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Lyrica sat straight up in bed, blinking her eyes. She gingerly removed the laptop from her chest. She must’ve fallen asleep while planning the next few activities for the community. So far, she’d had a difficult time drawing out the long-standing Kurjan mates. The females seemed to keep to themselves. But finally, a few had started confiding in her. They had dreams. She wanted to help them succeed in life so badly.

What had awakened her? A loud thump and a groan came from the next bedroom. She pushed off the warm covers and yanked on yoga pants before tiptoeing to the door. A bump and a muffled curse came through the night. That was Vero. She’d recognize his low tenor anywhere, but he didn’t usually use expletives. Arou nd her, anyway.

Her heart pounded and she took several deep breaths to calm herself. Then she slowly opened her door and looked out into the darkened ha llway. Nothing.

Swallowing, she padded in her bare feet to Vero’s doorway and knocked softly.

Nothing. What if he was hurt? Steeling her shoulders, she opened his door to see him sprawled across his ultra large bed, face down, his powerful frame dominating the space. His broad shoulders were motionless, the thick, defined muscles hidden beneath layers of bloody and snow-covered fabric. His back, normally taut and imposing, seemed oddly slack, but even in stillness, his sheer physical presence was undeniable. The fabric of his jacket clung to him, soaked through in places, revealing hints of the hard planes beneath. Ice had formed in jagged patterns down the backs of his legs, encasing the ridges of muscle there in a crystalline sheen. Water dripped steadily from his combat boots, pooling onto the floor, the sound unnervingly loud in the silence.

“Vero?” she whispered. Had he been attacked? Glancing at his hands, she could see bloody knuckles. He’d definitely fought and hard. Shak ing her head, she moved into the room. A scent immediately assailed her, filling her senses with full-blooded male. Fresh, wil d, and foresty.

At the very least, she could help the guy take off his boots.

Grabbing his ankle, she tried to push him onto his back. “Vero,” she whispered. “Turn over.” When he didn’t comply, she moved up his body and nudged his shoulder. “Roll over so I can at least get y our boots off.”

He turned his head to the side, his gaze cloudy. “Lyrica? Pax and I had it out but we’re good now. Are you in my bedroom?”

“Yes.” She prodded him again, wishing she’d tossed on a sweatshirt over her thin cami top.

He moved then, rolling over with a sudden, unrestrained strength that caught her completely off guard, somehow taking her with him in the fluid motion. For a heartbeat, she was on top of him, her hands pressed against the solid expanse of his chest, the unyielding muscle beneath his shirt like steel under her palms. Then, just as quickly, she was beneath him, pinned under the full weight of him—broad shoulders framing her view, the powerful lines of his body surrounding her. His chest was impossibly hard, his muscles tense and coiled like a predator poised to strike, and every inch of him radiated a heat that was both overwhelming a nd inescapable.

“Hey,” she protested as his wet clothes permeated her cami and yoga pants.

“Hey,” he breathed back, his hands tunneling through her thick hair.

Her mouth dried up. Even though he weighed a ton, somehow he kept from crushing her by positioning his elbows near her shoulders. As he breathed, she could actually feel his ripped abs move against her thin shirt. “This is a bad idea.”

“I know.” His voice deepened.

Her body shuddered in pure, feminine response. “I-I can’t do this. Can’t live this life.” It was too late to pretend that physical attraction didn’t pound between them. Heck. Even the emotional attraction turned her all girly. Even though his people were slowly moving into the modern world, they’d never get there all the way. As independent a woman as she was, she didn’t know how to change and had no intention of learning. Not even for somebody as intriguing as the Kurjan enforcer. Or was he a prince? Did it matter?

“True.” He turned on his side, taking her with him, and spooning his impossibly warm form around her. “But you need cover, and I’m gonna provide it.” His voice remained sleepy and slightly slurred. “I have an idea how but I’m not ready to convince you . Not tonight.”

Convince her? What in the world was he talking about? Her thoughts tumbled into a jumbled mess, and she tried to form coherent words. “Um. You’re kind of enveloping me,” she managed, though the protest lac ked conviction.

And it wasn’t entirely true. He wasn’t just enveloping her—he was everywhere. The solid wall of his chest pressed against her back, the heat of his body sinking into her own, and his arms caged her with a strength that felt both unyielding and oddly comforting. The rough edges of him, the hard lines of muscle and strength, should have been intimidating, but instead, they left her feeling…safe. Too safe. He felt way too good surrounding her, and she hated herself a little for not w anting to move.

He didn’t move. “You remind me of somebody. Sh e was perfect.”

