Bear’s jaw went slack. Then he smiled, and it wasn’t a nice sight. “She’s full in, brother. Knowing about us gives her a hundred percent knowledge, as far as we’re concerned.” He glanced at Honor and shook his head. “Besides that, she is seriously gifted. I can feel her vibrations from five miles away. It’s a fuckin’ miracle somebody else hasn’t already found her and locked her down hard.”
A pit the size of Toledo dropped into her stomach. Locked her down? “Um—”
“I know,” Sam said, looking at her. “Even if she agreed to forget everything you just made sure she knows, she’s a beacon.”
Bear’s cheek creased. “So.”
Sam leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms, and stared at Honor. “So.”
Honor didn’t know what was going on, but she knew she probably wouldn’t like it. “Since you’ve done your best to enlighten me, Mr. McDunphy, I feel I can ask some questions. From what you’ve said, there are humans and shifters in this world. Shifters are either bear, canine, or dragon. These people can mate humans and then everybody is immortal.”
Bear grinned. “You forgot feline. There are fuckin’ feline shifters, too.”
“Of course,” she said quietly, her mind melting away. “I mean, if you’re going to have people turn into animals, you’d want to have lions and panthers and so on.” She swallowed. “Do all bears have potty mouths like you?” She had no clue what words were coming out of her mouth at this point.
He laughed, the sound low and rich. “Yeah, pretty much.” He looked at Sam again, and most of the tension in the room dissipated. “She’s funny and seems a little nutty. Maybe she’s a fairy.”
“She’s human,” Sam muttered.
Fairies? “Fairies are real, too?” she whispered.
“Yup. They’re nuts,” Bear said cheerfully. “Sam’s younger brother is mated to one. She’s okay, but I like crazy people, so I might be biased.”
Honor shook her head. “Am I having a psychotic break?” She slowly turned to look at Sam. Of course she had separated from reality. Nobody was that masculine and good looking. “Or did you somehow dose me?” There were powerful psychedelics that could explain a break like this.
He ran a rough hand through his still wet hair. The dark mass curled around his ears, matching his fierce eyebrows. “I know this is a lot, but you can handle it. Of course, you’ve always known you had gifts, so it’s time to stop pretending that you don’t. Once you accept yourself and realize that you’re normal for an Enhanced human, then you can accept the rest of it more easily.”
“What’s the Seven?” she asked.
Bear lost his amusement. “That’s a great question and one we’d all love to have answered.”
Sam remained tight lipped.
This was all so freaking weird. “What’s the Realm and who’s the king and who’s Garrett Kayrs?” she asked in rapid succession.
Sam was the one who finally answered. “The Realm is a coalition of immortal species, the king is the guy who’s in charge, and Garrett Kayrs is his nephew as well as the guy you met yesterday. He came to get me released from DHS.”
She wanted to stand, but her legs felt too wobbly. “You’re a member of the Realm, but you’re not a shifter? That means you’re an immortal.” The idea wasn’t as farfetched as it would’ve sounded yesterday. It would explain his supernatural strength and speed, as well as the fact that his body had healed already from the would-be fatal knife wound she’d given him. “What are you, Sam?”
Bear gestured in the air as if there was no choice but for Sam to talk.
Sam’s eyes darkened to the deep green of pine trees battled by a storm. “I’m a vampire-demon hybrid.”
Her body went numb. Or maybe that was her brain. “Right. You’re part vampire and part demon. Sure. That explains a lot.” Her voice sounded…funny. Hollow and distant.
“You’re losing her, Kyllwood,” Bear said. “Give it to her. Come on. We need to get past the bullshit phase of this and actually come up with a plan that doesn’t involve me killing both of you.”
Sam moved then, right into Bear’s face. He had about an inch or so on the shifter, and they both had muscle and testosterone to spare. “I’m about done with you having fun here. I told you to stop scaring her, and that includes any and all threats against her life. I mean it, Bear. I’m pissed off and ready to throw you through that wall, and a part of me thinks you want that to happen.”
Bear smiled and didn’t move back. “It’s about time. I get so sick of you being so calm all the time. It’s like you’re glacial ice when the rest of us are burning. Well, until recently. I want to know what’s going on with these fire trips you’ve been taking.”
“If I knew, I’d tell you,” Sam ground out through gritted teeth.
Bear’s eyebrows rose. “You really don’t know?”
“No. I’m having a fire issue and we’re trying to figure it out.” Sam’s voice was so hoarse, he sounded more like an animal than Bear.
“Huh.” Bear angled to the side so he could see Honor. “Hey. Human lie detector. Is he telling the truth?”
Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly shut it. “Uh, yes. I think so?” What did she know? “Sam? I don’t want to be a vampire.” The idea of sucking blood made her want to puke.
His sigh was long suffering as he moved toward her then dropped to his haunches. His heat wafted over her along with that unique scent of burning copper. He was still taller than she. “You can’t be turned into anything.” Slowly, twin fangs, sharp and deadly, dropped from his mouth. They were as real looking as knives or an animal’s sharp teeth and nothing like what she would’ve imagined. Then he retracted them. “You okay?”
She nodded, because really, what else could she do?
Bear clapped his hands together, and she jumped. “All right. Well. There’s only one solution here, and I’ll leave you to it.”
“Solution?” she whispered.
“Yep.” Bear made it to the door. “Right now, you’re as vulnerable as a chicken in a wolf den, lady. You’re gonna have to mate, and Kyllwood has made a claim. Good luck.” He opened the door, revealing a rainy morning.
Her hand went to her throat. “Does mating have to be consensual?”
Bear’s eyebrows lifted. “No, but it’s the only option. Don’t you want to be immortal?” He jerked his head at Sam. “Bring her on the ride tomorrow.”