Page 14 of Charmed and Dangerous

Saul leanedback against the log and pulled Maeve against his chest as they enjoyed the bonfire. Most of the cubs had snuggled with their parents, in human or cub form, and fallen asleep after the s’mores, and the adults were slowly drifting away. But he was enjoying his time with Maeve. She fit him perfectly, a pocket-sized mate who belonged with him. He hadn’t been sure how she would enjoy his family, or if she would settle around them. A clan of bear shifters wasn’t exactly a quiet group of people. But they adored her, seeing her as a perfect mate for him. His mother even told him that he’d better treat Maeve right or he’d answer to her.

He wanted to treat her like a queen, if he could ever get some time alone with her. But the day was ending, and he wasn’t sure how to convince her to stay with him. She made a contented sound and snuggled further against him, her nose pressing against his chest before settling. Scent was important for shiftermates, but Maeve was a witch, not a bear. Was she as affected by him as he was by her?

It had been pure torture sitting with her all evening. His cock had been an iron bar in his jeans and he’d had to employ some creative means to cover the evidence of his desire from the rest of his family, though they saw through his act easily enough, being able to scent his arousal. He knew she was attracted to him, had even scented her arousal, but was she ready to be his mate?

But the fire was dying, and everyone was headed out. He had to take her home, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to take her to his cabin, strip her, and taste her all over, make her come, screaming his name, then claim her so everyone knew who she belonged to. But she was human, not a shifter. If she was a shifter, they’d already be in his cabin, halfway to mating.

How to convince her to be his?

Maeve stirred in his arms. “Is it time to go home?”

“Yes, everyone is leaving.”

She struggled out of his arms to a standing position. “I should say goodbye to your parents and Sacha. They were all so kind to me today.”

He got to his feet and bopped her on the nose. “They loved you. And my parents are already gone.”

He pointed to the older couple who were already halfway across the field to a cabin in the distance, walking arm in arm. Maeve sighed. “They’re still in love, aren’t they?”

“They’re mated. They will always be in love. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.”

She cocked her head at him. “I don’t understand what mating means. Isn’t it like marriage for shifters?”

He shook his head. “It’s much deeper.” He pointed to Sacha and Blaize, who were embracing just beyond the fire, a look ofsuch tenderness on the male’s face as he cupped Sacha’s belly. “Mating is a bond between two people that connects them, heart to heart, soul to soul. They sense each other’s emotions. They feel each other’s thoughts. They are halves to each other. It’s a bond that cannot be broken.”

He looked at her, seeing the longing in her eyes, and realized that she was thinking of her own family, of her parents and the marriage she had described. A lonely, almost business-like arrangement.

“It’s sounds lovely,” she breathed.

He stared down at her, feeling the bond already reaching for her. “It is.”

She looked up at him. “Can anyone feel it? Non-shifters?”

He shrugged. “Some shifters have mated with non-shifters and they say they have felt it. It takes a little more convincing, however.”

She turned back to Sacha and Blaize, watching them for another moment, clearly lost in thought.

“Uncle Saul! Maeve!”

A small boy barreled across the backyard, bee-lining directly for them. Before he could tackle Maeve, who had frozen in shock, Saul snatched him out of mid-stride by the back of his neck and swung him up into his arms. “What did we say about tackling guests?”

“That we should always sneak up on them and practice our attacks to protect our den?” The hopeful look on the boy’s face made Maeve choke a laugh.

The corners of Saul’s lips quirked, but he controlled the smile. “Not pretty women.”

The small boy lunged for her, but Saul kept a tight hold on the boy. He took a dramatic sniff. “She smells like you, Uncle Saul.”

Saul hauled him back up. “I know, but it’s a secret.”

He flipped the boy over his shoulder upside down and took Maeve’s hand and strode over to his sister and her mate. She scrambled to keep up, taking three steps for his every one. She tugged at his hand and he stopped, eying her quizzically.

“Shouldn’t you let him up?”

“Why? He’s fine. And why are you out of breath?”

She glared at him. “Because I’m running to keep up with you, you big tree.”

He roared with laughter. He flipped the small boy back and held him to his chest. “This is Brady, Sacha’s boy. I wasn’t sure if you’ve met him today.”

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