Page 106 of Trusting Her Bear

I take advantage of his bared neck and lunge toward it, sinking my teeth in at the base of his throat. I slip the chain over his head. My eyes close in ecstasy. His taste. His scent. His life. All of it flows into me, and I can feel everything. His pleasure. The room is silent. Power. The power of the gift the universe gave wraps us in magic, shutting out everything around us but the connection we now share.

I ease back, licking the bite once, and drop to the bed. My mate follows, his face close to his mark. We are frozen, his cock still held lovingly inside me, still hard even though he came.

I smile gently as I realize our hearts are beating in sync for just a moment when the bond finds its home within us, binding.

Quinn reaches for my wrists, blindly taking the cuffs off and throwing them to the bed. I gratefully use my free hands to cup his head, holding him to my neck. He sucks his mark, a deep rumbling coming from his chest. I rest my cheek on the top of his head.

I realize how much Quinn hides. His emotions are overwhelming. The intensity of his love, but also his burdens, flood me. We can control how much we share with our mates if it becomes too much. Quinn isn’t thinking about shielding anything.

“I have been holding my breath,” he says softly. He pushes back, his hands cupping the sides of my neck, tilting it to look at him. “I have been holding my breath since I was seventeen. Waiting for my mom to come back. Waiting for the anger and sadness to go away. For my dad to be happy again so I don’t have to worry about him anymore. For a purpose. For the next kill. Waiting for the murderers to stop. For a home, I want to stay at. For my new friends to find out about my past. For their judgment. For their disgust.” He strokes my cheek. “I have been holding my breath, hoping I could be lucky enough to have a mate someday. Hoping she won’t leave. Hoping she would be able to accept the demons I have lived with since I was seventeen.” He smiles sweetly. “When I met you, I could finally breathe,” he growls. “I took my first breath since I was seventeen,” he stresses, his eyes glossy. “I love you.” A sob escapes me. “I fucking love Steph. I love my Little Cub. Every single part of you, I love. I promise to protect you. I will be your Daddy, friend, safe space, and family.” He touches the tip of my quivering lip with his finger. “I will love you until my last breath.” He kisses me lightly. “Do you believe me?”

I swallow harshly. “Yes, I believe you. I will always believe you.” I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, Little Cub.” He runs his hand down my hair. “Until my last breath,” he whispers.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Quinn

Ituck the covers around my sleeping mate and leave the bed. I couldn’t sleep. So, I settled on watching my beautiful mate. I just experienced the most powerful moment of my life, and now I have to deal with the two assholes on my porch.

I heard my phone go off while my Little Cub was dropping into sleep, but I ignored it. Now, they have decided to show up at my door.

I grab my pants, slipping them on as I leave the room, shutting the door softly. I walk through the house and slip out the front door.

Micah is leaning against the rail, his expression bored but still alert. He always appears as if he would rather be anywhere else, but his mind is always working. He is someone who will rip out your insides with a smile. Heath is at the other end of the porch, his back to me.

“I am not going to allow you two idiots to go on like this,” Micah starts. “We are going to get it out in the open now. I don’t want more time to pass without any contact between us. It was a horrible situation. I sympathize with you, Quinn. I know it was difficult. We have seen shit like this before; it’s a part of the lives we live. It’s part of the work we do. I have seen things that most people wouldn’t be able to handle. There is already enough shit we have to deal with—don’t let a day go by without saying the things you need to. If you need to hit him, do it. Get it done now, so he doesn’t disappear again.” Micah crosses his arms, looking back and forth between us.

“I just bonded with my mate,” I say, my eyes narrowed.

“Congratulations,” Micah says. “This won’t take long.”

“Are you going to disappear, too?” I ask. “You’ve done it many times.”

“No, I’m going to stay,” he says. Heath turns when he hears this. “I like it here.” He shrugs.

“Are you giving up your work?” Heath asks.

“Of course not; there are still plenty of sick fucks out there, shifters and humans,” Micah snarks. “Quinn can give me a job, too.”

“I can’t handle you and Bash working for me,” I say.

“You only live once,” he replies. “For a long fucking time, but only once.”

I laugh sharply. “We’ll see.”

“Tell him,” Micah demands, looking at Heath.

Heath’s jaw twitches. “I’m sorry for your loss. I did it so you didn’t have to.”

“Jesus, that’s an apology?” Micah asks.

“When have you ever apologized?” Heath asks.

“Once or twice,” Micah smirks.

“You don’t have to do this,” I cut in. “I know you didn’t do it for any reason other than to help. It might take me some time not to think of it when I look at you. We all know the harsh truths of our world. I was prepared it to protect my mate and the world we live in.” I stare at him. “Don’t hide away. Maybe it’s time to give a different home a chance,” I suggest.

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