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This chapter contains an explicit sex scene. If you are reading this , you are consenting that you are at the age of 17 and above as per the guidelines.

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~~~~~

Danika woke up alone. It was a sudden, jerking alertness, and her body was extremely slow to follow. She was sore and battered and bruised. Every move hurt as she lifted her head to check the time. Eight p.m. Late evening sunlight streamed in under the blackout curtains. There were at least another two hours before she could venture safely outside.

Her legs shook when she stepped out of bed and had to sit back down. She really shouldn't have gone for that second round with Aarón the first time she woke up. He, at least, had the forethought to go slow. Unfortunately, her sleep-addled mind hadn't gotten the memo that her body was too worn out. But he was just lying there naked and too tempting to ignore.

Finally, she was able to stand without her legs giving out, and she crossed the room. She stopped at the bathroom door to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Something wasn't right, and she needed to focus. Aarón wasn't in the bed. She blinked again and looked around at the open bedroom door. When she concentrated, she could hear voices coming from the floor below.

Curiosity had her slipping out to the hallway and following the voices. The packhouse should have been empty. The lycans were supposed to be locked up in some warehouse for another two nights. But if he could control his shift, maybe there were others. But even then, it was the middle of the day. Sunlight was as toxic to them as it was to all night stalkers.

Slowly, she made her way to the top of the stairs, careful not to a sound and stopping the second she could hear the voices clearly. They were speaking English. Aarón and a female with a low and sultry voice that sent chills through Danika's spine. "Things are progressing slower than I thought," the female mused. "I expected much more from our friend now that he has what he needs."

"He is cautious," Aarón answered, his deep voice as calm as ever. "As am I. There is still a lot to do, many to be found. Our progress has been stalled by the European packs. They've proven themselves... stubborn. They are not submitting so easily as the ones in the Americas, and some have already turned against me."

"You mean the species of violent flesh-eaters aren't receptive to new leadership?" the woman mocked. "I'm shocked, Aarón. Positively shocked."

It was a testament to the stranger's power that he wasn't even growling at the taunt. Instead, he was keeping himself calm and in complete control.

"Surely a victory over the vampires would secure your claims over the other packs?" She continued. "I just thought you, of all people, would want to push ahead towards open warfare."

"Of course I want that!" he barked, the control over his temper finally slipping. "I would like nothing more than to stop skulking in the shadows. That is a part of the problem. Our friend, as you call him, is confined by daylight. He will not risk getting caught out in the open. I cannot risk my victory on his fear because I do not want mere victory over our enemy. I want them broken."

The female laughed, and the sound made Danika's entire body go cold. "My, my, mister alpha king," There was a hint of sadistic curiosity in her voice. "Is that why you called me here? Do you want me to help them the same way I helped you?"

Aarón didn't hesitate with his answer. "Yes."

"That would include helping his guardian devil. Are you prepared for that?" there was more amusement in her voice than warning. "I heard he gave you some trouble when you first met."

"Yes." Again, no hesitation.

"Very well!" she managed to sound mildly impressed with his decision. "If anything, you do know how to keep things interesting. I knew I made the right choice when I found you. Your ancestor would be proud. I can't wait to see what happens next. Is there anything else I can do to help, my little alpha?"

"I have one more question. It is of a... personal nature."

Danika started to move silently back to the room. The last thing she wanted was to get caught listening in on either of them. It didn't matter what Aarón would do. That female would tear her apart without question.

"Let me guess... it has something to do with that sweet little blood-sucker you have upstairs?"

Danika froze. She knew she should get back to the room. Anything she heard wouldn't matter if she got caught and killed. She had more than enough to take back to her superiors. She should just-

"Yes," the word had her freezing in place again. "What happens to her after?"

"Come now, Aarón," the female purred. "You don't need me to tell you that. You know full well it entirely depends on if she was made or born. But should you really be letting yourself get attached? She is a weakness. And you know how the enemy deals with weaknesses."

"That will never happen."

The snarl in his voice had Danika flying down the hall back to the bedroom. She dove into the bed exactly how she had woken up and tried to calm her mind and heart. She couldn't show that she had been anywhere out of this room. She had to make him believe she had been asleep the whole time.

He came into the room about twenty minutes later. The only sound he made was the soft shuffle of his feet against the carpet. Deep breaths, she chanted silently. Calm mind. Calm heart. No reaction.

