Page 78 of Cowboy Devil's Embrace

“Okay, so short version,” Emmet interrupted. “Max here is the only Jersey Devil, aside from yourself. I’m what you’d call a Werewolf, though I prefer Wolf Shifter. Dante there shares his soul with a Grizzly Bear, and Kian with a Bull. Zeke, well, maybe you should take that one, pal,” he ended abruptly.

Holy fuck. There was a lot of information in there, I just couldn’t get past the Texas drawl.

Werewolves. Bears. Bulls.

Those words were important. But perhaps the most important thing was Shifter. They were all Shifters. All men who could change their shape into that of an animal.

I turned to Max.

“Are we Shifters?”

“Not like them, but in a way, yes. You see, the first Jersey Devil, much like the legend, was made when my ancestor, a powerful Witch, struck a bargain with Demon Rosier. They became lovers, mates really, and their offspring was the first Jersey Devil.”

“Like the story,” I said, remembering the time I read it when I was a teenager.

“Sort of,” Max breathed, tucking my hair behind my ears.

Both our skin was back to normal now. Night had fallen, and the moon was visible in the sky.

“I guess it would be fitting if it was a full moon,” I teased.

“Actually, the last quarter moon is kind of our thing, Sugarplum. That’s why I couldn’t stop myself from claiming you, marking you with my bite. I am so sorry I didn’t ask your permission first. I never meant to take that decision from you,” Max confessed.

“What decision?” I asked, and I stiffened in his arms.

“Well, mates stay together. And Fated mates, if you tried to leave you would both likely get sick. Hell, maybe even die,” Emmet said.

“What?!”

“Please, Pen. Just listen,” Max said, but I was already shrugging out of his embrace and standing.

“You mean I don’t have a choice in this?”

“The truth is, there are things in this universe that are older than we know. The supernatural world exists alongside the human world and has done so since forever. But the universe is fickle, and the Fates have their own agenda. Still, now and then, they throw us a bone,” Zeke explained.

“A bone?” I asked, pissed off as all get.

My chest vibrated with the force of my growl, and I felt fire at my fingertips. I looked down and hissed, there were actual red sparks shooting and fizzing on the ends of my claws.

“Oh my God!”

“Easy. The fire won’t hurt you,” Max said, his voice way too calm.

I was so stupid. I felt tricked. Bamboozled. And yet there was a part of me that just wanted to vault back into his arms and let him take care of me. But when had a man ever done that?

“I’m not him. I won’t pay for Burt’s mistakes, dammit, Penelope, I love you!”

“Oh, don’t you dare,” I spat.

“You. Are. My. Mate.”

“You should have told me the truth,” I countered.

“Look, Penelope, every supernatural group has stories about fated mates. Two halves of a soul that, when reunited, can overcome any hardship. Only the lucky are blessed to find their fated mates.”

“So you are saying Max and I are lucky?” I snarked.

I was in no mood to hear how lucky I was right now. I was so confused. My heart said yes. God knew my body did, too. But my mind was finding it hard to let go.

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