Marked Read Free Page B

wanted to speak, her vocal cords had frozen.
    A demon.
    Shock and hurt chilled her, until slowly, with a sure burn, the fire of fury banished the cold.
    Pure, raw, female fury.
    She didn’t know him. Maybe she never had. Even so, the sense of betrayal failed to mask the feelings she’d harbored for him. Deep and real. Her focus narrowed, and Zane’s chin slowly lowered, his nostrils flaring like a wolf’s accepting a challenge.
    As their gazes clashed, a silent war cry resonated through the unnatural physics in the chamber so deep in the earth. The protective walls morphed, and the immortals all around tensed.
    “Take it easy, Jane,” Dage whispered.
    She nodded and exhaled slowly, allowing anger to replace the pain. Her human emotions didn’t have the strength to affect the mutated quantum physics keeping them safe.
    Zane’s emotions did.
    At the realization, triumph lifted her lips in almost a smile. Yeah. She’d gotten to him.
    His eyes blazed ten shades of fire, but that hard face remained expressionless.
    Dage leaned in. “So Zane’s the Ghost . He must be.”
    Oh. The demon assassin whispered about at campfires and in strategic meetings. The deadly demon close to Suri who had nearly supernatural powers and a fatal ability to kill. Janie swayed and quickly tightened her thighs to keep from falling. How could the sweet kid she’d known so long ago be the feared Ghost ?
    Prophet Lily cleared her throat. “Well, then. Ah, shall we get started?”
    Whispers of movement sounded as attention turned toward Lily. Yet Zane kept his focus on Janie, and she couldn’t look away. He gave her no expression, no inkling of what he was thinking or even feeling. Nothing. How could he be a demon?
    She wanted to run across the chamber and touch him. Feel the real man and get him to say this was all a mistake. That he still cared for her, and they’d work together. That what she remembered wasn’t some silly girlhood dream. That she mattered.
    But he sat across the room next to her biggest enemy. It was time for Janie to grow up and let go of childhood dreams. Her chest actually hurt as if somebody had kicked through her breastbone to her heart. Direct hit.
    Lily cleared her throat. “Since nobody put demands in writing, we’ll go around the room and state our initial demands. I’d appreciate it if everyone waited to respond until all demands have been made.”
    Janie blinked and tried to concentrate, but so many questions swirled through her head, she couldn’t focus. How could Zane keep this from her? Had any of their friendship been real? It had to have been. She’d known him as a scared kid, way back when, and he’d cared for her.
    Did he still?
    Dage leaned forward. “The Realm demands all warring stop, the demons return any prisoners of war immediately, the Kurjans turn over all research and data concerning Virus-27, and any contracts out on any Realm citizens or members of the Kayrs family be immediately rescinded. In addition, we demand a treaty prohibiting biochemical warfare.” His deep voice held power and echoed around the cavern. “And we want possession of the Prophesies of Arias, as it must be our turn.”
    Janie broke eye contact with Zane to glance around the group for reactions. Damn immortals. Nobody even twitched.
    Vivienne Northcutt clasped her long fingers together on the stone. “The Coven Nine demands all information regarding Virus-27 be turned over immediately, and any contracts on witches be rescinded.” She glanced at Dage. “The Prophecies of Arias remains in our possession. In addition”—she turned to face Suri and Zane—“we want Eastern Europe. The former Soviet Union and all the Baltic States. The lands were settled by witches, so get out.”
    Janie wanted to nod but instead kept still. The witches needed the land because of a dangerous mineral inherent in the rocks there that harmed witches, and they wanted Virus-27 information because the damn illness affected witches as well