Free The Seven: A Taste for Jazz: Book 3 of The Seven series by Ciana Stone Page A

two others. I snuck in and got the drop on the three of them but things got ugly and I had to make a run for it. That's when I discovered there was a fourth man in the house.
    "No point in going into details about that. Just that one minute I was turning and dropping down to shoot and the next I was in...another place."
    "Another place?" Rock asked.
    "Yeah. A castle or something. It had rock walls."
    Rock's eyebrows rose. "And?"
    "And I don't know how I got there, but god as my witness, I was...transported to a castle somewhere by a woman who... who told me about The Seven and what happened."
    Rock's face hardened. "This is starting to sound suspiciously like a set-up."
    "Not on my end. It was - well, it was pretty damn hard to take in what she said, but I realized that she was telling the truth. And she told me about you."
    Rock blew out his breath and ran his hands back through his hair, a movement that drew Jazz's eyes to his arms and chest. Watching his biceps bunch and his chest rise brought a flush of desire that had her wishing to spend time with him doing something other than explaining why she was there to protect him.
    He turned and walked away, taking a seat on one of the lounges and staring out at the sky. Jazz hesitated for a moment then walked over and sat down on the edge of his lounge. "You want me to go?"
    Rock shook his head and leaned back, taking her hand. "I want to hear the rest of it."
    "You sure?"
    "Yeah, I am." He pulled her down beside him, looping one arm over her shoulders.
    "Okay. As I said, I found myself in this castle..."
     

 
    Chapter Six
     
    I thought I'd reached a point where not much surprised me, but maybe I was wrong. Something is going on that makes my 'red alert' warning ping. Problem is, my analytical mind says I have to hold Jazz suspect and my emotional mind - not to mention my body - doesn't want anything to interfere with what we have going.
    But if what she's saying is true, then it affects a lot more than just me. Therefore I don't have a choice in what to do. I have to make sure what she is saying is the truth.
     
    Jazz was dry-mouthed from talking by the time she finished telling Rock her story about Stanzia. He never interrupted, never uttered a word through the entire tale. When she finished, she leaned her head back against his arm, turning to look at him. For several minutes he continued to stare into the sky. When he finally did look at her, she was relieved that his face had no anger written on it.
    "Let me start by saying that the information you've given - things you know about me - those are things that could have been uncovered if a person has the right contacts. I don't make many mistakes, but I'm not above making one.
    "You could have ferreted out the information. That's one possibility. The other is that you were contacted by someone of the Seven tribes - most likely Fae or Daemon. But there are Dark and Light among both, so the validity of your claim -"
    "The validity of my claim?" Her body tensed even as she tried to remain relaxed and calm.
    "Yes. You claim to have been enlisted into service by a woman who claims her only motivation is to safeguard this world and the portal into the other. But, let me ask you this. Who is to say which man or woman will or won't positively affect the world and the future? Why is this honor entrusted to one woman? Can you honestly say that you'd put the fate of humanity in her hands?"
    Jazz had not considered those questions. "Rock, I told you. I saw it. It's awful. Terrible. And it's up to you to stop it."
    "Me? "He gave her an incredulous look. "How am I supposed to stop it?"
    "With what you're working on. You have an idea that could end our dependence of fossil fuels, make it possible for the world to cut back nearly one hundred percent on emissions, save the depleting ozone, halt global warming. And you have a way to - to police some portal to the place where the Seven originated."
    His eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you