her shoulder, testing the slickness of her core with his finger before he slid his penis into her.
He was here. This was happening. She was already moaning his name.
Why didn’t it feel right, when it felt like heaven an hour before?
Declan fucked her leisurely, gently easing in and out of her body as she writhed beneath him. Her hair flickered from brown to blonde, and he closed his eyes as he moved in and out, not understanding what was wrong with his head or why their connection wasn’t flaring to life.
She came fast, and he rolled her onto her back, entering her once more to finish himself off. She nibbled his ear and murmured his name. Like this morning, he couldn’t come again. He didn’t understand it. His head pounding, he settled on top of her finally and fluttered kisses across her face. She was too far pleased to notice that he was still aroused.
It was her, but it didn’t feel that way. He felt guilty again, wondering why he wasn’t able to find satisfaction, even with his soul-mate. Or at least, he couldn’t find it all the time. As it was, he was happy most of the time. Maybe that was good enough.
“What the fuck?”
Declan twisted, too late to hear the door open or deflect the blow aimed for his head by the irate speaker. Pain smashed through his head, driving him almost to unconsciousness. It sounded like there was some sort of fight going on in the distance, though he wasn’t able to see anything at the moment.
“Declan?” someone called.
He groaned, head hurting even worse than it had been. The shouting at the edge of his mind quieted, and someone propped up his shoulders. Cool water slid down his throat. He blinked away the dark.
“What the fuck happened?” Liam held him propped against one knee. Declan became aware of his ass, rendered cold against the concrete floor. He was covered from the waist down in a sheet.
“You tell me,” he grunted and pushed himself up. “I’m fucking Zoey one minute and then bam.”
“Zoey?”
Declan rubbed his temples. “You know, my soul-mate?” he demanded impatiently.
“Zoey isn’t here,” his father’s voice carried a sharp note.
Declan stared at the shape of his father, which took up the doorway. One of his father’s large hands was wrapped around the neck of a female, who clenched a sheet around her.
“Heidi?” Declan asked, confused. His eyes went to the bed. It was empty.
“I think we have an issue,” Ethan said.
“What the fuck is going on?” Declan asked. He rose, holding the sheet around his hips.
“Get dressed, son. Your new duties need you focused.”
Even Declan didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the stern look his father gave Heidi. The two disappeared from the door, and Declan looked at Liam.
“Vikki tore out of here like a bat out of hell,” Liam said. “She was fucking pissed. I settled her down, but I guess it was too late for you.”
“She hit me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” Declan touched the tender back of his head.
“Because your soul-mate is her best friend, and you were fucking someone else.” Liam was gazing at him grimly.
“I haven’t fucked anyone except Zoey since I started the rite.”
“That wasn’t Zoey in your bed. Even I could see that.”
Declan stared at the bed. He’d seen Heidi and Zoey in his bed, but blamed it on his headache. The same thing happened this morning, when he thought Zoey’s eyes had turned green. He spent an hour fucking her then. If it wasn’t Zoey, who was in his bed?
He opened himself to the bond and grew tense. Zoey’s emotions were all over the place. Meltdown was not the word for this; he couldn’t read anything in the jumble. Either she knew he slept with someone else, or something was very wrong, wherever she was.
“Where’s Vikki?” he asked suddenly.
“Probably on her way to get Zoey. Something fucked up is definitely going on,” Liam said.
“I have to find her.” Declan took a step and wobbled.
“Put some clothes on. I’ll go with you.”
The idea of his Zoey with another man made him want to kill something. But he’d actually been the one to fuck someone else. The girl who didn’t handle change well was not going to live through betrayal.
His head aching, Declan dressed fast and was pulling on a jacket, ready to leave, when his father reappeared in the doorway. He had no way to explain to Zoey what happened or why he was sleeping with Heidi. He didn’t understand