Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Khloé picked up the remote and switched off the TV. She hadn’t been able to follow the movie because her mind was elsewhere. It just kept replaying those earlier moments when Eric’s attempts to heal her had failed. She hadn’t expected that. She’d taken it for granted that all she needed to do was find an angel. Any ole angel.

She’d been wrong.

The only saving grace was that her brother was no longer infected. Not that Ciaran seemed so happy about it. She’d almost slapped him across the head for stupidly feeling guilty.

Khloé hadn’t given up hope that there was a way of ridding her of the infection. Nope, not at all. She didn’t admit defeat so easily. Keenan was right—the law of probability said that at least one of the preternatural creatures out there had a gift that could help her. Khloé trusted that her loved ones would do everything in their power to find such a person, just as she would have done for them.

With both her lair and Keenan’s working together on this, it would surely only be a matter of time before she found herself standing in front of someone who could heal her. In fact, that could even happen shortly. Keenan was currently meeting with the bear shifter he’d mentioned; he might return with positive news.

In-keeping with her plan to stay in the Underground out of Enoch’s reach, she’d remained at the penthouse. And now, bored out of her mind, she wished the time would tick faster so she could head to work and do something.

Having heard from Knox that Eric’s attempt to heal Khloé came to nothing, Harper had immediately called her, offering for Khloé to take the day off. Raini and Devon—who’d also called her—thought she should stay at the penthouse and rest. Khloé didn’t think “rest” would really help much. The infection didn’t work as viral infections did. Plus, she needed to distract herself from all the bullshit, so she fully intended to go to work.

Hearing the intercom system beep, Khloé headed to the entry-way and pressed the audio button. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Miss Wallis,” said the hotel’s receptionist. “You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?” echoed Khloé.

“Well, technically two. A woman wishes to speak with you. She introduced herself as Raini. She has a young boy with her.”

Khloé straightened. A boy? Raini could have brought Asher along, but surely not without an escort. “They have no one else with them?”

“No.”

“How old is the kid?”

“About four or five.”

Suspiciousness pricked at her. Keenan said that Thea could use glamor. Could she be posing as Raini, hoping that Khloé would allow her inside? Possibly. It wouldn’t take much digging to learn details about Khloé such as who her friends were and where she worked.

Not prepared to take any chances, Khloé said, “I’ll be right down.” If it was Raini, she’d invite her up. If it was Thea, well, Khloé would tell her to fuck right off. It might even be fun. If nothing else, it would be a nice distraction.

She slipped on her shoes and took the elevator down to the first floor. Raini was waiting there, her hand clenched tightly around the strap of her purse. Only it wasn’t Raini. Because Raini didn’t slouch, wear conservative clothing, or own that boring jacket.

Did Thea really think Khloé so easily fooled? It would seem so. How silly. Khloé’s inner demon sniffed in affront.

Raini’s mimic forced a smile. “Hey, girl. Can I come up?”

Hey, girl?Ugh. Stepping out of the elevator, Khloé scanned the large reception area and spotted a boy sitting on one of the sofas playing on his tablet. Keeping her voice low, she said, “I’m guessing that’s your kiddo over there, and I’m guessing you’re Thea.”

Surprise flickered across the female’s face.

“I know all about you. And no, we can’t go somewhere and talk in private, if that’s what you’re hoping. I don’t know what you want, but I’d rather you got this over with fast.” Her inner demon pushed close to the surface, intent on watching the other woman very carefully. It didn’t like her. Didn’t like that she’d hurt Keenan.

Thea forced a smile and said, “Girl, have you been drinking? Who is this ‘Thea’ person?”

Lord deliver me. “Look, I ain’t gonna lie, I see the appeal in playing head games with people. It’s the best time-passer ever. I’d normally play along with it just to see how far you’d take the act, but I’m not in the mood right now. So we’ll have to content ourselves with you getting down to the nitty fucking gritty and telling me why you’re polluting my air.”

Thea drew in a breath, dropped the vapid smile, and inclined her head. “Very well. I heard that you and Keenan are allegedly a … couple now.”

She’d said “couple’ like it was a dirty word. “You went through the trouble of finding me just to tell me that?”

“Someone mentioned they thought you were staying here and I, well, I need to ask you something. And I need the truth. Are you and Keenan really a couple? Or is he secretly pretending to be in a relationship so that no one will guess I’m around?”

