hope for the rest of us.”
“Are you serious?” Incredulous anger colored her tone. He turned to her in surprise.
Her hands were propped on her hips, her brows drawn into a frown as she stared at him as though he
had lost his mind.
“In what way?” he asked her carefully. Damn, she could be mercurial.
“The beast overcoming him?” She snorted in a less than ladylike fashion. He could likely blame Kane for
that habit. “More likely his human nature coming out. Dammit, Callan, animals do not betray each other.
Check out the Discovery Channel a little more often. You need to research, hon. Only humans sell each
other out, only humans kill for no reason. It would say that perhaps Dayan got a little more human coding
than the rest of you did.”
She crossed her arms over her breasts, staring him down as though he were a child in need of a lecture.
Where was this woman’s fear? Her respect? Even the scientists had shown him greater fear.
He lifted a brow at her. She didn’t understand what the scientists had created, how they had attempted
to train them. He could forgive her the ignorance, he decided.
“Oh, look at that brow arching,” she said mockingly. “Lion-O thinks he knows better.”
Callan clenched his teeth.
Merinus threw her hands up in defeat.
“Fine, believe what you want to,” she bit out. “Just like a man, you will anyway. But I’m telling you right
now, and you’ll find out I’m right, Callan Lyons, Dayan is a typical psychopath. It’s there in those beady
little eyes of his. I never did trust him.”
“There is such a thing as a typical psychopath? Did you see this on the Discovery Channel as well,
darling?”
Her eyes widened at the little dig, her head tilting, considering.
“I’m sure it aired and I’m certain I’m right. I have a brother that’s into pop psychology, he would know
all about it and I’m sure he would agree with me.”
Figured. Was there anything those brothers of hers didn’t do? And did they ever disagree with the little
imp standing across from him? It occurred to him that she might be just a bit spoiled by those brothers of
hers.
“So what are you going to do?” There went those hands on those slender hips again.
Her breasts pushed out against the T-shirt, the hard nipples like a beacon to his eyes. How was a man
supposed to think when confronted with such a sight?
“I told you, I will decide by tomorrow,” he growled, fighting a lust that had nothing to do with any scent
of need coming from her body. For a change, the lava hot scent was barely present. What he detected
now though, was much more destructive. A woman irritated, angry, and just plain, pure aroused. His
cock throbbed.
“Well, you know what I think. Now I’m going to go take a bath and you can sit here and brood all you
want to. Then I’ll fix dinner. I make a great pasta salad.”
She swept from the room before he could snarl. Pasta salad? He didn’t think so.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Merinus made her pasta salad to accompany Callan’s steaks and baked potatoes. They ate silently, then
cleaned the kitchen together. Pouring her a glass of wine, Callan led her back to the living room.
His silence wasn’t nerve wracking. Merinus could tell he was thinking, weighing the options they had.
Not that she saw many options. Kane was going to have to be called, whether he liked it or not. Her
family was their only hope.
She sat on the couch while he paced the room and ignored the heat building between her thighs. She
more than admitted that the normal desire she felt for him was bad enough, but this building tension, this
wildness that seemed to get worse with each fucking was making her crazy.
“Take off the shirt.” His voice was strained, rough with his demanding sexuality.
Merinus glanced up in surprise as he stalked toward her. His movements slow and graceful, the jeans
hugging the bulge between his thighs that seemed to grow larger as he came closer.
His expression was intent, almost feral. His eyes were bright, glowing in the deep tan of his face.
Merinus felt her heart beat quickly, her breathing becoming deep and rough as she licked her lips in
anticipation. This would be a mating. The times before had been sheer lust, an easing of the burning fire
that raged between them. But this time would be different, she could feel it.
She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing the shirt over her head with a languid movement as she
lifted her legs to the couch, leaving them slightly bent, closed. She wouldn’t submit to him easily. For a
moment, it worried her, the feeling that rushed over her body. She felt almost animalistic, the need for him