Page 14

In the morning, his body aching from sleeping close to Lyrica but not claiming her the night before, Vero sat on the thick leather chair and looked around the cozy conference room in the main lodge. Claiming? Seriously. He had to get that thought out of his head. Now.

The smell of burned wood and furniture still permeated the space, while the sounds of hammers and saws filled the day as his people reconstructed the fire-damaged part o f the building.

The doctor said Hunter wasn’t ready to be moved yet, and the ancient Kurjan wouldn’t let anybody see him. But hopefully by afternoon Hunter could be flown to the Realm doctors.

Lyrica had insisted upon bringing in the multiple chairs now placed around a coffee table across from a wide window that looked out toward the snowcapped mountains. A coffee station had been set up in the main room of the lodge that included hot chocolate and apple cider. She’d brought carafes of each into the conference room along with several clean mugs. He had discovered an affinity for apple cider, having never enj oyed it before.

Even so, sparkling water with its delicious bubbles must’ve been c reated by gods.

He didn’t like being away from Paxton with the threats hanging over the guy’s head, but he’d put his four strongest soldiers on protection detail, a fact that had seemed to piss off Pax. For some reason that must have something to do with being brothers, that fact had great ly amused Vero.

Lyrica sat across from him, sipping delicately on coffee with no creamer or sugar. She liked it straight and black, which surprised him. Even he didn’t like it that strong.

After she’d returned to her room the night before, he’d gone for a run outside in the freezing cold. It had barely cooled his body down. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about her, but right now wasn’t the time to figure it out. Also, he felt a little guilty about returning to the lodge and drinking an entire carton of sparkling water earlie r that morning.

Today, she was dressed in faded jeans and a taupe-colored sweater that made her eyes glow like molten amber catching the last rays of a sunset, warm and smoldering with an irresistible magnetic pull. And yet, those stunning eyes had yet t o focus on him.

Should he say something? Words remained beyond him. He’d wanted her to stay with him more than he’d like to admit. An d not to sleep.

When a timid knock came at the door, the relief that swamped him would embarrass him later. He i nstantly stood.

“I’ve got it.” Lyrica placed her coffee cup on the table and stood, hurrying to the door to open it. “Eudokia. Hello,” she said warmly, pulling the female inside.

“Hello to you,” Eudokia Guavras said formally, partially turning to face Vero and giving a short cu rtsy. “Prince.”

He had to get rid of that moniker, but he didn’t know how. “Please call me Vero,” he rumbled, trying to look harmless and no doubt failing horribly. “I’ve asked you several times, and I don’t think formality is nece ssary. Do you?”

“Probably.” Eudokia shrugged out of her wool coat to plac e over a chair.

Lyrica led her over to the seat she had just vacated. “We have coffee, hot chocolate, and apple cider. Can I get you something?”

“Oh no.” Eudokia shook both hands. “Of course not.” The female wore a pretty green gown that tucked in at the waist, with her dark hair carefully braided down her back. At several centuries old, she was stunning, with thick black hair, lighter blue eyes, and flawless skin. Vero had never been told where she’d come from, but she had always be en kind to him.

He cleared his throat. “Are you sure? We’re out of sparkling water here in the main lodge, but I can run to the warehouse and fetch some for you.”

Lyrica frowned. “How could we be out? The pa ntry was full.”

He shrugged, trying to look innocent. “If you’d rather have something warm, I’m drinking the apple cider, and it’s wonderful.” He meant the words. It was truly a pity he’d never tasted it before Lyrica ordered boxes to be delivered to their storage unit in Anchorage. He wanted more sparkling water, however.

“Of course I will,” Eudokia said, instantly begi nning to stand.

“Oh no, I’ll get it.” Lyrica patte d her shoulder.

Sighing, Vero sat. “You don’t have to drink cider. I just thought you might like it.”

“I appreciate that, Prince,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

He shook his head. “What would it take for you to call me Vero?” He held her in the utmost respect, not only from her age, but because she had always been kind to ever ybody she knew.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m not really certain. You a re the prince.”

