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"Actually, that's not quite true," Gisela said "If a succubus and incubus are fated, they becoer with their union But then, all Ubus receive-and give-strength each time they join with their fated one"

Had Will been stronger after taking Chloe? The first ti at sheep, feeling like an i her

His eyes darted What if she was his-and he wasn't hers?

Nieve said, "I knohat I' for with my cousin" In a lower voice, she asked hera litter of Lykae?"

"You think I canna hear you?" he snapped,about these people wasn'tco dis ball

It called to o battle when he'd sustained a ing his skin throughout the melee Afterward, he'd watched the sinal shape

Aye, Will had been twisted by Ruellebutblow at a tiht now

Once Gisela had collected a few drops of Chloe's blood, she added a white powder to them "Noe have to wait fifteen minutes for the test results" She reached for the slasses, then turned it upside down to start the counter

"What do you think is wrong with her?"

The wolanced away "I hesitate to say Let's wait for the results"

"Why have you no' come for Chloe in years past?"

"We had no idea she existed until a succubus escaped froo She returned here ord of Chloe and Webb I believe you're familiar with the Order"

He cast her a cruel smirk "I'm surprised any succubae from that prison lived to tell tales-since I beheaded five of them"

Neither Gisela nor Nieve appeared upset by that "Actually, a succubus nauard, one who'd been planted there to spy on the Order Do you remember Calder Vincente? They're wed now"

Out of all the guards, Vincente had been the single one Willto that succubus? Was she no' an outcast? And for that matter, was no' Chloe's mother?"

"I said Ubus in your realm were most likely exiles fro those exiles Dehlia was one As was Fiore My three brothers roam the outside world even now Aside from me, our family is comprised of hunters"

Confusion churned He stroked Chloe's forehead for cal me that her mam hunted evil succubae?"

"Yes With much success" Gisela was unmistakably proud of her late sister "She was the best of the"

So that's where ets it from "But why cast out cries ago, we had little concept of your world," Gisela said "We're self-sustaining here, had no reason for a portal Back then, our leaders believed the rift was solely to dispose of those ould harm others But after the Murkian Wars-"

"Murkian?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, having a feeling he didn't want to hear as corew in nu like she recited fro feht thereater numbers, but we only had sountil we knew Ubus would fall"

"And? What happened then?" he asked, still fluuardians but hunters and soldiers And hard-hitting lads and lasses who liked sports

For some reason, Nieve pursed her lips, so Gisela answered, "We were saved by you and your brother, when you led forces to rid the Woods of Murk of evil"

You're bluidy kidding me "We aided you?"

"Our realm would have been lost Once saved, we realized how unfair our exile system had been to your family and people No one had any idea you'd beenpersonally affected"

Will repeated, "We aided you?"

"You regret your actions?" Gisela queried in a stern tone "If not for your assistance hundreds of years ago, Fiore would never have been born, much less sent out into the world to hunt She would never have been iiven birth to your mate Chloe wouldn't exist"

Will sank back, stunned to his core Because he could take the chain of events back onethe woods if he hadn't been filled with rage-toward Ruelle

That bitch had set fate in motion Without her, there would be no Chloe

Without his torment, there would be no Chloe Fate is our faith

He recalled how her eyes had blazed when he'd told her about Ruelle Chloe had been wracked with fever-yet in every line of her body, he'd seen her fierce need to fight

For ht for iven hi was fated, he would suffer his torain just to see that look from his mate

How the hell had he ever associated Chloe's expressive glowing eyes with Ruelle's aze?

"What happened to Fiore?"

"She must have been forced to use her strew on Webb to try to escape, or because she was starving," Gisela said "We steer clear ofwith humans because of the inherent weaknesses of cambions"

"What weaknesses?"

"A caistered that with a new spike of alarm, Gisela added, "And yet she can't strew"

"This one can" There'd been times when he was out of his mind with lust for Chloe Yesterday, he'd roared to her, "I a for you!" while he'd thrust with all his ht-as feral as the beast that had followed him

Now he said, "You will no' convince me differently"

"Check her lips," Nieve said "There should be an opening there" She held up her own upper lip, pointing out a slit within, just above the top edge

Will checked Chloe's All smoothness

And down cah How many times had he abused her, then blainity like a monster, then railed at how much control she had-over him When he'd felt tenderness toward her, when he'd wanted to hold herit hadn't been strew

No, he'd been falling in love with her All on his own

I love her I love Chloe MacRieve

Nieve said, "Without that ability, she is very vulnerable"

His head whipped up "You consider the fact that she canna rape to be a negative? A lack to be avoided at all costs?"

Gisela's tone was indignant "Understand me, wolf, the only time a decent Ubus would use strew is if she was starved Ideally, ould use it only on whoever was starving us"

"I doona understand"

"Succubae are abducted and held captive et-Chloe's own mother was a captive If Chloe's abducted from you and can't attract nourishment, then she could die before you ever found her Period"