Grace snorted. “Adare is different because he’s an uptight jackass.”
“Who saved your life,” her sister reminded her.
Grace tilted her head. “True.” She crossed her legs at the ankles over a few of Promise’s papers. “Adare has the black eyes and hoarse voice of a purebred demon, but they usually have white-blond hair, and his hair is black. He has gifts known to both. He’s probably the truest hybrid of them all.”
So the woman had given this some thought. Was there more to Grace’s feelings for Adare than mere annoyance? Promise didn’t know how to gauge the other woman’s emotions better than that. So she concentrated on what she did know—scientific inquiry. “You said you’re special because you’re one of three Keys. What does that mean?”
Grace winced and pulled down her shirt to show a perfect outline of a key above her breast. “That’s what this is all about. Short version? We’re planning for a ritual to destroy Ulric once and for all. It’ll take three Keys, which means three Enhanced women, and the blood of a lock to actually kill him. I’m one of the Keys.”
Okay. That sounded like crazy science fiction, but so did the rest of the information she’d gleaned lately. “You must be studying the genetic composition of the Keys,” Promise said.
“The Queen of the Realm and I both are,” Faith agreed. “She was a geneticist before becoming the Queen of the Realm, and she’s pretty obsessed with the genetics of the entire situation. But so far, we haven’t found anything.”
Then it probably came down to the lock. “What or who is the lock?” Promise whispered. If the Keys were human, it stood to reason that the lock would be as well.
Faith sighed. “The lock is a seven-year-old hybrid, Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood.” She shook her head. “With both vampires and demons involved, most of them her relatives, I don’t think anything is ever going to go as planned.”
Promise straightened. “It all comes down to a young girl?”
Faith nodded, taking another sip of her wine.
Just who was this Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood?
Chapter Seventeen
Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood twirled in front of the mirror, checking out her party dress. Green and purple and pink colors sparkled through the material that fell beneath the bandage on her knee covering the big bruise she’d gotten falling out of a tree the day before. Her flat green shoes sparkled along with the ribbons tied in her brown hair.
“I like that dress better than the yellow one,” Libby said from the bed. She’d had her eighth birthday party the previous week and wore her birthday dress again today. It was a wild orange color, which was the feline shifter’s favorite out of the whole rainbow. Probably because she hoped she’d be an orange cougar when she finally learned to shift in her teens. Her hair was blond, however, so her fur probably would be too. “I made you a scrapbook for your birthday.”
Delight filled Hope, and she turned around. “That’s so nice. I love your scrapbooks.” She hadn’t expected Libby to hold off on giving her gift until it was time to open presents. Libby was terrible with secrets. Usually.
Somebody knocked on the door, and Paxton walked in. His dark hair was slicked back, and he tugged at his button-down shirt. He held a present wrapped in newspapers in his hand, and he awkwardly handed it over. “Happy birthday.” His jeans were ripped and only a little dirty.
She took the gift, smiling widely. “Thank you, Paxton.”
Then she looked at her very best friends in the entire world. Well, Libby and Paxton and Drake, who was her dream friend. “We’re gonna throw you a party next week when you turn nine years old, Paxton. Whether you want a party or not.” He hadn’t let them throw one when he turned eight, and his daddy didn’t seem interested in parties, so he didn’t get one.
Paxton flushed red and shrugged, moving to sit next to Libby on the purple bedspread covered in butterflies. “My dad said parties are for wimps.” He winced and held up a hand. “I mean for guys. Not girls. Girls aren’t wimps and should love parties.”
His dad was kinda a jerk, but Hope didn’t say that. Ever since Pax’s mom had died, his dad had been not so great. Pax’s mom had been a really cool demoness, and his dad was a vampire soldier. “Okay, Pax,” she said quietly.
He brightened. “Open your present.”
She ripped open the paper to see a box, which took a second to open. “Oh, Pax,” she breathed, taking out a shiny silver ring with sparkly butterflies. “It’s so pretty.” She slid the ring onto first her right ring finger and then her middle finger.
“You’ll grow into it,” he said, his eyes silvery.
She swallowed. “How did you get this?” He must’ve spent all his money from working with the Realm soldiers.
He shrugged. “Wanted you to have a good birthday.” His cheeks turned red.
“I am.” She smiled at him. What a good friend. Her stomach went all fluttery. “Okay, but I wanna ask for something else from you both also.” She held her breath, waiting for her friends to nod. “We have hours before the party, and I want to go and meet Drake in real life. But I need you guys to help me get there.”
Libby bounced on the bed, her twin ponytails bobbing. Her soft brown eyes widened. “Are you for real? You can see him?”
Pax frowned and shook his head. “Are you kidding? He’s a Kurjan. There’s no way your parents are going to let you go meet him. What’s he doing nearby, anyway? The Kurjans don’t live here in Idaho. Last I heard, they lived somewhere really cold up in Canada.”
Hope clasped her hands together, trying to be cool like the kids on television before they went off on an adventure. “I know, but I talked to him in a dream last night.”
Pax’s eyebrows slashed down even farther, making him look like his dad. “You said you weren’t meeting in dreamworlds anymore.”
