Rebecca Zanetti - Fated

Exhaling all her doubts, she opened her mind to Talen. “You there, mate?”

“Yes. In the middle of something here, Cara.” A mental sigh came over loud and clear. “Emma’s not here.”

An image of a building nearly reduced to rubble filled her mind. “I know. I’m going to meet her in Wyoming.”

“No, you’re not.” Rage and fear edged each word.

He had the audacity to tell her what to do? Seriously? Fury had her shields slipping for just a moment. “I don’t take orders from you, mate.” She sneered the last word.

Silence. Then, “I can explain the file, Cara.”

“Meet me in Wheatland, Talen. I’ll stall Lorcan until you get there.” She slammed down hard mental shields before he could reply. Boy was he going to be pissed.

She wondered at her ability to do what she was about to do. The option remained for her to wait until Talen arrived, but Lorcan had sounded serious about hurting Emma. In fact, he’d seemed almost eager to do so.

Plus, her sister was an incredibly strong psychic—she’d be waiting for Cara, knowing of her plan.

Taking a determined breath, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed two knives off the counter, one she tucked into her right sock, the other she kept in her hand. With a quick prayer for help, she jogged to the garage which she opened with a punch of a button. She stared bemused at the black Hummer and a sleek two-seater sports car. Hmm. Well, in for a dollar … Relief bombarded her as she found the keys in the ignition of the sports car, which purred to life like an awakened tiger, and she couldn’t help but compare its muted roar with Talen—both sleek, hungry, and promising unimaginable power. She couldn’t control either one of them.

She sped out of the garage, wondering how soon Talen could arrive in Wyoming. She punched her foot to the pedal and ignored her queasiness as the pretty pine trees blended into one long green blur outside. She reached Wheatland in just over two hours and wearily pulled into a Texaco outside of town to make her phone call. Her stomach revolted again, probably from fear they’d inject her with the virus as soon as possible. She wondered if she should’ve waited for backup.

With a sigh, she parked next to the light blue telephone booth and stepped out of the car into the mellow spring air. She grasped the side of the sports car as the world spun around her, and with a deep breath she centered herself before walking slowly, carefully into the booth. She ran her credit card through the slot and punched in the number before she could change her mind, knowing they’d be able to trace the phone call and seeing no reason to lie about her whereabouts.

“Hello, Cara.” Lorcan’s satisfied tone made her want to gag.

“Put my sister on.” Her voice sounded calmer than she had hoped.

“Of course.”

A shuffling came over the line, then “Tell me you did not come to Wyoming.” Outrage rose her sister’s voice an octave.

“Hi, Emma. Good to talk to you, too,” Cara said wryly.

“Damn it—Cara, run! Now!” There was the sound of a scuffle, her sister swearing like a trucker, and then silence.

“As you could hear, your infuriating sister is just fine,” Lorcan hissed.

“Yes.” Cara agreed, a lump in her throat. How long Emma stayed fine was certainly up in the air.

“Where are you, Cara?”

“I’m at the Texaco east of town.”

“Ah, good. I will send men to retrieve you. And, if you are not with them when they return …” He let the threat hang across the line.

“I will be, Lorcan.” She had come this far, it was too late to back out.

“I look forward to starting our life together.” His eerie voice almost had a calming quality. Almost.

“I don’t suppose it matters that I don’t want a life with you?” Maybe she had misread him.

“Not in the slightest.” His laugh rivaled the scariest Halloween recording ever made. “But you should consider yourself lucky we can return you to human form and rid you of the vampire’s taint. Otherwise, I would just have to kill you.”

Cara’s mind reeled for an appropriate response. There wasn’t one. Dread pooled like dinosaur sludge in her gut as she thought of Talen, while he may have married her because she was a potential, he wouldn’t have killed her if things hadn’t worked out. There truly wasn’t a question of who the good guys were here.

“My sister had better be in one piece when I arrive, Lorcan.” She hung up the phone, grimacing at the pretty sports car. She’d better hide it before the Kurjans showed up.

Tucking the second knife into the small of her back, she sat on the yellow curb with her chin cradled in her hands when the shockingly white van pulled up. The gas station sprawled behind her with empty asphalted parking slots. There was little activity on the outskirts of town, and she figured she was on her own as she took in the silent vehicle. The windows were tinted almost black but she knew who, or rather what, lay inside waiting for her. Dread slid inside her stomach in even time with the van door opening; before she could peer into the darkened interior, the stench of evil rolled outside and her heart stopped. She stood and took one step forward.

She faltered on her next step as Talen’s voice wove strong and sure through her conscious while she stared into the darkness. “Do not get into that van.”

“I don’t have a choice,” she thought back to him as strong as she could.

“Run into the sun away from the van, mate.” Anger thickened his voice, and her heart jumped to life in response.

She shook her head, her thoughts swirling. She had to save Emma. She tried to send back a plea for Talen to take care of Janie should she not survive this. She took another step toward the van just as a cascading wave of pure fury rolled through her brain to land in her heart, and with a cry, she saw blackness.

“Fuck. I think I short-circuited her brain,” Talen growled in anger from his seat in the modified helicopter.

“Seriously?” Dage turned in astonishment. “Do you know how rare that kind of connection is?”

Talen cut golden eyes at his brother. “Who cares? Now she’s out cold, and I can’t tell where she’s going.” He turned back to watch the landscape below them flash by. “And she ran from me. What kind of connection is that?”

“She went to save her sister, Talen.” Dage concentrated on flying the bird at a greater speed than he should. Jase and Conn muttered something to each other in the backseat.

“Well, that’s my fucking job, isn’t it Dage?” A fierce growl rode through the words.

“Actually, it’s my fucking job, brother. And don’t you forget it.” Dage’s tone matched Talen’s.

Talen swung pained eyes at Dage. “Do you really think Emma’s your mate?”

“I know it.” An absolute tone echoed through the earpieces.

“Well good fucking luck.”

“Thank you.” Now the tenor was dry. “And frankly, you’re more pissed at yourself than your mate.”

“Excuse me?”

“You should’ve told her about that damn file, Talen. Also, leaving her access to the computer and that account? Of course they’d contact her.”

“I was trying to keep her mind occupied while we searched for her sister.” In truth, he hadn’t been thinking. In fact, he hadn’t thought straight since he’d met the little scientist. “And you’re wrong.” Talen’s jaw snapped shut.

“About what?” Dage asked.

“I’m more pissed at my mate. A fact she will soon regret.”

Dage shook his head. “I’m pretty sure you don’t understand women.”

Talen shrugged. “I don’t care. But mine will understand me.”

Dage checked several gages. “We’re five minutes outside of Cheyenne. Has she regained consciousness?”