be the person you were. Doesn’t mean you can’t be an incredible person, a happy person. But if you expect to be able to forget . . .”
“I want to forget.”
“Why?”
“Because . . .” He stilled and drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t like who I became underground.”
“Who would?” She tilted her delicate head to the side. “But you survived, and whoever you became during that short time helped you to live, Jase.”
He shrugged, his gut churning. “Okay.”
“You know what?” she asked.
“What?”
“Who you became underground isn’t who you are now. You’re different already, and you can become whomever you wish.”
He studied her and let the words sink in. Was she correct?
Lily stood, and his manners instantly shot him to his feet.
She smiled and took his arm to escort him to the door. “That’s enough for today.”
He stumbled. “That’s it?”
“Yes. Next time we’ll talk about the anger.” She opened the door.
He paused. “You said anger was good.”
“It’s good if you use it—not so good if it eats you up.” She patted his arm and all but shoved him into the hallway. “See you in a few days.” The door closed.
He rubbed his chin, the world settling. How odd.
A feminine laugh bubbled from behind him. He turned to find his niece sitting on a bench. “Jane?”
“Yeah. The prophet is a kick in the pants, isn’t she?” Janie stood, barely reaching his chest. In her twenties, the young woman held the world on her shoulders. “I’m usually confused, yet somehow feel better when I finish talking to her.”
Jase nodded, his head cloudy. “All right. What are you doing here?”
“Sometimes Lily helps me to focus a vision. I’m hoping to see Garrett and find him.” The young psychic pushed open the door, her shoulders slumped as if the air pressed down on her.
“You’re not responsible for your brother, Jane.”
She sighed, glancing back at him. “Sure I am. He’s my little brother—vampire or not.” Agony and fear flashed in her eyes to be quickly quashed.
“How often do you see Lily?”
“Often. When I’m not in immediate crisis, we try to figure out how to end the war. The usual.” Slipping inside, she disappeared.
Jase spent a minute staring at the closed door. Shaking his head, he turned down the hallway.
Brenna tapped her foot beneath the conference table, trying to concentrate on Kane’s words. The brilliant scientist sat across the table, while Jase sprawled next to her in the small room to the south of the main lodge. He’d actually gone to counseling. For her.
Maybe they had a chance to make it. Heck. She was as stubborn as they came, and Jase topped that. If they worked together and decided to make it, they would.
Kane pulled out another pie chart.
Jase groaned. “Quit with the charts. She understands.”
Actually, she’d been daydreaming for most of the meeting. But she nodded, having been briefed on the virus years ago. “I get it. Virus-27 binds to the twenty-seventh chromosomal pair of vampire mates and witches. Then it goes to work unraveling the pairs, taking the infected down to human genetics, if not below that. But the virus is slow and may take decades.” As immortals, they had decades.
“Yes.” Kane leaned forward, his maroon eyes focusing. “So, when the comet draws closer to earth, I’m hoping you can unbind the damn bug.”
Great goal. “How?” How in the world could she unbind anything?
He reached in his pocket and slid a necklace across the table.
Jase reached for it, twirling a milky pendant. “What is this?”
“The virus is inside the glass—just like a miniature petri dish.” Kane sat back. “When the comet is near on the solstice, I want Brenna to focus energy inside to mutate the bug.”
“Why in the world do you think I could do this?” Brenna asked.
“As a witch, you can create plasma fire out of air. You can alter any matter into another form when you’re at full power.” Kane leaned back.
That was true. “But nobody has been able to alter the virus. Why me?” she asked.
Kane lifted a shoulder. “It’s a logical progression from your natural talent. If you can alter matter normally, then why not alter the virus? And it’s
Brenna coughed out air. “That makes no sense. Please tell me you don’t believe in myth and legend.”
Kane’s eyebrows rose. “Of course I do. Just because we can’t explain it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an explanation. I’m sure there’s one, and I’m sure I’ll figure it out someday.”
Her head started to pound. “I’m not special. There had to have been other witches born on my birthday.”
“Sure, there were. But you’re the only eighth sister born to a seventh sister in the history of the witch species.” Kane nodded toward the pendant. “You are special—whether you like it or not. All I’m asking is that you try. If it works, wonderful. If not, then we’ll move on to another line of research.”
Jase frowned. “Can she be infected?”
“Not unless she swallows it.” Kane steepled his fingers under his prominent chin. “Right now, the virus isn’t airborne.”
Brenna took the necklace and slid it over her head. “This is incredibly far-fetched, you know.”
“Yes. But it’s all I’ve got.” Kane shook his head. “The time to deal with this virus is coming, and it’s coming fast.”
Brenna swallowed. The pendant lay heavy between her breasts. An ominous weight of the future to come? She exhaled. “I’ll do my best.” For now, she needed to find out more about her strengths and how they related to the solstice.
Chapter 15
Janie Kayrs settled into a pose on her yoga mat, her mind clearing. Her time with Lily hadn’t provided answers, so she’d decided to seek her own. Alone in an underground office, she’d set up a fountain in the corner, and the bubbling water offered solace. Humming along, she slid into a world that used to belong to dreams only. Dreams that had been filled with her best friend, half-vampire Zane Kyllwood, as well as with Kalin, the Kurjan. They’d met as children before the war broke out.
Then war began, and lines were drawn. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get a handle on where Zane stood. Or even who Zane was, considering he wouldn’t tell her. The last few times they’d met, he’d been angry and focused. In fact, he’d all but admitted they weren’t on the same side any longer. But today, she had to deal with Kalin.
With her imagination, she created an outcropping of rock, smooth grass, and a forest with shimmering trees. She chose a flat rock to sit on and wait.
He didn’t keep her waiting long.
Kalin strode out of the forest, his gaze on the pretend sun providing such warmth. For as long as she’d known him, he’d always taken a moment to appreciate the sun. The sun fried the Kurjans, making them similar to horror vampires from fiction. How sad it would be to live only in darkness.
Maybe that’s where he belonged.
A tall figure, he’d only broadened in the last few years. The boy she’d known was gone. In his place stood a
