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A chat about her safety? Seriously? She was always careful. About everything. What had Vero been hinting at? Or about? After a supper of fried chicken, Lyrica slammed her file folders on her desk and kicked off her snow boots. Her ears heated. What had he meant by that? His eyes had warmed as he’d said the words, and there had been definite challen ge in his tone.

What in the world did that even mean?

She flopped onto her desk chair and laid her head back on the smooth leather, shutting her eyes and breathing with extreme control. She’d never shied away from her temper. But first, she had to figure out what was ticking her off to this degree.

A soft knock ca me at her door.

“Come in ,” she snapped.

After a hesitation, the door slowly opened. “I’m sorry to bother you,” Genevieve said quietly, “but you left me a note on my desk, asking me to drop by.” The girl looked at her, her eyes wide.

“Oh yes. Sorry.” Lyrica forced her tone to calm. “I didn’t mean to snap.”

“That’s okay.” Genevieve wrung her hands together. “The prince isn’t in his office, so I could help you for a momen t if you like.”

Actually, Genevieve was supposed to be assisting both of them, but she spent most of her time hovering near Vero’s door as if afraid to be caug ht not working.

“It’s after dinner, and you don’t need to be working at all,” Lyrica said softly. “But since you’re here, come in and sit down.”

Genevieve gulped and nodded, walking inside and shutting the door. Today, she wore black jeans and a pretty blue sweater that matched the sky on a fully sunny day. “Do you think the prince will be working late?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Lyrica gestured toward one of the two white leather chairs on the other side of her desk. When she’d set up the camp, the Kurjans had given her carte blanche with a credit card, and she’d made good use of it. It must be absolutely fabulous not to have fin ancial worries.

Genevieve sat and crossed her legs, plastering on a pla cid expression.

One of Lyrica’s eyebrows rose. “I thought we should have a little talk.”

“Oh?” Genevieve asked quietly.

Lyrica took a drink of her third coffee of the day. She liked it strong and could handle about three cups before her stomach became upset. It was rather amusing how much Vero enjoyed both the sparkling water and the apple cider she purchased. He must not be the only one enamored with the bubbly water—the kitchen kept running out of the cold delight. “Yes. I know that you have considered staying here with the Kurjan nation, and I’m happy that you’re making choices, considering your difficult time in the beginning.”

“I’m fine. I don’t really have anywhere to go. And, I don’t know, it’s kind of cool being on the inside of a huge secret, you know?” Genevieve asked, her eyes sparkling.

“I do know,” Lyrica said, enjoying the excitement and positive feelings coming from the girl. “I think it’s fascinating that all these immortal beings have been able to keep their secret through the millennia.”

Genevieve pushed up the sleeves of her sweater. “Are you going to stay?”

“I don’t think so,” Lyrica said. “I want to finish the job and maybe move on.” But did she? Was there anything inside her that wanted to move on? She did have a life, and she enjoyed her job, and she missed her friends from her previous job, but she had rapidly made new friends out of both necessity and danger. She would miss Gene vieve horribly.

The girl shifted on her seat. “I thought maybe you and Vero, you know, had started up something.”

Lyrica’s head jolted. “Seriously? What gave you that idea?”

“Tension,” Genevieve said easily. “Definitely tension. The air kind of pops when the two of you are arou nd each other.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Ly rica protested.

Genevieve grinned and chewed the inside of her lip. “ If you say so.”

“I do,” Lyrica said, cupping her hands around the hot mug. “I wanted to ask you again about this Lukas you mentioned.”

Genevieve sobered immediately. “He’s nice. Super nice. We hang out sometime s. That’s all.”

If that wasn’t complete baloney, Lyrica couldn’t imagine anything more absurd. She could feel the girl’s emotions. “Tell me more.”

Genevieve paled and looked down at her hands. “The re isn’t more.”

“Uh-huh,” Lyrica said. A sharp rap on the door had them both jumping in their seats. Lyrica’s lungs compressed. She recognized that heavy hand. “Come in, Vero, ” she muttered.

He opened the door and poked his head in. “Hi.”

Genevieve jumped to her feet. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t outside your door. I didn’t know you’d gone back to work.” She hovered near the chair but didn’t m ove toward him.

“No, I didn’t,” Vero said slowly. “I won’t need anything for the rest of the evening. Please ret ake your seat.”

The girl instantly dropped into the chair.

Lyrica frowned a nd studied her.

“What?” G enevieve asked.

Lyrica looked up at Vero, then back down. “These guys still scare you, and I don’t blame you, but it makes me truly wonder about you possib ly dating one.”

This time, Genevieve flushed a light pink. “I am n ot dating one.”

Vero’s head lifted just slightly. Lyrica zoomed in on him. “What?”

