“You don’t have to tell me things you’re not ready to, Finn. It’s okay. I just need you to distract me from this nausea.”

  “It’s not that I’m ashamed. It’s just taboo in our world. Our pack was what you call a rogue pack.”

  She grinned. “Rogue. That sounds sexy.”

  He chuckled, and she liked the sound. “It wasn’t. Mostly we just tried to avoid registered packs that were known by powerful alphas like the Romania pack alpha.”

  “Why?”

  “We didn’t want any part of their pack politics or to be drug into any battles we didn’t feel were ours to fight.”

  Lizzy frowned. “What kind of battles?”

  “You think humans were the only species to have had a civil war?”

  “Since I thought they were the only species that existed until recently, yes. I did think they were the only species to have a civil war. I was pretty sure dogs and cats hadn’t waged any civil wars, at least none were mentioned in the history books I read.” Lizzy yawned and felt the lethargy she’d woken with weighing her down again. She tried to blink, but once again her eyes wouldn’t open.

  “Lizzy,” Finn’s voice was urgent again.

  “What?”

  “I called your name three times, and you didn’t respond.”

  “I’m tired. Like really tired.” She felt him trying to push energy through their bond, but it was like squeezing an empty juice box. There was just nothing. “Finn, are you okay?” Her heart sped up. She could barely feel him.

  “I’m fine, love,” he said gently. “Just a little tired, too. But you sleep. I’ll keep watch. Just try to keep your mind open.”

  Lizzy wanted to respond, but all she could think about was how he’d called her “love.” No one had ever used an endearment with her, especially not one that sounded so genuine. She felt the meaning of the word in his voice. And he had yet to even meet her.

  “You’re my true mate, my Lizzy. I was created to love you.”

  Lizzy’s lips turned up, or at least she thought they did, just before darkness took her under.

  Cain entered the deepest part of the bunker of Area 51 and stopped when he saw his wayward soldier. “Claude, so glad you could join us.”

  “My lord.” Claude bowed. “I’ve been back for four days.”

  “Four days? Have you been down here hiding out?”

  Claude sneered. “I have been doing exactly what my king asked me to do. I hunted dormants and then returned to train the newly turned vampires. Is there something more you wanted me to do? Do I need to check in with you for every little move I make?”

  Cain narrowed his eyes at the other vamp, younger than the king, but not by much. “When was the last time you fed? You seem a little temperamental.”

  Claude threw his head back and laughed. As the sound died away, his head snapped down, and his wild eyes looked at Cain. “Temperamental? That’s rich coming from you.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  Claude pointed at the king. “I’ve known you a very long time. If either of us is capricious, it would be you … your majesty.”

  Cain rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking of Lizzy. It had been four days since he’d given her the blood transfusion, and now she only awoke occasionally to eat a little food. He hoped this meant her body was accepting the vampire virus, though her ability to keep food down suggested the virus had not completely suppressed her inner wolf. “I don’t have time for your nonsense. Just make sure none of the new vampires harm the human workers. We can’t afford them all running off in fear.”

  “Naturally.” Claude bowed his head slightly.

  “Also, there is a female scientist working for us,” Cain said through clenched teeth. He didn’t like the idea of making Claude aware of the healer, but if her healer blood was the thing that kept drawing him back to her—not to mention pouring his damn secrets out to her like a leaking faucet—he wanted to warn the other vampire off. Alice was his. The delicate peace they’d been building over the past few days meant more to him than almost anything, except his current project. Yet he worried that if his feelings continued to grow for Alice, even that might change. “She’s important. You may need to engage her if you come in contact with her. She’s a tenaciously curious human. At the moment, she’s pouring over the supernatural texts that I have provided her. Some I’ve provided to keep her distracted, but some because she needs to know the history of our world. We need her to be on our side.”

  “How is that going to make her sympathize with the vampires?” Claude scoffed. “We aren’t exactly cuddly kittens, which she will see when she reads our history.”

