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Was he laughing? Her eyes narrowed to slits as low sounds of mirth invaded her mind.
Are you laughing? I’m serious. I am not your mate. We are not joined or bound or whatever, so it was nice knowing you—Vivienne felt a blush creeping up her neck at just how intimately she’d known him—but I’d really appreciate it if you got out of my head.
Silence. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she waited for him to say something, and a feeling of disappointment swarmed her when he didn’t. She shrugged it off. He was listening to her, and leaving her alone. That was good.
She turned from the mirror and was about to pull open the bathroom door when an image flashed into her mind. It was a couple—a couple on a bed—amidst groans and screams. Was that her? Heat spread through her body when she recognized that it was. She was on all fours, demanding more of Conall as he thrust against her. Vivienne reached up and lightly touched her throat. She recognized she was seeing herself from his perspective and it was…affecting her.
“I will be the only one to have you, Vivienne. Only me. Do you accept me as your mate?” She remembered. Remembered him saying those words. She saw her back arch as she pushed back against him and nodded.
“Yes, yes. Only you. Please. Harder.” Vivienne was certain her face was the closest it could get to scarlet. It certainly felt like it was on fire. Everything was coming back to her in stark clarity. How she’d begged and pleaded, how much she’d wanted him, how huge he’d felt inside her….
There was a knock on the door and she jumped. The image faded.
What’s wrong? Conall asked instantly.
“Vivienne, is everything all right?” It was her mother.
“Yes. Fine.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been in there for a long time.”
“I—I’m fine,” she repeated. She wasn’t exactly going to tell her mother that Conall was inside of her head, showing her very raunchy images of the night they’d spent together.
Good. Stay where you are. You’re safe there.
“Get out of my head,” she hissed at Conall, sighing and gripping the edge of the sink.
Soon, he promised.
She didn’t have a lot of time to contemplate that. Mere seconds later, the ringing chime of the doorbell sounded. Evelyn moved away from the bathroom door, and Vivienne opened it to see her mother heading down the stairs. Vivienne’s eyes narrowed.
It couldn’t be—he wouldn’t.
Her feet moved forward, until she was at the top of the staircase and could see her mother standing before the double doors. Evelyn looked through the peephole before reaching for the door knob.
Yes, I would.
***
“My daughter would appreciate it if you got out of her head.” The voice was calm and even, the face blank. “Come in.”
Conall didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it hadn’t been that. He focused on the woman standing before him, recognizing the similarities that marked her as Vivienne’s mother. They had the same eyes, and facial features, but Vivienne’s height had to have come from her father because her mother was tiny. As if sensing he was thinking that, Evelyn drew herself up to her full height and stared him down. He got the message loud and clear. Height wasn’t everything. He lifted his gaze from her face and scanned the empty foyer behind her. Automatically, he listened for rapid breathing or shuffles that would indicate an ambush.
Amusement entered the woman’s eyes and she said coolly, “This is no trap, Conall Athelwulf.” She let that challenge hang in the air before turning to Max.
Her lips tightened ever so slightly and she stared at him just long enough for Conall to notice her dislike. Her attention returned to him briefly before she called over her shoulder. “Come inside, both of you. We have much to discuss.”
He followed her at a careful pace, eyes and ears alert. He could sense the underlying power of the house, and knew that whatever spells Evelyn had cast were powerful ones meant to keep, by any means necessary, intruders out. His nose picked up Vivienne’s scent the moment he entered, and searched her out as he continued scanning for threats.
A winding staircase was in the middle of the foyer, and standing at the top was his mate. He did a quick sweep of her body to confirm she was uninjured. Her mouth hung open in shock and she seemed to be grasping for words.
He came to a halt directly before the staircase, and grinned.
***
Vivienne cleared her throat, twice. She was staring directly at Conall, yet her brain refused to process that he was in her house. He was dressed differently from when last she’d last seen him, in gray sweat pants and a tight, white T-shirt. So much for her telling him to leave her alone.
