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“What are you doing?”Sutton said stiltedly behind me.

I spun around, and fuck, her underwear was still balled in my fist, like some fucking panty-sniffing weirdo.You literally just sniffed them, fuckhead.Heat washed over me, but different than before.My face was hot.What the fuck was that?

Sutton’s eyes widened.“Were you…sniffing my underwear?”

“No.”

“You were.I saw you.”

I shoved the panties back in the laundry basket.“That’s not what I was doing.”I crossed my arms.“Something’s wrong with you.Something’s off, and I?—”

“Thought the answer was among my dirty laundry?That sniffing my undies would provide you with all the answers you desperately needed?”

I growled, feeling like a fucking fool, another thing I wasn’t accustomed to.“You moved here, you cut your fucking hair, you went to Rune when you needed help and not?—”

“You?”

I ground my teeth but gave her a sharp nod because, yes, that’s what I wanted.Despite not believing her, then pushing her away, yes, that’s exactly what I wanted.

Her brows lifted and she shook her head as she pushed herself up in her bed.“Are you serious?”

There was no anger in her voice.It wasn’t raised.I didn’t know what she was feeling, I couldn’t name it, and that frustrated the hell out of me.When Sutton walked into a room, it warmed, as if the sun followed her around.Looking at her now, that was gone.The warmth was all gone.It made my stomach hurt.I didn’t know how to respond to her question after coming to that realization, and I barely resisted rubbing at the ache in my chest.

“I don’t know what you want from me, Jagger.I really don’t.What are you even doing here right now?How did I get here?”

“Rune texted me you were with him.He used his powers on you, doped you up.”His scent hadn’t been strong on her, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I heard the truth of what happened from her.“Did he force himself on you?”

“What?No.He didn’t harm me.”She shoved back the covers and climbed out of bed, then pulled off her shirt, leaving her in only a small tank top that exposed her belly and arms, and I couldn’t stop myself from eating up the sight of her bare skin.

“The witch’s council prefers not to deal with hybrids like me, and since I have demon blood and Rune has never turned me away, or made me feel less than because I’m not a pure-blooded demon, he’s the person I decided to go to.”She pulled a clean shirt from her drawer and yanked it on, then her gaze slid to me.“He is the only person I could go to.”

“That’s bullshit.”A growl slipped free.

She huffed out a laugh, but it held no real humor.“Whatever.Look, I have to get to work.You need to leave.”

“I can take you.My bike’s downstairs?—”

“Nope.”She turned her back on me, carrying on getting ready as if I wasn’t there.“You know the way out,” she said, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I didn’t want to leave.Striding to the door she’d shut herself behind, I lifted my hand to the flimsy piece of wood between us and curled my fingers into a tight fist, then yanked it back.I wanted to stay here with her, to touch her again so badly, which was why I had to get the hell out of here now.

Somehow, I managed to make myself leave her apartment, but it wasn’t easy.I should go back to Hell, that would be the right thing to do, the sensible thing.

But I couldn’t do it.

I’d fought as hard as I could.I couldn’t fight this pull between us any longer.

I realized I didn’t want to.Sutton had little by little stripped my resolve, and she hadn’t even tried.Her mere existence had so easily unraveled me.

And honestly, I just wanted her.

I wanted my mate.

Maddox was right.Having her for however long that was, was worth the pain I’d feel when I lost her.But there was a solution for that as well, wasn’t there?

The idea solidified as I headed for the door, then someone banged on it, hard.My hackles instantly lifted.They pounded on it again, and I yanked the door open.

A small female stood there, staring up at me with an alarmed expression on her face.She quickly got it together, though, and going by how similar her features were to Sutton’s, I guessed I was looking at her mother.She was nowhere near as beautiful, though.Her narrowed eyes and pinched mouth made her look mean.The bitch who had thrown Sutton out, tossing her aside like garbage when she was too young to be out on her own without protection, was scowling up at me.She had two witches with her, both I knew were on the witch’s council.