“Great. You?”
“Perfect,” Zane said.
Talen pressed a kiss to Janie’s forehead. “I’ll be along shortly. If your mother’s at the lab, please tell her I’ll meet her there and then walk her home.” With a nod to Zane, he shut the door.
Janie bit her lip to keep from crying.
Zane sighed and tightened his hold on her hand. “Talen will be all right.”
“I know.” The only way to heal her father would be to find a cure. She held Zane’s hand and turned to go down the steps and onto the sidewalk. The wind whistled, and leaves dropped from colorful trees.
Death was all around them.
They walked in silence, both lost in thought. Minutes later they escaped the wind in the massive lodge, and Janie led the way to the main lab. It was empty. “Mom and Emma will probably be back soon.” She suddenly felt numb.
“I know. Keep hope, Janie. We’ll find a cure.” Zane shivered, even in the warm lab.
Desperation tasted like raw acid pouring down her throat. She wanted to fight, and she wanted to hit something. The baby bounced inside her. Could he feel her fear? Her horrible panic?
Zane pulled her into his lean body. So lean—no fat and hardly any muscle. His odd blend of demon and vampire blood had made the virus grow more slowly in him than in the vampires, but it was still taking its toll.
She inhaled his scent, his very essence. Why wasn’t she strong enough to save him? There had to be a way. The baby kicked her, bouncing against Zane’s flat stomach. He chuckled.
She leaned back, tears blurring his face. “Please don’t leave me.”
He opened his mouth to answer, and the room rocked.
A series of explosions ripped through the peaceful day in such rapid succession it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
The floor rolled, and they fell.
Zane turned so she landed on him.
A blaring alarm roared through the building.
Zane helped her up, his face pale, rage filling his nearly colorless eyes. “We’re under attack. Run.”
Chapter 29
Janie scrambled down the hallway, ducking flying glass and slivers of wood. The earth rocked, and she fell. Pain vibrated up her palms to her shoulders. Her knees ached.
Zane grabbed the back of her shirt and hauled her up, pushing her into the janitor’s closet. Shoving cleaning supplies and a mop out of the way, he revealed a silver keypad. His fingers flew over the pad, and a secret door snicked open.
“Go, go, go,” he said, pushing her inside and yanking the door shut behind them. “Run, Belle.”
Her mind swirled, and panic heated her breath. The full out assault would destroy Realm headquarters and alert nearby humans. She shoved open another door and jogged down a long flight of stairs cut into the rock, her hands finding purchase on the smooth stone walls.
Zane labored behind her. “Do you have your phone?”
“No.” She’d dropped it when the first bomb had hit. “You?” she gasped, trying to see through the dim lights.
“No. Keep running.”
The steps took a sharp turn at the bottom, and she barely made it without smacking into the wall. Her center of gravity was off with the big baby bouncing inside her. Finally, the tunnel widened, and they reached a small alcove and another door with a keypad.
Zane turned. “I don’t know this code.”
Janie swallowed and typed in the correct code. The heavy metal door unlocked, and she struggled to open it. Zane added his weight, and the door slid open.
