The first day.

Ragnar looked at his watch, impatience written all over his face as he waited for the new employee. She was reputed to be the best in her field- yet tardiness in science was rarely tolerated, and she had kept him waiting for almost forty minutes. This was the problem with hiring humans. If it weren't for her father's name and where he worked, Ragnar wouldn't bother with her. But he desperately needed that formula. Dr.Ren was the first to invent a serum that reversed the effects of lethal bites. After a few modifications, he was able to tailor the serum to any poison he chose, and Ragnar needed it to keep him ahead of his competitors and save his mother. In this century, humans were at the forefront of medical breakthroughs. Thanks to the neverending war between dragons and werewolves, their test supplies kept getting stolen en route. Wolves had resorted to crime to fund their underground research, while dragons dipped into their private treasure to help fund theirs. Humans had found a niche in the market as they were ignorant of the reality that supernatural's roamed the streets alongside them. If Ragnar could hire a scientist who could crack Mr. Ren's formula, then werewolf bites would no longer be a threat to Dragonkind.

Ragnar's mother had been ambushed as she walked home from the park a few days ago, leaving her with half a dozen wolf bites. She managed to fend them off in human form because transforming was forbidden in public areas, and she'd had to drag herself home on two legs. By the time Ragnar got there, Lisbeth was pale and gasping for breath.

Now his mother was held in a coma, her heart rate slowed by the healers to stop the venom spreading, and the search for that formula became his number one priority.

He glanced at his watch again and snorted in frustration-where on earth could she be?

2.

"Tell me to stop this, and I'll walk out that door, but if you let me kiss you right now, you're mine till the morning."

Charlotte bit her bottom lip, torn on what to do. Giovani Lupe called to her on such a carnal level that she was fair panting with lust-on the other hand, she had always prided herself on making logical decisions, and spending the night with a man she didn't know was as far from logical as she could get...but oh what fun it would be.

Screw being sensible.

With her heart in her throat, she unbuttoned her blouse, watching his eyes turn molten with lust. Charlotte reached for her bra as the silk fell to the floor, but Gio beat her to it. 

"How attached are you to your clothes?" He growled softly in between toe-curling kisses, and when Charlotte shrugged her shoulders to say she didn't care, either way, Gio tore the bra from her body. Before Charlotte had a chance to react, her skirt followed suit, and Gio moaned deeply as he discovered she hadn't worn panties.

"Fuck me. You blow my mind." 

Somewhere deep inside, bookish Charlotte was screaming that this wasn't her, but her libido had kicked into high drive, and there was no turning back now. She wanted this man with an intensity that wouldn't be denied.

Gio picked her up as though she weighed nothing, his muscles bunching as he strode over to his desk, quickly clearing it with his free hand. Then he sat Charlotte down and pushed her legs apart before diving in like her pussy was his last meal. This time when he growled, the vibrations shot straight to her clit, making her scream with the intensity of it. He was relentless with his tongue, and it wasn't long before her body was trembling, desperate for release. Gio tugged at her clit, and then sucked it in; simultaneously, he inserted a finger into her drenched pussy and crooked it, finding her g spot immediately. Charlotte shattered. She wasn't this person, the woman sitting on a stranger's desk-completely naked while his head was buried between her legs. But this encounter was surreal. Deep within her inner psyche, she recognized Gio. It was like welcoming a piece of her back home. As she came back down from her high, Charlotte could have sworn she heard him whisper, "My mate, my heart." But his lips were closed when she checked.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked, rummaging around in a drawer. Gio retrieved a light cotton top and a pair of shorts that looked to be the right size, handing it to her as he waited for Charlotte to answer.

"I thought you promised me all night?" She said softly, earning a heated stare for her troubles, and he hauled her into his arms, "I'll give you all night, my insatiable woman, but I'd prefer it to be in my bed."

Her cheeks stained red, and not for the first time, Charlotte cursed her french father for having fair skin. Even though she was half Filipino, Charlotte had inherited her father's tendency to blush deeply in a stroke of bad luck. As she tried to put on the clothes, Gio began nuzzling her neck, kissing and nipping playfully, and she couldn't help but giggle, easily distracted by this sexy man. As his lips lowered to the sensitive area between her neck and collarbone, a frisson of something important danced through her mind, but Charlotte couldn't grasp it in time.

She felt the moment Gio bit her, causing Charlotte to gasp at the pleasure and pain, and she was shocked that she enjoyed it.

"Just a taste," He whispered huskily, more to himself than anyone else, and then his tongue laved at the tiny love bite. Charlotte couldn't think straight, following him as he grabbed her hand, helping her to the ground. "Do you trust me?" He asked, looking intensely at her, and Charlotte found herself nodding, "Yes, I really do." The smile that he bestowed upon her then rivaled the sun, and he tugged her behind him as they left the office together.

3.

"How is she?" Ragnar asked as he took off his jacket and loosened his tie, throwing both on the armchair beside Lisbeth's bed. He was in a devil of a mood after his new employee stood him up, and his day just got worse from there. A new Alpha had taken over leadership underground, and he was a worthy adversary. As his pack members called him, the boogeyman turned a bunch of ragtag wolves into cunning criminals, and he was robbing Delgaard Industries blind. Today a prototype of the synthetic serum procured from their competitor was high jacked right from under Ragnar's nose. All because he was waiting at the test site for Charlotte Ren instead of in his office where he belonged.

"No change, my lord." The healer replied without taking her eyes off Lisbeth, and suddenly he felt like the room was crushing him. "I need some air," he muttered, striding towards the door, and he left the room without glancing back.

In the privacy of his own bedroom, Ragnar finally succumbed to his pain.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this," he whispered to himself, "Typhon, if you can hear me, I'm begging you, don't make me carry this alone. I'm tired, and the years have grown long. Send me someone to love, who loves me back before I'm no longer capable of it."