Page 128 of Eclipse Sector

“No, I want to know what’s going on with Ashlyn,” she said, putting a little more strength into her hands as she shoved again.

This time I let her move, taking the hint that she didn’t want to touch me.

But rather than scramble off my lap, she just repositioned herself and grabbed my shoulders. “Tell me about Ashlyn.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know much,” I admitted. “Just that she’s missing and no one knows how or when she disappeared.” I ran my palm down her back, away from her hair. “Lorcan was in the process of bringing Kieran up to speed when Mindy started screaming for me. I left to help you.”

Ivana blinked at me. “Is that why Kieran needed you earlier? Because of Ashlyn?”

My brow furrowed. “Kieran didn’t need me.”

“But you said you had to talk to him. I assumed he’d called you.”

“No, I needed to talk to him about your heat and the serum—or I guess it was adrink—used to provoke it.”

She stared at me. “You left me to talk about me?”

“To talk about the serum used on you, yes. I wanted to know if it altered your ability to consent.” My palm fell to her hip, my gaze holding hers. Rather than play with words, I decided to be direct. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t claim me because of the serum.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Well, you were upset about me not using birth control, which is warranted. I should have asked how you felt about pups before…” I trailed off, wincing. Kieran was right—I am acting like I’ve never knotted an Omega before.

Clearing my throat, I attempted to start over.

But Ivana started speaking first. “I wasn’t upset about the lack of birth control. I was—am—upset that you didn’t claim me, Cillian. That youdon’t want toclaim me. That you said you wouldn’t have, even if you could have. And?—”

I slanted my mouth over hers, silencing her with my lips.

Which turned out to be the wrong thing to do because the little vixenbitme again. Hard. Drawing blood in the same place she’d bitten me last week.

Don’t you dare kiss me,she snarled into my head.You rejected me and our child. You don’t get to kiss me anymore or ever again.

I pulled back to gape at her. “I didnotreject you.”

She rolled her eyes, her full lips parting on what I knew would be some sort of argument.

I grabbed her nape and forced her to look right into my eyes as I repeated, “I did not reject you, Ivana Michaels. And I certainly didn’t reject our child.”

“You said you weren’t sorry and that you wouldn’t have bitten me even if you could have.”

“I said I wasn’t sorry about the lack of birth control and that I wouldn’t have used it even if I could have,” I correctedher immediately. “Which makes me an asshole, I know. But the notion of you being pregnant with our child makes me so fucking hard that I can barely think straight. And you being in heat? Yeah, there’s no way in hell I would have even wanted to try to prevent the outcome because it’s all I could possibly want.”

Her eyes widened, her lips parting as she attempted to form words.

But nothing came out.

“And all I’ve wanted to do for nine fucking days is bite you,” I decided to tack on. “But I wanted you coherent and willing. Not moping and upset about me impregnating you without permission.”

She blinked. “Moping and upset…?” She shook her head, some of her thoughts seeming to escape her in the process.

He wants the baby.

He wants to bite me.

He… he isn’t sorry about impregnating me.

I bit back the urge to growl at that last line, but Ivana’s mouth was suddenly on mine, her tongue tracing the wound she’d left on my lip.