by Vella Day
Dalton shrugged. “I have no idea. Hundreds of years I’m guessing, and because his wife is a goddess, he knows more than any other human. From what I’ve heard, she knows everything, including who will be mated to whom.”
“Are you talking about fated mates?” A bubble of excitement burst inside her. Maybe Anna could ask James to set up an appointment with his wife to learn the identity of Dalton’s mate. As soon as she thought of it, her brilliant idea came to a crashing halt. A goddess wouldn’t tell her shit, especially something about a shifter. Besides, it would be better if she didn’t know who Dalton would end up with for the rest of his life.
His eyes turned a few shades lighter. “You know about mates?”
“As I said, James was a font of information.”
“What did he say about them?”
Dalton probably wanted to know what she’d learned so he could fill in the gaps. “I’ll tell you what he told me.”
She described how in the state of high passion, the shifter would bite his mate, and then if his mate were human or a Wendayan, she’d become a shifter too. “It sounds pretty far-fetched, but what do I know?”
“It’s not.”
Wow. “James once commented that when a shifter met his mate, he recognized her right away, but he never said how the shifter knew.”
“His or her body goes wild with need. Instinctively, he knows.”
Which meant blue sparks would be shooting off of Dalton if they were mates. Well, damn.
Common sense told her the man wasn’t a virgin, which meant he’d had sex with women who weren’t his mate. She wouldn’t mind being one more in his collection. Of course, she’d have to work hard to steel her heart from further hurt, but to make love with him even once would be a dream come true.
The easiest way to start the seduction would be to ask him to shift. Then when he shifted back, he’d be naked! Eazy peazy. The hard part would be figuring out how to lead up to the request. “James said the shifter community always protects the Wendayans. I’m curious how my kind learned about shifters in the first place?”
He leaned back. “I don’t know. It might be a Tennessee thing. In California, no one even discussed shifters. Hell, for most of my life, I thought our family was unique. It wasn’t like you asked your neighbor if he could shift.”
Poor Dalton. “Really? James told me that shifters could sense other shifters.”
He finished his glass of water. “True, but as a kid, I didn’t know what that odd sensation meant when I was near one. Our dad died when we were young, so we had no direct instruction. I supposed I could have asked my mother since she was married to a shifter, but I never did. I can tell when I meet one now, though.”
“That’s good. So basically, when you moved to Silver Lake, it was the first time you could free your tiger, so to speak.”
He shook his head. “To be honest, I’ve never shifted in front of anyone here.”
That surprised her. “Why not?”
“Kalan would talk about the Changelings and how the other wolves and bears disliked them. I feared they might not take kindly to a tiger either. Rationally, I understood why they were prejudiced against the mutant wolves, but I didn’t see the need to take the chance and expose what I was.”
No wonder Dalton lived a controlled life. He’d been forced to keep his true identity wrapped up tightly. “Mutant wolves? Who are they?”
He spent the next half hour describing who they were and why they were evil. At the end, she was sorry she’d asked.
“The Changelings should come with a warning label,” she said.
He laughed. “Don’t we wish? Most shifters can’t tell one shifter from another or whether it’s a Changeling or not, which helps make them more powerful. There is one woman though, who can tell the difference. Her name is Ainsley Chancellor. She’s mated to Jackson.”
Jackson. Yes. The man who’d figured out where she was being held captive. “She’s lucky.” Anna slapped her thighs, wanting to refocus on her goal of seducing him. “So will you shift for me?”
Dalton froze, and then so did she. Slowly, his chest expanded, and she let out a breath.
“Why?” he asked.
Because I want to see you naked, hopefully making it easier for me to seduce you. She shrugged. “I think it would be fun to pet you.”
The moment she said it, his lips thinned, and his jaw tightened. Crap.
“Not going to happen. Shifting is for emergencies only, not for playing around.”
That was just a controlled excuse. “Spoilsport.” Since he wasn’t going to play along, she decided to move away from the whole shifter talk, but she wouldn’t give up on getting him to shift for her later. She’d just have to seduce him using a different approach. He might, however, let down his guard if she asked about his work. “Someone came into the shop and mentioned that Crystal Wedgewood had been murdered. Is that true?” An ache swelled in her belly at the remembrance.
“Yes. Did you know her?”
“Yes. I was in her store all the time. She was a nice lady.”
Dalton sat up straighter. “How did she treat her employees?”
Anna thought the question rather odd until she realized it was something a cop would ask. “I never heard her yell at them, if that’s what you mean, but who knows what went on behind closed doors. The manager, Meredith Wilson, could tell you, I bet.”
“I plan to speak with her tomorrow.”
Anna finished her water. “I’ll stick to arranging flowers. Your job is too stressful, not to mention dangerous.”
A black cloud crossed over his face. What had she said to warrant that reaction?
“It is. While I’ve never shifted to catch a criminal, the time will come when I’ll have to.”
Like Jillian had to in order to save Anna. Now that they’d discussed shifters and the role of goddesses, there was no reason for her to stay. Dalton’s mind seemed way too engaged in work to be thinking about having sex anyway.
