Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Dante easily sensed that Jaime was going through the same sensations that he was. The metaphysical bond allowed him to simply know what she was feeling. As such, he could sense her happiness and contentedness just as he could also sense her fear that by bonding with him, she would destroy him. “Do you really think I’d want to live without you anyway?” Jaime groaned. “Oh God, I’m going to have to cope with you sensing my feelings all the time, aren’t I?” Panting and shuddering with the aftershocks, they were still locked together. He tucked her hair behind her ear, his gentle touch so at odds to his roughness of a minute ago.
“Yup. That means no more secrets. And it means that whenever I’m messing up, I’ll know and I can fix it before hurting you.”
“And it means I’ll know whenever your mind is on your job instead of me.” She’d expected him to panic a little at that, but he smiled.
“I haven’t done that for a while.” Reluctantly he withdrew from her body, but he held her to him. After slicing through the two ropes securing her to the tree with his claws, he tackled the knot tying her wrists. She groaned in pain as she lowered her arms and rotated her shoulders. “I’m sorry, baby.” Laying her on the grass, he straddled her and gently massaged her arms and shoulders.
“I can’t give you all of me,” she whispered. He froze for only a second. “I can’t let down all the walls.”
“Yes, you can,” he objected gently. “I know you’re afraid to share the burden of subduing your wolf, and I know why. But I want to help.”
“I don’t want you to have to.” The last thing she’d ever wanted was to go to her mate loaded with baggage. She didn’t want Dante to have to heal her.
“I know. But I’m greedy and I want all of you—the good parts and the bad parts. Have you considered that maybe over time the bond will help your wolf heal? It will serve as an anchor, which is something she’s never had before.”
Jaime might have thought he was just kidding himself, but even now she could feel her wolf’s contentment with the bond. “But if she doesn’t, I could make you weak. I could even kill you.”
“Or we could make each other even stronger.” When she went to object, he leaned down and kissed her gently. “No. If you can’t say anything nice, zip it.” She snapped her teeth at him, but smiled.
“I don’t care about what may or may not happen. You’re my mate and that’s it.”
“And you’re mine. And if you ever let another female touch you again, I’ll gut you both.” She rolled her eyes at his crooked grin. God save her from guys who found jealousy hot!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The identical looks of shock on each of the faces staring at them were almost comical. Jaime and Dante had made a short pit stop at their room to change clothes—he hadn’t wanted the others seeing her in nothing but his huge T-shirt—before going to the living area, where everyone other than the Alphas and Kye were lounging. Their announcement had received a stunned silence.
“How did I not see this coming? I should have picked up on it.” Rhett sounded like someone who thought he’d lost his super-power.
Grace looked at her mate oddly from where they were sat on the sofa. “Why? You never picked up on Trey and Taryn.”
“I did, I just hadn’t said anything.”
“Sure you did, honey.” Turning to Jaime and Dante, she smiled. “I had a feeling you guys would imprint, but this is even better.”
Lydia’s smile was ever wider. “A birth and a mating all in one day. How awesome is that?”
“When do you want the mating ceremony to take place?” asked Grace excitedly.
“You have to let me help with it,” insisted Lydia as she leaned forward in Cam’s lap. It was tradition for the other members of the pack to arrange most of the ceremony.
Cam sighed, which earned him a cautioning look from his mate. “I won’t lie and say I don’t still have my worries about Jaime’s wolf,” he said, looking between Jaime and Dante, “but I am happy for you guys.”
Greta huffed. “An insane jezebel as a Beta female? Ludicrous.”
“Yet true, so suck it up, Grandma Grinch,” said Jaime with a sweet smile.
Tao gave Jaime a mock frown. “I guess this means I can’t bitch at you anymore, since you outrank me.”
Ryan nudged Tao with his elbow. “One word: karma.” He then turned to Jaime and Dante.
“Congratulations.”
“Gorgeous, you could do so much better than him,” Marcus told Jaime. Predictably, Dante responded with a low growl. That pleased Marcus so immensely that his clown-wide smile surfaced.
“Congratulations to both of you,” said Trick. “You two getting together was always going to happen, even if you weren’t true mates.”