Eternal Flame

A vampire caged a girl up against a tree. The girl-hell, she looked like she was about twelve. Her head was twisted, her neck bared, and the vamp’s teeth were buried deep in her throat.

“Let her go!”

But he didn’t stop drinking. Didn’t stop slurping down the girl’s blood with deep, greedy gulps.

So Jana let her fire burn. It raced toward him. She controlled it perfectly. The flames caught his legs but didn’t touch the girl. The vampire whirled back, screaming, and lunged for her. The fire surged up, consuming him as the girl cried and stared at Jana in horror.

“She didn’t understand that I was trying to help her. To her, I was just another monster.”

As her voice filled his head, he realized then that Jana hadn’t spoken, not out loud anyway, from the moment she’d first whispered, “Come in …”

He was in her mind, her words floating through his head, and she was guiding him. Showing him the things she wanted him to see. Telling him about her past. Baring her soul. A soul that wasn’t perfect. Tarnished, just like his. But one that wasn’t evil.

“They sent me after a shifter about a year ago. Told me he’d been cutting the throats of co-eds in the area.” Again, her voice was only in his head. Soft, flowing. Jana.

“But I never went for a straight kill on my targets. I watched first, and he-he wasn’t doing anything wrong. I followed him for a solid month, and I never saw him even raise his voice to anyone.”

An image flashed before him. A man, thin, tall, with bright blond hair. He walked down the road with the streetlights flickering over him.

“He was a wolf shifter. They told me all wolf shifters were psychotic. That he had to be put down to stop the killings.” Her breath rasped out. Her scent surrounded them.

The man stopped at the mouth of an alley. A woman screamed. He ran inside. Two men had a woman pinned between them. They were ripping her shirt while she screamed and begged for them to stop.

“He shifted and saved her. Those men will wear his marks for the rest of their days, but the girl didn’t get so much as a scratch from him.”

Not a killer’s M.O.

“When Perseus found out I hadn’t eliminated him, well, they weren’t pleased with me.”

Jana and the wolf faced off. Another dark night, this one with a full moon. Perseus agents were in the background, easing close with guns ready.

“They set us up to meet. A recipe for death.”

The wolf stared at her, his muscles locked. Saliva dripped from his fangs.

“I was supposed to burn him.”

The wolf threw his head back and howled. A long, sad wail of mourning. Then he walked to her and lowered his muzzle.

“He wasn’t attacking me. He wasn’t attacking anyone. So I stood back, and I let him go … and he wasn’t the last.” But Perseus hadn’t liked that.

“Just because you’re a monster, it doesn’t mean you’re evil. I broke into Beth’s office. I found out that she’d been doctoring the files. That wolf-his girlfriend had been killed by a human serial killer. The killer slashed her throat, and she bled out before the shifter could get to her. Yeah, the shifter had killed, but he killed the bastard who murdered his girlfriend. Not anyone else. All those other girls … a human murdered them all.”

But Perseus had still put the shifter on their hit list.

“Guess the powers that be at Perseus didn’t like that I started questioning their orders. …”

Jana lay bound to a hard metal table. Two men in white lab coats loomed over her.

“But I was tired of being their pit bull.”

“You should have just done your job, Jana. Killed the freaks and done your damn job.” Beth’s voice. She stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest. “We don’t tolerate failure here.”

“Bite me.” The words came, slow and sluggish because they’d drugged her.

Beth’s lips tightened. “The wolf is going to die. It’s a matter of time. He’s going to die and so are you.”

Then the two men reached for her, scalpels in their hands.

“They liked pain.” She swallowed. “I wasn’t the … only one they worked on. While I was with them, I saw-I saw the supernaturals they brought in. Those doctors cut them open. Hell, they did it while they were alive. They cut them, and they tortured them just to see how much pain they could take. We were all just experiments to them.”

And he saw the blood-soaked images. One after the other.

