I blinked. I had no idea what was going on.
At that moment, Pax stepped forward. “Miss Evie?”
“Just Evie,” I said to the shifter.
Pax’s gaze shifted first to Ben, then to Caelan before his strange eyes rested on me once more. “Are you currently mated?”
I snorted. “I’m sorry?”
“Mated. I do not see a mating bond between you and the Texas Lord.”
Caelan went still. I put a hand on his forearm.
“I’m not sure it’s possible for a shifter to formally mate with someone who’s not another shifter,” I mused.
“It’s possible,” Ben said, an emotion in his voice I’d never heard from him.
“To answer your very forward question,” I said, a note of reproof in my voice, “no, I am not formally mated, but I’m also not a shifter. I do not need to be mated to commit myself to someone.”
Caelan’s muscles relaxed under my fingers.
“You are committed to Lord Caelan?” Pax asked.
“I am.”
Pax bowed his head. “Then he is a lucky man indeed.” When he lifted his head, his eyes held a golden spark—a promise of power glimmering in his eyes. “If you find yourself uncommitted, I hope you will find me again.”
I blinked in surprise. “Err. Umm. Thank you, Pax. I am very flattered.”
“You are a tempest of power, Evie. Any man would be fortunate to bask in the adoration of your gaze.”
And with that, Pax turned and went back to the corner he stood in, watching and waiting.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered. “Is there something in the air?”
“Pax is right,” Ben said. “It is possible to mate outside of our species. Perhaps your lack of mating bond is more telling than you realize.”
“You overstep,” Caelan snarled in a low, dangerous voice. “You had your chance, Ben. Do not make me teach you a lesson about trying to take what is mine.”
I held up a hand, glaring at the flash of triumph in Ben’s eyes. “First, I am not your possession. I thought we’d worked through all that. Second, I don’t think Ben is making a claim on me.”
But when Ben smiled, the words died in my throat.
“Are you?” I croaked.
“I’m the Lord of a large territory, Evie. The natural world here is bursting with power, and we’ve lacked a Floromancer for years.”
“The winter is horrific. My power is sluggish here.”
“Then I suggest you visit during spring and see how glorious your magic may bloom.”
“You cannot be serious,” I murmured. “Ben, you all but threw me away. What in the world brought this on now?”
Caelan sat rigid with fury, but he had learned something. He hadn’t gone immediately for Ben’s throat, and that was progress.
“I’ve seen the error of my ways.”
“Yes, you’ve also seen me very naked. Does this have anything to do with this? I mean, I’m not a supermodel or anything, but maybe it’s been a while for you and?—”