She blinked, fighting the irrational urge to lean into the solid warmth of his protection, his strength a magnetic pull. Her mind raced, torn between curiosity and a hint of dread. Did he want to tell her about an ex-girlfriend? The thought was as bizarre as it was unsettling. Did the Kurjans even have ex-girlfriends? The idea seemed foreign, almost laughable. Yet here she was, asking anyway. “Who?” she whispered, not really want ing the answer.

Vero snuggled his nose into her neck. “Her n ame was Karma.”

What a beautiful name. A poker-hot and very unwelcome jealousy flowed through Lyrica’s veins. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah.” His lips brushed her nape. How had he moved her head to the side? Fire lashed through her, lighting her skin into need. “She was the closest female I ever had to a mother. I mean, she wasn’t my mother, but she acted maternal. She ca red, you know?”

Lyrica’s head jerked. “Wait a minute. You fin d me matronly?”

His chuckle warmed her already electrified skin. “Not even close. Believe me. All I meant was that Karma seemed tough and was very soft. Perhaps too kind. At least, she was to me.”

Lyrica’s heart hurt for him. More than a little. “Yeah. There’s nothing like a mother’s love, or so I’ve heard. Wouldn’t know.”

He jerked against her and then flattened his humongous hand against her abdomen, drawing her closer against him, spooning her like they belonged together. Heat instantly engulfed her from both sides, and desire slammed hard into her core. “You never even met your mother? Not once?” He sounded almost sleepy ag ainst her skin.

She trembled, head to toe. The male had no clue what he could do to her with just his breath. “No. Also, before I forget, I’ve never thanked you for the kindness that you allowed the kidnapped females to contact their loved ones with stupid excuses of where they’d gone.” She hadn’t had family, but she did check her email just in case her recent ex-boyfriend had reached out. He hadn’t. Then Lyrica had heard rumors that Vero had done so without his uncle knowing and had taken a beating from several guards afterward. “They hurt you fo r that. Right?”

His shrug was so casual, so unbothered, it would’ve rolled her clean off the bed if his heated palm hadn’t been spread firmly across her abdomen, holding her in place. The weight of his hand was solid, grounding, and impossible to ignore. “Pain is temporary,” he said, his tone calm, as if discussing the weather. “I’m pleased to have provided the females some reli ef from worry.”

The way his hand spanned her middle, large and impossibly warm, sent a flicker of something through her—a mix of exasperation and something she refused to name. His words, noble as they might have been, felt at odds with the sheer strength of him anchoring her there, like the storm of his presence was only ba rely contained.

He needed to continue with the kindness, so she nudged him. “It’s time to allow the kidnapped fe males freedom.”

“Not yet. The Kurjans aren’t the only species that would kill to keep immortality a secret. We need the females to understand the danger that will follow them if they talk, and we need a plan so they don’t all return to human society at the same time.” When she started to argue, he n ipped her nape.

She gasped, her entire body freezing in place as if time itself had stopped. But inside, everything was chaos. Desire rolled through her in an unstoppable wave, leaving a searing trail in its wake. It ignited every nerve, every sensation, zinging them wide awake and painfully alive. Desperately so. Her breaths came quick and shallow, her body betraying her with the intensity of the pull, a hunger she hadn’t expected and couldn’t s eem to control.

He continued as if he wasn’t slowly killing her. “In addition, our scientists are tracking what makes a human female enhanced. We’re trying to determine if you have a different genetic code than other humans, or if not, if there’s a mutation on a gene that gives you gifts. The trials aren’t finished, but they will be soon.”

Should the Kurjans have such intimate knowledge of available mates? They’d only been the good guys—if they actually were—for a short time. She shook her head, then paused as teeth gently scraped across her vulnerable nape. A needy moan started in her chest and she sucked i t down quickly.

He didn’t move. Did the guy know what his touch did to her? “I overheard you once speaking with the redhead about your ex-boyfriend. Did he hurt you, to become an ex?” The low rumble against her vibrated down h er entire body.

It had always been her and her father against the world. “No. Well, not really. He did call me cold.”

“I could kill him for you if you like.” The offe r sounded kind.

She blinked. “No. Vero…just no. If the Kurjans are going to enter the modern world, you can’t go around killing people y ou don’t like.”

“I wouldn’t. I was offering to kill someone who’d obvio usly hurt you.”

That sincere offer should scare the hell out of her. Truth be told, it did. “Why?” she whispered.

This time he didn’t answer, but he did toe off his boots to lan d on the floor.

She should go. Really go. But his warmth surrounded her, and for the first time in months, she felt safe. Well, from the outside world. Her eyelids close d on their own.

Several dreamless hours later, a loud roar awakened her right before she was thrown from the bed, careening headfirst toward th e nearest wall.