Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters.

Chapter 8

Sweat trickled down the hanyou's face, just above his safety goggles. The pipet in hand was steady as he moved it carefully to the vial with the serum.

One drop. One second. Two drops. Two seconds. And then the third. He set the vial down, at the same time setting the pipet into a sterile beaker.

"Time?" He asked.

"1301," came Miroku's steady response, followed by the sound of pencil markings on paper.

It was the fourth trial that day. Each run testing the hanyou's patience. But Miroku helped. It's what made them both great partners. Miroku was the calm patience – necessary in carrying out such important trials. And Inuyasha was the outside thinker – which had made it all possible.

The labs Kagome ordered were the most advanced either scientist had ever encountered. When Miroku first showed Inuyasha, the hanyou's jaw nearly hit the floor. And they both turned into children. They bounced from one corner to the next, amazed at each device that was at their disposal. Hundreds of trinkets would be used, and some would be used just to use them. "Shits and giggles," as Inuyasha said.

The hanyou sighed heavily, watching the clock. Miroku looked at the back of Inuyasha's head, watching the dog ears atop his head swivel left and right in his impatience. "Why don't you take a break," the scientist suggested.

Miroku knew what Inuyasha was waiting for. They had been cooped up in that laboratory for a long while, the excitement of the new instruments having faded away with each failed trial. They had both known it would take time. Knowing that maybe it would be days, months – years even – was anticipated. But, looking at the lead scientist, his friend knew the hanyou well enough to know what was preoccupying the youngest Takagi.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to his friend and cocked a brow.

Miroku let out a chuckle and walked over to grab the lab notebook from Inuyasha's desk top. "It needs to run for an hour, and I need a break, too. I'll be back by 1400. So go on. Get out of here before we both start going a little crazy." And with those words, the assistant – and friend – shooed him out.

The hanyou smiled and nodded. No words were needed as Inuyasha started disrobing from his personal protection equipment in the sterile chamber entrance and exit of the lab. No expense paid, he mused to himself, hurrying to get to the miko that occupied his mind.

Kagome was basking. There was no other word for it. Pure and unadulterated pleasure was what she had experienced.

Sesshomaru was gone from her office, but only out of frustration at himself. For what reason? She didn't care at the time. He'll be back, she thought, reminiscing on the lingering kiss he had planted on her panting mouth before from her sight.

The sun was casting long shadows across her office. Haunting shadows that reminded her of stretched claws. They were reaching towards to the open doors. Curling at the edges. Beckoning as time ticked closer to nightfall.

Her brows rose when, suddenly in the grasps of those reaching shadow claws, Inuyasha stood there. His face, save for his glistening gold eyes, hidden in the darkness.

Her heart shuddered in her chest, stomach tightened and abdomen clenched. And then a wetness pooled between her legs.

There's no way I could want more, she reprimanded herself and steadied her resolve. She couldn't want more just then. Not with the knowledge that the man standing before her, with hunger in his eyes, was the same one she had just betrayed less than an hour before.

Kagome offered him a warm smile and the hanyou's fangs flashed before he strode into the room. He was completely oblivious as he made his way to her, a smile plastered on his mouth.

He doesn't know yet. Of course he didn't know. Sesshomaru wouldn't tell him. And she had cleansed the room of the youkai. The only thing she hadn't cleansed was herself. But she was doing a good job at keeping her scent at bay; so long as Inuyasha kept his distance, all would remain a secret. Kagome mentally rolled her eyes at the thought.

It was like playing with fire. Kagome knew one of them would be burned. She knew the moment he saw her he would try touching her. It was the demon way. Contact. Affection. She knew it was why neither brothers could resist. It also didn't help that her powers beckoned them to her.

"Those labs are amazing,"Inuyasha's soft voice matched the adoration and appreciation she could see gleaming in his eyes.

He was getting closer.

Kagome kept her smile, but her nerves were slowly peaking with each step he made.

The look on his face, though...her expression softened to mirror his. He was so happy. She wanted him happy.