“It wouldn’t be a secret if I denied or confirmed it, would it?” And it was more fun to keep the woman in the dark.

Thea briefly closed her eyes. “Please just tell me.”

“Why?”

“Because I planned to try to fix things with him, but I never go after men who are spoken for. If he has moved on, I’ll back off.”

Khloé’s demon hissed. The bitch wanted him back, huh? Well, too fucking bad. “In your shoes, I’d quite simply just back off anyway, since he wants nothing to do with you.”

“He’s just mad at me. And rightly so.” Thea curled her hair behind her ear. “Keenan doesn’t forgive easily. I knew it would take time to win back his trust and earn a place in his life. But he’s worth the wait and effort, so I would have been as patient as he needed me to be. If he’s with someone else and he’s happy, though, I’ll step aside. So, please just answer my question. Are you and him together?”

Khloé eyed her closely, seeing right through all the bullshit. “You wouldn’t truly step aside. You’re here to size up who you see as a possible opponent.” Khloé took a step toward her. “You think I can’t sense that? You think I don’t know how hard it is for you to keep up this noble act when what you really want to do is warn me away from Keenan?”

“I don’t—”

“Come on, be a big girl and say whatever you really want to say. I’ll even pretend to care, if you like.”

The softness left Thea’s expression. “Keenan and I had something special. I messed up, and I hurt him so bad he’s never recovered from it enough to try a relationship. I’m not saying I think he pines for me. I’m saying he’s holding onto that pain and using it as a shield to keep others away. Because he knows, deep down, he’s never going to find anything that special with someone else. It only comes around once in a lifetime.”

A flare of jealousy fired through Khloé. It shouldn’t have hurt that he’d had “special” with another woman, but it did. Just as it hurt that this bitch could well be right—a subconscious part of him could be clinging to what he’d lost, desperate to have it back. Khloé sure hoped that wasn’t the case, because she’d hate to have to mangle him.

“He and I can start over,” Thea went on. “I’m here, I’ll fix what I broke, and I’ll make him so happy he’ll never regret taking a second chance on me. So if you are with Keenan, if you care about him at all, you’ll walk away and let him have that something special again.”

“That’s a real pretty way of putting ‘stay away from Keenan, he’s mine, mine, mine.’ That is what you mean to say, isn’t it?”

Thea’s mouth tightened. She gave a tight shrug. “I suppose you could sum it up that way.”

“And if I tell you to go squat and piss up a tree, what will you do? I truly am interested to know.”

“I’ll fight for him, if I have to.”

Khloé perked up. “Fight for him as in, like, challenge me to a duel?” Her demon stretched inside her, more than happy to take this bitch on.

“No. I just mean that I’d put in the effort to prove myself to him.”

How boring. “You don’t think it would be a waste of time, considering he’s indicated that he doesn’t want you back in his life?”

“He doesn’t want to risk that I’ll hurt him again—that’s different from him not wanting me around. You can’t understand unless you’ve ever loved someone so deeply that they almost feel part of you. He loved me that way once. You can’t just shake off something like that, no matter how much you might wish you could. It stays with …” She trailed off as her eyes darted to something behind Khloé.

Her brows knitting together, Khloé glanced over her shoulder. Her stomach flipped at the sight of Keenan fluidly stalking through the reception area, anger in every step … like a pissed-off leopard intent on punishing whoever had intruded on his territory. The danger emanating from him right then almost made her demon purr.

Thea backed up a few steps as he advanced on her, his eyes cold and flinty. She raised her hand, as if it would protect her. “Keenan—”

“Don’t know why the fuck you’re here, but you need to get out of my sight,” he clipped, his nostrils flaring. His hold on his temper was clearly wafer-thin.

“But I just—”

“Don’t,” he bit out. “I’m not interested in anything you have to say. I thought I made that clear.”

“I’m not trying to upset you, I swear. I just wanted to talk to Khloé, I wanted to—” Thea cut off as he put his face close to hers, a snarl tugging at his features.

“You stay away from Khloé,” he ordered in a menacing whisper. “You hear me? You don’t approach her. You don’t talk to her. You don’t even look at her. She’s no one to you.”

Pain flickered in Thea’s eyes. “But she’s someone to you? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. So do the smart thing and stay the fuck away from her. You know me. You know how far I’ll go to protect what’s mine.” He took Khloé’s arm and ushered her toward the private elevator. “Go,” he told Thea. “There’s nothing for you here. I’m not interested in you or anything you have to say.”

