“I understand.” Sadie sounded thoughtful. “I hope Keller was able to Shift so Sammie could help him. He was a complete asshole but he never hurt me. In fact . . .” She frowned. “I don’t even think he really liked me all that much. I don’t understand why he wanted me so badly. Was it just because he wants to carry on his Shifter line?”
“I think so.” Mathis sighed.
“Well then, couldn’t he find some other girl—one he really cared for?”
Mathis shook his head. “Not a Juvie—not one that could carry on his Shifter DNA. But it’s more than that—Keller’s given up on love. On finding a female he can bond with and care for, anyway—because he was burned once before.”
“What do you mean?” Sadie asked. “Can’t his kind of Shifter form more than one life-bond?”
“Oh, I don’t think he formed a life-bond with the female in question,” Mathis murmured. “I don’t even think she was a Shifter. Just a human girl he fell for who couldn’t handle what he was.”
“Really? So a Shifter can mate, uh, marry a non-Shifter then?” Sadie asked.
“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “Of course, their kids only have a fifty-fifty chance of getting the Shifter Gene and there’s even less of a chance that their daughters will ever Rejuvenate but it’s possible.” He sighed. “It’s just not often a good idea.”
“What? Why not?”
“How do you think people who have never heard of Shifters before react when you try to explain everything to them?” Mathis asked her. “Like you did, right? You had a really hard time believing it at first, even after the weird shit you’d already seen and heard.”
“I guess so.” Sadie sighed and settled into his arms again. “That was how Sammie reacted. She thought there was some weird hallucinogenic agent in the water here and we were all suffering from a mass delusion that we could change into animals.”
Mathis barked a laugh. “Really? Damn.”
“Really.” Sadie nodded seriously. “So if it’s such a bad idea for a Shifter to mate with a non-Shifter, then why did Keller do it?”
“Who knows?” Mathis shrugged again. “Probably because there weren’t any Shifter females around. His father sent him off to college at some exclusive Ivy League school—someplace far away from any of the Shifter communities in the country.”
“There are more?” Sadie turned her head to look at him. “It’s not just Cougarville?”
“Hell no, sweetheart—there are pockets of Shifters scattered all over the world. Some are just more secretive than others. We’re pretty open with it here in Cougarville because most everyone living in this town is a full Shifter or part Shifter or a Shifter-sympathizer—that’s what we call humans who know about us.”
“So . . . why didn’t Keller’s father send him to a college near another Shifter community?” Sadie asked.
“Don’t know,” Mathis said. “I think because he couldn’t find one that was prestigious enough. The Kellers have always owned most everything around this town—he wanted his only son to do him one better—get rich and famous and powerful. And it worked.”
“It did?” Sadie looked at him again.
“Uh-huh.” Mathis nodded. “You wouldn’t know it because he hangs around in little old Cougarville, but Keller’s actually a bigwig on Wall Street. Fuckin’ financial genius. He’s worth millions—maybe billions.”
“You’re kidding!” Sadie’s eyes went wide.
“Nope.” Mathis laughed. “You sorry you ended up with me now, sweetheart? I’m comfortable but I’m no damn billionaire.”
“Mathis.” She took his face between her small hands so she could look him squarely in the eyes. “Don’t even joke about that. There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you, in your arms.”
“Aww, sweetheart.” He pulled her close and they cuddled, wet and naked in the warm water. Her soft, sweet curves pressed against his chest felt amazing and Mathis dropped a protective kiss on the top of her head. God, he was a lucky male!
“So Keller’s a billionaire,” she said drowsily. “Why doesn’t he just pay a surrogate to have his baby if he wants an heir so badly?”
“Because Juvies are so rare,” Mathis explained. “There haven’t been any before you and your sister in probably over a decade, at least in Cougarville.”
“Oh, that’s right. But Samantha’s not a Juvie,” Sadie protested. “Fiona told me if she hadn’t already started experiencing signs of Rejuvenation she was probably safe.”
