Moon Kissed by Aline Hunter Page A

tried to stay awake but it was too late. The toxin had already invaded her system and she’d lost too much blood. Even if Wolfe got her help, the damage could be more than Trevor could fix.
    The room swayed with his steps, as though she were drifting in the ocean before the tide rose up to claim her. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. It could have been worse. She could have died before she knew the touch of a real lover, or knew how it felt to have her body worshipped from head to toe. He’d given her what she’d always wanted but never knew she needed, mere minutes that erased a lifetime of regret.
    Her thoughts slipped, so she focused on one thing.
    At the very least, she’d kept Wolfe from harm.
    No matter what happened, he’d live to see another day.
    If she died as a consequence, so be it.

Chapter Nine
    Wolfe studied Arden’s sleeping face, relieved to see her free of the pain that ravaged her body just hours before. A selfish part of him wished she’d open her eyes and reassure him. He wanted to hear her voice and know she was truly okay. The last few hours had been the longest of his existence.
    “She’s out for the count,” Trevor said as he crept into the bedroom. “Beak of nightingale is some serious shit. She won’t open those pretty peepers of hers for a few days. You might as well get comfortable.”
    “You’re certain the poison is gone?”
    “Absolutely.” The warlock shot him an annoyed look. “I know what I’m doing. The toxins have left the building.”
    Wolfe’s gaze returned to his mate. Trevor thought the bullet came from a vampyren gold vault, meaning the fucking bastards were hiring assassins to take out his mate. His heart constricted with grief and fear . She could have died today.
    If I hadn’t been there, she would have.
    “You’re right.” Trevor interrupted his thoughts. “If you hadn’t been there, she would have died today.”
    Wolfe ripped his attention from his female. “You’re telepathic?”
    “Not exactly. I’m an empath. That’s how I met Arden. Her perception and emotions drew me to her.”
    “How so?” he asked, frowning.
    Trevor walked to the other side of the bed and looked at the woman whose life he’d saved. He studied her for several seconds, worry apparent on his face. “I haven’t shared this knowledge with anyone, lycae. The only reason I’m willing to give it to you is because of the connection the two of you share. Arden isn’t a run of the mill dhampir. She is also cursed with clairsentience through touch. Do you know what that is?”
    “I do.” The ability to perceive events and emotions through physical contact was rare but not unheard of. He’d seen witches with the ability decades before, when a lycae mated a mortal Seer.
    Trevor seemed pleased. “Good. You’re not as stupid as you look.” The warlock ignored his growl of contempt and asked, “Are you also aware a select few are cursed with the third eye? Do you know what that is as well?”
    Annoyance fled as horror took its place.
    The third eye led to madness, especially if the person with the ungodly trait kept enough chaos and turmoil locked away in their minds. The horrific atrocities they endured and experienced through touch built up until they could no longer function.
    “Silence gets you nowhere,” Trevor said. “I can sense your unrest. Don’t forget that.”
    Wolfe met the other man’s gaze, releasing another low growl. “What are you trying to tell me?” he snarled. “That my mate absorbs the anguish of others and will eventually go mad?”
    Trevor snorted and shook his head. “She can take the misery of another, but she doesn’t have to keep it. She can pass it onto another. That’s how she vanquished the demon I wanted to destroy.”
    “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
    “I’m not surprised. People with the gift are extremely rare, and they only exist in families touched by magic. You can’t understand what you never see. I don’t know much