“Yes, but what if we agreed in informal settings such as this that you just call me by my name?” He truly disliked any mention that he had royal blood. As far as he was concerned, the only decent person in his lineage, or at least the only decent male, was Paxton, and he was barely getting to know the guy. “Although, it’s perfectly fine to cal l Paxton king.”

Eudokia let out a short burst of laughter and then covered her mouth, he r eyes dancing.

Amusement surprised Vero as it bubbled through him. “I know. He hates the designation as much as I do.”

“I wonder why?” Eudokia asked softly. Lyrica brought over a steaming cup of cider to place in fr ont of Eudokia.

Vero gave her the truth. “Many of the leaders of the Kurjan nation have not been kind people, and perhaps we’d both like to distance ourselves from that history.”

Eudokia tilted her head and studied him. “Should that be the case, then I would think you and your brother would want to use the titles as much as possible and give them a different meaning f or the nation.”

Lyrica took the chair between the two of them. “Eudokia, I wanted to speak with you. I know you already talked to Vero, and he’s more than happy to leave right now if you would like to speak with just me.”

He was? He hadn’t agreed to that fact, but he chos e not to argue.

Eudokia lifted her mug to her mouth and inhaled. “This does smell lovely.” She looked at Lyrica, then Vero. “I hold no objection to the prince remaining, though it is not truly my dec ision to make.”

“It is your choice,” Lyrica burst out, her eyes widening. “Everything’ s your choice.”

A small smile tugged at Eudokia’s lips. “You live in a different wo rld than I do.”

“But it doesn’t have to be that way.” Lyrica leaned forward. “Honest. You can do anything you want in this world. You could travel. Anybody who leaves takes with them a million dollars. You can see the entire worl d if you want.”

“I’ve already seen much of it.” Eudokia sip ped delicately.

“But you haven’t seen it in modern times,” Lyrica returned. “You could wear jeans and let your hair flow loose. I know the rules in the Kurjan nation have been ver y restrictive.”

Eudokia blew softly on the liquid. “Indeed, though we may dress as we please now, I am still fond of my gowns. In truth, with so much hair, binding it in braids proves far easier to manage.” She shifted her gaze to Lyrica. “Why is it so difficult for you to believe that some of us desire to remain with our families? In truth, it appears most of us are of that mind.”

Lyrica took a big drink of her coffee. “I don’t know that you would still want to stay if you had all th e information.”

“Maybe you don’t have all the information,” Eudokia returned , not unkindly.

Lyrica nodded. “That’s fair.”

Vero sat back and studied the females. “How did you and y our mate meet?”

Eudokia looked up as if surprised to hear him ask a question. “Centuries past, Georgios first laid eyes upon me at the agora, our common marketplace. He sought me out after and made an offer of substantial property to my father.” At Lyrica’s small sound of protest, Eudokia reached over and patted her knee. “It was the way things were done centuries ago, and my family paid a dowr y of textiles.”

Lyrica shook her head. “It’s not the way things a re done today.”

“Maybe not in this country,” Vero said, “but you can’t say that for all human countries.” Lyrica cut him a glare. He tried not to smile. She was irresistibly cute, like a sparrow darting about, and there wasn’t much in this world that ever made him back down.

“I do understand how the world works,” Eudokia countered. “Georgios and I often traveled. One of his jobs the past couple of centuries has been to acquire goods for the Kurjan nation, and I’ve shopped all over the world. I’ve had a good time, too, and I haven’t seen any life I’d rather have than the one I do.” She looked at Lyrica again. “How about you? Were you happy before you were taken from your current life?”

Lyrica frowned. “I was happy enough. At least I h ad my freedom.”

“Hmm,” Eudokia said softly. “Happy enough. That doesn’t sound lik e happy to me.”

Lyrica placed her cup bac k on the table.

“I agree,” Vero said, surprising himself. He took a big gulp of his drink. Where had he been that he didn’t know apple cider even existed? Maybe it was time he ventured out on his own for a little while. He looked at Eudokia. “Are you content i n your mating?”

She smiled. “I’m very content. I love Georgios, and I want to stay with him.”