“Well, I don’t know . . .” Mathis frowned. “I didn’t smell any Juvie scent on her either but sometimes females can surprise you. And she must have the Gene if both your parents were Shifters.”
“Fiona says it skips over people sometimes. I just hope for her sake she doesn’t have to go through Rejuvenation,” Sadie said. “I mean, it’s wonderful to feel young again and to find someone you love so much . . .” She cuddled closer to Mathis. “But Sammie is really independent and happy being on her own. And honestly, I don’t think she believes in love—it’s just not as big a priority to her as her career is.”
“Well then, it’s probably best if she stays like she is,” Mathis said. “I’m damn glad you didn’t though, sweetheart.”
“Why—because you wouldn’t have wanted me if I hadn’t suddenly turned twenty years younger?” Sadie asked teasingly.
“Hell no.” Mathis looked at her, surprised she would think such a thing. “I thought you were fucking gorgeous from the first minute I saw you—even before you really started to change. I just don’t think I would have approached you if your Rejuvenation hadn’t sort of thrown us together.”
“Fiona was the one who did that, as much as my hormones,” Sadie said thoughtfully. “She’s way more than a pharmacist, I think.”
“I think most of the town agrees on that.” Mathis laughed. “She’s been in Cougarville for as long as anyone can remember, you know. She’s kind of a town fixture.”
“Is she a Shifter?” Sadie asked.
Mathis shook his head. “Nah. Some people say she’s a witch but that’s not really the right word. She’s more like a wise woman.”
“Well, she was wise enough to know you and I belonged together.” Sadie pressed against him, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest. “Speaking of which . . . Mathis . . .”
She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and he felt his heart squeeze tight in his chest.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” he murmured. “Something you want?” Thanks to their new connection, he knew exactly what she wanted—what she needed—but he wanted to hear her say it.
“I think . . .” She bit her lip and a blush rose to her cheeks. “I think I need you again, Mathis. Inside me, I mean.”
“Mmm, I’d love to be inside you again.” He cupped her cheek. “But why are you blushing?”
“I guess I’m not used to, uh, asking for it.”
“I dunno—you were asking for it pretty loud out in the moonlight.” He grinned to let her know he was just teasing.
“I know I was but that’s not how I usually am.” She cleared her throat, still looking embarrassed. “I mean, I was married for twenty years but I was never the, um, initiator if you know what I mean. But now, I can’t help myself. I really need you.”
“Feeling empty inside again, sweetheart?” Mathis asked sympathetically.
Sadie nodded. “Uh-huh. I mean, after that first time in the forest I would have thought I’d be satisfied for days. But, well . . . I’m not. I . . . I need it again. Need you again.”
“Sadie . . .” He cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “Don’t ever be ashamed to ask for what you need,” he murmured. “And don’t be afraid of what your body asks for—I think this is just part of your cycle.”
“My cycle?” She frowned.
“I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I do know that Shifter females get monthly cravings that last while the moon is full or mostly full. This is just part of that.”
“Fiona did
say something about that. It’s part of my body wanting to have your baby, isn’t it?” she whispered. “The fact that the need won’t stop until I feel you come inside me.”
“Uh-huh.” Mathis nodded, feeling his cock stir. God, she was gorgeous with her big brown eyes and those high, firm breasts rubbing against him! She had full hips too—he liked that, it gave him something to hang on to. “Does that bother you? I know you said that you already have two kids.”
“All grown up and gone to college.” Sadie gave a little laugh. “Well, I guess I’ll be starting all over again.” She looked at him uncertainly. “But how do you feel about it? Do you want a baby?”
“Just any old baby? Hell no,” Mathis said. “But a baby with you—our baby? Hell, yes.” He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. “I can’t wait. And in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy planting that baby deep in your curvy little body, sweetheart.”
Sadie shivered in his arms and he saw the naked desire in her eyes and felt her need and emptiness through their bond.
