Lian/Roch (Bayou Heat) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright

but instead, a sense of…rightness settled in her heart.
    Lian wasn’t her parents.
    He was loyal and supportive, and lethally charming.
    Precisely the sort of male to teach an aging spinster how to enjoy her life.
    Sage, however, wasn’t yet entirely convinced she was a mystical Shaman.
    “I don’t even know what a Shaman is supposed to do,” she protested.
    His finger slid between her slick folds, a smile of satisfaction curving his lips as she instinctively lifted her hips in response to his intimate caress.
    “Each has their own skills,” he explained. “But most have been able to sense the faction of a newborn Pantera.”
    “Faction?” The question came out as a squeak as his finger slid into her tight channel, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body.
    His teeth toyed with the lobe of her ear, the hard length of his cock pressed against her hip.
    “If they’re destined to be a Hunter or a Diplomat or a Healer.”
    That sounded…
    His thumb found her sensitive clit, circling it with teasing strokes.
    “Oh.”
    “They can also decipher messages from the ancestors.”
    He kissed his way to the curve of her breast, latching onto the aching tip with an urgency that made her whimper.
    “Lian.” Sage threaded her fingers through the dark strands of his hair.
    “Hmm?”
    Her back arched, bliss shuddering through her as his finger thrust in and out of her body with a growing insistence.
    “We’re having a conversation.”
    He lifted his head, his bronzed features tight with the strain of leashing his desire.
    “The only thing I want to discuss is our mating.”
    A rueful smile curved her lips.
    For years she’d hidden away from the world, trying to hide her abilities as if they were something shameful.
    It’d taken a puma shifter to teach her that her gifts were special.
    And so was she.
    “You’re pushing,” she teased, lifting her head to steal a quick kiss.
    His eyes were molten gold as he stared down at her with a somber expression.
    “I know,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. “I’ve claimed your body. Let me claim your heart, Dr. Parker.”
    She framed his beautiful face in her hands, smiling with sheer joy.
    “You already have.”
    Heat licked over her skin as the power of his cat blasted through the air.
    “Is that a yes?” he growled.
    Sage didn’t hesitate.
    She’d felt alone her entire life.
    Now she not only had a mate, but an entire family who were anxious to make her feel at home.
    “That’s a definite yes.”
    He didn’t give her the opportunity for second thoughts.
    With his cat shimmering in his eyes, he swiped his hand over her lower stomach, the claws slicing through her flesh.
    Sage gasped, but shockingly, there was no pain, only pleasure as he swooped his head down to claim her lips in a kiss that made her toes curl in pleasure.
    “Mine,” he growled, rolling on top of her to settle between her spread legs.
    Then, sliding his cock deep inside her body, he physically connected them even as their souls entwined to become one.

 

     
    Epilogue
     
     
    Lian heaved a sated sigh as Sage ran a brush through his hair.
    He’d protested when she’d pulled on her clothes and grabbed the brush his grandmother had left behind. He wanted another few hours of having her naked and sweaty beneath him, but he couldn’t argue with her point that the clinic wasn’t the most private place to indulge his endless lust for his mate.
    In a few hours the Healers would be satisfied he was strong enough to leave and he intended to choose one of the empty cabins that was on the opposite side of the Wildlands from his family home.
    Once he had Sage alone he was going to lock the door and throw away the key.
    Until then he had to be satisfied with the feel of her hands running through his hair as she pulled it into a braid.
    Savoring her soft touch and the lemony scent that clung to his skin, Lian scowled as a sharp knock intruded into their peaceful silence.
    “Go away,” he