Shadowed

“I know the good guys.” She kept her face set in honest lines. Was it possible to have fallen in love as a child? To have known her destiny since she was four years old? “Without a doubt, I’ve always known the Realm wins. So you might want to get on board.”

“Ah, Belle. You don’t know the final outcome, and there are no true good guys in this war.” His fingers tightened on her nape. “I’d like to think you’ve never lied to me.”

“I haven’t.”

“Then tell me the truth. Tell me about your vision. You owe me.”

Yeah, she did. “Why did you save Garrett?”

“Because he’s your brother, and I could.” Zane lowered his head closer to hers. That close, she could see tiny flecks of darker green in his irises. His lips covered hers.

Warmth flushed through her along with an intriguing edge of need. She’d never felt it with anybody else. Only Zane. Her knees weakened and her spine tingled. He swept inside her mouth, taking claim.

She’d always known he’d stake a claim. He lifted his head, and the desire swirling across his strong face gave her strength.

He licked his lips. “Now talk.”

The man was right—she did owe him. The need to trust him, to have him trust her, became stronger than the desire to be strategic. “The end to the war comes this year, when I’m a quarter of a century old. You, Kalin, and I end up in the same place at the same time. At least one of us doesn’t make it out.”

“At least one?” Zane asked.

She closed her eyes and exhaled. “My feeling is only one of us will be left standing.” Frankly, she’d never truly believed it would be her. “I’ve always hoped you lived, Zane.”

He made a noise low in his gut. “Don’t be sweet. Please, don’t be sweet.”

She couldn’t help the smile as she opened her eyes. “You didn’t think this would be easy, now, did you?”

Read on for a sneak peek at Rebecca Zanetti’s e-novella Tamed, available May 2014.

Lily Sotheby settled back into the worn leather of the booth, her fingers around the stem of a wineglass. “This cabernet is, um . . .”

“Piss.” Hilde Freebird pulled the label off her longneck beer as Garth Brooks crooned from the jukebox. “You don’t order wine at a honky-tonk, Prophet.”

“Shhh.” Janie Kayrs, the other accomplice, said, eyeing the peanut shells lining the tavern’s floor. “Don’t call her that.”

“Oh yeah. My bad.” Hilde pushed her glasses farther up her nose and nodded at a group of men playing pool. Fit and hard, several wore handmade silk suits. They seemed out of place, as well. “Have you chosen?”

This was such an incredibly bad idea. “No.” Lily tracked the distance from the booth to the door. “If the king discovers we’re at a bar, he’s going to kill me.” What in the heck was she thinking bringing the vampire king’s niece to a public bar? Half of the immortal species wanted to kidnap Janie, the other half wanted her dead.

Janie snorted. “I know. We’re safe because nobody in the world would expect to find us here. But I’m twenty-five, and I’ve always wanted a real night out with the girls—without vampires or bodyguards.”

Hilde nodded. “That is important for a human woman, which you are. And getting the prophet laid is an admirable goal.”

On all that was holy. Lily’s face heated. “I’m sure I don’t remember how to, ah, copulate.” She’d mated a vampire three centuries ago, and he’d died shortly thereafter. Once mated, a vampire or mate could never become intimate with another being . . . until now.

“Well, first you need to stop using the word copulate.” Jane took a swig of beer. “How odd is it that a virus created by our enemies now allows you a second chance at love?”

Forget love. Lily just wanted an orgasm with somebody else in the room. “Virus-27 is designed to unravel our chromosomes until we become bacteria . . . no doubt we’ll die before that happens.” But, for now, the virus took away the mating ties, and she could actually touch a man again without inflicting a horrible allergic reaction upon them both. If she found a man. She smoothed down her long skirt.

“Speaking of copulation”—Hilde clucked her tongue—“did you have to dress like a puritan?”

Lily examined her flowering gown. “This is how I dress.”

“Well, at least ditch the sweater.” Without waiting for agreement, Hilde grasped the sweater’s hem and yanked it over Lily’s head. “Oh my.”

Lily glanced down at her breasts rising above the bustier. “This is to be worn underneath the sweater.”

“Not if you want nookie.” Hilde shoved the sweater in her bulky purse. “Come on. Unlike you, I’m a widow who hasn’t contracted the virus and can’t touch a male without an allergic reaction. You must get some for both of us.”

Lily tried to relax and smile at her friend. Hilde had moved in with the vampires when her granddaughter had mated one of the king’s brothers, and she’d become a friend to Lily and a pain in the butt to the vampires. “This top is indecent,” Lily murmured.

Janie smiled, pretty blue eyes lightening. “You look hot.” She leaned forward. “In a couple of days, you’re going to be so busy brokering the end of the war, you won’t have time for fun. You deserve this. Now pick a man.”

Lily cleared her throat. “As one of three Realm prophets, I feel the need to caution you about strange men and pre-matehood sex.”

“Shut up.” Hilde grinned as the waitress set down shots of tequila. Waiting until the woman had bustled away, Hilde pushed glasses toward the other two women. “Here’s to ending the vampire war.”

Lily took her glass. “To peace.” Tipping back her head, she allowed the liquor to slide down her throat with instant heat. Her eyes watered.

Janie played with the label on her beer. “So, ah, Caleb Donovan is supposed to arrive at headquarters in a few days.”

The mere mention of the vampire’s name sent heat spiraling through Lily’s body to pool in her abdomen. “All three of us prophets will be involved in negotiations.”

Hilde rolled her eyes. “Come on. Even though I’ve only been at headquarters a short time, I’ve noticed how you blush whenever the Realm rebel is mentioned.”

Lily sighed. “We dated briefly centuries ago, but my parents arranged a marriage to somebody else. Caleb was angry, but duty called.” She’d always wondered if she’d made a mistake in choosing duty.

Janie sighed. “Screw duty. Caleb is hot. Maybe you should scratch an old itch and forget finding a human male for the night.”

“No.” Lily straightened her shoulders. “Caleb was kicked out of the Realm and only returned because your uncle needed allies in the war. Then, when fate made Caleb a prophet, our chance for anything ended. He’s so angry, and he hates being a prophet.”

“That’s because he’s a vampire and a soldier. The soft approach doesn’t work for him.” Janie frowned. “Sometimes fate gets it wrong. Trust me.”

Enough talk about fate and the mistakes of the past. Lily glanced around the tavern. “The bartender is handsome.”

Her friends instantly swiveled to check out the blond behind the bar. Green eyes, broad chest, hard-earned tan.

Hilde blew out air. “A twenty-five-year-old human male in that good of shape? I bet he could go all night.”

Lily coughed out the scent of peanuts, dust, and tequila. “For goodness’ sake. I can’t do this.” Especially with