Page 8 of Hers to Love
Taika sighed. “Sweetness, I don’t just think you are, I know it. My gorilla knows it, and as soon as the rest of my family meets you, they will know it, too.”
Ataahua frowned, and the cutest little furrow formed on her forehead. “How would they know?”
“Because they will scent you as family. It won’t be strong now, because well, I haven’t claimed you yet, but once that’s done, then—”
“Wait, what? Claim me?” Ataahua asked incredulously. “What the hell does that mean?”
Taika didn’t really want to go into too much detail and scare her, but he was beginning to know his mate a little more with each conversation they had, and he knew without doubt that she would not let this go.
“I would claim you during sex. That would reinforce the bond that is forming between us, and my family and any other shifters you encounter, will know that you are my fated mate.”
Taika expected confusion, perhaps horror, and absolutely rage, but he got none of that.
Ataahua simply nodded. “I had heard about that with other shifters. I guess it would make sense.”
He was so surprised at her answer, Taika almost missed a turn. “It makes sense? I thought you’d find it distasteful or that it went against your beliefs or something like that.”
Ataahua shook her head, and lowered he gaze, looking up at him through thick lashes. “Not at all. Every woman wants to be loved, to be thought of as a man’s complete focus. To have someone claim them in this primal way is something I think any woman would want with her man. To know that they are connected andfated, that’s powerful shit right there, and the premise of more than one epic romance book I’ve read over the years.” Ataahua lifted her head and leveled him with a look. “But she also needs to know that she is an equal partner in the relationship and that she has a say in how she is to live, and love. Without that, the connection would only ever feel one way, and I do not think that is how the fates would want it to be.”
Taika was stunned into silence as he let that process. That was the type of relationship he wanted, too, wasn’t it? A woman who would lead with him, side by side, talking through family problems and issues and tackling them as a team. He had somehow made his mate feel like that wasn’t the case, and that was simply unacceptable.
“Ataahua, I—”
“Taika!” Taika growled low at Remy’s interruption and wanted to reach through his truck window and punch the son of a bitch in the face for interrupting, but figured that wouldn’t be a great way to introduce his mate to his second. “Welcome home! Hey, you found the disappearing lady. Hi!”
Ataahua smiled sweetly at Remy, and murmured a shy hi, and when Remy’s eyes seemed to glaze over with a little too much worship, Taika reached through the window and smacked him upside the head. “Stop drooling over my mate. It’s unbecoming of the man who is my second.”
Remy grinned unrepentantly. “I know you can’t really blame me, Alpha, she’s stunning. Where have you been and—wait. Why are you wearing a sheet? Did you go to a college rave and not invite me?”
“Shut up, Remy.” Taika opened the door and forced Remy to take a step back. The bastard was still laughing, and making bad toga puns as he walked around the truck to open the door for Ataahua.
“Welcome home, my Alpha female. I hope—what the fuck happened to your face?” Remy’s tone went from friendly to deadly in a nanosecond.
“Son of a bitch punched her in the face,” Taika all but growled as the memory swam to the surface.
“How did he get close enough to do that?” Remy asked as he grabbed Ataahua’s duffle from the back seat and followed them into the house.
“Taika was drooling and convulsing on the floor,” Ataahua answered, and from the glint in her eye, she didn’t mind sharing that little tidbit at all. “Getting shot with a military grade taser will do that.”
“What!” Remy’s voice rose three octaves, and at least two hundred decibels. “Someone got the jump on you, Taika?You!”
“Fuck off, Remy,” Taika snarled as he opened the door and ushered his mate inside. “You said so yourself, my mate is stunning and an obvious distraction. Is it any wonder I missed the pertinent fact that some bastard was sneaking up on us with a taser?”
Rem winced. “Damn, that shit hurts. I once accidently tasered myself with one of those things, and fuck me sideways it hurt.”
Taika nodded. “Exactly. But as soon as I recovered, in a manly and admirably short amount of time I might add, I leapt to my feet and defended my mate’s honor.”
Remy grinned. “I assume the prick is no longer in need of breathing?”
Taika grinned back. “Nope. He’d need a throat to do that, and I ripped his out.”