Inuyasha was so consumed with his need to touch her, he missed the skip in the miko's heartbeat. His palms itched for that lovely skin of hers, and his tongue yearned for the sweet tartness that was her flavor and hers alone.

"I'm so happy you like them," came her genuine response. Her voice was gentle.

The hanyou applauded himself. Before him was the strong and dismissive CEO he had been warned about. And there he was, walking up to her without hesitation, because the hanyou had done what others failed in doing: he had nuzzled his way through her barrier. And he would make damn sure she didn't find a way to push him out. Never, he promised himself.

"Of course I do. But, really, when are we going to need a personal X-ray?" He half laughed and bent down just in front of her chair, having pulled it back from the desk to make room for his body.

He loved her smell, all he wanted to do was burry himself in it. Taking a deep breath, he filled his nostrils with the air...but nothing followed after.

Furrowed dark brows graced his features and he looked up to meet knowing brown eyes. "Kagome?" He narrowed his eyes in concentration and leaned closer.

Then, suddenly, it hit him. Hard.

He pushed himself up and leaned against the desk in a rush.

Sesshomaru. His smell was all over the woman. Coating her like a second skin.

"No." He denied, shaking his head. And pain welled in him. Betrayal. From both the miko and his brother.

That lingering thought sliced through him. His own fucking brother.

Kagome calmly stood up and it was then that his eyes caught it all.

There, on the right side of her neck was Inuyasha's lingering red mark from his ministrations the previous day. Fading slightly, but still apparent.

And on the left side was a fresh and plump red mark left from the youkai.

He could make out his own scent still, too. It was trapped in her skin, in her hair. But there was Sesshomaru's fresh marking on her. Invading his senses.

"Goddamnit, Kagome." His anger was starting to take over and he welcomed it. Yes. Anger's good. Anger he could hold on to.

It was a cold fury that settled over him. His demon was just a snap away.

Kagome saw the inner turmoil in him. He was going to lose himself if she didn't sooth him.

She leashed her power closely into herself, almost hurdling it into the abyss inside her soul. It was a precaution: if Inuyasha was going to accept what had transpired, he couldn't see her as a threat.

Carefully, she rested a hand on his chest, feeling the steady and strong beat of the hanyou's heart below her fingertips.

Inuyasha winced, but he couldn't pull away from her. "Fuck," he growled out and a shiver raced through his body. Of course he couldn't pull away from her. His body craved her. Even the demon inside was hissing at himself for enjoying such a soft touch from the wench in front of him.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, choosing her words carefully and holding his stare. "I really can't explain what happened. I can't. And I can't lie to you either. I won't lie to you."

Those words were enough to help him gather a rebuttal.

"You fucked him?" Harsh words spoken in a snarl.

Kagome didn't flinch. She would be patient. She needed to be. Because she couldn't lose him. He had been the key to unlock her. He was what she wanted. Of course, his brother was also at the top of the list. But at that moment, given the circumstances, it would be Inuyasha's choice. She already knew where the youkai stood.

"No, Inuyasha."

"Blew him?"

"No."

"Then what?" He roared, finally. He expected her to react to it. To flinch, use her power, slap him. anything.

But she just stood there, her hand above his heart.

"Does it matter?"

The hanyou growled low and deep in his chest. Her impassive tone would be the reason why he snapped.

"Yes, it fucking matters," he spewed through clenched fangs.

Kagome let out a shuddering breath and nodded, "He ate me out until I came."

His ears folded back, the hair on the back of his neck stiffening. And red lines crept into the corners of his eyes steadily.

"And?"

The one worded question was a gurgle, but she made it out.

Readying herself, she answered, "And he did it again. And again. And again."

The thought of it, saying it aloud to the other Takagi – it was doing something extraordinary to her body. She tightened her thighs together. She wanted Inuyasha to accept it. She wanted him. She wanted his brother. She wanted to have her damn cake and eat it all up, too.

Inuyasha was seeing the world with a red frame. His brother. His brother had done that to him. But, most astonishingly, the woman in front of him did it, too. The hanyou's aura lashed at his hair, slashed at his face. His fangs grew, streaks of purple surfacing on his skin. And those beautiful gold eyes that the miko was so fond of bled completely red, marking his vision in a sea of blood.

