Page 47 of Treasured By the Hunter

I wanted to deny her words and tell her that they proved nothing of the sort. But the look in her eyes was so sincere that I couldn’t.

“You healed and rebuilt.” She gave my arms a squeeze.

I flexed my biceps for her.

“Yup, you’re definitely built.”

“But I am still a liability. These scars announce to other hunters that I have made grievous mistakes.”

“I am sure every hunter has made mistakes. Just because their scars aren’t visible, it doesn’t mean they’re not there. If it’s worth anything, I don’t think of your scars as a bad thing.”

“Thank you.” We lay there for a long while as I held her in my arms.

I thought she was about to sleep when she spoke again.

“You said you watched a lot of movies. We never did finishThe Notebook.”

I was unable to hide my grimace, and she laughed.

“Okay, so not a chick flick type. I get it. What movies do you like?”

“When I was healing, they brought me many Earth movies to pass my time. I enjoy movies with action and fighting. I likedStarship Troopers. The ‘bugs’ they fought were like the scourge, but different. And I wish to see large reptiles like inJurassic Park.”

She grinned. “Why am I not surprised? Well, I don’t mind movies with action either.”

Was that a hint? I knew “dinner and a movie” was a common thing to do on romantic dates. We were past that point in our courtship, considering she was in my sleeping nook, and I already knew she was my mate. But there were no rules on when the first official date takes place.

I cleared my throat. “Zoey, will you go on a date with me?”

The two seconds it took for her to reply felt like an eternity.

“Yes. I will.”

I nuzzled the top of her head, satisfied.

But as my hands started rubbing her body, she took them and held them in front of her.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I know you have claws. But your fingers are dull when you touch me.”

“They are retractable.” I held a digit in front of her and slowly extended a claw. “And I keep them trimmed so they do not get in my way. We use them more as tools than as weapons.”

“Oh cool! That makes a lot more sense now.” She pressed the side of my finger pads, forcing the claw to slide out. “That’s convenient. Sometimes I wish I had claws.”

“You are perfect the way you are. You do not need them. You can use mine. I will be your claws.”

She laid a hand over her heart. “For a deadly hunter, you’re pretty sweet. I’m glad we’re partners.”

I grunted in agreement. But she was so much more than just my partner. I struggled to find the words to tell her that she wasmy mate. I didn’t know how to explain it to her, especially when she hadn’t agreed to stay with me yet.

How would she react when she found out that I’d already bonded to her and that she was mine and I was hers forever? What if I told her and she ran? It wasn’t an uncommon reaction. Humans were not used to short courtships; they didn’t form mate bonds. They did, however, fall in love.

That was it. I had to make her fall in love with me first. The mate bond chose her, so that must mean we were perfect for each other, and I would succeed. Then once she loved me, I’d tell her we were already mates, and she’d be ecstatic.

I closed my eyes, satisfied with my plan, and slept.

Chapter 23: Zoey

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