Read Online Provoked by Rebecca Zanetti - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
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we have banded together in an eco-village to live as much as we can off the land. Even my VW Bug is frowned upon. Most people only use vehicles in emergencies.”
“Yet you work in a bar.” His expression remained neutral, yet there was a hint of—what was that in his tone?
She bristled. “Don’t judge me, rich boy.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “Rich boy?”
“Yeah. That coat costs more than most people make in a month. Heck, in three months.” Snobby people should have to live off their wits and the land for an entire year. They’d probably only last a week.
He frowned down at his coat. “Oh. My apologies, I didn’t mean to sound judgmental.”
“Accepted.” Amber couldn’t help a small smile. Kane had no problem apologizing when he was wrong, now did he? Confidence and fairness in such a sexy package—were all vampires so cool?
Kane dropped to his haunches, inspecting the front tire. “As a race, we’re rather protective of females. Sometimes too much so. My sisters-in-law would never be allowed to work alone in a bar—just for safety reasons.” He stiffened, catching his breath. Then he stood and whirled to face her. “Don’t ever tell them I used the word allow . God. Ever. Please.”
Amber laughed. “No promises.” What were these sisters-in-law like? “Are they vampires, too?”
Kane frowned. “Ah, no. Vampires are male only. We have to mate a female from a different species, and even then we only produce male vampires. Two of my sisters-in-law were enhanced humans, the other is a witch.”
There was that mate word again. One simple four-letter word shouldn’t send tingles down her spine. “A witch? A real witch?”
“Yes. Moira is incredibly powerful—you have a lot in common.”
“What’s an enhanced human?”
“A female with gifts—psychic, empathic, and so on.” Kane banged the windshield wipers back onto the glass. “So, why are you working in a bar?”
“We make enough money to live off the farm by selling vegetables, fruits, and jams in the summer, and Christmas wreaths in the winter. But hospital bills are expensive, and we don’t have health insurance.” Amber shrugged.
“So selling the land to Hanson would give you much-needed money.” Kane held out a hand.
Amber took it, allowing him to lead her around the truck to the passenger door. “Yes. But we’d be sacrificing the land and our way of life for money. Not a good sacrifice.”
He opened the door and lifted her into the truck. “Interesting. Okay, let’s go get your granny.”
C HAPTER 7
J ase Kayrs settled against the rough stone wall, his gaze on the myriad of earthy colors in the rock across the small cell. Slowly, methodically, he listed every shade of brown he could see. Tan, beige, mud . . . the list went on and on. For every new shade he noted, victory filled him that his brain still worked. Somewhat.
Take that, demons.
A crude window had been cut high above to let in light during the day. Once in a while the wind would blow hard enough he’d get a whiff of the sea, but usually the smell of dirt filled his small space. There was a time he could control the elements and heat the small area, but no longer. Cold permeated through his skin to his bones—no muscles. Idly, he wondered how much he weighed now. Not much.
Water dripped down the grooves in the rock and splashed onto the hard ground. The tip-tap of it faded away into the familiar, no longer causing spikes of irritation to dig at his neck.
That had taken about a year.
Sometimes he saw faces in the rock. After particularly bad sessions with the demons, those faces would speak to him. And when he was at his lowest, he’d talk back. These days he seemed to be talking to the rock often.
A massive metal door took up one wall of the four-by-six prison. He’d tried to break the locks for so long without success. Now the sound of the locks engaging sent peace through his body.
Something told him that wasn’t a good sign.
But for
“Yet you work in a bar.” His expression remained neutral, yet there was a hint of—what was that in his tone?
She bristled. “Don’t judge me, rich boy.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “Rich boy?”
“Yeah. That coat costs more than most people make in a month. Heck, in three months.” Snobby people should have to live off their wits and the land for an entire year. They’d probably only last a week.
He frowned down at his coat. “Oh. My apologies, I didn’t mean to sound judgmental.”
“Accepted.” Amber couldn’t help a small smile. Kane had no problem apologizing when he was wrong, now did he? Confidence and fairness in such a sexy package—were all vampires so cool?
Kane dropped to his haunches, inspecting the front tire. “As a race, we’re rather protective of females. Sometimes too much so. My sisters-in-law would never be allowed to work alone in a bar—just for safety reasons.” He stiffened, catching his breath. Then he stood and whirled to face her. “Don’t ever tell them I used the word allow . God. Ever. Please.”
Amber laughed. “No promises.” What were these sisters-in-law like? “Are they vampires, too?”
Kane frowned. “Ah, no. Vampires are male only. We have to mate a female from a different species, and even then we only produce male vampires. Two of my sisters-in-law were enhanced humans, the other is a witch.”
There was that mate word again. One simple four-letter word shouldn’t send tingles down her spine. “A witch? A real witch?”
“Yes. Moira is incredibly powerful—you have a lot in common.”
“What’s an enhanced human?”
“A female with gifts—psychic, empathic, and so on.” Kane banged the windshield wipers back onto the glass. “So, why are you working in a bar?”
“We make enough money to live off the farm by selling vegetables, fruits, and jams in the summer, and Christmas wreaths in the winter. But hospital bills are expensive, and we don’t have health insurance.” Amber shrugged.
“So selling the land to Hanson would give you much-needed money.” Kane held out a hand.
Amber took it, allowing him to lead her around the truck to the passenger door. “Yes. But we’d be sacrificing the land and our way of life for money. Not a good sacrifice.”
He opened the door and lifted her into the truck. “Interesting. Okay, let’s go get your granny.”
C HAPTER 7
J ase Kayrs settled against the rough stone wall, his gaze on the myriad of earthy colors in the rock across the small cell. Slowly, methodically, he listed every shade of brown he could see. Tan, beige, mud . . . the list went on and on. For every new shade he noted, victory filled him that his brain still worked. Somewhat.
Take that, demons.
A crude window had been cut high above to let in light during the day. Once in a while the wind would blow hard enough he’d get a whiff of the sea, but usually the smell of dirt filled his small space. There was a time he could control the elements and heat the small area, but no longer. Cold permeated through his skin to his bones—no muscles. Idly, he wondered how much he weighed now. Not much.
Water dripped down the grooves in the rock and splashed onto the hard ground. The tip-tap of it faded away into the familiar, no longer causing spikes of irritation to dig at his neck.
That had taken about a year.
Sometimes he saw faces in the rock. After particularly bad sessions with the demons, those faces would speak to him. And when he was at his lowest, he’d talk back. These days he seemed to be talking to the rock often.
A massive metal door took up one wall of the four-by-six prison. He’d tried to break the locks for so long without success. Now the sound of the locks engaging sent peace through his body.
Something told him that wasn’t a good sign.
But for
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