To say she wasn't nervous would be an indubitable lie. She was shaking beneath her skin. Her power was crawling at the restraints she placed over it. Her hands flexed. She desperately wanted to call to her power. To wrap herself in a cocoon of protection. But if she wanted to have him, she would give a little. Just bend enough to sedate him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered for his alert ears to pick up.

A snarl was his reply. His body was still tense beneath her hand. It was enough of a victory to persuade her to raise her hand to his face.

"Inuyasha," she said with all the want she could muster. All the need she felt for him. Her power set aside, she wanted him to feel her and only her. Raw. Vulnerable.

"Bitch," he growled, and snatched her hand from his face. He held it in front of him and looked at her delicate fingers. They were long, elegant. They were so breakable. All he had to do was flex his own hold and they would shatter beneath his fingers.

Kagome watched him. And nodded slowly, "I am."

He was a dog demon. She was a woman. She understood what he said. What he wanted. to claim me.

His ears flickered back and forth before he raised his eyes up to hers. Looking at her through the blood, he rolled his tongue over her flesh. Slowly and meticulously, he savored the taste of her. Salty and sweet all wrapped up in one.

Kagome allowed him to see her body's response. A shudder spread up through her arm and flared out to her shoulders and down her spine. Her eyes closed briefly as she enjoyed the feel of his hot breath on her skin.

A low growl was enough to have her look at him. "Eyes," was all he managed out before the red darkened to a maroon.

Kagome nodded slowly, keeping her brown eyes on his burning red. She took a deep breath and watched the hanyou she wanted fight for his control back.

She didn't want him to regain his control. She wanted him the way he was, dangerous youkai and all. And so, with that in her mind, she set her free hand onto his cheek, the one with the stripped purple that reminded her of the other inu demon. But they aren't the same, are they?

He snarled at her, his body trembling as he fought for control.

Kagome kept their eyes locked and then whispered, "I want you, Inuyasha. Like this, as a human, as a hanyou…I want you the way you are. All of you." She leaned up towards him and before sealing their lips together, she whispered above his growling mouth, eyes still locked together, "Mark me, Inuyasha."

The demon in him roared in pleasure. The human side of him froze in his mind. Mark her? The demon laughed in response, triumphant. Mark her!

Inuyasha's red eyes widened further when he saw her hair – with the use of her magic – sweep to the side, and she bared her neck. It was his side. The one he had marked with his teeth before. But what she was asking now was an entirely different thing. And she was willing for it all to happen. Asking it of him.

"Wha-What are you asking, Ka-Kagome?" It was strained, gurgled and demented, but those words belonged to the hanyou, not the demon,

Kagome looked at him through heavy lashes, neck still tilted and offered to him. "Mark me, Inuyasha. The week before you arrived to my home, I was a mess because I didn't know what I wanted. And then there you were suddenly, the answer to my prayers: I want you."

His face contorted in pain and in peace. So engulfed in joy was he, but apprehension beckoned that he asked the one question he needed to manage to get out. "An-And Sesshomaru?"

Kagome looked down for a moment and sighed heavily. "I want him, too. It's not easy for you to hear, I know. But I want you both."

His eyes closed, the last bit of sunshine peaked through the windows.

Mark the bitch. Claim her.

His demon was demanding, tearing into his mind, pleading and fighting to be let go completely to show the bitch who she belonged to.

And then, suddenly…peace settled in his mind. Absolute peace.

When he opened his eyes to look at the brown eyed miko, violet eyes met hers, along with his two worded answer, "Convince me."

A/N: Okay, guys. Well. I'm going to be honest...there was lack of love on the previous chapter. However, I thank those that have favorited and followed this story. As well as the two guests who reviewed Chapter 7 - because of two this chapter was posted. So, thank you. Once again, please leave me some goodies to read. Critics are great, ideas or suggestions are awesome as well. Feel free to PM me or review or follow or favorite. Show me the love! ^_^ Pretty please with sugar on top?