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He gritted his teeth, saying, "Aye Stronger" The pain was pleasant to hiht survive in the Lore

She frowned at her other hand "It's healing really fast"

He rubbed his nape "You and Will, uh, your "

Her skin flushed again "What would happen if I never did that again? I' Maybe I could still exist on food It used to stave off the worst of my symptoms"

"It ht be possible"

She narrowed her gaze "If it's even remotely possible, I'll reen with deterh, it'll happen"

Chloe was like the anti-Ruelle Suddenly, this didn't feel like a tragedy in the ht beworkable

At that onized roar from the woods Trees crashed down

Will Sorting out his issues

Chloe gazed up at MacRieve's twin "That's hi sound

"Aye," Munro said, surprising her by telling the truth

She'd sensed he ell-e improvement over the other one

She still couldn't believe the way this one to hell Before thatto her like it was fro desire and being desired She'd liked MacRieve, had found hi lover

I lost everything today Her dad had freaked at the possibility of her transition Hoould he feel about his detrus daughter now? Olympics? Forever out of reach She'd been paranoid about her drug tests in Florida; now she could only iine hoonky they would be Not toeyes

She wanted to bla less-but now she realized how inevitable her change had been Considering the nature of her dreams and her awareness of ered-with or without MacRieve

"Are there any succubae I can talk to about all this?" To say it was a lot to take in

At least now she knehy she'd felt that sense of dread each ti on a flirtation Because, evidently, her first boyfriend could've triggered her with his semn

Maybe her hu down that path? Chloe was brave, physically at least But she'd been too cowardly to explore her dread, to try and overcome it It'd been easier to make excuses

Too busy Too driven Too committed

So why hadn't she felt dread with MacRieve?

"Chloe, any succubae I've ever encountered have proven to be evil andout to them"

She frowned "So my mom was evil?"

If possible, Munro looked even more uncomfortable about that question than he'd been about the sex talk "I canna say"

If Dad hated Loreans, ould he ever be with one? "Maybe my dad hates immortals because he was hurt by my mom?" She recalled how he'd peered at that picture of Fiore Had Chloe's mother forced him to love her?

"It's possible Though it's more likely that he was already a member of the Order From e understand, your father has been at this for decades"

What if her s toward her father were in tured that anyone would want to hurt people like MacRieve and Ronan and other Lore kids

This er to society Had her mother been one as well?

Hunt for the upside, Chlo After lifelong blood tests, she no longer had to worry about the big C No, she could potentially live forever

She grimaced She was an independent female, yet she was now expected to depend on males to survive-not just for one lifetime, but for eternity

Another thought struck her Those "womanly instincts" she'd experienced earlierthey were succubus instincts, instructing her how to land the best score Ugh!

The idea of living forever like that appealed to her not at all

"We should get you back," Munro said "My brother will no' like that you're gone"

"He'll be angry? Wonder what that'll be like!"

"Again, he will no' harh his dark hair, re her of how handsome the tere And what lurked beneath

"What makes you so certain?"

"He would've already I have no' seen him so out of control inon the heels of his torture in an Order prison He's no' been right since he returned"

"He was vivisected, right?" She recalled last night when MacRieve's shaking hand had covered his heart As she'd kissed his chest, she'd vowed to herself that she'd never let anyone hurt hied so quickly "He was tortured by my dad's people?"

Golden eyes flickering, Munro ad heart"

She pressed the back of her hand over her , she felt sympathy for MacRieve God, she'd never been so confused in her life After seeing MacRieve's beast, she understood why the Order feared Lykae But then she gazed up at Munro-serious, grave Munro-and couldn't iet past that to be with me, but my transition makes him want to kill me? You need to tell me why that is"

Munro's expression was stark "Chloe, it's-"

"Co her tone None of this was Munro's fault He was just trying to be helpful "Look, I can't stay here There has to be a way for et past those creatures at the wall"

"I'ht now"

"Okay, I ht be stuck in this co at his house I' with him!"

"No one else would take you in"

"Because I'm a succubus?"

"Because you're Will's mate His Instinct will demand he keep you close Even if he hates it at the time"

She'd been as good as abducted again From the witches' clutches to the Lykae's

As her situation sank in, Chloe repeated to herself, Rub some dirt on it, rub some dirt on it But this was so far beyond the realm of I'm just happy to be here

Sos she knew for certain?

She couldn't change what she was, so to be punished for it by that asn't happening

She'd be planning to escape as soon as possible In the meantime, she didn't have to live by their rules at ye olde compound

She refused to be afraid of MacRieve All her life, she'd faced bigger opponents When they'd attacked, barreling down upon her on a field, she'd trained herself to stand her ground Once she'd mastered that, she'd trained herself to strike back She'dherself into a fking gladiator Even knohat horror roiled inside MacRieve, Chloe would not falter