Page 39 of Smoke and Lure

“Michaela, stop!”he commanded.

Amaros was grateful for two things: one, that she paused a step away from another priceless artifact, and two, that she could not use her teleport ability yet because the vase would have already been in her hands and flying toward him.

She set her hands on her hips and hissed in frustration as she stared at him.Her short, straight, blonde-ombre strands with their complementing dark roots were in disarray around her face as she shifted from one foot to the other.He wondered how much of the wildness of her hair had to do with her attacking it with her fingers, not just sleep.She appeared to be at her wit’s end about something.He didn’t believe it was only that he’d sealed her in.

With his hands in his pocket, he stared at her across the distance of the room, allowing her the space she perhaps needed.“Talk to me, little angel.There must be honesty between mates.And it would be nice if it came with words.Or I can find you less expensive items to throw about.”

Michaela folded her arms across her waist as she dragged her short fangs over her bottom lips, seeming to ponder his request.The gesture barely made a scratch, even though her teeth were longer than the day before; they were as dangerous as a butter knife.

“How do I know I can trust you?”She brought a trembling hand up to her mouth and touched her teeth.“You did this to me.And my government did this.”Her other hand moved to her lower abdomen.

One thing at a time.“You know about the babies.”

“‘Babies,’” she echoed.“I can hear them now.So loud.”

Amaros tried to gauge how she felt about them through her voice, but her words came out too soft.“Did you volunteer for the procedure—?”

She erupted with a high-pitched laugh as she tipped her head back.The sound filled the room and briefly reverberated through the dome above the bed.The laughter was short-lived.“I would never,” she sneered.

“Tell me what happened?”His heart ached at her words, which thumped hard in his chest.

When her gaze shot to the area of his chest, he knew she picked up on it separate from the ones within her.

Warmth spread throughout his form at the thought that his mate was attuned to him.

Her throat moved as she swallowed hard.

He hadn’t been around a pregnant vamp often and wondered if Michaela was nauseous.If she were, he’d understand since she was carrying three babies.

“Michaela...”he urged.

“I just wanted the money.”She shook her head and glanced out of the bay window.Darkness had now settled, but with her vampiric abilities, she still should be able to see across the lawn and the top of the greenhouse in the distance.

He frowned because even though she’d been in hospital garb when he found her, he’d seen and touched her body.The things she had done would have been costly ventures before the humans went to the ground, so he could only imagine how much hair dye and full body laser hair removal would run with limited resources.He almost laughed because, as a Vampire, she would have eventually lost most of her body hair, and what was on her head would no longer grow.Their kinds’ bodies no longer produced dead cells.Her natural nails wouldn’t grow either, but part of the powers she would develop would allow her to extend sharp, claw-like nails when she needed them to fight or slice through whatever she chose.

“Are you telling me you were without funds, and somehow your government used that to lure you to do things?”He moved toward her, his fist clenched in his pockets so he wouldn’t scare her.

“Yes.”She met his gaze and shrugged a shoulder.“That I know of, thirteen of us volunteered to live in a lab for a short period for research to cure the disease.We were supporting science and helping humanity.”A dry chuckle came from her parted lips.

That shit didn’t make sense when the preternatural council already had an agreement with them to provide the human government with enough mixed serum to begin to heal the population.So, why were they dragging in people under the guise that they needed help?

“How long were you there?”

She shook her head and shrugged both shoulders this time.“Weeks, months...I don’t know.They controlled everything.If the lights were on, we were up and in and out of the lab for one thing or another.If the lights were out, we had to keep quiet and sleep, but without time, it could have been only an hour that passed or several.”

Michaela held his gaze as he slowly closed the distance between them.“But they locked us in unless theynee—dedus.”

Her voice broke, but she didn’t cry, and for a moment, her eyes looked haunted, and she was far away mentally, causing the air between them to feel cold.

Do you want to tell me what they did?he urged gently.The information would not only be helpful in the next few days when the council met, but he also wanted to know what his mate had been through and share the burden of her pain.

In a blink, she was back with him and inhaling deeply.

The air became charged.

“No.Not now,” her voice took on a husky lilt.

His body responded to the change.

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