Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“I know you are.” I moved just a little bit closer. “When I first caught your scent on the wind, it called to my cougar. Then I saw you in your car and felt desire for the first time.”
She didn’t recoil or laugh, merely whispered, “It was a first for me too.”
I nodded. “That can be confusing for human mates who don’t understand why their bodies don’t respond the way others do. But for shifters, it’s undeniable proof they’ve finally met their fated mate.”
Elodie shook her head with a soft laugh. “Yeah, I might not have any experience, but it’s pretty hard to miss the chemistry between us.”
Hope stirred deep within me. “Because we were meant to be together.”
“Thank you for telling me all this.” She twirled a lock of dark hair around a finger. “Even though it’s a lot to take in.”
It wasn’t acceptance, but it wasn’t rejection either.
“Would it help if I showed you my cougar?”
9
ELODIE
Isat there for a moment, the weight of what Garner had told me pressing in. It felt like I was standing at the edge of something that could change the shape of my life if I stepped forward.
I considered the man he’d shown me in the short time we’d known each other. The trust he’d built was strong enough for me to give in to our chemistry. To give him my virginity last night.
He had caught me when I fell, fed me when I was starving, gave me a safe place to sleep, and never once made me feel like I owed him for any of it.
All my life, I’d felt like I was slightly out of step with the world. I’d moved from house to house, place to place. Always bracing for the moment I’d be told it was time to go. Again.
Maybe there was a reason for that. One that meant good things for my future.
I stood, the blankets sliding from my lap, and crossed the short distance between us. Garner’s eyes tracked me, alert but restrained, as if he was holding himself perfectly still on purpose.
“You said I don’t owe you anything,” I murmured.
“I meant it,” he replied quietly, fisting his hands at his sides.
“But I think I owe it to myself to find out what being your fated mate means.” I flashed him a soft smile. “And that starts with you showing me.”
For a heartbeat, he didn’t move. Then his eyes filled with awe, as though I’d just handed him something priceless.
“Just know you don’t have anything to be afraid of. My cougar would never hurt you. He’d protect you with his life.”
He hadn’t given me any reason not to believe him. A fragile hope unfurled in my chest, and then all coherent thought vanished when he shoved his pajama pants down his legs.
At my shocked look, he grinned. “There’s nothing supernatural about my clothes.”
“Oh.” My cheeks heated as I tried my best not to stare at his dick…and remember how it’d felt to have him inside me. Now wasn’t the time, so I forced my gaze up again.
Garner took a slow step back and gestured toward the center of the room. “Before I do anything, I want you to know what to expect. My shift won’t be violent. It doesn’t hurt me.”
I nodded, my pulse loud in my ears. “Okay.”
He rolled his shoulders once, like he was grounding himself, then planted his bare feet firmly on the wood floor.
“I’ll still be me,” he added. “You’ll recognize my eyes, and my human side will be completely aware the whole time.”
That eased my nerves. “I’m ready.”
Garner closed his eyes. The change didn’t come with snapping bones or anything grotesque. His body folded inward and outward at the same time, his muscles reshaping and mass redistributing. His spine lengthened. His shoulders broadened. And his skin darkened beneath a ripple of tawny fur.
I sucked in a sharp breath, awed by what I was seeing. A massive cougar crouched where Garner stood moments ago. Powerful and sleek, his presence filled the room without overwhelming it.
His tail flicked once behind him. His chest rose and fell with a steady breath. And when he opened his eyes, I discovered he was right. That same amber-gold gaze met mine, alert in a way no wild animal could be.
He lowered himself slowly, until he lay on the floor with his forelegs folded beneath him. Then he waited, watching me.
My heart hammered as I moved forward until I knelt in front of him. My hand hovered for a second before I let myself reach out, my fingers sinking into impossibly soft fur. Solid muscle shifted beneath my touch.
A low rumble vibrated through him, sounding an awful lot like contentment.
“You really are you, even like this,” I breathed.
As I rested my palm against his powerful shoulder, I realized that him sharing this secret had cemented something for me. I trusted him fully, like I never had with anyone else.