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The scene before her took her breath away

A structure was burning MacRieve stood in the firelight, staring at the flae can that read PETROL He'd started this fire?

Apparently he hadn't scented her with the winds gusting toward her

She watched as he twisted around to slash his claws through a nearby tree, then another He gave a crazed roar, tearing at his hair His eyes were blue-but the beast hadn't risen This was just MacRieve, the o insane

What was happening? What was this place? She stood stunned, unable to react

When he turned back to his work, firelight reflected in his eyes The color of ice and flalistened with tears

Yes, tracks coursed down through the soot on his face

Before she could stop hi a fiery ith his fists-as if it wasn't burning fast enough Flames curled around his arms He didn't seem to notice them

"MacRieve!" She rushed forward "Your shirt's on fire!"

He whipped his head around "Why've you come here, Chloe?" Without interest, he peeled his shirt frohtened "How long have you been there?"

Long enough to see his agony, to understand that this was the root of his pain-she just didn't knohy "Not long"

"You should no' be here I have to take you back" His body was quaking

So was hers Though she felt like her legs wouldn't carry heranywhere until you tell me what this is"

"Your face is deathly pale You should be back at the keep"

"I draw the line here, MacRieve Tell me what I want to know, or we end whatever is between us"

He gazed in the direction of Conall "I'll tell you back home"

"Bullshit You'll tell me now"

"If I do, will you let me take you back?"

She nodded, knowing she was finally going to learn his secrets He was ready to tell her; did she have the strength to hear hi her way to one of the newly felled trees Each step brought splintering pain

When she sat on the trunk, he began to pace in front of her He parted his lips to speak, then closed theain

"Please, MacRieve," she murmured

He sed hard, his Adao into these woods But I went on a dare, and I caught the attention of a succubus who lived in this cottage Her name was Ruelle" He spat the word, as if it was foul in his mouth "She took me to her bed"

"A succubusraped you?"

He swung a fist at the closest tree "Doona put it like that!"

She sucked in a breath at his reaction "Then did a succubus use her chemicals on you?"

A tight nod "I kneas happening, knehat she was I thought I loved her When she told un whistling in his chest again? "I wasstill a lad"

"How young?"

He didn't aze when he muttered his answer

Nine Dear God Nine?

"She had to use her strew on e, it was too" His chest had started heaving, as if he was suffocating even now "I learned later that she could've killed , and I was no' grown But uard me each time"

Chloe was dumbstruck He'd been just a little boy

Still avoiding her gaze, he said, "I cried the first tiifts keptback No' to mention her venom bond She'd use the pain to punish me sometimes"

Chloe's eyes watered, but she fought not to spill tears for hi he would hate that The male I love was abused like this

Between harsh breaths, he continued, "At that age, Lykae are learning to control their beasts My fa ress undone After four years with her, I could no' iine sex without my beast It was all I knew When it ended with Ruelle at last, I was no'right I dinna care to lie with another until I was in my forties By then, the mold had fixed, and I kneould be forever twisted"

She wanted to scream that he wasn't twisted, that he was hers, and that she wanted him so badly This was the net she hadn't been able to see!

But she knew this was a precarious tie, she asked, "What happened to her? Hoere you freed of her venom?"

How could you ever even conte mine? He'd been punished with it

When he hesitated again-as if what he was about to tell her would prove even worse-a ed at Chloe's consciousness Hadn't Ronan said the tere orphaned at thirteen? Four years with Ruelle would put hie

"Ruelle had barred me from this place for days, and her venoo to her when ht me Gods, Mam could be fierce She and my father squired me inside, and I confessed all" He ran his hand down his face, s more ash over it "As if it was yesterday, I can reust I'd believed Ruelle was fated to lanced at Chloe, then quickly away

MacRieve was ashamed of this to this day

"Whenher, I was so confused My da planned to set off in the morn to end Ruelle But like I said, my mam was fierce, impulsive too She could no' stand the pain I was in, so she slipped away into a blizzard She came here"

Chloe could tell where this was leading

"Munro, Da, and I followed, but ere too late Ruelle was no' alone Tovampire He slew my mother"

"Oh, God, MacRieve, I'm so sorry"

Staring past her, he said, "Da beheaded the vampire and Ruelle One day later, my father followed his mate"

She raised a tremulous hand to her forehead She almost wished she had food in her stomach to vomit

"On the last night of their lives, ht ot both of theirl" Another drop streaked down his face "My entire family was destroyed because of my weakness"

"You weren't weak! You were still a boy! Blaroomed you I wish she was still alive-so I could behead herat her eyes, she knew they were gloith e"

"Mayhap then But in the ensuing years, I grieved Ruelle's death nearly as round as he rasped, "I knerong to do so, despised myself for it for so ine It took me centuries, but eventually I accepted ht sexually I'd never sleep with the same fe So I just bided ood war War was comfortable for me On the battlefield, everyone was happy to see "

"Then you were captured by the Order," she said in a deadened voice "You were tortured Vivisected"