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Lyrica felt…off this morning. Sure, she’d been fighting a cold all week, but today her head seemed cloudy and her body tender. The previous night with Vero would’ve made anybody sore. Could five orgasms count as multiple, or was there a special designation after four? Had anybody not having sex with a Kurjan ever asked that question?

Her muscles ached—some she hadn’t realized she had. She shifted on her desk chair and winced as her butt cheek protested. Had he bruised her the night before? Not that the incredible sex hadn’t been worth a couple of bruises, because it definitely had. The satellite phone always on her desk trilled, and she picked it up. “Hello?” She’d been ordered to answer it like any home phone, just in case. In case of what, s he had no clue.

“Lyrica? Hey.”

She sat back in her chair. “Hi, Hunter. How’s your head?” The guy had always been nice to her, but she understood the Kurjans’ irritation with him. Or downright anger, really.

“My head and neck are connected again.” His voice seemed more gravelly than before, and it had been fairly deep already. “I’ve called Vero’s sat phone three times. Is he around?”

She angled her head to see down the hallway. “Haven’t seen him, but he’s been busy with the attacks an d two murders.”

Silence ticked across the line for a heartbeat. “What two murders, and did you say attacks, as in plural?” His voice dropped impossibly low.

She faltered. Hunter no longer worked inside the Kurjan nation. She should probably keep the news private. “Th is is awkward.”

“Because Vero has made it so,” Hunter growled. “He’s still my best friend. Since I’ve been stuck stationary for a few days, I’ve thought of a new concoction to try with the Sunshine injections. You know we’d both rather be in a lab than on a battl efield, right?”

She shifted her weight and winced at the quick flare of pain. “No. I didn’t know that.” Vero had methodically and easily sub dued and killed the surprise attacker the night before. Afterward, he’d supposedly tortured a male for information and still planned to kill him. Of course, then he’d slid into bed and rocked her world, leaving her deliciously sore and uncomfortably confused. “I can’t see Vero in a lab coat.” Or could she? Just how much of himself had he changed to survive as a Kurjan in a l ifetime of war?

Or had Jonathan been correct? Was Vero natur ally a warrior?

“What’s going on there, Lyrica? ” Hunter asked.

She bit her lip. Surely Vero had told Paxton everything. Or had he? Was he keeping Paxton safe ly in the dark?

Jonathan appeared in her doorway.

“I’m so sorry. I have to go.” She ended the call. “Hi, Jonathan.” Lyrica lifted her cooled tea and took a sip. She’d wanted a sparkling water, but the pantry was once again empty. Who kept taking a ll the bottles?

“Hi.” Jonathan reached into his back pocket and drew out a photographs to nudge toward her. “Vero would like for you to email these to Paxton, who can share them with the Realm experts. He’s hoping the Realm computer folks can track down the identity of the second victim as well as the origin of the circle design. We’re still updating our computers, and theirs are supposed to b e exceptional.”

Lyrica studied the pictures, her heart hurting for the unidentified victim. Sliding the picture of the victim aside, she lifted the one showing the circle symbol. Perhaps her Internet connection had been updated by now. Turning, she quickly typed in a search for the symbol, and then shook her head. The system worked perfectly. “There’s nothing exactly like this, but I’ll send the information to the Realm and then try a few diffe rent searches.”

Jonathan nodded. “Just do what you can. I’ll see you later.” The hulking Kurjan disappe ared from view.

Lyrica began another search for missing women, entering the victim’s description. How had Lyrica managed without the internet? She’d discover the identity of the second victim, then she’d contact her friends who’d been liberated from the Kurjans to make sure their return to real life was going smoothly. She missed all of them but was so thankful they’d r eached freedom.

Man, her body felt weird. Was it normal to feel like this after sex with an immortal? Shaking her head, she began another search about marketing opportunities for the Kurjan knitting online store. Even if she only stayed for three more months, she’d make a difference and help the mated females gain som e independence.

A store was a goo d way to start.

She shifted her weight and winced as pain spread across her buttock. She didn’t remember Vero spanking her, so he hadn’t. Then why did her rear en d hurt so much?

* * * *

Vero escorted the Kurjan males outside and set them free from the cell. Ralstad and his buddies had confirmed what Maeve had said, and he couldn’t find a real connection between any of the newcomers and the attackers other than their newfound and rather short alliance.

His hand still aching, Vero stormed into the medical facility and bypassed two soldiers carrying out the h eadless bodies.

Dr. Fizzlewick looked up from his seat at a small desk that had been placed to the side of the room. Morning sunlight streamed through the one window behind him. “Those two will be burned and their ashes scattered across the mountains.” He pulled his spectacles off to tap on a series of file folders. “You’re back already?”

“Yes,” Ve ro said grimly.

Fizzlewick nodded. “Soldiers just removed Tekii’s body to fly to Alaska to arrange the fake car accident.”

Dark lines dug grooves near the sides of his eyes. The male probably hadn’t sle pt in too long.

“Thank you. I believe the internet is now up and working. So hopefully we can identify her.” Vero’s palm ached like a raw wound and yet felt slightly cooler, as if the brand was fading. He refused to look at it. “I know you have what few medical records we brought with us to this new location, and I’m hoping I can go through those.”

“Why?” Fi zzlewick asked.

Vero studied him, his gut churning. “Beca use I wish to.”

Fizzlewick reached down for a small crate. “This is all we have. I’m expecting all of the other medical records from storage to arrive with more computer bank s later today.”

