’re nineteen and smart.” Guilt washed down his face. “I’ve trained my son since he was old enough to walk, but he’s not ready for this.”
Nausea shot through Jase’s gut. He grabbed his brother’s arm. The other two kids had been found beaten and unconscious in an alley. Only Garrett had been taken. “We’ll get him back. Tonight.” If they didn’t, Garrett would never be the same. “I swear to God. We’ll get him.”