2. Zan

"Did you two talk?" Viggo asked as I walked into the living room.

I fell onto the couch next to Pax while Viggo stood on the opposite wall, smoking one of his rolled cigarettes. I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, shooting him a glare.

"Just because you made sure we were both stuck in the same room doesn't mean she suddenly trusts me," I ground out. "Or wants to talk."

Viggo arched an eyebrow. "Did you even try?"

"All I asked was for one thing in return for the answers she wants." I shrugged. "She didn't want to hear it."

"I can't believe she knows we can walk in the sun," Pax grumbled. "We can't trust her."

Viggo scoffed. "It's your fault. You're the one who lied when she first showed up."

"You two would have killed her," Pax forced out through clenched teeth. "I felt bad."

"How do you know that?" Viggo tossed back. "Maybe Zan would have gotten his little crush, even if he'd known she was human."

"Enough," I said sharply. "It's done. We'll figure it out. She's not leaving. And I don't have a damn little crush."

"That's what I'm worried about." Pax tilted his head to look at me. "What if it's more than that? What if Dad was wrong about it not being possible?"

Ice flowed through my veins, and I jumped from the couch, pacing the floor. "It's not possible."

"It could be?—"

"No. We'd know if that were true." I took a deep breath and then purposefully changed the subject. "She needs to wear that lotion if she leaves the apartment. I don't want anyone to try and feed on her since she's not wearing my necklace."

My brothers exchanged a look, and I stopped pacing. "What?"

"When you fed on her, did she taste…good?" Viggo asked slowly.

I stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Her blood is different," Pax mumbled. "And the smell of it has changed, even since we brought her back here."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, nonplussed. Her blood smelled exactly how it had since the night at the beach when I found out she was human.

"When we first smelled her blood, it was the same as every other human." Viggo shrugged. "But now? It's different."

I glanced down the hall to where my room was. "Different how?"

"It's almost repulsive."

Viggo's statement had me bristling, and I opened my mouth, ready to argue. But Pax spoke up first.

"Human blood is all different," he said uneasily. "But I've never come across a human I wanted to stay away from just because of their scent."

"Maybe she's a Shadow," Viggo mused. "It's close to her birthday."

"We've never met one who started changing before their birthday," Pax reminded him. "Changes always come after they turn twenty-five."

I scrubbed a hand down my face. "You're both saying that you have no cravings to feed from her? Even when she's here? Her scent is everywhere."

"We know." Viggo groaned. "It seems to get worse every day."

"This makes absolutely no sense," I muttered, my thoughts racing.

"Clearly, it's not the same for you." Pax studied me.

To me, her blood was so damn good. So addicting that it took everything to stay away from her. But it wasn't because I wanted to feed from her. I just felt better when I was near her. When I was surrounded by her scent. But I wasn't about to admit that when Pax already looked worried.

"She smells the same as she always did to me," I finally said.

"This could be another sign that it could happen?—"

I cut Pax off. "No. That's not what this is."

Viggo didn't say a word, his eyes darting between Pax and me, a slight frown on his face. Before any of us could say another word, the click of the door alerted us that we weren't alone anymore. I heard her heartbeat the second she stepped out of my room, and it raced faster when she appeared in the hall and saw us.

"Finally got tired of hiding in the room?" Viggo taunted, the seriousness fading from his face in an instant.

Kali's hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she was wearing one of my shirts with a pair of her leggings. All she had were the clothes she had left here before the Clovers took me, and even though I was sure she wanted more clothes, I couldn't deny how much I liked seeing her in my shirts.

"I'm bored," she stated, her voice cold. "I want to leave this apartment."

"Well, until we know you won't try to run off, that's not happening," Viggo replied. "You're a human trained to hate us, and you know our secrets. See the issue?"

Her icy glare landed on my brother. "I have no one to tell. The Clovers want me dead. I'm wanted by PARA. I can't leave this city."

"Gia will be keeping you company tomorrow night," Pax said. "You like her."

Kali frowned, her eyes finding mine. "Why? Where are you going?"

"Finishing up some business," I answered. "There are still two people who know about me."

Her face paled slightly. "You're going after Tim and Jill? In Project Hope?"

I didn't hesitate. Whether she knew or not, it wouldn't change anything. "Yes."

She twisted her fingers in the hem of my shirt. "You're going to kill them."

"We're going to fix it," Viggo corrected.

"I want to come."

Her statement had all three of us staring at her in shock. Suspicion flared, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Absolutely not," I ground out.

"I can help," she argued. "I know the way in?—"

"So do we, thanks to your friend Warner," Viggo interrupted. "He shared all the information we needed."

A knowing smile crept over her face, putting me more on edge. "Really? Did you ever ask him where Tim or Jill lived?"

"Yes," I told her. "We know exactly where to go."