“I never really said that.” Hope clutched the box closer to her chest. “I need your help to do this.”
“Okay,” Libby said, bouncing again.
Paxton shook his head. “No. Definitely no.” He picked at a scab on his elbow, his silver-blue eyes looking more silver than blue as his face got redder. “The Kurjans aren’t even supposed to know where we live. Our headquarters and demon headquarters are secrets. How could you tell him?”
Her stomach hurt. “I didn’t, Pax. I promise.” She waited until he looked up before trying to explain better. “He guessed when we were talking. Said they knew we lived by this lake and had for a long time. They don’t wanna be enemies anymore, and I think it’s up to us to find the peace.” She’d always known that would be her path. She rubbed the deep blue marking down her neck and side that proved she was one of the three prophets chosen by Fate.
Pax looked at Libby and then back at Hope. “We’re just kids, you guys. We’re not supposed to do anything but train right now.”
Training was boring, and Hope wasn’t as good at it as Libby. Neither was Pax, since his big feet tripped him all the time. Hope was a hybrid and the only living female vampire in the history of the entire world. All vampires, even hybrids, had just made boys until she was born. She might suck at training, but she must be special in a different way. It had to be her ability to meet Drake in the dreamworld. He was a Kurjan, and he was her friend. “You know my mama and daddy met in dreamworlds, and they saved the entire world when they got together.” Why did she hafta always remind Pax about that?
Pax’s lips got a white line when he pressed them together. “This is not a good idea.”
She had him. Right then, she knew she’d get what she wanted for her birthday. “Okay. I have a plan. The hardest part will be to keep our dresses from getting dirty, Libby.”
* * * *
Ivar knocked and stepped into Promise’s cabin, stopping short when he caught sight of the torn-off yellow papers everywhere. The woman sat on the floor, furiously scribbling a mathematical equation on another pad, an empty
cup of wine next to her. It was one of the sexiest sights he’d ever seen. She looked up, and her pretty brown eyes focused. “I need more information.”
He lived with obsession daily and recognized the signs. This side of her was way too enticing. “Sure.” Shutting the door, he stepped over various pages and reached her, dropping to his knees to face her. “When did Faith and Grace leave?”
“Don’t know.” She looked down and shuffled papers. Her scent of heather filled his senses. “I need to experience teleporting.”
He took the papers from her and set them aside. “Yes.”
She blinked, surprise lifting her eyebrows. “You agree?”
“I didn’t earlier, but when everyone laughed at me, I figured I wasn’t thinking clearly,” he mused. “I’ll work harder to regain the ability, and then I’ll take you.” That had to be a good plan. He hadn’t found much enjoyment in life since returning, and yet, that sounded almost fun. So long as they managed to keep from hurting her in the process.
She frowned. “I could go right now with Mercy, if I could control the headaches.”
“No. Just me.” He cocked his head, searching for the right words. This close, with the fire crackling softly and the moon gliding across the sky, an intimacy wove around them that fired up his blood. It had been way too long since he’d bedded a female. That probably wasn’t even the correct terminology any longer. He tried to concentrate. “But you’re right that we need to teach you to shield your mind against whatever brain waves harm you.”
She leaned back. “Why just you?”
“Because then I can control the outcome,” he said easily. That seemed obvious, didn’t it?
Her face cleared. “Listen, Viking. I appreciate a control freak as much as the next absentminded professor, but you’re overstepping.”
Was he? He thought it through. “I believe you’re wrong. It’s my fault you’re in this situation.” He held up a hand before she could argue. “Yes, the Kurjans would’ve probably targeted you at some point, but we don’t know that for sure.”
“I’m one of the most visible physicists in the world right now. Of course they would’ve targeted me.”
Had he just insulted her? That truly hadn’t been his intention. “I think I could’ve protected you from afar. Let you go for the grant, work on the problem, without your view of the world having to change so drastically.”
Her chin jerked down. “That’s the most condescending thing I’ve heard all day. And that’s saying something.”
He paused. Condescending? Damn it.
“Besides, it’s stupid.” She said the words casually, as if she hadn’t just insulted him.
Irritation clawed down his back, melding with arousal in an uncomfortable mixture that made the blood pound between his ears in a roaring sound. “How so?” he asked, keeping his hoarse voice somewhat mild.
She rolled her eyes. Actually rolled those intelligent eyes like a teenager. “There is no way to solve this equation without a full knowledge of the facts. Of the ability to teleport—or rather, the different abilities and possibilities. The solution might be found by researching the differences between the Fae and the demons. Why they can both teleport but the Fae can actually travel to different worlds.”
Man, when she started talking in science jargon, his jeans became too tight. “Be that as it may, we’ve broken many laws by telling you the truth.”
“Since when do you care about laws?” she challenged.
He straightened his back. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”
She considered the question, her gaze directly on his. “No. I am challenging your supposition that you have any control over what I do or do not…do.”
Cute. “You sound like Shakespeare. Whom I’ve met, by the way.”
Her head did an adorable little spiral in the air. “You’ve met Shakespeare?”