  “The books are not her only source of information,” he said pointedly.

  A smug grin crossed Claude’s face. “I see. You’ve taken a pet.”

  Cain moved a step closer, baring his fangs menacingly. “Lay a single finger on her and I will end you.”

  “Which would end a lot of vampires. You would do that to your created?”

  “I may have sired you Claude, but I’m not your daddy. You are a tool. And a tool can be discarded when it’s no longer useful.”

  Claude held his hands up and stepped away. “I won’t poach on your territory. No need to be hostile.”

  Cain narrowed his eyes. “If you come in contact with her, be cordial. Answer her questions, because she will no doubt have them. And try to do it without being an ass, or being too accommodating, if you know what I mean. Then go on about your business.”

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve put some dormant blood in your own body. You’re acting no better than those damnable wolves. You seem to be five seconds away from peeing on her.” He chuckled at his own joke. “What is the name of this woman who has you tied up in knots?”

  Cain clenched his jaw, hating to even say Alice’s name in Claude’s presence, mostly because the French vampire knew Cain’s history. No doubt the horse’s ass would have something to say about it. But the pest would find out soon enough, anyway. “Her name is Alice.”

  The other vampire’s eyes lit up. He clapped his hands together and appeared on the verge of hysterical laughter. “Damn, the fates are cruel. They’re dangling another human woman in front of you that has the name of your former betrothed? Is she open to being turned?”

  “It’s not that simple.” Cain’s irritation was reaching a new level. “I can’t simply turn her.”

  Claude’s brow furrowed, and he shrugged. “Why? Since when do you deny yourself something you obviously want?”

  “She’s more than just human, dammit. I don’t even know if it’s possible for her to become a vampire. She’s too … pure.” He hadn’t meant to add that last part. It had simply slipped out, perhaps out of his own frustration about his growing feelings for the woman.

  The other vampire’s eyes filled with curiosity. He was old. Maybe not as old as Cain, but old enough to know all about the supernatural world and the different species. “There’s only one supernatural species that is that pure.” An expression showed on Claude’s face, and it looked to Cain as if the vampire remembered something. But the look disappeared in a flash. “She’s a gypsy healer?”

  There was no point in denying it. Claude would need to be informed on how to make the hybrids. “She is.” Cain tried to sound nonchalant but wasn’t sure if he was successful.

  “She’s the key, isn’t she? You’ve been struggling to figure out why the virus wouldn’t join with the wolves. You were just missing an ingredient.”

  Cain bared his fangs. “Why don’t you seem surprised?”

  “It’s not exactly rocket science, my king. Once you have the pieces to the puzzle, figuring out how they fit isn’t too difficult.”

  Cain couldn’t argue with that. He knew Claude was knowledgeable about each species, which was why he’d given the French vampire the task of helping him create the hybrids. He’d charged Claude to find out anything and everything about the other races. In fact, Claude had been the one to find the history books that Alice was currently reading. It shouldn’t surprise him that the warrior had figured it out.

  “Just keep your interactions with her to a minimum and completely professional,” Cain warned.

  “As you wish.” The other vampire gave a slight bow.

  Claude watched the vampire king walk away, knowing Cain was probably ready to strangle him. Annoying the hell out of his king was a special talent he possessed. He turned back to watch the new vampires he was supervising. The older vamps passed out packs of blood they’d stolen from the blood bank. It wouldn’t totally nourish them, but it would prevent them from attacking the humans. It was imperative to keep the workers satiated, so they didn’t attack the humans they worked with, as Cain worried they might. Claude knew the king’s fear was not in vain.

  The vampire lieutenant felt a niggling in his mind, a subconscious urge he kept trying to fight. But try as he might, the thought wouldn’t go away.

  He glanced around one more time and decided everything was in order, and it was okay to step away for a bit. Claude headed for the door and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He found a quiet corner that wouldn’t allow anyone to sneak up on him. He pressed the number that showed on the screen and put it to his ear.

