She eyed a gun. If she could get past him—
“Don’t even think about it.” Irritation and warning filled his tone.
“Promise me you didn’t kill the doctor.”
“I promise.” His weapons removed, Max yanked the shirt over his head. A nearly healed wound marred his right shoulder. Tanned skin covered hard muscle, his abs tapering to a trim waist. So male.
Sarah’s abdomen heated. Her thighs softened. She shook her head. Her body might want the man, but her brain knew better. “Did you turn the doctor into a vampire?” God, were they going to turn her into a vampire? The idea of tasting someone’s blood made her want to hurl.
Max snorted. “You can’t turn someone into a vampire. We’re born, not made. Just another species on earth.”
Well. That was a new one. “Are vampires and Kurjans related?”
“No. We have the same number of chromosomes, but we’re too different. We must be different races.” He growled the last, as if maybe trying to convince himself as well as her.
“Chromosomes?”
“Yeah. Both vampires and Kurjans have thirty chromosomal pairs.” Max poked at the wound. “Sit down, Sarah. We need to talk.”
She eyed the stack of weapons and sat. “You drink blood?” Was he going to drink hers?
“We need blood like you do. But we only drink blood once in a while, either in battle ... or sex.”
Her body reacted to his low voice, her nipples sharpening into hard points. Sex and biting. Who knew? She sucked in air. “The sun doesn’t kill you?”
“Nope. We’re fine with the sun. But it does kill the Kurjans. Now, we need to talk.”
The man wanted to talk, did he? “My entire reality has come crashing down, numerous times. What bizarre facts do you want to hit me with now, Max?”
“ ‘There are no facts, only interpretations.’ ” He dropped onto the matching love seat.
“Seriously? You’re quoting Nietzsche?” Good looking, tough, and well learned. Who the hell was Max?
“Sorry.” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I’ve been studying to teach Janie—the educational television shows aren’t enough. I’m not doing a good enough job with her. Besides, I like Nietzsche.”
“Are your eyes metallic brown or pink?” The question slipped out before Sarah could bite it back. Damn curiosity.
“Both. Vampires have a main eye color and tributary colors that emerge when we’re emotional or stressed.”
“Weird.”
The door opened, and Conn loped to the dining room table, twirled a chair around and sat. “So. Let’s talk.” Dark green, almost metallic, eyes flashed.
“You’re a vampire, too.” Sarah shoved back into the sofa, crossing her legs. Dignity—she needed class and dignity—then she’d stake them. That legend had to be correct. A wooden stake through the heart would kill them. Probably.
“Yes. As is Jase, and our brother, Dage, who is also our king.” Conn nodded.
“The king you’re trying to save.” She glanced at the table of weapons. No stake there. “I need a stake.”
Conn shrugged. “Stakes don’t kill us.”
Well, that figured. She sighed. “Where is Jase?”
“Going through your records in the adjacent penthouse.” Max leaned forward. “Tell us about the night you saw the Kurjan, Sarah.”
Chills swept down her back. She clasped her shaking hands together in her lap. While she didn’t want to discuss it, there was no reason to hide anything, especially since Jase was currently reading Dr. Robard’s reports. “Fine. I went to my brother’s office one night to ask him about the latest financial report from the Mercury lab. The head office is kept separate from the labs, and Andrew works there in downtown Seattle.”
Sarah’s grandfather had raised her and Andrew when their mother had abandoned them. He left the majority of stock in the pharmaceutical research company to her, but Andrew ran the business as the CFO. She had always wanted to teach, and her grandfather had strongly encouraged her to follow her dreams. “The company will always be here, Bella,” he had said, his strong voice reassuring and safe.
Memories flooded into Sarah, and she caressed the threaded embroidery on the couch, allowing the seamstress’s joy to comfort her. “I should’ve had Andrew removed years ago. But I felt sorry for him. He’d already been through hell when Grandpa took us in.” Max had been through hell as a kid, too. Yet he’d turned a bad childhood around, becoming a protector. Maybe she should’ve cut ties with Andrew years ago.
She sighed. “The reports showed an outlandish amount of funding being allocated to research, and that didn’t make any sense. There were no protocols, no blind studies, nothing.” Her voice shook, and she coughed the nervousness out.
Max reached over and placed a calloused hand over hers.
For a brief moment, she allowed the warm strength to reassure her. “Well, that night I got to the top floor and heard noises from the smaller conference room. Figuring Andrew was inside, I headed that way.” She’d do almost anything to take that moment back. Just turn around and leave.
“What did you see?” Max asked quietly.
“Well, I turned a corner and ran smack into Lila Smythe, who was one of our marketing analysts.” A pretty redhead, the thirty-year-old had been with the company for nearly five years. The terror in her eyes as she grabbed Sarah would forever haunt her. “Lila was trying to get to the elevator very quietly. She shoved me and whispered we had to run.” So much fear had been in her terse voice Sarah hadn’t even questioned the woman. They’d run back to the elevator and pressed the DOWN button.
Sarah took a deep breath. “Male voices rose, arguing, and one was yelling something about a virus and how the vampires had found a way to stop the catalyst. That he needed the new data. None of it made any sense to me. Andrew stormed out of the conference room followed by ...” Her voice trailed off as she hesitated. God. She knew what to call him now. “A Kurjan.”
Max flipped her hand around, tangling their fingers. “What happened next, Sarah?”
“We pounded on the elevator door.” They’d pounded so hard. “The door finally opened. Fast. He moved so fast.” In less than a second the Kurjan reached Lila, hauling her up. “He sank his teeth, I mean fangs, into Lila’s neck, and pulled.” Blood. So much blood squirted out and Lila’s head rolled to the floor.
Sarah gagged. She slapped a hand over her mouth, sucking air through her nose.
“Deep breath, sweetheart. You’ve got it.” In one smooth movement, Max deserted his spot on the love seat and sat next to her on the sofa, dropping a heavy arm over her shoulders. “Keep breathing.”
Conn leaned forward, an odd silver ripping through his green eyes. “What then?”
Andrew rounded the corner, his hair mussed, his face pale. He stopped short. “I thought Andrew would help me.” Sure, they’d never been close. “But, he didn’t,” she whispered. Andrew glared at the Kurjan and asked how the hell he was supposed to clean up the mess. “The Kurjan’s name was Erik.”
Conn exhaled. “Interesting.” He cut his gaze to Max. “Franco’s brother, the scientist, is named Erik.” Conn focused back on Sarah. “Franco is the Kurjan leader.”
Max gave a short nod. “How did you get away, sweetheart?”
“I jumped inside the elevator just as the door was closing. I went immediately to the police station to report everything about the killing, a virus, and vampires. The police didn’t believe me.” Yet they’d sent a car to check out the scene.
“What about Lila?” Max asked.
Weariness lowered Sarah’s shoulders. “The police found her, right where she died. Andrew had an alibi—said he wasn’t even there.” She’d always wondered how much he’d had to pay his three poker buddies, one a retired judge, for the solid alibi. “The police determined I wasn’t strong enough to decapitate someone like that.” So they’d started searching for a dangerous killer.