Rebecca Zanetti: Shadowed

Conn, Moira’s mate and Jase’s brother, nodded. “I agree.”

Even sitting on opposing sides of a table, the pair was united. A pang nicked Brenna’s heart. She’d probably never have that sense of belonging. “I’m dying, Moira.”

Moira paled. “You’re not.”

“She is,” Kane said quietly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve examined her medical records. There’s no cure to the internal poisoning from planekite, and she’s declining quickly.”

Brenna took a deep breath. “To be honest, I may have waited too long.” She needed her sister to be prepared. “Even mating a vampire as powerful as Jase might not save me. I’m so sorry.”

Blue mist smoldered along Moira’s arms—proof the witch was agitated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought our doctors would find a cure, and I’m tired of everyone being worried about me.” Damn, Brenna missed being able to make fire and plasma balls. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “There was nothing you could do.”

“She’s right,” Kane said. “Her doctors have tried methods I’ve never heard of—probably because you witches are so secretive.” Only fact existed in the brilliant vampire’s tone. No judgment.

Moira shifted in her seat. “What’s up with the eyeglasses?”

“I can’t see,” Brenna said. Just saying the words hurt. Even ancient witches retained perfect eyesight.

“Oh.” Concern bracketed Moira’s mouth. “Jase? Why are you agreeing to mate?”

His chin slowly lifted. “Besides the fact that Brenna is beautiful, smart, and sexy as hell?”

Heat slid through Brenna stronger than her uncle Paddy’s homemade liquor. As the plain one in the family, nobody ever called her sexy.

“Yes.” Moira’s shoulders went back. “You’ve been avoiding all of us since you returned home, training constantly, all but consumed with the need to go and fight. Yet now you’re willing to take a mate?”

“Yes,” Jase said.

Silence pounded around the room. Apparently the vampire wasn’t willing to expand on the subject.

“No,” Moira finally said.

Brenna leaned forward. “My mind is made up, and I’ve agreed. So we’re finished here.” She moved to stand.

Viv waved her back into her seat. “I agree. But now we need to negotiate.”

Brenna slowly regained her seat. “How so?”

“Well, our treaty with the vampires is tenuous at best. This will cement it.” Viv nodded toward two male lawyers on her side of the table.

“Wait.” Brenna eyed Moira, who sat with her arms crossed. Their discussion was in no way over. “When Moira and Conn mated, we created a treaty, right?”

Kane cleared his throat. “Ah, kind of. Basically, after their, ah, accidental mating one night, that treaty prohibited Conn from contacting Moira for a century in order to prevent war. That’s all. No future promises or obligations were created.”

Conn flashed Moira a grin. “A whole lot of promises and obligations were created, if you ask me.”

“Nobody asked you.” Moira smiled back.

“I see.” Brenna counted the distance from her chair to the door. They all knew that mating meant crazy, vampire monkey sex, right? How in the world did they plan to negotiate that one?

One of Viv’s lawyers—Brenna could never remember the guy’s name—shoved a stack of papers toward Kane. “This covers all contingencies,” the lawyer said, yanking on his Burberry tie and flushing.

Interesting. The natural power vibrating around vampires often made witches uneasy. Brenna glanced at Jase. While he made her uneasy, it wasn’t in exactly in a witch-type way. More like a female one.

Kane pressed his stack toward Viv. He then scanned the first page and reached for a marker to cross out several lines. “We agree to join our forces with yours to combat both demon and Kurjan attacks—but we will not follow your armies. We’ll bring our own.”

Viv nodded. “Fair enough.” She took a pen from her lawyer and added words to Kane’s document. “We’ll agree to share all scientific knowledge gleaned regarding genetic diseases and/or viruses that affect witches and vampire mates, but we will not agree to share knowledge gained regarding quantum physics or string theory.”

“Then neither will we,” Kane said. He flipped his top page and frowned as he read out loud. “Any such mating will occur within the next week, and thus this document becomes final.” He lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Brenna and Jase. “You two okay with that?”

Brenna’s mind spun. They expected her to sit quietly during such a discussion? She lifted her chin. “My lady parts will be available for said mating during the next two weeks.”

Jase barked out a laugh. “As will, ah, my gentlemanly parts.”

Heat climbed into Brenna’s face. “I believe we have an agreement.”

“Wait. You should demand multiple orgasms,” Jase said.

Brenna coughed. “Excellent point. I so demand.” Her shoulders started shaking as she tried to hold in laughter.

Jase chuckled, sounding much more like the man she used to know.

Viv’s eyebrows slanted down, and she pursed her lips. Conn looked at them like they were crazy.

Brenna bit her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

Kane frowned. “Okay.” He read further and then crossed out several lines. “Any child born will be a vampire, and we will train him.”

“A vampire-witch,” Viv said. “We want equal time with any children to train them in our ways.”

Jase tapped his hand on the table and lost his smile. “My sons are not included in the document.”

Brenna started. Wow. She hadn’t thought about kids. If they had children, they’d be male. Vampires only made males with their mates, and the whole turning somebody into a vampire by biting them was just fiction. “There’s a good chance I’ve sustained enough internal damage that I’ll never have kids.” The idea cut a path of pain through her body. But Jase needed to know the truth before signing.

He slid his hand over hers. “Don’t worry about it.”

Conn narrowed his gaze. “Jase is planning to fight demons and go out with a glorious fire. I don’t think he’s planning to be around long enough to procreate.” Pure, pissed-off male echoed in Conn’s tone. Along with concern.

Viv swallowed. “In that case, why don’t we turn to the last page and discuss what happens if either party passes on?”

Brenna glanced toward Jase’s hard profile. He hadn’t denied his brother’s statement.

Damn. She’d truly be alone again.

Well, if she didn’t die first.

The rhythmic clomp clomp of Jase’s boots kept time with his beating thoughts as he jogged. Was he making a mistake? By mating sweet Brenna, he was quite possibly keeping her from ever mating again. From ever finding love.

Love existed for some people.

Vampires and their mates only got one mating . . . for eternity. Shouldn’t Brenna have a chance at the real thing?

He ran full-bore across the bridge, sending snow spraying. The storm continued to blast him with ice and snow. He ignored the pain and ran until his lungs compressed. Even then, he pushed on.

After sitting inside and listening to Kane negotiate his duties, Jase had all but leapt out the window for the outdoors. Even now, five years after being freed from an underground hell, the walls still closed in on him if he was inside for too long. He’d never again venture underground.

Brenna’s humor during the negotiations had caught him off guard. His laugh had been genuine.

A real laugh.

He frowned and increased his pace. Tree boughs extended over the quiet street, dripping with icicles. Beautiful and deadly.

Brenna was beautiful and delicate. Her pretty gray eyes held both humor and kindness. While her illness had thinned her, very pleasing curves filled out her business suits. His groin tightened.