“Then take me to bed, Mathis,” she murmured. “Take me to bed and breed me again. Fill me with your seed—let’s make a baby.”
Mathis was more than happy to comply.
Sadie couldn’t help reflecting that breeding in the warmth and comfort of Mathis’s big bed was a lot different from the wild, moonlight breeding in the forest glade.
She’d been a little afraid to repeat the intense experience, but found she needn’t have worried. Their love was gentler this time—not as rough and urgent as their first breeding, under the full moon, had been.
They lay on their sides face-to-face and Mathis lifted her leg and fit it over his hip. Then he pressed his thick shaft to the mouth of her pussy, teasing gently around her swollen entrance.
“This all right, sweetheart?” he murmured. “I know the first time between us was kind of rough.”
“It’s perfect.” Sadie moved restlessly, trying to get more of him inside her. “Please, Mathis—I need you.”
“Need you too, baby.” With one slow, gentle thrust he slid inside her, sheathing himself to the hilt as he looked into her eyes.
They both moaned as he touched bottom inside her. Sadie felt his pleasure as well as her own through the life-bond they shared—the connection was intense.
“God, sweetheart, you’re still so tight.” Mathis’s deep voice was hoarse with need. “Feel like I need to open you all over again.”
“And I feel like I need to be opened,” Sadie said softly. She laid a hand on his broad chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “Mathis, please . . . I’m not as empty as before but I still feel like I can’t be satisfied until you make love to me.”
“It’s all right,” he rumbled reassuringly, stroking her hair. “Gonna give you what you need, sweetheart. As often as you need it.”
“It won’t stop, will it?” Sadie whispered, looking up at him. “Until . . . until you come inside me. Until you make me pregnant.”
“That’s the general idea of breeding,” Mathis murmured, sounding amused. “Told you I was going to enjoy planting a baby deep in that little belly of yours, Sadie. You ready to let me do it?”
“More than ready,” Sadie assured him breathlessly. “Do it, Mathis—breed me again.”
His eyes blazed. “God, I love to hear you ask for it.”
“I’ll ask for it as much as you want,” Sadie told him. “As long as you do it.”
“Can’t argue with that. Look at me, sweetheart. I was behind you last time. This time I want to see it in your eyes when I fill you—when you come.”
Sadie moaned softly and complied, looking up at him, holding his gaze as they made love. It seemed to strengthen the connection even more and as Mathis stroked slowly inside her, he kissed her tenderly and murmured how much he loved her—how lucky he felt to have her. How he’d never thought to have a mate again and how grateful he was that such a beautiful woman was his to claim and to claim him in return.
Sadie thought she had never felt so cherished or so loved. She opened to him completely, taking his thick length to the root inside her trembling pussy, reveling in the feeling of being so filled, so opened, so completely owned by her man. But though she now belonged to Mathis, she recognized that he also belonged to her. They had entered into a partnership and there was no going back—not that she wanted to.
As Mathis’s strokes sped up inside her and her own need grew, Sadie remembered with trepidation the sharp, piercing orgasm she’d had that had lasted the entire length of their first breeding. But though the sensation of Mathis filling her was intense, it wasn’t overwhelming this time. And when at last she finally peaked in his arms and he let her orgasm trigger his own, she cried out her pleasure—the deep pleasure of her body opening eagerly for his seed, swallowing everything he had to give and begging for more. He came into her long and deep and Sadie loved every second of it. Loved every moment of this second, gentler breeding.
Though she had felt him come, Mathis stayed hard inside her for a long time and they drifted in each other’s arms. With a sigh of contentment, Sadie wondered sleepily how long it would be before she was holding a new little son or daughter. They needed to start thinking about names and setting up a nursery and buying little onesies and diapers and bibs and clothes . . .