“Yep. Guy drank like a fish.” Ivar leaned in to whisper. “And I’ve met Einstein.”
Her gasp was pure joy to his ears.
“What was he like?” she asked, her tone reverent.
“Kind. Thoughtful, smart, and very nice.” Ivar had liked the guy from the start. “He and Kane Kayrs were actually pretty decent friends. We’ll get you back in touch with Kane to collaborate. He had to return to headquarters, but we’ll make it happen.”
Delight absolutely lit up her entire face.
He grinned. “Now, it’s pretty late. Why don’t you get some sleep so you can teach tomorrow?”
Surprise joined the delight. “You’re not going to try and stop me?”
He ignored the hint that he wouldn’t be able to prevent her from leaving. “No. We’ve diagrammed a good plan so you can teach tomorrow and gather all of the resources you need from your office. But you’ll have to put in for leave. Maybe claim that after Dr. Rashad’s death or your car accident you need a sabbatical.” If she fought him on this, she wasn’t going to like the result. “We can’t keep your students safe, Missy. If the Kurjans come for you, they won’t care about collateral damage.”
She swallowed. “Well. Since you put it like that.”
Yes. He had thought his argument through thoroughly. “I hope you understand.”
“I do, and I can get my doctoral students to cover my classes for the remainder of the semester.” She looked at the notes strewn around. “I’m captivated by this problem, anyway. I need to follow the math.”
He stood and assisted her up. “Then we’re in agreement.” The woman barely came to his chin, and he wondered once again how he was going to keep such a fragile human safe in his violent world. “I’ll let you get some sleep.”
She looked up at him, her gaze direct and a pretty pink suffusing her dusky skin. “Why don’t you stay with me?”
The blood drained out of his head and rushed south so quickly his ears rang. He glanced at the sofa and back up to her face.
She pressed her lips together in an obvious attempt to stifle a smile. “I mean in the bed. With me.” She placed her hands on his chest, spreading out her fingers with a soft hum. “I like how hard you are.”
The woman had no fucking clue. He swallowed.
“I understand that mating is a part of sex. Or vice versa,” she murmured.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” he said quietly. “We can control the mating process.” He struggled to regain his composure, but her soft touch was wreaking havoc on his system. “Unless you want to mate.” He attempted the joke.
Thus his shock when she didn’t reply. Instead, her lips now pursed, and rapid thoughts altered her expression.
He almost stepped away. “I was joking. Mating is forever.”
“I might need forever to solve the theories you’ve presented to me,” she said thoughtfully. She blinked. “You don’t believe in romantic love or any of that, do you?”
“No,” he croaked.
She smiled. “Logic and biology explain everything. We’re on the same page here.” She tugged his shirt free of his jeans and slid her hands over his bare abs. “And you’ve given me my first nickname. That matters. We should see if we’re compatible. Then we can discuss the matter.”
His cock hit his zipper so hard he winced. “You need to understand.” His words came out garbled, sounding like Russian. “Logic and mating don’t belong in the same universe.” Oh, she didn’t get it. Not at all.
“Logic belongs everywhere.” She leaned up and kissed the side of his neck. “Are you staying or not?”
Chapter Eighteen
Promise made the offer with her eyes wide open. The male had intrigued her even before she’d discovered he was a vampire-demon mix. They were working well together and were possibly becoming friends, and she loved having a feminine-sounding nickname that only he used. Missy. It didn’t fit her at all, and yet, she enjoyed it. And they could both use a healthy outlet for
the stress pounding against them. When he’d mentioned mating, she hadn’t been put off in the slightest. They might make a good pairing.
First, he had to agree to stay. Then if they were compatible physically, she’d broach the subject. Immortality appealed to her on many levels, and she liked Ivar, especially since she’d discovered he had a vast intelligence.
His hands folded over her shoulders, and he set her lightly away from him, his gaze darkening. “I’m a demon-vampire hybrid.” His words came out clipped.
She nodded. “I know.” Was there something about that fact that would matter to her? “I can’t be infected with some demon or vampire illness, can I?” She’d left her condoms back at her house, and it appeared that Ivar hadn’t grabbed them when he’d secured her clothing.
“No.” His voice sounded strangled again. “I’m trying to explain. We don’t approach mating or even sex as a logical matter.”
Ah, passion. Now she understood. Did immortals have the same brain chemistry as humans? If so, elevated levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin led to the physical connection between love and body. “I understand,” she said.
His eyes flashed to that odd iridescent green. How marvelous that immortals had secondary eye colors. “I don’t think you do. Let’s change that.” The intriguing color of his eyes and the intensity of his gaze trapped her in place. Or perhaps that was her own curiosity. She caught her breath as he reached out and cradled her chin.
Tension rolled from him and surrounded her. She tilted her head. How was that possible? She opened her mouth to ask him, and he lowered his head. His lips touched hers, and an electrical shock zinged through her blood. She gasped, and his lips firmed, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth.
His other hand slid to the small of her back and pulled her closer, into unimaginable hardness. Desire flooded her, much faster than ever before.
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