I took Atticus by the hand, but he kept staring at Catcher. “Don’t look him in the eye,” I warned him. “I thought an old Vampire would know better. He’s just trying to protect me.”
Atticus cupped my nape and delivered a fervent kiss that made my body melt like ice cream on a hot summer day. “Tell him you already have a protector.”
My heart fluttered. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my nose in his shirt. His cologne lingered like a familiar memory, and I wished I could snuggle closer, but my belly was putting more distance between us.
Catcher sniffed the air and then whined.
I was afraid that once home, I’d change my mind about Atticus, deciding the delicious food and lavish environment might have influenced me. But each time our eyes met, each time he held my hand or gave me a reassuring smile, my heart clenched. That inexplicable certainty left me wondering if life mates could exist between different Breeds.
“I love my pack,” I said quietly, listening to his heart thumping in his chest. “I’m not sure this will work between us if I have to leave.”
“I’m not asking you to leave.” He brushed his hand down my back. “If you want to stay here, that means your pack will have to accept me.”
I eased back and kept my hands on his shoulders. “You would live here instead of the mansion?”
“A home is only a place to exist.”
“But you said you needed quiet.”
Atticus sighed and looked about the room. “Yes, thatmightbe a challenge. Maybe I could find a quiet place in the woods.”
“Our wolves run in the woods. You’re safer in the house. It’s quieter downstairs late at night since some people up here snore. You could sit in the library and rest.”
He smiled down at me.
“What?”
“You’re thinking ahead. About us.”
My hands slid down to his chest. “I have to.”
“Atticus and Joy, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” Virgil sang from the hallway. He gripped the top of the doorframe. “What mischief is this?”
Catcher lumbered into the hall to join him.
Virgil hadn’t bothered to dress in anything but tattered jeans and his labradorite pendant, which drew attention to his pierced nipples. If Atticus was having second thoughts about moving in, it was probably now.
When Virgil looked down at Catcher, his dirty-blond hair shielded his face. “Are those two an item now?” Then he lowered his arms and locked eyes with Atticus, his countenance turning serious. “She’s pregnant, you know.”
Atticus let go of me and faced my nosy packmate. “I’m aware.”
Virgil’s brows gathered in concern as he directed his attention to me. “You should be careful around Vampires. You know what they can do.”
“I certainly do. Cook for me, pamper me, entertain me, and buy me flowers.”
“They can also break your shoulder by accident. Ask me how I know this.” He put his hands on his hips. “Well, I’ll tell you anyway. I was drinking with a few friends. Mixed crowd. Someone told a funny joke, and the Vampire next to me laughed and playfully punched my arm right out of the socket.”
Atticus shook his head. “The young ones don’t know their own strength.”
Virgil played with his large pendant. “I once knew a guy who dated a Vampire who was into kinky sex. They did all kinds of stuff with whips, clamps, plugs, and rope. All of that went fine, but then he told me about the spanking session…”
Not wanting to hear one of his horror stories, I stepped into the hallway. “Did you come to this end of the house for a reason? You never use this bathroom.”
“Salem’s home. Thought you might like to know.”
“Is everyone downstairs?”
He rubbed his chest. “As far as I know.”
