“I know, right?” She snorted and bounced back on her heels. “Do you want to spar?”
“No.” He shook his head. The fairy was smart and could be mean, but she really wasn’t that good of a fighter. He’d spend too much time making sure she didn’t get hurt, and she’d end up punching him in the eye again.
Mercy ducked her head and then moved, coming close again.
He tensed.
She reached for his arm and patted his sleeve. “Listen. You’re a good guy, Benny. I think if you gave things a chance with Karma, you might find happiness. You deserve that, and I’d love to see you with somebody. You don’t have to be alone just because there might be a battle a zillion years from now.”
“Thanks.” He smiled at her, keeping his thoughts to himself. The timeline was narrowing—he felt it in his very bones. Ulric would soon gain his freedom, and the final battle would happen before any of them expected.
It was definitely coming.
* * * *
Karma rolled over in the ocean-wide bed and stretched before wincing. Wow. She was sore everywhere. There wasn’t an inch of her Benjamin hadn’t laid claim to the night before, and she wore light love marks over her entire body. Including her rear end. Turning her face into a pillow, she laughed. He’d lightly bitten her butt several times during the night. Why did she apologize so much? It was probably something she needed to work on, once she got her girls free of the Kurjans. More than ever, she could see hope for her future. For their future. She would get Benjamin to train her a little bit before she went back, which would have to be soon. The Kurjans would be searching the rubble for her, because Terre wanted her. He’d made that clear.
“What is so funny?” Linda asked, her voice muffled by the pillow.
Karma jolted and rolled over, making sure she was decently covered by the bedspread. “Nothing. Do you have news?” She sat up, pushing her wild hair over her shoulder.
Linda studied her with soft brown eyes. “You and the big guy, huh?”
This was so weird. “Yes.” Who knew? Her best friend was a spirit. She leaned forward a little. “I was nervous because I didn’t really know exactly what to do, but Benjamin knew everything.” Her entire body warmed. “It was lovely.”
Linda hovered near the bed, more translucent than ever. “I’m glad for you. You said you were mated centuries ago. I take it you didn’t enjoy yourself back then?”
It was hard to remember. “Not really. It was just another duty, and he died shortly after we mated.” In fact, she’d had no idea how wonderful sex could be. She knew Benjamin had held back the night before. What would he be like fully unleashed? She tapped her finger against her lips. “I need to conduct research on the Internet.” She was fully aware of the Internet and had used it illicitly a few times in Kurjan territory, but here she could probably research all she wanted. There were no restrictions.
Linda shrugged. “Or just keep playing with the big immortal dude. He seems to be up for exploration.”
How true. “I told him that I loved him, and he panicked.” Karma whispered.
Linda snorted. “Men are dorks who are afraid of love. Don’t worry about that. You have to go with your feelings.”
Yes, that was true. Karma smiled at her friend. Thank goodness she had one for now. “I have to contact the Kurjans soon. Terre will be looking for me, and I don’t dare leave the girls in their hands for long. They’re safer if I’m with the Kurjans.” Even if the twins were used to extort her cooperation, at least she could ensure their safety for now.
Linda wrung her hands together. “I’m sorry you have to go back.”
Karma straightened. “They’re our girls, Linda. Yours and mine.” Her heart hurt for the young mother. “I’m sorry you can’t be here with them.”
“Me, too,” Linda said softly. “But you are here, and you’ll be a good mother for them. I feel better crossing over, knowing that you’ll love and protect them.”
“After we get them free,” Karma vowed.
Linda wavered, and most of her dark hair wisped out of sight. “I don’t have much longer. The pull is too strong.”
“Okay. Tell me what you know,” Karma said, grasping the bedspread. “Did you see the girls?”
“No,” Linda answered, looking around the quiet room. “The girls aren’t with Terre and Jaydon.”
Any hope Karma had held that she wouldn’t have to go back dissipated. “I see.”
Linda flickered out of sight and then returned. “Terre is frantically searching for you in the rubble, while his brother is hunting for the technology the Seven left behind. They do think that the area was the true headquarters and are unaware it was a setup.”
Well, that was something. “We haven’t seen any trace of them on the satellite feeds,” Karma said thoughtfully. “How are they searching?”
“They know of the satellites the Seven are using,” Linda said. “They search when they are outside your field of observation.”
That was a fact Benjamin would need to know. “So the Kurjans are located close to the mountain in Utah?”
“Yes. I don’t know their exact location, but Terre said something about it taking thirty minutes to reach the imploded mountain. He wants you more than you feared, Karma. He’s obsessed, not even sleeping. His brother is thinking about knocking him out for a while, and Jaydon is on board with that. But Terre is making plans to take out Jaydon.”
Karma smoothed the bedspread across her legs. “He is?” Why did the Kurjans keep turning against each other? When she went back to them, it would only be a matter of time before Terre turned against her. Unless she kept giving him sons. The thought sent bile through her stomach. “Do they have Sam Kyllwood?”
Linda nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t see him. I overheard Terre and Dayne talking about the Kyllwood brother and discussing what to do with him. They don’t want war right now with the demon nation, so it sounded like they might try to exchange him for something, but I don’t know what. Of course, they’re in no hurry.”
No hurry because they were torturing Sam for information about the Seven and probably the Realm and the demon nation. While Benjamin and the others seemed to be holding it together, there was a level of tension throughout the headquarters that made the air seem heavy. They all knew what Kurjans did to prisoners, and the need to rescue Sam before he was further damaged was paramount.
Karma gathered the throw blanket from the end of the bed and slipped free, covering herself. “Anything else?”
“They don’t believe that Ulric is on this planet or being held by the Seven. They have some sort of tie to him that tells them he’s still on the prison world,” Linda admitted. “They know Benjamin was lying about that.”