Page 29 of Blades of Ice

“Your family…” Beck was amazed. His pack was fighting for power and territory, while her Clan was fighting to right the wrongs of society.

“Don’t think all Gargoyles are like my Clan. We have rotten apples like everyone else. My great-grandfather was ostracized because he mated with a human. The one responsible was the Greek King, and he felt the bloodlines should remain pure. He disowned his own sister because she mated with an Italian even though they were fated mates. That same King was responsible for a lot of my Clan’s troubles over the years until he was finally taken out. He had followers who came to the States and continued creating havoc in his name. As archivist for my Clan, I have read of many similar instances throughout our history. It’s bad enough we have infighting to deal with, but add to that humans becoming aware of our existence? It would be chaos.”

“Surely there are humans who know.”

“There are, in both our Clan and with the Gryphons. There are human mates, and I have cousins who were adopted, but they are taught to keep our secret. With the Gryphons, they have the ability to manipulate thoughts, and if the humans threaten to out them, they’re made to forget what they know of the shifters.”

“Damn. And here I thought I was special because I can take the form of a large bear.”

Lydia placed her hand on his nape and scratched his scalp. If she did that in his shifted form, he’d surely fall asleep. “You are special, My Bear. Being able to shift into an animal is so much better than what I can do. Claws and fangs aren’t good for much against someone bigger and stronger. At least the malesget wings and can fly.” His mate was cute when she pouted, but he didn’t contradict her. His pack might not care for their males, but at least the females had the same advantages when it came to shifting.

The GPS alerted him to the turnoff for the lodge. Since they had time to kill until they heard from Carleigh, Beck could show Lydia his furry counterpart. And maybe she’d give him some more scratches.

Lydia instructed Beck to stop at the main building. “I need to check in at the office to see if my packages have arrived.” Beck parked, and he planned to open her door, but Lydia was already out by the time he rounded the hood. She pulled her parka together in the front with one hand and reached for his with the other. Beck wasn’t used to having a tactile mate since females of his kind weren’t the touchy-feely sort, but he relished each touch.

They entered the office, and when they reached the desk, the man behind the counter lit up in Lydia’s presence. Beck knew the feeling. He was also secure enough not to get jealous. His mate was stunning, and he couldn’t blame anyone for admiring her.

“Ah, Miss Stone. You have a couple of packages. Let me get them for you.” The man didn’t even glance at Beck. Lydia turned and pressed her front to his, resting her forehead against his chest. Beck hugged her and touched his lips to her hair. Lydia hummed, and his bear stirred. A low rumble in his chest was returned from a softer growl in Lydia’s. Were their beasts communicating? Beck had never heard of bears behaving that way. He couldn’t converse with his beast. Their communications were feelings. But the night he found Lydia outside Boyd’s rental, she was talking to hers.

The clerk’s footsteps were heavy as he returned from somewhere in the back of the building. “Here you are.” Beck released his mate and stepped around her to take the packages.

“Thank you.” Beck tucked the boxes under one arm and ushered his mate out the door with his free hand. Lydia was quiet as they got back into the SUV and drove the short distance to her cottage. He couldn’t wait to see what types of gadgets her cousin had sent.

Lydia removed her parka and draped it over one of the chairs at the dining table. She inspected the boxes, and chose the lighter of the two. Releasing a claw, she ripped the tape open, then her claw was gone. Lydia lifted the flaps, and when she removed the contents, she was holding a black leather jacket.

“This is for you since I ruined your other one.”

Beck accepted it and ran his hand across the material. It was the softest leather he’d ever felt. He didn’t want to know how much it cost. “Sugar, this is too much.”

“Nonsense.” Lydia took it and held it out. “Let’s see if it fits.” She helped him into the jacket, and when it was on, she ran her fingers down the sleeves. “Perfect, like you.”

Beck’s cheeks heated. He’d been called handsome before, but no one had ever made him feel as special as Lydia did. He pulled his mate to his chest and lowered his head to kiss her, showing her how much he appreciated the gift. Not only that, but how she touched his heart. The kiss went from soft and appreciative to heated and needy. His beast rumbled in his chest again, and Lydia pulled back, laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Beck removed the jacket and placed it on the table since he was getting warm in more ways than one.

“Our beasts are conversing, and yours mentioned scratches?”

Beck grinned. “Yeah, when you were running your nails over my scalp earlier, the thought of you doing so while I wasshifted might have entered my mind. Would you like to see him?”

“Definitely.”

Beck looked around. “Okay, but I’ll need to rearrange the furniture first.” He placed his cell phone on the table, then went into the living area and pushed the sofa and coffee table out of the way. “Ready?”

“Don’t you need to take your clothes off?”

“Nope, they shift with me.”

“That’s amazing. The only other species I know of that has that luxury is dire wolves.”

“Those aren’t a myth?”

“No. Nikita, one of Carleigh’s partners in H3, is one. Their shifted form is much larger than regular wolf shifters.”

“Okay, here goes.” He glanced up to make sure there was enough clearance to shift on his hind legs, and he let the change take over. Beck didn’t worry about shocking Lydia since she had seen Boyd in his shifted form. The change wasn’t instantaneous nor was it painless, but the discomfort went away quickly enough. Lydia didn’t hesitate to come closer. Beck remained still, letting her look her fill.

“Dayum. You are absolutely gorgeous. And your eyes… I’ve never seen anything that color blue.” She stepped back and pointed to the floor. “If you want scratches, you’ll need to get down on my level.” Beck dropped to all fours, then relaxed on his haunches. Lydia closed the distance and buried her hands in the thick fur of his neck while pressing her cheek to his. “So soft,” she muttered as she dug deeper with her nails. If Beck were a dog, he’d be rolling over for belly rubs. Never had anyone touched him in this form, and that his mate was doing so willingly was everything. His bear rumbled, and Lydia chuckled. She continued rubbing and scratching until his phone rang.

“Want me to get that?” she asked. Beck angled his head to the side, and she laughed. “Duh.” When she picked it up, she told him, “It’s Dooley. Hey, Dooley. I’m putting you on speaker.”

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