North backed toward the door through which they had just entered, and they moved with her, allowing a few steps before they stopped near the door and around it. The message was clear that they weren’t going to let her leave, but in spite of that, she didn’t find their body language threatening. “What do you people want with me?” It seemed like everyone wanted something from her since the moment her father had died.

“Like Eli said, we just want to help,” said Marek.

North turned slightly to give him a scalding glare. “If you wanted to help me, why did you kidnap me?”

“We got you out of there before Carol Allis had a chance to call for backup,” said Ryland.

“And you couldn’t just explain that then?” She crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the five of them in turn before turning her attention back to Eli. “I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know right now.”

“Fair enough. Have you ever heard of the mythics, North?”

As she shook her head, Kriss took a step forward. “You should wait for Caius to explain.”

Eli shrugged. “I had a brief talk with Caius, and he agreed I should be the one to break the news to North since we have a rapport.”

She couldn’t hold back a snort. “We don’t have anything, let alone a rapport. I barely know you, Dr. Scott.”

He gave a melodramatic wince. “Ouch. You don’t have to hurt my feelings, precious.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just tell me what you have to say so I can get out of here.” Where she was going, she didn’t entirely know, but she was certain it wasn’t going to be back to the Allises, and she wasn’t staying around here with these six weirdos—no matter how handsome they were.

“We aren’t really called the mythics, except as a collective term we all agreed upon a few hundred years ago. It’s almost a tongue-in-cheek poke at the obliviousness of humanity.”

She blinked her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“There are multiple planes of existence in the world, North, and each one is populated by various species. There is mingling, of course, but we tend to stay in our own plane, except when it comes to Earth, which is a nexus point. Here, we all mingle if we choose to settle among the humans. It’s imperative to keep our existence secret though. Humans are far too likely to go off and make unwise decisions based on fear rather than try to find a way to coexist.”

“It’s basically for humanity’s sake that we stay hidden,” said Eamon, whose ears turned red at the tip when he spoke in her direction. He didn’t quite look at her, but it was clear he was trying.

North’s head whirled, then started to pound. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re talking about, but you sound completely insane. I need to go now.”

“Give me a few more minutes, please. It won’t cost you anything, and it might answer some of your own questions, like what the Allises want with you.”

She stiffened at Eli’s words, ignoring the coaxing tone, but swayed by the implication that he knew what the Allises planned with Douglas. “You have five minutes, and then I’m leaving, and none of you are stopping me.”

They all made a show of nodding, but she wasn’t convinced by their apparent acquiescence. She suspected it was simply their attempt to keep her docile and complacent by appearing to agree to her terms. She had a sinking feeling none of the six would let her leave even after five minutes. She would have to escape.

“The mythics have fought wars over the millennia, but we’ve reached a truce that is sometimes tenuous, but has lasted for five centuries. Our groups formed the Council, comprised of all of us and represented by at least one being from each realm. There’s even a human on the Council.” He flashed her a smile.

“Let me see if I have this straight. You claim you’re all some kind of…creatures from other realms, and you live here on Earth as part of some kind of intergalactic U.N., while ignorant humans go about their daily lives with no clue what’s going on around them. Is that about right?” She felt ridiculous even saying the words.

“And there are portals between each realm, but they’re carefully guarded, and access is restricted only to approved travelers, and never in large groups.” Orin offered that explanation.

She was certainly surrounded by lunatics, but perhaps she should indulge them for the moment. “Why can’t they travel in large groups?”

“No one wants to be on the receiving end of an ambush, and restricting access to the portals prevents any one group of beings raising an army and attacking another plane, or destroying the nexus point. There are some who would do that as well, believing the races should be separated.”

It was a struggle not to roll her eyes. “What does all this have to do with me?”

Eli picked up the explanation from Orin again. “You have to have blood of at least one of the mythic races in your veins to be able to pass through the portals. It takes a great deal of power to keep them open or open them, so there’s only one portal in every realm, and they all lead first to Earth, and then whichever realm one chooses from there. The system works, but there are those who would prefer to have their own portal at their command, and they’re the dangerous ones. Someone like you is of great interest to them, and at great risk.”

She took a step back in spite of herself, almost colliding with Ryland before stopping with one foot off the ground. She settled it again and re-stabilized her position. “What do I have to do with any of this story?”

The doctor’s eyes narrowed at her scathing tone, but he didn’t call her on it. “You’re a Trueblood, North.”

She arched her brow. “I see. Thank you for the explanation, but five minutes must’ve passed by now. It’s time for me to leave.”

“You don’t even know what a bloody Trueblood is,” growled Kriss in a voice filled with irritation. “Just be quiet and listen for a few minutes.”

She glared at him, but didn’t speak again. Instead, she just stared at Eli and waited for more nonsense to spill from his mouth.

