Provoked

CHAPTER 19

The next morning Amber shifted on the protective paper covering of the lone examination table, throwing off unease at being in the underground lab. Dark rock covered the floor and matching counters held tons of machines she couldn’t identify. A couple of pretty watercolors depicting forest scenes had been attached to the rough walls. They failed to calm her down. She eyed the door. “A mating is forever, right?”

“Yes.” Kane lifted away from one of several microscopes lining the organized counter and turned to face her. “Though Oscar and Hilde seem to enjoy each other’s company.” Smoothly stepping her way, Kane checked the myriad of wires running from several monitors to electrodes attached to Amber’s scalp and forehead.

A rhythmic beeping sounded from the monitors.

It figured Kane would know what Amber was worried about. Darn genius. She flattened her palms on her jeans. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“Oscar is a good soldier.” High praise from Kane. Frowning, Kane pulled the top of her shirt open to place an electrode near her heart.

That silly heart began to flutter. Amber shook her idea to concentrate on the conversation and not the warm hand on her skin. “Do we have to do this?”

“Yes.” Kane added two more electrodes, his voice distracted. “When you touched me at the demon stronghold, you took away their mind attack. Completely. So we need to figure out how it works. Everyone will take turns training you and seeing how your gifts interact with ours.”

“Sounds like fun.” Not.

Kane nodded and continued adding the electrodes. “These will measure heart rate and breathing.” He fiddled with the machine, tapping the screen until several lines sprang into view. “The lines show your brain waves, heartbeat, and breaths per minute.” He twisted a knob, and the lines brightened.

The vampire wore his customary black slacks and silk shirt, the elegant clothing almost masking the fighter beneath. Not even his full mouth softened his masculine features. Even and strong, truly stunning. When she’d first met him, she thought he moved gracefully, like a dancer. Turned out he moved like a predator. The danger in Kane came as much from his sharp intellect as the animal inside.

She sighed. While she’d dated, she’d learned early on not to lean on a man. This one almost demanded it. “You’re hard to figure out.”

He straightened to face her, eyes clearing. “Why’s that?”

Well, she hadn’t quite meant to say that out loud. “You’re so logical and orderly in here. But in bed . . . I mean . . .” Heat climbed into her face until her cheeks burned.

His gaze heated. “You like me . . . in . . . bed.”

“Do not. I mean, I don’t like, well, the . . .” God. Could the floor just disappear and swallow her?

“Being dominated?” His voice stayed calm, amusement lifting his lips in almost a smile.

Man, he had to go right there and say it, now, didn’t he? She lifted her chin. “No.”

The air stilled. “Maybe we should test that theory.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his hungry look. “There’s no need. I don’t like it.”

Before she could blink, he had her flat on the table, hand on her neck. Leaning down, his mouth covered hers in a kiss. Warmth shot straight to her toes. Keeping her in place, he kissed her thoroughly, completely at his leisure. Pinned, helpless, her body flared to life.

Instinct propelled her to struggle, and his hand tightened around her windpipe just enough to hint at strength. Damn if her panties didn’t dampen.

He went deeper, taking her mouth, a low growl coming from down deep.

She sighed, opening, kissing him back. Need flushed along every nerve.

His other palm spread out over her abdomen, sending heat inside her skin.

Slowly, he straightened. A dark flush covered his cheekbones, raw need glimmered in his eyes. Tension emanated around him—from him. Turning his head, he glanced at the monitors, which beeped wildly. “You might want to reconsider that ‘no.’ ”

There was no need to look at the machines. Her heart smacked hard against her ribs, and her breath came in small pants. “What do my brain waves show?” she whispered. Damn curiosity.

His smile warmed her entire body. “Brain waves match the rest of your readings.” Sliding a hand around her neck, he helped her to a seated position. “Deep breaths. Good air in, bad air out. Slow the breathing, and you’ll slow your heart rate.” His hand swept down her arm in reassurance.

The beeping got louder.

Kane chuckled, stepping away. “Okay. Deep breaths now.”

Jackass. Closing her eyes, she drew air in her nose and forced her muscles to relax. Slowly, the beeping ebbed to normal. She opened her eyes, a slight headache making her wince.

“You ready to start?” Kane leaned against the far wall, strong arms crossed.

“Yes.” Amber shot him a glare. The damn scientist would probably compare her readings when she was aroused to the ones he was about to create. He just had to figure out everything. Of course, he’d pretty much figured her out, now, hadn’t he? She hadn’t even known herself very well. Yeah, he was a jackass.

