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Mia, nodding, aimed a solemn stare my direction. “I have a few tonics we can slip into his drink.”

Claude outright cackled. “Poor dude wouldn’t last long against one of Mia’s tonics. Not even an all-powerful, vampire hunting monster like him can evade its effects.”

As if none of it affected him, Phillip kept his focus on Sloan and me. He caught my sideways glance, and I internally cursed my curiosity. The lift in his mouth suggested Phillip knew all too well I was struggling.

Then it dawned on me. “There’s a plan, isn’t there?”

Phillip made a sound in his throat, clearly approving. “There is.”

“The mission is a ruse,” I voiced slowly, piecing it all together.

Sloan nodded emphatically. “Kris, Sungho, and the pack will go after the coven like initially planned. But while they do, we’ll take a little trip to one of the Organization’s facilities.”

“For what?”

Sloan shook his head, indicating he wouldn’t share what our true agenda was in front of anyone else. Which meant that whatever we were about to do was going to get us in major trouble. By my deduction, it was likely to do with what resided in my blood.

So this is going to be fun.

My lips lifted for the first time since Phillip arrived. “So, we’re about to do something very naughty. I’m game.”

Phillip rose from his seat and then took a knee in front of me. Without realizing it, my eyes found his and I couldn’t look anywhere else. An expression I’d never seen on him distorted the lines of his face, and it made it difficult to stay angry at him.

“Once we do this, there’s no going back,” he stated, voice rattling deeply. “Are you ready, lass?”

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife, but the second our eyes met, there wasn’t any other answer I could give him. All the rage and bitterness melted away when his gorgeous face came into view.

“Yes,” I whispered, closing my eyes when Phillip cradled my jaw in his palm, “I’m ready.”

Chapter 12

Fighting for Her

Sloan

Her entrancing eyes held mine for minutes before they skittered away. Over tohim.And I knew it would happen the second Phillip returned, knew how her heart truly only beat for him, but I hadn’t expected it to hit quite as hard as it did. So, I gave into pettiness, into the urge to express how close we’d become, if only to satisfy my own childish frustration.

I touched her without reason, without restraint, without any idea of what I truly wanted from this ambiguous thing she and I shared. Knowing that I couldn’t have her. Knowing that I’d lose her before I could ever capture her. But still, I reached for her. I touched her velvety-soft flesh and burned it into my memory.

It was a lump in my throat when I realized I’d likely spend the rest of my life replaying every small memory of her, so I didn’t dare to miss a single thing.

I recalled the way her skin flushed a soft rose color when I fingered her. How her tongue teased mine and her lips eagerly moved to kiss me. Remembered her surprising boldness and the tight warmth when she swallowed my prick inside of her. Remembered the beautiful curve and pulse of her body when she was overcome by the pleasure I gave her, andthe raspy note to her voice as she came. Recalled every sultry upturn of her mouth when she caught me off guard with her aggressive actions. I’d gladly be enslaved to her just for one of those smiles.

And that night we spent together, I’d drowned in her intoxicatingly sweet aroma and reveled in how the warmth of her body put my own into chaos. I wanted it to last forever. Couldn’t fathom this beautiful creature ever being anywhere else but in my arms.

Had we not been interrupted, I would’ve very likely spent all night memorizing every line, every curve, every beautiful stretch of her body. I would’ve worshipped her shape and left nowhere untouched by my hands or mouth alike. Had her as many times as she allowed. If I had it my way, I would’ve taken her somewhere to shut out the world. Bring her into my arms and spend the night holding her, caressing her, singing of her beauty and kindness.

I’d never let her go.

Despite what Phillip disclosed to me prior, the feelings I had for her weren’t simple lust or infatuation and, therefore, not caused by whatever ancient blood she harbored—I refused to believe pheromones from some Royal Siren could ever be this strong. It may explain my initial fascination with her, but her mannerisms and personality were truly what intrigued me. And I refused to believe that this ongoing captivation was caused by a pheromone reaction, because it wasn’t her body I was after.

It was her heart.

“Sloan?”

I looked up, having been lost for several minutes to my internal contemplation. “Have you said your goodbyes?” I asked, knowing she alreadyhad. Her expression told a story of sadness but determination to make the people who genetically created her pay.

“Nigel took a little longer than the rest,” she clarified with a small, wispy laugh.