Page 30 of Falling for her Guardian

“I know.” She wiggled a little closer. “You’re so warm.”

“Part of being a shifter,” he said. “We tend to run a little hotter than humans.”

She hummed and closed her eyes, thinking how deliciously worn out she was. She said what had been on her mind since they made love. “You didn’t mark me.”

She was staring at his chest and saw his muscles tense just a little before he let out a soft, growling purr. He tilted her chin until she was looking at him and smiled, his eyes glittering in the darkness of the room.

“I didn’t mark you because you and I just met and I know you still have some wariness about being with a shifter.”

She wanted to protest that she wasn’t worried anymore, but the truth was that she did feel like she needed time to get to know him better and love him too. He was sexy enough, sweet and protective enough, that she knew it wouldn’t be long before she gave him her heart entirely, though.

He paused and searched her face, then said, “Were you worried about it? You could have told me, and I would have talked it through with you.”

“I don’t know if I was worried so much as I wondered if there was a reason behind it.”

He brushed his fingertips up her jaw and slid them into her hair, pulling her close for a kiss. “I want your heart before we mate. I want to give you mine and for you to give me yours. Sometimes polar bears don’t wait for the emotional stuff when they meet their mates they just go forward and know that the feelings will develop in time, but I’ve always wanted to be in love with my mate before I marked her.”

His gaze lowered to her neck, where she had a feeling he’d be sinking his bear’s fangs into her neck.

“Tell me about the mating.”

They settled on the pillows, facing each other, snuggled close, and he explained that once they were both ready, they’d make love and he’d let his bear out enough for his fangs to appear, then he’d sink them into her neck.

“They’ll scar and then everyone will know you’re mine,” he said.

“Sounds painful.”

“I promise you’ll feel really good first.” He wiggled his brows and she grinned.

“Only the girl wears a mark?”

“Yep, even if both are shifters, the males don’t wear marks.”

“So how will people know you’re mine?”

He narrowed his gaze and let out a harrumph. “Because you and I will smell like each other, and aside from that, I would never stray from our mating bed. You’re it for me, Seren. You’re the only one that me and my bear want in our bed and our lives.”

She placed her hand over his heart, feeling the steady beat under her palm.

He was so sweet.

“What happens after the marking?”

“Then I’ll take you home to my clan and they’ll throw us a party, where the alpha will preside over our official mating, joining us together and bringing you into the clan as my mate. We can also get married if you’d like. It’s not something that bears do all the time, but it’s not unheard of.”

“My parents would definitely appreciate us getting married. They’re pretty traditional.”

“They can come to the mating ceremony too.”

“Where in Pennsylvania is your clan?”

“Northern Pennsylvania, a town called Arctic Springs.”

“It wouldn’t be too far of a drive from central Ohio. My family could drive there.”

He kissed her sweetly, then said, “We should clean up and go talk to Santa about what happened to you. After breakfast, we can go through the Entrance to see your family.”

“Who will take us through the portal?”

---