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)
Vero nodded. “We want your loved ones, if you have them, not to worry. I believe your kidnappers only took unmarried females without children?”
“Gee, that was nice of them,” the brunette snapped.
Vero didn’t blame her for the sarcasm. “Keep in mind that you’ll sign an NDA agreeing to keep silent about immortal species.”
The curvy brunette raised her hand again. “What if we sign the NDA and tell the truth anyway?”
Lyrica sobered. “Well, for one thing, nobody will believe you. So I’d be real careful because you’ll end up in an asylum somewhere. However, I have been told, and I don’t agree with this, that you will be kidnapped again, this time for good.”
“And murdered?” the redhead asked, her voice shaking.
“No, no, not murdered.” Lyrica vigorously shook her head. “Absolutely not. But you will be kept somewhere—in absolute luxury, I’m sure—but not where you want to be. So if you sign that NDA, I certainly wouldn’t break it.”
Vero straightened. “She’s not wrong.” He let authority ride his voice. “You don’t want to cross us.”
Lyrica’s eyes widened and her jaw tightened. “I don’t need help here, Vero.”
“Apparently you do.” A couple of the females didn’t look nearly alarmed enough. “We’re happy to give you money and freedom, but you will sign the NDA and you will adhere to your promise,” he said curtly. They needed to grasp the seriousness of his people’s commitment to concealing their existence from humans.
The platinum blonde threw her hands up. “Why? I mean, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you want anybody to know you exist? Why not coexist with the rest of us?”
Vero stared at her until she paled and then he spoke. “If humans discovered we have immortality, they’d do anything to get it, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t you?”
Slowly the blonde gulped and nodded.
“Exactly. There’s no way to get it without mating us. And if you’re just human and not enhanced, it can’t happen. But you’d still try, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” the blonde said, her voice trembling.
Vero chose not to gentle his voice. Not about this. “So then we’d be at war with the humans. Who do you think would win that?”
She licked her lips nervously. “Probably you.”
“Exactly. If we took out the human race, we wouldn’t have enhanced humans to mate through the coming eons. Since Kurjans are male only, same with vampires, us wiping out so many potential female mates is an untenable idea.”
Lyrica’s eyes spit fury at him.
He shrugged. “They need to know the truth.”
She snapped her teeth together. “All right, now they understand the truth. Just so you also know, ladies, this very handsome, hunky, sweet soldier who’s telling you like it is will be one of the eligible immortal bachelors attending the speed dating event tonight. Won’t that be fun?”
Chapter Five
Vero stood over the dead girl’s body as fire, then ice roared through his veins. “Say that again,” he said, his brother at his side in the makeshift medical facility.
Dr. Fizzlewick shook his head. “She was strangled, raped, bitten, and left to freeze. I haven’t found any DNA evidence, not that I really expect to.” The ancient Kurjan scientist crossed his arms and leaned against the far wall. He had to be at least three thousand years old, and the red tips in his hair had faded to more of a maroon, but his purple eyes remained sharp and his body well-honed. He’d returned to the Kurjan nation under the new leadership, having been exiled centuries ago for pissing off somebody in charge. Vero still hadn’t gotten the story from him.
“Can you tell me anything?” Paxton asked, anger vibrating low in his voice.
Fizzlewick shook his head, his bloodred lips turned down. “No, just that she was assaulted and killed last night.”
Fury swirled in Paxton’s green eyes. “You said she was raped. There has to be DNA evidence. Condoms rarely work with immortals.”
Fizzlewick glanced at Vero, his eyebrows drawing down. “Uh, yeah. No doubt the killer controlled his seminal emission.”
“What are you talking about?” Paxton snapped.
Fizzlewick’s jaw went slack. “Um. Er.”
Vero shrugged, heat tinging his ears. “Are you saying males from other species can’t control, well, orgasmic discharge?” He tried to sound as scientific as possible.
Paxton turned his head to face his brother. “No. Are you saying that the Kurjans can come without ejaculating?”
Leave it to Paxton to forgo scientific platitudes. “Yes,” Vero said simply.
“No shit?” Hunter asked from Pax’s other side, looking more Kurjan than Vero did. He shook his head. “I don’t want to ask this, considering you’ve mated my cousin, Pax, but can you do that?”
A muscle ticked in Paxton’s jaw. “I don’t know. Never tried.”
“It’s not easy,” Vero admitted. “Nearly impossible with your own mate, so I’ve heard.” He could do it and had, considering he’d never wanted to mate anybody he’d dated. Or rather, anybody he’d had sex with—which had always been consensual. “Guess you didn’t uncover all our secrets while you were spying on us, Harold.” He stressed the fake name Hunter had used for years. It wasn’t like they’d talked about sex.