“They made a mistake with me. They needed to keep me conscious while they cut into my head, and they didn’t drug me heavily enough.”

The damn scalpels glinted. Each bastard had one gripped in a white-gloved hand. “Today we slice into that brain. Let’s see if she’s wired to burn.”

Jana’s eyes had gone to the men. Marked them. Even as Beth’s high heels tapped across the tiled floor, Jana let the power swell. The heat spread through her as the charge grew, burning hotter, hotter as it swelled with her rage. The fire erupted.

He jerked back, almost feeling the flames on his skin. But, no, that hadn’t been real. The room was cold. Ice cold. Jana stood before him. Just her. No flames.

“They’ve improved on their drugs since my last … stay.” Again, he heard her thoughts because he was still in her mind. “They’re keeping the room cold to further lock down my power. Unless I can charge up, I’m going to be powerless, and they know that.”

She stepped forward. Closing the space he’d created when he stumbled back. “I need to get warm.” Whispered in his mind. The fingertips she pressed to his cheek seemed so cold. Not like Jana’s hot touch. “Help me.” When she exhaled, he saw a faint puff of white near her lips. Too cold.

He wanted to help her. After what he’d seen … fuck, life wasn’t black and white, he knew that. Jana wasn’t the heartless assassin he’d originally pictured. But he’d already known that, even without slipping into her past.

His gift. He didn’t just pick up on thoughts when he went into someone’s mind. He saw the person’s life. Hell, that was one of the many reasons he never went inside a human’s head.

Sometimes, you didn’t want to see the dark deeds that should stay hidden.

Jana’s past wasn’t pretty, but then, neither was his.

“Sex can charge me.” The words echoed in his mind though her lips never moved. “When the lust burns inside, it’ll push back the fog from the drugs and help me to fight the cold.” Her gaze held his. “Don’t let me be weak when they come back for me.”

Zane swallowed.

“Please.” Her whisper broke the air and broke him.

His mouth pressed against hers even as his hands reached for her. He pulled her close, so close, crushing her against him. There’d be no time for finesse. No gentle loving. The assholes out there could come in at any moment, and he’d be damned if he left her weak.

The moment their lips touched, the lust flared between them. The need, the desire that was always so close when she was around him erupted. Her lips were soft, silken, and her tongue moved eagerly to meet his.

Her nipples stabbed against his chest and a low murmur rolled in her throat. She might want him to touch her so that her power would come back, but she also just wanted him. That was damn good, because he sure wanted her.

Zane lifted his head and his power poured out. It surged around them, and a gray fog swirled in the air. The fog thickened, tightening, making a wall around their bodies, and blocking the preying eyes. There was no way he’d let those bastards see him with Jana.

Her lips lifted in the briefest of smiles. “I knew you were strong,” she whispered and took his mouth again. Lips, tongue, need.

His heart thudded in his chest. The assholes watching the cameras would freak out when they saw the fog. They wouldn’t have much time.

Enough time …

His hands pushed between them. He found the snap of her jeans. Jerked the button, eased down the zipper. “Zane…”

He shoved the jeans down. His fingers pushed under the elastic edge of her panties and found plump, sweet flesh. Her nails sank into his arms as she held on tight.

“Burn for me,” he whispered as he let his mouth feather over her throat. “Burn.” His fingers stroked her sex. His thumb pushed down on her clit and the scent of her arousal teased his nostrils.

He wanted her legs spread wide. Wanted to lick his way across that pink flesh. But…

No time.

His cock shoved against the front of his jeans. Hard, swollen, and probably getting an imprint of a zipper on the flesh.

Take her, take—

His fingers plunged inside of her. Two fingers, knuckle deep. Jana rose onto her toes, even as her eyes widened with a surge of pleasure.

She wasn’t burning yet, but she would be, soon.

Footsteps pounded in the hallway. Fuck.

Not enough … not enough.

He bit her on the neck, a rough score with his teeth. Not too hard. A marking because demons liked to mark their prey, too.

