Rebecca Zanetti - Shadowed

The door burst open with a shattering of wood. A man stood there, dressed all in black, feet braced, fury on his face.

Jase leaped over Brenna, planting himself between her and danger. He stilled and shook his head. “Kell?”

Kellach Dunne dropped his leather duster to the floor. “You are not mating my cousin.”

Anticipation flooded Jase’s veins. At six and a half feet, they stood eye-to-eye. More important, Jase had been working out impossibly hard for the last five years. He could handle the witch enforcer. “Apparently, I am mating your cousin.” He settled his own stance and flashed a grin. “Is there something you think you can do about it?”

Kell moved with the speed of a soldier and the fury of a witch. The first punch to Jase’s jaw sent his head to the side. Jase slowly turned back, his smile even feeling dangerous. He pulled back his arm as a decoy and jumped up, slamming both feet into Kell’s face.

The witch flew back against the damaged door. His long black hair escaped its band. Anger glowed deep in his odd black eyes.

With a roar, he shot forward, his fists punching too fast to see.

“Kell!” Brenna yelled and stumbled toward them. “Stop it.”

Jase pivoted to keep her behind him and cracked his elbow up into Kell’s nose. Cartilage broke with a resounding snap. Two bodies rushed through the doorway, and his brother tackled Jase into the wall.

Moira slid between them, her hands on Kell’s chest. Green fire danced up her arms.

Jase struggled and nailed his brother in the cheek with a right cross.

Conn pinned his forearm against Jase’s neck, shoving him harder against the wall. His eyes glowed with a mixture of anger and concern. “What the hell are you doing?” he growled.

Jase struggled, yet kept his legs still. He didn’t want to hurt his brother—he wanted to hurt Kell. “Let go of me.”

“No. Calm down, Jase.” Desperation rode Conn’s tone.

Jase turned his focus on his older brother. The brother who’d taught him to fight. Years ago, before he’d been taken, Conn would’ve cheerfully kicked his ass for that punch in the face. Now, not so much. He showed his teeth. “You want to go, big brother?”

Conn’s eyes narrowed, and his forearm cut off more air. “No, and neither do you. Calm the fuck down.”

“No. Let’s go, asshole. You want a fight? You’ve got one.” Even as the words spewed from Jase, nausea filled his gut. He couldn’t stop the fury.

The desolation in Conn’s expression cut deeper than any knife the demons had used. “I don’t want a fight.” He shoved away from Jase. “I want my brother back.”

Jase straightened and tugged his shirt into place. “Your brother is long gone.” He pivoted to face Kell, who had blood running down his face from the broken nose. “Mind your own business.”

“No. This mating will not happen.” Kell wiped blood off with the back of his hand. “Brenna, pack a bag. We’re out of here.”

Brenna stepped over shards of wood to stand next to Jase. “What in the world are you doing in Dublin? I thought you were fighting in the north.”

“I heard you were attacked.” Kell eyed Jase and clenched his hands into fists.

“She was. Great job protecting her, enforcer,” Jase said.

Kell’s left eyebrow rose. “You are not mating this self-destructive bastard.”

Brenna sighed. “I love you, Kell. But my mind is made up, and you need to respect that.”

“Over my dead body,” the witch hissed.

“That can be arranged,” Jase drawled.

Conn rubbed his head. “Shut the fuck up, Jase.”

Brenna tangled her fingers with Jase’s. “Everyone just calm down.”

Jase kept his gaze on the witch and tried to ignore the sense of comfort he felt from Brenna taking his side. Her small hand felt fragile in his. “In fact, everyone get the hell out. Brenna and I weren’t finished talking.”

Moira held both hands out. Her wild red hair curled around her shoulders, and her eyes were pissed. “Enough testosterone, damn it. Kell, Brenna is a big girl who can make her own decisions. Besides, you should look at her medical records before being such a jackass.”

Kell frowned. “What medical records?”

Brenna’s hand trembled in Jase’s.

Jase growled. “Get out, and go look at them.”

Kell scratched his chin. “Fine. But nothing is happening before the cultural event tomorrow, right?”

“Right,” Brenna said.

“Good.” The enforcer smiled, his gaze on Jase. “Then we’ll discuss this further tomorrow.”

Jase’s shoulders went back. “I look forward to it.” He glanced down at the small woman so bravely facing one of the most dangerous predators on earth. What in the world was he going to do with her? Then he frowned. “What cultural event?”

Brenna stood in the foyer and patted her pinned-up hair. “I’m not sure ’bout this dress.”

“ ’Tis perfect.” Moira shimmied her blue dress down over the gun strapped to her inner thigh. “You look gorgeous.”

“Hmm.” Brenna glanced down at the beaded mesh halter gown. The sparkly material revealed the tops of her breasts and cut in severely at the waist. It was backless, yet the skirt allowed enough room for her weapon. “Thanks for the new gun.”

“I thought you’d like it.” Her sister smiled, but humor failed to reach her stunning green eyes. “The vampires created the stub-version a couple of months ago. It’s as deadly as a normal laser but fits much better in a smaller hand.”

Brenna sighed. “Stop worrying so. Everything is going to be fine.”

“I’m not worrying.” Moira slipped a knife into her evening bag. “It’s just, well, the Jase who came back from captivity isn’t the same Jase we all knew and loved. We still love him, but I’m not sure he’s safe.”

Of course he wasn’t safe. The guy was dynamite with an already lit fuse. “I need his strength and bloodline. Even with that power, there’s a chance I still won’t recover from the poisoning.”

“Don’t say that.” Panic swept the color from Moira’s face. She clutched her bag. “Why did you wait so long?”

“I don’t know. I guess I figured the doctors would find a cure.” Plus, she hadn’t really had someone in mind to mate. Until now.

Moira nodded. “I get that.”

“Why hasn’t the king gotten Jase some help?” Brenna asked.

Moira snorted. “Have you met Jase? You can’t help someone who doesn’t want it.”

Dread slid through Brenna’s veins. “There’s only one thing he wants. Revenge against the demons.”

“I know.” Moira reached for the damaged front door to tug open. “Just make sure you don’t get caught in that crossfire, little sister. He’ll go through anybody to reach that goal.”

Yeah, he would. “I understand.”

“Oh.” Moira paused halfway into the hallway. “I forgot to tell you. We rounded up all the members of CRAP and will hold them until after the winter solstice. You’re safe.”

“Good.” Frankly, she hadn’t felt much fear after Jase demolished most of their soldiers. But it was a relief to know the group wouldn’t be protesting at the cultural event. Sometimes the protests took a toll on her, although she never let the strain show. “I guess there’s no reason for Jase to attend tonight.” A surprising disappointment slid through her at the thought.

“Yet, here I am.” Jase suddenly loomed in the hallway.

Moira hurried over to the other doorway, where Conn had just emerged.

Brenna smiled at the vampire to mask her racing heart. The black tuxedo emphasized Jase’s long and lean body in a way that totally failed to hide the predator beneath the suit. In fact, the civilized style only enhanced his wildness. His gaze ran over her dress, and her body reacted as if he’d used his hands.