  “Claude.” A female voice answered, and his mind immediately blanked of anything except her. “What have you learned?”

  “There’s over two hundred dormants waiting to be turned to hybrids.”

  A few seconds of silence. “When you say waiting, Claude, what do you mean?”

  “They’re lying unconscious in a large warehouse on beds, hooked up to nourishment for their bodies. I think there might be some fae magic involved, as well.” There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that urged him to shut his mouth, but the overwhelming need to answer the female’s questions was just too strong.

  “Have you made contact with the gypsy healer?” The woman’s voice was impatient.

  “I learned her name. It’s Alice. I’ve not yet met her because I’ve had to attend to my duties. I cannot simply roam around the compound asking if anyone has seen a gypsy healer wandering about. It would be suspicious.”

  The woman sighed. “I’m sure you can figure something out. You need to do it quickly. Do you understand, Claude?”

  He felt a push in his mind, and then he nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

  “Don’t disappoint me.”

  The heart that beat slowly in his chest seemed to tighten. He didn’t like the idea of disappointing the female. He had no idea why, but he didn’t question it. “I won’t.”

  “Have the healer call me as soon as possible. If you cannot, then I expect to hear from you tomorrow. ”

  “Of course.”

  “You may go.”

  He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket before heading back down the hall. He had a gypsy healer to find.

  “You’re lovely when you sleep.”

  Alice rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed. Cain was staring at her, but at least he wasn’t hovering six inches from her face. Thankfully the vampire never seemed to sleep, so she didn’t have to share the bed with him. Or if he did, he came to bed after she’d already crashed and was up before she woke. “You realize it’s slightly disturbing to know you watch me when I sleep, don’t you?”

  “Of course not.” His eyes were soft as they ran across her body. “If I did, I wouldn’t think of doing it.”

  She huffed a laugh. “That’s a lie. You do what you want. You’re a king, Cain. Kings aren’t known for subjugating their own needs for the benefit of others.”

  Cain clucked his tongue at her. “I thought we’d moved past the hostile relationship.” Though he seemed to be teasing, she didn’t miss the note of longing in his voice.

  Alice held his gaze and tried to figure out what it was the vampire wanted from her. Other than her blood, of course. They’d had many conversations, including the one in which he’d shared his history. And Alice would be lying if she said those conversations weren’t beginning to thaw her icy heart toward him. And damn if that didn’t annoy the hell out of her. How on earth could she sympathize with a vampire?

  “You look conflicted.” He walked toward her and took a seat on the bed next to her. He left enough distance that they didn’t touch, and Alice wanted to kick herself for feeling a little bereft at the distance. When was the last time someone touched her out of affection and not in a perfunctory, business-like manner? A quick handshake or a brief touch on the shoulder from a colleague to get her attention. When was the last time she even went on a date? She couldn’t remember.

  As if reading her mind, Cain lifted his hand and ran a thumb gently across her brow. “Why the look of frustration?” he asked softly.

  Alice should have pulled away from his touch. She shouldn’t have leaned into it. What was wrong with her? He was the enemy. Right? There was no excuse for what he was doing to the innocent people lying unconscious in the large room. He was in collusion with the US government to create what she was certain was a super army. Why else would the government be interested in hybrid supernaturals? Perhaps she should just be honest with him. It’s not like she was going anywhere, and nothing she said would take away the value of her life to him. Cain wasn’t about to kill her. Unless he got his hand on another healer, of course. “I am conflicted. I want to hate you—not for what you are, but for what you’ve done, not just to Lizzy and Finn, but for all the evil you’ve inflicted on hundreds if not thousands of people over the course of your existence.”

  Cain brushed her hair away from her face and tucked the chin-length bob behind her ear. “You want to hate me. Does that mean you don’t hate me?”