His fingers withdrew, then drove deep. Again, again. He worked a third finger into her. She was slick and eager now, her flesh yielding so sweetly to him.

“Zane … hurry … no time …” Her hands went to his waist. Fumbled with the snap of his jeans.

More footsteps, closer, closer …

“I need you in me,” she said, her eyes wide, hungry, lost. “Zane, I need—”

His thumb pushed over the center of her need. His fingers claimed her flesh again, and her whole body stiffened. Jana stared at him with wide eyes.

And came.

He kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth even as his fingers continued to thrust into her silken warmth. Thrusting and drawing out the orgasm that squeezed his fingers.

Voices rose in the hall. The door began to squeak.

He kept his mouth on hers. His lips were softer now, easier. The lust still rode him, a hunger so deep that he ached. Want inside. Want her legs around me. Want her sex squeezing me.

He shuddered against her.

“Jana!” Beth’s angry voice.

Fucking company.

He eased away. Jana stared up at him. A frown pulled her brows low. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips parted.

Zane bent and pulled up her jeans. Her hands reached out, tangling with his. “Why did you—”

He shook his head. The door burst open.

With a wave of his hand, the fog slipped away, and he found himself staring at Beth and six armed guards. Zane moved forward, putting his body between them and Jana.

“What the hell have you done?” Beth demanded.

Not nearly as much as he would have liked. But Beth didn’t know that. The Perseus agent didn’t know a damn thing.

“Get him out of here,” she barked and a light puff of air appeared before her mouth. Was it really that cold? Once he’d started touching Jana, he hadn’t even noticed.

The guards marched toward him. Zane lifted his hands, more than ready to blast them back.

“We’ve got a friend of yours waiting to meet you,” Beth said and he didn’t like the calculation in her eyes.

“Doubtful. I don’t think any of my friends would be here.”

“Ummm.” Her gaze tried to flicker to Jana, but he didn’t move. They weren’t getting to her yet. Every second that passed was a second she got stronger. Don’t worry, baby, you won’t be weak.

“I’m sure you’ve realized that we must have used one very powerful witch to keep you locked in this room.” A delicate pause, and Beth didn’t strike him as the delicate type. “Not that we wanted to lock you up, but until you can see reason, we have no choice.”

Oh, yeah, right. They were doing a bang-up job of convincing him that Perseus was a bright, shiny, happy corporation-of killers.

“Everyone always has choice,” he threw back. Like his choice right now was to let these idiots feel his power or …

Or wait. Because every damn snake had a head and if he wanted to destroy Perseus, he had to take the head. Cut the thing off. If he just blew his way through the flunkies, he’d be wasting his time. But it would feel real good.

“You have a choice now,” Beth said. “You can go with the guards and get reacquainted with your friend, or you can leave the facility.”

Leave? Sure, they’d just let him walk out. Did he look stupid?

“I notice you aren’t giving me any choices.” Jana’s quiet voice carried easily, and then she stepped to his side. A swift glance showed she was all buttoned up. Her clothes were back in place and no trace of passion or lust showed on her face.

Meanwhile his cock was still up and aching-and even the guns pointing at him weren’t slowing him down.

Jana shivered, a quick movement that shook her body. A movement that Beth caught because her lips began to twist- but she stopped herself before smiling fully. Instead, the agent said, “Oh, Jana, I’m sorry, is it too cold in here for you?”

Another delicate shiver. “Cold? No … I’m just fine.” Her shoulders straightened.

“Go with the guards, Zane,” Beth urged him. “Let us reassure you about Perseus without Jana’s … ah, bias … coming in the way.”

Bias? Is that what it was?

“And Jana …” Now Beth’s eyes locked on her. “Your status has recently changed. You are no longer a person of interest for Perseus. If you leave tonight, you won’t be followed again. You’ll be free.”

What? They’d gone to all the trouble of tracking her, they’d locked them in this ice box, and now they were just going to let them both walk?