Page 18 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

People don’t and, for the most part, can’t hide their aura, but Zac is excellent at seeing through shields.

“She is hiding it.”

“And she’s human?” Zac questions.

“I believe so. But she’s unusual. She reacts to the slightest movements and holds herself like a fighter.”

“She does work for a security firm,” Zac points out.

“Her advisor and bodyguard also shield their minds, but not their auras. One employee could be a coincidence, but three?” I don’t elaborate any further, wanting Zac’s opinion without bias. “Assess her, and get Barney to do a more extensive background search.”

“Anything in particular you want him to look into?” Zac asks.

“Her parents… they are absent from her life. I want to know why. Also dig deeper into why she left New York.”

Zac raises his eyebrows. “You like her?”

I tilt my head in contemplation. “I like the idea of breaking her walls to find out what she is hiding.”

“You think she’s involved in the game?”

“No. But she isn’t telling the whole truth. I need to understand her.”

Zac rolls his eyes. “Ever the puzzle solver.”

I change the subject. “What about Khalkaroth? Any further sightings?”

Zac clasps his hands behind his head and leans back. “No. We found his location, but he’d already taken off when we raided the apartment. He’d set some interesting traps, though.”

“Anyone hurt?”

Zac shakes his head. “The lunar pythonares made for an interesting hour, but everyone’s fine.” I suppress a shiver—I hate hell snakes.

“Do you think he has her?”

“I don’t think he ever did. Someone’s feeding us false intel. That said, if he finds her first, he will protect her, making our lives harder.”

Rain begins to pelt the windows, as if the world is mourning the innocence it may yet lose. “It won’t matter. Once we have it, she will come, willingly, to her own destruction.”

Chapter Seven

Natia

Give a Taurus a comfortable couch and plenty of food. It doesn’t take much to satisfy them.

Standing under the hot shower, I lean my back against the cool tiles. The contrast helps erase the lingering sensations Archan has provoked in me. Humming softly while lathering my hair with shampoo, I hear a soft groan. Shrieking, I bump my head on the tiles. Shampoo stings my eyes, preventing me from opening them. Zee’s distinct laugh echoes around the room. Grabbing the shampoo, I throw it out of the shower, aiming in his general direction. I hear him catch it.

“Is that an offer to help wash your hair?” he rumbles.

“Get out!” I bark, frantically rubbing my face. When I open my eyes, he’s gone. I swear, I’m going take his balls and shove them up his ass. My foot touches something. I look down to find the shampoo bottle standing upright at my feet. I scream. Scrap that, I’m going to take his balls and mince them into food for stray dogs. The door flies open, and Aaden runs in. Fantastic, it’s See Natia Naked Day.

He scans the bathroom for the unseen threat. “What’s wrong?” In all fairness, his eyes don’t linger on me. He can keep his balls. He reaches to turn on the main light.

“No!” I squeak. “It’s Zee. I’ll deal with him later.”

Aaden huffs and stalks through the bathroom, going through the door to the adjoining bedroom. I roll my eyes at my own stupidity; I forgot the bathroom is shared.

Finished up, I braid my hair and pull on a pair of sleep shorts with little unicorns and match it with a tank top that reads, “Me, crazy? I should get down off this unicorn and slap you.” I like dressing to express how I feel.

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