Page 43 of His Sold Fated Mate

Chapter 13 - Klaus

The next morning, I made breakfast and let Aubrey sleep in. My head was still spinning from everything last night. I couldn’t get over how great it felt to be inside her and how right it all felt. I expected it to be awkward, but her body moved right alongside mine.

I couldn’t get her words out of my head. I knew she had a past, but I hadn’t expected what she said. When she fell asleep, I just lay there and held her, wanting to fix everything.

I wish I’d known sooner, and I felt terrible about so many things. I’d called her a sex worker for God’s sake. I felt like I’d violated her last night. She’d had a shitty life, was stuck in an abusive relationship, and ended here.

I stared at the pancakes as they cooked. My mind was swimming with so much information.

I wondered if she had marks that he’d left on her. I wanted to know what he’d done, but I knew if I did, it would only anger me more. I’d want to hunt down the bastard and rip his limbs off.

I heard footsteps, and I turned just as Aubrey came down the hallway. She had a robe on, tightly wrapped around her middle. I glanced at her legs, searching them for marks. I scanned up and paused when I noticed a hickey on her neck.

Shit.

“Morning.” She plopped herself down on a stool. “Is there coffee?”

I nodded, grabbing her a cup. “How are you feeling?”

She raised an eyebrow as I placed the coffee in front of her. “What do you mean?”

“Does anything hurt?”

She offered me a soft smile. “I’m fine, Klaus.”

“I just want to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t.”

“You promise?”

She nodded. “I promise. I’m totally fine. It’s not like I haven’t had sex before.”

I nodded, waved a hand. “And do you feel anything? Any change?”

Her smile slipped, and she shook her head. She looked down at her mug. “No, I don’t feel any different in that regard. I probably should have asked Elize for details on how quickly you notice it.”

I frowned, wondering if we’d done something wrong, but you couldn’t fuck up sex. I thought we had a moment, shared a connection, but maybe it was just me.

I looked back toward the pancakes and flipped them. I had so many questions, so many things that I wanted to know. But I didn’t want to press either because I could see how hard it was for her to talk about it. I saw the way she tensed up, and the nightmare. It scared her.

I shook my head. “Pancakes sound good?”

“Sounds great.”

I flipped a couple more and placed them onto the plate. Aubrey stirred her coffee as she stared out the window. I slid a plate toward her, my eyes landing on her hickey. I quickly noticed there wasn’t just one. I’d left several.

She tilted her head. “What are you staring at?”

I pointed to her neck. “You have a hickey, a couple actually.”

Her face went red, and her hand moved to her neck. “Shit, I didn’t think about that.”

“Sorry. I have a tendency to mark people.”

She offered a gentle smile. “I don’t think I’ve seen you flustered like this.”

I tapped my hand onto the counter. “Did…” I snapped my mouth shut, not sure I wanted to know. But I couldn’t ask. “Do you have scars?”