The bed shifted with his weight, and his lips pressed against the center of her spine. Little jolts of electricity danced up her body, and a soft moan slipped past her lips. Damnit... how did he have this effect on her even after everything she just heard?

He chuckled and kissed up to between her shoulder blades. "Good evening, mi reina," he whispered.

"No," she groaned and shoved a pillow over her head, hoping it would keep him from seeing the fear in her eyes. "Too early. Need more sleep."

He ignored her protests and pushed her hair away from her neck. His tongue lapped at the still healing spot where he had bitten her the night before. A mix of pain and pleasure lashed through her, and she whimpered. He did it again, harder this time, and she twisted quickly to lie on her back, staring up at him. "What did you do to me?" she panted. "Why isn't it healing?"

"It will," he assured her, brushing the hair out of her eyes. His smile was filled with so much warmth and affection she started to blush. "Lycanthrope and vampire venoms don't work on each other like they do on humans. You will not give me pleasure, I will not paralyze you, and they act against each of our healing abilities. Of course, it will take longer than what you're used to, but not so long as a human with a similar wound."

"It hurts, you ass." She slapped his chest.

Heat flared in his eyes, and he moved closer. "Feel free to bite back."

She tilted her head to avoid his kiss. "I'm not really into that kind of thing."

Aarón barked out a harsh laugh and leaned over to open the drawer of the bedside table. A silver blade glinted in the low light, and her eyes widened in fear. Then, with a quick movement, he ran the edge across his finger. The scent of his blood filled the room, causing her fangs to descend and venom to flood her mouth. He held the finger just over her lips, blood welling up from the cut. "I don't think you're being entirely honest with me, vampira," he chuckled in dark amusement.

A single drop of blood fell onto her bottom lip, and she clenched her jaw shut tight. She couldn't drink his blood. That crossed so many lines. How many more laws would she have to break to get out of here alive? She raised her hand to wipe it away.

Aarón took her wrists and pinned her down, much like he had the night before. Her eyes fluttered. Why did she instantly submit to him? She couldn't wrap her head around why he made her feel like this. She was never attracted to the toxic 'alpha male' bullshit in humans or ancients. But Aarón... she had been drawn to him from the moment she saw him in the club. It was like he had been made just for her. He sparked something primal and deep inside her... her soul.

Danika's eyes widened, and she gasped as the revelation hit her like a slap in the face. Taking advantage of the break in her defenses, he plunged his finger into her mouth. The moment she tasted his blood, she was gone. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her back arched, and her whole body went hot.

His palm rested on her chin, and the rest of his hand wrapped around her jaw, keeping it open as he spread his blood across her tongue, making sure the taste of him filled her. The magic in her venom stimulated blood to flow faster through the cut. From this angle, she could barely keep up with the flow, and she struggled for air. The sensation was incredible, something she had never experienced before and could never explain.

"Are you telling me," his words were like butter. Deep and rich and so smooth. "That you would not bite me if you had the chance?"

She couldn't speak. She could barely shake her head with him holding her like this. He wasn't playing fair. But did she ever expect him to? He was a werewolf, after all.

"Why not?" he continued, and she wasn't even sure where his voice was coming from anymore. "I might not get pleasure from your fangs, but what is stopping you from taking all that you want from me?"

He lifted his finger from her tongue, and she fought to catch her breath. A thin red ring began to glow around his irises, intensifying the look he was giving her.

"You do want me, don't you, mi reina?"

She nodded, whimpering, and stuck out her tongue to lick the wound. He pulled away and stood up. Her head was fuzzy from the high of feeding, and she cried out for him. Aarón had his back to her while he undressed. He was looking down at something. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision to see what he was doing, but before she could, he turned back and silently slid between her legs.

He entered her gently, taking it slow. She was still raw from their last two rounds of lovemaking, and the slight pain made her gasp again. Aarón descended on her and shoved his tongue between her open lips. Blood flooded into her mouth. She had a fraction of a second to register that it tasted different before the pleasure struck.

She couldn't tell if she had actually swallowed the blood or not. The taste and magic invaded her senses, overwhelming her with the thousand different emotions that were heightened during feeding and sex. She was flying thousands of miles in the air, and the world crashed violently around her.