Who was she kidding? No shifter would be highly motivated to pursue a woman unless she was his mate. Clearly, she wasn’t meant for him, or Dalton would have made his move already—especially now that he knew she was aware of shifters. She hoped she hadn’t voiced her opinion about the whole concept of being bitten. If he knew it freaked her out, he’d stay clear.
Anna stood. “I should be going. Thanks for dinner and our little chat.”
Dalton jumped up, but she couldn’t tell if he was relieved she was leaving or not. Anna slung her purse diagonally over her shoulder and pushed the bag toward her back. She then walked slowly to the door before spinning around to face him. Just as she’d hoped, he’d followed her.
“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said. While she’d told him that many times, she’d never shown him. Dalton would either like what she was about to do, or ease her out of his arms and tell her he wasn’t interested. No pain no gain, right?
Drawing on her inner strength, Anna reached up, cupped his face, and drew Dalton’s lips to hers. The two seconds before their mouths actually touched seemed to take an eternity. Her pulse soared, and doubt tried to nudge its way in, but she pushed it away.
Their lips met, and boy did her blue sparks fly. Not only did her body sing from the softness of his lips, his fresh mountain air scent made her skin tingle. His hands latched onto her hips, and when he pulled her closer, she melted against him. For those few seconds, her dreams came true. When his lips slightly parted, her breath caught. Was that an invitation?
Just as she was about to delve into his mouth, he stepped back. At first, she thought the blue sparks were only coming off her, but when she glanced at his hands, he was glowing too. Yes!
“We can’t,” Dalton said, his voice strained.
Was he kidding? “Why not?” she managed to say, despite her mouth turning dry. “You can’t tell me you didn’t feel anything.” He slipped his hands behind his back probably because either more sparks were shoot
ing off his arms or else his nails had grown. Dare she hope it was because he was trying to keep his hands off her?
It didn’t matter the reason. His eyes gave him away. They had been cocoa-colored, but were now a mixture of yellows, greens, and oranges.
“It’s not that,” he said. “You’ve been through too much.”
He was going to pull that line? “Let me decide when I’m ready. I’ve been discussing my issues with James for three months. That’s right—three whole months.” She tapped him on the chest. “Am I scared it might happen again? Hell yes, but I’m not going to let it ruin my life. News flash, I like you.”
“I like you too.”
She planted a hand on her hip. “Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it. I don’t understand why you stopped.” When he didn’t answer, she stepped closer. “You know what your problem is?”
A hint of enjoyment filled his eyes. “Tell me.”
“Besides being a control freak, not to mention a neat freak, you lack spontaneity. In case you don’t understand what that means, kissing for no apparent reason is the epitome of being spontaneous.”
He leaned down, and not only did her pulse soar, her body vibrated with an intense need. She wanted to touch him again, but she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
“I can be spontaneous.” The challenge in his eyes held her captive.
He grabbed her to his chest and kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. Her eyes rolled back, and her breath lodged in her throat. When he teased open her lips, her damned knees weakened. Thank goodness, Dalton was holding her up, or she might have dropped to the floor.
The moment their tongues touched, he probed, swirled, and dipped into her, and it was as if electricity had charged through her body. When she answered his next thrust, her tongue met one of his sharp teeth, and cut her. Pain sliced through her.
They jerked apart. Dalton held onto her shoulders. “Oh, fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t think my teeth would sharpen like that.”
Between the elongated incisors, the change in eye color, and the white hair sprouting on his face and arms, she’d say he was turned on. “It’s okay. What’s a little blood between friends?”
“Anna,” he huffed. “As you can see, I’m attracted to you, but you don’t understand what my life is like.”
Here it comes—the brush off. She’d heard it a hundred times. “Is it the nose ring or the tattoos?”
His brows pinched. “What?”
“You know what I mean. A lot of guys are put off by my appearance.”
He shook his head, actually looking confused. “Are you kidding? No, you’re perfect. Have I dated anyone like you before? No, but that just means you’re unique.”
She held up her hands, needing a lot more time to think about what all that meant. He had liked the kiss, there was no denying it, but she wouldn’t be getting him into bed tonight. “Okay. Thanks.” I think.
She twisted away, pulled open the front door, and stepped outside. Dalton suddenly appeared before her.
“Wait, please,” he said holding up his hands.
“You don’t have to apologize. I get it.” The July air was rather muggy, and she wanted to go home and take a shower. She’d truly thought the two of them had chemistry, but somehow Dalton didn’t want to take her up on her offer.
“My job is dangerous.”
“Yeah, well, you are a cop.” She worked at a flower shop and had been kidnapped, but she kept quiet.
“I don’t want to put you in danger.”
He was pissing her off again. “I appreciate your protective nature, but I’m a big girl and can make my own decisions.”
His chin lowered, clearly not buying it. “What are you saying? You want to see if this can work?”
Hope soared through her. Anna lifted her chin. “Yes.”
