Kane stared at the sling. “Heard you broke your arm.”
Hope swallowed. “Yeah.”
“You try to send healing cells toit?” he asked.
Duh. “What a great idea,” she said, trying to cover her sarcasm but failing miserably. “Maybe the drugs are slowing down my healing cells.” Her voice wasn’t as level as she’d hoped. All immortals had healing cells to repair injuries, but hers weren’t working. Never had, really.
“When was the last time you fractured a bone?” His eyes glinted with intelligence.
“Many years ago in a bike wreck,” she admitted. So there was no way to determine if she had healing cells. They didn’t work against colds or the flu, basically because most immortals weren’t susceptible tosuch illnesses.
“You want blood?” Kane’sfangs dropped.
Emma didn’t look up from her microscope. “No. No blood until the drugs have completely exited her system. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Huh.” Kane stalked over to the microscope and nudged Emma aside.
Emma glared at her brother-in-law. “Kane, give me a break. It’s my lab.”
“I’m still the smartest person on the planet, last time I checked,” Kane said absently, having to lean down to look into the scope. “Plus,you called me.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m real glad to hear those self-esteem classes are working for you.”
Hope shifted uneasily. “Kane, have you been downto see Paxton?”
Her uncle straightened and looked over his shoulder at her. “No. You’re notgoing, either.”
“I don’t think I can go near him until I calm down a little bit.” Hope sighed, her chest hurting. “I don’t even knowwhat to think.”
Kane looked around the spacious lab. He wore a black silk shirt tucked into black pants, and even relaxed, his muscles played as he moved. His hair was Kayrs dark, his eyes violet, and his intellect unsurpassed. “You know, I’m surprised your parents aren’t here, or your grandparents for that matter.”
“I kicked them out,” Emma said simply. “They were driving me nuts, and you’re the next to go.”
Kane straightened to his full height just as one of the many pieces of lab equipment on the wide granitecounter beeped.
Emma hurried over to it and then turned as a printer spit out several pieces of paper. She read through each page rapidly. “Riveting.”
“What?” Kane leaned over her shoulder.
She handedhim the papers.
Hope held a hand to her stomach. “What didthey give me?”
“Quite a few interesting components in those darts,” Emma murmured. “The one that knocked you out was xylazine, which is used by veterinarians to sedate large animals, usually horses.”
“Damno is totus ut abyssus,” Kane said. “It’s also a street drug, which is probably where the Kurjans got it. They no doubt wantedto kidnap you.”
For goodness’ sake. Hope knew Latin, so it was silly that Kane still swore in the language when around her. “We’ve suspected they’ve had a bounty out on me for years. Am I going to be okay?”
“Sure,” Emma said.
Hope narrowed her gaze. “What else was in the dart?”
“I don’t know,” Emma said.
Hope was quiet for a moment, her lungs stuttering. Emma knew everything about drugs. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“There’s a very, very small ingredient my equipment couldn’t identify.” Emma frowned, gazing off in the distance as her amazing mind no doubt went to work.
