“That’s true.” Lily stretched her neck, nausea rising from her stomach. “You really think murder is the right path?”
“Yes.” Sorrow filled Guiles’s eyes.
Lily studied him. The man she’d known and trusted for centuries. They’d followed duty and Fate together. Instinct flared alive in her, and she nearly doubled over in pain. “You’re psychic and telepathic, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” A gentle frown settled between his dark eyes.
Regret tasted like bile. “Why do you want Janie dead, Guiles?”
Guiles sighed, regret twisting his lip. “The vision is true. The one you saw of Janie as a prophet wearing a marking.”
Lily lifted her chin. “Your marking?”
“Yes. The only way she could earn a marking is if one of us dies, and I recognized the marking as mine. I changed it for your dream.” He ran a manicured hand through his thick hair. “I’m sorry.”
Anger flashed through Lily. “Sorry? For invading my dreams, for making me defy Fate and everything I believe in? For trying to force me to kill a friend?”
“No.” Guiles moved faster than a snake, a dark box in his hand. “For this.” Something sizzled on Lily’s skin, and darkness swamped her in unconsciousness.
Chapter Twelve
Caleb slammed his fist down on the stone table. “Enough of this. The Kurjans and demons are not peaceful species, and frankly, neither are vampires. These talks are just a trap, and you know it.”
Irritation sizzled Dage’s eyes into a metallic silver. “There’s no way to trap us. Even with our best minds, we can’t figure out a way to trap them so far underground. No powers work. We’re as harmless as humans down there, and so are they.”
“It’s still a bad idea.” Caleb stood nose-to-nose with the king, finally letting his temper roar.
“Too bad. Shut the fuck up, sit down, and make sure we haven’t missed anything,” Dage shouted right back.
Caleb tightened his hand into a fist, and the king straightened his shoulders to take the hit and probably retaliate. They’d see if the copied tables could take a good hand-to-hand fight.
An alarm blared through the lodge, stilling both men.
“Shit,” Dage said, tapping a communicator around his wrist. “Status?”
“Realm SUV broke through the front gate,” came the terse reply as engines sounded in the background.
“Did you fire?” Dage asked.
“No. Prophet Guiles was driving with Prophet Sotheby half-covering his body. We couldn’t risk hitting her.”
Caleb’s head jerked up. The world crashed into him, deafening in a sudden silence. “Lily?”
Dage grabbed his arm. “Let’s go.”
They ran out of the room and through the lodge just in time to jump into a Hummer driven by Jase. Caleb slid into the front while the king careened into the back next to another soldier. The vehicle squealed out on the asphalt before they’d even closed the doors.
“What the hell?” Caleb said.
Jase punched the accelerator, his face fierce in concentration. “The two prophets were positively identified as the SUV crashed through the gate, and Lily appeared unconscious.” Jase glanced at Caleb and grimaced. “The guard said Guiles was using her as a shield, so they immediately began to pursue.”
Rage and an entirely new feeling ripped into Caleb’s heart. What was that? Fear? He didn’t like it . . . at all. “Where the hell does he think he’s taking her?” There was no way the SUV could outrun the Hummers.
As if on cue, the vehicle whipped around a corner and through the damaged gate, heading full-speed for the open road.
Jase tapped a button on the dashboard. “Do we have eyes on them?”
A speaker in the dash crackled before a voice came through. “Yes. They’re heading east on Salamis Road. Fast. Too fast,” the guard said. “We haven’t lost visual, so both prophets are still in the vehicle, but we can’t shoot.”
Jase nodded. “Hold tight.” He pressed another button. “Do we have visual from air?”
A different speaker flared to life. “No. Satellite offline for an hour with routine updates,” came the terse reply, this voice much deeper than the guard’s.
“The bastard knew our schedule,” Caleb said grimly, his hands tightening with the need to draw blood. “Tell me we have air support.”
“Negative,” Jase said, shooting around a corner. “All air support is currently over the peace-talk sites conducting drills on both evasive and aggressive maneuvers. Guiles would’ve known about that, too.”