Khloé raised her finger and said, “I did try to tell you that, Raini.” She gave a dramatic wink. “It was lovely chatting with you.”

After he’d swiped his keycard and punched in the code, the metal doors slid open. He shepherded Khloé into the elevator and jabbed the up button. Thea hadn’t moved. She was staring at him, her eyes wet and hurt. Security guards surrounded her just as the shiny doors closed.

Keenan spun Khloé to face him, his eyes hard and dark with anger. “Why the fuck would you give her the time of day?”

“She came here posing as Raini.”

“You obviously suspected it wasn’t Raini, because you didn’t let her up to the penthouse. You had to at least also suspect it was Thea, given that she had a kid with her. But even if you didn’t think it was her, you shouldn’t have gone down to see a total stranger.”

Her brow furrowed. “Don’t you growl at me.”

“I’m serious, Khloé. Enoch is going to try all sorts of ways to get to you. He might even hire an assassin to do the job for him. So if a stranger comes calling, you tell the receptionist to send. Them. Away. You hear me?”

“Look, I get that your emotions are still all over the place after what happened earlier—”

“Tell me you’ll do that, Khloé,” he said, ignoring her words. “Tell me you’ll send any strangers away.”

“Or what, Don Juan?”

He towered over her, all sex and fury, and curved a hand tight around her nape. “Or I’ll fuck the answer I want right out of you.” He took her mouth with a territorial snarl, sweeping away any other objection she might have made. The kiss was hard and wet and hungry, and it woke her body in an instant.

Need—so raw and terrible—roared through her. Her blood heated. Her nerve-endings tingled. Her hormones went haywire.

Keenan kissed her hard and deep, so greedy for her he almost shook with it. A powerful, primitive need crawled through him, thick and hot. He wanted to fuck her. Possess her. Pleasure her. Claim her.

His fear of losing her to the fucking infection sat like a lump of lead in the pit of his stomach, driving him to officially make her his. He couldn’t imagine not having her in his life. Her smile, her laugh, her way of making him feel alive—even when she was poking at his patience—warmed his soul. Just looking at her each morning set him up for the day.

He got why committing to a mating would be scary for her, but he wasn’t going to give her up. Not to her fears. Not to the infection. Not to anything.

He was done holding back on claiming her. He couldn’t do it any longer. He needed her in a way he’d never needed another person. Needed her to belong solely to him, because he sure as fuck belonged solely to her—all the way from cell to bone.

Struggling to breathe, Khloe tore her mouth free. “Wait.”

“No.” He bit down on the crook of her neck. “You’re mine, and I’m going to claim what’s mine.”

Khloe’s heart thudded. Claim? A contradictory mixture of panic and joy spiked through her.

Realizing they’d arrived at the penthouse, she backed out of the elevator. “You don’t really want this. You’re not thinking straight because you’re mad and—”

“Mad?” He prowled toward her, his face cold, his eyes alive with something that made her stomach twist. “I’m mad about a lot of things. I’m mad that my ex came here. I’m mad that you’ve got an infection ravaging your system. I’m mad that Enoch’s sending dead fucking bodies after you. I don’t do well with feeling helpless, Khloé. But I’m helpless to protect you, and I absolutely fucking hate it.”

She kept on backing away, but he just kept on stalking her. She licked her lips. “I’m doing what I can to stay safe—”

“Doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if you were surrounded by armed fucking guards every single minute of the damn day. I’d still worry.”

“Then I’d say it’s a control issue for you. You don’t like that you can’t take charge of this situation,” she accused, expecting him to go on the defensive.

“You’re right, I don’t. Control is important to me for a number of reasons. But you’ve been shooting mine to shit since day one.”

The surprise of that made her halt. She frowned. “How? By poking at you?”

And then he was eating up her personal space. “No. By making me hard as a fucking rock against my own damn will. Yeah, that’s right, I can’t control my body around you. I never have been able to.”

Pure shock hit her first. But it quickly gave way to sheer incredulity when she realized … “Oh my God, you’re mad at me for this,” she said, backpedaling again. “How is it my fault?”

“It’s not. But I wish it was, because then I could be pissed at you. And maybe if I was pissed at you, I wouldn’t want you so damn much I can barely fucking think straight. It’s like you’re imprinted in my system. I can’t get you out, and I don’t even want to.” His anger melted away, replaced by a firm resolve that made her scalp prickle. “Come here.”

