Free Fated by Rebecca Zanetti Page B

the teapot down that she’d just picked up. Lucky for her not a drop spilled onto his thick desk. “Er, no Master Kalin, not yet.” Her gaze stayed on the pot even as her shoulders stiffened to rock.
    Lorcan frowned. Damn. Blythe had mated her nearly a year ago—what was the problem? The clairvoyant woman had made a deal with the devil, and she’d better keep up her end. She was what, a starving homeless artist when they found her? The gods certainly had a sense of humor requiring his superior race to mate with their own prey.
    “Hm. Pity that. Well, we could always use you for the experiments.” Leather protested as Kalin shifted his weight. “Or I could knock you up. Blythe need never know.”
    Her gasp preluded the sharp smell of sulfur that accompanied raw terror.
    Lorcan rolled his eyes. “You’re dismissed. I’ll pour my own tea.” Now the little shit was offering to procreate with the mates of his soldiers. What was next?
    Her muffled “Yes, sir,” barely made sound as she all but ran out the door.
    “Jesus, Kalin. She almost spilled on my desk.” Lorcan leaned forward and poured tea into his cup, raising his eyebrow at his son.
    “No, thanks. Tea’s not my thing,” Kalin said, his gaze on the door.
    A warning tingle wandered down Lorcan’s spine. “She’s a mate, Kalin. You leave Lila alone.” That’s all he needed—a war among his own people. Killing was a fine sport, but as a future leader, Kalin needed to learn diplomacy. Strategy. “Plus, the mating allergy might kill you at your age.”
    Kalin shrugged, settling back into the chair. “No worries. She’s not my type.”
    “You’re fifteen. You have a type?”
    “Yeah. Fighting mad and desperate. I’d be bored in two minutes with that bitch. We should use her for the experiments.” Kalin flashed his canines again. “Speaking of challenges, how did the conversation go with the king? I take it they have our females?”
    Fury danced along Lorcan’s spine. “Yes.”
    “Hmm. Well, we’d better get going on the experiments. You know one of the Kayrs will mate the mother.”
    Bastards. “I know. We’ll get to her before that.” Lorcan took a sip of the tea, and orange spice exploded across his taste buds.
    “Maybe.” Kalin rubbed his chin. “I’ve always wondered why they only get one mate. I mean, if one of ours dies, we can just get another to give birth.”
    Lorcan shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s their biggest weakness.”
    “Or, their biggest strength,” Kalin said, pursing his lips.
    Perhaps. Lorcan took another gulp. “Though, we have had Kurjans mate for life.”
    “But you didn’t.” The purple in Kalin’s eyes swirled with the green. “With my mother, I mean.”
    “No,” Lorcan agreed, a pit lodging in his stomach. “Though I didn’t kill her, Kalin.” He wondered if Kalin would’ve engaged in his extracurricular activities if his mother had lived. Had shown him the love of a female, if the worthless bitch had been capable of it. Not that Lorcan gave a shit. But, if the hunt, if the killing, overshadowed the war at hand, then Kalin must stop.
    “I know. She killed herself the day after birthing me.” No emotion showed on the young man’s face. Maybe he had no real emotions.
    “Yes, Kalin.” And it worked out—now Lorcan could mate the Paulsen woman. “Your mother was a whore I took off the streets of Dublin.” But a gifted one and not just with her mouth. “How are your psychic abilities coming along?”
    Kalin shrugged. “Well enough to know that my young mate won’t be captured.”
    That was unacceptable. Kayrs couldn’t hide the child forever. “You’re wrong; we’ll acquire your mate.”
    Kalin hissed out a breath. “I already told you—I don’t want her acquired yet.”
    Shaking his head, Lorcan sipped more tea. “Of course you do. If we get the child now, you’ll have time to train her—to teach her our ways.”
    Standing and heading toward the door, Kalin turned. “I