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“Never.”
The man’s smirk made him squirm.
“And I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”
Claude sat back. He didn’t think Raiden meant a couple of decades. A suspicion made the hair at the back of his neck rise. “Are you part Akurn?” That would explain his white hair, but not the eyes and ears.
A brief nod. “Yes, my brothers and I are one of the first offspring between an Akurn woman and a male they genetically engineered.”
Claude swallowed. For Raiden to make that claim, he had to have been born when the Akurns came to Earth thousands of years ago.
“How...?”
Raiden raised his hand. “Your questions can be addressed at a later date. My biggest concern is that mental block on you. Are you sure you don’t know who put it there?”
Claude shook his head. He looped one arm across the back of the couch. “Well, I’ve gone through extensive training with the CIA on how to prepare myself for, er, personal invasion.” Torture. “But I haven’t had any training on how to prevent someone from assessing my mind.” Which now should be on the CIA’s agenda for recruits if he had anything to say about it.
“Exactly our problem.” Raiden sat back and church-steepled his fingers. “That’s why I called one of my brothers to help me.”
Footsteps from behind made Claude whip around. His eyes widened as a familiar figure strolled close.
Ben Duncan, the consultant who came into the small bank Claude worked undercover at in Vegas, stood there.
“What? Who?” He glanced back at Raiden. “This is your brother?” He stood and focused on Ben standing next to Raiden.
“Hello, Claude. It looks like neither one of us is who we thought we were.” Ben smirked with a raised brow.
While the two brothers looked nothing alike, their mannerisms were eerily similar.
“CIA, huh? I guess that’s why the vibe I got from you was a little off. I just assumed it had to do with the merger.” Ben clasped his hands behind his back.
Claude stepped back. “Are you going to touch my temple like your brother did?”
“Oh, I’m not a psychic like him. I’m an empath, and I’ve already gotten everything I need.” He turned to Raiden. “You’re right, someone has put a blocker on him and he doesn’t know who it is. But I get the sense that doesn’t matter to you, does it? My guess is you have some idea who’s involved.”
Raiden glared at Ben over his steepled fingers. “I have my suspicions, but the answer remains elusive.” His fingers clasped into a hard fist, the knuckles turning white.
The temperature in the room grew colder.
Claude clutched his hands to stop them from shivering.
Ben threw his head back and laughed. “Holy shit! I never thought I’d live to see the day somebody got the better of you, big brother. Wait ’til I tell Pete.”
Raiden’s expression hardened. He gestured in Claude’s direction. “Should you compel him to cooperate with us?”
Ben’s smile was wide as he crossed his arms.
For the first time, Claude noticed that instead of light blue, Ben’s eyes were identical to Raiden’s. Large, oval shaped, with dual colors of sunshine yellow surrounded by a sea of turquoise around the black pupils. “Holy shit! You’re an alien too!” Son of a bitch! He hadn’t been this wrong about somebody since his rookie days.
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Wow, aren’t you a quick study? Although technically, I’m only half alien.” His hands dropped as he addressed Raiden. “No, I don’t have to force him to do anything. He’s an open book and is eager to work with us. If nothing else, we could use his help with what’s going on down on Earth. The only problem I see is his obsession with Amata.”
“Amata?” The image of the lovely Akurn woman made Claude’s throat close. He wasn’t obsessed. He might have a slight attraction. Not that he’d admit that to them or himself.
“You stated you wish to aid us in halting the Akurn invasion. Is that correct?” Raiden stood.
Claude nodded.
“Very well. However, there is one stipulation. You are to leave the Akurn woman, Amata, alone. I will not have you making her uneasy, since she is a vital part of our collective.”