The thought made her smile. It seemed impossible that her life had changed so completely in such a short time but Sadie found she didn’t mind. The life-bond she had with Mathis let her know beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was exactly where she belonged. Snuggling closer to her mate’s big, muscular form and feeling his shaft lodged securely within her, she thought she had never been happier in her life. She was a Shifter now—she had found her final form and her life-bonded mate and soon she would have his child.
A feeling of rightness and peace overwhelmed Sadie as she drifted off to sleep. Cougarville might be a strange little town with even stranger inhabitants but now that she was one of them, she knew she had finally come home.
Epilogue
“You’re leaving so soon?” Sadie frowned at her but Samantha nodded her head firmly.
“Believe it or not, all this craziness in your new hometown hasn’t taken as long as you’d think. If I hurry, I can still catch the tail end of that trauma conference and give my lecture in Sin City.” She made a face. “Not that Vegas is going to wow me now. I doubt anything on the Strip could be as bizarre as the stuff I saw last night.”
“I still can’t believe you were able to save Keller,” Sadie looked at her sister with admiration. “How long were you in surgery?”
“You mean after convincing the lead surgeon at the Asheville branch of VA Medical to grant me privileges?”
“Which I’m sure he did in a hot minute after reviewing your credentials,” Sadie said.
Samantha shrugged modestly. “Well, you know. It also helped that I was pretty much already treating the patient—I mean Keller—on the way over in the ambulance.”
“Thank goodness he Shifted back to human before the ambulance got to Cougarville,” Sadie said.
“From what I understand, it’s probably what saved his life,” Samantha said seriously. “One of the paramedics was a Shifter. He told me Shifting helps heal wounds. Although I was still in surgery with him for eight freaking hours afterwards.” She yawned. “I’m so going to snooze on the plane.”
“But he’s doing fine now?” Sadie asked anxiously. “I mean, Keller’s going to be okay?”
Samantha frowned. “What do you care? They guy’s an asshole. I only saved him because I took an oath to preserve life—no matter how weird and outlandish that life might be.”
“I care because I don’t want anyone dying because of me,” Sadie said, frowning. “And for your information, I’m one of those ‘weird and outlandish’ people myself now.”
“What? Really?” Samantha looked at her uncertainly. “What did you turn into last night? A seven-foot-tall prehistoric chipmunk with five-inch-long
teeth?”
Sadie laughed. “I turned into a Doe. You know—to match Mathis’s Buck? She’s beautiful—at least, that’s what Mathis says.”
“You sound like you just got a new pet . . . or a new dress to wear . . . or maybe a weird combination of both.” Samantha shook her head.
“It is a little bit of both,” Sadie said thoughtfully. “I know it sounds strange but really, it’s wonderful. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
“I can see that.” Samantha looked her up and down. “You’re practically glowing. In fact . . .” She frowned. “You look just like you did when you were carrying the twins. Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
“If I’m not, it’s not for lack of trying,” Sadie said and grinned at her sister’s blank stare. “It’s part of the Rejuvenation process,” she explained. “It brings on a state of hyperfertility so the Juvie female can start making Shifter babies right away.”
Samantha raised an eyebrow at her. “So that’s what you and Mathis were doing while I was spending eight hours in surgery trying to save the asshole who nearly got killed fighting over you? Making babies?”
“Uh-huh.” Sadie blushed again. “Mathis is at the lumber yard right now, picking out some nice wood to make a crib and a cradle. He’s a master craftsman carpenter—did I tell you that? People come from miles around to buy his work.”
“Uh, no, you didn’t tell me. And I don’t think I would have remembered if you had—the fact that he’s also a huge prehistoric deer kind of puts the whole carpenter thing in the shade, don’t you think?” Samantha said dryly.
“But his Buck is just part of him—like my Doe is part of me,” Sadie protested. “I know it sounds weird but I feel like I found a piece of myself that was missing all my life. For the first time I finally feel, well, whole.”
“Well, if you’re happy then I’m happy for you.” Samantha gave her a hug. “But I thought you were done having babies. What are the twins going to say?”
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