Fated

Chapter 4

Groaning, Talen finished signing the last of the legal papers while Janie happily colored pictures of ponies beside him. His brother Dage owed him big time for appointing him liaison to this agency. The metal building housing the secret U.S. Marshal base hoarded heat like a miser with gold, and he wanted out. The third floor was even more stifling than the lower ones with the sparse conference room. He was anxious to get his new family home and claim his mate.

Suddenly, his watch blinked an insistent green. He pushed a small button on the side.

“Why the hell do we have you traveling away from the pick-up spot at a quick rate?” Although he phrased it as a question, his brother’s deep voice sounded more irritated than curious.

“What?” Talen’s heart thumped.

“We. Have. You. Moving. Away.” Dage’s voice went from irritated to pissed in a heartbeat. He was well known for disliking surprises.

“Fuck.” Talen jumped to his feet and picked up a startled Janie, running for the elevator. The door slid open, and he wasn’t surprised to see Nelson unconscious on the floor. Talen dodged inside as the director swiped a card over a small window before leaning down to make sure Nelson was still breathing.

Talen didn’t spare a glance at the fallen man. An odd clenching of his gut caused his breath to hitch and a ringing sound to fill his ears. Fear? Brittle pine filled his nostrils, and his eyes started to burn.

“Are you on the tarmac?” he asked his brother, a rage building in his gut.

“Of course,” Dage growled. “Where the fuck are you?”

“In the elevator, heading down. I’m not wearing my cuff; my wife has it on.” Talen held Janie close as the car moved slowly—too damn slowly—down several floors. He should’ve taken the stairs.

There was a silent pause, then, “Wife?”

“Yeah, wife,” Talen confirmed as he ran from the elevator, straight at his brother in the secured landing site, the small child held safely in his arms. He passed Dage, jumping aboard the open side hatch of the sleek blue vessel. His brother pivoted and followed, setting himself in the pilot’s seat next to Talen, punching buttons before he even sat down.

“Ready for takeoff,” Dage said while the engine quietly roared to life. The military vessel had been tweaked a bit by their brother Conn.

“What the hell?” Dage muttered at him while expertly maneuvering the small craft into the air. Talen had never appreciated his brother’s ability to jump into action as much as he did right now. Or his brother Conn’s ability to take any vehicle and alter it to fit their needs.

“Here she is.” Talen’s mind focused into the cold state of killing as a small blip moved over the radar. Janie’s quiet sob against his chest had him schooling his face into a bland expression. He lifted her chin with one gentle finger, smiling at her tear-filled blue eyes.

“It’s all right, sweetheart. We’re going to get your mama back.” The wide eyes on his held a humbling amount of both fear and trust. Talen felt an age-old male instinct to draw blood. Someone had taken what was his. He pushed any thought of Cara being hurt to the back of his mind and started to coldly plan for her abductors to die.

Dage nodded at Janie. “This must be the child you were to acquire?”

“Hi.” Janie snuggled closer to Talen’s chest. “You’ve been in my dreams.”

Dage turned his full attention on the little girl, his grin of recognition matching hers. “You’ve been in mine, too.”

“’Cept for your eyes, you look a lot like Talen,” she said shyly.

“Nah.” Dage focused his silver eyes and flashed twin dimples at the little girl. “I’m a lot better looking.”

“My daughter, Janie.” Talen wasn’t surprised his new daughter apparently understood the private joke Dage shared with fate. “Janie, this is your Uncle Dage.”

Dage’s metallic eyes met Talen’s before he looked back at the small, fragile female. “My niece,” he said solemnly and with acceptance, as if only he heard the sound of fate clicking into place. Talen thought it was loud enough even humans could decipher its tenor.

Dage turned a full smile on him. “You were only gone for a day.”

“I know.”

“So, brother, I never said you had to marry the female.” Dage lifted a brow.

“Someone had to.” Talen’s jaw firmed. “You know it was the only way to keep her safe.”

“Yeah, but why you?” Dage challenged as his fingers moved deftly over the control panel.

“Because, she’s mine,” Talen answered with a finality that had Dage grinning in acceptance. Then he flipped over his palm to reveal the intricate design.

Dage’s eyes widened. “The marking.”

“Yep,” Talen said smugly. “Definitely mine.”