“What’s a Trueblood, you ask?” His tone was mocking. “I’d be happy to tell you, North. A Trueblood has blood from all the races, meaning he or she has the potential to tap into multiple powers, and the strongest Truebloods can open portals whenever and wherever they want. As you can imagine, there are some who would like to control that kind of power—some like your parents, and their group.”

North stiffened. “The Allises aren’t my parents. They might be biologically, but I don’t trust them.” She didn’t trust the men surrounding her either, but she was wise enough not to utter those words.

“It’s a good thing you don’t,” said Ryland. “They’re part of a group of mythics who have been practicing eugenics, with the end goal of creating the ultimate Trueblood. I don’t know how Sam realized your importance, but when he took you from Jim and Carol, he was saving you from the fate of growing up under the control of that group. A spy on their side tells us the leader believes you’re the strongest Trueblood that’s been born in twelve hundred years. They carefully calibrated and paired off generations of assorted mythics in order to breed you.”

She shuddered at the words, even though she wasn’t certain she believed them. The idea was horrifying, especially when she recalled Jim and Carol’s assertions that the group meant more to them than she did. They had planned to hand her over to Douglas, though she still didn’t know what he planned for her. Did he buy into all this crazy stuff too?

“Who is Pytor Douglas, and what does he want with me?”

“He’s the leader, and Ryland just told you what he wants,” said Marek. “He wants to train you to unleash your powers, and then control you for his own ends.”

Her headache increased sharply, and she rubbed at her temples. “What is his end goal?”

“He wants to do away with the Council and conquer all the races. He’s a shifter like me, but a dragon, and he believes we should be at the apex of the leadership pyramid, with humanity at the very bottom, enslaved by us. He finds humans inferior because most have lost or forgotten their magic over the years, and those who retain it often ignore or deny it,” said Eli.

“Now you’re talking magic? Just how gullible do you think I am? I don’t know what you have planned, but I don’t think I’m any safer here than I was at the Allises’.” As she said it, North wasn’t entirely certain she believed the words herself. She was still scared, and they were obviously unbalanced, but she didn’t have the same level of fear with these six that she experienced when she was near Douglas, and she wasn’t feeling it was as urgent to escape as she had upon overhearing the other group’s plans for her last night.

“I assume we’ll have to show you to prove it to you.” Eamon was one who spoke, stepping forward as he did so. He cupped his hands together, and a moment later, a glowing purple orb appeared between them. As he stretched out his hands, it grew larger, crackling with energy that made the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen and sent nausea racing up her esophagus. “I’m heir-apparent to the McCrory Coven, and we control the Baelic realm.”

Despite the chill going down her spine, North rejected the demonstration. “That has to be some kind of trick. An optical illusion and nothing more.”

Orin stepped forward next, pushing the long black hair behind his ears and down his back. The gesture revealed pointed ears. “I’m Orin Aelfryck, a dark elf of the Fae realm.”

She arched her brow in skepticism. “That can be makeup and prosthetics. What’s your magic power, dark elf?”

He flashed her a grin that was entirely carnal in nature. “I can control elements of nature and project illusions, but my preferred method to tap into my powers is through sex magic. If you care to lend me a hand, I can give you a demonstration?”

She shivered at the image of touching his dark skin, and it wasn’t at all from fear or unpleasantness. She schooled her expression to hide any hint of her thoughts. “I’ll just take your word for it then.”

He looked disappointed as he stepped back, waving a hand in Kriss’s direction. “Care to go next?”

As Kriss stepped forward, so did Marek. They were standing near each other, and they exchanged fierce glares for a moment before he seemed to remember they were there to show her their so-called magic. “I’m a fire angel,” said Kriss.

“And I’m an ice demon,” said Marek.

It was harder to find a way to disbelieve them and their demonstration as flaming wings grew from Kriss’s back while Marek sprouted small crystal horns on his head that sparkled like perfect diamonds. She quaked with fear for a moment, but struggled to reassert control of her emotions and remain logical. “That’s just impossible, and didn’t you mess up the mythos anyway? It’s supposed to be demons who are hot and fiery, and angels who are good and bright.”

When Marek flashed her a grin, he revealed he had developed a set of fangs on the top and bottom, and they gleamed wickedly. “The reality sometimes gets blended and mashed up, especially by humans. The truth is, demons and angels can call on either fire or ice, because of the powers in our realm. It has more to do with your clan and which side of the divide you’re born on than whether you’re an angel or a demon.”

She frowned. “You live on the same plane?”

“We do.” Kriss’s teeth had not elongated as evidenced when he smiled. “It’s Celestina.”

“He means Haedra,” said Marek with a deep rumble in his tone.

Kriss’s back arched, and he turned to glare at Marek. “I know what I mean, iceman.” He said the words as though they were unspeakably foul.

