Claimed

Chapter 22

Several hours after having deserted the conference room, Dage raised an eyebrow as Conn tossed a young vampire over his shoulder to land with a hard thud against the training field. The sun bleached the sky almost white while the dark forest promised coolness near the brutal field set several hundred yards away from the residential building. The vamp rose and swung at Conn only to be handed his ass again when he went down. Hard.

“Maybe we should purchase group insurance,” Jase muttered from Dage’s side. He tipped back his head and downed a bottle of water.

Dage grinned. “I take it training is going well?”

Jase wiped dirt and blood off his forehead. “Yeah.” He pointed to a group sparring to the right, tossing up dust and small plants. “Caleb’s men are showing the shifters new tactics against demons.”

A prickle of irritation slid down Dage’s spine. “We’re not at war with the demons.” He planned to call Suri again and negotiate a compromise. Until the first bullet or knife pierced skin, they remained at peace. He should probably sit down with Caleb later in the day to discuss terms. Surely the man had tired of his war by now.

“If you say so.” Jase nodded toward the left where Talen stood in the center of their most elite squad. “The team wants to find a couple werewolves to train with.”

“No.” They needed to keep the one contained in the lab sedated at all times in order to control the damn thing. While the animal may be able to communicate with its master telepathically, the beast had no idea of its current location.

“That’s what Talen said you’d say. But if we find a couple during a raid we might want to consider capturing them instead of killing them.” Jase stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. “We haven’t battled werewolves for centuries. Chances are we’re going to come up against some soon, if the Kurjans are creating a fighting class like we suspect.”

Made sense, as much as Dage hated the idea. “We might ask Terent to capture instead of kill his next hunt.” At some point Dage needed to contact the Banes Council with new information regarding the virus, in addition to the fact that now he captured instead of ending werewolves. Such a discussion would screw up another one of his days.

“Terent might agree.” Jase cracked his knuckles. “Are you going to train your mate to fight?”

Dage grinned. “Why? So she can kick my ass?”

His brother laughed. “She is a feisty one, isn’t she?”

“That she is. I’d like to train all the humans to fight, especially Janie. They need to learn how to defend themselves.” He made a mental note to schedule self-defense training. He’d also ask his brothers to teach classes with him in hand-to-hand, grappling, and weaponry.

Jase grinned as a large soldier knocked Conn down only to end up coughing out dirt with Conn standing over his prone and probably severely bruised body. “Ouch.”

Dage nodded. “Conn’s more dangerous on the ground than standing upright. Timothy should’ve remembered that fact.” Blood and the scent of pine filled the air.

“Conn’s dangerous right now, period.” A slight wind picked up to brush dry pine needles across the field and Jase lifted his head into the breeze. “You should have him teach the grappling classes.”

“He’s going to Ireland soon.” Dage narrowed his gaze on Conn, who had bent one knee to demonstrate a sweeping motion. The shadow he cast under the brutal sun spread far and wide.

“Yes.”

Dage focused on his youngest brother. “What, no questions?”

Jase shrugged. “Questions? Like what?” His gaze remained on Conn.

“Like if I’ll try to stop him? Like if we can survive yet another enemy declaring war on us?” Even with Dage’s psychic abilities, Jase’s head remained a closed vault. Maybe it was empty. He grinned to himself.

Jase whistled through his teeth when two lions charged Conn. “Nope.”

“Why not?” Dage kept his gaze on the warriors, pride filling him when Conn took both cats to the ground, his hands snapping their powerful jaws closed.

“I already know the answer.” Jase reached down and grabbed a second water bottle. “You won’t stop him. In fact, you’ll back him and declare war on Ireland if necessary.” Copper eyes narrowed on Dage. “He’s your brother.”

All true. “I’ve kept in touch with Kellach.” Dage waited for a reaction.

“Moira’s favorite cousin, huh?” A wide grin split Jase’s face. “How is the dangerous bastard?”

“Dangerous as ever.” Dage narrowed his gaze on the men training in the field. “Though he’s not the only one. Apparently Conn’s witch has been learning more than magic the last century.”

Humor filled Jase’s copper eyes. “Do tell.”

“She’s been training. Combat, guns, swords ... you name it.”

Jase snorted. “She knows Conn is the greatest soldier ever born, right? Realm, Kurjan, Demon—nobody else has ever come close.”

Dage smiled. “I assume she knows.”

Jase sobered. “Conn will tear Ireland apart when he’s ready. She knows that, right?” His voice lowered in doubt at the end.

“If not, she’ll soon find out.” Dage said a quick prayer for Ireland. He’d always liked the green isle. He cleared his throat. “Kane says you’re more powerful than any of us realize.”

Jase’s deep chuckle reached across the field, and Conn glanced up with a frown. “I’m just what I’m supposed to be.” Jase’s eyes filled with anticipation while he dropped the bottle to the ground.

“What the hell does that mean?” Dage gave a short nod toward Conn. Yes. He would join the training session. At the moment he felt like kicking the crap out of both his brothers.

“Define power. We all enjoy different gifts, King. I own the elements.”

Dage raised an eyebrow. “You own them, do you?” He flung a hard slap of arctic air into Jase’s face.

Jase laughed and sent it spiraling back toward Dage’s skin.