Her pulse jumped. “Why?”

“So I can claim what belongs to me. I know why that scares you. You hear the word ‘mate’, and you don’t think ‘safe.’ Why would you? I don’t know your family well, but it’s no secret that your mother’s relationships have been nothing short of dysfunctional—all violence and verbal abuse and binge drinking. It’s also no secret that your father wasn’t faithful to his past partners and that he struggled to settle down. Although he’s now mated, you’re probably not confident that it’ll last.”

Khloé opened her mouth to argue … but she couldn’t. He was right. He was right about all of it.

He closed the space between them in one slow step. “People have been walking in and out of your life since you were a kid. Some were good, some weren’t. It probably became a reflex for you not to form attachments to anyone new, because taking a chance on them sticking around usually never worked out. And that’s mostly why you fear taking me as your mate—you don’t have any faith that I won’t leave you at some point.”

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a moment. She hated that he’d seen right through her. It made her feel too exposed.

“It’s no easier for me to take this risk, Khloé. I know what it’s like to get used to having people around, to learn to trust them, only to have them shit on that trust. I can’t promise you that our mating will be all flowers and rainbows. I can only assure you that I’ll give this all I have; that I’d never give up on us.”

He swept his thumb over her jaw. “We could play it safe and just go on as we are, sure. But neither of us would happily waltz through life with no regrets that we didn’t take a shot at mating. You know that.” He framed her face with his hands. “What scares you most? That there’ll be no going back—and there won’t be, Khloé; neither me nor my demon would ever let you go—or that you love me?”

She jerked back, but he didn’t release her face. “Love you?” she echoed. “You think I love you?”

“Don’t you?”

She spluttered. “Well, I … it’s … I don’t … Why are you …” She closed her eyes. “Fuck.”

“You love me,” he said softly. “And I get why you’d find that scary. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything, and it fucking terrifies me.”

Her eyes popped open. “You … you love me?”

He let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah. How could I not?”

“Easily. I’m the ultimate pain in the ass. Proudly. I put a whole lot of effort into it, as it happens.”

“Hmm, yes, you do. But you’re my pain in the ass.” He took her mouth, sweeping his tongue inside to flick her own, feasting and consuming and dominating.

Khloé broke the kiss as a spicy, aphrodisiac scent laced the air and seemed to curl around her. The room instantly felt too warm and humid. Heat flashed through her system, making her breasts ache, her nipples harden, her clit pulse, and her core spasm. “Wait. We’re not done talking.”

“Sure we are,” he said easily, sliding his fingers into her hair. “What is there to talk about?”

A phantom finger slid through her folds and then circled her clit. She sucked in a breath and moaned. “Not fair.”

His brows lifted. “Did you think I’d play fair when it comes to something this important to me? If I thought you didn’t want the same things I do, I’d back off. Maybe. But you do want this, Khloé.”

Fuck if she could deny that. “What about your demon? It might be possessive of me, but I highly doubt it’s interested in claiming me.” She gasped as phantom fingers pinched her nipples, making her pulse clench and ache.

“My demon wants to straight-up own you. Wants to brand you both inside and out. As far as its concerned, it has waited long enough for both you and me to get with the program. It doesn’t want to wait any longer, and neither do I.” He put his mouth to her ear and bit the lobe. “More importantly, neither do you.”

An image flashed in her mind of her tied spread-eagle to a bed while Keenan hammered into her, his skin glimmering with a fine sheen of sweat.

“Do you want me inside you, Khloé?” he asked, his voice low and velvety; it feathered over her tingling skin, teasing every nerve-ending. “Do you want to feel my cock filling you? Stretching you? Shooting my come in you?”

Phantom lips suckled on her clit, making her stumble backwards and collide with the side of the sofa. “Oh, Jesus.” Each wet tug on her clit made her pussy spasm and ache. “You need to stop.” But he didn’t. Those lips suckled a little faster.

She reached behind her to rest her hands on the arm of the sofa. “You’re such a prick,” she hissed. “You can’t seduce me into accepting your claim.”

Keenan combed his fingers through her hair. “You already have accepted it, baby. You just haven’t said it out loud yet. Do it, Khloé. Say it. Say you’ll take this gamble on me, on us.”