“The helicopters are not that far away,” Dage said, cocking a gun from the backseat.
Jase nodded. “I’ve had them diverted—it’ll take about an hour for the closest to reach us.”
Lily didn’t have an hour, and Caleb knew it. “This isn’t making sense. Where the hell is he taking her?”
“Away from us,” Dage said tersely. “Which means to somebody who will protect him from us. But the question is why . . . and who?” He leaned toward the front seat. “Weapons?”
“Two guns and three knives,” Caleb said thoughtfully, his gaze on the empty road ahead.
Jase flashed him a look. “You arm yourself with two guns and three knives to practice for the peace talks?”
“Yes. It was a light day.” Time to confess all. Caleb exhaled heavily and turned to tell the king about the dreams and Fate’s dictates. He left nothing out, noting the tension rising in the vehicle with every word he spoke. “I’m assuming Gules has been receiving similar instructions, but I don’t see how kidnapping Lily will accomplish Janie’s death.”
Dage rubbed his chin, his eyes seriously pissed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to be left out of the peace talks, and I thought I could contain it.” Caleb eyed the king’s gun. “Don’t shoot me.”
“I won’t.” The king lowered the gun, his shoulder hitting the vehicle’s side when Jase cut a hard corner. “Right now, anyway.”
“Fair enough.” Caleb scrubbed both hands down his face. “They’ll need air transport to get her away from us.”
Jase nodded. “We’ve monitored all air traffic for years, and nothing has come into range today that would give us pause.” He eyed the top of the window of the Hummer. “Even without the satellites, we have radar and would’ve caught anything suspicious.”
“So he’s driving her somewhere?” Caleb asked.
“Apparently.” Dage swore as his shoulder hit the side again. “How well do you know Guiles?”
“Not very. I haven’t been working long as a prophet. I’m a soldier.” But if he had gotten closer to Guiles, maybe Caleb would’ve seen the danger in the smooth vampire. Guilt swamped him. “All I know is that the guy is old and dresses like he’s going to prom every day.” And now he held Caleb’s woman against her will.
“We’ll get him,” Jase said grimly.
“Was the guard sure Lily was just unconscious?” Caleb asked the one question he’d rather not.
“No.” Jase cut his eyes to Caleb before focusing back on the road. “But if a prophet dies, another takes their place, and we’d know if that happened, so I’m sure Lily is alive.”
Good point. Caleb could hold on to that hope until he wrapped his hands around Guiles’s neck. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
A boom sounded from the dash, followed by a smattering of gunfire. “Shots fired—shots fired,” shouted the guard.
Jase barreled the vehicle up a hill, and Caleb took in the scene below with one glance. “Son of a bitch.” A long hauler was parked to the side of the road, while a helicopter’s blades swung into motion behind it. “They trucked the copter in.”
Two Realm soldiers fired at the long hauler, where several Kurjans fired back, their skin protected by the forest’s darkness. A quick glance at the helicopter confirmed shielded windows. Damn it.
Jase slammed his foot on the accelerator and gestured to the northern forest. “Kurjan
s moving in from the other side. They’re taking a huge risk with the sun being out.” He swung the Hummer around, and everyone jumped out the southern side, between the two Realm SUVs, already firing into the forest. Green bullets ripped into the metal from return fire.
Caleb ducked to keep from taking one in the face. Thank God the sun didn’t bother vampires as it did the Kurjans. “Lily?” he shouted, rushing toward the other SUV, where a guard was down, blood dripping from his neck. Caleb felt for the faint pulse, his gaze on the helicopter shielded by the truck. “Man down. He’s out, but not dead.”
A flash of blond from inside the helicopter caught Caleb’s eye. “Lily,” he yelled, leaping over the SUV.
“Jesus, Caleb,” the king bellowed from behind him, sliding to the front of the other SUV to provide raining bullets of fire. “Get down!”
Nothing mattered but getting to Lily before the helicopter took off. Caleb wove, dodging bullets, hitting one Kurjan in the neck as he flew past. Bullets impacted his chest, his shoulders, even his thighs, yet he kept going.
