Chapter Six
Gift

Jungkook materialized in the courtyard between the Training grounds and the Palace of Lethe.

He couldn't put an exact bead on the sensation inside his skin, but it was some kind of low-level buzz in his muscles and bones, like the vibration of a tuning fork. What he did know for sure was that he'd never felt the hum before. And that it had kicked off the moment his lips had touched Moon’s skin.

Since anything new and different with his body was bad, he'd immediately gotten the hell away from her, and not being around his mate seemed to help. Trouble was, now that the feeling was fading, his body's need for release was causing him to twitch. Which wasn't fair. After Konstantin came out, he usually got at least a few days off.

He checked his watch.

Damn it, he wanted to go out hunting for rogues to take himself down a notch or two.

After changing, Jungkook was supposed to cool his jets for a couple of days until he was back on all burners. Since Konstantin isn’t as tamed as Akim. . . he had to hang back until his dog demon is back on the leash and isn’t in the mood to eat anyone it pleases.

Taking a set of keys from his coat, he went over to his Mustang. The car came awake with a roar, and a minute and a Jungkookf later he was out on the open road. He didn't know which direction he was headed in. Didn't care. He needed a long drive.

Moon. That kiss.

It was a peck on the cheek, but Gods. . . her skin had been unbelievably sweet as it trembled under his, so sweet he'd wanted to kiss her lips. Except he'd had to stop. The mate bond, got him wired, so it was dangerous. The damn reaction didn't make sense, though. Moon calmed him and brought him some ease. Sure, he wanted her, and that was going to wire him out, but it shouldn't be enough to get him dangerous.

He thought about the females he'd had. There had been countless numbers of them, all nameless, faceless bodies he'd released into, not one of them a source of real pleasure for him. He'd touched them and kissed them only because unless they got off too, he felt like a total user.

, he felt like a user anyway. He was a user.

So even if he hadn't been thrown by the buzz from kissing Moon, he still would have left her in that parking lot. With her lovely voice and her warrior eyes and her trembling stature, Moon is his entire world at the moment and he didn't mind kissing the ground she walked on.

His cell phone rang and he took it out of his pocket. As he checked the caller ID, he cursed but answered the thing anyway. "Hey, Tae. I was going to call you."

"I just saw your car peel out of here. Are you meeting your mate now?"

"I already did."

"That was quick. She must have treated you right."

Jungkook ground his teeth. For once he had no quick comeback.

"So where are you headed now? You going for a run?"

“No. Just driving."

Taehyung's voice softened. "You hate not being able to fight it, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you?'

"Of course, but don't worry, it will come soon enough, and you'll be back in action. In the meantime, you could work off a little more of that sauce of yours at Onslaught." Taehyung chuckled. "By the way, I heard about the sisters you did two nights ago, one right after another. I heard they’ll be at Onslaught tonight.”

"Yeah, Tae, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, my brother."

"Could you not. . . talk about females?" Jungkook took a deep breath. "Because the truth is, I hate it, I really do."

He meant to stop there, but suddenly the words were coming out and he couldn't shut up.

"I hate the anonymity of it. I hate the way my chest aches afterward. I hate the smells on my body and in my hair when I get home. But most of all, I hate the fact that I'm going to have to do it again because if I don't, I could end up hurting one of you guys or some innocent bystander," He exhaled through his mouth. "And those two sisters you're so impressed with? See, here's the thing. I only pick the ones who don't give a who they're with because otherwise, it's not fair. Those two mortals checked out my watch and my roll and figured I was a pimp trophy. The ing was about as intimate as a car accident And tonight? The isn't fun for me, and it's been killing me for years, so please give it a rest, okay?”

There was a long silence. "Damn. . . I'm sorry. I didn't know. I had no idea—"

"Yeah, ah. . ." He really needed to stop this conversation. "Look, I gotta go. I gotta. . . go. Later."

"No, wait, Jungkook—"

Jungkook turned his phone off and pulled over to the side of the road. As he looked around, he realized he was out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the forest for company. He put his head down on the steering wheel.

✱✱✱✱

Moon flopped over in bed and pushed the covers and blankets off with her feet. Half-asleep, she splayed her legs out to try to cool down.

Damn it, had she left the thermostat on too high—

Horrible suspicion shot her into consciousness, her mind coming to attention on a wave of dread.

Low-grade fever. She had a low-grade fever.

Oh, hell. . . She knew the feel of it too well, the flush, the dry heat, the joint aches. And the clock said 4:18 A.M. Which, when she'd been sick before, was about the time her temperature liked to flare up.

Reaching overhead, she cracked open the window behind her bed. Cold air took the invitation to heart and rushed inside, cooling her, calming her. The fever broke soon afterward, a sheen of sweat announcing its retreat.

Maybe she was just coming down with a cold. People with her medical history did get normal sicknesses like the rest of the world. Really.

Except, either way, common cold or recurrence, there'd be no going back to sleep. She pulled a fleece on over her T-shirt and lounge shorts and went downstairs. On her way to the kitchen, she every light switch she passed until all the dark corners of the house were illuminated.

Destination: the coffeepot. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep anyway.

She filled the coffee machine with water and went into the cupboard for the coffee can. It was nearly empty, so she took out her backup supply and the handheld can opener and—

She was not alone.

Moon leaned forward, looking out the window above the sink. With no exterior lights on she couldn't see anything, so she went around to the slider and flipped the switch next to the door.

A massive black shape was on the other side of the glass.

