Page 30 of Act of Command

He’d simply stop desiring her to such a degree.

The idea was almost laughable. Simply being near her intensified his burning ache for her. Each time their skin-connected, heat raced through him, centering in his groin. She had asked if it was a shifter thing. It was not. It was a mated-pair thing.

Her deep brown eyes stared up at him and he sensed the drain the entire ordeal had taken upon her. Dark circles were under her eyes and he knew she’d not had the sleep she needed. She’d lost weight since he’d last seen her and that was simply unacceptable to him. He’d get her free from the facility and he’d see to her needs.

All of them.

Then he’d claim her.

Right now he needed to assess the situation. Get the lay of the room. Prepare his defenses. He needed to get her out of the place and to safety.

“Mae,” he said, whatever meds were in him making him feel as if he might catch fire without her. “Please, love. I have to get you out of here.”

Her hum turned into the softest of songs. He smelled hints of Fae then and something else. Something so alluring that he nearly whipped his cock out and started to jerk off then and there. He knew then he wasn’t going to win the battle on being a gentleman.

“Corbin, please,” begged Mae, coming closer to him, the smell of Fae stronger than before. “I hurt and I know you hurt. We could make the hurt stop. Together.”

He’d been so on edge since she’d come into his life. Every second a struggle with his beast. He couldn’t hurt her. That was the one thing he would never permit to happen, and taking her in this state, with the drugs in his system, he could harm her. “Love, once we’re free, I will know every inch of you. Mark my words.”

Her bottom lip trembled and he was positive Fae magik was around them. At first he wondered if one was near, on the payroll for the enemy, and then it hit him—the magik was leaking off Mae. She seemed unaware of it. “I can feel how much you hurt. Let me help you.”

She was attuned to him, as a mate should be.

He backed away from her more as his body tensed, the urge to seize hold of her and fuck her until she understood she was his was strong. For a split second, everything around him blurred as the drugs in his system nearly claimed him. He staggered back, his fear of harming her winning out over the needs of his dick. She was precious. He would not take her like this. He would not risk her.

She swayed and touched her upper chest, her cheeks flushing. “Corbin,” she whispered, and then began to sing softly again. It wasn’t words so much as it was perfectly placed notes. Each one increased the desire in him, making him want to do the unthinkable and tear her dress from her before he thrust her against the wall and rammed himself into her. He wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh as he emptied himself in her, leaving no room for error—she was his.

The things he wanted to do to her.

His cock twitched with excitement at the idea of not only claiming her pussy but at knowing what her ass would feel like around him too. He could almost feel it, holding him there as he released and his body shook.

He growled, the sound of her song washing over him more. It clouded his ability to think of anything beyond taking her any way he could, and maybe some ways he couldn’t.

Focus, Jones.

His ears rang as his cock jerked painfully. Reaching up, Corbin held his head, trying to reason out what was happening. What was sending him over the edge of reason and into the abyss of a mindless fucking machine? Whatever they’d given him was slowing his natural healing ability, but he was still healing and that meant he was also cycling through the meds. Why was the urge to fuck a hole clean through his mate growing to epic proportions when it should have been cooling to some degree? What had changed?

Mae.

She was singing.

He sniffed the air again, the smell of Fae still strong. He concentrated on the other scent. The one he couldn’t identify. His mind raced with possibilities and when he landed on siren, he froze.

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

Was his mate part siren?

Lifting his hands, Corbin watched in horror as he yet again lost control and fur began to sprout on them. He shook and fell as he tried to back away from her. His body wasn’t healed from his injury and was already in a weakened state. The drugs in his system and now Mae’s song were too much.

Chapter Twelve

Mae blinked, her head feeling a bit foggy as she focused on the room around her as best she could without her glasses on. What had happened? She spotted Corbin’s form on the floor. His blue eyes were wide and his upper body seemed even bigger than it had been.

She realized she was singing and snapped her mouth shut at once, fearful she’d done something to harm him. Had she driven him mad too? Was he now a broken man?

“Oh gods, no! Corbin.” She moved to him fast against his protests.

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