Jase appeared on his right, Dage on his left, both providing cover. He didn’t hesitate, even when the king grunted in pain from impact.
Only Lily mattered.
The helicopter lifted into the air. With a primal roar, Caleb leaped across yards to land inside, hitting the farthest wall with a loud crunch. Pain slashed across his forehead, and blood splashed. Something hard slammed into the back of his head, and darkness overtook him. The last thing he heard was Lily screaming his name.
Lily glanced around the lush lady’s quarters. Flowers abounded on every fabric, on every wall, even on lamps. All different colors of flowers, different species, resulting in a hodgepodge of clashing flora that overstimulated the senses. Her head began to ache, and not just from being Tasered and tossed in a helicopter.
Did Franco truly believe the ridiculous bedroom suited her?
With a sigh, she limped over to the closet and threw open the door. The Kurjans had removed the tracker from her heel, and it hurt. Rips and Caleb’s blood marred her yoga outfit, and the Kurjan who’d escorted her to the absurd room had ordered her to change.
She glanced down at the long strip of skin revealed across her breasts from the damaged material. Yes. While the idea of donning clothing purchased by Franco made her ill, she’d rather cover more of her flesh if she was about to meet the Kurjan leader in person.
She had to find out where they’d taken Caleb. Fear for him made the room whirl. Why would the Kurjans allow the Realm Rebel to live? It didn’t make sense. Unless they wanted to use him against her. She’d do anything to keep him alive.
At the thought, she stumbled against silk and cotton clothes. She loved him. Not the sweet love she’d thought she’d felt in her youth, but a desperate love determined to keep him. To love him and even fight with him. Fight anybody for him.
God. She had to save him.
She shoved off the ruined yoga outfit and donned a long blue skirt. A scramble through tops showed only corsets. Not the proper ones from times gone by, but those more recent, tight, and rather revealing. Franco was being an ass.
She tugged a blue and white one over her head, nearly bending over backward to zip it up. At least it had a zipper hidden among the many ties. Glancing down, she sighed at the mounds of her breasts pushed high. “This is to be worn beneath a sweater,” she muttered. One more quick glance through the closet proved there were no sweaters.
Several sets of high heels lined the bottom of the closet. Not a chance. Skirt or not, she was going barefoot. Much better for both running and kicking if necessary.
Her heart racing, she hustled into the attached bathroom, which was even gaudier than the bedroom, if that were possible.
Wide enough for two, a claw-foot tub lay in the far corner next to a toilet and a shower. A cursory search of drawers failed to reveal potential weapons. She hurriedly washed blood off her bare arms and hands. Then she brushed her messy hair from her face, gathering courage at the glimmer of the diamond earrings Caleb had given her.
A knock sounded on the door.
Smoothing down her skirt, she padded in her bare feet across the velvety carpet and opened the door, drawing on her professional smile.
Franco stood in the hallway dressed in full black Kurjan uniform with red medals adorning his chest. He’d pulled his black hair back in a band, the ends turning the customary blood red. The purple of his eyes deepened in his stark-white face as he looked down from his seven-foot height. “Lily.” The word emerged as a satisfied growl as his gaze dropped to her breasts.
Lily fought to keep her smile in place. “You forgot to include the sweater, Franco.”
The smile he flashed showed sharp fangs. “I forgot nothing.” He held out his arm, as regal as any prince. “You must be hungry after your ordeal.”
“Ordeal?” She slid her hand through his arm, cataloging weapons. His waist holster held a gun, and his thick boots probably hid another, along with a knife. “That’s a fine description of being Tasered, knocked out, and kidnapped.”
“I do apologize for the rough treatment.” He closed her door. “Perhaps the nicely decorated suite lifted your mood?”
She glanced up in surprise. He was serious. The guy actually thought he’d done something nice for her. Okay. She could play along for the moment. “I do love flowers.”
Relief crossed his pasty face. “I’m so glad.”
“Where are we, anyway?” she asked.
