Page 40 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

“She died.”

Lachelle faced him again, pain in her eyes. He tightened his grip on her, willing the hurt away. As much as he couldn’t bear her in fear, he couldn’t stand her hurting. This connection irritated him because human emotions flip-flopped constantly. It was like being on an unpredictable drug experiencing what she felt.

“I’m so sorry, Gerard. How horrible. I was engaged a few years ago, and my fiancé was killed in a random shooting.”

He didn’t like thinking about her bonded to another man. What would he have done if he met her and she wasn’t free? “You were to be married?”

“Yeah. And when he died, it about killed me, so I know your pain.”

He didn’t believe she did know. If he had bonded with his first mate, he would likely have faded away after her death. A shifter bond went far beyond what the humans could understand.

“Even still,” Lachelle went on, “how can you think I’m your mate when you said you guys only get one. We can love deeply multiple times in our lives.”

“I don’t know. What we’ve always been taught is that there is one. I’ve heard that once the first mate dies, another may come. That’s extremely rare. What happens more often is, if one partner is killed—”

He stopped talking.

“If one partner is killed, what?”

“Never mind.”

She turned to face him, kneeling between his legs. “Come on. Spit it out. If you want me to learn more about you, I need to know everything. Don’t keep secrets.”

He considered again that she was very strong. “When one partner dies, the other normally follows.”

“That’s crazy! You’re not saying they kill themselves?”

“No, it just happens one way or another.”

“Forget that! Let me tell you this, Gerard. If anything happens to me, and you believe I’m your mate, you had better get over it and live. You got me?”

Her demand surprised him. “You’re thinking of my life?”

“Of course. I’m not convinced about this mate stuff. I like you.” She hesitated. “A lot. But I’m not locking myself into anything as if I don’t have a choice. I decide who my man is, not ‘the shifter gods.’”

“Shifter gods?” He frowned in confusion, and she laughed.

“Just saying.” She searched one of the bags he had discarded and found a chip to pop into her mouth. Her lips as she chewed drew his undivided attention.

“I wo

uld like to make love to you.”

She choked. “Whoa, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

“I want to be with you. I don’t see the reason to hide it.”

“I bet you don’t.”

The glint of amusement in her eyes made her more desirable. He craved her and wanted her to give in to the attraction between them. Waiting distracted him to the point that he couldn’t think of anything else. If she asked another question, he wasn’t sure he could focus enough to answer.

She pushed her fingers into his hair, making his scalp tingle. Moving lower, she brushed her thumbs over his cheeks. A soft rumble started in his throat, and he suppressed it quickly in case it frightened her.

“Does the dragon want to come out to play?” she teased.

His eyes widened. “You’re not afraid?”

“Why would I be? You don’t plan to hurt me, do you?”

---