Chapter 1
Cara Paulsen Kayrs hummed as she finished watering the plants in her spacious kitchen and sprawling living room. She’d settled nicely into the new neighborhood fronting an Idaho lake with her family and friends all around.
Her mate strode in from the back porch. “There’s another letter from that university across the country.”
She stilled. “I haven’t given them an answer yet.”
He growled low then . . . six and a half feet of pure male, stubborn vampire. “The answer to your teaching botany glasses at a human university is . . . no.”
She forced a smile. As an empath, she could feel his concern for her down to her bones, but it was time for them to enjoy being alive. “The war is over, and I’d like to get back to work. There are so many uses for simple plants, and it’s time we used our advanced technology to help humans.”
He lowered his chin in what could only be described as a warning. He’d nearly died not too long ago, but only a thin strip of gray in his thick dark hair showed he’d ever been vulnerable. Corded muscle and masculine strength lined his body, and his rugged face held health and a warrior’s experience. Those golden eyes could go as hard as death in an instant if his family was threatened.
He was the biggest, strongest, toughest badass of them all . . . and he was all hers. Although he’d lived more than three centuries, the man looked thirty-two. He’d been tense lately—bossier than usual—and she’d had enough. “You can work here, privately and not go public,” he said calmly.
Oh, her temper wanted loose and now. “The war is over, and we can’t stay shacked up forever.” While she appreciated his driving need to keep her safe, she had a lot to contribute to this world, and it was time for her to get started. She was finally healthy. “Why don’t you get the car ready and stop bossing me around.”
One eyebrow rose in an oddly sexual way. Oh, she’d pay for the comment later, but as long as the night ended in multiple orgasms, it was difficult to really care. “Watch yourself, mate,” he rumbled.
Her body quivered head to toe. They’d been mated for more than twenty-five years, and he still had the ability to make her breath catch in her throat. “Youcan watch me all you want on the road. Go get the car.”
He cocked his head then, his gaze thoughtful. “All right. You asked for it.” Turning on one combat boot, he loped through the house and out the front door.
She tried to calm her raging hormones. When he got all dominant and sexy, she could barely stand still. But it was time the man stopped treating her like the fragile invalid she’d been for over two decades. She was cured . . . and she was healthy. Life was great.
The front door opened, and her daughter, Janie, moved aside as a bundle of energy toddled past her.
“Hope!” Cara set the watering can on the floor and leaned down so the little girl could waddle into her arms. At fourteen months old, the child never stopped moving.
“Cara.” Hope patted Cara’s cheeks with chubby hands, her deep blue eyes sparkling. “Pretty Cara.”
Cara tucked the girl close. No matter how hard any of them tried to get the girl to call them Nana, Papa, Aunt . . . she used first names only. “Did Kane have any luck getting her to call him by the right name?”
Janie snorted and shut the door, pushing light brown hair away from her classic face. “No, and he tried with every trick he had. Even gave her cookies.”
Cara stood and took Hope with her. “That’s hilarious.” Kane was Hope’s great-uncle and the smartest person on the planet, so when his brother had called him “Fucking Einstein” a month before, Hope had caught on and now called the poor guy “Funkin Eeeenstine.” It shouldn’t tickle Cara so, but she couldn’t help it. “Well, I hope it teaches those guys not to swear around her. She picks everything up.”
Janie nodded and set a bag by the door. “I brought that sundress you wanted to borrow for your trip. You packed yet?”
“Yes.” Warmth slid through Cara as she sat with the baby on her lap. Hope’s brown hair was tied up in pretty green ribbons that matched her sweater. Flowers decorated her jeans, and little sparkly shoes covered her feet. The blue marking winding up her neck showed her to be a prophet declared by fate, but for now, fate could stay out of her life. All of their lives, actually. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”
Hope faced her and tapped her cheeks again. “Cara on trip with Tayen. Water.”
Cara smiled, her heart full. “Yes. We’ll see water.”
“You’ll only be gone two weeks.” Janie ran her hand down faded jeans and crossed to sit on the couch. “The war is over, everyone is healthy, and you and Dad deserve some fun. I promise nothing interesting will happen while you’re gone. Plus, it’s crucial we get those samples to the lab in Seattle. They have nuclear equipment we don’t have here.”
“I know.” Cara ran through the checklist of the research materials she’d included with the tissue samples. “I’m quite curious what they’ll be able to find out about the virus and the cure. I mean, how the cure for the vampire virus might be used to help humans with so many diseases.” She studied her daughter. Janie’s blue eyes were clear, and a happy glow covered her cheeks. “You’re happy.”
“I am.” Janie returned the smile. She ran her hand down her daughter’s back, studying her mother. “How weird is it that we look about the same age?”
“It’s like a sci-fi movie.” Cara shook her head. She’d mated a vampire, and Janie had mated a demon-vampire, which had changed their human chromosomal pairs to something more . . . something immortal. “I freely admit I love not aging. Never understood those old movies where the vampires were all sad and full of self-hatred.”
Janie chuckled. “Maybe they were alone and didn’t have immortal family all around.”
“Good point.” Cara leaned in and nuzzled Hope’s neck, tickling until the girl giggled. “Plus, in those movies, the vamps sucked blood to survive and couldn’t go outside or they’d melt.”
“How goofy is that?” Janie stretched her neck. “But the legends have to be built on some reality.”
