Benjamin rolled his eyes. “Fine. Let’s get this over with, but I’m not telling you a thing about the Seven.” He patted her arm. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Confusion blanketed her. Why was he planning to return to her? Were the experiments on her to last several days? Maybe to see how fast she could heal herself? That made a sick kind of sense. She didn’t look at him. Instead, she straightened her posture and followed Emma through the doors, hoping to find an escape route.
Though she didn’t know how to fight, she could run. Somehow.
Her hopes were crushed when she walked inside a serene room that included a luxurious examination table, machinery on every granite counter, and what looked like a circular glass shower in the corner. Two guards stood at attention at the far door, both armed and huge.
There would be no escape.
Emma walked over to the shower. “This is what we call Grumpy Gus. It’s a brand-new design, and the sensors have the ability to detect tracing powder, explosives, tracking devices, and any other threat to the area. If anything is detected, don’t panic. It wouldn’t be unheard of for the Kurjans to have placed a tracker inside you or to dust you with the tracking powder.”
Karma faltered. “Grumpy Gus?”
Emma sighed. “Yeah. No matter how often I tinker with it, Gus still makes the weirdest clunking noise while working. This won’t hurt. Just hop inside.”
Karma looked at the guards, who were staring straight ahead, not at her. Taking a deep breath, she strode up the rubber incline and inside the glass cylinder. Her stomach lurched.
“All right. Just hold still for a sec.” Emma took a tablet off the counter and tapped on it.
The glass circled around Karma, enclosing her, and then reopening. It all happened so quickly she didn’t have time to panic, and the clunking noise wasn’t so bad.
Emma smiled. “Hey, we didn’t find a thing. The Kurjans must’ve had no clue Benny was coming for you.”
Not true. Not even remotely true.
Karma strode back into the room, her head reeling. So the Realm hadn’t been able to find it. Interesting. She tried to keep her posture upright. “When do I see the queen?”
The two soldiers looked her way and then went back to attention.
Emma laughed, the sound tinkling. “Karma, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more clear, I guess. I am the queen.”
Chapter Five
Benny tipped back the very excellent Scotch he’d talked the king into handing over before agreeing to talk. “I do like the good stuff.”
“I’m aware,” the king said dryly, also pouring a drink from across the table. He looked at his brother. “Would you stop frowning?”
Talen kicked back and crossed his muscled arms. “This is my default setting.”
His son snorted from next to Benny. “Oh, that’s for sure.” Garrett swirled the liquid around in his own glass.
Benny rolled his neck, double-checking that the bullet holes in his nape had healed. Though his torso had been made into a solid shield during the ritual that had made him a member of the Seven, his neck had not. He’d been shot way too much lately. He wanted to concentrate, but his attention kept wandering back to Karma. Should he have stayed with her? Emma was a sweetheart, and he’d figured the two of them would get along and maybe Karma would relax. “The queen knows to go easy tonight, right?”
Dage looked at his wristwatch. “Yes. I gave her an hour for preliminary work and then told her it was time to sleep. The woman would completely forget about the world and get lost in her research if she could. Even forgets to eat.”
Garrett leaned forward. “Yeah, but she told me she’s close to a cure for human cancer. That’s impressive, Uncle Dage.”
Talen shook his head. “Even our blood won’t cure human diseases. I admire her for trying, but I just don’t see it happening.” His golden eyes softened slightly when he looked at his son. “I hope you’re staying longer this time. Your mother needs your attention, and I have to remind you that she’s an empath. Whatever is going on with you needs to be addressed.”
Benny remained still. He’d been worried about Garrett for a while, but he hadn’t pushed to find out what was wrong with him. Perhaps he should have.
Dage smiled, and determination filled his eyes. “In fact, I’d like to offer you a job, nephew.”
Benny stiffened. Dage always tried to learn the inner workings of the Seven through Garrett, but he didn’t speak. Garrett was an adult and had been for quite some time. Hell, the kid was an adult even back when he should’ve been a kid. The mantle of responsibility had landed heavily on him from day one, and becoming a member of the Seven was only a slice of his destiny. Even Benny had figured that one out.
Garrett took a drink of his Scotch and rubbed the whiskers across his chin. He looked twenty-five or so, and he would for a long time—although stress lines from lack of sleep definitely spread out from his eyes. “That’s kind of you. What’s the job?”
Benny cocked his head. Just how old was the kid? Mid-thirties, maybe? God, that was young.
Dage watched him carefully. “For the last three years, after other species learned about the Seven and how you all perverted the laws of physics and our people, I’ve been balancing our allies and enemies like an insane juggler. The shifters are closer than ever to coming after us, and the witches are one explosion away from blowing up my headquarters. I need a liaison between the Realm and the other nations, and I’m asking you to serve.”
“It’d be an honor,” Garrett said instantly. “My status as one of the Seven might not be well known, but most species have guessed it. Are you sure you want me?”
Benny sat back. “You have other vows, my friend.”
Tension rose in the room instantly.
Talen leaned toward his son. “I want to know all of it. Now.”
“What do you know?” Benny interjected, trying to protect Garrett from facing off with his father. Their relationship was excellent, and it often made Ben miss his own father. He didn’t want the kid to suffer because he was a member of the Seven. “You come clean first, Kayrs.”
Talen turned deep golden eyes toward him. The predator inside him was closer to the surface than in most immortals, and he did nothing to hide it. “The seven of you violated every physical law of this world, bonded your torsos into solid shields that can’t be penetrated, and then created a prison world in some other dimension to keep an ancient Cyst captive.”
Garrett grimaced. “Not in another dimension, Dad. The physicist we work with is really cranky about that. We move through dimensions to this place, but it’s part of this dimension.”