He lowered his arms and stabbed a hand through his hair, clearly needing some time to think. “Okay then. How about we take things slow and see how it goes?”
Her heart jumped to her throat. She’d take what she could get—for now. “Slow is good.”
“Okay. I’ll call you this week, and we can set up a time to go out again.”
She hoped this wasn’t a pity date. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.” His eyelids lowered, and he leaned toward her, almost as if he wanted this moment to last forever.
“Do you know who your mate is? I mean at what age does the goddess reveal it to you?”
Dalton didn’t even blink or breathe. Then as if some fairy godmother waved a magic wand, he let out a breath and looked off to the side. “She doesn’t reveal it per se. Look, it’s complicated.”
“I understand that you’re a cop who’s trained in negotiations, but I’m not some terrorist. Just tell me.”
“It’s not that simple.”
He’d just said that. Dalton was stalling. She planted a hand on her hip. “Did I say I wanted simple?”
“No.” Dalton blew out a breath.
“Tell me.”
“Okay. You asked for it. You are my mate.”
Chapter Five
‡
Anna’s heart dropped to her stomach. If dusk hadn’t fallen, she might have been able to read the expression in his eyes. “Is that a joke?”
“Why would I joke? Even you said I’m not capable of having fun.”
True. “Then why don’t you seem happy about us being mated?”
Dalton grabbed her hand. “We need to talk.”
Hell, if she was his mate, they needed to be doing a lot more than talking, but she let him lead her back inside. Anna didn’t know whether to laugh from joy that she could spend more time with him or prepare herself for the big letdown. “What’s there to discuss?”
For most of her life, she’d been told she was too brash, too forward, and too impatient. That had been true, but in the last few years she’d grown—or at least she liked to think she had. As soon as she started working in the flower shop under Elana’s guidance, Anna’s anxieties had fallen away. It was only when that terrible man nearly killed her that she’d regressed. With the help of James and her friends, she had improved.
“We need to talk about us,” Dalton said.
He walked over to the kitchen, pulled out a beer from the fridge. “Change your mind about having something to drink?” he asked, waving the bottle.
Maybe she did need the fortification. “Sure, a beer’s good.”
He grabbed a second one, walked around the center island, and guided her to the sofa. This time he sat next to her then handed her the drink. Dalton leaned back and held his drink with both hands. “When I said it was complicated, I meant it.”
“Okay, then explain it to me. I’ll work hard to understand.” That came out a bit too snarky, but she didn’t like being treated like a little kid. He was only seven years older than she was.
“Having a mate and being mated are two different things.”
She nodded. “James explained it to me. I’m not asking to jump into bed with you and have you bite me. Even I know relationships take time to develop, but a little kissing and touching can go a long way in learning about each other.”
He chuckled. “You are something else.”
“You are right; I am, which is why you need to listen to me and not let your logical mind dictate everything. This is about emotion, not facts.”
He tipped back his beer and looked away. “I’m used to being in charge.”
“No shit, Sherlock, but if I’m your mate, you need to be more flexible.”
Dalton set down his bottle. “That may be, but I can’t help it. I want you too much.”
A laugh escaped. “You sure have a funny way of showing it.” If it were true that he really wanted her, it should make him want to create a win-win situation. “Just so you know, I want you, too.”
Dalton blew out a breath. “The truth is, I more than want you,” he responded without addressing her comment.
Men.
“Care to elaborate?”
“I’ll try. Ever since I rushed into that building where you were being held, I knew you were my fated mate. Why do you think I saved you, rather than helping my sister kill that bastard who beat you?”
She focused on the first half of what he said. He knew way back then and didn’t tell her? She had always wondered why he’d saved her, instead of rushing to his wounded sister. At the time, he might not have known Jillian had been shot. Arguing about why he never mentioned it before wouldn’t change things or help make their relationship stronger. “I figured you thought she could handle herself.”
“I did, but here’s the thing you need to understand about shifters who’ve met their mates. I’m going crazy thinking about you all the time, and that could interfere with me doing my job. I’m even having a hard time sleeping, and when I’m near you?” He shook his head. “It’s ten times worse.”
Her pulse raced, replaying his words in her head over and over. He really thought about her all the time? No one had ever said anything like that to her before. For the last three months, Dalton had acted like he didn’t even like her. “Then why didn’t you ask me out?”
“Because you needed time to heal.”
“In the past, maybe, but not now.” She studied him. “Have you ever heard of asking a person what she wants? I would have told you that I’m ready.”
He grinned, and her libido shot into high gear. “You sure?”
His dreamy eyes nearly did her in. “Yes.”
Dalton slipped her beer from her fingers and set her bottle next to his. A second later, she was on his lap, and the kiss that followed spoke of a future, of passion, of love. Anna was delirious, still not believing she was his mate or that he wanted her more than life itself.
Right now, she wanted to do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t change his mind. Even though he’d said he liked to take control, she needed to show him that being the recipient of some loving could be an even greater turn on.
Letting her desire rule, she tugged on his shirt to dislodge it from his pants, but she only managed to free the sides.