Free HeroRevealed by Anna Alexander Page B

drawn features into the
charismatic man Kristos remembered. “You do have a suicide wish, don’t you? The
pride that woman has for her profession shines around her like a halo. It’s her
calling. She worked hard and made sacrifices to obtain her position. Did you
think she would give it all up because of your profession of love?” When he
didn’t respond Lucian rolled his eyes. “Mercy take you, you did. It takes a
strong woman to be mated to a Llanos and I’ve never thought of the
sheriff as weak.”
    His spine snapped in indignation. “I know she’s not weak.
Brett is one of the strongest women I’ve ever known. She’s brave, intelligent
and has a warrior’s spirit that not even half of our troops possessed. What
that one tiny woman can accomplish frankly scares the shit out of me.”
    “Imagine the damage she could do if she knew our origins.”
    Kristos controlled his wince and continued to prepare for
his shower, only to be pushed against the wall to face his brother’s volcanic
rage. “You told her!”
    He pushed back against the solid wall of muscle. “Of course
I did. She’s my mate.”
    “Let me see if I understand.” Lucian closed his eyes and
pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have exposed your abilities to the public,
fallen for a human who is the chief protector of her community, interfered with
her duties, told her that you are an alien with superhuman powers, then forbade
her from fulfilling her sworn oath after partially bonding with her.”
    “Maybe not in that order, but yes. Sit down before you
hyperventilate.” Kristos pushed his brother to sit on the bed. “Actually, she
took the alien part very well. She was intrigued, compassionate. I sensed no
fear from her. It couldn’t have gone better, until she was called into work.
Which reminds me, Brett’s reaction to our origins is the least of our worries.”
    “Let me guess, you’ve scheduled a press conference as the
Chameleon and are announcing that you are taking over the police force.”
    He wished, but Brett would have his balls in a vise if he
dared suggest it. “No. Yesterday, when I was in that tunnel, I lost my powers.”
    Lucian turned statue still. “Explain.”
    “I don’t know if I can. There I was, moving rock and dirt,
forging a path to free Brett. The deeper I got, the more my muscles ached, my
speed slowed. It was as if something was leaching away my strength. I felt
human.”
    “Any other side effects?” Lucian jumped to his feet and
began to pace. His movements reminded Kristos of the general Lucian once was.
As Lucian paced, he tapped his finger against the tip of his nose.
    “Just a lingering lethargy. It reminded me of that four-day
training exercise over the Tulitian Mountains, when every man in the corps
wanted you dead for pushing our bodies beyond all limits. No one was able to
move without wincing for at least a week.”
    His eyes lit up with the memory. “When did your strength
return?”
    “As soon I climbed out of that hole. I wasn’t back to
normal, but significantly better.”
    “There must be something there, a mineral or plant life that
affects our powers,” he mused out loud. “What is this tunnel used for?”
    “That’s one of the issues. It’s not supposed to be there.
The national park is a protected area. It was pure misfortune that those
adolescents were there when the roof collapsed. There was another cave-in this
morning a quarter of a mile away but along the same path. I followed Brett to
the site. She suspects that someone is hiding something. Once she made it
safely to the station I came back here.”
    “I’ll do some research on the geology of the area, collect
some specimens.” Lucian strode toward the door with an energy in each
long-legged stride Kristos hadn’t seen since they fought the Revolutionaries.
He stopped in the doorway and turned back with a pointed finger. “I have not
forgotten about your actions. I forbid you from donning the royal armor