The Seven were made up of seven vampire-demon hybrids whose mission was to kill a psychopath named Ulric. As far as she understood, Ulric was an immortal crazy bastard who, for some bizarre reason she’d never really studied, wanted to kill all enhanced female humans on the planet. Maybe it was time she figured all of this out. “The idea that the Seven will sacrifice their lives in the fight with Ulric is outdated, my friend.”
“Even so, not all of us will survive. Somebody will leave a mate behind.” He glanced at the clock above the fireplace. “Besides, the Seven were never meant to mate. Although that vow seems to have disappeared with time.”
Oh. She moved to get off his lap. “Or is your reluctance to mate because of the shifter who broke your heart so long ago?” The spurt of jealousy that slammed into her didn’t make a lick of sense. “She must’ve been strong and dangerous and deadly.” Just his type, and just her opposite. “Are you still in love with her and mourning what you lost?”
“No.” He stood along with her, effectively cutting off discussion. “We can practice with healing cells more tomorrow. It’s a skill you must develop, and now that you’re healthy, we can work on it.”
She shook out her legs and looked down at her perfectly healed wrist. Oh, it must be nice to have that skill, but she would never have the chance to perfect it, although she wasn’t going to give him the full truth about her health. There was nothing he could do, and it was too much having him near. Maybe it was because of the failed mating, or maybe he was just that sexy, but she couldn’tthinkwhen he was around. “I appreciate your bringing me out of the coma and saving my life. Please don’t feel guilty or responsible any longer.” Absolving him was the least she could do.
He ignored her words and looked around the room, stopping at the bed. “For tonight, we need sleep.”
She followed his gaze. In the same bed?
Chapter 4
Many years ago, during one of the earlier wars, Adare had been captured and tortured for a month by a psychotic shifter out of Alaska. Once he’d freed himself, it had taken a year to fully regain his strength. That was nothing compared to the agony of lying in bed next to Grace Cooper and not reaching for her.
He’d acceded to her wishes these past five years to let her live her life. That had seemed only fair, considering she’d had no say in being mated for eternity to him. But in order to grant her that freedom, he’d had to stay away, because the female was just too tempting. Now that he was headed into the lion’s den in a day, he needed to let her go. Completely. Not that he’d ever really had her.
She lay on her side, facing away from him, her thick brown hair splayed out on the pillow, the mass naturally curly and enticing.
Her sigh echoed down to his balls. “For a guy who wanted to sleep, you’re sure not sleeping.” She rolled over to face him, resting her cheek on her now healed hand, her pretty eyes clear.
“A lot on my mind.” Like taking that luscious mouth beneath his—he didn’t want to leave this world with any regrets.
“Yeah, I get that.” She stretched, barely making a lump beneath the luxurious covers. “It’s weird. You and me and being in bed together. It’s just so weird.”
Weird wasn’t the word he’d have used. “I left you alone these five years because that’s what I thought you wanted.” Why in the world was he explaining himself? “And, if I’m honest, I’ve been pretty centered on my mission.”
“What have you been doing?” She yawned and covered the motion with her hand.
“Wasting a lot of time,” he said frankly. He couldn’t tell her about the fight to come, once the timing was just right, the suicide mission. She’d find out soon enough. However, she knew about the three Keys, so maybe he could try to keep the conversation going. “We’ve been trying to find the final Key before the Kurjans do, and so far, tonight was the best lead we’ve had.” Which, of course, had led them right to Grace and not to the one missing Key. “You know you can’t share details about yourself ever again on the internet, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Figured that one out on my own. Sorry.”
Her own inability to heal her injured wrist still didn’t make sense to him. “Perhaps we should make an appointment with the queen.” Queen Emma Kayrs was the best geneticist, scientist, and doctor in the entire world.
“I’m meeting with her when she returns home. She’s attending the same symposium as my sister and Ronan.” Grace’s gaze traced his face, a sadness in her eyes that caught him in the chest. “You seem even angrier than before, and that’s saying something. What else have you been doing besides searching for the last Key?”
His gut ached. “The Kurjans have been taking enhanced females, and we’ve had to rescue several before they were either forced to mate or be killed.” Often too late, unfortunately. The Kurjans were a powerful and frightening race that just needed to be put down, and he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to make it happen. If he could give his blood brothers and Grace a decent future, he’d do it.
“Since the Kurjans can’t go out in the sun, I’d think you all would have a huge advantage,” she murmured.
“You’d think.” It was amazing how much evil could happen without daylight.
She shook her head. “I just don’t understand why they want to kill all enhanced humans. After all, they need mates, too.”
Adare’s body thrummed at being so close to her, and he struggled to keep the discussion going. Vampires and Kurjans produced males only, unlike the other races. “There’s a possibility they have a cure for their poison and can keep their mates safe. Plus, I think perhaps Ulric is the only one who wants enhanced females dead, because he’s psychotic. Thinks he’s some sort of religious cleanser. But don’t worry. We have him contained in a separate world, and he’s not getting free.” Which was a falsehood. There was no doubt Ulric would eventually free himself, and Adare meant to make sure he had nothing to return to—no forces to use in a fight.
Grace snorted. “Not even I believe that.”
Fair enough. Unable to help himself, Adare reached over and slid her shirt to the side, revealing a birthmark in the shape of an old-fashioned key on her upper chest. “He will be helpless, hopefully dead, before you have to get involved.”
Her heartbeat increased beneath his finger. “You don’t believe that. Fate dictates that the blood of three Keys is the only thing that can kill Ulric, and you know it.”
Did she believe in legends? Fate? “You’ve accepted this?”
“Nope. I think you’re all way too into history and the prophecies of the past, to be honest.” She shook her head. “I don’t believe in fate at all, in fact.”