Moon scrambled for the phone but stopped when she saw a flash of golden eyes.

Jungkook lifted his hand in greeting.

"Hey." His voice was muffled through the glass.

Moon wrapped her arms around her stomach. "What are you doing here?"

His wide shoulders shrugged. "Wanted to see you."

"Why? And why now?'

Another shrug. "Seemed like a good idea."

"Are you deranged?"

"Yes."

She almost smiled. And then reminded herself that she had no close neighbors and he was practically a God.

"How did you find me?" Maybe Eunwoo had told him where she lived.

"Can I come in? Or maybe you could come out if you'd feel more comfortable that way?"

"Jungkook, it's four thirty in the morning." She frowned at him.

"I know. But you're awake and so am I."

God, he was so handsome in denim, and with his face, mostly in shadow, he was more menacing than beautiful.

And she was actually considering opening the door? Clearly, she was also deranged.

"Look, Jungkook, I don't think it's a good idea." She bit her lip, clearly nervous.

He stared at her through the glass. "Maybe we can just talk this way, then?"

Moon stared at him, dumbfounded. The guy was willing to hang around, locked out of her house like a criminal, just so they could chat?

"Jungkook, no offense, but there are about thousands of women in this town who would not only let you into their homes but would take you to bed. Why don't you find one of them and leave me alone?"

"They aren't you."

The darkness falling across his face made his eyes impossible to read. But his tone of voice was so damn sincere.

In the long pause that followed, she tried to convince herself not to let him inside.

"Moon, if I wanted to hurt you, I could do it in an instant. You could lock every door and every window, and I'd still get inside. All I want is. . . to talk to you some more."

She eyed the width of his shoulders. He had a point about the breaking and entering. And she had a feeling that if she told him the best she could do was a closed door between them, he would pull up one of her lawn chairs and sit down on the terrace.

She unlatched the slider, opened it, and stepped back. "Just explain something to me."

He smiled tightly as he came in. "Shoot."

"Why aren't you with a woman who wants you?" Jungkook flinched. "What I mean is, those women tonight at the café, they were all over you. Why aren't you having"—crazy hot —"uhm. . . fun with one of them?”

Jungkook chuckled. "You’re my mate. I have waited for you for centuries. I have no interest in anyone but you, my star. You are the only one for me.”

She swallowed and recoiled a little at his candor. 

Well, at least she had one thing right: When he'd walked away after that soft kiss, she'd assumed it was because he hadn't felt any heat. Evidently, she'd hit the nail on the head. He wasn't here for , and she told herself it was good he didn't lust after her. Almost believed it, too.

"I was about to make some coffee; would you like some?"

He nodded and started wandering around the living room, taking note of her things. Against all of the white furniture and cream walls, his black clothes and heavy build were ominous, but then she looked at his face. He was wearing a silly little grin as if he were happy just to be inside her house. Kind of like an animal who'd been chained in the yard and finally allowed indoors.

Thank Goodness Aunt Gyuri was a heavy sleeper and on weekends like this, she loved to sleep in.

"You want to take off your coat?" she said.

He slid the leather from his shoulders and tossed it over to her sofa. The thing landed with a dull thump, crushing the cushions.

What the hell was in those pockets? she wondered.

But then she looked at his body and forgot all about the stupid coat. He was wearing a black T-shirt that showed off his tattoos. His chest was wide and well-defined, his stomach tight enough so she could see his toned stomach even through the shirt—

"Do you like what you see?" he asked in a low, quiet voice, teasing.

Yeah, right. She was so not answering that one.

She headed for the kitchen. "How strong do you like your coffee?"

Picking up the can opener, she pierced the lid and started cranking like there was no tomorrow. The top fell loose into the ground and she reached inside to pick it out.

"I asked you a question," he said, right next to her ear.

She jerked and sliced her thumb open on the metal. With a groan, she brought her hand up and looked at the cut. It was deep, bleeding.

Jungkook cursed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I'll live."

She the faucet, but before she could get her hand under the rush he gripped her wrist.

"Let me see." Without giving her a chance to protest, he bent down over her finger. "That's a bad one."

He put her thumb in his mouth and gently.

Moon gasped. The warm, wet, pulling sensation paralyzed her. And then she felt the sweep of his tongue. When he released her, she could only stare at him.

"Oh. . . Moon," he said sadly, eyes filled with anguish.

She was too shocked to wonder about his change of mood. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why?"

Because it felt so good. "How do you know I don't have HIV or something?”

But then again, Lycans couldn’t get HIVs right? Or diseases?

His shoulders lifted. "Wouldn't matter if you did."

She paled, thinking he was positive, and she'd just let him put an open cut into his mouth.

"And no, Moon, we don’t carry diseases.”

"Then why wouldn't it—"

"I just wanted to make it better. See? No more bleeding."

She looked down at her thumb. The cut was sealed up. Partially healed.

"Do you have anything to do today?" Jungkook asks as if deliberately cutting off the questions she was about to ask.

As she glanced up, she noticed his eyes were doing that glow thing, his golden eyes taking on an otherworldly, hypnotic sheen.

"I have to study for a test coming up,” she murmured.

"Can I come with you? I can help.” He said.

She tightened her lips, then shook her head. “No. I study better when I’m alone.”

When she turned back to continue making the coffee, she could feel him looking at her. Hear him take deep breaths as if he were smelling her. And sensed he was. . . inching nearer all the time.

The forerunners of panic threaded through her b