CHAPTER TWO

B rooklyn Wade checked the vitals on two other vampires who had been caught in the action tonight. Not that they needed much help. Their fast metabolism pushed the toxin out of their systems quickly.

Mostly she was doing it so she didn't have to face the huge vampires that were taking up all the oxygen in the room.

She really wished they'd leave.

They were very intimidating.

Not that she was going to show them her fear. Ari and Sage had told her she was safe in the castle, and she'd believed them.

It had been a shock learning vampires were real.

After an existential crisis which Ari had said she could only have for twenty-four hours—boy, thanks —she'd agreed to join their team rather than have her memory wiped.

Brooklyn had worked for BioZen for this exact reason. Well, not vampires, though as it turned out, a couple of her former senior colleagues knew about them. She wanted to make a difference to lives and make amends for...well, a mistake she made earlier in her life.

She certainly never thought it would be another intelligent race she'd be helping, but it would be groundbreaking and it was interesting.

Brooklyn didn't want accolades.

She'd studied science, after training to be a nurse, and as it turned out, both those skillsets were just what Sage Moretti was after. Which is why she'd knocked on her door.

So, she'd taken those twenty-four hours and stared blankly into space all what in the loving fuck and considered her life.

At thirty-five, Brooklyn felt like her life was stuck in a Groundhog Day loop. Her guilt weighed on her shoulders and nothing she'd yet accomplished felt like it made enough of a difference.

Not one big enough to repent for killing her twin brother.

She pushed that thought away as quickly as it arrived and tossed a pair of gloves in the trash.

It wasn't the first or last time she'd done that. One would say she was an expert. But while Brooklyn could push the guilt and pain down, it never completely went away.

So when faced with the choice of doing something with a private company and so out of the box, she decided to do it.

After asking a million questions.

Ari assured her the vampires in the king's home would protect her, not harm her.

Then she'd met Logan stupid whateverhislastnamewas . Mathieson. But he didn't deserve her respect, so she pretended she didn't know his name.

He seemed to thrive on scaring her, so she tried her darndest not to cower when he was around.

"Boys," Sage insisted, and Brooklyn turned to take in her friend's lifted brow.

She had so much confidence around these vampires. Then again, she was one and her mate—as they were called—was enormous.

"No boys in here, Sage." Ben snorted.

Brooklyn knew all of them now. For one, she'd been told to learn who they were quickly—especially the senior warriors—and they kept ending up in the medical center for one reason or another.

Hilarious, given they were a semi-immortal species.

"Debatable," Craig mumbled.

"Good to see your sense of humor returning." Kurt coughed, clearing his throat. "After all that screaming. You nearly raised the dead."

"We were dead." Marcus moaned, rubbing the top of his head. "I need to go see my mate before this meeting."

As the warriors started piling out of the room, Brooklyn muttered to herself. "You weren't dead."

"What was that?" Logan asked as he climbed off the table.

Crap . She forgot he could hear everything.

Her eyes shot up to his. "Nothing."

"You still scared of me?" He smirked.

What an asshole.

"I'm not scared of you." Brooklyn lied. One thing she hadn't been prepared for was how beautiful they all were.

She'd known Sage from when they worked together at BioZen, but their paths had crossed only a few times. Now she had blossomed. And had a very, very handsome partner. Mate.

She'd never given it a second thought until arriving at the castle and her senses had been overwhelmed by the almost perfect race.

It was like being at a Magic Mike show. On steroids.

Then she had met Logan. Well...she'd been accosted by Logan. He'd turned up, just as he had today, shot by the serum and laid out on the table.

She knew his name but had not met him.

Instead of opening his eyes and making polite conversation like the other vampires, Logan grabbed her breast.

His eyes had been fuzzy and filled with lust.

It had terrified her.

Worse, her body had betrayed her by filling her with oxytocin. AKA becoming aroused. Brooklyn preferred to think of it as a hormone reaction, because she was not happy with it.

How dare he think he could just grab her body and it be okay.

"See you later, sunshine." He had taunted her after pinching her ass and leaving that day.

Now he was back.

Great.

"You still scared of me?"

"I'm not scared of you."

"Then why is your heart beating so hard, sunshine?" Logan leaned over the table, winking.

Brooklyn crossed her arms. "If you think I'm attracted to you, think again. This is just a heightened situation."

Logan snorted. "Calm down. I don't fuck humans."

The arrogant piece of...

"Bold of you to think you'd have the option," she replied, sounding far more confident than she was feeling.

His lips curled with distaste as her heart pounded faster.

Then he bared his fangs at her.

Brooklyn jumped back, her arms unfolding.

With a snicker, Logan winked and walked out of the room.

God, she hated him.