She drew in a shaky breath, trembling with the unadulterated need rocketing through her bloodstream. “I can’t think when my body’s screaming for you like this.”

“What’s there to think about? You want this. I want this. So, let’s stop dicking around and do what every other couple does—take a chance.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. She could admit, if only to herself, that he was right—she didn’t need to “think.” She knew what she wanted; she was just hesitant to reach for it.

That made her want to slap herself, because she’d once resolved that she’d be nothing like her parents, who allowed their issues and fears to rule them when it came to relationships. Yet, here she was, doing that very thing.

He’d been right about something else, too. She loved the annoying bastard. She’d loved him for longer than she cared to admit. She’d denied it to herself for years because it had made it easier to deal with the idea that she’d never have him. But now she did have him, and now those feelings she’d tried to bury swamped her entire system.

Her demon had no fears about taking this chance with Keenan. It considered him a worthy mate for Khloé; believed he would protect and care for her. It wanted Khloé to do as he’d suggested and stop dancing around the decision.

She opened her eyes. “This could blow up in our faces,” she whispered.

“Or it could be the best fucking thing we ever did.” He cupped her jaw. “Take this gamble with me, Khloé.”

She swallowed hard. “Fine. But if my family curse interferes at some point and you find yourself alone and miserable, don’t whine to me about it.”

Masculine satisfaction glimmered in those blue eyes. “Noted.” He closed his mouth over hers and sank his tongue inside to lick her own. He plundered and devastated her mouth. Bit and licked and feasted.

She tasted relief, triumph, and smugness. Tasted a primal possession that she knew was riding him hard. She sure hoped he’d ride her hard.

He slowly lowered the zipper of her jeans. “I can smell how wet you are.”

Explicit image after explicit image shot to the forefront of her mind while he quickly stripped her of her clothes. At the same time, a phantom tongue licked at her nipples.

She inhaled a shaky breath. “Keenan.”

“Ah, there’s my pussy.” He drove his finger inside, groaning when she tightened around them. “Missed this.”

“Seriously, Keenan, you need to do something. You put the ache there, now deal with it.” That sounded petulant even to her.

His free hand closed over her aching breast and squeezed just right. The finger inside her swirled. “Tell me what you want, Khloé.”

“You know.”

“I know you want to come. But how shall I make you come? With my abilities? With my fingers? With my mouth? With my cock? Tell me what you want.”

She hissed out a breath. “I don’t care, just make me come.”

He pushed her thighs further apart, dropped to his knees, and clamped his mouth around her pussy.

Oh, God, yes. She gripped his hair for dear life as he ate her out, using that talented tongue to push her closer and closer to coming. But she didn’t come. Couldn’t. Not until he let her.

Wound so tight it was almost painful, Khloé tugged on his hair in demand, shamelessly pulling his face closer. He plunged his tongue so deep her head fell back. “Now, now, now.” And then the orgasm crashed into her like a freight train, yanking her under, making her shake and cry out.

Once she’d finally pulled herself together, she opened her eyes just in time to see him stand and whip off his T-shirt. She swallowed at the sight of all that hard, male muscle. It was criminal that he looked that good. Criminal. But as that scorching hot body now belonged only to her, she was fine with it.

He swiped his tongue over his lower lip. “Nothing tastes better than you,” he said, his voice thick and deep with a raw hunger that mirrored her own. “Turn around and bend over.”

Just the phrase she wanted to hear. Khloé did as he asked, gripping the arm of the sofa. She heard a zipper lower. Felt his cock slap her ass as it sprang out of his jeans.

Her heart pounded. Her breaths started coming faster. Her body went tight as a bow with anticipation.

Her skin felt too hot, too sensitive. He’d made her come, yes, but the orgasm hadn’t completely sated her—he hadn’t let it, wanting her to need more.

Khloé gasped as the thick tip of his cock inched into her pussy. Her inner muscles gave a little resistance, but he relentlessly pushed his way inside, mercilessly stretching her.

Keenan slowly pulled back until only the broad head was inside her. “You feel so fucking good.” He smoothly drove deep, groaning through gritted teeth at the feel of all that tight, wet heat sheathing him. It was like being squeezed by a slick, blazing hot fist. His demon loved it. Loved that she’d accepted their claim on her.

The sexual energy pouring off her filled him. Invigorated him. Rushed straight to his dick.

In the grip of a carnal desire that inflamed him both inside and out, he gave her another achingly slow thrust, wanting her to really feel every inch of him. Wanting her to feel branded to the bone.