It was all too much. Danika lost all track of time. He could have fucked her five minutes, it could have been five hours. She could only cling to him, mewling his name, as orgasm after orgasm ravaged her body and ripped at the edges of her sanity.

Aarón held her close, licking and kissing her neck tenderly while whispering incomprehensible Spanish in her ear. When he reached his own climax, he had to fight to keep from biting into her and claiming her entirely. She writhed and whimpered, curling into him and clutching his body for support.

After a few minutes of catching his breath, he lifted off her gingerly and stared down at the gorgeous female. Danika looked back up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. Her lips were stained red from the blood and swollen slightly from his brutal kiss. "I... I should go..." she said in a hoarse whisper.

His brows knitted together in disappointment, but he nodded slowly. "The sun will be going down soon," he sighed. "I am sorry for ruining your clothes. I'll replace them another time, so for now, dress in whatever you can find."

She nodded slowly and tried to crawl away and out of the bed. Aarón cupped her cheek, brought her gaze back to his, and pressed his forehead to hers. They were silent for the brief moment he opened his heart and let her feel the affection he felt for her. There wasn't a single shadow of a doubt... and that terrified her.

"I want to see you again," he whispered, closing his eyes, and lowering his head to her chest. "Promise you'll come back to me soon, mi reina."

She stared at him. He was... submitting to her. Tears filled her eyes, and she tilted her head to catch his lips. Her hands brushed across his face, smoothing his beard before tangling themselves in his hair. She was shaking in exhaustion, and yet her body burned to have him again and again. "I promise." She whispered breathlessly.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling all the way out and off the bed. On his way to the bathroom, he grabbed his jeans off the floor and, with them, the empty blood vial.

He was foolish... maybe downright idiotic... but it was necessary. This way, she wouldn't be his weakness. She would be strong enough to stand up to every single one of his enemies, vampire, lycan, and... other. He would tell her eventually... she just wasn't ready for the truth yet.

~

A few hours later, Danika was curled up on the couch of her hotel suite. Her body was flushed from the heat of the shower, but she was shivering like it was the middle of the deep winters of home. Her neck ached where he had bitten her, and the rest of her body protested her every move.

She stared blankly at the screen of the laptop on the coffee table. Glowing back at her was the official website of the Counsel, not just individual breed governments. It had taken her a while to find what she was looking for within the expansive database... but there it was.

She had all the symptoms. Every. Single. One. And so did he.

Aarón was the one with the disadvantage, apparently. Those born Ancient, especially males, didn't often recognize the feel of the subtle yet powerful magic. She, on the other hand, was young, human-born, and female. She was also best friends with a soul-eater. She simply had more exposure to this kind of power.

She had a few days before she was supposed to report to Lord Wes and the rest of his team. A few days to get her story straight. She didn't know what she was going to tell them. How much could she get away with not telling them? They were prepared for her to sleep with him again... but not... this.

How much would they be able to figure out just by reading her body language? What if she couldn't hold her reactions back? What would happen if... when they found out? She would be ruined. Her reputation, her credibility... no one in the vampiric kingdom would ever respect her after this.

She pulled the blankets tighter and lowered her eyes to the shirt splayed across her knees. She tried throwing it and the pair of sweats she'd borrowed away. She needed to throw them out and detach herself from Aarón. But she couldn't. After bathing, his scent only became more evident within the folds of the fabric.

Tears stung her eyes. She didn't want this. She didn't work her ass off to get in the best physical shape possible to prove her worth to the vampires, just for this to happen. She was better than that!

She wanted to talk to Katie. Even in her worst state, Kate was always a master at handling a crisis. She always knew what to do. Even if the answer was running. She knew how to run. She knew how to disappear.

Most importantly, Kate would be able to confirm the horrifying conclusions swirling around in her head. She was a soul-eater. Kate would be able to reach in and touch her soul and tell her if she was wrong. She had to be wrong.

Her hand was halfway to her phone before she reminded herself that Kate wouldn't answer. The team had given her a new phone, and Kate never answered any calls from numbers she didn't know. It was for the best anyway. Her cellphone was under constant surveillance because she was supposed to use it while infiltrating the packs. Her hotel phone was probably tapped, too.

Fat, salty tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the shirt. She was in trouble. Big trouble. She didn't know what to do. She just stared at the bold text at the top of the webpage. It was only one word.

One word that was going to destroy her.

Soulmate

~