Rebecca Zanetti - Tamed

His dangerous eyes somehow softened, even in hue. “That leaves everything. Want my soul, Lily? It’s yours.”

Caleb stalked through the weapons detector and fought the urge to plow the damn thing over when it dinged again.

Dage exhaled heavily while leaning against the wall of the small training room they’d turned into an exact duplicate of the underground peace-talk facility. “The good news is that if we can’t create a weapon able to fool the detector, the other species won’t be able to make one, either,” the king said thoughtfully.

“We hope,” Caleb said grimly, drawing the poly-plastic knife from his boot. “Is this the best we can come up with?”

“Yes.” Dage sauntered forward to sit on a stone table. “We’ve tried all manner of knives, guns, and even electrical weapons. The machine takes a scan of the body walking through it, so nothing can be hidden anyway. I could even see a scar on your liver.”

Caleb stretched his neck with a loud pop . “A werewolf caught me in Iceland during the turf wars. I was damaged enough I couldn’t repair it completely.” Damn, that had hurt. Livers mattered.

The door opened, and Janie Kayrs walked inside. “You wanted to see me, Uncle Dage?”

“Yes.” Dage glanced at the woman’s training outfit. “Walk through the detector, would you?”

“Sure.” Janie had pulled her hair up in a ponytail, and blond highlights showed brightly through the sable length. She eyed the detector and then stepped through. An instant clanging went up, and the color scanner on the side showed a knife at her hip, a gun in her boot, and another blade tucked into the small of her back. Shoulder damage showed above her right clavicle, as well.

Caleb frowned. “What happened to your shoulder?”

Janie peered around the machine to see her body scan. “Werewolf attack when I was sixteen.”

“Does it still hurt?” Caleb asked.

The young woman flashed him a rueful smile. “Only when it’s about to rain.”

Being human must truly bite sometimes. Caleb eyed the gun at her waist, noting it was loaded and the safety was on. “I have to ask. Do you think you’re supposed to save humanity or destroy it?” Yeah. He was searching for some logic to the damn dreams.

The smile slid from her stunning face to leave a thoughtful soberness. “I’m supposed to change the world, and I don’t know how.” She reached for the knife at her waist to twirl the blade in a way Caleb had seen her uncles do for centuries.

“So Fate controls you?” Caleb asked, ignoring Dage’s pointed look.

“No.” Janie shook her head, curiosity glowing in her gaze. “But the choices we make often have unforeseen consequences. I may make a decision without realizing how it’ll affect the world. I mean, if the prophecies are true. Who really knows?”

Now that was a burden to carry, wasn’t it? Caleb nodded. “Do you prefer being called Janet now that you’re grown, or is it still Janie?”

Her shoulders relaxed and she chuckled. “I answer to either name, as well as Kayrs, Belle, or Isabella. My brother calls me ‘frog face.’ ”

“Frog face it is,” Caleb said. Whatever fate wanted him to kill this woman was going to be bitterly disappointed. Even if Janie did hold the fate of the world in her hands, he trusted she’d make the right decision at the right time. Dage’s pointed stare was beginning to grate on Caleb’s nerves. “What?” he asked the king.

“Why the questions?” Dage asked, a subtle menace blending with interest in his expression.

“Just making chitchat.” Caleb needed to attend the peace talks to protect everyone he cared about, and Dage might have the power to have him banned. Maybe. So he couldn’t discuss the visions with the king. Yet.

“Right.” The king gestured toward the northern table. “At the talks, you’ll sit there, Janie.”

Janie nodded and walked over to drop into the middle chair. “Here?”

“Yes.” Caleb jerked his head for the king to follow suit, and Dage stalked over to sit next to Janie. “Your father will stand behind the two of you, and the prophets will sit at the table to your left.”

Janie looked toward the table. “I’m assuming you’ll sit the closest?”

“Yes. I’d like to keep Lily from attending, but if she does, Lily will sit to my left, and Guiles will flank her on the other side.” Caleb eyed the remainder of the room. A need to protect Lily physically and emotionally was keeping him on high alert. “The remaining tables are for the other species, and we’ll go over those in detail at a later date. For now, memorize where you sit.”

Dage leaned his elbows on the heavy table. “Our entrance and exit will be directly behind you, so if anything goes wrong, you head that way immediately.”

“What could go wrong?” Janie glanced around the room. “We’ll be so far underground that not even the witches will have power.” She spread her palms along the rough table. “Caleb? As a prophet, aren’t you supposed to be neutral and not planning with our side?”

“I’m not a prophet. I’m a soldier aligned with the Realm.” How many times did he have to explain himself? Although Dage had made sense with the argument that Caleb already counseled soldiers, he wasn’t ready to admit he belonged as a prophet.

Janie nodded. “All right. Rebel.”

He rolled his eyes. “You mentioned powers. Have you had any visions regarding the peace talks?”

“Just blurry ones that involve fire and people, but I can’t see who is there or what happens. I just know that the talks occur, and I’m there.” Janie glanced at her uncle. “I get a sense of you close by, but I don’t even see you.”

Caleb ignored the warning tickle at the base of his neck. “This could be a trap for us.”

Dage rubbed his chin. “I know, but we have to take the chance in order to find peace.” He sighed. “Plus, we need to participate because refusing would make us look weak and vulnerable. We can’t afford that right now, and you know it.”

Janie twirled the knife again. “Lily said the Kurjans have insinuated they have a cure for Virus-27. Do you think it’s true?” Her gaze remained on the swirling blade as it caught the light.

“No,” Caleb said flatly.

“Me, either,” Janie murmured. “But Lily is speaking with Franco again, so maybe she’ll get a better insight.”

Caleb’s head jerked up. “She’s doing what?”

The knife dropped to the table, and Janie’s eyes widened. “I, ah, I mean—”

Fire spread through Caleb’s veins with the power of fury as he pivoted for the door. “If you two would excuse me, I have business.”

“Prophet business?” Dage asked dryly from behind him.

“Bite me,” Caleb muttered as he stalked into the hallway after the woman who was driving him crazy. They’d had an understanding, damn it. He’d all but given her his soul, and she had turned right around to purposefully call the enemy?

Oh, hell no.

Lily finished reading the newest literature on PTSD and shut down her computer. After several attempts to reach the Kurjan leader through a secure line, she’d given up and gone to work. A knock on the door had her turning. “Come in.”

Prophet Guiles stepped inside, worry on his angled features. “Do you have a moment?”

“Yes.” Lily gestured toward one of two floral chairs near the fireplace in her Oregon office in the main lodge of the compound. The king had ordered it decorated specially for her visits, and the feminine hues were always soothing. She counseled many a wounded soldier or frustrated mate in the peaceful office. “I wanted to discuss a matter with you, as well.”