“I’m not looking for soft and slow, Don Juan,” she snarked. “Harder.”

He raised his brow. “Now that’s not my name, is it?”

“Suits you, though.”

Feeling his mouth twitch, he gave her another lazy thrust. She hissed at him over her shoulder. “I said, harder.”

“Say my name, and I’ll give you what you want.”

“Oh my God, just fuck me!”

He leaned over and licked the back of her shoulder. “You’re not going to have the control when we’re in bed, baby. It won’t happen. You already know that. Now …” He fisted her hair and yanked her head back. “Say my fucking name.”

“Keenan,” she ground out.

Releasing her hair, he splayed one hand on her back and gripped her hip with the other. “Good girl. Now you get what you want.” Keeping her pinned in place, he rode her hard, evoking every response that her body had to give.

There was nothing gentle about the way he took her. He didn’t feel gentle. He felt frantic, feverish, possessive.

“Feel me, Khloé. Feel my cock slamming into you. Owning you.” He savagely took her, relishing the feel of her tight muscles sucking at his shaft, as if to hold him inside. “Love how greedy your pussy is for me.”

Her inner muscles rippled, and hot liquid drenched him. Fuck.

A slave to the primal drive to jackhammer into her, Keenan slammed hard and deep again and again, losing himself in her. With each breath he took, he filled his lungs with the cock-hardening scent of her need; he drank in the succulent, spicy taste of the sexual energy spilling from her. It made his demon close to drunk.

“You love getting fucked by my cock, don’t you?”

“Yes,” rasped Khloé, holding tight to the arm of the sofa as he ruthlessly powered into her. The feel of his fat dick slicing through her super-sensitized inner muscles was sheer heaven.

She tried throwing her hips back to meet each thrust, but he held her still, forcing her to take only what he gave her—something that totally flipped her demon’s switch. All Khloé could do was moan and whimper as he possessed and used and claimed her body like he had every right. It was exactly what she’d granted him.

A cool draft hit her back, and then his thrusts changed; they became rougher, aggressive, almost feral. And she knew she was getting fucked by his demon. It told her she was theirs, made for them, and that they’d never let her go.

Over and over Keenan and the entity switched, taking turns fucking her body. No, claiming it. She’d be sore tomorrow for sure, because the demon was pitiless in its intent to make her feel utterly branded.

Feeling her orgasm creep up on her, she dug her fingertips into the sofa’s arm. “I’m gonna come.”

Phantom sensations suddenly swamped her—tongues lashing her nipples, teeth biting her breasts, a thumb pressing down on her clit, a wet finger probing the bud of her ass. The assault to her body was too much; the pleasure was too all-consuming.

“Come,” Keenan ordered.

Violent wave after violent wave of sheer bliss washed over and through her, making her body shatter into a million pieces. Her eyes went blind. Her head shot up as she screamed.

Behind her, Keenan went wild, hammering into her so hard it jolted the sofa. His cock swelled impossibly as he jammed it so fucking deep and exploded with a growl of her name.

*

Sprawled flat on her stomach on the bed, Khloé opened her eyes to peek at Keenan. He was lying on his side, mapping her back with the pads of his fingers, looking more peaceful than she’d ever seen him. Which made her imp nature shake its hands in gleeful anticipation of just how entertaining it would be to poke at him. But Khloé shoved it aside. Later. She’d torment him later.

They’d gravitated from the living room to the shower, where he’d fucked her against the tiled wall. Then they’d tumbled into bed, where he’d taken her yet again. The guy was insatiable, and that was not something she saw any need to complain about.

“You’re quiet,” she said.

His eyes briefly slid to hers. “I’m busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Indulging myself.” He traced the bumps of her spine. “I like touching you. Spent a long time fighting the need to do it. Now that I don’t have to anymore, I’m never going to.”

Well, that was fine with her. “All right.”

“How do you get your skin this soft?”

“Soaking in the blood of virgins.”

His mouth twitched. “I can see how that would work.”

“I highly recommend trying it. Though results may vary.”

He gently tugged the tie out of her hair, letting the thick strands flow over her back. He bunched his hand in it, looking as intrigued as a cat with a ball of yarn. “Love your hair.”

