Page 52 of Chasing Savannah

Derrick took his hands out of her shorts and brought his fingers up to taste their mate. Carlos sighed and promised himself that he would taste her soon. He moved from her lips and kissed down her neck, petting her sex until she stopped squirming beneath them. She sighed, and stared between her two mates, dazed.

He sat up, jostled his bulge to the side and climbed off their mate. She sat up and adjusted her tank top. His mouth watered just watching the way the fabric scraped across her breast.

“We need to talk.” Derrick turned her to face him. “But first…” He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss.

She moaned, the sound torn from her, her chest heaving as he ended the kiss.

“Good afternoon.” Derrick said. “You taste amazing and I can’t wait to eat you.”

She sucked in a breath, her lips parting.

Derrick sat up and moved to the armchair across from her. She ran a hand over her hair and took a few deep breaths.

Derrick stared at her until she lowered her eyes. “We want to talk to you about the mating.”

Her eyes widened and she licked her lips nervously. “What do you mean?”

They both stared, not letting her get away with her pretense.

She stood and started to pace. “I can’t, there’s no way I can keep up with you guys. I’m not strong enough to be Alpha female.”

Carlos growled. Her grandfathers said she would say that. It pissed him off all the same.

She shrugged. “I’m latent, Felix, no way the women will accept that.”

He wanted to disagree with her, but having just had this same argument at the prowl meeting this morning, he couldn’t dispute her worry. “Savi you know how this works, our panthers wouldn’t pick a woman who couldn’t handle the lifestyle, who wasn’t strong enough to stand toe to toe with our cats.”

She waved aside his words. “I’ve seen enough Tribonds to know how they work, that’s not…that’s partially my concern. I haven’t been to prowl meetings, I’m not prepared for this. I don’t….this isn’t a good idea, Carlos.”

“My cat doesn’t give a shit,” Derrick said.

She turned to him, regret in her eyes. “Be that as it may, I won’t saddle you with a mate that could weaken your position as Felix.”

Carlos growled again. “I suggest you stop calling my mate weak, even if you’re talking about yourself.”

She looked at him, her eyes tortured. “I live in this body Carlos, I know what I am.”

Derrick held out a hand to stop Carlos from arguing with her. “You’re not ready.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know that I would ever be ready.”

“Fair enough,”

“The hell!” His panther swiped at his insides, the alpha power flaring in the room.

Derrick shrugged. “We’ll give you time to think about it.”

“No.” It was an automatic answer, one his panther was in full agreement with. His cat raked against him, making him wince.

Derrick turned to him. “We can’t force her, Felix, we can give her time to get used to it.”

“Was it not you just this morning ready to chase her down?”

Derrick held his hands out in a helpless gesture.

“You’re not hearing me,” she whispered, her pain clearly broadcasting across their connection, tentative as it was. She cleared her throat and sat down. “My aunt was the prowl Seer.”

“Exactly…was, so nothing she said matters between us.” Carlos growled.