Rebecca Zanetti: Provoked

He frowned, his puzzlement clear even through the fog. “Why are you playing games? I don’t have time for games.”

“Please leave me alone.” Cold permeated the silent car, and she began to shiver. “Why are you wearing body armor?” Cops called bulletproof vests “body armor,” right? No way was the dark-eyed warrior a police officer.

“I’m not. Get out of the car.” He stood, taking that handsome face out of sight.

“Are, too. Chuck hit your stomach and was instantly knocked out.”

“This would be so much easier if you trusted me.” Kane released the door handle and yanked open his silk shirt.

Abs. Powerful, well-defined, and sexy-as-hell abdominal muscles filled her window. The guy had a decent tan as well. “See? No armor.”

She tried to swallow and choked instead. Wow. Those things were more of a weapon than a defense. “Ah, yes, I see.” Maybe Chuck had been really, really drunk. Yeah, that was it. How in the world was she going to get away from Kane if Chuck couldn’t take him down? Reason and kindness. She had a brain and could be quite persuasive when necessary. “I’m not defenseless.”

“I’m aware of your power. That’s why I’m here.” Graceful movements propelled Kane around the vehicle. “Cover your face.”

She yelped, scrambling to unlock the door and jump outside to glare over the Volkswagen. “Do not break my window.”

“Of course.” Rebuttoning his shirt, he strode around the hood and grabbed her arm. “We’ll take the truck.”

He smelled like warm cedar and maleness. They’d made it halfway to the vehicle when realization dawned. She tried to dig her feet into the snow and halt his progress. “Wait a minute. You can’t leave those guys lying in the snow.”

“Why not?” Kane continued on, tugging her along as if she were a wayward toddler.

“They’ll freeze to death.”

“So?” He reached the truck and yanked open the door, both hands wrapping around her waist to lift her two feet into the cab. Like she weighed absolutely nothing.

A flutter that had nothing to do with the winter chill wandered through her. “You’re strong.”

He shrugged. “Strong enough. Scoot over.”

Panic swooshed out her breath. “No. We can’t leave them to die.”

Exasperation rode his strong sigh. “Why the hell not?”

So much for not swearing around her. “It’s murder.”

He glanced back at the quiet scene. “Not really.” Examining Alex still lying on the ground, Kane cocked his head. “I’d say it’s more self-defense, and well, death by being a moron.” He glanced up at her, and his lips tightened. “I don’t think their plans for you were very honorable.”

“Maybe not.” Dread and relief at her escape from the two henchmen commingled through her. “But we’re not leaving them here to die.” Swinging toward Kane, she angled her legs to kick him in the chest. “Either help them, or I will.”

More Latin spilled from him as he pivoted and stomped toward Alex, effortlessly lifting the unconscious man and carrying him to the truck. Shoving the front seat out of the way, he tossed Alex in the back. Seconds later Chuck landed on top of Alex. Kane pushed the seat back and jumped inside to slam the door, muttering as he put the truck in DRIVE.

Kane’s strength was unreal. He wasn’t even breathing hard.

Amber scooted to the far door. “You swearing in Latin some more?”

“Yes.” He backed the truck down the empty road until reaching a turnaround. “I have a niece I try not to swear around. Latin used to work. Well, until she learned Latin.” He frowned.

“How old is your niece?”

“Twenty.” He rubbed his chin, the frown deepening. “Suddenly she’s all grown up. Well, kind of. Twenty is still young. Too young.”

“Too young for what?”

“To save the world.”

So many thoughts zinged through Amber’s head, she pressed her free palm to her eye. “Does your niece know that fact?”

“Know what?” Kane maneuvered the truck around a downed pine and back onto the main road.

“That she’s supposed to save the world.” Hopefully he didn’t have some hapless woman imprisoned somewhere. How crazy was Kane?

“Sure. Janie gets visions.” Kane flipped on the wipers to combat the beginning of another snowstorm. “But we’re trying to make sure she doesn’t end up in danger or with the world hanging on her shoulders—we’re hoping to end the war soon.”

“War?” Amber eyed the quiet forest outside the truck. If she jumped out, could she outrun him? “What war?”

Kane sighed. Again. “The war. Vampires, Kurjans, Demons . . . even the shifters. Please don’t pretend you are unaware of the war. Your playing dumb insults us both.”

Well, shit. She sure didn’t want to insult the crazy bastard. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”

Sympathy for the poor niece, if she really existed, tightened Amber’s shoulders. “So, this Janie. She’s your real niece?”

“Sure.” Kane leaned forward to peer into the darkening storm. “She’s been my niece since she was four years old—what an amazing little kid she was. My brother adopted her when he saved his mate from the Kurjans.”

Okay. Which word to tackle first? The most intriguing one. “Um, mate? Your brother has a mate.”

“Yes. My brother Talen took Janie’s mother as a mate. He was a bit overbearing at first, but you have to know Talen. His vision of the world is pretty set in stone. Though, to his credit, he found the right mate for him and everything worked out.”

“Overbearing, huh? Hard to imagine.” Kane spun quite the story—wasn’t most genius close to madness? Poor guy. “Um, at the risk of insulting you again, what’s a Kurjan?” Amber might as well get all the facts she could in order to inform the guys who’d want to put poor Kane in a straitjacket.

Slowly, deliberately, Kane turned his head to pin her with a hard look. “Stop it.”

“Okay.” Agreeing seemed wise. A few more minutes and they’d be back in town. She’d run for it the second he stopped. Her gaze caught on a water bottle peeking out from under the seat. “For goodness’ sake. Why in the world would you buy bottled water?”

“Ah, I was thirsty?”

She shook her head. “So drink from a fountain. Do you know what that plastic does to the environment? You should care, darn it.”

“I won’t buy water in a bottle again.”

“Thank you.” The earth wasn’t going to last if people failed to start taking care of her. A smart man like Kane, regardless of his insanity, should realize that fact.

He frowned, clearly puzzled.

“What?”

“I’m trying to figure out how to handle you,” he said.

Her eyebrows rose until she could feel wrinkles. “Excuse me?”

He glanced back at the road. “Three of my brothers have mates, and they all handle their women differently. I was trying to figure out the best way to handle you because I’ve had enough of the games.”

Fear wandered down her spine on the heels of irritation. “Your brothers hurt their, ah, mates?”

“No, of course not.” He shrugged. “Though most often, a mate ends up over a shoulder heading elsewhere. I always thought brute strength a silly way to end an argument.” His gaze raked over her. “Now I’m seeing the reasonableness of the act.”

She cleared her throat. “They don’t harm, their, ah, mates. Right?”

“Never.” He shook his head. “A vampire would never harm a mate.”

Oh, Mother Earth. He said vampire.

Kane drove the truck through the archway of the small town, his gaze on the snowy road, and his mind on the quiet woman in the passenger seat. She hadn’t used her right hand since getting out of her car. What kind of a weapon did she hold? Probably not a gun, or she would’ve pointed it at the drunks trying to accost her.