Lyrica finally sat back and looked like her body relaxed. “But from what I’ve seen of the interaction between you two, he’s rat her demanding.”

“All males are demanding,” Eudokia said, her gaze flicking to Vero and back. “Even if they don’t kno w it at first.”

Vero fully recognized himself as a demanding male. He’d had no choice when he had to rise up within the soldier ranks. And yet, he remained their finest scientist, though by force of habit he kept that well concealed.

“But a male shouldn’t be telling you what to do,” Lyri ca said softly.

Eudokia chuckled, and a slight accent emerged, but Vero couldn’t place it. “We might do things differently here in the Kurjan nation,” she said kindly, “but like I said, I’m happy. Yes, Georgios is a little bossy sometimes, especially when it comes to safety, but if you think I don’t rule that roost with my mate and my three grown soldiers who have ventured out on their own, then you’re not watching c losely enough.”

Vero had seen Eudokia in full temper at one of her sons once, and he would’ve backed down as fast as her so n did that day.

Eudokia looked Lyrica over. “In fact, all three of them are currently unattached. I would be more than pleased to provide an introdu ction for you.”

Irritation clacked down Vero’s spine, but he didn’t move. He didn’t so much as twitch.

Even so, Eudokia glanced at him beneath her lashes. “Or perhaps not.” She smiled again. “May I provide any additional information to you this fine day?”

Lyrica nodded. “Would your mate let you leave?”

Vero stiffened. Talk about a l oaded question.

Eudokia’s smile brightened her already pretty face. “Not in a thous and lifetimes.”

“Exactly.” Lyrica slapped her jeans-clad thigh. “You can’t really leave.”

“No, probably not.” Eudokia sipped again. “If I did leave, and that male failed to follow me, I’d sever his head from his fit body. He’d better love me more than that.” She sniffed. “Even the thought of it makes me want to burn the gingerbread I planned to bake fo r him tonight.”

Vero’s ears perked up. “Please don’t do that. Georgios hasn’t done a nything wrong.”

Eudokia lifted one eyebrow. “I’ll save you a slice. Prince.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. The woman was a genius w ith all breads.

Lyrica clasped her hands in her lap. “I don ’t understand.”

A fine line formed between Eudokia’s eyes. “I’m sorry. Are you saying you’ve never met a male who would die for you? Kill for you? Who couldn’t live this existenc e without you?”

“No,” Lyrica breathed. “In my world, that’s pretty much called stalking and a behaviora l abnormality.”

Eudokia pursed her lips. “I suppose it’s a matter of degree.” This time, she leaned toward Lyrica. “Make sure you know yourself before you attend speed dating again. There’s no halfway with the thought of a divorce if you mat e an immortal.”

“I know.” Lyrica seemed to be avoiding looking at Vero. “Some of us like freedom.”

“Some of us like safety, protection, and undying passionate love,” Eudokia said softly. “But again, there’s a fine line. Make sure you choose a male who’d give his life to keep you safe, and not one whose ego is dependent upon you or who would even consider harming you. Any male who’d hurt a female shoul d be put down.”

Vero finished his drink. “I couldn’t agree more.” His uncles had been assholes to everyone, even females. How could he explain this to Lyrica? “While I’ve observed mates like my brother be overbearing and overprotective, he’d do anything in his power to make Hope happy. If she’s not happy, he’s miserable.” Which put the power in Hope’s hands, really.

“All right, I’ll stop asking about your life.” Lyrica paused. “One more question first. I meant to ask you last time how you chose your surname, now that the Kurjans are claimi ng last names.”

Eudokia smoothed out her skirts with one hand. “Guavras was my surname before I mated Georgios. He thinks Georgios Guavras sounds a little too cutesy, but that’s what I wanted, so he agreed to the f amily surname.”

Lyrica’s eyebrows lifted. So that was a surprise, huh? She cleared her throat. “All right. Is there anybody that you know of who might be in a bad situation?”

“Situation?”

“Yes. Anybody who might not want to stay mated to their current mates.”

Eudokia’s lips briefly pressed together. “I’m sure I would never speak out of t urn like that.”

