Page 13 of Blades of Ice

Beck pointed the bottle at her. “How about you tell me what you are before we get into the fuckery that is Boyd.”

“I’m a Gargoyle.” When Beck ran his eyes down her body, Lydia already knew the question on his mind. It was the same one everyone had who found out about their species. “No, I’m not made of stone, although that is my last name. Our kind has been around since forever. The gods created us to watch over humans. Both genders have fangs and claws, but only the males have wings and impenetrable skin, which I find totally unfair. We have a lifespan of roughly a thousand years unless we’re killed or choose to cross over.”

“You can’t die by natural causes?”

“The females can, although it’s not likely.” Lydia decided to rip the band-aid off. “Do, uh, polar bear shifters have fated mates?”

“No. We choose who we want to be with, and unless we share a claiming bite called the Ursina bond, it’s more like human relationships. We can leave them if we get tired of them or they no longer prove useful.”

“That sounds…” Lydia didn’t know what to think. If he got tired of her, would he toss her aside?

“Sad? It is for those who see it that way. Like my mother.” Beck downed his beer and set the empty on the floor. Lydia jumped up and went to retrieve him another. Maybe she should break out the tequila. As fast as he was going through the beer, she would run out within an hour. Instead of getting one, she opened the cabinet and found the ice bucket she noticed earlier in the day. After filling it with ice from the freezer, she added as many bottles as she could fit, then carried them back to the living area. She placed the bucket on the floor between them and opened one before handing it to Beck.

“Sad is a good way to put it. Gargoyles do have fated mates. When we find them, the substance in our claiming bite releases into our mate, passing along our lifespan. We aren’t linked by death. If one of us were to die, the mate wouldn’t also, but they can choose to do so by willing it. When Goyles find their mate, it’s like no one else exists. There is such a strong connection that they can feel everything the other feels. Sometimes they can mind speak.”

“That sounds wonderful. How do you know when you’ve found your mate?”

Lydia rolled her bottle between her hands letting the cold bolster her courage. “You get nauseated for no good reason.”

The bottle froze inches from Beck’s mouth. “That’s why you felt sick this morning?”

“Yes. My beast tried to tell me it was that and not what I ate for lunch, but I wasn’t listening.”

Beck stood and paced the small room. “Lydia, Boyd isn’t a good man. He’s—”

“Wait. You think Boyd is my mate?”

Beck stopped and glared at her. “He bumped into you. Knocked you down. Is that why you went to see him?”

“Boyd is not my mate, Beck. There’s a reason Cailín and I came to Sterling, but Boyd wasn’t it. Or at least he wasn’t untilwe followed him to that house. That too is a long story, but first things first. He isn’t my mate; you are.”

“Me? But I’m… Are you sure?” he whispered.

“I’m positive. My stomach is churning again, but in a good way.”

“That’s… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. If it’s something you don’t want, I’ll respect your wishes. If you need time to think about it, I can give you that. You have a choice in the matter. Just because it’s a done deal for me doesn’t mean it is for you.”

Beck returned to the sofa, placed his bottle in the bucket, then took hers and did the same. He grabbed both her hands in his. “Is that why you smell like sunshine on the snow?”

Lydia smiled. “Yes. And to me, you smell like snow on pine trees.”

“I’m going to kiss you now, if that’s okay?”

Lydia’s heart skipped a few beats before speeding like a hummingbird on Hive. When she nodded, Beck placed his hand behind her neck and gently guided her head to his. The first brush of lips was tentative. Testing. The second was firmer. The third? Holy gods, when he licked at her lips, Lydia parted them, and the taste of his tongue was mixed with beer and something spicy beneath mint. She wanted more of it. More of him. Lydia kept their tongues engaged while pushing on his shoulders, encouraging him to lie back. She stretched out on top of his hard body, her chest pressed against his. Her beast was doing high kicks and cheering, encouraging her to take what she wanted. Beck’s hands slid up her body, settling at her waist. It took a few seconds for her to realize he wasn’t squeezing or caressing. He was pushing. Lydia broke the kiss and raised up.

“Lydia, I’m—”

“No. I’m sorry.” With her cheeks heated, she rushed to the bathroom and closed the door.

Chapter 6

What the fuckjust happened? Beck raised up on his elbows and stared at the door Lydia disappeared behind. He pushed off the sofa and stood, adjusting his erection so it wasn’t pressed against his zipper. Goddess, he’d never been harder in his life, and all because of a kiss. With his mate. Beck let that sink in. Bears didn’t have fated mates, but if Lydia was telling the truth, he was hers. His need to find her earlier now made sense. Beck didn’t know the female, but he wanted to. Wanted to get to know about her life. Wanted to know why she was in Alaska. That meant getting her to talk to him. He strode to the closed door and rapped softly.

“Lydia? I wasn’t pushing you away because I don’t want you. I do. Too much. I only wanted to slow things down because I was two seconds away from shooting in my jeans like a teenager.”

“Really?”

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