His body went rigid as if fighting invisible ropes. The seizure kept him shaking, his head thumping the table even with Sam restraining him.
Janie leaned closer, tears falling from her eyes to his chest. “Please, Zane. Let go for me.”
He slowed, the convulsions lessened. Then he flopped back on the bed.
“Zane?” Sam slowly relaxed his hands.
Zane didn’t move.
Janie removed the depressor and kissed him softly. “Please wake up.”
His eyes slowly opened—all black. No green showed.
Janie swallowed. “You in there?”
He nodded and stretched his neck. “What happened?” he croaked.
“Do you still feel the virus?” Emma asked, her fingers remaining on the vein in his wrist.
He blinked several times as if trying to get his bearings. “Yes. The bastard is still there.”
The earth rumbled in displeasure all around, and small shards of rock dropped from the ceiling in the underground headquarters. Janie sandwiched herself between Dage and Zane, not sure she could stop either one of them if they went down. “I think I should speak to Kalin alone.” Her voice bounced back from the smooth metal door secured in the stone. “He won’t talk to either of you.”
Dage straightened his shoulders much too slowly. “If he knows anything, he’ll want to gloat to me, and he’s pissed at Zane for mating you, so we can use Kalin’s anger to glean information.”
“If we don’t pass out again,” Zane muttered.
“Yeah. That.” Dage nodded toward a camera set in the far corner. “Let’s get this over with.”
Janie said a quick and silent prayer for the men to remain standing. The door silently clicked open, and she led the way inside.
Kalin sat cross-legged on the floor, his back to them, his chin down. Several deep breaths later, he lifted his head and stood, turning around as if completely serene.
The door shut, and both Zane and Dage made a move to put Janie behind them.
She halted their progress, staying in the middle but a foot back. “I hadn’t realized you meditated, Kalin,” she said.
He bowed his head, his angled features almost seeming at peace. “We haven’t truly had time to get to know each other yet, Janet.” His smile revealed sharp fangs.
She cleared her throat, nerves dancing through her stomach. “We have a question or two for you.”
Kalin frowned and glanced at Dage and then Zane, both sweating and pale. Suddenly, his eyes sparked. His red lips curved. Both hands swept out, he threw back his head, and a huge bellow of laughter rolled up from his chest. Deep and hard, he laughed until he was gasping for breath.
Dage sighed. “I take it you’re not surprised?”
Kalin wiped his eyes and stepped closer to the bars. “You foolish, sentimental, dumbass son-of-a-bitch. I can’t believe it worked.”
Zane growled low. “Explain.”
Kalin shook his long, dark hair. “You fucking vampires are so led around by your dicks.” Fire lit his greenish-purple eyes, and he reached for the bars. “King Kayrs, twenty years ago, did you really think we created an entire virus, a biological weapon, so we could steal your fuckingmates? Really?”
Janie’s knees trembled. “Then why?” she whispered.
Kalin kept his gaze on Dage. “To take out the Kayrs family. You’re fools for your mates. The only way to infect you was foryouto make it happen.”
Janie stepped up between Dage and Zane, their protection warming her. “You infected mates just to hurt the Kayrs family?”
Kalin lifted a powerful shoulder. “As well as the majority of vampires. It took years to make the virus both airborne andweakenough to be drawn out by a mate.” He sighed dramatically. “Just years.” He snarled. “Yet here we are, finally.”
