Gustavo licked his lips, and she decided it should be an action banned in all fifty states. He should not be allowed to lick his lips, ever.Not.Ever.
“Yes, that’s the biting part. It’s part of the bonding. There are three things that confirm the true mate bond. First, the mind link. After initial introduction is made and the mental link is established, the male’s markings will change, and matching markings will appear on thefemale.”
“Markings?”
He pointed to the tattoos on his neck. “Thesemarkings.”
“Nottattoos?”
He shook his head. “These are a part of our supernaturalmake-up.”
“What do you mean they will change?” Anna asked, her eyes tracing over the blackmarks.
“They will spread. I am a dominate wolf and an Alpha. My markings are on my right side. When I meet you in person, they will expand until they are on the right side of my torso, the front of my neck, and down my right arm. Your markings will be a match for mine, like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectlytogether.”
Anna was trying to remember the conversation that Sally and Peri had with all the healers, explaining all of what he was saying, and some of it was coming back to her. Memories concerning the markings were a tad fuzzy. “Where will mymarkingsbe?”
“I do not know. We won’t know until theyshowup.”
“What about the other girls?” Anna jumped when he let out a deep, rough growl. “Wrongquestion?”
“Only a mate is allowed to see markings of his female. It is a very personal and intimate connection. I have never seen another female’smarkings”
“What would happen ifyoudid?”
“Her mate could kill me for such anoffense.”
“And if another male saw mine?” She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it fromhislips.
“They would die by myteeth.”
Was it her imagination or were his eyes glowing evenbrighter?
“My wolf desires to take control,” he explained, obviously having caught the question from her mind. “He’s quite possessiveofyou.”
“Okay.” She was pretty sure there was never uttered a lamer answer in the history of lame answers, but she wasn’t sure what else to say. “Is the biting part reallynecessary?”
His grin was positively wicked and seductive, a lethal combination. “Very. But the male is not the only one who does the biting. The female bites her mateaswell.”
Her mouth dropped open, then shut, then opened again. She would have to bite him? Wasn’t that unsanitary? “Does it hurt?” Dumbest.Question.Ever.
“Considering I’ve never been bitten by you, I don’t really know. But when my father explained true mates to me, he told me that the bite from my mate would be pleasurable. And my bite would be the sameforyou.”
Anna shifted in her spot on the grass and dropped her hazel eyes from his very intense dark brown ones. “Okay then.” She wanted to ask more, especially about when the biting part actually happened. Would it be the minute he met her? He’d say hello and then strike? Or would they date and get to know one another? But just when she was about to open her mouth to ask she felt herself slipping awayfromhim.
His face darkened, looking frustrated, but his eyes also held sadness. “You’re waking up,” he explained. “Please, stay safe,Criña. I need you, and though you don’t realize it yet, you need me justasmuch.”
Anna bolted upright in the bed. Her breathing was as fast as the galloping heart in her chest. She looked around and saw she was still in the motel, and Jewel was fast asleepbesideher.
“Just a dream,” she whispered. But it had felt so very real. She could remember the warmth of his breath on her face, the strength of his hand as he held hers, the heat his touch caused as he traced the spot on her neck where he’d said he would place his mark—his bite. It was crazy a dream could feelsoreal.
“Youokay?”
Anna looked over at Jewel who was frowning at her from underneath a blanket. “What if I told you I dreamed about Gustavo, the werewolf who is to be my mate, and it felt as real as this conversation we arehaving?”
Jewel shrugged. “I’d say I believe you. I’m pretty much going by the anything-is-possiblephilosophynow.”
“Probably a really good one to adopt,” Anna agreed. She reached over and picked up the cell phone on the bedside table and checked the time. It was seven in the morning. It felt as though she’d only been a sleep for lessthanhour.
