Page 813 of Love Bites

“And…” Renner glanced at him, frustration knitting his brow. “Have Layna tell the guests the noise is just us testing Halloween effects.”

Eagan nodded and pushed through the door just as Magic’s panther lunged at him, jaws snapping. He stared at the solid wood between him and the cat who used to be his friend, breathing heavy.

A hand touched his arm and he jumped.

Clara. It was Clara. She’d waited outside for him.

Gash came running down the hall, glaring at Eagan and then snarling at Clara. He snapped his jaws and Eagan growled low in warning.

“What did you do?” the man spat, staring at Eagan like he was no better than a worm.

“Fuck you. Your turn’s coming.” The bastard watched Bailey too closely and it hadn’t escaped Eagan’s notice. The way his gaze gravitated to her wasn’t casual.

Eagan grabbed his mate’s hand and pulled her through the lobby, quickly relaying Renner’s message to Layna.

She stared at Clara, a smirk on her face. “Don’t worry, honey. The men around here are more hissy than the females, that’s all. Things will settle.”

Clara nodded, her eyes big.

“Let’s go.”

Eagan led her through the parking lot and back down the path to his cabin. Inside, he slammed the door, locking it, and leaning against it to catch his breath. He needed to shift just as much as Magic had. The energy balled up inside him like a grenade ready to blow.

Shift or fuck. Or both.

He looked at Clara. She stood in the middle of the room watching him.

“What happened?”

“He’s an asshole.”

“Magic?”

“Yes. He… he wanted me to promise never to mate you. If I agreed, he’d let you work. If I didn’t… shit out of luck.”

Clara looked confused. Of course she was. She didn’t know their ways. He’d avoided telling her for too long.

“Eagan, explain this to me. About the mating. Everything.”

He pushed off the door, stalking to her, and kissed her hard on the lips, pulling a gasp from her mouth. This was it. He was going to lay his cards on the table and hope she could handle it.

“We don’t mate. Our clan, we don’t mate. It’s against the rules.”

Her eyes went wide. “No sex?”

“Sex is fine. Mating is not.”

“What’s the difference?”

He reached a hand behind her head, pulling her hair free of its messy bun so it could tumble down her back.

“Mating is for life. A marriage of sorts. But one that bonds two people together forever.”

Eagan watched her slender throat as it worked a swallow.

“Why is it not allowed?”

He kissed her again, sweet this time.

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