She hesitated and then slid her palm against his. “Karma.”
His hold and shake were gentle, and he released her before the mating allergy could hurt either of them. She’d been mated centuries ago to a Kurjan, and no other male could touch her for long without both of them developing terrible rashes.
“What’s your last name?” he asked. Another bone popped into place.
She jerked at the sound. “I do not have a last name.”
“Oh.” He looked beyond her at the steel bars securing the cell. “I was out for a while. Where are we?”
“In a temporary holding area where you will be kept until you are transported to a more secure location.” She coughed. “For questioning.”
His smile nearly knocked her over. Even the slight tipping of his lips turned his rugged face from dangerously hard to nearly boyish with charm. Amusement glimmered in his eyes for a moment. “Darlin’, I’ve been tortured before. You don’t need to trouble yourself about that.”
She had bigger things to worry about than the life of this massive hybrid. She allowed herself one moment to stare into his unusual eyes. Oh, many immortals had metallic-silver eyes, gold eyes, even copper or purple. But his were a combination of all argent colors, mingling into a hard-edged glint, even with the humor lurking there. In another time, she might’ve thought him beautiful. She’d learned long ago that beauty could mask the darkest of evils.
Vampires were bad, demons were bad, and this male was a hybrid of both. When he decided to kill her—and he would at some point—she wouldn’t stand much chance of surviving. Yet she still couldn’t comprehend why he’d come for her. “Why are you here?”
“For you. To rescue you because I couldn’t last time.” He stretched out his arms and healed a broken finger in his left hand.
His words didn’t make any sense. “Why?” Surely his ego wasn’t such that he’d risked his life just because she’d rejected his help last time. She wasn’t worth that.
He sighed. “I’d hoped to ease you into the truth, but here it is.” He held up his right hand, showing a demon marking with a jagged R in the center. The R was a crest representing his surname: Reese. Demons mated with a branding and a bite—the marking was transferred from the demon to the mate during sex.
Her mouth dropped open, and she hurried to shut it. “You’re mated?” Why did that thought nauseate her? How odd.
“No. The brand appeared when I touched you three years ago.” His chin lowered, and he studied her, towering over her even as he sat. “When you shoved me away and refused to get into that helicopter with me.” He didn’t sound happy.
She snorted and then quickly recovered. “Impossible. I’m already mated.” Well, she had been mated a couple of centuries ago, although her Kurjan mate had died shortly thereafter. Sometimes she forgot what he had looked like, and that was fine with her. “Your brand must have appeared for someone else.”
“No.” Benjamin looked down at the dark marking. “The mark hasn’t faded a bit, and it’s pulsing like a live wire now that you’re near.”
Oh, Lord. Her research on Benjamin suggested he might be insane. Dangerous and unstable? There was no way she could succeed in this mission. “Benjamin—”
“Benny. Might as well get cozy with me now.” His smile held charm and determination that warmed her in an unexpected way.
For the second time in her life, she let her instincts take over. “Just leave. Take an opening and find freedom,” she whispered tersely, her stomach cramping. “Forget about me.”
“Not a chance.” His gaze ran over her face like a physical touch.
Movement sounded down the tunnel, and she stiffened.
Benjamin tensed and set his jaw. “Get ready, darlin’. We’re about to escape this place.”
Chapter Two
Benny fought to send healing cells to the base of his skull while his body rioted at finally being this close to her. Karma. The name fit her. Her energy was soft and hesitant with a thread of diamonds through it—the world’s strongest and most sparkly stone. Yeah, her strength was banked, and he had to wonder if she even knew it was there.
Her scent was sweetly natural. Like wildflowers lining an untouched river.
She scrambled away from him and stood as heavy footsteps sounded on the dirt floor of the makeshift tunnel.
He didn’t much care who was coming—her draw was that strong. She looked as if she was in her twenties with smooth skin and long blond hair in a tight bun, but her deep topaz eyes showed a couple centuries of living. In fact, she looked just right in the long skirt and ruffled blouse that covered her from neck to wrists.
Like a lady out of the eighteen hundreds.
He wasn’t sure how to act around a real lady. Not that his brothers’ mates weren’t ladies, but they were all from modern times. Not this female. Her eyes darted around, landing anywhere but on him.
Heat washed through the cell bars as two males approached on the other side.
The female pivoted and put her back to the wall, watching them. She held still, trying to make herself unobtrusive, looking as if she wanted to flee or vanish into the darkest corner. He continued to watch her, clocking the soldiers with his peripheral vision.
“Benjamin Reese,” the Kurjan on the other side of the bar drawled, his voice low and rough.
Benny cocked his head and watched Karma. “I appreciate the help. I’m feeling much better now.”
She jolted, and her gaze slashed up to him, her eyes widening.
He tried for his most charming grin, but with his size and current bruises, he probably looked anything but reassuring. “Honest. You’re a great healer, and you did a good job. I’m so much better.”
Confusion drifted across her face, and he noted several adorable freckles scattered on her nose. Her mouth lightly, barely, gaped open, and she looked toward the two males outside the cell and then back to him. Man, her bewilderment was cute…and sexy. Her tongue flicked out nervously to lick her bottom lip.
He groaned.
Concern appeared in her eyes, and she studied the wound on his neck, but she didn’t speak. One of the soldiers smacked the bars, and she jumped.
Irritation clawed through him, and Benny turned just his head to view the two outside the cell. The first was a Kurjan, his white skin nearly glowing in the darkness of the tunnel, a stark contrast to his black hair tipped with red. His purple eyes looked intelligent, and he wore the standard black uniform of a Kurjan soldier, but he had several silver medals pinned to his wide chest. The guy was maybe six seven or eight. The male next to him was a Cyst, one of the Kurjans’ elite soldiers and religious leaders. He was even taller and broader than the Kurjan and had one strip of white hair braided in the middle of his otherwise bald skull. He was pale as well, and his eyes were a purplish red. Many silver medals lined his chest.