Eternal Flame (Night Watch 3)

But she thought it was coming back. She’d almost felt the charge a few times. Maybe-maybe the transfer had only been temporary. Knowing Beth, she’d probably killed the other paranormals who’d lost their power. Hit ‘em while they’re weak … Yeah, that was Beth’s M.O. So the woman might not have even realized …

My fire can come back. Well, she hoped it could. If not…

“Stay with me,” Zane said, “we’ll finish this ass**le out there hunting and then we’ll—”

“You’ll both die.” The words were as cold as the night, and too damn close.

Jana broke from Zane’s hold and whirled around. Special Agent Kelly Thomas was there, pointing a gun right at them, and smiling.

Chapter 16

Aw, hell, but she had bad luck. “I don’t need this now,” Jana said. Zane’s hands were steel tight around her. “I don’t need—”

“Do you think I give a shit what you need?” Kelly snapped at her.

“You can’t take her in.” Zane’s voice vibrated with fury. “She’s clear on those arsons. Your boss knows that. Miller isn’t after her. You’re supposed to be standing the f**k down.”

“I was.” The woman’s smile looked like a shark’s. “Then you and the Ignitor had to go and start killing again.” She shook her head but her gun didn’t waver. A long, black silencer covered the end of the weapon. Not a good sign. “I found that poor man’s body on your porch tonight. What was his crime, hmm?”

“We didn’t kill Marcus,” Jana said, aware that her breath came too fast. A silencer? The agent had really gone over the edge.

“Marcus.” Kelly repeated the name sadly. “On a firstname basis with your victim? So you knew him, and you killed him.” “We didn’t—”

“He was dead when I found him.” Zane’s thundering voice cut across Jana’s words. He edged forward, placing his body between hers and the special agent’s. “Jana didn’t hurt him, and neither did I.”

“Right. I’m supposed to believe that.”

Guess everyone was having trouble with trust tonight.

“You’re not taking her in.” Zane shook his head. “She’s off the list. Agent Miller doesn’t want her. You’re not—”

“Screw what Miller wants. I’m taking you both in.” That gun still didn’t waver, and Jana was real tired of it being pointed at them.

“I’d like to see you try,” she threw at the agent. “You really think you can take us both down?” Kelly didn’t know about her power loss. The agent would think she was as fire strong as always. And Zane, well, he was strong. Far stronger than the agent. “You’re out of your league, Special Agent.”

“The hell I am.”

“You know what I can do,” Zane said softly. “Don’t make me show you again.”

“I’m a federal agent. You can’t threaten me.” Um, he could and had.

Kelly’s voice pitched higher as she said, “I’m taking you both into custody until this mess is sorted out.”

“No,” Zane told her quietly. “You’re not. You don’t understand what’s happening here. You don’t realize—”

“I realize some poor guy is dead on your doorstep. I know Jana’s a killer, and her lover-well, it looks like he is, too.” She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “Cuff her.”

Jana blinked. “Um, what?”

“Screw this,” Zane snarled. He was fully in front of her now, shielding her with his body. Jana felt the hot rush of his power in the air. A hard buzzing filled her ears, like a thousand bees. Her knees began to sag, and her vision blurred.

“I’m not going out easily this time, demon,” Kelly said. “You won’t get to me so fast. You’ll just take her out.”

Zane’s head jerked back around, and he stared at Jana with wide eyes. Demon eyes. Eyes so dark. Eyes that had seen into her.

“I wasn’t prepared for you before,” Kelly said. “I am now. My stepbrother believed in sharing his findings with me. He studied the monsters, and he told me how to fight ‘em.”

Bitch. “Not monsters,” Jana managed.

“Yeah, you are. Now cuff her or I’ll shoot you both.” Jana couldn’t see the agent, but Kelly sure sounded close. “The bullet will blast right through you, Wynter. Through you, and into her. You’ll survive. Odds are good she won’t.”

Silence hummed for a moment. Then Zane was there, catching her wrist, his fingers warm around the flesh. She felt the cold bite of metal and heard the soft click of the cuff locking.

“We’ve been here before,” she whispered as the buzzing slowly faded from her ears. His magic cuffs. Unbreakable. Whatever happened, they’d be together. The Feds wouldn’t hurt him. They might want her head on a platter, but the Bureau wouldn’t take out a hunter. Pak wouldn’t let them.

“This is going to hurt you,” he whispered, and the words feathered against her ear as he leaned in close, almost as if he were kissing her. “But I’m not letting her take us out of this lot. I’m taking her out.”

Sounded like one fine plan to her. “Guess I’ll see … how strong you are,” she breathed the words back at him. Jana pressed her face into his neck and inhaled his scent.

You don’t really want to see this.

The words drifted through her mind. His words.

Jana frowned. “What—”

His fingers slid over her cheek. “I’m sorry.” Then he spun around. “Now what? We’re—”

“Step to the side, demon. I want to see her face.”

But Zane shook his head. “No. Put down the f**king gun. If you don’t”-he exhaled on a heavy breath—“you’ll wish you had.”

Thunder echoed in Jana’s ears. No, not thunder. Gunshot. The agent had shot Zane! “No!”

But he laughed. Laughed. And the bees were back in her head. Buzzing like crazy. The earth seemed to roll and tilt, shaking beneath her. Jana fell to the ground, and the cuffs jerked on her hand.

“That the best you got?” Zane taunted. “Cause it’s not even close to being good enough.”

Rising to her knees, Jana caught a glimpse of the agent’s face-right before Kelly was lifted into the air by unseen hands and tossed back five feet. She crashed into the bumper of a patrol car.