myself to you for eternity.” Chloe bent down and snatched the shirt from the floor while Dante’s semen dripped down her legs. It was a sticky reminder of what they’d just done.
Using the cloth, she cleaned her thighs then seized the bag that was lying in the corner. She hadn’t seen it before and seeing now how he’d made sure to get the things she’d asked him for made her want to cry. It was fucking ridiculous.
Dante ran a hand through his hair while keeping his gaze on hers. “Have you ever heard about Fated Mates.”
She couldn’t take the intensity in his eyes and had to look away. “Not much. Just that you guys believe your Goddess blessed you with a mate.”
Dante made a sound that sounded like a growl mixed with a grunt. “It’s more than a simple belief. It’s a fact. The Goddess has selected the perfect partner for each of her, uh, children, so to speak. They are literally our other half. That perfect partner is the keeper of the other half of their mate’s soul. There is also an undeniable compulsion to be with one another. Most often that comes out as sex, to ensure we procreate and continue the various species.”
Chloe shook her head and unzipped the duffle and latched onto clothes without even looking. “But what makes you think I’m yours?” Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
Dante approached and cupped her cheek. “The way we know we’ve found our Fated Mate is because a mating brand appears when we climax during sexual intercourse the first time.” He crooked his arm in the air and pointed down his back. “This would not have shown up when I climaxed for anyone except you.”
“That’s not how it works for my kind. I don’t carry shit of yours and I don’t owe you anything.” A thousand pins pricked inside her chest made her breath catch. Was that his soul? Shaking her head, she dismissed the notion and put her bra on then pulled her shirt over her head.
“You are right. You can walk away without consequence where I am bound to you for eternity. There will never be anyone else for me. Ever. You are the only being I will ever have sexual intercourse with again.”
She lifted one eyebrow at his declaration. He winced and lowered his head. For a split second she wanted to take it back and reassure him. “Or not. My point is I cannot physically have sex with someone else even if I wanted to. Which, for the record, I don’t.”
She ignored the fleeting impulse. This was not what she was looking for, and Dante was a big hybrid with powerful friends. “This is too fucking much. I was kidnapped and tortured thirty hours ago and now I’ve got this cambion declaring I carry half of his soul.” Chloe wanted to go back to bed and pull the covers over her head.
Dante’s body slumped and his head moved up and down. “I understand. You owe me nothing. It’s been a long day and a half. Let’s get some rest and we can talk later.”
Chloe stepped into her favorite pair of skinny jeans and grabbed some socks and her ankle boots. “I’m going to meet my friend Tris. I need to process with a drink or ten.”
Dante sucked in a breath and held it for several seconds. She wondered what he stopped himself from saying and was about to shake him when he finally exhaled and broke his silence. “Please be careful. It’s daytime now, so you’re less likely to be hunted and attacked, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. If I thought I could keep you here I would.”
She appreciated that he didn’t start trying to dictate her every move. “Are you saying that as my, uh, mate? Or because you agreed to protect me?”
Dante growled full out that time and narrowed his eyes. “You’re lucky I’m not chaining you to my bed right now. There’s a demon hunting you. Regardless of your choice, I will always protect you.”
Chloe suppressed her shiver and the grin that played at the edges of her mouth. She liked when Dante took over and his dominant side came out to play. “I don’t know chains could be fun. Do you have a cell I can borrow? I need to call Tris.”
Dante shook his head and reached into his back pocket. His pecs flexed when he twisted and had her panting all over again. Since when did she