“A temporary stronghold in northern Oregon. We only had a small window of time before the vampires’ helicopters could give chase. Don’t worry, we’ll move again soon. This time to my headquarters in Canada.” He led her down a long hallway to a dining room full of antique furniture, pure crystal, and original oil paintings from the masters. A bouquet of fresh lilies served as the centerpiece on a Louis XV walnut dining table. Prophet Guiles stood across the table as they entered.
She cut him a hard look. “Guiles.”
He blushed, his shoulders going back. “I did what I had to do.”
Franco pulled out a chair and settled Lily into it before crossing to the head of the table to sit. “I have to admit, dining with two prophets has never been on my bucket list.” He smiled and unfolded his napkin. “Having all three under my roof is certainly nothing I’d ever considered.”
Lily took a sip of water from a crystal glass. She needed to find out about Caleb, but she had to be careful. “What’s your plan?”
A pregnant woman balanced a tray of soup bowls she delivered gracefully to each of them.
Franco smiled. “Lily, this is Beatrix. She’s mated to my second in command, Dyne.”
The woman nodded, her gaze downcast as she hustled from the room.
Lily lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you had a relative named Kalin as your second in command.” Kalin, the Kurjan butcher, was both crazy and dangerous.
Franco’s red lips tightened into a white line. “Kalin has turned against me, and I have ordered his death. He will not walk the earth much longer.” Franco slipped his spoon into his soup. “Dyne is a distant cousin and does his job well. He’s the ideal enforcer.”
An ideal Kurjan killed well and on demand. What about the poor pregnant woman? Obviously, she’d been human before being mated. Had they given her a choice? Lily took another sip of water. “Why is Guiles still alive?” Those who made deals with Kurjans usually died.
The prophet coughed and glared at her. “Be nice.”
“He’s alive because I haven’t killed him yet.” Franco licked his spoon clean. “Eat your soup, Lily.”
She took a sip, tasting nothing. “So the agreement to attend the peace talks was false.”
Surprise lifted Franco’s eyebrows. “Not at all. I fully intended to participate, and I still do. But when Prophet Guiles contacted me with his offer, I really couldn’t refuse. I’ve wanted you for centuries, as you know.”
“Why?” Lily whispered, her gaze on Guiles. “Why d
id you do this?”
“To protect myself.” He slurped his soup. “The visions didn’t lie. If I stayed with the vampires, Janie Kayrs would end up with my marking. I made a deal with Franco to exchange you for protection.”
Hurt spiraled down Lily’s chest. “What about your loyalty to Dage? He saved you.”
“I know.” Guiles rubbed his chin. “My loyalty to him is still true. I believe I can help the Realm more than Janie Kayrs can, and I need to remain a prophet to do so. It’s the only way I can protect him.”
Fire shot through Lily’s veins. “Keep telling yourself that. I thought we were friends.”
Guiles stopped eating. Sorrow glowed from his eyes. “Me, too. But suddenly, faced with death, friendship didn’t seem as important.”
“They won’t let you live,” she whispered. He no longer mattered, so she turned her attention to Franco. “I can’t be mated.”
“Now.” Franco finished his soup with a low hum of appreciation. “Once we cure the virus in your veins, you’ll be able to mate again.”
“So you haven’t found the cure for the virus.” Another hope dashed.
“No, but we will. In the meantime, by the stench of vampire I can smell all over you, I guess you can have sex.” Anger spiraled crimson into his high cheekbones.
Caleb’s scent would stay with her for at least a week, even though they weren’t mated. Was he still alive? She met Franco’s gaze. “You’re not a rapist, and I’m not having sex with you.” She threw her napkin on top of her soup bowl. God, she hoped she’d read him right. His ego wouldn’t allow him to take a woman against her will.
“Oh, you’ll come willingly,” he said, pure malice in his tone.
“You’re wrong.”
He sighed wearily. “We might as well get this over with.” Standing and grabbing her arm, he yanked her back into the hallway.
She struggled, her bare feet sliding on the thick carpet and not hampering his movements at all.
“Wait—” Guiles said from behind them, his breath huffing as he ran to catch up. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt her. That you’d court her slowly and try to talk her into a merger between the Kurjans and the Realm.”