Page 29

After a night of sleeping way too peacefully next to Vero, who might be her mate, Lyrica sat at her desk and forced herself to concentrate on the computer screen in front of her. They’d decided to just get some sleep and tackle the mating issue after their brains k icked back in.

Updates to the satellite service had arrived and been installed early that morning, and she clicked several buttons, waiting patiently. She watched with anticipation as her computer linked to several Kurjan satellites at once this time. Wow.

Finally, the full power of the internet lay at her fingertips. More than she’d e ver had before.

Freedom surged through her. Should she shop? Instead, she quickly devoured all the current news she could find, desperate to reconnect with the world. It had been exhausting to live unplugged for so long. Then, on a whim, she conducted a search on demon mates and Kurjan mates. One click led to another, and before she knew it, she was spiraling down a rabbit hole of monster-romance novels—anything to avoid dwelling on the fact that sh e’d mated Vero.

What did that even mean? He’d talked about courting her, but this was forever. Taking a deep breath, she entered an address into the updated system and tapped a few buttons. A soft ringing sounded through the computer and the screen morphed, Hope’s face materializing.

“Lyrica, how are you?” Hope asked, her bright smile lighting up the screen.

“You don’t seem surprised that I just video-conferenced you,” Lyrica said, sinking into her chair.

Hope laughed. “Paxton and Vero already t alked earlier.”

“Oh.” Lyrica pursed her lips. “I thought I was the first to get my com puter updated.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Hope teased, her tone light. “But you’re pr obably second.”

That tracked. “I’m not sure where females rank i n this nation.”

Hope threw up a hand. “It’s the same in the Realm. The males are all overprotective and over-the-top, but we’re the ones who really run things. Trust me, you’ll figure it ou t soon enough.”

“When are you coming back?” Lyrica asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Hope’s expression sobered. “I’d like to return now, and so would Paxton, but Vero’s fighting us on it. Apparently, things are more danger ous than ever.”

Lyrica’s fingers tightened around her mug. “Oh, r eally? How so?”

“Three dead female bodies, a bombing, and a rush attack,” Ho pe said simply.

“I figured that was a normal week for the Kurjans.” The breath Lyrica had been holding rushed out. “I need to talk to you,” she said quickly, setting he r coffee aside.

“Then talk.” Hope leaned closer to the screen, her expression curious. “Wh at’s going on?”

Lyrica’s stomach twisted. “Vero and I mated,” she said, the word s tumbling out.

Hope’s jaw dropped. “Holy crap. Seriously? I figured you’d gone on a dat e, but mating?”

“We didn’t mean to,” Lyrica admitted, rubbing her temple. “It just happened.”

Hope cocked her head, her gaze curious. “Huh. I didn’t think Kurjans could mate accidentally. How does t hat even work?”

“They bite to the bone and leave permanent marks,” Lyrica explained, waving a hand. “Apparently, that’ s their thing.”

Hope’s brow furrowed. “Interesting. I didn’t know that. I mean, vampires do something similar, but still… Kurjans have been keeping that secret for a while, huh?”

“Seems like no secret lasts forever,” Lyrica murmured. Her stomach twisted again with the weight of what she hadn’t shared. Vero’s lineage—his demon blood—wasn’t hers to reveal. It was his truth, and she wouldn’t betray that trust. Still, doubt gnawed at her. “Is there…a way out of this whole mating thing?”

Hope’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you want out?”

Lyrica hesitated, her throat tightening. She wasn’t sure. Infatuation wasn’t love, but what she felt for Vero went deeper than anything she’d ever known. “I don’t know,” she a dmitted softly.

Hope’s tone gentled. “Then give it time. You care about him, don’t you? He cares about you. That’s not something to run from—it’s something to fight for.”

Lyrica took a deep breath. She needed to know all her options so she could make an informed decision. Plus, she would let Vero know. Though, if she were being honest, he probably knew a lot mor e than she did.

On the screen, Hope rolled her eyes, her expression both exasperated and amused. “All right, so there’s this thing called Virus 27. It was created by the Kurjans to kill vampires.”

“What?” Lyrica shook her head, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Hope blew out air. “Long story. Anyway, the virus can also be used to negate a mating bond, but only in very specific situations. It’s never been used on living partners. It’s typically used when one mate has been dead for at least a century, sometimes two.”

“Okay. I’ve heard about it.” Lyrica’s mind spun. Could she even consider such a thing? Her thoughts raced back to the night she’d spent with Vero. Hope was right—he was strong, kind, dangerous, and so sweet it made her heart ache. But forever? Immortality? That was a lot to take in. “I don’t want to lose myself,” s he said softly.

Hope snorted, her expression turning wry. “You? Lose yourself? Please. You’re one of the most grounded people I’ve ever met. You have valuable work there, and you can do whatever you want—ma te or no mate.”

