Sixty three

The dark curtains shielding Valentine from the intense rays of the sun were pushed aside. As the rays of hot light washed over Valentine, she made an effort to roll away from its direction.  Her body was supposed to ache but as Valentine stretched her body out, she discovered something quite odd. She felt good. An entirely different story considering she had spent the night on the living room couch in hopes of avoiding Devin. Her tired hands felt the surface she was on. It was soft and spacey.  That made her jerk. Her eyes shot open and daylight immediately stabbed it making her blink repeatedly. She took a look around and her suspicions were confirmed. She was in the bedroom. Her clothes were off with the exception of the peachy matching underwear she had on.  That bastard, She swore under her breath. Panic surged from the deep as Valentine examined herself. A part of her knew that despite everything she thought about Devin, there were some lines the man wouldn't cross but at the same time, Valentine refused to acknowledge that Devin had morality. There was a glass of water on the dresser by the side of the bed. Begrudgingly, Valentine took a huge gulp right before stepping out of the bed. She found her cloth discarded on the floor and immediately retrieved it. Still observing the room, Valentine proceeded to slide into the silky gown she had worn the night before.  Her thoughts lingered on preventing any sexual transgression before the night of ritual so despite having clean and comfortable clothes stashed in the depths of one of the bedroom's wardrobes, Valentine chose to play safe and her senses had been right. As soon as she shimmied into the gown, the bedroom door swung open and Devin walked in with nothing but a flimsy black brief shielding his nudity.

"Did you bring me here?" Valentine asked, looking to the floor.

"Morning," He returned. His unsatisfactory response made Valentine look him straight in the eye and what followed was instant regret.  The foul words that erupted from the wicked depths of her mind caught at her throat as she took in the sight of his rumpled dark hair on the clean-cut side. The dark brown—almost black—eyes, the strong jaw, and the perfectly sculpted body. Valentine's stomach flipped. The filthy thoughts that rushed through her brain like serotonin courtesy of her wolf made her feel sick. She needed a censor on her brain. Now more than ever.

"I thought we agreed that I would be sleeping on the couch." Valentine retorted, trying her best to look as unaffected as she could about the things Devin's body did to her. A huge fraction of her being knew Devin knew exactly what was happening and that he was enjoying how much she tried to fight it. The insatiable urge to rip his brief in half and suck on that cock like it was life.

"That was your idea," Devin returned with just as much energy. "And I wouldn't have cared if you didn't make it so damn loud that you weren't comfortable on the couch."

"Did you have to undress me?"

"It was hot and your damn gown was eating all the spaces. So of course, I had to undress you. You didn't even budge. I never knew you were such a deep sleeper."

Valentine's cheeks burned red. Not because of Devin's embarrassing remark. No, it was something much worse. "Eating all the damn space..." Valentine hurried to say. "Did we share the bed?"

"Of course we did," Devin scoffed. "I try to be a gentleman but I am not that much of a white knight. There was no way I was sleeping on that couch."

Valentine was too mortified to speak and her flaming cheeks turned into hotter welts.  "We didn't do anything... Did we?" She asked.

Devin stared at Valentine dumbfounded. The aura surrounding him transformed from one of confusion to one of dominance as he approached his mate with intent. "Do you think we did?"  His tone was dead serious. However, Valentine didn't answer. She wasn't even sure why are asked that question. She hadn't been drunk neither had she messed around with moonshine. If Devin had assaulted her, she would know. Whatever Valentine acted on had to be paranoia. When she did not speak, Devin continued. "I was sure you saw me as a pretty terrible person but a rapist. That is beyond low."

"I do–n't see you as a rapist." Valentine stammered. "I was ju–st..."

"Afraid of the heat and what it could do to us if we stayed close?" Devin chipped in. "I don't know why you agreed to accept me if you are so afraid that we might accidentally have sex. It is going to happen and nothing can stop that."

"That is different." Valentine insisted, getting off the bed to leave the room.

"How?" Devin demanded, blocking her path. "I might not have had any ulterior motives when I agreed to this arrangement but you should know no one has been able to fight the heat. No matter how much you run from me, it will happen. Except of course you have you found a way to defy the will of the moon goddess?"

Valentine went silent and Though, her lips did not move, Her mind said everything Devin needed to know. Something in his guts wrenched hearing Valentine's thoughts.

"So that is it." Devin mused holding Valentine's gaze. Valentine tried to hold his stare but it was near impossible. The guilt burned deep. Swallowing the lump on her throat, she once again attempted to walk away from him but Devin was having none of it. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, securely holding her in place by the hips. Goosebumps pricked over Valentine's skin and her grade drifted upwards to meet Devin's disapproving glare. As he came closer, Valentine got a whiff of her mate's scent. Pine cones and rain. It hinted the coarseness of his nature and the wildness that came along with it. It drive her wolf into a horny frenzy but luckily, Valentine was a woman who could keep those urges under wraps. "You would rather blame the inevitable on the ritual?"

"So?"

"It disgusts me." Devin retorted.

"That the only reason I would have sex with you stems from a scenario I cannot control? It should Devin. You killed my parents and I watched you do it. Stuff like that doesn't just go away even with this forced bond you and the moon goddess won't free me from. I hate you, Devin Crow. Never forget that." With that much said, Valentine shrugged his hands off and walked towards the door but she stopped once her hand wrapped around the cold knob. There was still something she needed to get off her chest. "You know, my good friend Abigail told me that the goddess probably mated us for a reason and if there is any truth in that, I hope it is for the reason that I think it is."

"And what is that?" David probed.

"The complete extermination of the Monarch. I am the surviving member of my family after all."

Devin giggled. This wasn't the first time that Valentine had spewed vile words like that in his face after all but the more he tried to cope with the anger she projected, the more it angered Valentine. "Your very good friend told me something similar. She said you could not handle the truth."

"And what truth is that?"

"That your parents are just as evil as me. You hate me because you have this twisted narrative that your parents were good people. But what if they weren't? What if they were murderers just like me?" Devin retorted with a devilish grin creeping up the side of his mouth.

Valentine turned to face him. The veins in her head were bobbing. Her breath came in slow and calculated as she balled her fist in anticipation. "Don't you ever slander my parents!"

"I would never." Devin mocked with a wink. "Because the goddess forbids your tiny little brain knows the truth." As he spoke, he waltzed in her direction, pushed past her, and opened the damn door. "You know, Abigail was probably right. Without the lie you tell to yourself, you'll be nothing but a shell." Before Valentine's traumatized and sizzling brain could come up with an effective clap back, Devin added. "Breakfast is ready by the way." Then he banged the door shut.