He studied the female, who now faced only Lyrica. “She’s no t a good liar.”

The new color bled out of the girl’s face instantly. She looked up at Lyrica, her eyes pleading.

Lyrica ignored the urge to help her out. “I’m sorry, but we really do need to know. Somebody brutally attacked and murde red one of us.”

Panic had the girl wringing her hands. “I don’t know anything abo ut the murder.”

Vero stepped into the room, and a swell of heat, pure and natural, came with him.

Genevieve huddled do wn in her seat.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Vero said, “and you know that. But you’re lying about something, and it looks like Lyrica has a bit in her teeth. I suggest you tell her the truth about whatever you both are discuss ing right now.”

Genevieve looked quickly toward the window, then bac k at her hands.

“Now,” Vero said, his tone firm, but no anger or heat in his low voice.

Genevieve’s shoulders slumped. “I haven’t done a nything wrong.”

“I didn’t say you did,” Lyrica said. “But are you dating Lukas?”

Genevieve remained quiet for a moment, then she let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. I’ve been kind of, you know. Just a little bit, but sort of seeing Lukas Mac rame, sort of.”

Lyrica stilled. “All right. So that’s true.” Her eyes slas hed up to Vero.

“Yes,” Genevieve whispered. “He’s very sweet, and we meet up when he’s finished with training for the day. Since I work all day, sometimes we just hang out at night and go for a walk. We don’t go far because it’s so cold.”

Irritation heated Lyrica’s blood. “How old is Lukas?” she demanded. “Is he another two-hundred-year-old Kurjan?” The girl had just turned seventeen, for Pete’s sake. They had put rules in place for a reason. The guy could be three centuries old.

Vero chuckled. “No, he’s seventeen, as in a legitimate seventeen- year-old male.”

Lyrica’s shoulders slowly relaxed as her temper dissipated. Thank goodness she didn’t have to go after the Kurjan. “You’re sure he’s actu ally underage?”

“I’m absolutely positi ve,” Vero said.

Relief tickled through her. “Okay. Well, then.” They had set rules in place that anybody joining the dating pool had to be at least twenty-one years old, but she hadn’t thought of Genevieve, who was the only underage female who’d been kidnapped. “I guess we need to put some r ules in place.”

“Why?” Genevieve asked, her chin lifting. “Nobody else has r ules in place.”

“Because you’re underage,” Lyrica said, keeping he r voice gentle.

The girl crossed her arms. “Maybe so, but you’re not my mother.”

Vero obviously masked a grin. “No, but there will be rules.” He looked at Lyrica as if he had no idea what those rules would be.

Lyrica nodded. “I think it’s fine if you want to date, but we need to know when you’re out and about. And,” she looked up at Vero, “is it possible for teen agers to mate?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s rare, but it’s n ot impossible.”

“Oh,” Lyrica said. “Well, there will be none of that.”

Genevieve’s eyes narrow ed. “Says who?”

“Says me,” L yrica retorted.

“And me,” Vero said in his deep voice fr om the doorway.

The sigh that Genevieve let out sounded long-suffering. She pushed from the chair and stood. “Lyrica, I suppose you’re going to talk to Lukas?”

“No. I am,” Vero said, movi ng to the side.

Genevieve tossed her head back and strode out of the office, apparently losing her fear of the Kurjan leader as she disappea red from sight.

Vero watched her go and turned to focus on Lyrica. “Wa s that a huff?”

“I believe so.” Lyrica chuckled. “She’s cute, but you do need to speak with Lukas. She’s definitely not ready for a lifeti me commitment.”

“Neither is he.” Vero lounged against the door frame, looking deceptively casual, when the tension rolling from him felt heat ed and intense.

Her heart rate sped up and she had to concentrate to banish the memory of his ripped body in those boxers the night before. “Why are y ou here, Vero?”

His eyes deepened, taking on the inky hue of an endless, mysterious sea. “A couple of reasons. The first is to update you on the dead female. We’re interviewing all the soldiers, and so far, nobody saw anything.”

Lyrica gulped. “You noted earlier that this is unprecedented in Kurjan territory. So, they never kill females?”

“Not often, but whomever did this purposefully left her in the snow for us to find. They were makin g a statement.”

She reached for a pen to twirl. “A stat ement? How so?”

He lifted a shoulder. “That such a crime can take place under Paxton’s leadership. That n obody is safe.”

“Or there’s just a bad guy out there who hates humans,” Lyrica said thoughtfully. “It might not be about Paxton.”

Vero nodded. “We’ll see once we fi nd the killer.”

Movement sounded, and Jonathan emerged next to Vero. Flanking him were four Kurjan soldiers. Jonathan’s eyes glowed a wild hue. “We were patrolling and found another dea d female body.”