Lyrica bit her lip, thinking about the work she’d done with the Kurjan nation. Helping kidnapped women find their footing again had been rewarding, even if bittersweet. That role might be fading as the Kurjans moved away from abductions, but there were other ways she could contribute. She thought of Maeve, a woman who seemed stuck in an outdated role and desperately needed someone to pull her into th e modern world.

“You need to get back here,” Lyric a said finally.

Hope’s eyes softened. “I know. I miss you too.” She glanced over her shoulder and sighed. “Oh, hey. I have to go. I talked Liam into sparring with me, and the vampire ha s no patience.”

“All right,” Lyrica said, forcing a small smile. “I’m excit ed to see you.”

“We’ll be there in time for the Convexus the day after tomorrow,” Hope promised. “See you then.”

As the screen went dark, Lyrica leaned back, her mind buzzing. What did she really want? She knew she wanted Vero—but forever? Centuries of being tied to one person? She’d never had a boyfriend last more than two months. Could anyone truly like her for that long?

Shaking herself free from the spiral, she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. She’d kept her own records while working with the captured women and didn’t need to seek out Vero for his. It was a list of email addresses for the women who had recently gained their freedom. She’d missed her new friends. Her fingers hovered over one name, Cynthia, before she typed the address and initiate d a video call.

When Cynthia’s face appeared, the woman frowned and leaned closer to the screen. “C an I help you?”

“Hi, Cynthia.” Lyrica forced cheerfulness into her voice. “It’s me, Lyrica. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re settling back i nto your life.”

Cynthia blinked a few times, her frown deepening. “I’m sorry , who are you?”

Lyrica froze. “It’s me,” she whispered. “Lyrica . From Canada.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I have no idea who you are. Are you trying to scam me? How did you get this email address?”

Before Lyrica could respond, a hand came down on her mouse, cutting the connection. She looked up to find Vero standing beside her, his expression dark and dangerous.

“What was that?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I don ’t understand.”

His mouth tightened, and his tone turned to steel. “Don’t contact any of the rel eased females.”

Her lungs seized. His eyes had gone cold, and his tone sounded flat. Hard. Implacable. “What are you talking about? I just wanted to check on them.”

“I said no,” Vero repeated, his voice cutting through her confusio n like a blade.

Fury surged through her veins, red-hot and unrelenting. “What do you mean, ‘no’? I don’t take or ders from you.”

“You do when it comes to this.” Now even his blue eyes had gone flat and hard. “This is about security and safety. You will not contact those females again.”

She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “Why do I get the feeling that if I did, they wouldn’ t remember me?”

“Because they won’t,” Ve ro said flatly.

She couldn’t breathe. “You promised. I gave you that entire presentation, and both you and Paxton said you agreed to leave their brains and m emories alone.”

“We didn’t agree, and we didn’t lie to you or promise,” he said, stepping back but still radiating a deadly calm. “We wiped their memories in a very safe way. Gave them stories they could take home. Some went on vacation. Others were kidnapped and rescued without much harm. They’ll move on. It’s s afer this way.”

Her stomach turned over, and she whispered, “You messed with their minds.”

“Take it however you want,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion. “They’re better off not knowing about the Kurjan nation.”

“Did it hurt them?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

“Not in the slightest. The memory wipes were clean. This is about protectin g them—and us.”

Her hands itched to grab something—anything—and throw it. She glanced down at her stapler, her fin gers twitching.

“Go ahead,” he said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “Throw i t. I dare you.”

Chilled by the ice in his tone, she dropped back into her chair. “I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.”

“Smart girl,” he said softly.

She still wanted to hit him. “Why didn’t you tell me that was your decision? You both let me think that I’d convinced you.”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

Her chin lifted. “I don’t need protection from reality.”

“Fair enough.” Then his tone shifted, sharper now. “Forget about Virus 27. No one is taking that. Do you understand me?”

He’d been eavesdropping? Lyrica’s breath hitched as his words rolled over her, heavy and unyielding. Her pulse quickened, a strange mix of fury and desire leaving her both breathless and off balance. “Fine,” she bit o ut. “I get it.”

“Good.” He glanced at his watch. “I have business. Be here when I get back. We’ll discus s this mating.”

“Oh, great,” she said sarcastically. “I ca n barely wait.”

When he left, the tension in the room dissipated, but her anger simmered just beneath the surface. If Vero thought he could dictate her every move, he hadn’t read her accurately from the beginning. Grabbing her coat and boots, she marched t oward the door.

He might have wiped memories, but he wasn’t going to stop her from helping someone who needed it. Whether he liked it or not, she had her own mind—and she wasn’t altering her life for anybody. Plus, she had a nice anti-immortal gun in her pocket that she’d borrowed from his bedside table.

She stepped outside, her breath fogging in the freezing air. It was a good thing she knew how to drive a UTV.