Page 87 of Heir

“Do you hate humans?” I asked.

His nose wrinkled for a moment. Then he shook his head. “I hate people.”

I smiled at that. “I hate people too.”

His triumphant grin was adorable. “Just another thing we have in common.”

That made me smile even wider.

“You know how some people are cat people, and some are dog people?”

I nodded. “I’m not a cat person. It’s probably because growing up in Aunt Delia’s house, cats terrorized the neighborhood at night. They would fight right below my bedroom window.”

He nodded. “Yeah, as much as I don’t really care for wolf shifters, non-shifter canines are quite lovely. Very devoted. I’m definitely a dog person.”

“Me too.”

“The same is for humans. I’m not a human person. Do I want to see cats—or people—eradicated from earth? No. But I wouldn’t want one as a pet. Nor would I set out to befriend any. I’m sure there are decent cats out there. Just like there is the odd, decent human—like Gemma. But like ticks, you just never know which one is carrying Lyme disease. So it’s better to avoid them all.”

“That’s a pretty great analogy.”

He beamed at my praise, then affectionately cupped my cheek. “We need to protect your human side though. So no more telling anyone about it, okay? We don’t know who we can trust.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “I won’t tell any more people that I’m a hybrid. But people like Raewyn, demons will be able to smell it, right?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps. Maybe some shifters and demons will, yes. But we just need to get a handle on your powers and figure out who killed your aunt. Then we can meet with the Council and gauge their reaction.”

“How did your father take it? Obviously not well if you had to threaten to kill him?”

Now, he really smiled, and damn if it didn’t steal the oxygen straight out of my lungs. “He was so thrilled.”

“Seriously?”

“When I told him I was struck by lightning. . . I haven’t heard him that excited in over a century. Not since before my mother and sister passed. He’s excited about grandcubs.”

“I’m sorry. Grandcubs?”

His smile turned boyish. “You’ve brought up cubs, so . . . he’s just excited. No pressure though.”

I swallowed. “He’s agreed not to tell anyone that I’m . . . you know . . . an abomination?”

He snarled when I said the word, and my heart swelled for this oversized teddy bear. “He knows the strength of the Mate’s Bond and how, if anything were to happen to you, I’d tear through an entire army to save and avenge you. It’s how he was with my mother. The Bond is deep and strong, and we all know it. The smile and understanding in his voice reassured me that he knows the consequences of a betrayal like that. And he accepts it.”

I blinked again. “That’s heavy.”

With a casual headshake, he frowned. “Not really.”

“Can I ask . . . are there same-sex mates? Is the Realm progressive? Are the Fates progressive?”

That made him smile even wider, and I had to reach out and grip a shelf to keep from swooning.

“There are. Yes. The Fates are progressive. They know that they can’t force someone to love or bond with just anyone. Our mates are carefully selected. It’s why sometimes it takes centuries.”

“H-how does it work to have offspring then?”

“We can still procreate when we’re not bonded. It’s just less likely. So they have to find unbonded donors and cross their fingers. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and some of the pregnancies, or surrogacies, take. Otherwise, there is adoption. Again, not common, but it happens. I know a bear shifter couple, two wonderful men, and they adopted a wolf-shifter pup whose parents were both killed by human hunters. She is the light of their life, even if she drives them nuts with her midnight howling.”

I giggled. “I’m glad that the Fates are mindful of all kinds of love. I’m still struggling to understand why they thought giving me three mates was a good idea though.”

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