Page 25 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

All eyes in the room turned toward him. Right. They needed to sign the mating agreement. He cleared his throat again and walked around the table. Pulling out the chair beside Cane, he sat.

Cane looked over at him, a little smirk still pulling at one side of his mouth. What Jake couldn’t figure out was whether Cane was making fun of him or commiserating with him at the situation they found themselves in. All he knew was there was nothing funny about that kiss or the way his body responded to Cane.

“Gentlemen,” Lenette said, breaking their stare off. “Are you ready to proceed?”

Cane nodded.

“Wonderful.” Lenette laid a paper and pen in front of them. “Please look that over and sign on the appropriate line.”

It was the mating contract. Jake’s stomach cramped up. This was really happening. He was about to be mated, for life, to Cane Harding. Someone who hadn’t spoken a single word to him.

Cane picked up the pen and sat forward, ready to sign.

“Cane,” Jake said, some of the uncertainty racking his insides bleeding into his voice. He laid a hand on Cane’s arm. Cane stilled at his touch, turning only his head to look at Jake. “Is this what you want?”

Something strange passed over Cane’s face—surprise. The small smile he gave Jake then was a real one.

“Of course it’s what he wants,” Mayor Harding said, exasperation coloring her tone.

As soon as she spoke, the cool indifference Cane had been wearing since Jake walked into the room slid right back over his face. Cane turned his head away from Jake and signed his name in an inelegant scribble on the designated line.

Jake swallowed hard, a new pain blossoming in the region of his heart. Matings weren’t supposed to be this way. His parents had cherished each other, and his mother had grieved his father so deeply that, at the time, it made Jake afraid to love. Since they were both gone now, he was no stranger to grief, but he wouldn’t give up having loved them even to spare himself the pain he now felt. He and his twin sister, Calliope, still had each other and the love and memories their parents had given them. He’d been in the room with Cane and his mother for less than five minutes and knew that was absolutely not the case in Cane’s family.

Accepting the pen when Cane offered it to him, Jake felt his sense of duty settle into his bones, but there was something else there as well. He wanted Cane to know the kind of acceptance that Jake did. Wanted him to know love. There was a chance Cane already did from some other person in his life, but Jake was determined all the same. Cane was his mate now. His to love and protect. His to build a life with.

Jake signed his name.

Before the ink was dry on the page, Cane stood and reached beneath the table, hefting up a backpack. He stepped away from the table and slung it onto his back. Looking at Jake, he asked, “You ready?”

Jake glanced at Lenette and Cane’s mother before climbing to his feet. “Yeah.”

“Congratulations, gentlemen,” Lenette said, standing as well. “If you require any assistance, please let my office know. Otherwise, enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you both at the gala.”

Cane nodded and turned for the door.

“Cane.” Mayor Harding stepped around Lenette and went to her son. Reaching up, she cupped his face and pulled him down enough she could kiss each of his cheeks. “Please behave.”

The strain on Cane’s face made Jake wonder what he was holding back. Choice words? An eye roll? Tearing his own hair out?

Before she stepped out, the mayor looked back at Jake, giving him a nod. That was it. Not a word spoken to the man her son was now mated to. Before he could get too deep into wondering what was happening with Cane’s family, Jake moved to where Lenette was standing and offered his hand. “Thank you, Lenette.”

“You’re welcome, Jacob. I hope this pairing will bring happiness to you both.”

He smiled and nodded like he was supposed to and moved to the door where his new mate was waiting. Cane still had that indifferent look masking any real emotion he might be feeling. Jake wasn’t nearly as good at reading people as his sister was, but even he could see this mask was old and comfortable. Cane had already proven in the last five minutes he could slip it on and off as easily as a t-shirt.

As Jake approached, Cane walked through the door and into the hallway. He did pause to wait for Jake, which was maybe the most surprising thing he’d done—kiss included.

Once they were walking down the hall and toward the entrance of the parking garage, Jake looked over at Cane. “I could use a drink. You in?”

Eyes going a bit wide, Cane glanced over at him. “Hell, yes.”

One corner of Jake’s mouth pulled up into a half-smile. He pulled open the door for the garage, holding it for Cane. Maybe they could figure this out after all.

2

Jake was a nice guy—clean-cut, wholesome, probably never broken a rule in his life. It was written all over him. Cane looked over at his companion, his mate, with a contemplative expression, remembering the way Jake had kissed him back. The only word that came to mind was hungry. Cane thought he could work with that.

Jake led the way down the sidewalk. Cane didn’t own a car. Living in the city, he’d never really had a need to. Jake had driven them away from the paranormal council building and away from downtown to one of the quieter parts of the city known for its large population of magic users. Witches. Cane knew that Jake was the co-leader of the Saint coven, the largest coven in the city, with his twin sister. What he didn’t know was what all that entailed. He didn’t have a clue how witches lived.

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