  She sighed and threw her hands up before letting them drop helplessly beside her. “I don’t know what I feel. I’m human, and my humanity makes me appreciate life probably more than you do. I will die in fifty or so years. Everything in this life is fleeting for me. And because of that, it should be precious. For you, it’s endless. Nothing is precious because you have all the time in the world, so there’s no reason to appreciate the beauty before you or loathe the evil that might destroy that beauty. Maybe I shouldn’t hate you but pity you instead.”

  His black eyes flashed with annoyance. “I don’t want your pity, Alice.”

  “Then what do you want? Besides my blood?”

  He leaned back, and she watched his jaw tighten. “I don’t know.” He shook his head and stood. “I thought I did. But then I got to know you. You’re brave, strong-willed, smart, and beautiful, and those are qualities that would tempt any man.”

  “You’re not just a man,” she pointed out.

  “No.” A look of disgust crossed his handsome face. “I’m a vampire, and our drive for blood eclipses the desire for anything else, even a mate. But there are exceptions to every rule. You seem to be the exception to more than one rule.”

  Alice didn’t know what to say to that, so she simply stared back at him.

  Cain cleared his throat and then walked toward the door. “Lizzy’s transition should be complete tomorrow, though it may take longer considering her wolf blood. I would appreciate it if you would check on her. She’s been in and out of consciousness all week.” He looked over his shoulder at Alice. “I know you’ve been studying the text I’ve given you, but checking on her shouldn’t take long. Please.”

  The vamp king was gone, and the door closed before she could respond. “Who the hell was that?” Alice breathed out as she stared at the door. He had become more cordial with her, but this Cain was gentle and attempted to be respectful, as well. The vampire king wasn’t treating her like a captive. The woman in her couldn’t help but sit up and take notice of a handsome male showing interest in her.

  Alice’s apparent new split personality was in a battle over her will. One part of her was telling her to ignore the negative qualities Cain had. I mean, every man had them, right? So he drank people’s blood and probably killed some of them over the years. She couldn’t exactly expect him to be an angel. The other personality wanted to slap herself and tell her to get her damn head out of the clouds, take off the heavily tinted rose-colored glasses, and remember he was a monster. He was a vampire that had some nefarious plan to take over the world. Or something along those lines. Nobody created an army because they wanted more people to cook for them or to have more options for dance partners. “Bloody hell, Alice.” She snapped at herself. Maybe she needed to test the food and drinks Cain had been bringing her for foreign substances. Or maybe he had one of his fae followers doing some sort of magic on her.

  She shook her head as she stood up then picked out an outfit from her suitcase. She’d refused to unpack her things, even when Cain had practically commanded her to use half of the closet. Alice hadn’t liked the idea of her clothes being in the same space as his. As if his vampirism could somehow jump onto her garments. She rolled her eyes. “Get a grip, Alice,” she grumbled.

  After she got dressed, washed her face, and brushed her teeth, Alice felt a little more like herself. She donned her lab coat, and it made her feel even more in control. She left the bedroom, hoping her mind wouldn’t spend the entire day fighting itself over the vampire king and his potential … not goodness, but maybe … less badness?

  As she walked down the hall, Alice made a detour and walked through a part of the compound she’d yet to explore. Small offices ran down the hall, one after the other. Some were empty, but some held workers. What they were working on, who the heck knew? As she passed the last one in the hallway, she noticed a man sitting at a desk. The office was bare except for a laptop in front of him. There were no papers on his desk, and no pictures of anything on the wall. The man had a phone to his ear. She walked past and rounded a corner, but her feet came to a startling halt when she heard him speak.

  “No, sir. I haven’t met her. Though I’ve heard Cain mention her. I imagine he keeps her locked up in the lab if she’s working on the hybrids.” He paused, most likely listening to the person on the other end. “He doesn’t suspect anything. As far as he’s concerned, I will be working as a lawyer to represent the best interest of the vampires and hybrids.”