“Why, thank you. I grow it myself.” She let her eyes fall shut as he massaged her head with just the right amount of pressure. The feel of his fingertips digging, kneading, and gliding along her scalp felt heavenly. She could easily drift off to sleep like this, but she had an important question to ask first.

She met his gaze. “Now that you’re a lot calmer, are you going to tell me what the bear shifter said?”

He sighed. “He says that no shifter healer will be able to help you. They can heal wounds, but not sicknesses. But that doesn’t mean we need to give up, Khloé. Just because shifters can’t help doesn’t mean other preternatural breeds can’t.”

Although disappointment flooded her, she said, “I know that, and I have no intention of admitting defeat.”

He dropped a kiss on her hair. “Good.”

Hearing her phone beep, she grabbed it from the nightstand and read the text. A smile tugged at her mouth.

“Who is it?” asked Keenan.

“God, you’re nosy. It’s Teague. He’s checking to see how I’m doing, and he’s invited me to the racetrack on Saturday to watch his demon compete.” She loved the tracks.

“He won’t like that I’ve claimed you.”

No, he wouldn’t … which reminded her that she’d need to tell him herself so that he didn’t find out from others. “Neither will Thea.”

“The difference is, I couldn’t give a fuck what she thinks about anything. Teague matters to you.”

Khloé bit her lip. “Are you sure she doesn’t mean anything to you anymore? She talked as if you guys were fated. Kept saying you’d had ‘something special.’ She’s convinced you can get it back.”

“I cared about her at one time, but those feelings just … died. She killed them. I look at her, and I feel nothing. My demon has no time or patience for her. The fucked-up thing about me is that I can shut people out so easily if they betray or hurt me. It’s like a switch gets flipped, and it numbs whatever I’m feeling.”

It sounded like a self-protective measure to her. The thought that he’d subconsciously developed one just about broke her heart. Wanting to lighten the mood, she asked, “I didn’t flip that switch even once, despite my best efforts to rile you?”

The corner of his mouth hitched up. “You push plenty of my buttons, but never that one. You managed to work your way under my skin—it didn’t matter how hard I fought it; you made a place for yourself there without even trying. I was determined to find a way under yours.”

“You found it,” she admitted in a whisper.

His eyes flared, and then he smiled. “I know. It’s a good thing, because it makes us even.” He smoothed his hand down her belly, over her navel, and cupped her pussy. “All mine.” He thrust a finger inside her and groaned. “I can feel my come in you.”

She licked her lips as he began to fuck her with his finger. “You’re gonna get me all hot and bothered if you keep that up.”

“Good. I want you again.”

“I’ve got to get ready for work.”

“I won’t let you be late.” Nipping and kissing her neck, he kept on pumping his finger inside her, building the tension, dragging her into a realm of pure sensation where she lost all sense of time and—

Her phone rang, snapping her out of the moment. It had slipped out of her hand and was resting on the covers.

Stilling his talented finger, Keenan picked up the cell and said, “It’s Teague; you should answer it. He’ll be worried if you don’t.” He swiped his thumb across the screen and then handed her the phone.

She took it and said—well, croaked, “Hello?”

“Why didn’t you text me back?” Teague demanded.

“I wasn’t ignoring you; I just needed a minute.”

“You took more than a minute. I panicked, thinking something might have happened to you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m just kind of in the middle of something.” She widened her eyes at Keenan when he began pumping his finger inside her again. Stop, she mouthed, but he didn’t.

“What are you doing that’s more important than replying to your anchor’s message?” sniped Teague.

“Um … you don’t really want to know.” She glared at Keenan and mouthed, Seriously, stop.

Keenan withdrew his finger ever so slowly, but then he rolled her onto her back and slid down her body. Oh, fuck.

“Why wouldn’t I want to know?” asked Teague.

She almost gasped as Keenan’s swiped his tongue through her folds. She gripped his hair and tugged, but he didn’t move away. He lavished attention on her clit and folds with that blessed tongue.

“Khloé, answer me,” said Teague. “What’s going on?”

Keenan looked at her, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t forget to share our news with him, baby.” Then he went back to toying with her clit.

“Did I just hear the incubus?” asked Teague—as a hellbeast, his hearing was very acute. “What does he mean by ‘news’? What news, Khloé?”

Her hips bucked when Keenan suckled on her clit. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head. “Um, well … can we talk about this later?”

“No, I want to know now. What. News?”

A phantom tongue stabbed inside her. She gasped, arching, and the phone fell out of her hand.