Page 14 of Cruel As A Tree

"I do not know," he replied. "It is new."

I sat up to look at him better. "A part of your dick is new?"

He nodded. "All of it is new."

"All of it?" I repeated.

He nodded again. "I provide what my mate needs."

I let out a sigh, torn between wanting to lick his length and see if it tasted as good as it smelled and knowing that there was stuff that had to come first.

"Listen," I said, sitting up to kneel next to him. "I'm not your mate."

"Yes," he agreed. "I am courting you so you will become my mate."

"What if I choose not to?" I asked. "What if I choose to be with someone else?"

"Then I will kill him," Lorthian said in the same pleasant tone.

I blinked.

I opened my mouth then closed it, struggling to find words in response to that. As my brain short-circuited, the roots retracted from Lorthian's wrists, and he sat up to face me, putting one arm over my knees so he could lean in closer to me.

"I will eliminate any who dream of trying to steal you away," Lorthian said, his tone more earnest. "I will protect you and all you hold dear until my last leaf falls."

He leaned in closer, and I put my hand on his chest.

"You just met me," I said.

"Yes," he agreed.

"You can't be threatening to murder people you don't know just because they might show interest in me in the future," I said.

He tilted his head to the side, one of his ears flicking.

"You will be mine and mine alone," he said. "No other may have you."

"I'm not..." I said, feeling uncomfortable with what I needed to say. "You know I'm not a virgin, right? I've already been with someone else."

"Whoever he was, he failed to court you and claim you as his mate," Lorthian said. "He is of no consequence or worth."

"Listen, Forest Lord, my ex failed to court me because he didn't actually like me; he just saw me as someone he could use," I said. "You don't know if you actually like me. We've spent one day together, and sexual chemistry doesn't mean emotional or mental compatibility. We need to spend more time together to know if we actually want to commit."

"Time is of no matter," Lorthian said.

"It matters to me," I said. "Lots of things matter to me."

"Tell me what matters to you," he said, his tone intent.

That was quite a question.

"My family, friends, learning new things, eating good food, listening to music, laughing, learning new ways to move my body, I don't know, there are so many things," I said. "I don'teven know all the things that matter because I've only lived a small portion of my life. Are the same things that matter to me now going to matter to me when I'm old and grey?"

"You will never be old and grey unless you wish to appear that way," Lorthian said.

"Hold up," I said. "What?"

"As my mate, we will live as long as our forest lives, spending mundane lifetimes learning every detail about what might matter to you in the future," he said.

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