Marek took a step closer, and a tail she hadn’t seen before snaked out and wrapped around Kriss’s wrist. “Watch your tone, son of flame. You would hate to be the cause of the end of our cease-fire.”

“And you would hate to be a casualty for your side.”

“Enough,” roared Eli, and the men shared a glare for another half-second before they both took a step back. “We’re not here for petty squabbles. When you volunteered and were selected for this assignment, Caius made it clear you had to put aside the conflict of your people to work together for North. Have you forgotten that?”

Neither man answered directly, but they both shook their heads, not looking at anyone.

Eli nodded, looking satisfied as he turned to face North. “It’s my turn for the unveiling, I suppose, precious. Saving the best for last, and all that.”

He ignored the babble of protesting voices behind him, and North found it impossible to focus on anything but Eli as he calmly undressed. “What are you doing?” There was a lump in her throat, and she had to clear it a couple of times before she could swallow. “Put your clothes on.”

“Soon.” That was the only word he spoke as the last of his clothing hit the floor. A moment later, his body seemed to melt, losing its distinctly human shape for a moment before reforming into a smaller, sleeker shape—and one covered with brown fur the same shade as his hair.

When he looked up at her, his muzzle was distinct, and the gold rings she’d seen around his eyes in the ER were suddenly the dominant color in his irises. Seeing the wolf before her who had once been a man shattered the last of her control, and she started to scream. She tried backing away from them, but they were still blocking the door, so she turned direction and backed the other way. Her entire body shook from fear, and she couldn’t seem to rein in the panic.

A hand fell on her arm, and she looked over her shoulder to find herself staring into the colorless eyes of Ryland. He looked calm, and that made her feel calmer, though she still couldn’t seem to stop shaking even as she managed to cut off the screams. “I…”

“It’s all right. It’s a lot to take in, but I can help you feel better, if you’ll allow it?”

She was beyond consenting or denying his offer of help. All she could do was focus on stifling the urge to keep screaming, which would do nothing to save her.

He seemed to take her silence for acquiescence, and he moved around to stand in front of her. When his hand cupped her chin, she looked up at him doubtfully. As his head lowered, she was more and more convinced he planned to kiss her, and not only was it a wildly inappropriate time, but she was certain her lips wouldn’t even be still long enough to allow such a feat. They would certainly part to issue more screams as soon as her tenuous self-control collapsed.

Instead of kissing her, he paused about a half-inch away from her mouth. “Part your lips.”

She wanted to refuse, but part of her must have wanted to obey, because her lips parted with a small gasp.

“Just relax. This never hurts. You’ll feel better in a moment.”

He started inhaling, at first shallowly, then deeply. With each breath he took, she could feel some of her tension draining away, along with the fear seeping from her.

After thirty seconds or so, Ryland took a step back, turned his head, and coughed. A cloud of putrid green escaped him, and he looked haggard for a moment before his features smoothed, and he glanced at her again. “Better?”

Feeling numb, she nodded. “How did you do that?”

“I’m a psychic vampire. I feed on emotions, but feelings like fear have a bitter aftertaste and leave a cloud to dispel.”

She wanted to call him insane, but she was feeling the effects of whatever he had done to her, and having witnessed it with her own eyes, it was growing harder to disbelieve their claims. “I thought vampires drank blood and had fangs?”

He shrugged. “I can do that, but I get greater sustenance from emotional feeding than drinking blood.”

“I guess she didn’t save the best for last,” said Orin with a chuckle directed toward Eli.

As they bantered for a moment, she allowed their voices to wash over her without concentrating on any of them. She was still struggling to take in everything she’d learned when the room suddenly fell completely silent. There was a coldness seeping in, and she shivered. Without thought, she moved closer to Eli, who seemed to be radiating heat like a furnace.

A small moan of fear escaped her as a tall man with craggy features, tanned skin, and golden eyes entered the room. He had long white hair that hung down to the middle of his back and took each step as though he carefully measured doing so ahead of time, weighing his options and deciding on the most beneficial course. He remanated wisdom, but no warmth. She shivered again.

“You’ve enlightened her, Eli?” asked the man.

“I have, Caius.”

Those golden eyes focused on her, but his expression gave away nothing. “What do you think of what you’ve heard, young Trueblood?”

Her back stiffened, and she had to swallow before she could answer. “I think you’re all crazy.”

Caius surprised her by giving a small chuckle, and the temperature in the room seemed to warm infinitesimally. “I’m certain you wish we were, but I believe you know in your heart we’re telling you the truth, North. No doubt, it resonates within you, awakening knowledge you’ve possessed all along, but remained oblivious to until this moment.”

She wanted to deny his words, but that was exactly how it felt. It was like a cross between an epiphany and a memory, and the more she accepted of what they had told her, the easier it was to believe it all. “Are they really after me?”

