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He graciously tookthe wine from me and took a long sip. “It’s really nothing. Just, my mom’s condition is getting worse. She was struggling just to move her wheelchair around today. Jennifer and I had to helpher.”

“The healers don’t knowwhat’s wrong with her?” Iasked.

“We’ve only beenable to afford to take her to a small clinic. They weren’t trained or equipped to diagnoseher.”

“Hounds of Hell,Mason. I can arrange to get hercare.”

He smiled sadly.“Thanks, Christophe. You’ve already done enough, I don’t deserve any more help. I don’t want to take advantage of yourkindness.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mason,”I said. “You aren’t taking advantage of anyone. You’re my fated mate,Mason.”

Iwrappedmy arms around him, and he hugged metightly.

“How long, Christophe?”

“How long?”

“Couldyou secretly take care of my family? It’s not a big deal now, but how long could it last? I couldn’t expect that of you. And you know you couldn’t doit.”

Ifrowned. “What do you mean?”

“Iwish I wasn’t lowborn,”he said, and he touched my thigh where the mark was. “This made me believe that there’s actually magic in this world. Real magic. But how can we be fated mates when we can’t even betogether?”

“Wearetogether,”I said. “Right here. Rightnow.”

“Yeah,but will we always meet here, likethis?”

“This is our paradise.We can escape from both of our worldshere.”

He laughed.“For how damn smart you are, you can be kind of naïve about stuff sometimes,Christophe.”

“I’m not naïve.I want to be with you, Mason. With you, I’ve finally found real happiness in my life. I no longer feel like I’m missing something. And once I take over the clan, we don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll be able to change things. We won’t have to do it like thisanymore.”

“And until then,we’ve gotta keep meeting in the middle of the woods,” hesaid.

“Yes,”I said. “And I’d keep doing it forever if it was the only way we could betogether.”

“Idon’t wantto be a secret,” Mason said. “I don’t want to be yoursecret.”

My heart dropped.“Iwish we didn’t have to be a secret. But I don’t know what other choice wehave.”

Mason nodded sadly. “Right. I know.”He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me, burying his face into my neck. “Sorry, Christophe,” he murmured. “There’s just been a lot goingon.”

“Don’t apologize,”I said, and kissed him on his head. He was right. I’d gotten so caught up in the moment of this thing that had grown between us that I hadn’t stopped to give any thought to what Mason was going through. It was selfish of me, expecting that this could be our normal. Selfish, and itwasnaïve.

I’d constructedthis idea that this would be our secret to share, but Mason felt like he wasmysecret. And he was right,as terrible as it was. This had to be a secret because of my family, nothis.

Mason kissedmy neck as his hands moved across my jacket, tugging it lightly. I shrugged it off my shoulders as his lips made their way up to my ear, where he nipped my earlobe and sent a shiver coursing through my body down to my cock. I pulled his shirt off and pushed him back onto the furs, planting hungry kisses all along his chest. He moaned as I brushed my lips against his nipples, and when I brought my hand down between his thighs I felt his excitement waiting forme.

Iwantedthis to be forever. Every day I spent getting to know Mason was bliss. I’d never felt so comfortable with another person in my entirelife.

How couldI make this right? What could I do for the man who I knew was my fated mate? Forus?

Icontinuedto make my way down his chest, kissing across the landscape of his abs until I reached the top of his pants. I unbuttoned them, and slowly drew down his zipper, one tooth at a time. He looked down at me, eagerly waiting for my touch, and I gave it to him. I pulled his pants down his thighs and pressed my lips against the tall bulge of his underwear, kissing and caressing his cock through thefabric.

“Stop teasing me,”he growled. “Or I’ll beat youup.”

Ismiledat him and slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear, and then pulled them down. His cock stood tall and thick, and I drew my lips over the tip to sample it. His gorgeous blue eyes looked down at me as I slowly lowered myself down, taking him inside of my mouth. I went slowly, savoring both his flavor and his little twitches ofpleasure.