Tamed by Rebecca Zanetti Page A

tilted his head to the side, running a hand down her arm. “Why is your tone sad?”
    Because even though she believed in Fate, she was fully aware of reality. “That doesn’t leave much, does it?”
    His dangerous eyes somehow softened, even in hue. “That leaves everything. Want my soul, Lily? It’s yours.”

Chapter Ten
    Caleb stalked through the weapons detector and fought the urge to plow the damn thing over when it dinged again.
    Dage exhaled heavily while leaning against the wall of the small training room they’d turned into an exact duplicate of the underground peace-talk facility. “The good news is that if we can’t create a weapon able to fool the detector, the other species won’t be able to make one, either,” the king said thoughtfully.
    “We hope,” Caleb said grimly, drawing the poly-plastic knife from his boot. “Is this the best we can come up with?”
    “Yes.” Dage sauntered forward to sit on a stone table. “We’ve tried all manner of knives, guns, and even electrical weapons. The machine takes a scan of the body walking through it, so nothing can be hidden anyway. I could even see a scar on your liver.”
    Caleb stretched his neck with a loud pop . “A werewolf caught me in Iceland during the turf wars. I was damaged enough I couldn’t repair it completely.” Damn, that had hurt. Livers mattered.
    The door opened, and Janie Kayrs walked inside. “You wanted to see me, Uncle Dage?”
    “Yes.” Dage glanced at the woman’s training outfit. “Walk through the detector, would you?”
    “Sure.” Janie had pulled her hair up in a ponytail, and blond highlights showed brightly through the sable length. She eyed the detector and then stepped through. An instant clanging went up, and the color scanner on the side showed a knife at her hip, a gun in her boot, and another blade tucked into the small of her back. Shoulder damage showed above her right clavicle, as well.
    Caleb frowned. “What happened to your shoulder?”
    Janie peered around the machine to see her body scan. “Werewolf attack when I was sixteen.”
    “Does it still hurt?” Caleb asked.
    The young woman flashed him a rueful smile. “Only when it’s about to rain.”
    Being human must truly bite sometimes. Caleb eyed the gun at her waist, noting it was loaded and the safety was on. “I have to ask. Do you think you’re supposed to save humanity or destroy it?” Yeah. He was searching for some logic to the damn dreams.
    The smile slid from her stunning face to leave a thoughtful soberness. “I’m supposed to change the world, and I don’t know how.” She reached for the knife at her waist to twirl the blade in a way Caleb had seen her uncles do for centuries.
    “So Fate controls you?” Caleb asked, ignoring Dage’s pointed look.
    “No.” Janie shook her head, curiosity glowing in her gaze. “But the choices we make often have unforeseen consequences. I may make a decision without realizing how it’ll affect the world. I mean, if the prophecies are true. Who really knows?”
    Now that was a burden to carry, wasn’t it? Caleb nodded. “Do you prefer being called Janet now that you’re grown, or is it still Janie?”
    Her shoulders relaxed and she chuckled. “I answer to either name, as well as Kayrs, Belle, or Isabella. My brother calls me ‘frog face.’ ”
    “Frog face it is,” Caleb said. Whatever fate wanted him to kill this woman was going to be bitterly disappointed. Even if Janie did hold the fate of the world in her hands, he trusted she’d make the right decision at the right time. Dage’s pointed stare was beginning to grate on Caleb’s nerves. “What?” he asked the king.
    “Why the questions?” Dage asked, a subtle menace blending with interest in his expression.
    “Just making chitchat.” Caleb needed to attend the peace talks to protect everyone he cared about, and Dage might have the power to have him banned. Maybe. So he couldn’t discuss the visions with the king.