“Yes.” Her chin lifted, and her heart thumped hard. In fact, she’d really like to get married when things slowed down. Just like those human girls in the romcoms she watched.
Jase nodded, his gaze mellowing. “So, no regrets?”
“No regrets.” Well, except for not uncovering Kalin’s master plan to take down the Kayrs family. Janie peered closer at her youngest uncle. “What about you? I mean, you and Brenna mated quickly and now everything is going wrong.”
“I need Bren more than I need a certain number of chromosomal pairs,” Jase said. “In fact, screw the virus. You’re brilliant, Emma is fastidious, and Kane is obsessed. Talk about a trifecta for curing the damn thing.”
Hope was all they had at the moment, and it was nice hearing Jase express it after knowing so much pain in his life. Janie tilted her head toward the other lab. “Speaking of Emma . . . she’s waiting for you.”
“Great. More needles.” Jase pushed off the counter and began rolling up his sleeve. “I did want to let you know how much you mean to me, Janet Isabella Kayrs.”
All the oxygen left the room. “We are not saying good-bye.” Panic heated Janie’s throat. Jase couldn’t give up.
“We’ll never give up. But while I can, I just wanted to say that the best thing that ever happened to our family was when Talen brought you home.” Jase leaned in for a one-armed hug. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Tears pricked Janie’s eyes. “I love you, too.”
Jase nodded and turned away. “If you change your mind and want me to beat the crap out of Kyllwood, just let me know.” He sauntered toward the other lab, his gait hitching slightly.
“If this morning sickness gets any worse, I may take you up on that offer,” she called after him.
“What offer?” Zane stood in the doorway, his eyes nearly glowing in his pale face.
“To beat you up.” Janie drank him in, flutters cascading along her skin.
Zane slowly lifted one dark eyebrow. “What did I do?”
Janie moved toward him as if drawn, needing to touch. Needing reassurance that her uncle hadn’t just said good-bye to her. She slid her hands up Zane’s chest. “Nothing . . . yet. Let’s go see what we can do about that.”
He grinned and ducked a shoulder to lift her against his chest. “Now that’s a plan.”
Month 2: Kane
Janie retrieved the samples from the humming medical device to place them back in the small fridge. The AC clicked on in the large lab located in the main lodge, and she shivered.
Kane dropped a sweatshirt around her shoulders. “Sorry it’s so cold.” His fingers brushed her neck, several degrees more chilled than the air.
She turned to study the dark circles under Kane’s magnificent violet eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”
He reached for a stack of papers being spit out by the nearest printer. “There’s no time for sleep. According to this, we’ve all lost an entire chromosomal pair already. At this rate, we’ll be human or even dead by the time your baby arrives.”
How odd that everyone had begun measuring time in terms of the baby’s arrival. “Then we need to get you healthy so my son can learn science from his uncle Kane,” Janie said slowly. “If you don’t get some rest, the virus is going to win. You know that.”
“The virus is winning anyway.” Even ill, Kane Kayrs moved with the grace of a panther, crossing the room to reach for more samples. He’d unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt, and muscles shifted beneath the natural material. Muscles noticeably smaller than they’d been the previous month.
“Find a cure yet?” said a chipper voice from the doorway.
Janie turned to see Amber Kayrs glide inside the room, reaching her mate in several long steps.
Amber leaned up and kissed Kane’s smoothly shaven chin. “You need rest.”
“That’s what I was just saying,” Janie said.
Kane tucked Amber into his side, his darkness a fascinating contrast to her reddish hair and tawny eyes. “My resting doesn’t solve anything, and you two know it.” He looked down at Amber, love in his eyes. “Nor does my preoccupation with this virus mean I don’t follow the trouble my mate creates.”
Amber blanched and tried unsuccessfully to step out from under Kane’s arm. “Trouble? What trouble?”
Janie settled in for the show.