“Congratulations.” Dage ran a hand over his face. “I’d begun to wonder if Conn’s marking was a fluke, if the legends of the natural marking were true. If it could happen without an arrangement and the vow.”

“I think it’s supposed to happen that way,” Talen said. “The brand formed the second I touched Cara’s arm. And it hurt like hell for a moment.”

Dage grinned. “I’d wondered about that as well. Conn said his hand felt as if a burning spear pierced right through it.” He punched a couple of buttons on the consol. “I’d hoped a couple of us would naturally find our mates.”

“We all should, Dage. Living with mate arranged via contract is no way to spend eternity, brother.” Talen’s hand started to throb the closer they came to the vehicle holding his mate. “Plus, you wouldn’t have been dreaming about the same woman for centuries if fate didn’t have a plan for you.”

“Maybe,” Dage allowed. “Did you tell your mate everything?”

“Of course not.”

“How did you lose her?” The life scan attached to the lifecuff was strong and steady as it moved to the northwest. Dage’s grin disappeared as Talen caught him up on recent events. “We should both go.”

“No.” Talen snarled. “My wife. My fight. Plus, you must keep Janie safe.”

“I’m coming with you.” The little girl sat up with a haughty glare. “My mama. My fight.”

Both men stifled chuckles as their eyes met over Janie’s head. Dage’s gaze cleared like it did when a window to the future opened in his mind—his eyes narrowed and he cocked his head, listening to something only he could hear. Fucking psychic. He’d better predict good news this time.

Suddenly, a voice came in over the radio. “Dage, come in please.” Strain hummed through the male’s voice.

“Dage here, Chalton. What’s up?”

“There’s a rapid smattering of activity over the com-lines. A contingent of Kurjans is moving toward our base in DC. They know we’ve acquired the females.”

“Shit,” Dage muttered under his breath as they caught up with a black SUV flinging clumps of dirt high into the air as it maneuvered between masses of tall pine trees. “Send reinforcements to DC. I’ll arrive at headquarters within the day. Dage, out.”

He turned to Talen. “Her life signs look good—can you sense anything from her?”

“No. I haven’t mated her, yet.” Talen spied the SUV below them. “Pull back a bit so they don’t see us.”

With a nod, Dage eased the controls up as Janie tapped on the display. “Is my mama in there?”

Talen hugged her close, the scent of powder and innocence surrounding him. “Yes. She’s fine, Janie.”

“I’ve scanned them.” Dage pulled away a safe distance and Talen turned his attention to the onboard scanner. “A driver, three passengers, and a fifth person prone in the rear of the SUV.”

Talen’s blood boiled at the image of his wife on her side, her hands tied before her. He quickly brought up an electronic map of the entire area. “The road leads here.” He pointed to a deep, forested area about fifty miles to the north. He punched a few more buttons until a small lake with a few sparse cabins came into view.

“They have to be heading to one of these cabins. This one is the largest, probably their destination. There’s a clearing.” He pointed to a dubious clearing about a mile from the largest cabin. “Let me out here; I can make it to the cabin before they do.”

“All right.” Dage increased their speed, and they veered sharply to the left toward the small clearing. “We can wait for an hour.”

Talen frowned. “Too risky. Get Janie to safety and I’ll head to Jordan’s. We’ll get transport there.”

When his brother landed, Talen buckled Janie into the seat before he jumped out and grabbed a duffel bag. He donned a dark vest, inserted knives of various widths and lengths, then tucked his gun in the back of his dark jeans. Finally, he secured his thick hair with a rubber band.

He leaned forward, giving Janie his most reassuring smile. “It’ll be all right, Janie. I’ll bring your mom to you as soon as you and Dage take care of business.”

The little girl threw both arms around his neck and effectively sliced his heart in two as she whispered, “Be careful, Daddy. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

Talen rose, a lump in his throat as he handed his little girl over to his brother. “My child,” he said, and with a nod, Dage responded, “My life.” The vow was as old as their earliest ancestors, yet it was the first time one of the five brothers had cause to give it.

Talen felt the future rushing in as his child placed her small hand in Dage’s.

He turned away from his family, all semblance of the civilized man he’d been wearing disappearing. His eyes heated to a fierce lava, his savage features warning nearby wildlife a true predator was in their midst. As a light rain started to fall, he ran toward the cabin to reclaim his mate.