Free Kyn Series by Mina Carter

caring if that showcased her lack of breeding. Who cared anyway? All it meant was Mommy and Daddy had been lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths. She stood in a lithe movement and stalked past the small group of women. Her nerves disappeared as she drew the mask of a warrior over herself. She met their eyes challengingly—the lethal grace of a born predator in every line of her body—then hid a satisfied smile as they nearly fell over themselves to get out of her way.
    They might look down on her for what she was, but at the end of the day, she’d rather spend her time doing something useful like protecting people by fighting the rogue, than live a pampered and useless existence. Wrapped in cotton wool, these women wanted for nothing. The only thing required of them was to look pretty, offer their throats to the guys their daddies picked out for them, and pray like hell they were fertile enough to conceive.
    She curled her lip. Although they were born Kyn, the descendants of demon warriors transported from their own dimension to this one a millennia ago, they’d forgotten the meaning of the word ‘predator.’ Half were probably afraid of their own shadows, and the rest preferred to fight with words. The nobles might consider the warrior caste dinosaurs, but it was the noble class who were slowly killing their race.
    Needing to get away, she headed out onto the terrace. Stepping into the cool darkness, she closed her eyes in relief and turned her face up to bask in the silvery light of the moon.
    Within seconds her peace was shattered by a voice from the darkness. “I wondered how long it would take you to come out here.”
    She turned, startled. It was a familiar voice. One she’d been waiting all night to hear since taking that silent walk down the aisle, his eyes unreadable.
    Kalen’s voice.
    Her heart leapt, did that frantic little dance behind her ribcage as everything female in her screamed, Me. Me. Notice me . It was an instinctive reaction, one she’d tried for years to smother, but it just wouldn’t go away.
    Reality returned as she remembered where they were, and more importantly, how she was dressed. “Yeah, no prizes for that one. Anyone with half a brain can see I don’t fit in with polite society.”
    Her reply was without its usual bite. Surrounded by Kyn warriors, the meanest sons of bitches out, she was expected to be mean and tough…so she was. A ‘Grade A Bitch.’ She hid her true self, one of a gentler and more sensitive nature, so no one, especially Kalen, would see it. She just couldn’t muster the mask at the moment. She was too far out of her comfort zone, dressed up in unfamiliar finery and feeling as though she’d had the stuffing knocked out of her.
    She walked over to the stone railings that bordered the terrace, next to a set of steps that led down into the gardens. Her hands rested on the cool stone as she took in a breath of night air. Planted with the Kyn in mind, the gardens were filled with night blooming flowers, the gentle scent soothing her agitation for a moment. A tranquility that only lasted a few seconds as his voice sounded right beside her ear. She jumped a little. She hadn’t heard him move. The last time anyone had been able to sneak up on her like that was…years ago.
    “You look different dressed up.”
    His voice was a whisper of sound in the darkness that sent a warm shiver down her spine, as if he’d reached out and run a large hand over her sensitive skin. She ignored it and snorted.
    “No shit, Sherlock. You’ve never seen me in a dress before.”
    There was silence behind her instead of the derisive chuckle she expected. Instead, she felt him lean closer. So close, she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck, whispering across the tiny hairs on her skin.
    “No, but I like it.” His deep voice dripped with temptation. Whirling around, she expected to see a grin on his face as he made fun of her again.
    But he didn’t, his