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Becausebite frorew louder, the rockinghorns just punctured the roof of our rental vehicle Hold, please" Then to the children, she said, "I told you Bertil would bite if you pull his legs Now, cut out that caterwauling or Auntie Nixie will eviscerate you"

Will thought he heard the witch Mariketa saying brightly, "Ha-ha Auntie Nixie ht have overcoin answered, "Dude Don't you judge uisher?"

"I've returned," Nix said in a dry tone "You have ret placing Chloe in your care"

"Why did you? You're the one who told the witches about her, are you no'? To get her to the auction? If you could find her, then you can find Webb" At least he'd gotten sohter had just been defiled by a Lykae beast

He winced at his thoughts You sick prick, that's yourtill he thought his skull would cave in

"Webb has a role to play with the Bringers of Doom; he's not to be touched," Nix said "And I helped you because I trusted that you would find your feet with this"

"What if I canna?"

"Do you knohat's so strange, Uillea his name perfectly "You have never, in your entire life, done so for which you should truly be ashamed You think you have, but you haven't Not until you hurt your own s she can't control"

His e?" When Nix didn't answer, he said, "She has spirit and courage Will she change to become like Ruelle?"

"No But you won't know that because she'll be gone"

His legs felt weak "Nix? No!" He sank back against the wall

"Mark my words, wolf: bury your past, or it will bury you" Click

Chapter Thirty-Seven

An hour after his call with Nix, Will found Chloe sitting on the floor in the pantry, trying to choke down an apple

Whiskey bottle in hand, he sank down beside her, tugging the apple from her "That time has passed for you, lass Never to return"

Her eyes were puffy fro, her nose red, but luckily no utted him To see her tears

I could no' stand it

"I can still drink" She reached for his bottle, swigged heartily, gasped

"Aye, but you canna eat food"

"I can do a liquid diet Or what about an IV? Soical?" With a eureka! expression, she cried, "Artificial insee She was this desperate because she'd hated sex with him Yet another unsatisfied succubus "Or mayhap you can do as nature intended you to Your face has healed, your color's returned"

When he reached for the bottle, she absently relinquished it "Nature didn't intend for sex to be hu like that Soave him chills Any male, in a potentially eternal relationship, would react thus My mate hates sex He had no call to expect different, but still he said, "It was no' that bad You got to feed And I dinna htear, his conscience whispered "You will no' have pain next tio better between us"

"Next ti to me at all?"

Probably not an ideal hts His beast would be even th by then

"Th-there's got to be a way for e me, maybe they can fix me"

Fix? She felt broken Because of s on him; had he done the same with Chloe? He cleared his throat "Mayhap you're no' the one who's broken" Other males would easily love her If he hadn't been twisted by a succubus, he would have lost his heart to the lass beside hi to screithand rapethat is?"

He'd never expected her to agree with him about the nature of succubae

"When I started changing, my dad abandoned me Remember? You were quick to re all of the Lore how he discarded me like trash" Her eyes watered "Not to e"

"Chloe-"

"I lost everything that day My career,family, my friends, my team You were the only constant inand insulting ht to take , shewith me"

Will scrubbed his hand over his face, e him "Your first lover and your last And he will no' do so next time"

She faced him with an incredulous expression "You can't control your reaction to et used to that part of me You'll have to It's inseparable froht hate my beast, but you should no' blame it, for it does no' reason"

"You think that's the proble, with desire It's you that's the problem"

"What does that mean?"

"Your beast has accepted me; you never will, and unfortunately you coain, I don't want to open my eyes to see your back as you beat feet for the toilet"

Could this get any ht not have any experience, but I knohiskey dick is"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"MacRieve junior took a tee-oh right before the beast substituted in"

Aye, it can getHe drank deep "Chloe, just know this Sex for me iscomplicated"

She turned to him with owl eyes "Noooo"

"Aye, s Mayhap I thought of a past time Mayhap it affected me"

"Then tell me about the past ti through it It will no' factor in the future"

"You're right about that" When she snapped her fingers for the bottle, he handed it over, watched her take a healthy gulp "Because I will never have sex with you again!"

He stabbed his fingers through his hair "Damn it, lass, you're a cambion If you refuse to feed, I doona knoill happen to you"

Against the rim of the bottle, she murmured, "Maybe I'll die, and you'll be off the hook"