Page 51 of On Tap for the Bear
"Anything."
"If I stay—if I really stay, not just for two weeks but for good—what happens when the mate bond fully forms? Evelyn said something about a claiming. About it becoming permanent."
My breath catches. "The bond gets stronger when it's consummated. When both people accept it completely. It...” How do I explain this without scaring her? "It ties you together in a way that's hard to break. Not impossible, but difficult. Like...”
"Like marriage, but deeper," she finishes. "That's what Evelyn said. That it's a soul connection that goes beyond just legal or social bonds."
"Yeah." I watch her carefully. "Does that terrify you?"
"Yes." She doesn't hesitate. "But also...” She stops, biting her lip.
"Also what?"
"Also it sounds like exactly what I've always wanted and never thought I'd find." She looks at me then, vulnerable and brave all at once. "Someone who sees me. Really sees me, not just the critic or the writer or the idiot who didn’t see Vanessa’s betrayal coming. Someone who wouldn't use that knowledge to hurt me."
"I see you," I promise. "And I'd never hurt you. Not intentionally. Not ever."
She takes a shaky breath. "I need to go. Process. Think."
"Okay."
She stands, hesitates, then leans in and kisses me. Not a quick peck—a real kiss. Soft and grateful and full of unspoken promises. When she pulls back, her eyes are wet.
"Thank you," she whispers. "For believing me. For defending me."
"Always."
Then she's gone, the bell chiming as she slips out into the evening.
Beau appears at my side. "That went better than expected. Is she still thinking about leaving?"
"No." I shake my head. "She's thinking about staying. There's a difference."
I want to trust that Quinn choosing to come here tonight, to ask these questions, to let me see her fear—that it all means something.
But every protective instinct I have won't settle. Won't stop worrying until she's mine completely, until the bond is sealed and permanent and unbreakable.
Soon, I tell it. Let her have time. Let her choose us properly.
A grudging acceptance settles through me.
I'm cleaning up the bar when my phone buzzes. A text from Calder.
Ley lines just pulsed again. Stronger than this morning. Whatever's happening with Quinn, it's accelerating. I’m at the compound. Thought you should know.
I stare at the message, dread coiling in my gut.
The ley lines are responding to Quinn more intensely with every passing hour. Pulling her deeper into Redwood Rise's magic whether she's ready or not.
And if they pull too hard, too fast—if they trigger something before Quinn's had time to accept what she is to this place, what she is to me—it could shatter the fragile trust we're building.
I text back:
Heading to the compound. We need to talk.
My bear snarls, sensing what I won't admit. The ley lines aren't just responding to Quinn anymore… they're claiming her.
CHAPTER 14