He arched a shaggy white brow. “The Allises and Douglas?” At her nod, he nodded too. “Their entire group as well. There are others out there who would seek to exploit your power as well, North. When they get hold of people like you, they aren’t kind. Truebloods are rare, and even the weakest ones have value.

“Their powers can be drained, they can be enslaved, and some believe that if you combine the blood of enough Truebloods, you can still open a portal even without a living Trueblood. I’ve heard rumors of experiments, but I’ve never witnessed such a thing. I know that when Truebloods are born, they have to be carefully guarded, or they are likely to disappear and never be seen again.”

She swallowed as she struggled to absorb the words, wishing she could doubt them, but finding them all too believable in the circumstances. “Do you think my father…Sam Campbell…knew what I was?”

Caius nodded. “Undoubtedly. He was a caladrius, but I believe his mother or grandmother had some Baelic blood. He might’ve had a psychic vision, or perhaps he just sensed they had ill intentions. I have no doubt either way that he recognized you as a Trueblood at your birth, and the fact of the matter is, he took you away, but obviously not for his own selfish ends. He never made any attempt to utilize your powers, did he?”

A shaky laugh escaped her. “I have no powers, but no, Dad never tried to exploit anything. He kept me safe and loved me, and he’s my father in every way that counts.”

Caius didn’t respond to the hint of defensiveness in her voice, and he seemed unbothered by her assertions. “That doesn’t surprise me. Caladrii absorb sickness while returning health. The gift of healing comes with a price though, because the caladrius takes the sickness into itself, and if it isn’t completely expelled, it builds up over time and drains the life force.

“Yet knowing that, many caladrii, or those with caladriun blood, are drawn to the healing professions. It’s in their very nature, and Sam was no doubt responding to a call he couldn’t ignore when he became a doctor. It was probably much the same when he realized what you were, and how much danger you faced.”

“Is that why he died so young?”

Caius shrugged. “Perhaps, but if he stayed hidden in isolation with you, he would only absorb your sickness, so it would’ve taken only a small toll on him. He’s as mortal as the rest of us though, and time takes its toll. Only a few are spared the slow drain of time and the cold hand of death.”

“I wonder if that’s why I was never sick? Dad was healing me?”

“Or perhaps your shifter blood protected you,” said Eli. “Shifters rarely fall ill.”

She shot him a dubious look. “You’re claiming I’m like you?”

“No, you’re like all of us,” said Orin. “You have the blood of all the mythics mixed in your veins, and while you might not be able to tap into all the powers, you should have a few dominant ones.”

She frowned. “And that’s what I’m here for, to unlock these powers?” It sounded awful to her, and she had to stifle the impulse to run away. Only the concern in the expressions around her, along with Caius’s words about being abused and controlled, kept her in the room.

“That’s somewhat true,” said Kriss guardedly. “You’ll hopefully tap into the powers inside you in each of the realms as we visit, and we’ll do our best to help you train and find your strengths.”

Her headache increased yet again. “Travel? What do you mean? Do you expect me to go to the realms?”

“That’s part of what your duty will be,” said Caius. “Too many people know of your existence, so you can’t just hide away. There will be those who want to meet you and fawn over you, and it’s good for you to learn everything you can about the races and the realms. You’ll also be trying to unlock your powers, and the six men surrounding you will be your guards. One of them will become more, and that will be your choosing.”

She shook her head. “More what?”

Caius spoke calmly, as though the words he said made complete sense. “You will choose a mate from among the six, and he will be a natural complement. Your power will enhance his, as his will do the same for you. As you travel and meet the races and train, you’ll also be selecting a husband from the men around you.”

She glared at him. “No one’s going to tell me who I have to marry.”

Caius lifted a hand, looking unconcerned by her anger. “You can fight your fate, but the Oracle has foreseen that your mate is among these six. That’s why they were chosen as your guards, and not just because each represents a member of all the races. Your destiny awaits you, and you can’t outrun it forever.”

“I don’t want any of this.”

Caius apparently wasn’t entirely unsympathetic, but he wasn’t warm or emotional either. “I’m certain there are few Truebloods who ever wanted what fate thrust upon them, but it is what it is. These men will guard you with their lives and be by your side for every step of the journey. You have no choice in this. If you flee, the pattern destiny has designed for you will still find a way to assert itself.”

She hated the way he spoke, as though everything was an enigmatic puzzle, and as though Fate was some malicious bitch sitting off to the side carefully planning ways to torture her. “I need time to think and process this.”

“Of course. Show her to her room, gentlemen.” Caius nodded at her. “I’ll see you later this evening, North.” His feet made no sound as he crossed the glossy marble floor, and only the slight swish of his robe betrayed any hint of his departing presence at all.