Lizzy’s eyebrows went up. “Okay, doc—wait, are you a doctor?”
Alice nodded. “I have two degrees. An MD and PhD.”
“Fancy.” Lizzy purred. “Okay, doc, you’re going to have to refrain from asking questions you clearly already know the answer to. We don’t have time for that.”
Alice looked around her. “We have nothing but time.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Lizzy put out her hands. “I could drop dead at any moment. So could you, for that matter. Life is not guaranteed. I don’t care how supernatural you are.”
Alice smiled. “For someone so young, you’re not stupid.”
“Thanks for that glowing compliment. And if you think my age has anything to do with my intelligence, you haven’t been around many people younger than you. Plenty of us are brilliant. Impulsive, yes. Slightly narcissistic? Of course, what youth isn’t? But brilliant, nonetheless. Especially those of us that have had to survive on the streets.” She held up a finger. “Though, to be fair, you do have a point that some young people are total idiots. Now, answer the question, please. Why do you want to know about the true-mate bond?”
Alice took a deep breath and ran her hands down her thighs. She sat back deeper into the chair. “Because, according to this ancient text, gypsy healers always have werewolf mates. Always. As in no exception to the rule ever in the history of their kind.”
“Is that a question?” Lizzy’s voice was stern. “If so, it’s one of those 'obvious answer' questions again. You know, the kind I just said not to ask. And if it is, you’re once again wasting our time because you already know the answer.”
“Okay, maybe.” Alice drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “If this book is accurate. I have no reason to believe it is or isn’t. But how will I know if I’ve met my true mate?”
Lizzy pointed to her temple. “That’s an easy one. Said mate will tell you himself. He will jump into your brain uninvited and start talking. And believe me, it will surprise the hell out of you. Then something else will change. There will be something inside of you that just knows. Maybe it’s the whole other half of your soul thing. The bond sort of snaps into place. You can see it in your mind, almost like a physical connection.”
“Doesn’t that feel… invasive?”
Lizzy frowned. “Uh, yeah. Did you not hear me say he jumps into your brain? Pretty sure that’s the definition of invasive. Or one of the definitions. I could be wrong. It’s been a while since I read a dictionary.”
Alice ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She knew Lizzy didn’t have a reason to trust her. She was going to have to earn that trust. But how would she do that when she was working for Cain, albeit on her father’s orders? “Look, I seriously don’t mean you any ill will, Lizzy. Believe it or not, I’m here against my will. Well, sort of,” she amended.
“Is Cain holding a family member hostage or something?”
Alice shook her head. “No. My father is a high-ranking military officer. He is working directly with Cain on this. I was brought in by my father to, for lack of a better word, spy on the vamps and report back to the higher-ups anything that might seem shady. At first, I didn’t have a clue that I was going to be working with supernatural beings. But once I was here, I knew there’d be no leaving. Not with the knowledge I now hold, and because, apparently, I’m the key to the whole hybrid thing.”
“He’s a vampire.” Lizzy groaned. “That alone makes him as shady as a flipping rain forest. And yes, it sucks to be you with the whole ‘your blood is the answer’ thing.”
Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. “The point is, I’m not here because I agree with what they’re doing. Short of attempting to leave and possibly getting killed, I’m stuck. Even if I could leave, my father won’t allow it. He’s threatening to ruin my career if I don’t cooperate.”
Lizzy snorted. “He sounds like an outstanding role model.”
“Yes, well, we aren’t here to get into my daddy issues. I just want you to know that while I do find what’s going on here fascinating from a scientific perspective, I’m not on team vampire.”
“Finn said it’s not a coincidence you were assigned to work with Cain.” Lizzy tilted her head as if she needed to get a different angle of Alice. “Gypsy healers are precious to the wolves. Those are his words. And because this whole true-mate thing is new and jealousy has suddenly become a thing for me, he needs to be careful with the tone he uses when talking about said gypsy healers.”
Alice’s eyebrows went up. She couldn’t help but be intrigued by what was happening between Finn and Lizzy. “Can he hear what you’re saying to me?”
Lizzy nodded. “If I want him to. I can block the bond, and so can he. Though based on his growling, he doesn’t like that idea.”
“Can he hear what I’m saying?”
“He can’t hear you, but he can hear me hear you, if that makes sense.”
Alice blinked. “It does not.”
“It’s sort of like he hears my thoughts,” Lizzy pointed to her head. “Registering what you say.”
Alice nodded, her natural curiosity growing as she watched Lizzy’s facial expressions. Then the girl jumped and swatted at the air.
“Stop that.” Lizzy grumbled.
“What just happened?”
