Emma dug into her food. “I talked to Benny earlier today and then figured we should have our own discussion.”
“Where is Benjamin today, if it’s okay to inquire?” Karma asked.
Emma looked up. “All right. First things first. You can ask, say, demand, or yell anything you want to while you’re here. Heck. While you’re anywhere except, apparently, the Kurjan Headquarters. Right now, Benny is sparring with Talen in the gym, working off some steam. Then they’ll probably grab breakfast and start arguing about the Realm and the Seven. After that, they might spar again, depending on how well the argument goes.” She grinned.
Karma’s head ached, and while she wanted to do her job, she didn’t want to get Emma into trouble. “I see.” The Kurjans could now see through her right eye and hear through her right ear.
Emma nudged the pancake plate closer. “I put huckleberries in the pancakes. Have you had any before?” When Karma shook her head, Emma nearly hopped with excitement. “They’re exquisite, and you can only get them here or in Montana. They only grow wild, and they’re a lot sweeter than blueberries. I hope you like them.”
Karma dutifully took two pancakes. “Thank you.”
“Karma?” Emma’s voice softened. “The Kurjans lied to you. I don’t hurt people. Never have and never will. I’d like to think of myself as a healer who uses science and has the best equipment in the entire world.”
Karma met Emma’s blue gaze evenly, her chest settling. “I thought about this last night and realized it is entirely possible the Kurjans lied about you.” She didn’t care if they heard her since it seemed to be the truth. “I apologize for thinking the worst.”
Emma patted her hand. “That’s not your fault. How would you know?”
That was true. However, she still had a job to do. For once, she longed to see a spirit or a ghost hovering nearby, but the space around her was clear. So much for seeking input from others. “In that case, I would like to be exposed to the virus you discovered, the one that will negate my mating bond.” There. She’d said it, as she’d been ordered to do.
Emma’s eyebrows rose. “That’s your decision. Guess you want to mate again, huh? Awesome!”
* * * *
“Now, wait a minute.” Benny stormed into the queen’s lab, his hair fresh from a shower and his clothing nice and clean. He still had a few bruises from his sparring hours with Talen, but they were slowly mending. Hopefully Talen’s broken jaw was doing the same.
Emma leaned against a far counter, once again dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and lab coat. “Morning, Benny. I heard you caused quite a ruckus earlier today.”
Karma sat on the examination table, looking sexy and alluring in another long skirt with flowers on it. She’d twisted her thick hair into an intricate braid, making his fingers itch to untangle the sunshine-filled mass. “Good morning, Benjamin. What ruckus?” Then she jolted as if surprised she’d asked a question.
He took a deep breath and tucked his thumbs into the jeans Emma had provided for him earlier. They fit perfectly and didn’t have one hole in them. “Good morning, ladies.” All right. He needed to calm down so he didn’t frighten Karma again. The idea that she’d asked a question warmed him. “Dage asked me to train the younger soldiers, but apparently he should’ve given me more direction.”
Emma snorted, and she leaned conspiratorially closer to Karma. “Benjamin stripped them naked, hung them upside down, and fired honey at them from a squirt gun. We still have bees around here, even though it’s fall.”
Karma gasped, her eyes wide. “Benny. Why would you do that?”
He shrugged. “Training means dealing with the unexpected. They should’ve known that.”
“The honey was mixed with superglue,” Emma exclaimed before bursting into gales of laughter.
Karma chuckled and then covered her mouth with her hand. The mirth showed in her pretty eyes, and damn if Benny didn’t decide right then and there to make her laugh every day. She moved her hand. “Do you like it when people think you’re crazy?”
He grinned. “It doesn’t hurt.” Plus, it allowed him to snoop around a little bit. They’d gotten some very shaky intel about an anti-Seven group working within the Realm that not even the king knew about. But despite his investigations, Benny hadn’t found anything…yet. For now, he got back down to business. “I take it the two of you had a nice discussion and now you know that Emma isn’t going to peel off your skin?”
Red bloomed across Karma’s smooth cheekbones. “Yes. I was misinformed.”
When she sounded all formal and hoity-toity like that, he really wanted to kiss her. Full-on, deep, and wild. Instead, he grinned. “God, you’re cute.”
She blinked.
Apparently, the female wasn’t used to compliments. He’d have to change that during their short time together. “You’re also very pretty, and you smell like the freshest breeze off a warm lake.”
She froze.
Emma looked up. “You flirt good, Ben. Who knew?”
He stood straighter and smiled. “I have hidden talents, Queen. Now, we’re going to discuss what’s happening here.”
Emma looked from him to Karma and then back. “I figured you’d have a thing or two to say. Do you want me to give you some privacy?”
“No,” Karma said softly. “You both have said I have freedom here or insinuated that fact. If so, I wish to take the virus and negate my mating bond. My mate died two centuries ago, so I’m a perfect candidate, correct?”
Emma nodded. “Virus-27, as you might not know, was created by the Kurjans to kill the vampires. We found a cure for it, but we also have been able to tweak the little bug to use it to our advantage. We’ve found the longer the mate has been gone, the weaker the bond. So far, we haven’t tried the virus on anybody whose mate is still alive.”
Karma hadn’t known the Kurjans had created the virus, but at the moment, that fact did not matter. “If I take this virus, then the bond will disappear?”
Emma drew air into her nose. “We think so. We’ve successfully used the virus with demon mates, shifter mates, and vampire mates. However, Kurjans are a different species, and I’ve only gained a few samples of their blood through the years to test. I can’t guarantee the results. You need to know that the virus can be deadly, and there’s a chance your system will reject it, or a chance that you will become infected in a way I can’t predict or possibly cure.”
Karma appeared to weigh the words and then softly answered. “I understand your concerns, but I wish to proceed anyway.”