Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
This morning, Lyrica stood at the front of the room, next to a small desk and a large screen. Today she wore dark jeans and a thick white sweater, looking curvy and delicious, although pale. Finding the body the night before had definitely taken a toll, and he wished he could do something to provide comfort. Instead, he leaned back against the hard wooden wall and crossed his arms.
“Okay.” Lyrica clicked a button as the screen filled with a picture of the Earth. “First, I am so sorry that you’ve been kidnapped and I’m glad you all speak English. We’ve run into a language barrier a couple of times.” She sighed. “You’ve all had a nice warm shower, and I’ve reassured you that you’re safe, but I know you’re feeling anything but.”
A couple of the women nodded. Several of them eyed him, and he tried to look as harmless as possible. By the widening of their eyes, he failed.
Lyrica cleared her throat, her brown eyes soft and her voice cultured. “You’ve probably already figured this out, but since you were only kidnapped a few days ago, I’m going to start at the beginning.” She clicked a button and another slide came up, showing a sign advertising the services of a psychic.
Vero didn’t have time for this.
Lyrica smiled. “Obviously there are humans on this planet, which you already knew. What you didn’t know is there are enhanced humans who have abilities outside of the norm, and you all are included in that category.”
Lyrica continued, “Many enhanced humans are empaths, some are psychics, some practice telekinesis. Some are very good with animals. Some have the touch when it comes to plants. There are many enhancements. Nobody knows why certain people have these enhancements. We might be a different species altogether or just cousins to the witches or—we really don’t know. But the key is, enhanced females can mate with immortals.”
A redhead with bright green eyes turned to eye Vero head to toe. He almost felt like blushing.
Lyrica pointed to the screen. “There are immortals among us. First, there are Kurjans.” She clicked a button and another slide came up, showing a Kurjan with his fangs extended.
Vero’s jaw almost dropped. Seriously?
A murmuring set up among the crowd, and a woman turned to stare pointedly at Vero’s mouth. He fought the urge to let his fangs extend.
Lyrica pointed at the screen. “These are the people who kidnapped you. They used to be the bad guys. Now they’re aligned with the good guys. Well, some of them. Obviously, the ones who kidnapped you are not good.” She squinted, looking around. “Vero?”
He stepped forward and allowed a board to creak beneath his feet.
She jolted. “There you are.”
Yeah. He had the ability to blend into backgrounds. Most immortals had otherworldly abilities—even the vampires were known to change the weather or halt their enemies with a wall of ice-cold air.
Lyrica eyed him. “That’s Vero. He helped to rescue you and is one of the good guys.” The doubt in her voice nearly made him smile. If he remembered how.
A very tall woman with platinum-blond hair looked over her shoulder at Vero, then turned back toward Lyrica. “How do you know they’re not all bad?”
“We don’t,” Lyrica said simply. “But we’ve signed a treaty and they’re more than willing to let you go.”
The blonde placed her hot chocolate down on the sofa table. “Right now?”
“No,” Lyrica said. “Not quite yet. First, we need to make sure you’re all right. Then there’s an NDA for you to sign. But I’ll get to that.” She clicked the button before anybody could interrupt her. “There are also vampires, demons, shifters, and fairies alive today.”
“Demons?” a strawberry-blonde from the front asked, her voice trembling. “Like actual demons from hell?”
“No.” Lyrica waved a hand in the air. “They’re just another species. They’re all immortal, unlike humans.”
A twenty-something dark-haired girl glanced at Vero and then scooted herself farther away from him on the sofa. “So they can turn us into vampires or Kurjans?”
“No, no, no,” Lyrica said, shaking her head. “They can’t turn you into anything. Species do not change. If an enhanced female mates with an immortal, she gains immortality by an increase in her chromosomal pairs. But she wouldn’t turn into a vampire, demon, or anything other than a human who’s now immortal. None of the immortals or mates need to drink any blood, so don’t believe vampire stories. Unfortunately, most mates don’t get any extra strength or speed.”
Another blonde piped up, partially raising her hand. “They just live forever?”
“Yeah, unless they’re beheaded,” Lyrica said. “Everybody can die by beheading and by a really intense fire.”
A couple of females looked back at Vero as if they wished they had a sword in their hands right now. They both paled.
Lyrica looked at him and sighed. “Vero is a Kurjan, but he’s actually here to help you.”