“Later today?” Vero rocked bac k on his heels.

“Yes , later today.”

Vero rubbed his jaw, wondering when the last time was that he’d shaved. His whiskers scratched his still-aching palm. “I assume you read through those. Have you discovered any records of Paxton’s birth or any details about the cross-breeding experiments between Kurjans a nd demonesses?”

Fizzlewick sat back and straightened his white lab coat. The doctor seemed inordinately proud of that smock. It was a good thing the Queen of the Realm didn’t wear a bikini to work every day. “No. I was exiled from the nation when the experiments took place. You’ll need to speak with the scient ists involved.”

“There aren’t any still alive.” Vero leaned against the side wall, his head reeling. How could he possibly have a demon mark on his hand? It didn’t make any sense. A pit slowly dropped into his gut and spread.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Fizzlewick blew on the glasses and wiped them on his lab coat. “Experiments such as those would anger many people. It can’t be easy for Paxton, being the king of people he doesn’t even know…added to the fact that he’s half-demon. It’s nearly unthinkable. It’s a good thing you’re his brother and back him. The nat ion knows you.”

Did they? Did anybody really know him? Vero cleared his throat. “I was obviously alive for the tweaks and perfections of the Sunshine Cure, and we’re still working to make it permanent,” he said slowly. “But I had no knowledge of any experiments in crossbreeding between the Kurjans a nd demonesses.”

“That’s n ot a surprise.”

“I know.” Vero had top clearance for the nation, and he was familiar with all medical records. He had never seen a hint about the experiments, and he had little hope that more info would be coming. Frustration crawled like ants be neath his skin.

Fizzlewick nudged the crate of file folders toward him. “I’ve looked through everything. There are some details about the Sunshine Cure but nothing about crossbreeding with demons. To be honest, Vero, I don’t know how often the earlier scientists and doctors recorded their experiments. Secrets are rare, and usually rumors abound. I feel like we would’ve heard something long before you found your father’s journal where he wrote about secretly fat hering Paxton.”

That’s right. Vero had to get his hands on that journal. Hopefully, Paxton still had it. Vero studied the ancient healer. “Why were you e xcommunicated?”

Fizzlewick rolled his eyes. “It was about a female—as all good spats are. Several leaders ago, your, I don’t know, great-great-great-great-uncle Shastin and I fell in love with the same female. She chos e him, I left.”

“It’ s that simple?”

Fizzlewick reached for a blue ballpoint pen to tap on the paper. “Yes, it was that simple. Most wars are, my young friend.”

Maybe, maybe not. Vero and Paxton’s biological father, Talt, had kept a journal detailing his experiments in breeding with demonesses. He succeeded with Paxton’s mother, but his attempts with others had failed—or had they? “Do you know anything about other crossbreedin g experiments?”

Fizzlewick dropped the pen. “No. Why would I know anything about those? I haven’t dealt with the Kurjan nation in far too long. And for the record, I was quite happy living in my small village on a quite lovely isla nd off Alaska.”

“Glad to hear that,” Vero said dryly. “Why d id you return?”

Fizzlewick tapped the pile of paper in front of him into a semblance of order. “Maybe I became lonely for my people and more than a bit curious when word came through that the new Kurjan leader was half-demon. I had to s ee for myself.”

Vero shook his head. “I appreciate that you’ve been helpful, but there has to be more to it than that.”

“Not after you’ve lived three thousand years,” Fizzlewick countered. “Sometimes curiosity is a good thing. When you go without it for too long, well, your mind starts to wander. I’m glad to be here, and I’m sad many of my colleagues are long gone.”

It did appear that all the scientists who had worked on the genetics program had died afterward. Vero had no doubt they’d been killed to keep the secret. Exactly the kind of thing his father and uncles would’ve done.

Vero shoved his hands in his jeans pockets to keep from looking at the brand. “Do you suppose there are any other experiments walking the earth today? I mean, b esides Paxton?”

Fizzlewick snorted. “Of course not. Seriously, crossbreeding a Kurjan and a demoness had probably a one in a quintillion chance of working. I would love to get my hands on those records, if there are any, which I s omewhat doubt.”

So did Vero. He’d learned young that if somebody wanted to keep a secret, they certainly didn’t write anything down. It was shocking, frankly, that Talt had left the information about Paxton being part Kurjan in his journal. But perhaps he’d wanted the word to get out as a way to take down the demon nation and even the Realm by using Pax. Things hadn’t quite worke d out that way.

“Why all the questions?” Fizzlewick asked, his purple eyes narrowing wit h intelligence.

Vero kept his curious mask in place. “I want to know more abo ut my brother.”

Fizzlewick replaced his now clean glasses on his nose. “I understand. I’ve asked the king if I could draw his blood and conduct research, and he has denied me. None too politely.”

Vero couldn’t blame Pax. “I’d like to spend some time in the lab as soon as the equipment arrives, to study the most recent blood draws. It’s time to make that Sunshine Cure permanent, like we thought it was at first.”

“Of course,” Fizzlewi ck said evenly.

Vero forced a smile. It was too bad he couldn’t trust Hunter any longer. He needed his ex-friend’s help to figure out why there was a fucking demon mating mark on Vero’s hand. He needed to genetically test himself without anybody else knowing. This had to be a mistake. Or a manipulation of his genes just to screw with him. His heredity and connection to the Kurjan nation was the only thing keeping Paxton’s head on his shoulders. If they were both half-demon, which just couldn’t be possible, they’d be dea d within hours.