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She tries to speak around my fingers, but I hush her. “Let me have a look.”

Even Asher asks, “What are you doing?”

Peering into her mouth, I see the place where I nicked her with my fang is almost completely healed.

Alena keeps trying to talk with my fingers in her mouth, and I know she is quickly losing patience with me. She doesn’t like the way I’m treating her.

And honestly, I don’t blame her. But I had to see.

Just as I’m about to release her, though, I spot the inside of her cheeks. They’re covered in scars.

Scars made from teeth marks.

Fuck me.

She mutilated the inside of her mouth.

Quickly pulling my fingers away, I stare into her eyes.

Those scars were not made by accident. No, there’s far too many of them.

They were intentional.

She caused herself pain and misery.

My human memories are foggy, it being so long ago, but I do remember how bad it would hurt when I accidentally bit my tongue or the inside of my cheek.

Hurt enough that eating and drinking would be painful.

And yet she intentionally caused herself this pain…

Why?

Sensing my distress, Asher says calmly, “Her healing could be rapidly increasing due to your close proximity. The closer I got to Chloe when I found her, the more her vampire powers manifested. Speed, healing, and her vanishing…”

Shit.

Why is my beloved deliberately causing herself pain? I push at the bond for an answer but hit that damn wall again.

The fucking thing is still blocking part of her off…

How the fuck is this possible?

I want to ask outright, to see if she knows the answer, but Matthias says, “We’re here.”

Gravel crunches under the SUV’s tires before we come to a complete stop in front of a huge hunting lodge.

The place appears to be crafted completely out of wood and logs to blend in with the surrounding forest. But it’s both rusticand modern in design. It’s definitely more to a shifter’s taste, but it will do for the time being.

Alena stares at me in confusion and annoyance.

Her emotions pulsing through our one-sided connection.

She’s annoyed I stopped her exploration of pleasure and confused about me sticking my fingers in her mouth and inspecting her like she’s some kind of animal.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’ll explain when we get inside.”

Matthias’s phone rings and he puts it quickly to his ear.