"I don't think you asked the right questions," she sang out, her demeanor becoming more confident with each word. "Do you know where Jill and Tim spend most of their time? Because it's not at their home. How about the times when PARA patrols the street where the tunnel is located? You go there at the wrong time, and you'll get caught."

Pax glanced at me, his jaw clenching. Fuck. Maybe we hadn't asked Warner everything. Entrancement could be tricky. The questions had to be asked the right way, because humans wouldn't freely give things up unless specifically asked. Warner answered the direct questions we asked about Project Hope. And I knew for a fact we didn't ask about PARA patrols near the tunnel.

"Did you know that the Clovers have a hidden bunker where we store things?" She cocked her head. "And in that bunker is a journal where we write everything down. I can bet that either Tim or Jill wrote down all your little secrets in case something happens to them."

"Shit," Viggo cursed. "We need to find Matt or Warner and question them again."

"They're surrounded by Clovers," Pax said. "Who are all on edge after losing their men at the cabin. It would be difficult to get to them."

"Or I can just come." Kali sat on the couch next to Pax. "I'll make sure you don't get caught."

"No offense, but I feel like you'd lead us straight into a trap," Viggo muttered.

"I'll help," she repeated firmly. "As long as you promise to entrance Tim and Jill, and not kill them."

I flexed my fingers. "They were planning on killing you. Why show them any sort of mercy?"

"Because they saved me," she snapped. "Protected me almost all my life. The group was my family."

"And if either of them has a tattoo like you?" I murmured.

"They don't."

I couldn't tell whether that was a lie or the truth, and she kept my stare, her heart thudding away without skipping a beat. I knew her well enough not to trust that when it came to honesty. But we needed this done as soon as possible. Plus, we had to get into Project Hope for an entirely different reason, and our father was waiting for us to get it done.

"All right," I said. "You can go."

"What?" Viggo choked out. "Zan, please think fucking clearly. Before you get us killed."

I ignored him, focusing on Kali. "But you wear my necklace when we go…and then it stays on."

She stiffened, her lips tipping into a scowl. After a few seconds, she finally answered. "Fine."

"I'll tell Gia she doesn't have to babysit. And maybe I'll tell her where my blood stash is since we might not come back," Viggo complained, heading toward the door. "I'm saying this now—it's a bad fucking idea to bring her."

Pax looked like he agreed, but he didn't say a word as he followed Viggo out the door. Kali shifted nervously on her feet when we were alone, and I watched her back up a couple of steps before I prowled after her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her guard rising.

"You said you were bored. Why are you going back to the bedroom?"

"Because I want to be alone."

I tsked. "I don't think so. You want to be part of our plans? Then you have to talk to us. Talk to me."

"What do you want to talk about, Zan?" she bit out. "The fact that you dragged me back when this was the last place I wanted to be?"

"I protected you," I growled, stepping into her personal space. "Saved you."

"I know that," she burst out, conflict crossing her face. "But then you took me. I didn't have to come back here."

"You did." I backed her up until she hit the wall in the hall, not stopping until her palms slammed against my chest. She tipped her chin up, her eyes blazing with defiance and anger. "You know my secrets. Kane secrets. It was either this or kill you. Which one would you rather have?"

"Turning me isn't an option anymore?" she grated out even though I knew that wasn't what she wanted either.

"Even if I turned you, the outcome would have been the same. You'd be just as reckless as a new vampire as you are as a human. You can't go to the center with what you know. You'd still be stuck here with me."

"What do you want from me, Zan?" she asked irritably.

I caught her chin in my grasp when she tried looking away from me. "I don't know. But I do know that I want you here. And if you stop fighting me at every fucking turn, then maybe you can learn to like this life."

For once, she didn't hide her emotions. Raw pain and anger were splashed on her face as she tried to pull her chin from my hold. I didn't let her go, refusing to let her run away from this conversation again.

"Even if I'm not with the Clovers anymore, it doesn't mean my feelings toward vampires have suddenly changed," she spat out.

"And your feelings toward me?"

My heart pounded as I waited for her to respond. I was aware of her hate toward my kind. I understood it after being stuck with the Clovers. That didn't change the fact that I didn't want her to leave. Even though I knew it was a bad fucking idea. That she could turn on me at any moment—get me and my brothers killed. But even that thought couldn't sway me from wanting her. And it was driving me crazy.

"You're different," she admitted in a strangled voice. "But you're a Kane. You're still planning something with your father against humans, and even me being here won't change your mind."

She paused, as if waiting for me to refute her words. My jaw ticked, but I remained silent because she was right. There was no changing the plan we'd been working toward for years. Her eyes hardened, and this time when she swiped at my arm, I let her go. She fled down the hall, disappearing into my room.

I didn't chase after her, giving her some time to calm down. It wasn't like she was going anywhere. I could be patient. For a while anyway.