Vero stiffened and forced himself to remain impassive. “Do you mind letting us know, Eudokia? We’re attempting to make sure that everybody wants to be in the lives they’ re inhabiting.”

Eudokia looked away and then back. “All right, but I can’t think of anybody right now.” She stood, and Vero immediately did as well. “We’ve kept our heads down for so long, mostly from the Kurjan leadership and not from our mates. In fact, many of our mates have tried to shield us from leadership. Now that’s changed. I think you’re good fo r us all…Vero.”

Lyrica pushed herself to her feet. “What do you think about a field trip? Say we take a few of the mated ladies and, I don’t know, go to Vegas and h ave a weekend?”

Eudokia predictably looked toward Vero as she pulled on her coat and quickly buttoned it to the top.

He thought about it. “I can perhaps see some sort of vacation like that, but there would be security around you at all times.”

“Oh no.” Lyrica shook her head. “No, no. It would just be several of th e women going.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Vero said, keeping his tone level but firm. “The world’s a dangerous place, and some of these females haven’t been to cities in eons. I would insist upon protection being in place. That’s nonnegotiable.”

Eudokia chuckled. “He’s not the only soldier who will set that rule, Lyrica. Honestly, I wouldn’t fight this one.” She reached over and gently touched Lyrica’s shoulder. “Also, maybe take a look at your thought processing. Just how happy have you been with the males in your life? I sense that something has been mi ssing for you.”

Vero didn’t want to consider other males in Lyrica’s life, although it wasn’t any o f his business.

Eudokia reached down and retrieved her mug. “May I borrow this? I’d like to finish this delicious drink, and I’ll return th e mug washed.”

“Of course.” Vero lifted a pen and pulled one of Lyrica’s notebooks in front of him. “You’ve been with the Kurjan nation for a long time, Eudokia. Have you ever seen this symbol?” He quickly scratched out the circle with the three slas hes through it.

Eudokia leaned over and stared at the drawing. “No. I’ve never seen that befor e. What is it?”

He figured she hadn’t. “This was carved into the back of the neck of a recent human victim here in camp.”

Eudokia sobered. “I heard about that. How sad…and odd. Why would anybody kill a human female?”

Ver o had no idea.

Lyrica stared at the drawing. “As soon as we have Internet via satellite, I can conduct a search for that.” Visibly shaking herself, she looked away. “It was nice chatting with you t oday, Eudokia.”

“Same with you, Lyrica.” Eudokia gave another quick curtsy. “My prince.” Humor sounded in her voice this time, but her tone remained kind. She turned and headed towa rd the doorway.

“Eudokia?” Vero asked suddenly.

She paused and looked over her shoulder. “Yes, Prince?”

“Have you heard anything from Karma?” He doubted that any messages from Karma could have made it to Kurjan territory, but still, he had to ask. Ever since the nightmare the previous night, he couldn’t stop thinking about th e sweet female.

Eudokia’s face fell. “No, and I miss her terribly. If you manage to get word to her, would you tell her hello for me?”

“Of cour se,” Vero said.

Eudokia swept outside and shut the d oor behind her.

He looked at Lyrica. “Why do you think you haven’t been happy in past relationships?”

She stood straighter. “I have no idea.”

Interesting. “Maybe you’ve been choosing the wrong males.” If anybody needed some cover and a safe place, it was Lyrica Graves.

“Is that an invite?” sh e snapped back.

His life was filled with danger right now, and he didn’t see that reality changing. He had to protect Paxton, and that most likely meant fighting to the death sooner rather than later. However, it was becoming clear to him how he could protect her. From very close to her. “It depends how much you want t o take a risk.”

Yeah. He meant every word of that.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I know.” He stretched his neck. “I need to scout the territory and then will meet you back here this afternoon along with Paxton. I promised you time to discuss the release of the kidna pped females.”

She perked up. “Great. I’ll create a presentation.”

Amusement took him. “Good. Paxton doesn’t realize it yet, but he’s leaving with Hunter.” Even if Vero had to knock him out first. “Then you and I will d iscuss…risks.”