She was younger than I had imagined my mate would be, but the beast had chosen and I could not fault his instincts. Stefani.
Mate. Mine. The beast sounded smug, which was much better than the angry killer I’d been dealing with less than an hour ago.
Ours. I reminded him as I watched her search inside her bag, remove a bottle of some sort and repeatedly press and squeeze the thing.
The male who accompanied her was no threat. I could crush him without effort.
Crush. Yes. My beast was all over that one, his protective instincts so strong the male was nearly dead before he’d taken his next breath.
He is important to our mate. She will be angry with us if we hurt him.
The beast was not pleased, but he stopped imagining the young male torn in half, pieces floating in the water next to the pier.
Violent fucker.
Mine.
Yes, I know. Patience. We don’t want to scare her.
Fuck, not scare. Pleasure. I’d never heard my beast like this. We fought in the war. We hunted. We killed. We had, in the past, fucked willing females when we found one pleasing enough. Never had I heard my beast…purr.
The annoying sting on my legs was irrelevant. I did not know why my mate was fussing so, but I enjoyed being cared for by my female, so I did not inform her that the little sea creatures’ attacks barely registered.
Until the male mentioned urinating on me.
Told you. Kill him. The beast growled at him and took a step forward with the intention of ripping the male to pieces.
One touch from our female and we both stopped cold.
“No one is peeing on anyone.” My mate’s tone was meant to be stern. I found her to be…enchanting.
“I will allow you to do anything you wish, my lady.” I bent my arm to place my hand on top of hers where her light touch pressed to my chest. My words were no lie. She was mine to serve, to protect, to pleasure. Anything she needed, I would provide. All she need do was ask.
“Oh, god.” Stefani tugged to escape my hold on her hand. I did not let her go. I could not. “No. No, thank you.”
“Told you. I want one.” The female, Carmen, grinned at me and walked past both Stefani and me. “I’m going home. Have fun, you two!”
The male jogged after her. “Hey! Wait up! You’re my ride.”
“Guys!” Stefani shouted, but the two humans wisely ignored her and continued their journey. She was mine now. I would not tolerate interference.
My mate sighed and looked up at me. “You’re a mess. You know that, right?”
Chaos consumed me as my entire existence shifted to her. Unable to resist another moment, I lifted my free hand to stroke the softness of her cheek with gentle fingertips. “You are beautiful, mate.” That smallest of touches made my head spin. I was literally…dizzy.
Mind swirling, I adjusted my stance so I would not fall over and focused on my mate’s voice.
“I don’t want a mate. Nothing against you, Velik. I’m sure you’re wonderful. I just…what a disaster.” Her words made my stomach lurch in a way I had never experienced before. Was this what the others meant when they said a mate made one weak? Vulnerable? I had thought they played a word game, not that I would literally watch the world spin, feel my stomach heave.
She wrapped her small hand around mine and drew my fingers away from her face. “Come on. I’ll take you back to the processing center. You live there, right?”
“I have quarters there.” Our quarters. I did not say the second part aloud.
She pulled again and I reluctantly released the hand she had pressed to my chest. Once free, she stepped back and looked me up and down. “I’m not sure you will fit in my car.”
“I will fit.” I would fold my frame into her human contraption, or I would carry her home. Either was fine with me. I was a warlord. I would care for and claim my mate in whatever manner was required. She would never be out of my sight again.
Mine.