He took a deep breath. “All right. I’m going to create a very light attack. You send the images right back at me.”

Invisible fingers slowly glided against her brain. She shivered. Talk about the heebie-jeebies. An image began to form in her mind, and she gasped. The image was of her nude on the moonlit grass. “I am not sending that image back at you.”

Charm filled his grin. “That’s all right. I already have that image quite strongly in my head.” Then he sobered. “Okay—here comes the ugly image.”

A picture of a shiny black widow spider filled her mind. A yellow hourglass covered its dark back, and its long legs twitched along with antennae. Two smaller spiders crawled toward the first one. Amber wrinkled her nose. “I admit I hate spiders, but you’re taking it easy on me.”

“Not really. Now try to send the image back to me.”

Nodding, Amber shut her eyes and drew a deep breath. Tightening her eyelids, she tried to hurl the image toward Kane.

Pain cut into her brain.

She cried out, both hands going to her head. “That so doesn’t work,” she gasped. Shaking her head, she centered herself and slid an imaginary warm blanket over the spiders. They disappeared.

Her eyes opened.

Kane still leaned against the wall, but a puzzled frown made his eyebrows almost meet in the middle. “Hmm.” He moved forward to study the monitors. “Now that’s just odd.”

“Maybe I’m a shield and not a sword.” Yeah, that sounded a lot like her.

“Maybe,” Kane mused, reaching for a stack of papers being spit out by a printer. He studied them before focusing back on her. “So you can’t throw images back. Let’s try pain.”

Dull aches set up around her brain. Her shoulders stiffened, and she blinked several times. Then she softened, allowing the hurt to spread. Clasping her hands together for balance, she mentally shoved the aches toward Kane.

Instant agony stole her breath. Tears filled her eyes. “Ouch.” The room swayed, and Kane’s face seemed to stretch.

“Whoa,” he murmured, reaching her and lying her down. The pain instantly retreated. “Okay. Apparently you’re a shield.”

That wouldn’t help anybody in battle. Well, unless she could help shield him. Pressing a hand against her forehead, she took another deep breath. “I’m okay. Should we see if I can protect your mind?”

“We don’t have anybody to attack my mind.” He smoothed hair off her cheek, his palm rough. Very rough.

What in the world? She grabbed his hand, lifting her head to view the palm. Raised and dark, a beautiful Celtic knot wound around with a strong K in the middle. Her heart kicked into full gallop again. The machines started beeping like crazy. “Um. Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes. The Kayrs marking in all its intricate glory.” Kane kept his gaze on her face. “The brand appeared after I met you. I think it happened during the first night we had sex.”

Warmth slammed through her. Calm. She’d stay calm. Swallowing, she forced her face into curious lines, an effort dampened by the still ringing machines. “Really? Does the marking’s appearance mean anything?”

“Yes. I asked you to mate me, and the brand appeared. The marking appears because we want it to appear, and that’s what happened.”

Well, wasn’t that a logical explanation? Her heart ached. The beeping slowed down around them. Weird. “I see.”

“My offer still stands.” No emotion showed on his face, and pure confidence lit his eyes. “We’d gain each other’s powers if we mated.” He sighed, his eyes softening. “I like you, Amber. A lot. We would make a good pair, and I’d give you a good life. For centuries.”

The temptation to live forever warred with her need for love. Sure, she wanted immortality—who wouldn’t? But maybe she could find another vampire, one who loved her. Though the hurt in her heart whispered that she’d already fallen for a vampire. A logical, cold, purely methodical scientist. A silly little part of her wondered if she could make him love her. Yeah, that wasn’t how dumb girls got hurt—not ever. Geez. “Thank you for your very kind, very logical offer. But no.”

He sighed. “I think mating would be the best course for us both. Please say you’ll think about my offer.”

Stubbornness lined his jaw. While his words were phrased as a question, the determined set of his head made her wonder. How far would Kane go for what he thought was the best course? How far would he go to save his brother? Amber licked her lips. “I’m not entering forever like I’m signing a contract to buy a car. Period.”

“Okay.” He gently began removing electrodes from her body.

Well, he didn’t have to accept her refusal so easily. Sure, growing up without a father, she might have fantasized about love and what it’d be like to finally have a man in her life. “A lot of people have love. I’ve seen Emma and Dage—they’re in love.”

“I don’t want to argue about love.” Kane finished his task and reached for a notebook, scratching odd equations on a page.

Amber frowned. “What’s that?”

