The same way Derek hadn’t been able to drop her off at her friend’s house that night. If he had… Christ, if he had, he might be injured too. Or worse, dead.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
The lump in her throat enlarged tenfold but she nodded. She needed to know now, not later. As if her life wasn’t weird enough.
“Do you want to ask questions or just listen to me talk?” His thumb came up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear and stayed to rub the lobe.
Honestly? How the hell did she know? “This is a little overwhelming.”
The soothing rub continued. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”
“How many of you are there?” Might as well jump in somewhere.
“Lots. Whole communities. You wouldn’t know one if you saw one.”
“You think?” she mocked, looking at him like he’d lost his ever-loving mind. She’d known him for how many years and didn’t know? Except for the rumors… Maybe she was the one losing her mind. Maybe this was a dream and she was still lying in bed.
He smiled on a puff of a laugh. “You’re not dreaming.”
Her mouth fell open before she could stop it.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t tell you before because we don’t tell anybody. It could be detrimental to our race.”
“Does Derek know?”
Eli dropped his chin to his chest and she knew she had her answer. “Yes. He’s known since high school.”
“But he couldn’t tell me?”
“I made him promise not to.”
“All those times I asked him about you and he shrugged me off. He knew all along.”
“I wouldn’t have told him either except he saw it happen one time while he was here.”
Okay, fine. She could live with that. It hurt to know he felt he needed to hide something like this, but she could deal. On to the next round.
“Why did Caelan call his wife mate?”
Eli sighed and looked resigned. “Because they are mated.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
“It means they belong to each other. Forever.”
She chuckled. “You make it sound so permanent.”
Eli never took his very serious gaze off her. “It is.”
Oh. “But she’s not a wolf…thingy.”
“No. She’s one hundred percent human,” he agreed, ignoring the wolf-thingy barb.
“So, her dreams don’t have anything to do with being a…werewolf.”
“A shape-shifter, Nik, and no, her abilities have nothing to do with us. You’d have to talk to her grandmother about those, I believe they were passed down through her.”
“Why don’t you say werewolf?” Seemed a bit odd since they were, essentially, werewolves.
He shrugged. “The term werewolf had such a negative connotation in centuries past, that for the most part, we’ve adopted shape-shifter. It’s what we do, shift into a different shape, and besides, there are some groups of shifters that change into different animals.”
“Holy shit.” How did the world not know about this?
“We’re very good at keeping secrets, Nikki-Raine.”
“Okay, you’ve got to stop reading my mind, it’s freaking me out.” As if she didn’t have enough of the heebie-jeebies right now.
“I’m sorry, it’s just, we have this connection between us now and your face makes it so easy to guess what you’re thinking.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He smelled so good. Her clit tingled with the contact of his lips, and she squeezed her thighs together.
Wait a minute. “Connection? What the hell are you talking about?”
Eli moved closer until his chest brushed her upper arm. His right arm stretched out along the chair back and his left arm lay along the side of the table.
“We’re mates, Nikki.” His lips nibbled a path on her chin, and his breath tickled her skin.
She shivered at both the sensations on her face and his words. Mates. Her eyes slid closed and she tilted her head to give him better access with his teeth.
Nikki jerked upright, her eyes flying open. “You bit me,” she accused.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Why?” She’d thought it was all part of
“Do you want to talk about it?”
The lump in her throat enlarged tenfold but she nodded. She needed to know now, not later. As if her life wasn’t weird enough.
“Do you want to ask questions or just listen to me talk?” His thumb came up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear and stayed to rub the lobe.
Honestly? How the hell did she know? “This is a little overwhelming.”
The soothing rub continued. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”
“How many of you are there?” Might as well jump in somewhere.
“Lots. Whole communities. You wouldn’t know one if you saw one.”
“You think?” she mocked, looking at him like he’d lost his ever-loving mind. She’d known him for how many years and didn’t know? Except for the rumors… Maybe she was the one losing her mind. Maybe this was a dream and she was still lying in bed.
He smiled on a puff of a laugh. “You’re not dreaming.”
Her mouth fell open before she could stop it.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t tell you before because we don’t tell anybody. It could be detrimental to our race.”
“Does Derek know?”
Eli dropped his chin to his chest and she knew she had her answer. “Yes. He’s known since high school.”
“But he couldn’t tell me?”
“I made him promise not to.”
“All those times I asked him about you and he shrugged me off. He knew all along.”
“I wouldn’t have told him either except he saw it happen one time while he was here.”
Okay, fine. She could live with that. It hurt to know he felt he needed to hide something like this, but she could deal. On to the next round.
“Why did Caelan call his wife mate?”
Eli sighed and looked resigned. “Because they are mated.”
“And that means what, exactly?”
“It means they belong to each other. Forever.”
She chuckled. “You make it sound so permanent.”
Eli never took his very serious gaze off her. “It is.”
Oh. “But she’s not a wolf…thingy.”
“No. She’s one hundred percent human,” he agreed, ignoring the wolf-thingy barb.
“So, her dreams don’t have anything to do with being a…werewolf.”
“A shape-shifter, Nik, and no, her abilities have nothing to do with us. You’d have to talk to her grandmother about those, I believe they were passed down through her.”
“Why don’t you say werewolf?” Seemed a bit odd since they were, essentially, werewolves.
He shrugged. “The term werewolf had such a negative connotation in centuries past, that for the most part, we’ve adopted shape-shifter. It’s what we do, shift into a different shape, and besides, there are some groups of shifters that change into different animals.”
“Holy shit.” How did the world not know about this?
“We’re very good at keeping secrets, Nikki-Raine.”
“Okay, you’ve got to stop reading my mind, it’s freaking me out.” As if she didn’t have enough of the heebie-jeebies right now.
“I’m sorry, it’s just, we have this connection between us now and your face makes it so easy to guess what you’re thinking.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He smelled so good. Her clit tingled with the contact of his lips, and she squeezed her thighs together.
Wait a minute. “Connection? What the hell are you talking about?”
Eli moved closer until his chest brushed her upper arm. His right arm stretched out along the chair back and his left arm lay along the side of the table.
“We’re mates, Nikki.” His lips nibbled a path on her chin, and his breath tickled her skin.
She shivered at both the sensations on her face and his words. Mates. Her eyes slid closed and she tilted her head to give him better access with his teeth.
Nikki jerked upright, her eyes flying open. “You bit me,” she accused.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Why?” She’d thought it was all part of
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