Page 38 of His Sold Fated Mate

Her eyes widened. “What? You don’t have to do that, Klaus. I know you have your own stuff that you are working on.”

I did, but I needed to stop dividing us. If she wanted to help, I should accept it. “I’m doing it because I’m Alpha and I want an answer just as much as everyone else. I don’t know much about magic, so this will be a learning opportunity for both of us.”

She slowly nodded.

We sat down on the sofa that was pressed against the wall. I had a book propped open on my knee while she sat curled up with the book in her lap. Her head was resting on the back of the pillow, and I could see she was fighting to stay awake.

I took in the focus in her eyes and the way her lips moved slowly as she read. I was shocked at how hard she was pushing herself. Anyone else would likely throw up their hands and give in, but not her.

She pinched at her eyes. “There really is little about dark magic.”

I nodded, flipping a page. “Magic in general.”

She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. “I had read a couple of things about marriage and magic. They all explained that a stronger bond meant a stronger connection between the couple and the magic.”

“I saw that in the book I was reading.”

She nodded, chewing on her cheek. “Klaus, you know that means our connection is likely interfering with my magic. We don’t exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things.”

I glanced at her. I knew what she was talking about. I sighed. “Is that a line you want to cross?”

“I want to help, and if sleeping together will help, I want to do that. I think if a moment of awkwardness can help your pack, we should do it.”

My eyes took in the way she was sitting, and I could see that her breasts were pushed. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to have sex with Aubrey. She had the look to catch any man’s attention. But I also knew that there was something in her past, and I didn’t know what it was.

We stayed for a little longer before we headed home. Neither of us spoke during the walk. I was trying to think of how we could do this without it being awkward or uncomfortable, but I only thought of alcohol. Which I knew wasn’t a smart idea either. That was how accidents happened.

“Are you on anything?” I asked.

She scowled, giving me a disgusted look. “Are you asking if I’m on drugs?”

I paused and gave her a look. “No, I was asking if you are on birth control. If you’re serious about this, I would like to make sure there is no baby afterward.”

“Oh…” Her face fell. “I am. I had an implant put in. But if I could make a request for you to wear a condom, I would.”

I nodded. “You can make that request.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’ll wear one?”

I nodded. “It’s your body, Aubrey.” But a part of me wonders why she stated it that way. It twisted me up.

We arrived home, and I could see she was nervous. I was nervous. I didn’t date around. I had a few relationships with people who I thought understood the stress of being a leader. None of them understood that I put in long hours and couldn’t devote every second to them.

She chewed on her cheek. “Do you want to drink anything?”

I shook my head. “I don’t like having alcohol mixed in when I have sex. But if you want something.”

She shook her head.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I actually prefer to be sober for this. Like you said before, no need for a baby.”She swallowed, rubbing her fingers together nervously.

I pointed toward the stairs and followed her up. “You know we don’t have to do anything tonight.”

She paused at her door. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, getting a smell of her. She smelled of cinnamon and vanilla, and I found myself stepping closer. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. We can plan this out.”