“A combination of string theory, quantum physics, and neurobiology,” Kane said absently.

The paper crinkled more when she fidgeted. Science had never made a lot of sense to her. “Oh. Have you studied all of that stuff?”

“Yes.” He rubbed his chin, frowning at the paper before jotting down more equations. “I’m not sure how many doctorates I have—the diplomas may be in a drawer somewhere.”

“Oh.” She started to swing a leg back and forth. The guy probably wouldn’t be very impressed with her GED—the one proudly displayed in her room on the farm. “So, what about Emma? I mean, does she know physics?”

Kane shrugged, his gaze never leaving his paper. “Maybe some. But her doctorate is in genetics, which has come in very handy. Well, it’s also how the Kurjans found her, so maybe that fact hasn’t worked in her favor. Then again, Dage saved her from the Kurjans, and things have worked out rather well for them. Her sister’s degree is in plant physiology—she always likes to have real plants around.”

So everyone had serious degrees—the PhD kind. Amber swallowed hard and jumped off the table. “Well, if we’re done here, I’m going to check on my grandmother.” She didn’t wait to see if Kane gave her an absent nod or not. This place wasn’t any different from anywhere else she’d ever been—she once again didn’t fit in.

Darn geniuses.

Kane looked up and frowned when the door closed. Where the heck did Amber just go? He shook his head. Man, he hoped she hadn’t been talking to him before she left. The readings on the printouts were fascinating. When he’d kissed her, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in her brain shut down, which was to be expected since it signified control. Satisfaction centered him—the woman had not been in control.

In addition, the amygdala in the brain had lit up, which, considering it dealt with emotions, also made sense. Yet when she tried to attack him with pain or bad images, the thalamus lit up. That area was known to deal with sensory information coming in . . . not going out. Now what in the world did that mean?

Janie slid open the door and glided inside. Her pretty face had gone so pale her lips appeared nearly blue. A much lighter blue than her eyes. “I was trying to meditate and had a vision of Jase. It was seriously dark, and I’m scared.”

Settling his face into calm lines, Kane tossed the papers on the counter. “This isn’t the place.” Taking her hand, he opened the door and led her through several tunnels to his quarters. Once inside, he settled her in the one overstuffed chair and took the sofa for himself.

Serenity flowed through his small space from the deep browns of the rug covering rock to the stunning pictures on the wall. He allowed peace to settle his shoulders. As much as he disliked feeling, he opened his senses as wide as he could. Sometimes he could get readings from a talented psychic. “Okay, sweetheart. Tell me what you saw.”

Janie rubbed delicate hands down her faded jeans. “I saw Jase surrounded by brown rock that kept morphing into faces. The faces told him he was going to die.”

The girl’s fear slammed Kane right between the eyes. His heart kicked into gear, and heat ran along his skin. Taking several deep breaths, he drew enough of a shield into place to block some of the fear. He needed to think, and feelings got in the way of thought. His mind cleared while his heart slowed down. “Tell me more about the faces.”

“I didn’t recognize the faces—they didn’t seem real,” Janie whispered. Her gaze dropped to her hands. “I felt him. He’s . . . drifting away.”

Chills cascaded down Kane’s spine. “Jase is strong—he’ll survive.”

“Maybe.” Doubt clouded her eyes when she looked up. “Mentally, he’s almost done fighting. I could feel him letting go.”

Kane leaned forward. “But you know he’s alive. Jase is alive, and that gives us hope. We need hope, Janie.” A stone lodged into Kane’s gut. The world was classically unfair to make this precious twenty-year-old child see and feel such despair. If he could take the feelings from her, or teach her to shield herself from them, he’d do so in a heartbeat.

Janie reached out to hold his hands and closed her eyes. “Help me get it out of my head.”

Kane scrutinized her pale face. “Deep breaths. One, two, three . . .” He counted to twenty and back down, helping center the girl into almost a hypnotic state. “Now, when you open your eyes, you’ll feel refreshed and full of peace. Open your eyes, now.”

Deep blue eyes flashed open, clear and calm. She smiled and released him. “Thanks, Uncle Kane.” She stood and tugged her threadbare Snoopy shirt into place before stretching her back with a soft sigh. A quick peck on his cheek reassured him and he grinned. Graceful steps propelled her across the room to the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”

He frowned after her, his mind kicking awake. Janie usually wanted to chat after a meditating session and had never hustled off before. “How odd.” With his own sigh, he tried to turn back to the papers, but his mind kept going to his niece.

What was that girl up to?