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He sed "How did Fiore die?"

"We learned from Vincente that she tried to escape with Chloe shortly after her birth Webb caught her and killed her He was going to kill Chloe as well, but her blood tests indicated she was hu to kill lass emptied

Chapter Forty-Senven

"Chloe, lass, stay with me! Stay awake"

She was in a bed, felt like it was spinning Her pain orse, her nausea unbearable She could barely process what she'd just heard

MacRieve knelt beside her, clasping her hand in both of his Before she'd passed out earlier, he had appeared crazed Though he seemed more in control now, underneath he still seethed with so "We're at your aunt's In the Ubus Realet you fixed up"

In a bleary voice, she said, "I don't have an aunt"

He slid one hand under her head, gently lifting it so she could see tonized them from the wall at Glenrial! They were so beautiful; both looked to be about her age

"You do now, love This is your aunt Gisela"-he pointed out the black-haired one-"and your cousin Nieve," he said, indicating the brunette

"I-I have family?"

"By all accounts, it'sextensive," he replied, but she couldn't read his tone He didn't sound disgusted After what he'd told her earlier, he should hate all succubae

"Um, hi," Chloe murmured to them She tried to wave, but couldn't lift her arain Chloe was struck by how caringly these two looked at her So far from malicious and evil "You're safe here When you're better, we'll tell you all about Fiore and Webb"

Had she really said Webb had considered killing his own daughter? Even ht she'd heard that Fiore had died by his hand

Gisela glided over to a counter, peering down at a shallow dish "For now, youbetter"

"I feel even worse What's wrong with me?"

"Good question," MacRieve said "We're about to find out"

Gisela gave a sidelong glance toward her daughter "The odium curse"

MacRieve sed audibly, his hands tightening on hers "What does that ravely ill As I suspected, she'sat a critical point"

"Critical p-point," Chloe said through another wave of shudders "Dying?"

When Gisela didn't deny it, MacRieve said, "Nay, I doona understand this! She's no' injured She's no' wasting away"

"No, she's received nourishment," Nieve snapped Even in Chloe's condition, she could tell Nieve didn't like him "Indeed, it's poisoned her"

He exhaled a shaky breath "I kneas me who caused this, but I doona kno"

Nieve said simply, "Some part of you must've hated her"

Given his history, of course MacRieve hated hter, then said, "In the Lore, most powers are tempered eaknesses Yes, succubae-and even cambion-have the ability to bind a male to them with venom That's one of our powers But the male must want that bond as well"

"I doona understand"

Makes two of us

"The veno ht be the difference between life and death But after that, every time she takes fro on venom"

"That's why she has the symptoms I had when bound to Ruelle"

These women knew he'd been envenomed? Had they heard his earlier confession?

"Exactly A male sickens from withdrawal, a succubus fro enslaved by strew and envenoainst their will"

"This dinna happen with Ruelle"

Gisela cast him a pained look "Because back then, you believed you loved her, did you not?"

A strangled sound rose froht Chloe's hand to his face, brushing it over his cheek

Longing for his mate's touch? She wanted to stroke his jaw, to tell hi would be okay But she was too weak

"Considering what you suffered, you were understandably averse to your ood news is that you'll make a full recovery, if we act quickly We have consorts here to help you, some who've proven most potent Rest easy, niece, all you need is untainted nourishment"

"Consorts?" Chloe looked at MacRieve She didn't want to sleep with another man; surely MacRieve would stop this!

His jaw slackened as Gisela's words sank in "You want me to sit back and allow another male to take my woman?" His head suddenly jerked as if he'd been slapped; probably his Instinct yelling at hiht about now -Fuck no-

"It would be a great honor ahter Chloe could be ith her first taking If not, then certainly by her second"

Twice?

MacRieve shot to his feet, inserting himself between them and Chloe "Have you lost your minds?"

Nieve said, "If you loved her, you'd do this for her You've gotten her sick, and you're too selfish to do what's right Think, wolf-if nothing's changed, you'll siain She won't survive it"

Gisela said, "It would likely kill her"

That gave Chloe pause She didn't want to die-partly because she didn't want hiht, she couldn't i sex with her, taking on her venom In a faint tone, she said, "MacRieve, I don't want another man But I don'tI can't take any morepoison And I feel likeI only have so much time left on the clock"

He turned back to the bed to gently cup her face "Let me see you well If this is how I keep you alive, then noto keep you"

Nieve added, "Even if you've neutralized the hatred, your beast would kill her on the night of the full azed away Her bones still felt like they were shattering; what had been a pleasurable romp with his beast before would be torture now "I can'ttoo much"

"Chloe, my beast will no' rise I know you have no reason to trustyou to believe in me anyway"

Gisela shook her head "Theeven now A h sheer will alone It's simply not possible"