Damn, that burned. Dage smiled. “You want Conn or Talen?”

“Ah, I’ll take Conn.” Jase rubbed his hands together. “You get Talen. He’s a mite pissed about his mate no longer wearing his mark.”

Dage shrugged. “They’re both pissed.”

Emma nudged the door to Cara’s suite open while balancing three jugs of fruit juice, a bottle of wine, and a corkscrew. Cara tiptoed out of Janie’s bedroom. “She’s asleep.”

“Good.” Emma eased into the kitchen to scrounge for glasses. “Before you ask, the virus hasn’t shown up in my blood yet.” Thank goodness her ignoring safety protocol didn’t come back to bite her in the butt. So far anyway. Twelve more hours to go.

Prophet Sotheby’s skirts rustled smooth silk as she exited the powder room and glided toward the table. “That is good news. I hope you don’t mind if I join your game.” She smiled with perfectly smooth teeth, her onyx eyes lighting up.

Hmm. Was the prophet a card shark? Emma smiled. “You know how to play poker, Prophet?”

“Lily.” The woman pulled out a chair and sat. “I’ve tinkered with the game.” She grabbed the cards and began to shuffle with the ease and smooth movement of an experienced Las Vegas dealer. “I appreciate the chance to act normal for a short time.” She sighed. “We can’t all just sit in our rooms waiting for this virus to ruin us.”

“I agree.” Emma grabbed four juice glasses to perch on the table before opening the Shiraz. Maybe pretending everything was all right would ease some of the tension they were all feeling. She nodded toward her sister. “You get juice.”

Cara rolled her eyes, reaching in the cupboard for a tin of herbal tea. “I want tea.”

Katie poked her head into the room. “We ready to play?” The lioness came inside with Maggie on her heels. “Maggie hasn’t played before.”

Maggie shrugged. “I may have played before, but I don’t remember. So who the hell knows.”

“Mags doesn’t get to play tomorrow since it’s a full moon, so let’s have some fun tonight.” Katie sat with a sigh. “The guys will be planning strategy for several hours, so we should have some peace and quiet.”

“All of you get fruit juice with plenty of vitamins.” They shouldn’t be playing. Emma should be working, but there was nothing to do while the current tests ran. She poured four glasses of juice and passed them out, turning her focus to Maggie. “Do you feel any different with the full moon so close?” She sat and took a small sip of the wine.

Maggie shook her head. “Nope. But it’ll be nice to shift into wolf form again, if I can. I mean, if I don’t turn into a freakin’ werewolf.” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, her eyes on the table.

“You won’t.” Katie patted her friend’s hand and tugged her down into a seat. “I wish I could shift—at least for a night.” A frown marred her clear skin for a moment, and her tawny gaze met Emma’s.

Emma gave a short nod—she’d remember her promise—if she failed to destroy the damn virus.

Cara took a seat, blowing on her tea. “Emma will find a cure, Katie. I promise.”

Emma squelched rising panic. She hoped to find a cure. “We’re doing our best. Kane thinks Moira will help.” Even stacks of blue, red, and white poker chips clacked together as she slid them in front of each player. The bright colors contrasted with the pall hanging over them all. She shrugged, determined to put on a carefree face. Just for the night.

Katie tipped back her head and took a healthy swallow of fruit juice. “A witch, huh? Well better Moira than that bitch from New York.”

“Simooone,” Emma and Cara drawled together.

Lily snorted and dealt each player five cards, humming as she did so.

Katie grinned. “Yep. She flirted with Jordan all night at the ball. I’d like to turn her into a toad.”

Lily tapped her cards on the table to straighten them, raising her eyebrow as she unfolded her hand. “I believe Simone and Moira are first cousins on their paternal side.” She tossed two cards face down.

“Really?” Emma glanced at her cards. Three twos, an ace, and a seven. She cleared her mind. “Ouch.” She frowned at her sister and reached down to rub her leg.

“No using psychic abilities,” Cara sniffed.

Lily raised an eyebrow. “We can’t use any?”

“Guess not.” Emma narrowed her gaze on the prophet. “What’s yours, anyway?”

Lily glanced at a stack of white chips and they floated through the air to land before her cards. “I’m a telekinetic, but once I married Sotheby, I ended up a decent empath as well.” She smiled. “Katie likes the cards I dealt her.”

Katie gave a soft groan. “Listen, I can’t sense things like usual, so no using special gifts. Let’s level the playing field for those of us fighting a virus.” She tossed all five cards face down.

“Fair enough.” Lily nodded. “Though everyone here but Emma is fighting the virus.”

All gazes swung to Emma. She shrugged.

Cara paled. “Chances are they’ll be coming for you next, Em.”

Emma shook her head. “Don’t kid yourself. They’re coming for all of us—this is planned bioterrorism. Shifters might become werewolves and vampire mates become human.” The idea of Dage’s marking fading from her skin actually made her heart ache. She steeled her spine. They wouldn’t get to her. She tossed the seven face down. “I need one card.”

Lily dealt her a card and Emma lifted it, pleased to see an ace. She nudged a blue chip to the middle. “Bet twenty-five.” She may be surrounded by shifters and empaths, but she’d supplemented her college job with poker winnings and figured she was due for some good luck. Everyone matched her bet and she forced a smile, laying down her cards. “Full house.”