Page 69

“No, the bite is part of it, but it’s completed with sex, and it forms a bond,” Anna continued and my attention snapped back to her.

“A bond?”

“Yes, it creates a connection similar to pack mates. Close mates have the same telepathic ability and can sense when one another is in danger.” I nodded, frowning at the implications. “It’s a lifetime bond.” She confirmed one of my fears as she continued, “Mates can only have children with one another, and only when one of them dies is the bond broken.”

I sat in silence as her words sank in. I hadn’t considered what mating entailed, not really. It was more involved than I’d expected, and if the word mate hadn’t really clued me in on the level of commitment involved that was my own fault. There had been a certain level of caginess in Dominic when it came to talking about mates and now I understood why.

“That’s what you were avoiding telling me, wasn’t it?” I finally asked, and Anna immediately understood what I was talking about. She nodded as I recalled the conversation when I asked if there was more I could do to protect myself and they’d avoided the question. “If I was Dominic’s mate they would leave me alone, wouldn’t they?”

I couldn’t hate them for not mentioning it. Taking a mate was a serious commitment, one I wasn’t prepared for and couldn’t expect Dominic to sacrifice himself for.

“No,” the answer came from next to me but it wasn’t Anna. “The Hanleys are cruel. You being mated might not have stopped them from raping you just for the hell of it.”

Anna slipped away as Dominic lowered himself next to me. I turned so I could face him, my arm crossed protectively over my chest, my hand curled around the mark on my neck.

“I don’t want you to think I didn’t consider it.” I shook my head automatically and he held up a hand. “Hear me out. I would never do anything without your consent, but if I thought for a second it would keep you safe I would have given you the option.” He nodded to where my hand rested on my neck. “That was an accident.”

My eyes jerked to his at the admission and he gave me a rueful smile. “Not the kiss. I intended that, but the effect it had on us…that wasn’t supposed to happen.” He leaned back against the bench, studying me openly and my hand slowly lowered. “The act of mating is intentional. You can’t just bite someone’s neck and suddenly you’re mated. Same with sex. It’s a deliberate act with both people committed. When I kissed you, I did leave a mark, a partial claiming.”

He confirmed my suspicions with his words and for a second the mark flared, the imprint of his kiss clear. His eyes darkened for a second before he shook it off.

“I never meant for it to happen. To claim you in any way. You’re young. Innocent to our world. You had no idea what it meant and I had no intention of letting it go further.”

“Had?” I asked, my mind catching on the past tense.

He cleared his throat and settled his hand over mine. “Things have changed. I care about you.” He paused and admitted, “More than I should. More than is appropriate given our circumstances.” He rubbed his thumb across the stubble on his cheek, the sound raspy. “I’m not saying anything needs to happen now or soon, but I also don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

I nodded since my throat was suddenly to dry to speak. He seemed anxious to fill the silence as he started to speak again, and I understood the sentiment exactly. The feelings were too much, too soon, and a huge part of me wasn’t sure what to do with them.

“There’s a magical aspect to mating, to shifting in general. Genetics is part of it, but our bodies shift from one form to another easily. No pain. We can communicate mentally with others in our pack who shift and with our mate when the bond is true. When I kissed your neck,” he hesitated and I flipped my hand over to squeeze his. He smiled, and I noticed they seemed to come more easily to him now. “It was almost a compulsion, a desire as necessary as breathing, and the effect it had on both of us was…. unexpected to say the least. I’ve never heard of something like that happening between mates even after they decided to mate with one another.”

“So, you’re saying we’re special,” I murmured in summary, shifting my leg until it pressed against his.

“Something like that,” he replied, the heat in his eyes sending a corresponding heat through me.

“I’m not just some random breeding female that landed in your lap who you can get your paws on,” I continued and he snorted.