He didn’t need to turn his attention away from the road to know her gentle brown eyes were resting on him; he could feel her gaze on his face like rays of morning sun.

“Mm?”

“What… What will happen to my parents? After I disappear? Marathin…”

Kain curled his lip at the mention of the demon who’d dared to hurt his mate—who had a contract on her. “He will not get to them. I have had them under surveillance since you were taken in, and I will continue to do so until they have lived out their natural lives. You do not need to worry about their safety.”

“I’ll never get to see them again, will I?”

The sadness in her voice made that uncomfortable, soft thing inside him he’d forgotten even existed before she waltzed into his life throb uncomfortably. It was so much worse now that his claim tied them together, as if the magic had somehow forged an invisible, but physical connection from her to his heart.

“No,” he said. “I don’t think you will, little one.”

The soft touch of her fingers on his leather-clad arm made the permanent erection between his thighs twitch eagerly. It hadn’t settled since he’d tasted her sweet pussy three days before, turning every moment of his waking hours into a painful reminder of what he’d done.

Yet even though his insides felt tight with shame and horror from forcing himself on her, his entire body yearned to claim her again. The possessive instincts that’d been released when he mounted her tore at his resolve, demanding that he take her. She was his mate, his Breeder, and when he’d been inside of her, the pain he carried had been blitzed away by the bliss of her wet embrace.

That pain had returned a thousand fold when he regained his senses and realized what he’d done. He’d told himself he was attending her auction to save her—but the possessive roaring in his blood when he’d seared his claim into her had spoken of another truth.

“Will you tell them that I am okay? Somehow make them understand that they don’t need to mourn?”

“I will try to find a way.”

“Thank you. So much—for everything.” She withdrew her hand and blew out a sigh. “Seriously. I won’t ever be able to repay you—three hundred million dollars? Can you really just pull that out of your budget?”

Some small, primitive part of him wanted to boast about how he could provide for her—and remind her how he’d won a fight against the Prince of Demons to claim her. Apparently she didn’t quite understand how much more significant beating demon royalty was compared to the price he’d paid for her.